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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Video: Trading Ahead of the ECB Meeting

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/48061671/

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Syrian opposition makes new push to unite

CAIRO (AP) ? The Arab League chief urged exiled Syrian opposition figures to unite at a meeting Monday as a new Western effort to force President Bashar Assad from power faltered. Another 85 soldiers, including a general, fled to Turkey in a growing wave of defections.

Turkey's state-run Andolou news agency said the group of defectors also included 14 other officers, ranging from one colonel to seven captains. It is one of the largest groups of Syrian army defectors to cross into Turkey since the uprising against Assad began.

The stakes are high for calming the crisis in Syria, which NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday called "one of the gravest security challenges the world faces today."

But more than one year into the Syrian revolt, the opposition is still hobbled by the infighting and fractiousness that have prevented the movement from gaining the kind of political traction it needs to present a credible alternative to Assad.

"There is an opportunity before the conference of Syrian opposition today that must be seized, and I say and repeat that this opportunity must not be wasted under any circumstance," Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby told nearly 250 members of the Syrian opposition at the opening of the two-day conference in Cairo.

"The sacrifices of the Syrian people are bigger than us and more valuable than any narrow differences or factional disputes," he said.

Nasser Al-Kidwa, deputy to U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, said that unity of purpose and vision was "not an option, but a necessity if the opposition wants to bolster its popular support and trust and increase international support."

The divisions are tied to issues at the heart of the revolution: Whether to seek dialogue with the regime, whether outside military intervention is needed and what ideology should guide a post-Assad Syria.

Unlike Libya's National Transitional Council, which brought together most factions fighting Moammar Gadhafi's regime and was quickly recognized by much of the international community, Syria's opposition has no leadership on the ground.

Regime opponents inside and outside Syria are a diverse group, representing the country's ideological, sectarian and generational divide. They include dissidents who spent years in prison, tech-savvy activists in their 20s, former Marxists and Islamists.

Communication between those abroad and those in the country is extremely difficult. Political activists in Syria are routinely rounded up and imprisoned. Many are in hiding, communicating only through Skype using fake names, and the country is largely sealed off to exiled dissidents and foreign journalists.

The Cairo conference brought together various opposition groups ? including the Syrian National Council and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria ? to try to agree on a united front to represent them, as well as to work out a transition plan for how to end to the conflict.

However, the main rebel group fighting Syrian government forces on the ground, the Free Syrian Army, was not represented at the talks. Faiz Amru, a member of the Joint Military Command, which is affiliated with the FSA, said the Cairo meeting was purely political, so rebels were not invited.

Besides the conference in Cairo, opposition members also plan to meet Russian officials later this month, a Russian news agency reported. But the Moscow talks are significant because the Kremlin is Syria's most important ally, protector and supplier of arms.

Diplomatic hopes have rested on persuading Russia to agree to a plan that would end the Assad family dynasty, which has ruled Syria for more than four decades.

Moscow's determination to preserve its last remaining ally in the Middle East has blocked efforts by the U.S. and other Western powers to force Assad out.

World powers at a conference in Geneva on Saturday accepted a U.N.-brokered plan calling for the creation of a transitional government with full executive powers in Syria. But at Russia's insistence, the compromise left the door open to Assad being part of the interim administration.

Some Syrian opposition groups have rejected the plan, calling it ambiguous and a waste of time and vowing not to negotiate with Assad or members of his "murderous" regime.

However, the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria said Monday that the plan is the best way to ensure a political transition that avoids a full collapse of the Syrian state.

Elaraby, who has held private meetings with Syrian opposition figures at the League's headquarters in the past, said the agreement did not meet Arab expectations because it did not specify a time frame for a "clear transition" as the League had called for.

The U.S. backed away from insisting that the plan should explicitly call for Assad to have no role in a new Syrian government, hoping the concession would encourage Russia to put greater pressure on its longtime ally to end the regime's violent crackdown.

The conflict has killed more than 14,000 people since the revolt began in March 2011, according to opposition estimates. The fighting has grown increasingly militarized in recent months, with rebel forces launching attacks and ambushes on regime targets.

Thousands of soldiers, most of them low-level conscripts, have deserted and joined the rebels. The 85 soldiers who crossed over to Turkey on Monday followed 33 others, including a general and two colonels, who did the same a week earlier, in a sign that high-level defections appear to be increasing.

Although the defections are notable, Assad's regime has remained remarkably airtight, particularly compared with the hemorrhaging of Gadhafi's inner circle in Libya in 2011.

Assad has refused to budge, saying his country is at war with terrorists ? the term he uses for his armed opponents. On Monday, he ratified a new terrorism law that includes a clause specifically aimed at the opposition. Under the law, the penalty for terrorism that aims to change the regime would exceed 20 years at hard labor.

As the conflict drags on, concerns are mounting that the violence will spiral outside the country's borders. Tensions already are running high between Damascus and Ankara after Syria shot down a Turkish military plane on June 22.

Syria said the jet violated its airspace, but Turkey says the aircraft was shot down over international waters.

Turkey responded by setting up anti-aircraft guns along the frontier and said Monday it dispatched fighter jets to its border after Syrian helicopters flew too close to the frontier for a second day on Sunday.

In Brussels on Monday, Fogh Rasmussen said the Syrian regime "has lost all humanity and all legitimacy." But there is little appetite for the type of military intervention that helped topple Libya's Gadhafi, in part because there is no real opposition to get behind.

