I'm in the mood to play with some dromoi today. To many, that statement may make no sense whatsoever.
Dromos (δρόμος) is #Greek for road or journey. In a #music context, it means "mode". Dromoi (the plural form; δρόμοι) are used in Rebetiko, and are essentially Turkish makamlar adapted to be played on chromatic instruments like the trichordo bouzouki, or the related tzourás (τζουράς) or baglamás ((μπαγλαμάς). In some cases, the microtonal versions still get used too.
In western theory, mode is purely a pitch collection with set intervals, but in an #ethnomusicology context, it often means pitch collections with rules, like different forms depending on playing direction, important notes, set modulation points, allowed ornamentation, etc. There are many dromoi, especially when going into modulated forms, but about 12-14 are considered basic.
Depending on how things go, a recording may follow. #MusicTheory
If you had been wondering how #Russia seemed to be (despite sanctions) happily exploiting #oil into the international market, look no further than EU & G7 #merchantshipping...
certainly, there is also a shadow fleet doing some of the shipping, but mainstream (normally operating) vessels (including a lot of #Greek shipping which carried around a third of all shipment in the first 6 months of 2023) is also handling Russian oil exports.
Today I had to once again tell someone that the Unicode GREEK QUESTION MARK gets NFC normalized into SEMICOLON and is thus not distinguishable after normalization.
Now I can expect that they will argue that we shouldn't be doing NFC normalization to which I will point them to the design doc wherein we discussed why we made the decisions we did (yay past-me for writing those up).
And I will never get those brain cells back for something less esoteric. Ever.
"A herb most bruised is woman. We must pay
Our store of gold, hoarded for that one day,
To buy us some man's love; and lo, they bring
A master of our flesh! There comes the sting
Of the whole shame. And then the jeopardy,
For good or ill, what shall that master be?"
When Gaia, the Greek earth mother, saw her husband Uranus entomb her children in Tartarus, she supported her son Cronus in a coup against him. When Cronus became a tyrant, Gaia supported her grandson Zeus' coup. When Zeus became a tyrant, Gaia supported another coup, but that one failed. #MythologyMonday#folklore#mythology#GreekMythology#Greek#Roman
Jason and the Argonauts (working title: Jason and the Golden Fleece) is a 1963 independent fantasy adventure film distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was produced by Charles H. Schneer, directed by Don Chaffey, and stars Todd Armstrong, while co-starring Nancy Kovack, Honor Blackman, and Gary Raymond....
What is the proper term for the notion that everything tastes like chicken? It seems reasonable to believe that it is derived from Greek words and begins with "pan."
“An adviser to Russian President Vladimir #Putin has claimed that Ukraine’s military will become “unified through #gay sex” like the #Greek#Spartans.
While the comment may seem bizarre, it’s just the latest example of #Russian authorities using anti-#LGBTQ+ nationalist sentiment to justify its unprovoked war against #Ukraine.”
The remains of one of the world’s oldest known synagogues have been unearthed in the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria near Kuban on the Black Sea coast of southern Russia.
Lyft driver last night decided to tell me his life story. The guy was more than a bit unhinged, so I just let him talk.
Veteran, tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Starts talking about his domestic violence towards his ex-wife and children, laughing about how he had only jokingly threatened to break his children's legs, and when he stabbed his wife in the arm with a wire, it wasn't really a stabbing.
"I told the judge, if I had wanted to stab her, she'd be dead."
Complains in great detail about all the money she took from him, his prison time for the assault, and describes with glee hiding his assets in his vintage car. "New chrome, new hood, new tires - bitch wasn't gonna see that money!"
Continues on about how his new girl came from Iraq and knows what a war zone is like. Brags that he'll send her back if she doesn't marry him. Turns out he's never seen her in person, but has sent her over $7k through some online hookup site that charges per message. Goes off on how he helped her move from Canada to Chicago (we're in California), and complains about how each time he sends her money to come out west, she never shows up.
"I've bought the tux, the wedding dress - it's all ready to go - it's that or Iraq."
Note that all of this was punctuated with constant bouts of chuckling and provided completely unprompted - I said maybe three words the entire trip.
Why do I relate this story? First, it was watching bad karma in action, both the fuck around and find out phases wrapped up in a tidy taxi ride.
But I found myself wondering what he was like as a child... he was clearly struggling in the smarts department, but he had a natural friendliness that belied the horrible shit coming out of his mouth. It got me thinking to what this guy might have been like had the army not put a gun in his hand and sent him overseas to kill. He was in his forties, but his mind was that of a violent teenager - almost as if it had been frozen at the point in time when he was deployed.
I speak about this because I've seen the same pattern in other vets I've known, including some I went to high school with (1st Gulf War vets). Something gets permanently broken in them, keeping them in a state of constant angry adolescence that takes childish glee in abuse, cruelty and savagery as a way to normalize their experience.
And then they come home, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake as they try to integrate to a peacetime existence, unable to grow up, Peter Pan with a gun in hand.
I wish someone had made this clear to my friends who joined up. There's more than one of them who's too dangerous to be a friend to now.
Jason and the Argonauts - 1963 - starrng Todd Armstrong, co-starring Nancy Kovack, Honor Blackman, and Gary Raymond. Special effects by Ray Harryhausen, inventor of Dynamation (movie-web.app)
Jason and the Argonauts (working title: Jason and the Golden Fleece) is a 1963 independent fantasy adventure film distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was produced by Charles H. Schneer, directed by Don Chaffey, and stars Todd Armstrong, while co-starring Nancy Kovack, Honor Blackman, and Gary Raymond....
2,000-year-old synagogue found in southern Russia (www.thehistoryblog.com)
The remains of one of the world’s oldest known synagogues have been unearthed in the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria near Kuban on the Black Sea coast of southern Russia.