Funeral Songs

a reply to: peter vlar

Of course I am. Are you aware of the band prior to that? Fallout. He seemed like an amazing guy. Real funny in the interviews. You're real lucky to have seen them. I never have. Where are you around? Im from NYC (well Poland really). You knew him!? I wish I had seen what you have..

a reply to: peter vlar

Ill be checking those out now!

Hey man that is pretty decent. I'm listening to the first song, but I have to say good job.


Seriously, if you do a gig, please let me know. I think I might be interested.

a reply to: Tiamat384


I figured you were probably aware of them, now that I know your in the City I feel kind of dumb that I over explained it lol
I'm a few hours north of you between Albany and Saratoga Springs. Basically about halfway between NYC and Montreal

I'm aware of but have never heard Fallout, that was a little before my time since they broke up when I was about 9 or 10. Pete and I had many mutual friends and the drummer I've played with for the last 20 years until recently, worked at the club that Carnivore and Type O always played at when they came up so I was always around. The whole band were just amazingly nice and some of the most down to earth cats I've ever met period, let alone playing in a band that was at their level. Pete never forgot that only a few years earlier before RoadRunner signed them, they were in the same position that we were.

I may have never made a dime playing music but the bands I had become friends with, seen and opened up for have left me with enough stories that I wouldn't change a thing. I've been lucky enough to have played with bands like Godflesh, VOD, Obituary, Integrity, Superjoint Ritual, Crisis (as well as Karyn's new band Gospel of the Witches), Shadows Fall and too many others to remember at this late hour haha We've played to crowds ranging from 11 or 1200(Godflesh) to so few people that we invited the 6 kids who stayed for our set up on stage with us while we did our set.

a reply to: Tiamat384

I've got one show booked right now in Albany, NY opening up for a friends band at their CD release party and then a little time off because I've just replaced the drummer and guitar player so need to get some kinks ironed out and get back into the studio so we can put out a proper full length release by the end of summer(hopefully).


Attention Mods... if this is against the T&C please let me know and I will remove the flyer

a reply to: peter vlar
Well, I'm only in NYC time to time now. I go to college in New Paltz, about an hour and a half from the city. Oh well I'll gladly post their two songs (only two Fallout songs I know to exist). I'm sure you have stories to tell, seriously I'm envious. What stories you must have I wish I could have known him, proud to share Polish blood with him though.

It's not about the money (what a cliche), it's about the music and having a good time. That's my opinion on the matter. Hm, I honestly only know Obituary, none of the rest. What form of metal do you play. I did listen, but I am horrible at discerning them sometimes especially with more modern sounds (for whatever reason). What influenced your sound?

I actually saw your Facebook page. I wonder if I'll be able to make that. Main issue is that if I go will I have a bus to return. If not...I'll be on the streets :/ I wouldn't mind seeing you play, I mean hell. It has to be fun. How many people do you expect to come? And how is your friend's band? Man I know I'm throwing a bunch of questions. I haven't been to a concert in months. I just need to head bang to some loud live music.

I'm literally half way between NYC and Albany.



Shoot! Almost forgot!

originally posted by: Tiamat384
a reply to: peter vlar
Well, I'm only in NYC time to time now. I go to college in New Paltz, about an hour and a half from the city. Oh well I'll gladly post their two songs (only two Fallout songs I know to exist). I'm sure you have stories to tell, seriously I'm envious. What stories you must have

I wish I could have known him, proud to share Polish blood with him though.

Oh yes... lots of good stories haha most of them not fit for the good folks of ATS Though. Little factoid about Peter and his family...He's related to Joseph Stalin. Stalin, in Russian, means Steel. His family came here to escape the insanity of post Lenin USSR

It's not about the money (what a cliche), it's about the music and having a good time. That's my opinion on the matter. Hm, I honestly only know Obituary, none of the rest. What form of metal do you play. I did listen, but I am horrible at discerning them sometimes especially with more modern sounds (for whatever reason). What influenced your sound?

Cliché or not, it's completely true. It's a labor of love. It's one of the things that separates a band that is into it for the art and passion of it from the bands who want to "make it" and tailor their sound towards something that they believe will get them a fan base. Like I said earlier, I've played to over 1000 people and to so few that we invited tem to come sit on stage with us while we played and the clubs staff outnumbered the band and the kids that stayed to watch us. And in all honesty, it was one of the more memorable and fun shows I've done.

A quick rundown on the handful of bands I name dropped above... Godflesh is a pioneering industrial band from England. The guitar player was one of the original members of Napalm Death when he was really young, I want to say he was 14 or so when he joined the band. VOD (Vision of Disorder) is a Long Island hardcore band from the mid 90's, Integrity is an insane hardcore band from Cleveland, Sperjoint Ritual is a band with Phil Anselmo from Pantera, Jimmy Bower from Eyehategod,another killer band from New Orleans and Hank Williams the 3rd, Shadows Fall is a ridiculously good "new wave of American metal" band from Massachusetts. Their drummer is from around where I live and now that the band is pretty much done and over with the drummer Jason, now plays for Flotsam and Jetsam as well as local Troy hardcore band Stigmata and one of the guitar players, Jon, is now in Anthrax and the other, Matt, is in a band with the guitar player and drummer who quit Megadeth last year. Another band I've done shows with is Merauder. They just popped into my head.

