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20:00:54 05/21/12
When Cops Turn Killer: Death of Latino Man at Hands of Border Patrol Cries For Full Investigation
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:54 05/21/12
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I think it's safe to say that a law enforcement agency has grown dangerously out of control comes when its officers begin using their powers to silence anyone who questions them or their authority. The tasing-and-beating death in 2010 of an illegal border crosser named Anastasio Hernandez Rojas near San Diego is a powerful sign that the U.S. Border Patrol has crossed that line.
Recently released footage of the man's beating makes clear that the Border Patrol's own accounts and explanations for the death are baldfaced fabrications.
Even more chilling are the revelations about how Hernandez Rojas came to be singled out by officers for a beating. It's readily apparent that he was beaten to death because he asked to file a complaint against an agent.
The beating did not occur when Hernandez Rojas was caught and arrested. When that happened, he was kicked repeatedly in a part of his ankle by an agent that had been surgically repaired, and the man had kicked him there even after being told that. As a result, once at the holding facility after the arrest, Hernandez Rojas made a request to file a complaint against that agent.
Then, as all the men with whom he was being held at the facility were taken to the border release point where they were to be returned to Mexico, Hernandez Rojas was separated out from the rest of the group and taken by himself to another gate -- surrounded by a full phalanx of Border Patrolmen armed with nightsticks and Tasers, including the agent against whom he had asked to file a complaint. It was there that, according to the Border Patrol, the man became "violent" and had to be subdued -- even though several eyewitnesses confirm that in fact Hernandez Rojas did nothing before the beating commenced.
The story was the work of reporters from the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute, who found that this was anything but an isolated incident: > Eight people have been killed along the border in the past two years. One man died a short time after being beaten and tased, an event recorded by two eyewitnesses whose video is the centerpiece of the report. Both eyewitnesses say the man offered little or no resistance. One told Need to Know that she felt like she watched someone being "murdered," and the San Diego coroner's office classified the death as a “homicide.”
The report raises questions about accountability. Because border agents are part of the Department of Homeland Security, they are not subjected to the same public scrutiny as police officers who use their weapons. It also questions whether, in the rush to secure the border, agents are being adequately trained. And it raises the question: why aren't these cases being prosecuted?
Watch Crossing the line at the border on PBS. See more from Need To Know.
Sixteen members of Congress are demanding an investigation.
You can too. Presente.org is organizing a petition demanding an investigation by the Justice Department, As Anastasio's widow explains : >
Over the last two years, Border Patrol has refused to release the names of the agents responsible or to reveal whether those involved have been disciplined. Anastasio was not their only victim. Since the year Anastasio was killed, Border Patrol agents have killed or seriously injured at least 9 people from San Diego to Texas.
2 Views
22:48:30 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 1 - The New Los Angeles
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 22:48:30 05/17/12
Part 1 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
22:39:27 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 2 - The Red Line
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:39:27 05/17/12
Part 2 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
22:21:27 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 3 - EZ Pass
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:21:27 05/17/12
Part 3 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
21:54:59 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 21:54:59 05/17/12
It's Casual performs live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
17:00:23 05/17/12
Meet Pete Peterson, Architect of Social Security and Medicare Cuts
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 17:00:23 05/17/12
enlarge Click for a larger idea of Peterson's world Just after the disastrous midterms in 2010, I wrote a lengthy post about who Pete Peterson was , and why he is exactly the wrong guy to be having a "bipartisan summit" on so-called "entitlement reform." Here's a snippet from back then: >
The Peter G. Peterson foundation claims to be bipartisan, yet their former CEO is out pimping a book, a new advocacy group and a position . Peter G. Peterson served as Secretary of Commerce under Richard Nixon. He claims to be very, very, very concerned about our deficit, yet not one word is uttered in this report about Wall Street's contribution to the deficit, the collapse of our economy, or any responsibility on the part of the financial industry to help reduce the deficit they helped create .
Ryan Grim at the Huffington Post has updated that information with some more current relevant facts and data: >
According to a review of tax documents from 2007 through 2011, Peterson has personally contributed at least $458 million to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to cast Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and government spending as in a state of crisis, in desperate need of dramatic cuts. Peterson's millions have done next to nothing to change public opinion: In survey after survey, Americans reject the idea of cutting Social Security and Medicare. A recent national tour organized by AmericaSpeaks and largely funded by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation was met by audiences who rebuffed his proposals.
But Peterson has been able to drive a major shift in elite consensus about government spending, with talk of "grand bargains" that would slash entitlements, cut corporate tax rates and end personal tax breaks, such as the mortgage deduction, that benefit the middle class.
