Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Friday, June 29, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Led Zeppelin, Four Sticks, Friends, Bombay Indian Sessions
Led Zep, Four Sticks
The song was re-recorded by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in 1972, during their trip to India, along with another track, "Friends" from Led Zeppelin III.[4] This version featured tabla drums and sitars. The recordings were finally released officially on the 2015 remastering of Coda. The project is said to have run into problems because the orchestra didn't keep time in the Western style and some of them drank rather a lot.[5]
Only known live version of Friends.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Led Zeppelin Rip Off
Page describes how Stairway was written.
Taurus Stairway
Origin of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" Intro - Originally by Giovanni Battista Granata.
Giovanni Battista Granata (1620/1621 – 1687) was an Italian Baroque guitar player and composer. He is generally known as the most prolific guitarist of the 17th century, publishing seven books during his lifetime.[1] Along with many pieces in the standard dance genre of that time, Granata also composed many instrumental toccatas, preludes, and chaconnes. Granata was a barber-surgeon by profession.[2]
Granata's Sonata di Chitarra, e Violino, con il suo Basso Continuo appeared in a surprising connection with a 1970 rock music work, Stairway to Heaven, by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of the rock group Led Zeppelin. After Stairway to Heavenachieved tremendous success, a dispute arose about whether part of the work was plagiarised. Commentators cited numerous earlier works with some degree of similarity,[4] including Granata's Sonata.[5] However, similarity was not evidence that Page and Plant plagiarised Granata.[4]
Granata's Sonata di Chitarra, e Violino, con il suo Basso Continuo appeared in a surprising connection with a 1970 rock music work, Stairway to Heaven, by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of the rock group Led Zeppelin. After Stairway to Heavenachieved tremendous success, a dispute arose about whether part of the work was plagiarised. Commentators cited numerous earlier works with some degree of similarity,[4] including Granata's Sonata.[5] However, similarity was not evidence that Page and Plant plagiarised Granata.[4]
The trust of the late Randy Craig Wolfe claimed that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page lifted a passage that Wolfe, better known as Randy California, wrote for “Taurus,” a short work he recorded with his band Spirit in 1968.
The “Taurus” recording contains a section that sounds like the instantly recognizable start of “Stairway,” but it was never played for jurors. In trying to show the works were substantially similar, the trust had the tricky task of relying on expert renditions from the sheet music filed with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Jurors, who deliberated about five hours, reached their verdict shortly after having videos of a guitarist performing both passages in question replayed in court. Those renditions seemed more like distant cousins than twin siblings.
Global Muslim Beliefs are Alarming
Surveys conducted by Pew Research have revealed a great deal about Muslim beliefs and practices across the globe. But they fall short of providing an overall picture of the Muslim world because they are divided by country or region.
The Muslim Global Demographic Project was established to answer this need by compiling Pew survey information in order to compute global percentages and global population statistics on Islamic beliefs and practices as they relate to security, terrorism, and the potential threat to Western culture.[1]
Taken together, nearly 1.1 billion Muslims are represented in the 39 countries where Pew surveys were completed between 2008 and 2012.[2] This encompasses two-thirds of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims (based on a 2010 estimate), though not every country was polled in all of the survey questions.[3] Since the surveys cover only countries with substantial Muslim populations, the United States and Western Europe were not included.
Some of the key findings of the project are presented here. For the complete report and analysis, see “Muslim Beliefs & Practices: A Global Demographic Assessment.”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YxaidYQyDm7SQBVmyFLf_aExhBItXx2a/view
Most Muslims Believe there is Only One Islam
67% (736.3 million) of Muslims surveyed believe that there is only one true interpretation of Islam’s teachings. Disagreements over the interpretation of Islam have sometimes resulted in deadly violence, mostly between Sunnis and Shias. However, the acceptance of Shias by Sunni Muslims varies considerably between countries. Though most Muslims are certain about the true interpretation of Islam, they are divided over how far to stretch the boundaries of Islam.