The international community is also hesitant to get involved in another country in turmoil.

"Every member of the international community should use its influence and spare no effort to bring an end to the bloodshed and move Syria forward," he said. "This conflict has already gone on for too long. It has cost too many lives, and put the stability of the whole region at risk."

___

Kennedy reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition-makes-push-unite-172501721.html

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Monday, July 2, 2012

Comscore: Samsung top mobile manufacturer, Android top platform

Google Android

It's not all doom and gloom in the Android world. Comscore just released its findings for the three months ending in May, and they are as follows:

Samsung's is the top overall mobile manufacturer at 25.7 percent. LG's second at 19.1 percent. That's counting smartphones and non-smartphones, however. Apple's third at 15 percent (the largest gainer with a 1.5 percentage point increase over February), followed by Motorola (which has more than a few non-smartphones) at 12 percent, and HTC at 6.1 percent.
Google's still well in the lead for total smartphone subscribers, at 50.9 percent. Apple's second at 31.9 percent, and it again was the highest gainer at 1.7 percentage points. (Android grew about half that.) BlackBerry fell 2 percentage points to 11.4 percent, and Microsoft's Windows Phone showed just 0.1 percentage points of growth, to 4 percent even.

We'll be looking for Android's numbers to take a pretty big bump maybe not in the June findings, but certainly July, as the Galaxy S III is finally hitting stores.

Source: Comscore

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/4RxTmJxKSBw/story01.htm

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Mike Ragogna: The English Beat's Audio Exclusive, Plus Conversations with Cory Chisel and Introducing Little Ruckus' Dominic Rabalais

photo by Adrian Boot

THE COMPLETE ENGLISH BEAT'S A-COMIN'!

Next week, The Complete English Beat 5-disc box set drops and to celebrate that, here is a streamer of the dub version of one of the more politically charged songs, "Stand Down Margaret." It features every album and rarity they could pack into the package, and next week, I'll be featuring an interview with good ol' Dave Wakeling during which we talk about politics, music and mayhem.

2012-07-02-61XZsH2VkHL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

A Conversation With Cory Chisel

Mike Ragogna: Let's get into your track "Times Won't Change" from your new album Old Believers. I know it had been associated with the Wisconsin recount, can you go into that?

Cory Chisel: Well, it certainly speaks to a much larger subject matter than what's going on in my home state, and I just started to see a lot of the struggles in my home state were sort of on a smaller scale, the sort of frustration that a lot of us are feeling throughout the entire country, so it sort of worked to parody on that.

MR: So how do you feel about the results?

CC: I'm disappointed, to be honest. I don't think much of this Governor Walker. I hope that I'm wrong, though, for the sake of the state. That, to me, seems arrogant and short sighted, and into a type of politics that I think worries about budgets more than human beings. It's pretty split. People think he's either the savior and that he's being unjustly picked on, or there are those of us who believe that he's been almost involved in illegal activity, if not actually illegal activity. I kind of wrote the song so that either way, whether he won or lost, the song would be relevant, so it still is, to me.

MR: You think that people are finally understanding something or seeing something, and then comes the backlash.

CC: Yeah, and it's a fairly obvious riff on one of my favorite songs of all time, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and I do think that that's true and I do think that my song is true. I think that we're kind of locked in the middle. I think there's a social consciousness that really is booming. I don't necessarily know that it's taking over. I think we're in a new age of discovery and thought, and while that is definitely true, I think the system is just an older way of thinking.

MR: Right, and let's tie that into the album theme, being, well, Old Believers in a new age.

CC: Yeah. Well you know, that's sort of the juxtaposition that I definitely feel, to feel like an old soul who's alive in a very new thought era. I think that there's a lot of people that feel like they've heard these problems before in this lifetime or another lifetime, and that we're making small adjustments, but that more is needed to actually achieve the world we want to live in.

MR: Absolutely. All right, let's get to some other songs on the project. The album starts out with "This Is How It Goes," a song that your partner Adriel Harris sings. Can we get into how Old Believers came together?

CC: Well, it came together rather slowly. It's been three years since I put out a record, and there are a lot of reasons for that. But I think some of it had to do with exhaustion and workload. There's an incredible amount of energy you have to put towards rolling out a record, and I've always been really rejuvenated by the experience of playing live, so I've stuck to the road for the past three years. I think that's where I come from, and what's comfortable for me is to play in front of live audiences. But eventually, there comes a point where I had so many songs stacked up that I started sharing them. I'm always sharing them with Adriel, but I started sharing them with my friend Brendan Benson, and he convinced me--and he's a rather persuasive person--that it was time to stop sitting on stuff and start making a new record. He lives down in Nashville, which is now where both Adriel and I have made a move to live down here as well, and we went through the process very quickly of making the record. It was really only a two-week span of showing him a set of songs and then dropping the needle and rolling tape. It was like recording a live show in some ways.

MR: You get the vibe of the actual performances throughout the record. You're involving more than just the studio element of overdubbing.