Peterson's deficit hawkery drives the narrative away from fairness right into the arms of willing Republicans. So this week, he held a "summit" of Washington elites to pearl-clutch over the deficit and debt in order to bolster their case. We can thank Bill Clinton for contributing to that narrative, too, since he was one of the featured speakers. The entire interview is at the end of this post.
Thanks to Peter Peterson, we have a country full of people who actually believe the national debt is the single biggest issue this country faces, and because he's put a "bipartisan" face on the dialogue, he gives the appearance that Democrats and Republicans alike should abandon Social Security and Medicare because they are, in his opinion, the primary drivers of the deficit. Worse yet, he's pimping those ideas to kids in order to drive a wedge between generations in the hope of succeeding at eroding these fundamental safety nets. >
Another effort to persuade America's youth about the shakiness of the entitlement programs is a joint venture between the Peterson Foundation and mtvU, the campus-based network created by MTV Networks, called Indebted . Peterson has already shelled out nearly $2 million to fund this effort to convince college students that Social Security won't be there for them, so therefore it should be slashed now -- a self-fulfilling policy prescription if ever there was one.
The educational website for Indebted , which borrows its look of revolutionary activism from contemporary stencil-based art made famous by graffiti artists Banksy and Shepard Fairey, explains that the inevitable and unavoidable debt burden to be shouldered by college kids through student loans, credits cards and a poor job market make it all the more important to cut entitlements now.
I like Seth Michaels' answer to that over at Working America : >
Peterson—a billionaire—never has to worry about dignity in retirement, about choosing between food and medicine, about having to work even when your health won’t allow it. Nor do members of Congress with their taxpayer-funded pensions, or well-paid TV hosts, lobbyists and think-tank presidents. They also feel the pressure of paying into the system much less than the majority of working people, since they only pay Social Security tax on the first $110,100 of their income .
So here’s a modest proposal for Peterson and the networks that advance his message. You can raise the retirement age to whatever you want—as long as, at age 65, every think-tanker, pundit and politician who pushes the fake crisis gets to swap places with a 65-year-old nurse, truck driver, hotel housekeeper or drill-press operator. Sound good?
Better yet, any lawmaker who thinks it's a good idea to raise the Social Security retirement age and erode Medicare should agree to relinquish their federal pension and health insurance retroactive to the day they take office. If they can't do that, then they recuse themselves from any vote concerning Medicare or Social Security. Seems like a fair deal to me.
1 Views
14:57:20 05/09/12
eBuddy brings awesome group messaging to your phone
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 14:57:20 05/09/12
eBuddy brings awesome group messaging to your phone
Are you using SMS mostly to chat with other people on your mobile phone? Well, there's a better way: ebuddy.com's XMS. Here I get a look at this Amsterdam-based company (we visited on a Saturday, so founder/CEO Jan-Joost Rueb had his daughter with him). Use it to message with groups, but it does a lot more than SMS and here you see what it does. Get it at www.ebuddy.com From: Scobleizer Views: 880 12 ratings Time: 11:33 More in Science & Technology
132 Views
16:03:31 04/30/12
GoingNative 8: Introducing Casablanca - A Modern C++ API for Connected Computing
[LESS INFO] 132 VIEWS | ADDED 16:03:31 04/30/12
Welcome to the 9th installment of GoingNative. Charles flies solo this time around as Diego is on a well-deserved break from work.
At GoingNative 2012 , Herb Sutter addressed the need for more general purpose standard C++ libraries - high level libraries - for use in modern computing . So, things like HTTP, REST, JSON are important today (and working with these technologies is not as easy as it should be in C++), not to mention simplifying asynchronous programming for C++ developers. We live an asynchronous world and C++ libraries need to evolve to compensate for this fact (and catch up to .NET and Java in this regard both on the client and on the server...). What's the story for C++ in the cloud?
A very small group of C++ developers inside Microsoft have started an incubation project to make native libraries that afford both developer productivity and performance and power - and for C++ developers . We love this! This is the Casablanca API and it takes full advantage of C++11 .
This episode is dedicated to the Casablanca "dev lab" project with the hope that all of you will download and experiment with the API , vet it, push it, break it, provide feedback to speed up its maturation (it is alpha quality, of course (it's an incubation and this is the first release), so there will be a few bugs, but it's stable enough to be useful right now). Go get it!
What does Casablanca provide, exactly?
With Casablanca, you get support for doing things like developing REST services for Azure, or accessing them from clients via an HTTP library , sending JSON data , accessing Azure blob and queue storage , and using TCP for flexible networking needs , all in a library that takes advantage of modern C++.
