Monthly Archives: March 2011

March 31, 2011

Finding Someone Who Is Flawless

By contentiousbenjamin

To no fault but the natural arrogance that masculinity brings. Most guys (self included) greatest flaw when it comes to relationships is looking for a woman who is flawless. I can’t help it. In a country where obesity is a new fashion trend, natural beauty or make up is a requirement to be on television, and all the hottest porn star’s have bodies which should be standardized look among all women . Its hard not to have your mind already made up about what a woman has to look like for you to even have a positive feeling about getting into a meaningful relationship outside of just casual sex.

Lets be clear. There are a lot of heterosexual women who fit mens mold BUT there are so many factors prior to meeting that woman who causes us to still unjustifiably take them for granted

1-Immaturity: Just a few years ago I was so caught up in wanting woman to be naturally beautiful that if she wasn’t I didn’t care what she could offer. What was even dumber is that I didn’t really even know myself. I was in a transitional phase where not to many things made since yet she had to be down right perfect and have not only her body together but her entire life.

Point blank, rarely do we have our shit together to really be with that woman we want any way.

2-Short Sighted: A lot of us are still to stubborn, ignorant, unwilling, (call it whatever) to date outside our race, social group, and city limits. Now this is forever changing but at the same time it’s not. This cause may not even be about stereotypes or pre-conceived notions as much as it is just a fear of cultures clashing

3-Clone Relationship: Some of us get into identical relationships as our earlier ones. Looking for a chick with the same features but just a different face,name and a pay grade. Or straight up look for a woman in the same place you found the last one.

4-Unrealistic Expectations: I can admit I live in a fantasy world when it comes to women in comparison to where I am located and where I am at professionally, emotional, spiritually, blah blah blah. Sometimes you have to compromise with the best option available instead of trying to find something that doesn’t exist in that current space and time.

Case in point: I want a woman who has a passport and can actually use it, can speak another language,  not fat, willingness to learn, and already high level of intelligence, not a hoe but not a nun, has no kids and don’t want none no time soon, out of school/finishing up/or in a graduate program, not best friends with her ex, doesn’t wear weave or fake eyelashes, isn’t a gold digger, works out, has interesting hobbies outside of bar hoping and period over indulgence in certain substances, and likes dogs, football, basketball, all the while putting my ex and everyone else within sight of us to shame

Now I might have  recently found that woman who comes closest to fulfilling 95% of whats listed above but of course I’m over critiquing the 5% she doesn’t have and trying to figure out what flaws I can’t compromise with before I embrace all the things she is doing right. I’m scoping out her teeth and smile, her skin complexion, how she moves, how she talks about herself and others, and a list of other shit. That takes away her value and the possible benefit of having her in my life

Now this screening process is important to have. Cause you just cant be letting any and everyone in your life. But as a guy I think we tend to play women cheap while we are waiting for that perfect woman who never existed or better yet was the woman who you never gave credit too.

I don’t know if that is a self-correcting thing that just take age, time, and experience. I don’t know if it can be taught by having more common people and there stories in our news, magazines, and other media as much as we have the actresses, tv & music stars, and models. Or if it’s just trying to find that one key that matches out of millions.

Sometimes the best fit is a person that leave room to grow and  to be loved. Sometimes a woman is a commodity that can’t be measured by anything else except how she makes you feel. Trying to find the one that’s flawless is a flawed concept in itself; for most of us we’ll just end up chasing after our a ghost but even more homo erotic is that we’ll be chasing after our own shadow.

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March 28, 2011

The Outer Limits-The Sixth Finger

By contentiousbenjamin

So I was watching an episode of the original “The Outer Limits” called ‘The Sixth Finger‘ this weekend and the last plot and final narration really got me thinking.

“An experiment too soon, too swift. And yet may we still hope to discover a method by which within one generation, the whole human race could be rendered intelligent, beyond hatred, or the desire for power? Is that not, after all, the ultimate goal of evolution?”

Thoughts of evolution, intelligence and information, and humanities influence on the future vs its influence on us. These almost philosophical questions began turning in this under used brain of mine.

