US OUT OF CALIFORNIA!!!

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPL3IG1&show_article=1

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California sued the federal government on Thursday to force a decision about whether the state can impose the nation's first greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks.
More than a dozen other states are poised to follow California's lead if it is granted the waiver from federal law, presenting a challenge to automakers who would have to adapt to a patchwork of regulations.

The state's lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., was expected after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed last spring to take legal action.

"Our future depends on us taking action on global warming right now," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference. "There's no legal basis for Washington to stand in our way."

At issue is California's nearly two-year-old request for a waiver under the federal Clean Air Act allowing it to implement a 2002 state anti-pollution law regulating greenhouse gases.

Eleven other states have adopted California's standard as a way to combat global warming and five others are considering it.

"Our position is that it's time for EPA to either act or get out of the way," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington plan to join California's lawsuit against the federal government, said Gareth Lacy, spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown.

"The longer the delay in reducing these emissions, the more costly and harmful will be the impact on California," the state attorney general's office said in its 16-page complaint.

Schwarzenegger and other state officials say implementing the law is crucial in order to meet the provisions of a separate global warming law that passed law year. That law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.

California asked the EPA to grant its waiver in December 2005. EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said last summer that he would make a decision by the end of this year.

Brown said the EPA simply was "sitting on its hands."

The EPA criticized the state's actions Thursday.

"The administrator has stated numerous times that he plans to make a decision by the end of the year," spokeswoman Jennifer Wood said. "It's unfortunate that California is more interested in getting a good headline than allowing us to make a decision."

State officials say they need the matter resolved soon because the auto-emissions law applies to vehicles in the 2009 model year, which can be marketed by companies as early as this coming January.

Cars, pickups and sport utility vehicles sold in California would be required to produce fewer greenhouse gases, with the goal of reducing auto emissions 25 percent by 2030.

Further delay by the EPA would interfere with the state's ability to enforce the law on time, according to the complaint.

"Congress generally intended that the U.S. EPA make determinations of this type in a matter of weeks or months, not years," the complaint says.

While the federal government sets national air pollution rules, California has unique status under the Clean Air Act to enact its own regulations if it gets approval to do so by the EPA.

Other states can follow the federal rules or California's standards if they are tougher. The EPA has granted about 50 such waivers over the past 40 years for the use of catalytic converters, leaded gasoline regulations and other measures.

The complaint filed Thursday claims the EPA failed to act in a reasonable length of time.

In addition to the states that plan to join California's lawsuit, the governors of Colorado, Florida and Utah said their states plan to adopt the standard.

The EPA initially refused to act on California's application, saying the agency did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as a pollutant. That changed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that the EPA did indeed have that right.

As a result, the EPA is now developing greenhouse gas regulations that are scheduled to be released by the end of the year. Environmental groups say those regulations are not likely to be stronger than the California standards.

Meanwhile, automakers continue to challenge the California standards in court.

They are appealing a ruling last month by a federal judge in Vermont who upheld the California rules in that state. They also are trying to persuade a federal judge in Fresno to toss out the emission standards mandated under California's 2002 law.

Associations for both domestic and foreign car companies say California's standards would raise the cost of vehicles and could force manufacturers to pull some sport utility vehicles and pickup truck models from showrooms.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPL3IG1&show_article=1

VTV STRONGER VIDEO REMIX

So my new thing is to do what the rappers do in the underground hip-hop community but with video, hence the video mixtape. If you watch a lot of my videos you might notice that I kinda recycle a lot of themes, ideas, and footage. I recently was inspired by the new Kanye West song "Stronger" and decided to do a remix of the video. Actually the song itself isn't what originally got me interested in doing this. It was a Z100 interview with Kanye on the day after the VMA's this year. If you go to the stations site you can download the entire interview. He said a lot of things in his exchange with the DJ that struck chords with me. I then got hyped on his new track and saw the video. The original video was cool, but it kinda left me feeling like there was something left untapped. I wanted to see more outrageous images. If you watch the original video that was played on MTV it really doesn't make any sense. Just random shots of what look like maybe Japanese military figures and a really cool graphic of an explosion and a bunch of cool shots of Kanye that looked like they are ripped off from a Bjork or LCD Soundsystem video, and of course lots of Kanye dancing in those white glasses. It's obvious to me that the editor of this video was told to take out all the shots that might not pass censors and so you get what you get. Which is all a bunch of shit anyway because MTV probably only played the video like 5 times. Whatever, so, I looked up the lyrics for the song and downloaded a Chamillionaire mixtape version of the song and decided to throw in some footage from Cham's Hip Hop Police video. Then I went back an threw a bunch of other shit into the blender and let it rip. You'll catch Buckethead playing the Halloween theme song, a chuckle from Huey Long, lot's of anti-illuminati images and I also used footage from a post WWII Italian neo-realist film by Roberto Rossellini called "Rome: Open City" which is one of my all time favorites, I did the subtitles myself, I don't really speak Italian, so I'm curious to see what someone who speaks the language thinks, anyway, that's it for the director's commentary, now on with the show...