Devout Muslims—those who say their lives reflect the hadith and the sunna to a considerable degree—comprise 41% (369.7 million) of the survey population. [4] Statistically, they are more likely to say that (1) sharia is the revealed word of Allah, (2) that Islam and sharia have only one interpretation, (3) that proselytizing is a religious duty, and (4) that sharia should be the official law of their country.[5]
Most Muslims Prefer to Live Under Sharia
Though Muslims are evenly divided over the belief that there is only one interpretation of sharia, 64% (581 million) believe it is the revealed word of Allah, rather than a form of law developed by men and based on Allah’s word. 69% of Muslims (741.8 million) in the countries surveyed favor making sharia the official law of their country. This was the highest number in the project’s survey questions.
About one-third (274.0 million) believe sharia should be applied to non-Muslims in some way, and about one-third to one-half of Muslims (352.2 million – 463.3 million) support extreme punishments such as whippings, amputations, stoning for adultery, and the death penalty for apostasy.
These punishments belong to a legal class of penalties known as Hudud. They are prescribed by the Quran, the sunna (the example and teachings of Muhammad), and traditional sharia (see table below). Hudud offenses are considered crimes against Allah.
Offense
|
Hudud Punishment
|
Reference
|
| Adultery | Stoning | Bukhari 6814, 6827, 6828; Ibn Ishaq 267, 652; Reliance o12.2 |
| Fornication (or Sodomy) | 100 Lashes | Quran 24:2; Bukhari 6827, 6828, 6833; Reliance o12.2 |
| False Accusation of Adultery | 80 lashes | Quran 24:4; Reliance o13.3 |
| Drinking Alcohol | Up to 80 lashes | Muslim 4452; Bukhari 6780; Reliance o16.3 |
| Theft or Highway Robbery | Amputation of Hand and/or Foot | Quran 5:33, 38; Bukhari 6787, 6789; Ibn Ishaq 678; Reliance o14.1, o15.0 |
| Highway Robbery
with Homicide
| Crucifixion or Death by Sword | Quran 5:33 (see Bukhari 6802-6805); Ibn Ishaq 678; Reliance o15.2 |
| Apostasy | Death | Bukhari 3017, 6922; Ibn Ishaq 550; Reliance o8.1 |
| KEY: Bukhari—A Sunni, canonical, hadith collection (Darussalem version numbering)
Ibn Ishaq—Life of Muhammad, trans. by A. Guillaume (Oxford U. Press, 1955)
Reliance—Reliance of the Traveler: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law, trans. by Nuh Ha Mim Keller (Amana Publications, 1991)
| ||
A Large Minority of Muslims Support Forced Veiling & Honor Killing
About one-third of Muslims surveyed support the forced veiling of women (349.4 million) and say that honor killings are justified (361.8 million), in at least some circumstances, for women who commit pre or extra-marital sex. Muslims are less likely to justify honor killings for men who commit the same offences.
Honor killing is not taught in the Quran and it is condemned by many Muslim clerics. Nevertheless, a provision of traditional sharia law called Qisas, which is found in some countries, provides a legal loophole for honor killing by allowing blood relatives to forgive the perpetrator.[6]
Many Muslims Reject Basic Universal Rights and Freedoms
When taken together, about one-third to one-half of Muslims (274.0 million – 463.3 million) in the survey countries uphold beliefs and practices (in addition to support for sharia) that are contrary to many Western values and internationally recognized human rights, as shown in this table.
Survey Question
|
Number Who Affirm
|
Conflict with Western
Principles & Values
|
| Favor sharia in their country |
69%
741.8 million
| Separation of religion and state
Religious freedom
|
| Apply sharia to non-Muslims
in their country
|
31%
274.0 million
| Separation of religion and state
Religious freedom
Individual freedom
Freedom of speech
Equality of all persons under the law
|
| Whippings and amputations for
crimes like theft and robbery
|
44%
456.7 million
| Cruel and unusual punishment |
| Stoning for adultery |
45%
463.3 million
| Cruel and unusual punishment |
| Death penalty for apostasy |
35%
352.2 million
| Religious freedom
Freedom of speech
Cruel and unusual punishment
|
| Forced veiling of women |
32%
349.4 million
| Individual rights
Gender equality
|
| Justify honor killings for women who commit pre or extra-marital sex |
40%
361.8 million
| Religious freedom
Individual rights
Gender equality
Conspiracy to murder
|
Over 100 Million Muslims Can Justify Using Violence in Defense of Islam
Nearly 17% (which includes 114.7 million adults) of the survey population said that violence against civilians, is justified in order to “defend Islam from its enemies.” Though the percentage is small, the population number is significant and implies a substantial base of moral and, perhaps, material support for violence and terrorism.[7] If we assume that 17% is representative of the global Muslim population as a whole (i.e., 1.75 billion in 2015), then the number rises to approximately 191.5 million adults. Granting that only a small percentage of those who justify terrorism would actually commit a terrorist act, these numbers are still more than sufficient to sustain a significant global terrorist threat for the foreseeable future.