1-Evolution (which is the change over time in one or more inherent traits in populations of organisms). What external influence is going to cause us to evolve and what could that process be. I say external influence because to me it seems highly improbable that internal forces like the consciousness will cause us to search for higher meaning, within ourselves. It seems to be in our nature that we find or create a non sentient that we can influence which ultimately turns around and dictates our perceptions and lifestyles beyond our awareness.

i.e. Point being electricity and internet.

How much does this factor on our evolution as a species. Tremendously is the initial answer. I cant image a time before where people only relied on the power of the sun and fire for light and heat.  Nor a time where you had to be face to face or receive a written letter to be able to communicate with someone. But whats the next step and our we actively seeking that in todays world. In some regards I would say our problems throughout the world stem because we have stalled the evolution process for and our now living in an outdated time. Yet before I get to ahead of myself let me go back to my point about what is the next step in the evolutionary process.

Well there are several ways of looking at this but i’ll pick two, limited use of technologies and the full cooperation and influence of it.

Utilizing more of our body functions on a genetic level.. Utilizing 100% of the synapses in our brain all the time. Being able to trigger contractions of all muscle fibers to a higher capacity, and searching our consciousness for the essence of pure intellect and spirituality; exhausting metaphysics & metacognition (knowing applying  everything it means to be human).

Human enhancements with techonolgy-combination of robotics and the internet/computational devices within the human body; Nanotechonology as a form of preventative medicine and life extension, collective consciousness & mind uploading, technological singularity, seeing the world through different identities (Avatars, literally through someone else’s eyes & looking at the inside of our bodies), and other things that will begin to define us outside of human nature and into the realm of posthuman in which we surpass our natural limitations for a set of new ones (i.e. like that of Avatar, Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, Star Wars/Star Trek, sci fi movie & literature shit).

Once we get pass ethics is we can evolution becomes limitless. This evolutionary step requires a continuance into an uncharted age of discovery.

2- Intelligence and Information. What if intelligence and information was limited to surface area. Quite simply put what if the capacity to learn was determined by how much space we had in our brain for it. Right now, there is a lot of shit in my head. I know useless slogans, websites, speculations and gossip that will never be put to use. Yet some of these things take precedence over a simple memory such as what presents I received on my 10th birthday. Though thats not nearly important 15 years later; its still more personal and relevant that all the erectile dysfunction prescription pills and other commercials I have seen soliciting shit that I will never use.

Every other part of our body can do an adequate job of filtering out waste except for our brain. No other part of our body processes information like our brain does either but most of that is on a subconscious or purely chemical level. What if we were in-tuned to that as well as all the conscious things. So we can filter out waste without getting  rid of some pretty good lessons (like Algebra and Triginometry, all the stuff we learned in high school and high school) as well as memories. Yet also rid the need of drugs medical and medicinal all together so we could control states of happiness despite of social and environmental conditions. I feel this is an issue of information and resources, which can be attributed to that portion of are brain may be as dead as the surface of mars due to an inadequacy to partition all the information our bodies our receiving on a day to day basis.

I can only be self aware to a certain degree if I am always connected to Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of the abstract world that I surround myself by which is not concerned about the content of information but the attention to it. Our minds are far beyond the cities, media, and mediums we find ourselves locked into.

3- The Future

I’ll start with a few comments that hopefully everyone can agree on our facts. The future fork and divide with each step we take. We make a choice and every choice determines future paths.

As of lately our paths (speaking as a society) seem to be walking in the same footprints as the past with very few deviations into a new future. Possibly because the quality needed for excellence lives in a mediocre world. To strive for something new is deemed expensive or even worse a fad outside the operating system most commonly used. We are in times where old and current ways of life integrity our being challenged (financial systems, dictatorships, and borders).