As to your questions,you can't really pin it down to a specific style or give it a precise genre tag unfortunately. Some of the songs are short and heavy as hell like the 2 I linked for you. Others are over 10 minutes long with nothing resembling "normal" song structures and incorporating different styles, multiple time signatures and tempos.

I write a lot of the music and draw inspiration and influences from a wide array of bands and varied styles from old 60's Jazz like Charles Mingus(I play bass) to Pink Floyd, to Faith No More, of course Black Sabbath, Neurosis is a huge influence, Crowbar, Acid Bath... Honestly I could go on for hours on this topic.

I actually saw your Facebook page. I wonder if I'll be able to make that. Main issue is that if I go will I have a bus to return. If not...I'll be on the streets :/ I wouldn't mind seeing you play, I mean hell. It has to be fun.

Oh it will be fun as hell haha It always is. The thing working against you though is the bus schedule. I just checked the Trailways/Greyhound schedule and the last bus back to New Paltz leaves at 9:35 unfortunately. If I didn't live another 40 minutes north of the venue I'd offer you a place to crash.

How many people do you expect to come?

It's hard to say, I just found out that another band double booked their CD release show at another venue down the street from ours which is a huge dick move. The 150-200 people we were expecting could end up being 50-100 now. It's hard to know because I'm not familiar with the bands from the other show and don't know what kind of draw they have.

And how is your friend's band?

They're really good at what they do. It's not for everyone though. It's a death metal band with lyrics inspired by serial killers. They're called Panzram after notorious serial killer Carl Panzram. There's a pretty diverse group of bands playing though so there's a little bit for everyone depending on what you're into.

Man I know I'm throwing a bunch of questions. I haven't been to a concert in months. I just need to head bang to some loud live music.

Not at all... ask away. At this point, I don't make it out to a lot of shows unless we're playing. And when I do go, I tend to end up driving into the City. The last couple I went to were Opeth in October and Neurosis in August so I totally get the notion of jonesing for a good show.

I'm literally half way between NYC and Albany.

Yeah, I love New Paltz, I used to date a girl who was going there and would hop on the bus and go down all the time. It's a really nice school and their Fine Arts program is killer. It's a cool little town, just way over priced for everything.

Here are some videos of the bands I mentioned in the earlier post for you to check out. I think you might like some of it.

a reply to: peter vlar
You should really share them. If I ever manage to catch you playing I'll be sure to ask. For that matter, do you plan on playing in the city? Say in such a venue as Saint Vitus Bar? Hmm really? Related to Stalin? Haven't heard that before. I know his last name is Ratajczyk.

To call creating metal a labor of love. Almost funny seeing the subject matter of most metal, the exceptions being doom, gothic and symphonic metal. But there is a love of the music. The most popular ones are sellouts, not that they were ever true. I have to say, take Slayer. They're mainstream in the metal community (nothing wrong with that), but they were in an ad for a car on YouTube. Metal shouldn't go commercial in that way.

Phil Anselmo and EyeHateGod? Well damn, that sounds great. I would love to see EyeHateGod.They played on Long Island about 2 hours from the city 2 years ago. Sadly I couldn't make it...I can't actually check the songs out now (breakfast and stuff; just got to the city), but when I do later on today I will respond with opinion of course, but some bands that I enjoy and doubt you've heard of.

What's your favorite genre(s) if any at all then? I have to say I think the first of the two songs was superior, but I'd enjoy seeing it all live. It's too bad. From the city to New Paltz the last bus is like at 11:35 I think. Too bad it isn't similar from Albany. Well, if you come play in the city. Or if I manage to find someplace for a night there another time. How do the two people on ATS I know are from New York know New Paltz. Such a small town. It really is nice though. I love the fact there are so few people.

Death metal is great and I'll be sure to check your friend's songs later along with the 6 you've posted.

Last concert I went to was September 12. Nuclear Assault. Actually, not technically true, but the last really good one where I payed full attention to the music. Great show. More to say later. Gotta eat while everything's warm.

originally posted by: Tiamat384
a reply to: spygeek
So you agree with the book? That there is both good and evil. The book never actually says whether it is pure or not so one can assume that there is as you say, a spectrum. It is the best work by Paulo Coelho (that I've read) and yes, beating the Alchemist. I have to say, seeing the world burn, well. Let's just say the human species is not a beautiful thing. It certainly has the capability of beauty and of creating beauty, but in itself it is rather ugly.

I agree with the descriptive power of 'good' and 'evil', however I do not agree that they objectively exist in reality. There is no good or evil in nature, for instance, it is simply a subjective human perception of actions and their consequences.

I actually find the human species to be beautiful, on the whole. Sure, there are a number of examples of 'ugliness' in humanity, but i find the beauty outweighs these. Humanity is beautiful, in my eyes, due to its passion and curiosity.

You're a professor? Well what is it that you teach? I'm very curious. Hmm, you are very right. Educating the young, and the old too for that matter, is a very noble pursuit in life (though salaries fail to show this), but I'd almost put educating along with helping people, because ultimately providing the means to wisdom, or directly wisdom, is in fact helping someone.

My classes are mostly philosophy, anthropology, and sociology, although I have stood in a couple times for economics and chemistry lecturers, my passion is in the humanities.