The defense of Islam can be broader than resistance to armed attacks. For many Muslims, insulting Islam or Muhammad is regarded as an attack on Islam. Historical support for this view comes from Islam’s traditional texts. Those who criticized or mocked Muhammad, including women, the elderly, and possibly children, were assassinated at his behest or with his approval according to both the hadith (Bukhari 1067, 4037, Abu Dawud 4361) and Muhammad’s biography, the sira (Ibn Ishaq, 551, 665, 675). Numerous terrorist threats and attacks on Western targets have been provoked by nothing more than words or pictures which some Muslims found offensive.
There are other important conclusions regarding the survey population which have major implications for immigration. These are discussed in the full, project report:
- Devout Muslims are more likely to reject the legitimacy of Western laws and government.
- Converting non-Muslims and promoting sharia are religious imperatives for many Muslims.
- Intolerance of non-Muslims is widespread and continues to be taught.
- A significant minority of Muslims are conflicted about modern society
- A pre-scientific worldview continues to inhibit Islamic historical and scientific inquiry.
The report analyzes 16 survey questions in detail, providing the historical, theological, political, and social background of Muslim beliefs and practices. It also includes an assessment of security, terrorism, and areas of potential conflict with Western culture—information which is crucial for policymakers and analysts.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Part II, The History of Rock
About this Course
This course, part 2 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. This course covers the music of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Carole King, Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Metallica, Run-DMC, and Nirvana, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped shape the ways in which styles developed.
Emerging out of the experimental and ambitious years of late-60s psychedelia, rock splintered into a variety of styles in the 1970s as the music business continued to expand. By the end of the decade, punk and disco had challenged the excesses of the hippie aesthetic, as rock became more commercially streamlined and radio friendly.
Syllabus
Week 1
Introduction
- Introduction to History of Rock, Part 2
- About the Course
- Course Pages
Week 2
The Growing Rock Monster (1970-77)
- Intro and Overview of the 70s
- British and American Blues Rock, and Southern Rock
- Progressive Rock and Jazz-Rock
- Theatrical Rock and Singer-Songwriters
- British and Canadian Singer-Songwriters and Country Rock
Week 3
Black Pop, Reggae, and the Rise of Disco (1970-79)
- Black Pop and Motown in the 1970s
- Philadelphia Sound, Blaxploitation Soundtracks, and James Brown George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic
- The Rise of Reggae and Disco
- Review
- Quiz: The Growing Rock Monster (1970-77) and Black Pop, Reggae, and the Rise of Disco (1970-79)
Week 4
Mainstream Rock, Punk, and New Wave (1975-79)
- Mainstream Rock 1975–80
- Continuities and Leaner Prog, Louder Singer-Songwriters
- US Punk 1967-777
- American and British New Wave 1977-80 and Summarizing the 1970s
Week 5
I Want My MTV (1980-89)
- The Rise of MTV
- Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Janet Jackson
- MTV Success Stories, New Traditionalists, and New Wave
- New Acts Old Styles, Blue-Eyed Soul, and Dinosaurs Adapt and Thrive
- Review
- Quiz: Mainstream Rock, Punk, and New Wave (1975-79) and I Want My MTV (1980-89)
Week 6
Heavy Metal, Rap, and Indie Rock (1980-89)
- Heavy Metal
- Metal Ambition and the Roots of Rap
- Rap Crosses Over and CNN for Black People
- Punk Goes Hardcore and Indie Rock Underground
Week 7
Alternative Rock, Rock Alternatives, and Widening Gaps (the 1990s)
- The Rise of Alternative
- Indie Rock and Extensions of Metal and Alternative
- Hip-Hop in the 1990s and Classic Rock
- New Rock Traditions and Female Singer-Songwriters
- Teen Idols and Electronic Dance Music
- Review
- Quiz: Heavy Metal, Rap, and the Rise of Alternative Rock (1980-89) and Widening Gaps (the 1990s)
How to Pass the Course
Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