CC: Well, it's never really been my thing, to be perfectly honest. I really like sort of putting out the call to a group of people that for a small amount of time, we're going to populate this space, discuss ideas, and then inevitably pull our guitars out and speak to what's in our brains. It's just really one of my favorite times when we can actually get around to working up the energy to say, "I'm making a new record!" There's a certain level of narcissism you have to be ready to engage in, which is just like getting really involved with what you think. Once you can work yourself up to that point where you think you have something to say... You know, down here in Nashville, we've just been lucky to have so many talented people that have migrated here that, really, we've been sort of covered in amazing thinkers and players.

MR: Now, going back to "This Is How It Goes," it sets up the album even though it's not your vocals.

CC: Yeah, and I think Adriel does that with a very beautiful effect on the record, and I really like the idea of a preface. There are a couple different ways to get into a record, and the best way I could think to grab everyone's attention was to sort of highlight my favorite singer, which is Adriel, and have her sort of offer a way in and not make any excuses for what we're about to talk about.

MR: Now I also wanted to ask you about the song "Never Meant To Love You." Is that a bit autobiographical? It has one of my favorite concepts: "I never meant to love you, but there you go. I did!"

CC: It is. I think a great many things in my life can be attributed to the powers that be. We're constantly creating a level of our existence, and sort of powerless at the same time to live at the mercy of these urges. I could say the same thing about making music. I never meant to try and make a living with this, but here I am thirty years into my life, and trying to figure that out too. I think love has definitely been that way. It sort of found me in that sense. I'm always fairly preoccupied until I find myself well in the middle of something I never meant to walk into.

MR: Do you feel like that's the case with most people and how they fall into relationships?

CC: I think that they're honest about it. There are many different kinds of relationships you can fall into. I think through playing that song, you find out how many of us there are. You can really get blasted in the side of the head by something you weren't totally aware of in the moment. It's tongue-in-cheek as well because there's certainly a lot of intention towards people that you want to get to know. Hopefully, it's a song a lot of people can relate to.

MR: What's your favorite song on the album with a back story you're just burning to get out of you?

CC: Well, there's a lot of different ones, I guess. One of my favorite tracks on the record, mostly because it's not autobiographical--it's actually written for a friend--is a song on the record called "Laura." It was written for a friend living within the ashes of a relationship that was still sort of lingering in the house. The failure of the relationship was really romantic, and my friend was really seeking to reconcile these emotions that he had, and it's kind of fun with a song because you can't always offer advice or you can't always offer to take anything away. But by making a piece of art out of the situation, there's a healing component to that, and I've been excited about that.

MR: I know you've been writing a lot of songs, but what's been going on between the albums creatively?

CC: I've had the pleasure of writing and working with other artists that I've really admired, one of those being Rosanne Cash, having the opportunity to work on a song with her and mainly this whole crew that is living down in Nashville, Tennessee, from traditional players like the great group called The Howling Brothers and, obviously, my friend Brendan Benson. And Adriel as well is working on a solo record that will be coming sometime soon, and I've really enjoyed the collaboration aspect of songwriting. I got into that on my last record, Death Won't Send A Letter. It was something I've always been sort of fearful of. I don't know if it's the punk rock school of thought where you don't write with anybody else, and I really found I've gained a lot from that experience.

MR: Let me also ask you these accolades that have been coming your way. For instance, you won the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award for Artist of the Year in 2010 for you.

CC: It's always a nice thing to be acknowledged for the fact that you've made something that resonates. Awards are a tough thing to get used to because you're skeptical of your ability. It gets in your head of not wanting to fall short of that the next go around and all those things, but I think we've done a good job of letting it go and not worrying about getting any sort of recommendation but just making a good record.

MR: Oh and I don't want to sell you short here. The song "Born Again" was also named a Record of the Year...

CC: ...yeah, I appreciate it. It's a great thing, but it's sort of got to be in one ear and out the other. I've still got a job to do, and I do appreciate how much people responded to it.

MR: Yeah, awards are nice, but you can't believe your own press, you know? You just have to live your life.

CC: It's an art killer, for one, because your objective has to be to express yourself honestly, and sometimes, that doesn't win awards, but that's still your job. Sometimes it does and you can't get obsessed with the idea that it needs to win awards to be the real thing.

MR: How many times have you watched Cleaner to see your song "Little Bird" appear in it?

CC: I've actually never seen it! I saw the clips that we were in when we approved the song, but I've never sat down and watched the entire movie. I think, again, there's something uncomfortable about hearing the sound of your own voice, and that may have something to do with it. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with Samuel L. Jackson because I love him no matter what movie he's in.

MR: How many times have you seen The Avengers?

CC: I have yet to see it! It's been on my list. I have a little nephew who is quite critical of my absence of seeing that movie, so I've got to suck it up and check it out.

MR: (laughs) Hey, I'm very critical of that.

CC: I know! I've got to step it up. I'm slacking a little!

MR: I'll just go down and say it, that was my favorite movie of the year.

CC: Wow! Well now I really have to see it because I've had several very discerning palates of different ages give it that sort of award, so now I've got to see it.

MR: On the other hand, I have to confess, I'm looking forward to seeing the next Batman and Spider-Man movies. Just sayin'.

CC: Well, I think Spider-Man needs to be done again, and better, so I'm excited to see that.

MR: Hey, we likes da Tobey Maguire, and we like the fact that he was an awesome Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but yeah, that last movie pretty much put the nail in the coffin. Poor Tobes.

CC: Everybody knows that! (laughs)

MR: Cory, what advice do you have for new artists?