Indeed educating the young and old alike is effectively helping them. A favourite quote of my own and a few of my contemporaries is from Robert Frost; "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence". If more people understood the importance of education and its value not only for imparting wisdom, but also for training the mind to think critically and objectively, I dare say we would find a lot less conflict and unwarranted prejudice in the world..

I would be glad to share it with you if you're willing to wait till around May when I will have it complete. I would send it to you by email, or perhaps share it on ATS as a post, but 25 pages (double spaced so 12 and a half actual pages) may be too long for a post.

Email will be fine, I'll flick you a private message with my details. I should warn you in advance, I might have difficulty not approaching it as I would a submission from a student, and I may mark you down for poor spelling and grammar =P

Oh no, the "love" of things isn't true love, but people seem to equate it to such. Perhaps devotion, or obsession, to the obtaining of material things would be a more apt description. I think you are right about defining themselves by what they own. This seems very true of people with money, but not excessive amounts. In order to make show they spend more money on items for the public to see, overstating their "wealth". Though true wealth is in personality, knowledge and books.

Agreed. There is little to no worth to be found outside of personal self-awareness, knowledge and responsibility. Sadly many people subsitute these things with material possessions and monetary values.. It is a sad but inevitable fact of life, and it has been so for the entirity of human history..

Again we agree. Books are, most broadly defined, gateways. Now depending on the book it is a gateway to some different place. To new worlds or knowledge are the two most common. I despise the technologies people use to read books on. The electronic books are empty. They have the words, but not the texture or smell.

Ha, I feel exactly the same. I also feel this way towards electronic media, such as mp3s and digital movie files; give me a load of 12inch LPs, a wall of CDs, and a DVD library, over a terabyte hard drive any day..

Culture is of utmost importance, but it would seem the world we are living in is straying away and culture is dying. True, there is "music" of today, but is it culture when drug use, consumption of alcohol, murder and sex seem to be primary topics? And "art" where one throws paint at a canvas or draws a line. And literature, the art I hold above all others (except music which is right beside), seems to be so common that it is difficult to find a good piece of literature (modern). Is culture dying? If so, truly a dystopia will follow.

I personally see not the death of culture, but rather a shift of its values; away from honest human expression and more towards catering to the lowest common denominator. I feel this has positive and negative aspects, as more and more people become interested in these arts, they become more accessible. On the other side, as you rightly say, there is an abundance of quantity with very little quality.

I feel these things occur in cycles though, as each generation comes into its own age, and I feel that there is always a return to the true, honest values of our cultures, once the novelty of hedonism and commercialisation wear off.

You're right it is my thread, but regardless I would very much like to continue this discussion as it is pleasant and rather intellectual (of course it is, you are a professor after all) and I always hate when such discussions come to an end. With so many topics such discussions should be endless.

Rightio then..

=)

a reply to: spygeek
I think there is no objectivity to the reality that we exist in. By this I mean that everything is a human idea even the names of things. Take a tree, there is such an organism that we call "tree", but a tree is an idea itself. Then there are concepts even more obviously ideas rather than objectivity. You find humanity to be beautiful on a whole; I see beauty in individuals and perhaps in each individual, but not in the whole. As to passion. What passion? Passion only exists in the individual, but is lost on anymore than that. Even the individual seems to have lost something within. I want to say some amount of passion was lost, but I'm not quite certain it is passion. I think soul was lost. People aren't caring or loving as they were nor do they have an interest in things that require soul or their own individual opinions such as philosophy and religion; they just follow the herd.

I'm currently taking a philosophy class, specifically "Introduction to Philosophy:Classics". Though I tend to see it as a history/English class because we read a book and discuss what the author is saying without truly giving opinions which I should think philosophy is about. This past weekend I was reading quotes online and two dealt with education. The first one by Adolf Hitler discusses the education on the topic of history which is being taught in schools as events and people which according to him (and I'd argue rightfully so) that this is not learning history, that history is the causes of events and not the events; what led up to that. The second quote was by Aristotle and said that an education of the mind without the education of the heart is no education at all. This more debatable, but a great example in support of it is the power of nuclear energy. You can understand how to wield it, but if you do not understand the effects there is no knowledge and of course the effects would be discussing the morality of it all.

Less conflict and less unwarranted prejudice? I think with less conflict there would be less prejudice, but the prejudice that exists is, depending on the situation and location, warranted. Take Europe for example. The prejudice against Muslims is warranted. Today I read a story (on ATS) of a Muslim woman carrying a child's head in Moscow. True it is an isolated incident, but there have been other acts of violence by Muslims on Europeans. However, had the West never remained in the Middle East and did not intervene perhaps there would be no such prejudice.

However you wish to approach the paper is fine. Now I need to be certain it is all good and proper not only for the grade, but to be able to send it to you. It needs to be clear in work done before others or shown to others that we value the work, the time and effort put into and ultimately ourselves. Hopefully I don't have terrible spelling or grammar. The greater issue is the length and whether or not the quality will decline as the paper continues. There are still a couple months to complete it.

Could the substitution of what is considered more spiritual with material possessions be a sign of lack of faith in one's self? Or the lack of true faith in religion? I will never understand the obsession of possessing items. Personally I do want items. But just a house, a yard and that which is needed for a life of comfort within the house (i.e. beds, chairs, tables).

