28th Jul2011
3 Comm
28th Jul2011
Marijuana Has No Accepted Medical Use, DEA Decrees
The feds have spoken: marijuana has no legitimate medical use and will continue to be classified as a hard drug. This decision comes nine years after medical pot advocates asked the federal government to reclassify marijuana to reflect growing evidence that it has beneficial medical properties. DEA to medical weed advocates: “No way, hippies.” On the other hand, this isn’t all bad news for the medical marijuana folks, since now they can start appealing the decision.
The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis filed a petition in 2002 to reclassify weed, and nothing happened. This spring, they filed a lawsuit demanding that the DEA finally attend to the request. The DEA sent them a big “no” on June 21, and their response was published yesterday.
The LA Times quotes Joe Elford, the chief counsel of Americans for Safe Access: “We have foiled the government‘s strategy of delay, and we can now go head-to-head on the merits.” Yeahhhh! But then they also quote him saying “One of the things people say about marijuana is that it gives you the munchies and the truth is that it does, and for some people that’s a very positive thing.”
And the above quote is a good illustration of one reason we’re not going to get widespread access to medical pot in this country for a long, long time. As long as medical marijuana advocates continue to toss around stoner terminology, squares will continue to think of the harmless plant as a drug and associate it with various societal ills, and no progress will be made. “Munchies,” dude? You’re a lawyer. Damn.
28th Jul2011
“Giving Black Boys a Strong Start”
When Shawn Dove was in sixth grade, the students at his New York City school were asked to decide which academic track they wanted to follow for the next two years. He decided to choose “major gym,” just like the rest of his friends. But when he brought the form home to his single mother and said “Hey, Mom-can you sign this for me?,” his mother said, “No-you’re not going to major in gym! There’s no future in gym. You’re taking science and math.” Shawn spent the next two years mad at his mother every day as he could hear the noise and laughter coming from the gym while he went 30 yards down the hall for math and science classes. But then when Shawn finished eighth grade, he understood. He and the other young people who had majored in science and math had the chance to move on to good high schools like Bronx Science, but Shawn realized those who had taken mostly gym weren’t moving on to much of anything.
Today Shawn leads the Campaign for Black Male Achievement for the Open Society Foundations. He shared this story at an achievement gap symposium hosted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) on June 14 that brought together some of the leading educators, researchers, and policy experts in Washington, D.C. to confront the crisis facing the 3.5 million Black boys from birth to age nine and to highlight programs that are making a difference. A Strong Start: Positioning Young Black Boys For Educational Success addressed the daunting achievement gap many incorrectly believe is too big to solve and shared examples of best practices and leadership that are doing so.
The need to increase and support parent involvement was a key theme throughout the conference. In a week when the nation was preparing to celebrate Father’s Day, scholars noted that the high percentages of Black boys growing up in poverty and in single-mother households has had a devastating effect on Black boys’ outcomes. But as Shawn pointed out in his story, although being a single mother to Black boys is full of challenges, his mother made the right choices that opened doors for him. All parents need to be encouraged and educated to make the same kinds of choices throughout their sons’-and daughters’-development.
Many lessons came out of the symposium’s sessions, but above all, speaker after speaker reinforced how critical it is to intervene early. Dr. Iheoma Iruka, a researcher in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, warned us, “we can’t wait for the gap to show up”-because by the time we measure achievement gaps in school, many Black boys are already behind. She explained that “the social and family disparities exist at birth and continue throughout. When you start at that low level you stay at that low level and the disparity continues.”
28th Jul2011
Independent Retailers’ Open Letter to Jay-Z and Kanye West About ‘Watch the Throne’ Exclusives
In response to Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s decision to offer exclusive sales programs to iTunes and Best Buy for their forthcoming “Watch the Throne” LP, a number of independent retailers have written an open letter to the duo protesting the plan, calling it a “short-sighted strategy.”
Dear Jay-Z and Kanye West,
Independent record stores serve our communities. Our passion is music, and we convey this to the millions of customers who come to our stores. That’s what we do.
Four years ago independent music stores across the country banded together to create Record Store Day. Our goal was to counter the negative media coverage about the supposed demise of record stores brought on by the closing of the Tower stores and to respond to the music business practices that fans deemed to be manipulative and onerous.