Our current problem is that we are still thinking to locally. Most people don’t really understand what globalization means. I’ve lived in another country and still don’t understand that shit. How one countries policies affect another, what immigration does to economy, traditions, and perception. We dont seem to have a race to a common goal as a species. How can we all achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the absence of things we grew comfortable with… We don’t do enough acting towards the future which has stalled our present and quite possibly redirected and abandoned a great future that the trajectory of our past was setting out for us…But because destiny is forever in front of us branching in indecisive ways; I know that I am wrong in my beliefs but still cant help but feeling that we will stay consumed by the same and current problems without ever transcending above them

i.e. hate, restrictions to love, contradictions of free will, lack of imagination, under representation, and lack of belief in all aspection of human relations (labor, law, politics, etc).

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March 25, 2011

This song describes my week

By contentiousbenjamin

Jamie Woon “Lady Luck”

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March 16, 2011

Pope Exonerates Jews for the Death of Jesus

By contentiousbenjamin

So on March 2, 2011 The Pope Benedict XVI  (Leader of the Catholic Church) exonerated the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. In a new book titled ”Jesus of Nazareth-Part II”, Benedict explains biblically and theologically why there is no basis in Scripture for the argument that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus’ death.

The Catholic Church issued its most authoritative teaching on the issue in its 1965 Second Vatican Council document “Nostra Aetate,” which revolutionized the church’s relations with Jews by saying Christ’s death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today.

Benedict concludes, it was the “Temple aristocracy” and a few supporters of the figure Barabbas who were responsible.

“How could the whole people have been present at this moment to clamor for Jesus’ death?” Benedict asks

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110302/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_jews

 

I’m not going to spend too much time on this issue but I just want to say a few things. I didn’t even know that this was an issue. I don’t think that most people are holding Jesus’s death over the Jew’s head as a whole anyway. Yet they do deserve some of the blame. To often in any culture and society and more so of those of the past because they were closely connected. Its your own people who disown you in a way that perpetrates another event happening. From my interpretations of the bible (which I read on a weekly as an adult) it seems that the hierarchy within the temple disowned him for blasphemy and preaching a new world order and delivered him to the ones who eventual convicted him. They did try him within their own system of justice in a sense but because they didn’t have their own state he had to be tried by the Romans. I don’t read about their being too much objections to his trial or death by the Jew’s in the bible (his disciples don’t count because they weren’t Jewish).

I must say exonerating the Jews seems like a good political move by the Pope (kinda like pardoning Galileo after you had him killed). Don’t know what good comes from it for future generations since I think the Catholic church has more pressing issues like their abuse scandals and church on TV. Call me naive but I don’t think a large group of people in the world saying Fuck the Jews they killed Jesus.

None the less this story is interesting because now you can put more emphasis (by default) on the group that actually killed him the Romans. Which are now an extinct culture who people can easily mistake for either Italy or Turkey since that’s where the head of their empires once were.

Plus Jesus had to die (by murder) or it would have defeated the purpose of his legacy and that’s what people really hold onto.

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March 14, 2011

2011 Forbes Billionaire List

By contentiousbenjamin

On March 9, Forbes printed its annual richest people in the world figures. And they are pretty much the same as last year. I’m not going to go through everyone like I did last year but here are the noteables.

1-Calos Slim Helu $74 Billion

Carlos Slim Helu

Chairman of Mexican Telecom Company Telmex

(note he only has a bachelors degree)

 

2- Bill Gate $56 Billion

Bill Gates

Founder of Microsoft. Co Chairs  his own foundation with his wife.

(note: he dropped out of Harvard)

 

3- Warren Buffet $50 billion

Warren Buffett

Owns Berkshire Hathaway, which is a company that owns stocks in almost every major industry in the world. As of today he is buying chemical company Lubrizol for $9 Billion.

(note: Holds MS from Columbia University)

4- Bernard Arnault $41 Bilion

Bernard Arnault

Louis Vuitton, Moet, and Hennessey.

(note:  He has a BA)

FYI: Hennessey is the shit

 

5- Larry Edison $39.5 Billion

Larry Ellison

Chiarman of the software tech firm Oracle.