Admittedly I mostly use electronic means for music (especially YouTube). My laptop does not have a disk drive (have to buy one to connect to the laptop for like $50; too much money for now) and certain bands I like are hardly known and CDs, cassettes and vinyls are impossible to find. For that matter what music is it that you listen to?

Perhaps I see the death of culture because I despise this "culture". I am, compared to most of my generation, very different in terms of music (and very different from everybody in every other way just about). I should have been born between 1965 and 1970. Alas, my mom was born in 1973 and I in 1997. I should be 3 to 8 years older than her based on where my culture lies and in my opinion my maturity. I can act like a fool (usually unintentionally), but am overall very serious and I can laugh just not at anything.

I'm uncertain if you're correct. I truly believe we are swirling downward to our dooms and that mankind is in decline. I'd like to think otherwise, but one simply has to look around. I can recommend some songs to show what I mean. Wars are no longer for a righteous cause anymore and all around there is no culture only brands, alcohol, drugs, sex and violence. I will be gladly proven wrong, but as it stands and as reality appears around me I can not see the silver lining.

Ah, what a joy it is to speak with an adult and an adult that has interest it would seem to discuss such things!

There are things, such as the reality we exist in, that do objectively exist. The tree objectively exists; we did not imagine it into being. It existed before we observed and labelled it, if it falls and noone is around, it does make a sound. Sure, we have examined and defined it according to our own senses and human perspective, but objectively speaking, the tree exists as a distinct organism, independent of our own existence.

While each individual is somewhat confined to their own subjective experience, we know enough about reality to say that it does in fact objectively exist. The tree is not an idea, it is a real thing.

Beauty is subjective, and although I disagree with you here, I understand your perspective. The beauty I see is indeed in every individual, but also humanity as a whole. The things we as a species have achieved, how far we have come, from the warring tribes of the earliest hominids, to the abstract thinking, creative, loving beings we are today, I find it humbling and a privilege to call my self a member of the human race.

Just by looking around, I can point to many examples of the collective passion of groups of people, all working together to achieve great things. When a group of humans get together, with a shared love and passion for something, they can and do make a significant difference in the world. Even in our darkest and most desperate moments, we can't help but love one another, and inspire one another through our shared passions.. This is the passion to which I refer...



There has always been a "herd mentality", submission to authority, and instances of "groupthink" in human histroy. However, if you look at any given individual, you will find their core beliefs are based on their own personal experience. They may abandon philosophical rigour or spiritual development in favour of being one of the group, but on a more personal level, their motivations can be understood as a reflection of their own journey.

It is arguable whether a "soul" actually exists, outside of the spiritual definition of "self". As an existentialist, I find terms like 'spirit', 'soul', and 'self' are more or less interchangeable, and are idealisations of the same personal conscious identity.

At my university at least, discussions of personal philosophies and their logic are a matter for the second and third year of study. It sounds as though your introductory course is serving to educate you on what philosophies exist, and how they were conceived. Expect to be reading a lot more philosophical history before having the opportunity to start defining and developing your own. By the third year you will be philosophising with the best of them, annoying your friends with your constant rambles and picking up girls at parties with your deep philosophical ideas.. =P

This past weekend I was reading quotes online and two dealt with education. The first one by Adolf Hitler discusses the education on the topic of history which is being taught in schools as events and people which according to him (and I'd argue rightfully so) that this is not learning history, that history is the causes of events and not the events; what led up to that.

Indeed, Hitler was correct, (there's something I never expected I would ever be typing!); the education of history must include the social and political climate and the motivations behind the actions that led to historical events. I'm not sure what the cirriculum taught while he was at school, but these days, in my country at least, history is taught correctly..

It might be worth mentioning, that Hitler was a historical revisionist, and he manipulated historical facts to support his own predetermined conclusions.

The Aristotle quote is rather nice, and indeed education certainly must engage the heart as well as the mind if it is going to be effective. If a student doesn't care about the subject, nothing is learnt. At the same time, knowledge is power, and your example of nuclear energy is a great example of the level of responsiblity that comes with such power. There has to be a level of humanity in all education and discovery, lest it becomes cold, sterile, and calculating without respect for those it might effect.

A.I. is a similar development that holds very pertinent implications for all of humanity, and to disregard these implications without proper evaluation would be disaterous for all of us.

I'm happy to help you evaluate and prepare your paper for submission. As an academic I have the privileged position of knowing what is expected from students' submissions, at least according to my country's educational standards. The only advice I will give at the moment is to take your time and be thorough, and try not to repeat yourself too much to pad it out. There is nothing more tedious than a 5000 word paper that makes the same point 50 times.. xD

I think the obsession with material possessions may indeed be a sign of a lack of spiritual identification or faith in oneself, however perhaps not exclusively. Look at the Catholic church; they clearly pride themselves on their material wealth and pompous ceremony, and yet they are supposedly the one true church of non-material Christian faith. It is contradictory, and one has to question just how valid their convictions are, when they have to prop themselves up with such opulence.

On the flip side, I think peoples' fascination with possessions is at least in part due to our inherited instinct to compete for selection and be seen as having value not only genetically also financially. Sexual selection is still an evolutionary force on us, and we all know women like a man with plenty of money and material wealth..