Casablanca also gives you a convenient model for composing asynchronous operations . C++ 11 offers a whole new set of capabilities that can make dealing with asynchronous operations easy, and Casablanca takes advantage of that throughout.
Another aspect of Casablanca is its implementation of the actor programming model , which has proven itself useful in building reliable and scalable systems. (not familiar with the Actor Model, well, learn from the inventor of it here ).
Table of Contents :
[00:00] GoingNative(); //Charles flies solo for this episode (Diego is on vacation). Quick chat about what's coming (new STL series (the person, not the library)), introduction to Casablanca , a modern C++ API (incubation) for asynchronous client/server computing (so, modern C++ for the cloud and the client)
[01:49] Charles has a conversation with Casablanca engineering team members Niklas Gustafsson and Steve Gates.
[44:20] ~GoingNative(); //Charles talks about Casablanca - please download the libraries and experiment, provide feedback, help vet this new (experimental) API .
134 Views
16:03:31 04/30/12
GoingNative 8: Introducing Casablanca - A Modern C++ API for Connected Computing
[LESS INFO] 134 VIEWS | ADDED 16:03:31 04/30/12
Welcome to the 9th installment of GoingNative. Charles flies solo this time around as Diego is on a well-deserved break from work.
At GoingNative 2012 , Herb Sutter addressed the need for more general purpose standard C++ libraries - high level libraries - for use in modern computing . So, things like HTTP, REST, JSON are important today (and working with these technologies is not as easy as it should be in C++), not to mention simplifying asynchronous programming for C++ developers. We live an asynchronous world and C++ libraries need to evolve to compensate for this fact (and catch up to .NET and Java in this regard both on the client and on the server...). What's the story for C++ in the cloud?
A very small group of C++ developers inside Microsoft have started an incubation project to make native libraries that afford both developer productivity and performance and power - and for C++ developers . We love this! This is the Casablanca API and it takes full advantage of C++11 .
This episode is dedicated to the Casablanca "dev lab" project with the hope that all of you will download and experiment with the API , vet it, push it, break it, provide feedback to speed up its maturation (it is alpha quality, of course (it's an incubation and this is the first release), so there will be a few bugs, but it's stable enough to be useful right now). Go get it!
What does Casablanca provide, exactly?
With Casablanca, you get support for doing things like developing REST services for Azure, or accessing them from clients via an HTTP library , sending JSON data , accessing Azure blob and queue storage , and using TCP for flexible networking needs , all in a library that takes advantage of modern C++.
Casablanca also gives you a convenient model for composing asynchronous operations . C++ 11 offers a whole new set of capabilities that can make dealing with asynchronous operations easy, and Casablanca takes advantage of that throughout.
Another aspect of Casablanca is its implementation of the actor programming model , which has proven itself useful in building reliable and scalable systems. (not familiar with the Actor Model, well, learn from the inventor of it here ).
Table of Contents :
[00:00] GoingNative(); //Charles flies solo for this episode (Diego is on vacation). Quick chat about what's coming (new STL series (the person, not the library)), introduction to Casablanca , a modern C++ API (incubation) for asynchronous client/server computing (so, modern C++ for the cloud and the client)
[01:49] Charles has a conversation with Casablanca engineering team members Niklas Gustafsson and Steve Gates.
[44:20] ~GoingNative(); //Charles talks about Casablanca - please download the libraries and experiment, provide feedback, help vet this new (experimental) API .