We reached out to the artist community to see if they would join us, and the response was overwhelming, with words of support coming in from Paul McCartney, Erykah Badu, Tom Waits, Chuck D, the Foo Fighters and countless others. Working with their label partners, many of these musicians created limited edition works of art, including vinyl and CDs made especially for music-specialty retail. Hundreds of these artists took the opportunity to perform, DJ, and interact with their fans in our record stores. Here in the U.S., Record Store Day lifted the entire music business by 8% and contributed to the growth in music sales. Record Store Day is now one of the biggest music events in history, with millions of people participating worldwide. We also continue to work throughout the year with labels, artists and managers and run regular promotions via physical independent retail and recordstoreday.com.
We are responding to the bad news that your new album will not be available to independent record stores until after iTunes gets a window of exclusivity. We also learned that the deluxe version (which is what the true music fans who shop our stores will want, by an overwhelming majority) will only be available at Best Buy exclusively for a period of time. We believe this is a short-sighted strategy, and that your decisions will be doing great damage to over 1,700 independent record stores — stores that have supported you and your music for years.
We know that you are busy, and that you put most of your energies into creating great music, but we are writing to you in the hope that you will hear us and take the time to rectify this matter. As representatives of the independent record store music community, we are asking you to allow record stores and music fans equal access to your new album.
With the utmost respect,
| Dedry Jones, The Music Experience Mike Dreese, Newbury Comics Judy Negley, Independent Records Rachelle Friedman, J&R Music World Mike Batt, Silver Platters John Kunz, Waterloo Records Tobago Benito, DBS Sounds Brian Faber, Zia Records Karen Pearson, Amoeba Music Bryan Burkert, The Sound Garden Paul Epstein, Twist and Shout Mike Wise, Monster Rob Roth, Vintage Vinyl Karl Groeger, Looney Tunes Joe Nardone, Jr., Gallery of Sound Jonathan Fernandez, Rasputin Music Mike Fratt, Homers Dilyn Radakovitz, Dimple Records Lisa Teger-Zhen, Uncle Sam’s Music Dustin Hansen, Graywhale Entertainment Bill Kennedy, BK Music Jim Bland and Bob Schick, Plan Nine Steve Wilson, Kiefs Tom King, Central Square Records Alayna Hill Alderman, Richard Storms, Record Archive Nancy Salzer, Salzer’s Records Rick Ziegler, Indy CD Laura, Finders Records Deon Borchard, Nic Fritze, The Long Ear Chuck Oken, Rhino /Mad Platter Allan Miller, John Bevis, Disc Exchange Charlotte Kubat, Magnolia Thunderpussy Chris Avino, Rainbow Records Rich Koch, Off the Record Skip Hermans, Skip’s Record and CD World Jason Patton, Oz Music Quinn Bishop, Cactus Records John Timmons, ear X tacy Lou Russell, Lou’s Records Roger Weiss, Streetlight Records Terry Currier, Music Millenium Andrew Chinnici, Lakeshore Record Exchange Michael Bunnell, The Record Exchange Mike White, Boo Boo Records Steve Baron, CD Central Eric Levin, Criminal Records Pat O’connor, Culture Clash Dan Plunkett, End Of An Ear Paula Kret, Exile On Main St Chris Penn, Good Records Doyle Davis, Grimey’s Travis Searle, Guestroom Records Jim Mcguinn, Hot Poop Isaac Slusarenko, Jackpot Records Jason Nickey & Heath Byers, Landlocked Music Todd Robinson, Luna Music Darren & Jim Blase, Shake It Anna & Chris Brozek, Slowtrain Kimber Lanning, Stinkweeds Tom “Papa” Ray, Vintage Vinyl Jack Dennis and Christopher Ashely, Earshot Lisa Tiger-Zhen, Uncle Sams Dave Zero, Mad City Music Exchange Sarah Hefte, Everyday Music Mike Madrigale, Mr. Suit Records Lance Price, CD Source Bruce Carlock, Cats Music Thomas “Toonz” Predovich, Vinyl Solution Records Neal Becton, Som Records Marc Lasky, Music Box Ryan Shoemaker, Galaxy CDs Bobbie Lewis, Newtown Book & Record