I listen to pretty much everything except superficial modern pop. At the moment I am going through a bit of 90's triphop revival, thanks to my impending midlife crisis.. xD


I am fortunate to live in a place where records and CDsare relatively easy to come by, record shops are declining, but we still have a few of them left.. Also the underground music scene here is strong.

I suspect, (and I assure you I mean not disrespect or to be condescending), that your youth is what has lead to feel that our culture is dying. I accept you identify with the post-war exuberance of the 60's and 70's, but through rose coloured glasses, looking back on this period without having actually experienced it, I dare say you are not in a position to make such a claim. Believe me when I say that culture has changed little in the last 50years; the only real difference is there are a great deal more of us, and thanks to modern technology, we are always in each others' faces.

Life was indeed simpler back then, but there was just as much selfish superficial hedonism, debauchery, and drugs, alcohol, sex and violence. I actually think there may be less violence in society today, objectively speaking.

Wars have always been fought for unrighteous causes, and while commercialism has risen, I don't think it has lead to much of a reduction in true human values. It has lead to a rise in superficial materialism, but the honest love of humanity is still there.

It is a pleasure to speak to an smart young person such as yourself. I take great interest in the plight of the younger generation, and, to be honest, the youth of America (assuming you are American), have a uniquely difficult cultural plight.

a reply to: spygeek
Yes, it does as an organism, but not a tree. The tree is an idea, but the thing we call a tree is an absolute truth. As to whether there is a sound when a tree falls and no one is around, well I believe in relative reality. Something only exists if we perceive it to exist. If I do not know of something's or someone's existence then it may as well be that they never exist at all.

I simply mean the name of the thing is an idea as names are merely concepts and are subjective.

You see I think our differences in our thinking of beauty and humans and mankind are based around what we perceive in the whole. Aristotle also said that the whole is superior to the sum of the parts and I would likely agree to this in every other instance except for the human species. As a whole we have indeed come through plenty, but that hardly differentiates us from other organisms who have gone through just the same as us. Every organism has had to adapt to survive and many social organisms have had to unite for survival. The only difference between them and us is culture. And I'd add sex and the possibility to conceive a child for further differentiation between us and other social organisms because although they may mate often it is only a small amount of the organisms that can conceive.

You are correct that there are moments and examples of mankind's brilliance as can be seen in cultural works and advancements in science, but equally or more so it can be seen just how deadly and destructive we are as a species. I can not imagine all of man uniting and without complete unification we will fall.

Beliefs are in fact the product, partially, of our journeys, but it is questionable whether they are the greatest factor. Take political and religious beliefs. Often times these are instilled in us at a young age and we simply are as our parental figures are or were. Following the impact of these figures is the impact of the media which only furthers our acceptance of the beliefs. Only extreme, or difficult, lives can bring about a change in in our beliefs.

I don't mean soul as in the spiritual being within us, but as the morality within us. I mean more as the caring and loving part of us. With all the material obsession it just seems to have lowered and in my own generation sex seems to be a thing. Though, I don't quite understand. To consider sex after the first meeting or after the first actual dates? I don't understand the need to rush into these things though having watched such televisions shows as "Seinfeld" and "Friends" from the late 1990s and early 2000s it would seem this is not a new issue. Perhaps I'm the odd fellow who never pushes forward.

It makes sense I suppose, but it would be fun to have such discussion though at the very least I am able to have such discussions with you, a professor of the matter! Along with my friend with whom I meet once every other weekend when back in NYC and often discuss while playing some video game how to find love (sadly both have lost such) and end up talking about topics such as what is a circle. That is such a simple question and yet we can go on for some time discussing it along with other such topics that tend to have some philosophical depth all starting from my claim (a mere joke) that I am always right. Ok, but I'm curious. Who picks up girls with philosophical ramblings. Never have I heard of such a thing and I'm uncertain if possible in this time and that the age I am (or the girls of my age rather). The primary place people seem to meet is a parties which I find horrible. All they are, are mostly underage students drinking and listening to horrible "music".

Hitler was an intelligent man and surely was correct on many matters. The only reason he is considered otherwise is his horrific actions. Are you in the USA? I'm uncertain how much is being taught of the causes of events. History would appear to be dumbed down. I believe perhaps more of history classes should be based around relations/relationships between states and states, states and organizations and states and individuals (along with organizations and individuals).

Hitler merely did what the victors do. History is always written by the victors and should never be held without lack of some amount of skepticism.

The method of education in today's system is not an actual education, but rather preparation for exams. For example, the state in which I've resided most of my life (NY) has a set of exams at the end (Or in January) of the year called the Regents exams. They are necessary to graduate and the exams essentially are the guide to what must be taught and then of course for those with perceived higher intelligence (I say perceived because grades in my opinion do not equal intelligence) are the AP exams which are nationwide and also provide a basic guide to what must be taught.

Just imagine AI in charge of our nuclear weapons. I would be very fearful. There have been close calls in the past due to errors in recognizing a nonevent as a nuclear launch only stopped by the human hand.