CC: The thing I can say wholeheartedly is that it's a worthy life to live, to spend pursuing making art and the hope of making the world more beautiful. There'll be thousands of reasons to not do this job as far as not making money and not being recognized, but the best thing I can tell you is a job that's healing you every time you give something to it is a great way to live your life. Anything that's wrong about this career can be fixed by the same means. I can get up on stage and take care of myself.

MR: That's really a beautiful way to put that. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that in all the times I've asked this question.

CC: Well, that's certainly been the most obvious reason to continue doing it in my life. It's restorative. It brings you back from whatever it puts you through.

MR: Right, the cathartic element, and I guess that's why people have music as the soundtrack of their lives.

CC: Yeah, it's a food that you need. It's a substance that has great power. There are ways you can get disillusioned by deciding to do this job and have an expectation that it pays for the place you're going to live in and those things can be really critical. But the best part is that you can still ease any of those worries with the same thing just by writing a song about it or getting it out through that.

MR: Cory, we haven't spoken in a while, but every time we do this... I really feel like you're giving such a straight answer when I talk to you. There's nothing showbiz about you, and I mean that as a compliment.

CC: Thank you. I will take that as a compliment, for sure. Thank you!

MR: Okay, let's wrap it up. Words of wisdom?

CC: I hope that people check out a couple of records that are out right now, too. There's this other group called Shovels And Rope that's out, and if I were to give you wise advice, I would say to check that band out as well as buy our record, please, and thank you.

MR: And you're magnanimous. Look at that. Cory, thanks for the time, and let's do this again the next time you have a project or the next time you have some big news.

CC: I enjoyed talking to you again, man. Hope you're doing well.

MR: Getting better, sir. All the best!

CC: Same to you!

Tracks:
1. This Is How It Goes
2. I've Been Accused
3. Old Love
4. Never Meant To Love You
5. Please Tell Me
6. Laura
7. Foxgloves
8. She Don't Mind
9. Times Won't Change
10. Seventeen
11. Over Jordan
12. Wood Drake

Transcribed by Kyle Pongan

A Conversation With The Hardest Working Man in Punk 'N' Roll, Dominic Rabalais

Mike Ragogna: We have Dominic Rabalais here who is the essence of a little group called Little Ruckus. But he is a ruckus in himself, and he's going to prove that in mere moments.

Dominic Rabalais: (laughs)

MR: Dom, give us the update. After this interview, you're off to play for a benefit for Ms. Wheelchair Iowa?

DR: Yes, Ms. Wheelchair Iowa. Ms. Wheelchair USA is happening in Connecticut and it costs $1,500 to enter and you have transportation fees. We're playing as Little Ruckus at this benefit show for her.

MR: How did you get involved in this?

DR: Nate Logsdon, aka the main man in Mumford's, and a member of Little Ruckus and the Sandwich Eating Crew. He goes by "Beefcake."

MR: If our readers saw this kid...you get the idea. By the way, I don't think I've ever seen him with a shirt on.

DR: Yeah, he is the beef. We always make these beef puns together and I can't believe we haven't made a "where's the beef" reference.

MR: Eh, you're creative guys, you can come up with more.

DR: Yeah, but there are plenty of beef references already. His other band, Mumford's, got asked to play and they couldn't. He was like, "The full band can't make it, I could play a solo set." But they wanted it to be a total party environment. That's what full-band Mumford's can bring, that's also what Little Ruckus can bring. He was like, "Since the full band Mumford's can't make it, Little Ruckus could totally play." That's why it's happening.

MR: There's other news, right? Maybe something that happened to you out of nowhere recently? Maybe something involving Europe?

DR: (laughs) There's multiple really cool things falling together. There's Europe, which my friend Neil Fridd from the band the Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, he's on David Byrne's record label, he's got this total cred going for him. This festival in Germany is flying him out and he was like, "yeah I'll come play a festival if you fly my friends out too." So he's flying me and one of his friends out, and I'm going to play in his band and play some Little Ruckus and Terror Pigeon shows around Europe in that period of time.

MR: Sadly, you're not going to have the whole Sandwich Eating Crew with you.

DR: Unfortunately, not. But it will be me, Neil, and our mutual friend Tyler who's from Tennessee, as is Neil. They can be members of the Sandwich Eating Crew.

MR: Actually, everyone can be part of the Sandwich Eating Crew. It's like being six degrees of Kevin Bacon.

DR: Yeah, you just say you're in the Sandwich Eating Crew, then you are. On that note, that seeds into another really awesome thing that's going on which is that we got asked to open for Girl Talk, which is a really awesome thing.

MR: Love Girl Talk. HuffPost had a video exclusive, and I finally got what Mr. Gregg Michael Gillis was about.

DR: Yeah, it's amazing, it's so good! So we're opening for him along with Trouble Lights. I'm going to get six or seven Des Moines kids into that show so they can be members of the band and be backup dancers. I even emailed them my set and was like, "Listen to this over and over, learn the sing-along parts and make up dance moves for it," so when we get to the venue, we can just play the show. They're in the show, so they're members of the Sandwich Eating Crew.

MR: I'm surprised you're following this route. I thought when we visited that PBS station together, you wanted to dedicate your life to public radio funding drives.

DR: It was a close call.

MR: Shall we finally talk about your new album?

DR: Cool, sounds awesome.