(note: he dropped out of college as well)

 

6- Lakshmi Mittal $31.1 Billion

Lakshmi Mittal

Runs Indias biggest steel company which he inherited

(note: has a BA/BS)

 

7- Amancio Ortega $31 Billion

Amancio Ortega

Former Chairman of Inditex which is a fashion firm that has several brands

 

8- Eike Batista $30 Billion

Eike Batista

Run Brazil’s EBX Group which is big in mining, ship building, and oil.

(note: He is a college drop out as well)

 

9- Mukesh Ambani $27 Billion

Mukesh Ambani

Inherited oil and gas conglomerate Reliance Industries.

(note: He has a  BA/BS)

 

10- Christy Walton & Family $26.5 Billion

Christy Walton

Walmart

 

For further listings of people making ridiculous amounts of money the 99.9% can only dare to dream about having check out.  Check me out on this list in 2015. http://www.forbes.com/

 

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March 14, 2011

New Hip Hop Music and Albums

By contentiousbenjamin

These are albums that are on my radar that should be on yours if you consider yourself a fan of good music

Lupe Fiasco long awaited junior album LASERS, is a banger. All songs are in constant rotation but specifically. He hits you with a message in every song. He is definitely more mature in his raps than most if not all rappers out here to date.  His delivery is impeccable and I can say I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him live and he knows how to rock a crowd. Instant classic, I can listen to this from start to finish without out skipping. I just wish it was more songs on it.

Favorite Tracks

  • All Black Everything
  • Words I never said
  • Beautiful Lasers (2 Way)

 

Pac Div (aka Pacific Division) has a new mixtape Mania (2011) that gives you that classic Cali flow, nice bass and beats, and a touch of comedy within head bobbing lyrics of men in there 20′s just trying to succeed in life. I’ll be seeing these dudes later this month live and am looking forward to it

Favorite Tracks

  • Take Me High
  • Saved
  • The Mirror

 

Stalley’s Lincoln Way Nights-Intelligent Trunk Music,  is quite impressionable. I didn’t know anything about this dude before listening to it and it has more than a few tracks on it that I can feel and are thought provoking. I’m riding to this and I’ll be keeping an ear out for some more of his work.

Favorite Tracks:

  • She Hates The Bass
  • The Night
  • Go On

 

Chip Tha Ripper is killing the mixtape game right now. The Cleveland Show was the shit and This new one Gift Raps is a good follow up. With tracks produced by” the Cool Kid’s” Mickey Rocks. It definitely has the hard beats with some simple yet clever lyrics that just get you amped or make you laugh. He may never get the national play cause he doesnt make radio music but regionally he is a good look for hip hop and he just raps about how most black dudes feel or think.

Favorite Tracks:

  • Light One Up
  • LIFE
  • Everyday Chilling

 

File:Kooley high.jpg

North Carolina’s Kooley High is continue a tradition of smooth, thoughtful hip hop coming out of that state. Their New Album Eastern Standard Time is a good introduction for people who don’t know there work as individual artist or as a collective. I didn’t know who they were two months ago but I’m interested in them now, they make good music.

Favorite Tracks:

  • Float On
  • Pedals
  • Rae Intro

 

If you have a chance chick out these recommendations. Support good hip hop and good music.

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March 14, 2011

Late Night Ramblings of Me

By contentiousbenjamin

I don’t really write too much about myself that often. More so this blog is just a platform to present the news and events that I see or hear on a daily/weekly basis that I find interesting, inspiring, and trendy. I’m not ashamed to tell my story in a more specific way but then again I am. I don’t know who reads these post, even though I get some really positive comments, part of me is still reserved to put too much of myself out there.

With the career path that I want to have, with the internet footprint that is eternal, and the way things can be manipulated against you for someone elses gain; lets just say its always made me reserved.

For lent (event though I don’t believe in one particular faith) I thought it would be good for me to give up this conservative nature for a more spontaneous one. Say and do what the fuck I feel. Now because I’m was raised right and am a good mannered person by nature it’s not like I’m going to start saying and doing stupid shit. At the least this gives me an opportunity to not rely on the comfort and safety of a routine.