Exchange Ernie Scholl, Everyday Music, Maine Reed Lappin, In Your Ear Chris and Bob Roets, Wooden Nickel Music Warren Hudson, Decatur CD and Vinyl Tim Cretsinger, Groovacious Gary Holzenthal, Odyssey Records Marvin Phillips, Heavenly Daze CDs and Records Barry Lazarus, Red Devil Records Scotty Hagan, UHF Music Rick Tyner, M-Theory Music Matt and Rock Cesario, Triple Play Records Maria Armstrong, Lost and Found Records Brendan Smith, Requests Music Shirani Rea, Peaches Records David Elliot, Replay Records Michael and Denise Roumbanis, dig! Music Rand Cabus, Mojo Vinyl Pete Beaudoin, That’s Entertainment Michael Schildgen, Moondog Music Al Steele, Wyatt Earp Records Mitch Kirsner, Fantasy Eve Monsees, Antone’s Record Shop Mik Davis, T-Bones Records & Caf√© Bernard Vasek, Musicmania Pete Gulyas, Blue Arrow Records Alicia Schultz, Sound Revolution Tom Robbins, Eagle Valley Music & Comics Brad Richman, Spazz Records Leonard Silver, Record Theatre Greg Larsen, Music to the Maxx Lance Barresi & Liz Tooley, Permanent Records Mark Kessler, Recycled Records Aaron Marquez, 360 Vinyl Jarrett Noel, DiHi Records Glen Velger, Harmony Records Ron Hill, Basement Mix Sanders Henderson, Nikki’s Music Tim Henderson, Joy Of Music Bernard Vasek, MusicMania Kelvin Anderson, VIP Records Dennie Chong & Ward Yamashita, Hungry Ear Records | John Thominet, Rainbow Records Rick Linie, Creative Leisure Chris, Young Ones Morrison Agen, Neat Neat Neat Records and Music Peter Gianakopoulos, The Old School Records Reid Robinson, Co-Op Records, Moline Carol Copfer, Movie Trading Company, Vintage Stock John Anderson, Reverberation Vinyl Rob Kimple, Ramalama Records Randy Wagner, Radio KAOS Records Sam Lock, CD.Game Exchange Rob Bourqu, Music Matters Steve Hyland, Down In the Valley Melanie Cade, Mojo Books and Music Tony Cicalese, We Got The Beats Andy Schneidkraut, Albums on the Hill Robert Stapleton, Southwest Sound Sharon & Shirley Bechor, Rock and Soul Records Rich and Sue Graves, Budget Tapes & Records Todd Fundaro, Flipside Records Adam Hirzel, Saki Records Kelly, Patrick and Robby, Back Door Records Stacey Pepper, Vertigo Music Josh Castleberry, Toxic Beauty Records Lou Romanelli, Music Masters Worldwide Bill Prue, Metro City Records Jon Bauer, Budget Music and Video Russell Reitz, Listen Up Music Steve Kessler, CD City Paul MacDougall, PMac Music John Aleman, Piranha Records Elle Quintana, Record Breakers Mark Matarozzo, Spun Music Gerry Stumbaugh, The Last Record Store Heather Frarey, The Record Lounge Scott Wishart, Lunchbox Records Joe Smith, Joe’s Records Patrick Bailey, Endangered Species Mary Radakovits, Compact Disc Center Anaii Lee-Ender & Norbert Ender, Speaking Volumes Tim Williams, Any Frequency Doug and Michelle Williams, Bananas Music Gary Scotti, Scotti’s Records Rick Sinkiewicz and Josh Carlson, Redscroll Records Pete Majors, Vacation Vinyl Tom Sampson, Karma Scott Chase & Lacey Ritter, Renfield Record Exchange Kurt Jellinek, Slackers Music, Movies, Games Travis Searle & Justin Sowers, Guestroom Records Terry and Deon Borchard, The Long Ear Manny Alferez, Black Pancake Records Steven Alejandro, Hogwild Records Jeffrey Burke, The Record Connection Kurt & Leigh Legler, Warbler Records Anthony Tedeschi and Chip Heuisler, Tunes Dal Basi, Phono Select Records Brian and Sean Reisman, Hideaway Music Dave Wilkins, Wax Trax Billy and Melissa Yergensen, Rock Candy Music And More Jack Dreznes, Beverly Records Richard G Terzieff, A B CDs/Recorded Memories Jim Paddock, Size Records Carl Nordmeier, Tune Town Dan Matheson, Repo Records Greg Ellis, Sundance Records Matt Mona, KA-CHUNK!! Records Ken Kosta, Spin Records |
28th Jul2011
Vinyl Sales Already Up 41% On the Year
Looks like the projections were right, but how long can this surge last? Here’s a look at first-half vinyl sales in the US, according to data shared with Digital Music News by Nielsen Soundscan. Units remain relatively low, which naturally hikes percentage changes. Then again, this is the only physical format actually growing.