MR: Tank Girl Vs. Cape Girl?

DR: Tank Girl Vs.Cape Girl. As far as an album of music, I'm super proud of it. I think We Love Evil is really good.

MR: That's your first album.

DR: Yeah. It was a really good way for me to find the best way for this band to exist and then Tank Girl Vs. Cape Girl is basically taking that and running with it more. I'm just really proud of it. I think it sounds better and the songs are better written, and I feel that We Love Evil brings you down this road and keeps you there the whole time, but Tank Girl Vs. Cape Girl is all very constant energy. It brings that constant energy and brings it in slightly different directions throughout the album, which I'm really happy about.

(note: explicit language)

MR: Your video for "SomeDay" is killer, oh by the way. And I felt like on the first album, there was this level of energy that just kept going on every track.

DR: Yeah, totally. I guess it's one of those things where I come out with a new album and I'm like, "It's the best thing I've ever done." Then you're like, "I can't believe I made that old album." Then I'll make another album and be like, "I can't believe I made Tank Girl Vs. Cape Girl."

MR: It's always going to be like that, you know. Someone is going to ask you in an interview if you've compared your latest album to your other albums and you'll be like, "I don't even listen to those anymore."

DR: Yeah. Another thing that me and Nate are doing is we're writing a Sandwich Eating Crew album, which is not even going to be Little Ruckus or Beefcake or a Slaydrien or a Lane Weaver album. Of all the members of the Sandwich Eating Crew that actually appear on tracks, it's not going to be a solo album from any one of them. It's going to be a Sandwich Eating Crew album where most of the songs don't have one distinct singer. Someone sings one, another sings another, everyone sings the chorus. We're going to start it and end it with a song each just getting vocals, everybody singing, which we haven't really figured out exactly how to do. We have the chorus phrase for it, but how to build a song out of that will be interesting.

MR: Well, let's bring up that you have your fingers in so many pies. You're also in the band Surgery. Lately, Surgery and Trouble Lights have definitely piqued some Iowa's interest, especially on the college level.

DR: Yeah, a quick note on Trouble Lights. Phillip, my brother, from an objective standpoint? I listen to his beats and they're so good. I make beats and think, "Oh that's a good beat, it's got some qualities that are awesome to it." But then I think about his beats and it's like, "Oh my God, they're so next level!"

MR: And your brother also focuses on production in addition to being an artist.

DR: Yeah, exactly.

MR: Whereas you, you're creating performance art all the time.

DR: Yeah, but definitely, his art is production and he's really into the ideas of songs. Something that he talks about a lot that really blows my mind and makes me think about when I create stuff in an awesome way is that it has to be very high quality. You have to have a great idea and the idea and passion that powers the song is what makes even the most well-produced song. If the ideas aren't there in quality, then it's not going to be super compelling.

MR: Dude, you've lived your whole life with your brother, you constantly make music with him, and you're saying all these awesome things about your brother. I know he says the same type of stuff about you. But how can you stand each other after all this time?

DR: I don't know, we're just bros.

MR: (laughs) It's great to see that in action at your performances together. And there's this real fraternity of musicians and musical satellites that you've formed.

DR: That fraternity exists within every community in Iowa, and it exists between every community in Iowa.

MR: Nate Logsdon was trying to explain that the other day when I had him on my television show. He was talking about the relationship between the Ames groups and other Iowa groups, which is very tight, it branches out from there to the rest of the state. You guys are pioneers, it's really an amazing thing to watch. I have tried to weasel in and be a mentor--that's such an overused, random word now--when you guys have question. But it's really better that you guys develop your own thing, you're your own entity, figuring out how to be creative on your own terms. It's something to really, really be proud of. What do you think this scene is going to evolve into, like what's your ultimate vision?

DR: First, I'll just speak for myself and Little Ruckus. Honestly, I feel like every musician dreams about this kind of stuff, but I'm going to go ahead and admit it publicly: I would like to play shows as big as Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga do.

MR: Dom, stop, no.

DR: If I could reach that many people, that would be awesome. And I mean to play shows as big as Girl Talk plays would be super amazing, too. I think, partially, just within the context of Iowa music in general, I feel like it's garnering this reputation and it will continue to, and I feel like there's a certain amount of extreme energy that gets put into all Iowa acts, garnering a reputation amongst the rest of America. Meaning bands from Iowa go this hard.

MR: How does Iowan music become a national experience, or does that even matter?

DR: Well, I think basically just keeping on doing what we're doing and continuing to blow minds in Iowa and around the country, just going on tour. Sadly, I'm not going to be able to go, but Mumford's is going on a two-month tour. There is this amazing band called the Poison Control Center form Iowa that went on a yearlong tour. I played a show with them once and they were like, "Oh this is show number seventy-two." And then I played another show again with them a month later and they were like, "This is show number one-hundred-three." Then we ended up playing a show in Rochester when we were on tour the same night. Our show ended early so we went over to their show and they were like, "This is show two-hundred-ten."

MR: Did it ever end?

DR: It sadly finally did end. It was so cool though to meet them on tour because whenever we were on the road, they were also on the road. They were always on the road.

MR: You run into the same bands often?

DR: Totally.

MR: As you're working your butts off and repping Iowa, it would be nice if a bone was thrown out there since you guys so deserve it.