So be shocked if in the next 30ish days I start to seem a little more opinionated vent a little more, or  seem down right random in these post.

I must start by saying that paying it forward does have its reward. I did something nice for a friends and literally the next day I got the same thing in return but times 2.

I was reading some of the comics from xkcd http://xkcd.com/ and one in particular stood out to me.

Guy 1- You should be more careful what you write. You never know when a future employer might read it

Guy 2 (who is typing on the computer)- When did we forget our dreams?

Guy 1- What?

Guy 2-  ”The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have is uncountable, breathtaking, and I’m sitting here refreshing my inbox. We live trapped in loops. Reliving a few days over and over, and we envision only a handful of paths laid out ahead of us. We see the same things each day, we respond the same way, we think the same thoughts, each day a slight variation on the last, every moment smoothly following the gentle curves of societal norms. We act like if we just get through today, tomorrow our dreams will come back to us.

And no, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become. But I do know one things: The solution doesn’t involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of someday easing my fit into a mold. It doesn’t involve tempering my life to better fit someones expectations. It doesn’t involve constantly holding back for fear of shaking things up.

This is very important s oI want to say it as clearly as I can:

FUCK THAT SHIT”

(in the footnotes: In Connor’s second thesis it is stated ‘there is no fate but what we make for ourselves. ‘Does the routine destroy our creativity or do we lose creativity and fall into the routine?)

 

I feel that way sometimes about my life. I’ve giving up one routine after another in hopes of finding something better but still have way too much room to complain than I do to grow. I’ve allowed myself to grow old in mind and in youthful spirit for the pursuit of a system. What I mean is, money is controlling my life in more ways than anything else. I didn’t use to be this way.

I am a different person when I’m in the United States than when I’m not. I become more with nature, more excited about introducing myself to other people and them introducing themselves to me. Experience over weighs everything, and I try anything and everything without fear because I don’t want time to pass me by and me not to remember the details.

For a more specific example: I probably drank more and used more drugs than anytime ever in life -Granted now I can honestly say I don’t miss it but those were a medium to so many relationships that I truly do cherish to this day. No it wasn’t the foundation or the most dynamic part of the relationships but it played an intriguing part of opening myself up to the people and vice versa. I swear I found apart of myself and experienced life in a way I never have before when I tried the ceremonial drugs San Pedro cactus  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinopsis_pachanoi & Ayahuasca  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowaska.

The people who were involved in that ceremony I know share an unbreakable bond with. Sometimes I wish that all my connections can be as powerful as that. That I can walk down the street and see  another black person as my brother and not someone who not on my level because I’ll see 20 more people like him who have dreadlocks, polo boots on, and is saggin at an excessive level.  I make myself look at the world me vs them when I do that and puts me in a mold where only my opinion is validated not by application but because I am my own audience.

Sometime I battle with if I should live outside of the US forever. I mean I would come back to visit but my permanent residence be in another country where I can be anonymous to be me and free of all American values (good and bad).

To often I feel like Guy 2 and just want to say FUCK THIS SHIT.

More so than anything else, I stranger will stop me to tell me what I already know. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Kanye West”- That shit is so irritating, and with the warmer weather and more people outside I get it more often than ever. On average it’s about 20 people a week who stop me (or go out their way)to tell me that, despite me having on my work badge from a prestigious university, despite me wearing business attire, despite everything I am and all my accomplishments. I’m recognized by someone else and not me. None of that means shit when the only acknowledgement (outside of this blog of course) is that I look like someone else. What kind shit is that? Really?

That is the main reason I keep noise canceling headphones on, so I don’t actually have to hear the person say that I just read their lips  and either give them a blank stare or nod. Sometimes I start speaking Spanish and they get the picture, other times I’ve had to say well I’m not I’m Reggie and if your interested in what Reggie looks like then we can talk… I can’t seem to formulate a response that turns into a worthwhile conversation… (I could use some suggestions cause I probably come across as an assholes with the current ones).  Because this is a routine that I want to change since its unavoidable.

