The Norteños, also Norte, are affiliated with Nuestra Familia (Our Family), a coalition of traditional Latino gangs in Northern California. A member of these gangs is a Norteño (male) or Norteña (female); based on Spanish usage. In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Norteños (northerners) and Sureños (southerners), according to the locations of their hometowns; the north-south dividing line was near Bakersfield. Part of the motivation for the split was the desire of the Norteños to be independent of "La Eme” a.k.a. the Mexican Mafia. As with many other gangs, Norteños have been involved in trafficking of drugs and contraband, and armed conflict with other gangs and with police. According to police investigators, a requirement for full membership in Nuestra Familia is committing at least one murder for the gang. Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate the group, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s.
In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indicted on racketeering charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay. Thirteen of the defendants pleaded guilty; the other cases are still ongoing. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trade. The largest of the federal investigations, Operation Black Widow, caused controversy when it became public that some gang members were serving as FBI informants while still continuing to organize violent crimes. Norteño emblems and clothing are based on the color red. A typical Norteño outfit might include a red belt, red shoes, and red shoelaces. They will also favor sports team apparel that shows their affiliation through symbolism such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, UNLV, K-Swiss, and San Francisco 49ers. Norteños may refer to each other by using the term "Ene,” Spanish for the letter "N.” Norteños use the number 14 in tattoos and graffiti because "N" is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet. It is sometimes written as "X4” or in Roman numerals as "XIV". Some Norteños will tattoo themselves with four dots. Norteño derogatorily refers to a Sureño as a "Scrap" or "Sur (Sewer) Rat,” while a Sureño will likewise refer to a Norteño as a "Buster" or "Chap" (Chapete). Norteños also lay claim to images of the Mexican-American labor movement, such as the sombrero, machete, and "Huelga bird,” symbols of the United Farm Workers.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 29, 2009
Aversive magic can produce aversive side effects which may even harm the magician - aversive magic is dangerous.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 04, 2010
Each samurai had a lord in which he served. The Daimyo were known for their skill as generals and military leaders. Following the shogun, the daimyo were the most powerful rulers from the 10th century to the early 19th. The daimyo were only subordinate to the Shogun and only one man at a time could be Shogun. There were many daimyos all across Japan, but there was only one Shogun at a time. The samurai who had no lord were known as Ronin.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ June 18, 2011
We're in deep kimchi
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 13, 2011
An ascetic religion of India, founded in the sixth century BCE that teaches the immortality and transmigration of the soul and denies the existence of a perfect or supreme being. Both Jainism and Buddhism was rooted in dissatisfication with Brahmanic ritual and was founded by rough contemporaries in the 7th-6th centuries BCE by memebers of the kshatriya varna. It appealed to the masses by offering methods of salvation free from priestly control and rejecting the caste system. It Focuses on the need for extreme self mortification, the absence of possessions (including clothing) and the necessity of ahimsa, the practice of no-harm. They practice ahimsa to the point that they wear no shoes so that they do not step on insects and kill them. By doing bad deeds, they believe that karmic matter sticks to the soul. By doing good deeds, they believe that karmic matter loosens from the soul. Along with the act of ahimsa, Jains cannot lie, and commit sexual unchasity or infidelity. They must also guard against evils that can be avoided, observe regular meditation, observe regular periods of self denial, ocassionaly observe days as monks, control greed, and give alms (especially to ascetics).
The goal of Jainism is to rid one's soul of karmic matter and so escape samsara (cycle of re-birth/re-death) in moksha (release). There are 3 monastic sects - Digambaras (the Sky-Clad), The Shvetambaras (the White Clad), and The Sthanakvasis (those who reject idols and temples).
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ June 01, 2010
Isis, the Egyptian goddess of rebirth remains one of the most familiar images of empowered and utter femininity. The goddess Isis was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky. Isis was born on the first day between the first years of creation, and was adored by her human followers.
Unlike the other Egyptian goddesses, the goddess Isis spent time among her people, teaching women how to grind corn and make bread, spin flax and weave cloth, and how to tame men enough to live with them.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 04, 2010
Drum and Bass (commonly abbreviated to D&B or DnB) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–190 bpm, occasional variation is noted in older compositions), with heavy bass, sub-bass lines, and occasional infra-bass lines. Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom rave scene of the very early 1990s. Over the first decade of its existence, the incorporation of elements from various musical genres lent to many permutations in its overall style.
Drum and Bass: Adam F, Goldie, London Elektricity, High Contrast, LTJ Bukem, D.Kay, DJ Fresh, DJ Dara, DJ Zinc, Shy FX, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, DJ Hazard, DJ Hype, Photek, Loxy, Sub Focus, Future Prophecies, Roni Size, Chase & Status, Ed Rush & Optical, DJ Ink, Andy C, Congo Natty, E-Z Rollers, J Majik, Source Direct, Erb N Dub, Dillinja, Danny Byrd, Concord Dawn, Brookes Brothers, Logistics, Matrix & Futurebound, Nu Tone, Sun King, Cyantific, Plug, TC, and Dirtyphonics.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 04, 2010