if you read the classical literature, it is full of harsh criticism against 'trousers'. in much of the classical world, the nefarious act of trouser-wearing was a deeply frowned upon sign of utter barbarism. a civilized person would not be caught dead in trousers.

we're all barbarians, now - the barbarians won, in the end. so, that may seem curious to us. but, it's an absolutely accurate depiction of classical views against trouser-wearing. it was entirely taboo.

but, the greeks had a lot of trouble expanding into russia, didn't they? you try living on the russian steppes, or even the german forests, in january, in that dinky little robe of yours, socrates. without a pair of trousers, a man will freeze his balls off in these climates. it was just an adaptation to the weather, these horrific trousers. but, yet, the greeks laid the wide russian rivers to waste as outside of civilization, holding to a no-pantsed principle over making the obvious adjustment to explore these rich lands. it was almost like the act of pulling the trousers on was one of defeat to barbarian forces - that to conquer this land, one must become a barbarian, by putting on those trousers, and it can therefore never be won to civilization. the greeks stayed to the milder coasts, in their robes.

this clothing thing - it's irrational, but it's well-attested, isn't it?

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.

canadians, especially, really shouldn't feel all that upset about the muslim headdress thing, they just have to understand it properly as an adaptation of the weather. canadians are certainly used to wearing obtuse articles of clothing to deal with extreme weather, it's just of a different kind here, it's extreme cold. we wear ski masks and scarves to protect from the cold, just as arab peoples wear scarves to protect from the flying sand, at speeds that make it seem like gravel. we have snow storms and dress appropriately for them; they have sandstorms, and do so accordingly as well.

despite concerns to the contrary, this is something that the descendants of recent migrants should adapt to. perhaps there are other, ideological concerns, that are more pressing. but, the question of weather-focused attire in second or third generation immigrants is something that should conform to majority trends. we don't have sandstorms, here. people will adjust.

i know that there are other myths attached to these articles of clothing, but they're just that - myths. it's easy to uphold a myth around wearing scarves outside when that scarf protects you from the elements. when it no longer does so, that myth breaks down from one generation to the next. give it time, and you'll see.

the difference is really just that they don't realize, yet, that it's safe to take their scarves off in the summer. i vote for making them feel safe enough to do so, not in making an example out of them and isolating them in hopes that it coerces different behaviour.

even the iranian mullahs just lifted their restrictions on female clothing.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.

tetris 1-4 (inri069) is now completed.

tetris 5 will be the ambient works, vol 1 (inri071a). tetris 6 will be the orchestral works (inri072). there's no use in recreating these as tetris volumes, but they are developed guitar ideas in my discography that ought to be catalogued. further tetris volumes will follow at the ends of periods 3 (2003-2007) and 4 (2007-2011).

to recap, tetris is the idea of fusing guitar music with technology. it is also one of the central themes of my work, as a composer. the tetris series catalogues my various approaches towards this theme.

tetris 1: guitar-driven dance music.
tetris 2: guitar driven electro-psych.
tetris 3: guitar driven noise collages.
tetris 4: guitar-only mixes of selected period 2 tracks
tetris 5: guitar driven ambient music
tetris 6: guitar driven orchestral music

tetris 7: guitar driven 'epic rock' - extended pieces.
the ideas in volumes 1-3, 5-6 may be reprised for further volumes.

formal close to follow.



jagmeet singh must cut his beard.

the compilation is done.

it's five and a half hours, and touches on pretty much every major track in the first two periods of my discography.

it will take some time to upload.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.

so, where am i with things?

i've finished up the fourth tetris disc, and have a rough listing for the third. the last mix had to be reconstructed to finish it...

the third disc is going to be a compilation of tracks where the guitar is used to create a wash of noise, or something otherwise atmospheric.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard

israel is really behaving foolishly in reaction to this jerusalem recognition thing. i cautiously supported the declaration because it's just a recognition of reality - it doesn't actually mean anything for the united states to present it's opinion about sovereignty to the united nations if the united nations doesn't want to hear it, and it's doubly irrelevant if the united nations doesn't want to look at the reality on the ground and just insists on passing fantasy legislation, instead. i mean, the other option is to be dishonest. it really is. and, i guess i realized that it would embolden the israelis somewhat, but i didn't expect them to go full retard.

israel is constantly failing to live up to the basic expectations of a modern, civilized country. perhaps it's worth questioning if they actually are one.

an obvious corollary of official israeli control over jerusalem would need to be full citizenship rights for all of the arabs that live there, including religious rights and mobility rights. it's such an obvious corollary that it defies imagination that the israelis might reject it - and yet they are even acting pro-actively to prevent the necessity of it by removing these residents from their homes. a presidential statement of official recognition is not a get-out-of-international-law-free card. this is all absurdly illegal.

when i said i accepted the reality of israeli control over jerusalem, it certainly came with this obvious corollary, and others - that any recognition of israeli control over the west bank comes with the obvious corollary of full citizenship, as well, for example.

the best hope for the palestinians right now is the israeli courts. there should be international pressure put on israel to accept this citizenship.

and, those cuts to unrwa might be the proper incentive.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.