0 Views
13:21:49 04/26/12
Quarterback Dominance in the NFL Draft
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 13:21:49 04/26/12
Quarterback Dominance in the NFL Draft
If there's one category of athlete that doesn't need any more lucky breaks from the world, it's the NFL quarterback. Here's a group whose members make tens of millions in salary, hoard Super Bowl MVP awards, dabble in the celebrity dating circuit and earn more endorsing cars, televisions and fur-lined boots than the rest of their teammates combined. Yet it's the quarterback, more than any other player, who has been the NFL's biggest winners lately. Passing is up nearly 60 yards per game since 2003. The leaguewide completion percentage has never been higher. This season's 44.4 points-per-game average was the highest since 1965 and two quarterbacks, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, topped the previous all-time single-season mark for passing yards. From: WSJDigitalNetwork Views: 8 1 ratings Time: 05:27 More in Sports
0 Views
18:54:03 04/22/12
Obama's Mortgage Task Force is a Joke
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 18:54:03 04/22/12
Obama's Mortgage Task Force is a Joke
Via NY Daily News: "Three months ago, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama announced a new task force to investigate mortgage fraud and bring some measure of relief to the 12 million American families who are either losing their homes or in danger of losing them. The new Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group would be co-chaired by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, US Attorney John Walsh of Colorado and three Washington insiders from the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Obama said, "This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans." Whether or not the President, attorney general and others intend to get around to this task someday, "speed" was a terrible word to choose. Because 85 days after that speech, there is no sign of any activity...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down. Read more from Mike Gecan and Arnie Graf: www.nydailynews.com Subscribe to The Young Turks: bit.ly Find out how to watch The Young Turks on Current by clicking here: www.current.com The Largest Online New Show in the World. Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com Google+: www.gplus.to Pinterest: pinterest.com From: TheYoungTurks Views: 18302 716 ratings Time: 04:10 More in News & Politics
3 Views
06:24:44 04/15/12
HH Dalai Lama Arrives in Hawaii April 13, 2012
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 06:24:44 04/15/12
HH Dalai Lama Arrives in Hawaii April 13, 2012
Click here for more Tibet videos: www.youtube.com Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 13 April 2012 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 13, 2012 evening to begin a four-state visit to the United States, followed by a trip to Canada. Video courtesy Pillars of Peace Hawaii. News Link: www.dalailama.com This is his fourth visit to the Hawaii islands following his first trip in October 1980 and subsequently in April 1994 and April 2007. On his arrival at the airport, His Holiness was received by Governor of Hawaii State, Neil Abercrombie, his wife Dr. Nancy Caraway; Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu Peter B. Carlisle; Kasur Lobsang Nyandak Zayul, Representative of HH the Dalai Lama for the Americas, and hosts Pierre and Pam Omidyar as well as Kelvin Taketa, president and CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation. At the hotel there was a crowd of people including, monks of Tibetan Buddhist centers in Hawaii, Tibetans, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Indians and Americans, and others who welcomed His Holiness. Thereafter, a select group of students from the Kamehameha Schools sang a song, Aloha Chant, song of welcome and a brief dance performance. In brief remarks, His Holiness told the students that although he had been to Hawaii a few times and was used to the traditional welcome, he greatly appreciated their genuine smile saying this supported his contention that fundamentally we are all same human being. From: TibetArchive Views: 1224 16 ratings Time: 01:33 More in News & Politics
15 Views
13:42:43 04/14/12
Washington Bangla Radio | LIPIKA DAS - Bengali Nazrulgeeti Singer - Interview
[LESS INFO] 15 VIEWS | ADDED 13:42:43 04/14/12
WBRi Exclusive Interview-Feature: http://j.mp/lipika-das
Before presenting a few excellent and interesting live songs in Bengali and their English originals, Lipika chats about her background and experience and shares thoughts with WBRi listeners in this video interview.
Speaking about the popularity of Nazrul geet in Bengal, Lipika is of the opinion that although the songs of Nazrul have not attained the same measure of popularity in West Bengal as compared to Rabindrasangeet, yet there is considerable demand for his songs, but only amongst certain groups of people. She attributes it to the lack of awareness and proper presentation of Nazrul geet. Talking about the differences between the two forms, Lipika believes that apart from the obvious disparities in terms of the rhythmic and tonal qualities, Nazrul geet has a far greater impact amongst the common masses because of the simplicity of its lyrics, whereas Rabindrasangeet has greater appeal amongst the educated classes. She realizes that there needs to be much more awareness in West Bengal about Nazrul songs before it attains the scale of popularity as in Bangladesh. The reason for this, she believes, is that the pattern of music preferred in Bengal is very different from that in Bangladesh. As such, an introduction of varied musical patterns can help in a greater acceptance of Nazrul songs here in Bengal.