DR: Totally. Me and the Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, before we got this offer to go to Europe, we were going to set up a pool party at a YMCA in New York, which would have been really fun. I feel like it would be really, really fun to do that, but I really like work. I really like doing work. It'd be awesome to play a bunch of shows in New York but I feel like what's gotten me and my friends to the places that we are, opening for Girl Talk, being asked to play at "80-35," being flown to Europe... It's all stuff just from putting work in, from putting the man-hours in.

MR: As far as I'm concerned, you're literally the hardest working man in punk 'n' roll, maybe along with your brother Phil. Okay, let's get into "80-35."

DR: "80-35" started a couple years ago. It started because Des Moines didn't have a super thriving downtown economy. It was started by this Des Moines music coalition organization and also put on GDP, which is Gross Domestic Product. It's in this amazing hotel--Hotel Fort Des Moines. They put it on in this ballroom. It's world-class sound, world-class hospitality for bands, but it's all Iowa bands. It's really good and then they also put on "80-35." They do all that and put on a couple of other shows on a yearly basis. It's all an economic, creative arts stimulus package for downtown Des Moines. It's definitely through their efforts and probably a lot of other efforts that downtown Des Moines is becoming amazing. There are a lot of great bands, there are a lot of great shows going on all the time, AND there are all these awesome art projects that are constantly happening.

MR: You guys all know each other too, as far as the cross-section of bands over there?

DR: Yeah, totally.

MR: Awesome.

DR: So they also put on "80-35," which is the big outdoor festival of Iowa. Lollapalooza always happens in downtown Chicago or Pitchfork festival always happens in downtown Chicago. But yeah, just like the big outdoor, huge stages that they build just for that day festival, it's the only festival like that in Iowa.

MR: So it exists to celebrate Iowa bands, but do they bring some other acts in, like big name acts?

DR: Yeah. This year, The Avett Brothers and Death Cab For Cutie. Come to think of it, Girl Talk headlined one time, Public Enemy headlined one time. And I'm pretty sure Bob Dylan played.

MR: Really? At "80-35"?

DR: Yeah at the end of the day, Bob Dylan is like, "I am a living legend."

MR: He so is. Dom, what advice do you have for new artists?

DR: Work super hard, all the time. I would say work, think about your project and pour your passion into it constantly. You don't have to be writing new songs or recording new albums, but just make your own merchandise. Put in hours towards booking shows--it depends what you define as work because you could try to hustle yourself on Facebook or sending emails to booking agencies and management agencies. That is also work but I would say just work where you can just directly see your project prosper from it. Put in the hours to play the shows and put in the hours to make your own merchandise and put in the hours to record your own music and to just work on that project.

MR: Nice. When is "80-35" going to be?

DR: July 6th-7th. We're playing on the July 7.

MR: Also, my other very important question to you. You got anything else to say about that newbie, Bruce Springsteen?

DR: I would say that the two biggest influences for Little Ruckus are Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga, definitely.

MR: (laughs) Uh-huh. So. Any parting words of wisdom?

DR: Stay free.

MR: Stay free.

DR: Yeah, stay free and sweat as much as you possibly can. Live your life like you're falling in love every day.

MR: Alright. Deal.

DR: (laughs)

MR: Stay gold, Ponyboy, aka Dominic Rabalais of Little Ruckus. When's the new album coming out?

DR: On June 28. Then I'm going to start selling it at shows now, but it's going to be available on the internet, therefore real, on the 28th.

MR: Tank Girl Vs. Cape Girl. There. I said it and I can't take it back. And of course, there's that first album...

DR: ...We Love Evil.

MR: By the way, I didn't ask, how did Dominic grow between the two?

DR: I feel that one thing is that I'm really happy with the sequencing of the album, the way that it goes from one song to the other. I also really like the diversity of the people who I ask to do things on this album, to be features on this album. It has saxophone solos, it has trombone solos, it has rappers, it has singing people, I'm just really happy about it. And it has more samples, actually, which is interesting.

MR: Dom, my dream is to one day...one day, have my own Sandwich Eating Crew nickname.

DR: You can make it up right now on the spot!

MR: I have to make it up? Yikes!

DR: Yeah, I mean I can give you one like "Royal Family."

MR: Royal Family? Yeah! I'm in!

DR: Royal Family right here...WHAT? Actually, one thing I'm trying to establish, real quick is that I want people to send what city they're from and their Sandwich Eating Crew nickname to http://www.littleruckus@littleruck.us and then I'll give a list of that and every time we play a show in that city, we'll just read the list and shout, "Give it up for 'H20,' give it up for 'Protective Sunglasses,' give it up for 'Royal Family.'" I feel like that would be awesome, have a list of who lives in what city and their Sandwich Eating Crew names.

MR: You're making the world a better place with your Sandwich Eating Crew, Ponyboy.

DR: Yeah, totally. The Sandwich Eating Crew, in addition to being our crew of collaborators is just anyone who just throws down and falls in love at shows that we play.

MR: Nice. I'm looking forward to doing both. This has been a blast. Dominic, thank you very much for coming and for my new Sandwich Eating Crew name.

DR: Thank YOU!