Well thank you. It's one of possibly three larger items I need to complete. Though according to the syllabus it is to be 8000 words rather than 5000 and shall be my greatest (in terms of length) written work. That is true, but hopefully I manage to progress through the history of the United States and should surely plan out now what it is in the history I shall discuss, though overall ideas are already in my mind. I wonder how it is that professors can read and grade through so much. Certainly at some point it becomes tedious.

The Roman Catholic Church is a thing of the past. A living relic attempting to have a voice and trying to hold onto to some sort of power that it has had in the past in the form of influence. Take the pope's recent marks on Trump's wall. Clearly the Vatican seeks influential power, but all the while its scandals and hypocrisy will not allow for it. Besides, it has no place in another governments issues. The Vatican is recognized as a sovereign state and must recognize the sovereignty of other states.

Sexual selection through wealth. Of course there is some truth to that, but must there be? Why can we not live simple lives. The girl with whom I've most recently had a relationship with (and continue to lament the ending of) was in almost every way the ideal for me. The simplest example of her is she did not wear make up (though towards the end perhaps minor eye stuff time to time) and that is ideal. I hate seeing make up. Too much of it. Simplicity is beauty. The only way in which she was not ideal has to do with some beliefs that love for her made unimportant.

Ah to everything. Seems plenty of people listen to "everything". I doubt people listen to metal though (especially NSBM). You may enjoy New Model Army, a rock band(very simply put as I am horrible at identifying specific genres and sub genres).

I do have two stores here in town and ore in the city, but being able to actually play them and money are more the issue. I own vinyls of The Exploited, Type O Negative and Queensryche.

True, I have not experienced it personally, but have heard of it from those that have. What I long for from those years are the music and simplicity. I live in the States and have since I was 4, but have never considered myself American.

***I have to continue in the next post.

a reply to: Tiamat384
Continued..

My heart will always belong to the land I was born in, Poland and that is the country in which I would love have lived in the 70s and 80s. You can say the times were the same, but I assume you lived in a capitalist nation (likely the USA, but correct me I am incorrect) and Poland at the time was communist and for two years under martial law. Ultimately it is the music and simplicity that calls out to me.

True, there has always been alcohol, drugs, sex and violence. Back then the three groups that existed were the metal heads, the punks and the skinheads. At least in Poland and from what I have heard. Conflict between the different groups and within occurred. Even today though as a metal head (though I enjoy punk and bands the skinheads would enjoy likely) I am met by violence when I am in my hometown, or come very close to it. I think in the States the people have become so pacified that they are less capable of violence as a whole. I'll drop 3 or 4 songs at the end of this that explain my meaning.

Wars in the past have been fought for unrighteous causes, but there have been wars for righteous causes unlike in the present day. The final war for good was the Second World War. I'm uncertain of the absolute effects of commercialism, but as I see it now commercialism is detrimental to the soul.

I would never consider myself intelligent, but it is always pleasant to hear such things from others. Although I do live in the States I would not consider myself American.




Suppose just 2 for now.

I understand your point of view, the names and labels we attach to things can often be subjective, however in the instance of the "tree", the term is defined by objective attributes. The name "tree" is an objective measure of an organism, based on its objective qualities.

It may as well be as if the things you do not perceive to not exist, but I caution you that this view is somewhat limiting, New things are being discovered constantly, and they existed before we discovered them. Our perceiving of a thing is not what grants it existence. Existence precedes essence, not just for human beings, but for all reality.

I respect your view of beauty, or the lack of it, within humanity. All I can say is that our experience of humanity differs fundamentally. Certainly you are correct that complete unification is unlikely, however I feel that in the very long term, it is a possibility. I also contend that we are capable of sustaining ourselves in the absence of this unity, assuming you are defining "unity" as both philosophical and moral, universal human standard.

You make a good point about beliefs, however I contend that extreme and difficult situations are not exclusively the impetus for a fundamental shift in beliefs. I have seen many people change their views solely through critical thought and evaluation of their position in light of differing opinions. I would even go so far as to say that these kind of shifts are becoming more common, as we become more and more connected and globally inter-communicative.

Trust me, sex on the first date, casual relationships, and an almost flippant attitude toward intimacy has occurred as long as there have been people. Indeed the 'soul', as you have defined it, takes a battering from this. While I agree that those who partake in these attitudes have lost a level of respect for themselves and their 'soul', these attitudes are not new, and they are not particularly on the rise, although I concede it would appear so, given the increased accessibility to wider audiences granted by modern technology to further impart these attitudes.

Rest assured you are not alone; there are plenty of 'odd fellows', young and old, (myself included), who are turned off by the prominence sex-on-demand has taken in modern media.

Trust me, when I was at university, philosophy majors got all the prettiest and smartest girls
It may be that times have changed, but it was rather seductive back then; a young man who knew his Sartre from his Kierkegaard could woo clever young women with his deeply philosophical and heartfelt ideas far more effectively than any jock could with his talk of rugby successes..

"If I became a philosopher, if I have so keenly sought this fame for which I'm still waiting, it's all been to seduce women, basically"
-Jean-Paul Sartre

..sigh.. but I digress..

I am in New Zealand, and here history is taught with a view to understanding the societal and sociopolitical causes of events, as well as the individual personal backgrounds of the major instigators of these events. The goal is to provide a basis for understanding how and why a given event occurred, as well as the differing reactions to the event, in order to fully understand what happened and why.