Author: KOLKATATUBE
Tags: najrulgeeti najrul geeti bangla bangladesh nazrulgeeti nazrul kolkata lipika das
Posted: 14 April 2012
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
1 Views
17:15:01 04/12/12
euronews cinema - Zany French jocks hit the road in Radiostars
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 17:15:01 04/12/12
euronews cinema - Zany French jocks hit the road in Radiostars
www.euronews.com A new film about a group of radio presenters is impressing French audiences. Radiostars tells the story of a group of friends on a road-trip, but it is also an autobiography of the director Romain Levy. This is his first film, written by friend Mathieu Oullion, starring another friend Manu Payet, and all three used to present a radio show. Levy said: "This project was based on the desire to offer the audience a film where you don't put a gun to their heads to move their emotions, or put the camera here saying 'laugh, laugh'!" "These guys on the radio got a bit arrogant and big-headed because the show was going well, life was great, you know, they lived in Paris," explained Manu Payet, "except that the arrogance becomes a bit too much, you think less about the programme, so you lose your audience a little and drop from number one to second place. The bosses have had enough and put them in a bus saying, 'You're going to win back your lost listeners'." It is a road movie with an ensemble cast. Actor Clovis Cornillac liked that: "In a group movie there are two possibilities. Either you stand to one side saying 'I don't like them, make your film, I'm not interested.' Or you take part in the group, and the film has a generosity that brings the audience into the group." Radiostars won the Grand Prix at the 15th International Comedy Film Festival at l'Alpe d'Huez in January and is showing in cinemas in France. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com ... From: Euronews Views: 141 4 ratings Time: 02:41 More in Shows
0 Views
17:15:01 04/12/12
euronews cinema - Zany French jocks hit the road in Radiostars
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 17:15:01 04/12/12
euronews cinema - Zany French jocks hit the road in Radiostars
www.euronews.com A new film about a group of radio presenters is impressing French audiences. Radiostars tells the story of a group of friends on a road-trip, but it is also an autobiography of the director Romain Levy. This is his first film, written by friend Mathieu Oullion, starring another friend Manu Payet, and all three used to present a radio show. Levy said: "This project was based on the desire to offer the audience a film where you don't put a gun to their heads to move their emotions, or put the camera here saying 'laugh, laugh'!" "These guys on the radio got a bit arrogant and big-headed because the show was going well, life was great, you know, they lived in Paris," explained Manu Payet, "except that the arrogance becomes a bit too much, you think less about the programme, so you lose your audience a little and drop from number one to second place. The bosses have had enough and put them in a bus saying, 'You're going to win back your lost listeners'." It is a road movie with an ensemble cast. Actor Clovis Cornillac liked that: "In a group movie there are two possibilities. Either you stand to one side saying 'I don't like them, make your film, I'm not interested.' Or you take part in the group, and the film has a generosity that brings the audience into the group." Radiostars won the Grand Prix at the 15th International Comedy Film Festival at l'Alpe d'Huez in January and is showing in cinemas in France. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com ... From: Euronews Views: 138 4 ratings Time: 02:41 More in Shows
39 Views
00:30:00 04/11/12
Drive it!: The Motor Magazine
[LESS INFO] 39 VIEWS | ADDED 00:30:00 04/11/12
Drive it! brings you the latest developments at the New York International Auto Show; takes a trip back in time at the Techno Classica; and provides safety tips for towing trailers.examine it! The New York International Auto ShowThe New York International Automobile Show has a very long history. The inaugural event was back in 1900, making it one of the oldest car shows in the world. This show boasts pretty much every marque and model available on the US market. From fuel-efficient models to incredibly expensive supercars - all facets of the automotive world are present under one roof. And the big German automakers are also here, of course. There’s a world premiere for Mercedes and its new GL. Drive it! presents the new models on show in New York. present it! The Seat IbizaSEAT presents the next generation of the Ibiza. The Ibiza has sold over 4.65 million units since its launch in 1984, and is one of the most important models in the SEAT range. For the new version, the designers enhanced the aerodynamics. The V-shaped front is even more prominent, as are the contours down the sides. Buyers can choose from seven gasoline and five diesel engines. Drive it! tests the 3-door model with a 1.2-liter gasoline engine, with 77 kW of power and a 7-speed direct-shift gearbox. spot it! Travel Homes - The Dangers of OverloadingAs the holiday season approaches, the masses will be back on the highway with their mobile homes.But before the fun can begin, many have a long journey ahead of them - and there are plenty of dangers along the way. A lot of drivers ignore weight restrictions when loading up their trailers, so police have road-side scales to check those limits. As mobile homes aren’t actually out on the road much, drivers might forget how old the tires are. Drive it! shows you footage from crash tests to demonstrate the potential hazards facing travel home owners.test it! BMW 640d xDriveThe 640d xDrive Coupe is a diesel-powered, all-wheel drive addition to BMW’s 6-series.The 640d xDrive employs the latest version of BMW’s intelligent, permanent all-wheel drive system. In addition to varying the distribution of power between the front and rear axles, as needed, it also features a function called "Performance Control". On curvy roads this means the outer wheels get more drive power than the inner wheels, ensuring greater stability. Drive it! took the new 640d xDrive out for a spin.vintage! The Techno Classica in EssenThe Techno Classica is the world’s largest and most important trade fair for vintage and classic cars.This year over 1,200 exhibitors from 30 countries came to the western German city of Essen to show off their wares. In addition to parts and accessories, over 2,500 vintage cars were up for grabs. Carmakers often hold spectacular presentations that are real crowd pleasers. This year, for example, the Volkswagen Group presented an exhibition about the history of motorsport. Join Drive it! for a tour around the Techno Classica.