Tracks:
1. Truth Boyz
2. Stay Free - with Lane Weaver
3. First Love - with Captain Picard
4. Set My Spirit Free! - with Slaydrien
5. New Knives - with Wildman
6. I Am Going To Eat Your Heart
7. Go Free - with Lane Weaver
8. Promised Land
9. Stand Up
10. ShredYrSelfClean - with Lane Weaver and Dakota Phannin
11. Our Wedding

Transcribed by Narayana Windenberger

Follow Mike Ragogna on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ragz2008

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/the-english-beats-audio-e_b_1642074.html

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APA task force recommends treatment guidelines and position statements on transgender persons

Public release date: 2-Jul-2012
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Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

Report just published in Springer's Archives of Sexual Behavior

A report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) recommends the development of clinical practice guidelines for psychiatrists caring for patients who are transgender. The report also encourages the development of position statements regarding the health care and civil rights of people who are gender variant or transitioning gender. The task force report is available online in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

The task force was charged with reviewing the scientific literature regarding gender identity disorder at different stages in a person's life. It examined the research and clinical evidence relating to treatment, and provided an opinion as to whether or not the APA should develop practice recommendations. The literature regarding treatment of gender dysphoria, or discomfort about one's own gender, in individuals with disorders of sex development was also assessed.

The report concluded that the quality of research evidence pertaining to most aspects of treatment for GID is not robust, but clinical consensus is sufficient to support the development of recommendations for the clinical management of GID in all age groups.

The task force also recommended that the APA create a separate mechanism for assessing the mental health needs of individuals with disorders of sex development, whether gender dysphoria is present or not.

In addition, the report recommended that the APA provide statements clarifying its positions on several issues. These include supporting the medical necessity of treatment for GID, defining the ethical issues regarding treatments for minors with GID or other manifestations of gender variance, and supporting the civil rights of persons who are gender variant, transgender, or transsexual.

The task force was formed to address concerns different from the diagnostic aspects of GID that were being considered as part of the next edition of the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Although psychiatric diagnosis and treatment are linked, they are separate aspects of clinical mental health practice, and the DSM does not make recommendations for treatment. The APA first introduced GID as a diagnostic condition in the 1980 DSM, but has not taken any official position on treatment or other concerns of transgender persons.

Task Force Chair William Byne, M.D., Ph.D., said, "The American Medical Association has adopted a resolution supporting insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment for individuals diagnosed with GID. The task force report recommends the APA adopt a similar position, and issue other statements in support of the rights of gender variant persons."

###

The full task force report is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x.

Notes:
1. Byne, W., et al. (2012). Report of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior; DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x
2. The task force report includes an appendix identifying health care policy and civil rights issues important to transgender persons and their treating clinicians, for use in specific policy development by the APA and other health care organizations.

The full-text report is also available to journalists on request.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

APA task force recommends treatment guidelines and position statements on transgender persons

Public release date: 2-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

Report just published in Springer's Archives of Sexual Behavior

###

The full task force report is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x.

The full-text report is also available to journalists on request.

[ | E-mail |

Share ]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/s-atf070212.php

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Young Afghans seek solace from war in heavy metal rock

KABUL (Reuters) - On a dimly lit stage the godfather of Afghan rock prepares for the next song, as images of the French movie La Haine (Hate) flicker above and his audience is asked what song would they sing if they were lying in the gutter dying.

For "District Unknown", Afghanistan's first heavy metal band, the answer could be "Two Seconds After the Blast", from their soon-to-be recorded first album, "A 24-hour life time".

"We live under the constant fear of sudden death," says Qasem Foushanji, guitarist with "District Unknown", one of a handful of bands to emerge with mentoring from Afghanistan's first school of rock, which opened in May.

The thumping, heavy metal rock and aggressive lyrics which reverberate within the sound-proof walls of Kabul's "Sound Centre" music school allows young Afghans to vent their anger at the violence they have witnessed during years of war before and after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

The District Unknown song "The Beast" has lyrics like: "I scream loud and harsh; For you to run away".

"The beast in the song is fear, and if one can defeat fear then they can make a better reality for themselves," says Pedram Foushanji, Qasem's brother, and band's songwriter and drummer.

Kabul's rock music school, housed inside the small "Venue" restaurant in the Afghan capital, also reflects the return, although sometimes tentative, of social and individual freedoms since the end of the Taliban rule in 1996.

The Taliban's extreme interpretation of Islam banned cinema, TV and most music, except that rooted in religion, and forbid women and girls from working or studying. Under the Taliban, a rock school would have been destroyed and its musicians killed.

Even now, 16 years since Taliban rule ended, Afghanistan's young rock musicians are sometimes forced to wear masks when performing to avoid being attacked by religious conservatives.

And the shadow of the Taliban looms large ahead of the 2014 transition when most foreign combat troops leave and hand security control back to Afghan forces.

The Taliban staged a 12-hour siege at a popular lakeside hotel outside Kabul this month, accusing hotel hostages of drinking and prostitution. At least 20 people were killed.

Women and girls continue to suffer rights abuses at the hands of pro-Taliban conservatives. In April, about 150 schoolgirls were poisoned after drinking contaminated water in an attack blamed on those opposed to female education.

"Our music is not about heartbreak or boy-girl relationships. We don't live that," says Qais Shaghasi, guitarist with District Unknown.

"It's about watching a 15-year-old being married off to a 50-year-old man by her father for money. That's what we see," says Shaghasi, wearing a black T-shirt depicting U.S. trash metal band Slayer.