Hitler was an intelligent man, however even before he came into power and instigated the war he was a historical revisionist, using false history to justify his warped view of Judaism, not to mention his revisionism of Nietzsche's, and others' philosophies to justify his ideology.

Here in New Zealand, we have done away with end of year exams for the most part. What we have is called "internal assessment", wherein every paper and assignment completed during the year counts toward your final grade, with the final exam counting for only around 20-30% of your year's mark. I personally appreciate the system, as it provides a more even ground for students who may be brilliant, but suffer coping with the pressure of the one final, "big exam" at the end of the year. It also means that students who work diligently throughout the year generally recieve better grades than those who just coast through and then cram desperately at the end of the year; it promotes a good work ethic for students.

Indeed, reading and grading papers can be tedious, but the rewards far outweigh the inconvenience, for me anyway.. There is nothing more satisfying and gratifying than lecturing for hours on a given subject, and then receiving a paper from a student who completely understood everything you have taught. It gives me immense pleasure to read a paper or thesis from one of my students and finding that not only did he understand and take on board everything I taught, but also can abstract it and apply it in an unexpected or inventive fashion.

It is the joy of my profession, I may have to give up several weekends and stay in my office late, but it is definitely worth it.

I know a few Catholics who would strongly oppose your opinion here, but I must admit i do agree with you. The Catholic church is a relic, and the influence of its desperate attempts to justify itself and assert its power are somewhat limited to those who already identify with them.

Unfortunately there are some inherited instincts that we can not overcome easily. Sexual selection of the wealthy is inherent to human nature and unavoidable. You are lucky if you can find a kindred soul who does not care for or put great significance on material wealth.

Heh, when I said everything, i really did mean everything. I am defnitely a fan of metal, having grown to maturity during metal's "golden age".







Funny you mention New Model Army, I was quite into them during my teens =) They do rather trancend the "rock" 'genrefication', but it still applies. (I too am terrible when it comes to defining musical genres).



I seemed to have forgotten you were Polish, allow me to apologise.

My country is indeed capitalist, however a far younger, less established, and not so rigorously defined capitalism as the U.S.. The British settled New Zealand with the goal of creating something of a social experiment in modern culture. We are amoung the most progressive nations of the world because of this, in both government and law. Unfortunately, we do not have much in the way of national history, due to being so young, and while we are an independent nation, we still have very strong ties to Britian and the U.K. as a whole.

As I've said before, I am rather fascinated by the sociopolitical climate of communist Europe, the art, music, and philosophy that came out of it is moving and meaningful. I would love to hear some more examples of the simplictic music you mention.

You should consider yourself intelligent. You're only 18 and you've shown a great deal of respect and wisdom towards life that is not common amoung your peers. You are articulate and not at all juvenile. Perhaps it has something to do with not being American? xD

Enjoyed the New Model Army tracks, haven't listened to these guys in years, thankyou. I completely understand your point now, and I am reminded of the Pink Floyd track, Empty Spaces..

a reply to: spygeek
Could the name not be considered subjective due to differences in language? For example in English speaking nations the organism is a tree, but in Poland it would be called "drzewo" and so the name is subjective to language and intelligence ("lower" life forms do not have names for things to our knowledge).

Actually no, you are correct. I may have misspoken and first of all misthought. I do believe in relative reality, but also the reality that extends beyond the reality of our own personal perception. However, this reality may also be deemed very limiting and I can explain it by posing a question. Does something (such as the Universe) exist if there is nothing to perceive it? My answer in the past was that no. The universe is created by perception of it. I may still hold on to that belief, but I understand very well the arguments against it.

By unification I mean to be unified under a single flag either as a single entity or as a collaboration such as the EU. If mankind fails to do so there can be no future for man because expanding into the final frontier, space, will be too difficult, expensive and time consuming. Unless of course there is either a plan of cooperation for the elite to leave (as in the film Elysium) or a plan of population control.

Well, there must be a reason for that critical thought and I doubt the reason is being open to new ideas. Look at ATS for example, a region of the web where the motto is to "Deny Ignorance" and so to be open to differing opinions. However, this is not the case even in such an "open minded" area and of course I will not say I am different. I will hear out an argument, so long I don't perceive it to be forced upon me (which when the religious kind speak I almost always feel their beliefs are forced upon me). Even with the internet people simply find people and sources that prove them right and that is my counter argument to your argument that "these kind of shifts are becoming more common, as we become more and more connected and globally inter-communicative."

Of course they have existed, but such a young group of people? In high school or just entering college? The latter is likely more common, but nonetheless I can not understand why there is a lack of romance. Admittedly I'm not even quite certain what is considered "romantic". Is it some big display of affection? I consider myself a romantic, but I prefer small acts. People love a dozen roses, but I find one is just as beautiful, nay! More beautiful because it is unique alone. And all the better is should be given on a Wednesday when nothing is happening than Valentines day when it is more of an obligation.

So I'm not alone! How splendid. Why have sex the first day. Embraces should be cherished and continuing through the physical acts should be slow and patient, cherished, not rushed through as if skipping the beginning of a novel to get to the "good stuff".