28th Jul2011
27th Jul2011
27th Jul2011
27th Jul2011
Study: 81% of iTunes Collections Never Get Played. Ever
Data wonks have been hinting at this sort of statistic for years. And now, mobile music firm Music WithMe has published a report saying that 81 percent of personal iTunes collections never get played – not once. “The average iTunes library has 5,409 songs of which 4,195 have never been played,” Music WithMe community manager Michelle Jones relayed. ”Put another way: we listen to about 19% of the music we own.”
You mean, 4,195 songs are downloaded and never listened to? Ever? Music WithMe offers an application solution that allows users to wirelessly sync their iTunes collections to Android devices. And the finding comes from an anonymous review of these collections – and their 0 play counts.
But data error could be skewing the number higher, including heavy 0 counts on rebuilt iTunes playlists. For example, when a collection from a portable drive is loaded onto a new computer and iTunes software installation, everything resets.
Either way, Music WithMe is using the data to make a point about cloud-based collections. Digital Music News made a big deal about the painstakingly-long upload process on Google Beta Music, but how many of those uploaded tracks will actually get listened to? ”Why upload your entire library when you only listen to 19% of your music? Ever?” Jones asked.
27th Jul2011
Converse Opens FREE Recording Studio in Brooklyn ‘Rubber Tracks’
Today Converse Inc. officially announced the opening of its Brooklyn recording studio, Converse Rubber Tracks, which allows artists to sign up and record songs for free.
Converse announced the studio last fall, and bands were able to apply for studio time on the Converse website until May 31.
New York and New Jersey artists Aabaraki, Majuscules, G.I.C. & Funk Face, Andre Henry and Super Rocket Car were selected as the first musicians to begin recording this summer. Starting today, funk/R&B group Aabaraki is entering the studio. Each artist is given at least a day or two of studio time, depending on what needs to be accomplished. Applications run in three-month windows, and at the end of the summer, the next set of musicians will be able to apply online.
“By opening Converse Rubber Tracks, it’s a way for us to say thank you to musicians all over who have helped us become the brand we are and to provide a place for new artists to have access to resources they may not be able to afford,” said Converse Chief Marketing Officer Geoff Cottrill in a release. “This is our way to invest in the future of music and we couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Artists are given the opportunity to record on top of the line equipment with a staff of engineers, and when the tracks are finished, the artists themselves will retain all rights to their music. Although, as the Converse website explains, musicians will have the option of giving Converse limited rights so that the company can publish the tracks online and across social media sites.
Said Ra Ra Riot’s Rebecca Zeller in a statement released Wednesday: “Knowing how hard it is to make a living as a musician and the amount of money it takes to get into a studio of that caliber, it’s unbelievably generous for Converse to provide it for free… Coupled with the fact that artists retain all rights to their music is a testament to Converse.”
Guitar Center supplied the studio with equipment, instruments, and the Ocean Way HR2 large-format monitor system designed by Grammy award-winning producer/engineer Allen Sides. There will also be Fender, Gibson, Ernie Ball, BlackStar, Marshall and Schecter gear available for use.
Later this summer, Converse is hosting the Grammy Foundation’s annual Grammy Camp. The camp will be in Los Angeles in July and will be held at the Converse Rubber Tracks studio, Aug. 2-8.
27th Jul2011
#IAmNotADictionary Word Of The Day: Echolalia
#IAmNotADictionary Word Of The Day: Echolalia – [ek-oh-ley-lee-uh] noun 1. Psychiatry . the uncontrollable and immediate repetition of words spoken by another person. 2. the imitation by a baby of the vocal sounds produced by others, occurring as a natural phase of childhood development.
psychiatry the tendency to repeat mechanically words just spoken by another person: can occur in cases of brain damage, mental retardation, and schizophrenia
[C19: from New Latin, from echo + Greek lalia talk, chatter, from lalein to chatter]
Or in other words when you say something to someone and they repeat it back to you as if it was an original thought or idea…yeah, that.
27th Jul2011
Hackers Grab 90,000 Military Emails, Encrypted Passwords
An online break-in at a defense contractor left tens of thousands of .mil email users at risk of having their account illegally accessed or even hijacked for nefarious purposes.
A hacker collective that calls itself AntiSec said Monday that it had stolen 90,000 military email addresses and encrypted passwords from the servers of Booz Allen Hamilton, a consulting firm and Pentagon contractor.
