Chris Harris Productions

“Rade Zone”

  I’ve been working on the promenade for some time now, promoting a restaurant. I’ve come to know many of the street performers, some have been there for years showing off their talents. One guy balances dishes, another group break dances or a guy plays the violin to popular music with a classical twist. None have I seen that have been more interesting to me, then the one and only RADE E. ZONE. Rade is a street performer from Las Vegas who frequents the third street promenade, he pretends he is a galactic space alien who’s come to control your mind. Sometimes he even sings songs and plays his guitar about current affairs. He even has cool space music to accompany his act. Rade is a one of a kind guy. I became curious of his name that I noticed on his street performer permit. Apparently he legally changed his name for his act. As I got to know him, I soon found out that he was born and raised outside of Chicago, IL and attended Columbia College Chicago back in the 80’s for none other then television production. What a coincidence! Rade and I went to the same school for the same degree!  Some people laugh and take pictures or video of him in Jest, I believe he’s a guy just trying to fit into a world that so very often excludes us. One day you enter college and you think the world is yours and the next, your on the street pretending to take over peoples minds. He seems to enjoy himself despite the lack of funds. Maybe we could all be a little more like Rade, Live our creative dream despite making huge amounts of money. It”s good to see the creative Columbia spirit alive and well.

Check out his Youtube Channel @

http://www.youtube.com/user/radezone

Levi’s: “There’s Work to be Done and Undone”

I’m sure most of you have seen the Levi’s commercials on television like this one. Recently, I walked into a Levi’s Jeans store on the third street promenade. Upon entering the store the first thing I see between two mannequins is a flag made of jeans that represented the American Flag. I continued on looking for some jeans in my size when I noticed on the bottom of the tag in big bold letters “MADE IN MALASIA”. So I started walking around looking at the different tags of the different types of jeans. Upon investigation, I could not find a single pair of Jeans that said Made In America, Not one. I saw jeans made in Mexico, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, I even saw a pair that was made in Haiti. How can a company run an ad campaign with Walt Whitman’s words, fly an American flag made of Jeans in their stores, Made by slaves in third world countries and deceptively Imply that they are FOR America. I am sick and tired of companies trying to say they are American when the products they sell aren’t even American. I admit, the jeans I am currently wearing are made in Mexico. If I had the money, I would purchase American made ones. I now realize the consequences of globalization affect not just our country but the people of other countries. We must remember that every time we buy something we are voting. 

            ” The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.”

                                                       -Walt Whitman

Here is a website which lists companies that sell American made Jeans.

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/jeans.htm