SEEDS OF ROCK SOWN

After years of Western influences filtering into traditionally conservative Afghanistan, via foreigners associated with NATO-led forces, radio, film, the Internet and a sprinkling of CD music shops, the seeds of rock were sown.

Afghanistan's school of rock was the brainchild of an unlikely trio: Boston cellist Robin Ryzek, who came to teach classical music; former Pakistan refugee Humayun Zardan, forbidden from learning guitar as a youth but determined to see young Afghans rock in his restaurant; and Australian punk rock guitarist Travis Beard, regarded as the godfather of Kabul rock.

"Most Afghans have no clue about what they're hearing, it's just something new and they're drawn to it," explains the pony-tailed Beard.

The school's walls are covered with murals and paintings by local artists, and guitars and speakers have been donated from every corner of the world. Three grungy sound-proof rooms mean restaurant diners and gun-toting neighbors remain unaware of the rock revolution within.

The school has attracted some 20 students, including a handful of girls, seeking refuge in rock.

Pedram and Qasem were living in Iran when they were given an album by the U.S. heavy metal band Metallica, along with a warning about its "harsh" sound, which is in stark contrast to Afghanistan's traditional string and drum music.

The brothers immediately took a liking to the fast-paced, aggressive sound, saying a childhood spent amid war and violence helped them to connect with the music.

"I feel most comfortable playing metal music because you go out there in everyday life and you get a lot of negative energy," Pedram said. "Playing metal makes me feel better. It does for me what meditation does for others."

It was probably no surprise that young Afghan men like the Foushanji brothers picked heavy metal to express themselves, said Mohammad Zaman Rajabi, a Kabul psychologist.

Just like young U.S. soldiers turned to 60s rock when confronted with the horrors of the Vietnam War.

The fast-paced thrash of heavy metal rock is a magnet for youths desensitized to violence, said Rajabi, citing the rock fights and wrestling among Afghan youths on Kabul's streets.

"It gives them an opportunity to express their deepest emotions in a very aggressive, masochistic way," he said.

"It's a smarter way to cope with the reality. In classical music you need a stable state of mind to express yourself through traditional instruments like the sitar, but in rock or heavy metal the kids feel more free."

ROCK REBELLION

Rising above oppression seems a theme within the school.

"La Haine", screened during a performance by the school's founders, depicts the tough lives of three young 20-something migrants in an impoverished French housing project.

During the performance, students also listened to an audio clip from the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line", when famed U.S. record producer Sam Phillips asks Cash if he was lying in the gutter dying what would be the one song he'd sing -- "One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up".

"It's given them attitude. Three years ago they were shy little boys," explains co-founder Beard of the school's impact.

"One of the biggest problems in this country is that there's no way for people to voice their opinions, you can't go out in the street and start saying stuff, people will beat you up. The only place you can really do things freely is on a stage or on a canvas," said Beard.

Pedram juggles a double life of engineering student and rock musician, but Qasem has dropped out of college to pursue art and music full-time. "Pedram got harassed at school with people saying he was a lover of Satan," Shaghasi said.

On a recent Sunday night both the Foushanji and Shaghasi families watched their sons perform for the first time.

"I was always very worried about what he was doing, but now after seeing him perform I feel a lot better about it," Shaghasi's mother said after the show.

Beard said it is a common misconception for rock music to be labeled as Satanic or anti-Islam by conservatives.

"If you come to a show though you'll see it's all just innocent fun, with really loud and sometimes hard-to-listen-to noise," he said.

Nevertheless, Beard said the musicians take safety precautions and sometimes cancel concerts. Kabul might be accepting of the school but it would be unrealistic to play rock music in other parts of the country under Taliban influence.

"Kabul's a bubble, we wouldn't be able to go to Kandahar and do this," he said of the southern province that is the birthplace of the Taliban.

The acceptance of Western music in Kabul has seen the "Rock in Kabul" festival grow to six concerts a year. Organized by Beard, the festival draws in an audience of around 450 people. At first only 10 percent were Afghans, but now the split between foreigners and Afghans is 50/50.

FEMALES STILL STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD

Kabul's school of rock is also allowing young Afghan girls to strut their stuff on stage. Unlike most schools in Afghanistan there is no segregation of sexes here.

"I always wanted to learn to play rock music and tried to learn in other courses, but there were taught by men and had all male students, so they used to harass us," said Sahar Fetrat, wearing a black scarf while strumming her guitar.

Fetrat, a 16-year-old high school student learning to play guitar, said she attends the school with her sister Sadaf, 20, who is learning to play drums.

"The teachers at this school are used to being around women. The students too. They don't make it uncomfortable. I want to learn to play rock because I'm a very active and hyper person, and rock is wild and I can be wild playing it," she said.

Students have to produce mixed-sex performances every week.

"Segregation of sexes causes a lot of unnecessary problems in this country," said Beard, who plans to form a girlband.

"The male population in the music scene here do not even want to give the girls a chance. They laugh at them before they've even started to play music," he said.

"What's really annoying is that these are not the mullahs or the conservatives. We're talking about the Afghan youth who are already playing music here, who are going to parties and living a semi-Western lifestyle. They're still close-minded about women, which is ridiculous."

(Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/young-afghans-seek-solace-war-heavy-metal-rock-220649537.html

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Industry expects early rollout of reforms

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/industry-expects-early-rollout-reforms-000000192--finance.html

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