“We infiltrated a server on their network that basically had no security measures in place,” the group said in a statement posted on a file-sharing website. “We were able to run our own application, which turned out to be a shell and began plundering some booty. Most shiny is probably a list of roughly 90,000 military emails and password hashes.”
A later analysis by the Associated Press suggested the number of military email addresses was closer to 50,000. Whatever the number, the security risk is real, said a cybersecurity analyst.
Password decrypting tools called “rainbow tables” are available online, said Jerry Dixon, of the Chicago nonprofit cyber security firm Team Cymru. Simple passwords, like those composed of common words and all lowercase letters, might be vulnerable to cracking within minutes using the tables and common computer graphics processing hardware.
“My suspicion is that yes, someone has already gotten into some accounts,” he said. “Maybe they’re using them now to social engineer someone” – using a hijacked account to trick unsuspecting email users into divulging privileged information or granting access into other computer networks.
The solution to the email theft, Dixon said, is to require affected users to immediately change their passwords or face having their accounts locked. Booz Allen Hamilton and the Pentagon likely took that action as soon as the breach was known, he said.
“I’m sure they have already been working to get those passwords reset,” he said. “The passwords are stolen and now they’re racing the clock.”
Even if all accounts are locked down before any are broken into, the AntiSec group scores a malicious victory of sorts by forcing thousands of hours of work to clean up the mess, Dixon said.
The loose hacker confederation targets corporations and governments to protest what it calls over-aggressive Internet monitoring. Also called Operation AntiSec, it formed as an outgrowth of a now-defunct hacker group, LulzSec, with cooperation from members of the Anonymous group. Collectively, the groups have defaced government websites and broken into the networks of major corporations worldwide.
Booz Allen Hamilton did not respond to requests for comment, but via Twitter on Monday declined to offer details: “As part of @BoozAllen security policy, we generally do not comment on specific threats or actions taken against our systems.”
27th Jul2011
DOJ and FBI Make Arrests in PayPal Hacking Case
Following LulzSec’s defacement of The Sun on Monday, the FBI swooped down on Anonymous and arrested 16 people in several states for allegedly attacking PayPal.
A federal indictment against 14 of the arrested accuses them of launching a Ddos (denial of service) against PayPal after it closed down a Wikileaks donation account.
LulzSec hacked Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun last Monday. A redirect sent users to a web page claiming the corporate media magnate died of a drug overdose.
In addition to the defacement, LulzSec members said on Twitter they had made off with emails from The Sun‘s now defunct sister newspaper, News of the World. The shadowy hacktivist group is said to also have hacked other Murdoch properties including News International and the Times of London in the hours following the first attack.
On Tuesday, members of Anonymous and LulzSec said they would release the email and passwords from the now defunct Murdoch newspaper. “Sun/News of the world OWNED. We’re sitting on their emails,” a hacker known as Sabu tweeted last Tuesday.
Murdoch is currently under investigation in a phone hacking scandal. It is alleged that employees working for the tabloid newspaper News of the World hacked celebrities, politicians, members of the British Royal Family, and others beginning in 2006.
Suspects in the PayPal case were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio, according to a statement released by the Department of Justice and the FBI. The indictment claims members of Anonymous conspired to “intentionally damage protected computers at PayPal” between December 6-10, 2010, as part the group’s “Operation Avenge Assange.”
Suspects connected to the case were separately arrested in Florida and New Jersey while British police arrested one suspect and Dutch authorities four.
The FBI claims it traced internet protocol addresses of the hackers to Canada and then to California where one of the IP addresses used a virtual server for the attack. A separate investigation revealed Ddos attacks came from a server based in Texas.
In June, accusations surfaced claiming a member LulzSec is a Marine who works for military intelligence.
Arrests in the PayPal case arrive a few days after the Pentagon asked the private sector to join in a pilot program dubbed “Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace.” The plan envisions a unified plan incorporating DoD’s military, intelligence and business operations. It calls on AT&T, Verizon, and other telecoms and defense contractors to play a role.
The plan includes an effort for private companies to share information with the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
The Pentagon’s pilot program came after a March 24 cyber attack against an unnamed defense company. Around 24,000 of that company’s files containing military secrets were allegedly hacked into.
Two months later, defense contractor Lockheed Martin claimed it was the victim of a cyber attack of undisclosed magnitude.
26th Jul2011
Relevant Classics: ODB – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
You can say what you want…but you know you like this song…still
ODB – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