Another routine I want to calm down on. I masturbate all the fucking time now. I’m not addicted to porn but its been 7 months since I’ve had sex ( I had to find someone to have sex with on my birthday; come on now whats life without birthday sex; meaningless) and 10 months since my last relationship ended. I’m the type of guy (Beware this may sound strange) who prefers having sex solely within relationships.  I’ve kept one night stands and casual sex partners to a bare minimum.

In fact my homeboy asked on Twitter how many people have you had sex with? He was trying to get a survey of what constitutes a whore. Which got me thinking; and my number came to a shock to people who know me (and know how many cute women friends I have) as being 10. I been having sex since I was 16 and I’m 25 now. That may be low for most men but I was in 4 serious relationships back to back to back to back which spanned 7 of those years.

Anyway, so porn http://www.pornhub.com/ ,  Jergens and Lubriderm have been my best friends mainly because I been in my current city for about 8 months now and meeting decent people here is hard. I swear all the cute women are taken, have children, are lesbians, or to young. The left overs after that are look like shit or have no common ground. I’m protective of my body I can’t just fuck with or fuck anyone…

So I have spiratically given some dating websites a try. I’ve tried plenty of fish  http://www.plentyoffish.com/, black singles (this site sucks I’m not wasting my time linking this shit), and okcupid http://www.okcupid.com/.  That shit is weak. I’ve only had the nerve to meet one of the women from these sites and though the 2 dates we went one were cool. The chicks pictures were deceiving and I just wasn’t really attracted to her. And though I will date any race (last woman I dated was white, last one I was in an actual relationship was mixed blk/wht, one before that was Arab) the only women who talk to me with frequency is white women. I can honestly say that I’m not naturally attracted to them, so they have to be special…Maybe my flaw is that I am looking for someone who is flawless

On another note, I’m watching Real Time with Bill Mahr (love this show). He has some of the best political commentary on television. Yeah he is very liberal but he mixes it quite well with the conservatives he brings on the panels. Plus he doesn’t have to water down his content since he is on HBO http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/index.html. I just want to know how in the fuck can I be a guest fuck being in the audience or even better get my own show like this so I can get on their and ask questions that no one is asking and talk about shit no one wants to talk about.

I say that because the past two years I have been more determined than ever. So I do feel that I can get myself in the right place to get things done on an elevated level but at the same time, I day-dream to fucking much and maybe hosting a political show is too much and this blog will have to suffice.

I’m really glad that I am receiving more viewership. No freaking subscriptions yet but more people are viewing this shit and liking it. Took longer than expected to achieve certain milestones like averaging a minimum of 25 views a day and getting a certain amount of comments that aren’t spam but slowly but surely shit is coming along and the process has been fun.

 

5 Random Facts

1-I played basketball with a bunch of Chinese and White boys and annihilated all of them. But I’m so sore cause I haven’t played in like 3 months.

2- I’m  currently listening to Brother Ali-Rainwater “At times you gotta kick your way through this bitch”

3-I’m wearing the most comfortable Scooby Doo nightware pants. It feels like silk but its cotton

4-I watched the Movies the Mack and Ghost in the Shell today

5-I didn’t spend any money today ( I wanted to go to this Chinese Buffet so bad. I’m a fat  kid trapped in a skinny body)

Time to stay creative can’t sit on my ass and expect not to be last…

p.s. I didn’t proof read this, I’m going to sleep.

