vincenz0h's Blog Posts

Saxophonist Dominic Lalli, and drummer Jeremy Salken form the electronic duo called Big Gigantic. But really they should call themselves "Epic Humongawesome"... because that's what they are!

I just finished my first 10 vipassana retreat as taught by S.N. Goenka, and I just wanted to give a few words of advice for anyone considering taking a 10 day course.

For a report of an ecstatic vipassana experience, check out this blog from a fellow evolver.

http://www.evolver.net/user/jason_bowman/blog/vipassana_meditation_and_t...

I was recently watching a lecture by Dr. Christine Hayes on the Open Yale website, where they have an entire series of lectures on the Old Testament. This particular lecture was called "The Priestly Legacy: Cult and Sacrifice, Purity and Holiness in Leviticus and Numbers."

It's that time of the year again! When all the privileged college kids move out of their dorms and throw away all kinds of amazing stuff! Everything from laundry detergent, mini fridges, food and clothes, to luxury items like expensive watches and jewelry... you'll find it in the dumpster.

I blame Derrick Jensen. In his book - Endgame II: Resistance - he lays down a thorough analysis of the abusive dynamics and how pacifism relates to this, over three chapters. I've picked out a few particularly salient quotes from each chapter, but I REALLY encourage you all to read the full chapters themselves:

PART I
http://www.endgamethebook.org/Excerpts/25%20-%20Pacifism%20I.html

There is much confusion about the term white privilege.

My friends and I had been growing apart for a long time, but I feel that last summer there was a specific point of demarcation. I was at a festival, in the back of one of the tents, rolling around on the ground, tripping complete face, and all I wanted was somebody there next to me, but nobody was. I knew then that my friends and I weren't on the same wavelength anymore.

Excellent set! Starts off very uplifting and mellow, but gets pretty dark and nasty as it progresses!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/zxz9mo

I'd like to take a discussion that was started last night at our local spore and bring it online to be fully fleshed out.

I recently watched a documentary called "The Oxycontin Express" and was outraged and saddened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7DHMqHFSB8

I've lived in Florida since 2001 and never paid much attention to all the "pain clinics", or the ads in the back of the free newspapers. I never realized that Big Pharma had set up Soma dispensaries on every corner.

I was 13 years old when Y2K rolled around. I had my stash of MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). We lit off fireworks, got drunk, and smoked cheap cigars. I wasn't worried per se, but there was that excitement of not really knowing what the future would bring, and the recognition that the future was right at hand.

Reading through peoples postings on this and other websites, I noticed a theme running through many posts regarding feeling a sense of alienation and finding a community to belong in. Maybe it's something about this cold winter and the shitty economy that's got people down...

I wrote the following piece at the end of the spring semester of 2009. I was going through kind of a nervous breakdown as I was coming to terms with what school had made me into, what career path I wanted to take, and the place where these things intersected.

So at the ripe old age of 23 I've finally gotten over my soul searching. I'm done shuffling through philosophies and ideologies. I'm tired of trying on and throwing off all these different systems of meaning. It's not that I've finally found the real me, or that I've settled into a particular worldview. I'm honestly no more confident about who I am or what my place is in the world than before.