MANU CHAO - EL HOYO VIDEO

MANU CHAO - EL HOYO (MUSIC VIDEO)
Uploaded by vtocce

MANU CHAO - EL HOYO VIDEO

NYC Aug 6th 2007

I'm at the MAC store in Soho checking up on my email. Unfortunately nobody is interested in emailing me, so I will blog really quick instead... well it's been quite an adventure so far and only a few days left here in New York. I will elaborate further when I return to the Bay, but so far my experiences have included: Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza, dancing at Bulgarian Bar, Slacker Prophet in Union Sq, Jesse Boykins at Crash Mansion, a long bus ride to Montreal, Dirty French Candian Hippies in Quebec, a not-quite-as-long bus ride back 2 NYC thanks in part to a conversation with a cute Aussie on her way to Lollapalooza, meeting a bunch of Crazy Romans at a house party in Brooklyn, meeting and interviewing Jay-Z at RocaWear Headquarters, Antibalas on Governor's Island, drinking at the Taxi Bar in Long Island City, and the list continues when I return... I haven't shot much video since I've been here, but did shoot some stuff at the Rainbow Gathering I went to up in Quebec. Here's a clip from a performance by a crazy french canadian girl who lives in BC:





peace!

Happy Pride!

I ran into the Scissors for Lefty dudes at pride and shot some video, if you like boys with their nipples covered with pink gaffers tape then you are in for a treat...





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh1j6_CEzes

Animal Chin in SF

So I was covering the Gay Pride Festival on Sunday in San Francisco and late in the day after the concert ended I was hanging out and struck up a conversation with none other than skate legend Animal Chin, it's the second time I've run into him, the last time was on BART like 10 years ago, here's an except from our meeting on Sunday...

BIBADIBLOGADY!

whaty up yall, been buzzy with the straight ball n call, coming at the nyc folkers in the future, please keep me in mind, check your blood pressure and stop stressing the melloness is coming at you, stock up on your pimp juice or else i'll be bring'n it, consider it brought, and bought, plead guitly to this plot that you sought all day and night, think'n you'd get fly and walk on by the dude on the corner in the pumas who thinks you move a little too fast, don't finish those fries if you wanna get fly, wait til i'm finished with mine, puta madre mi compadre, sucka duck gives a fuck, maximum respect for all masturbatators of debauchatorial fuck songs that make me go peepee in my pants.....................

RIP JOHNNY CASH

COACHELLA 2007

GOGOL BORDELLO





THE COUP




BOOTS RILEY with THE NIGHTWATCHMAN & PERRY FARRELL




SLACKER PROPHET





youtube.com/vtocce
youtube.com/couptv
youtube.com/VSPANTV
youtube.com/impossibleprez
myspace.com/captainflamingo
myspace.com/couptv
myspace.com/coolesthipsterever

Cochella

I'm totally psyched on this year's Cochella lineup. I've never been compelled to go to that festival before, but they managed to put together my wet dream lineup of artists. Many of the bands on the bill I have seen before and have taped a lot of them live. Here's a little sampler to get you juiced for Cochella:

Manu Chao

The Coup

The Roots

Gogol Bordello

Nightwatchman

2006 REVIEW - DAMIAN "JUNIOR GONG" MARLEY

Here's a video from Damian Marley's performance at Vegoose in 2006:




download video here:

http://phantomdonut.com/dmarley_vegoose.mov

Over 21 Guide to Warped Tour

Here's my guide to drinking on Warped Tour, featuring performance footage from Joan Jett, Bouncing Souls, and Valient Thorr.




download video here:

http://phantomdonut.com/vincewarped.mov