 

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March 11, 2011

Japan Earthquake

By contentiousbenjamin

In recent weeks Far East Asia has had a few earthquakes. Solomon Islands, China, and now a massive one registering 8.3 in Japan. The quake struck the island nation at 2:46 pm local time. The epicenter was offshore 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said. Resident’s continued to feel aftershocks hours after the quake. 65 aftershocks followed with a magnitude of 5.0 , with the strongest measuring 7.1. http://1.usa.gov/giDeqa

Japan’s defense forces have evacuated 60,000 to 70,000 people to shelters in the Sendai area. Where 200-300 bodies have been found on the beach. http://bbc.in/gsjWCQ

The Japanese government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo News Agency. They are sure to need more help because there are also reports that a dam broke in the Fukushima prefecture washing away hundreds of homes. As well as passenger trains that with an unknown amount of people is missing. http://bbc.in/eP8sto

U.S. National Weather Service has issued tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories, including Hawaii, and the Western coastal  cities of the US, from Alaska to California. Tsunami waves of nearly 7 feet have been reported at the harbor in Maui Hawaii. http://goo.gl/fb/fsKM9, http://1.usa.gov/fpWbjQ

The quake was the latest in a series in the region this week.

Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had struck off the same coast, the country’s meteorological agency said.

Keep people affected in your prayers and if you can donate your time, money, energy, cloths, and other resources to affiliated rescue and relief orginization such as the red cross.

Links:

Witness: http://on.cnn.com/eivOKX

Aftermath Photo’s http://nyti.ms/fgHXs0

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March 10, 2011

Gilles Peterson Radio Show A Must Hear Event

By contentiousbenjamin

To give you a brief history on how I got introduced to such great music. My roommate in Cusco, Santi worked with this Australian guy Sam who has traveled all over the world and listens to everything. He told Santi that Gilles Peterson radio show was the best show in the world to hear trend-setting music from all over the world that you probably wont hear anywhere else. Santi eventually told me and I tried I listened. I want to say it was a little over a year ago. It just so happened to be an episode with Andreya Triana as a guest dropping two tracks- Lost Where I belong and Town Called Obsolete ( I eventually bought the album the day it came out and love it). But from that episode I was hooked.

I must say its one of the few things that I look forward to every week; Tuesday nights (could be Wednesday morning depending on where in the world you live; his broadcast our from London, UK).

I’ve listened for a year now and its only been one episode where  I was scratching my head like what the fuck am I listening too.  Other than that every episode has been on point. I say that because I’m listening to it now and he’s played music from Japan, Canada, Nigeria, UK, U.S., and various places and it all blends together so well. It’s all fresh and funky.

I don’t personally hear this on my local radio and know I never will. He’s probably put me on to 100+ new artist in the past year. I love music like never before because of his selections.

Check him out, you can listen to his most recent episode for 7 days on what is called the Iplayer  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yyd4f#synopsis

This dude has saved me from passing out at my desk at work, kept me motivated to do some work, and knows how to rock a party (even a party of 1).

http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Peterson

 

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March 9, 2011

India Allows Euthanasia

By contentiousbenjamin

Adding to a short list of countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherland, and two states in the U.S. Oregon and Washington. India has legalized passive euthanasia. The legalized the use of withdrawing life support from patients who are in a permanent vegetative state.

The decision was made as part of the verdict in a case involving Aruna Shanbaug, who has been in a vegetative state for 37 years. The high court rejected active euthanasia by lethal injection. In the absence of a law regulating euthanasia in India, the court stated that its decision becomes the law of the land until the parliament enacts a law.

According to these guidelines, passive euthanasia involves the withdrawing of treatment or food that would allow the patient to live.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1516973.ece

These are one of those tricky rules of law that shouldn’t really be law but a personal right; which should be asked at a certain age (16, 18, 21, 25) and then updated yearly…Though as a nation you don’t want to condone this form of suicide. Some people’s conditions and sufferings are prolonged by medical advances. It actually a show of how good are medical advancements have come that we can keep someone alive without they’re inability to do it for themselves. But you play with the faith and hope that things can get better. Which sometimes is more than 50% especially in the minds of their loved ones.

I’m for it but somewhat against a law that promotes or abolishes it. Some people don’t have what it takes to commit suicide especially if they are dependent on life support. It’s hard to say this but if you are in a coma for 37 years chances are you aren’t going to wake up and you should release your spirit from your body.

But its a very difficult topic which needs to be handled on an individual level. It would seem that allowing passive euthanasia is a manageable solution that India is willing to tackle.

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