The BeZine, Vol.2/Issue 8, The Books That Changed Our Lives

Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine

May 15, 2016

Books are a uniquely portable magic.
Stephen King, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft”

Books are a primary way we get to travel, meet new people, and learn about the world and the human condition outside the narrow confines of our personal concerns, our families and communities. They are indeed magic: they inform, heal, spur us to action, offer new perspectives, new ways of being in the world and – perhaps most important – they open us to the joys and suffering of others.

In this month’s lead feature, Algerian poet, writer, university student and frequent contributor to The BeZine, Imen Benyoub, tells how three important books that focus on war and genocide teach us about “courage, tolerance, love and sacrifice” and bear witness to “how generous and resilient a human spirit can be, even in the darkest times.”

Imen’s feature is suggestive of The BeZine‘s raison d’etre: to come together from different parts of…

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Urban Legands in Every State

Blog of Things:

Twentytowards.comlisted an urban legend for every state. I wish they had more for each state.

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Rochester International Jazz Festival 2016

Jazz You Too

The XRIJF is a respected jazz music festival, this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, the programme features 1,500 artists from 19 countries, its last edition drew almost 200,000 people from all over the world. This year’s lineup includes among others, and choosing only my favourite ones, Chick Corea Trio w/ Christian McBride | Brian Blade.

official website:http://rochesterjazz.com/

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My latest June 2016 Metrolink Adventure with Pictures

ntbraymer

By Noel T. Braymer

I left the house in the mid-afternoon and got to the Oceanside Station with about 15 minutes to spare to catch the last afternoon  Metrolink train of the day to Los Angeles. Traffic was light driving towards downtown Oceanside in the afternoon. But traffic was heavy downtown near the beach on a nice hot day. When I got up to the ticket machines there was a long line of people waiting to buy Metrolink tickets at the lone machine by the platforms. I went over to check the other Metrolink ticket machine over by the Amtrak waiting room and if anything the line of people there was even longer. I pondered what to do, then decided this was as good a time as any to try out Metrolink’s online ticketing. At least on this trip I wasn’t planning to transfer to LA Metrorail, so I could…

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Drugs and Human Dignity

philosophical Epiphany

Onmorality, The German philosopher Immanuel Kant states that one ought treat others as ends in themselves and nevermerely as means. This, I believe, to be reflexive; namely, onecan not treat themselves as a mean or merely a thing.

One’sobligation to oneself consists ofa ban against designating theirselfhood as a toy tosheer inclinations. This obligation hasan exceptionally swaying logic thatpertains to human dignity. Since the epitome of human dignity is to never deal with others or yourself merely as a thing, it appears that the manipulation of a human being viadrug-induced pleasures should be regarded as an obvious infringement of human dignity. Drug-induced pleasures interfere with one’s selfhood, and they seem to degrade a being to a plaything of inclinations. Thus, human dignity is severed when theemotions are dominated by drug-induced sense of happiness.

Let us go on further in the illustration of drug-induced happiness; here, the individual is dispossessed…

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