Perhaps I am incorrect, but to an extent it would seem material worth has taken precedence over intellectual worth and so I am uncertain if such discussion would work today. I can just imagine going up to a girl at a party where everyone is drinking. Deep thoughts have no room there. Rather entertaining quote and a grand reason to do anything so long as seduction is honest and to one girl/woman to spend all eternity in each others embraces.

I suppose that is actually true in the States as well. It is taught here what caused the American Revolution, Shay's Rebellion, the Civil War and other such things, but relations should be expanded upon. Of course it is impossible to teach all of history in the class room due to time.

With respect to the altered philosophies, by Hitler, could it not be argued he took philosophies and altered them in order to create his own? Of course that does not excuse his revisionism of history or altered view of Judaism, but it is food for thought.

The exams I've mentioned have no impact on one's grade, but are nevertheless necessary to continue. The AP exams are unnecessary at all, but provide the opportunity to obtain college credits allowing students to possibly skip certain general requirements in college. It is the same here, that all assignments are used for the final grade and the final exam also usually makes up about 20 to 30% of the grade. A good work ethic. Certainly something I need to work on.

It must be gratifying to have striven for something and be able to clearly see a successful result and possibly an effect on the person, or people, that you taught. Of course this may not be true for all teachers or professors as there are those that simply do what they do for money, but it is good to see you do it because you believe in it.

Every Catholic would disagree with me if they are "devout" and that is because of the fact they are devout. What license does the Vatican have over anyone else, sovereign states no less. The only power the Vatican has is, as you said, over those that already identify with them and agree, but this is very little power and at times appears more as a joke than any serious commentator of current events.

I think wealth is less important than the idea of not being impoverished. These two can easily be confused, but the first would be of having items and the second as not lacking items for comfort, but not necessarily living in a large estate. More important is if a girl/woman (when does one begin to be called a woman?) simply dresses with self respect (dresses are the most beautiful attire for the opposite sex though that isn't my meaning of course) meaning with enough skin covered and without make up. A girl/woman is beautiful naturally and much less so with some powder or other thing applied to her skin.

A professor with some good taste in music. First time hearing Fear Factory and personally prefer other bands vocals. Sepultura I've seen live with Destruction just last year. Tool is alright, but not something I have current interest in though this may change over time as has my opinion on many other bands. Many of the bands I enjoy may be too "rough" vocally to introduce to, but certainly I will share more good music at the end. I have to say Tool really reminds me of RATM at times. (Rage Against the Machine)

I just recently really got into NMA (New Model Army), but have appreciated them in the past. My taste in music is the product of my mother's influence and my introduction by my cousin to metal, though I spread throughout largely alone after introduction and have influenced my mother's music choice greatly recently.

I also apologize for calling you American. I tend to greatly dislike being called such as I don't consider it a good thing.

Strong ties to the UK as Canada does? Admittedly I know too little on the topic of New Zealand to comment, besides having taken part in the Second World War, though even this I know nothing specific

I hadn't meant "simplistic music" and if I had accidentally worded it as such I apologize, but to clarify I meant the simplicity of life and the music of the time, mainly metal and punk which I can share some bands, but I'll slowly introduce them. Two bands per reply so as not to overwhelm. As to the all the rest that there is still to know I have yet to understand it all myself and will certainly sit down with my mother and discuss it as it's always entertaining.

Again it would seem I must continue on another post.

a reply to: Tiamat384
I'm certain that you could find some of my posts as less respectful. I always get frustrated by the Christians spewing their beliefs and when others make absurd arguments which in turn my arguments are focused on theirs and it just loses all sense. And then there are my beliefs, which my "religious" beliefs are centered completely around love though they are not defined just yet though it my idea that specifically rape is the worst crime, but thievery is the greatest wrong one can do. In contrast to these beliefs other beliefs I hold are based more hatred or purity (rather than hatred) I am by far very average in that I know very little, if everything and yet for some odd reason people consider me to have intelligence. Others I'm certain believe that I am an idiot, but I have no interaction with them.

I always pride myself of being of European heritage and not American. Though part of my blood technically is American, I argue my Polish blood conquered it.

Well no problem, NMA are a great band and it is always great to be awoken to a past treasure. I do enjoy Pink Floyd, his lyrics are amazing as is his voice, but there are so few moments in the songs where he sings that I cannot quite stand it.

Here are four bands, the first is a metal band from Poland the second is from the UK, but of Polish immigrants and the last two are Polish punk bands. I admit uncertainty if the punk songs (latter two) are from the times of communism (though the first looks as if so), but if not they are from early 90s and a reaction to communism.





I can translate if you'd like and have already translated the second punk song for another post (last song that I've posted here by Obywatel G.C. which means Citizen G.C with G.C. being his initials.)
Nie Pytaj Sie O Polsce- Obywatel G.C. Translated:
It's not a carnival but I want to dance,
And I'll dance with her during the day,
It's not a game, but I play,
Sleepless nights, sleepless days...

She's not a lover, but I sleep with her,
Though they laugh at me and tease...

(She's)So tired and drunk still,
That's why, don't ask me...

Don't ask me, Why I'm with her,
Don't ask me, Why not with another,
Don't ask me, Why I think that,
That there is no other place for me....

Don't ask me, What I still see in her,
Don't ask me, Why not in another,
Don't ask me, Why I still want,
To sleep and wake in her (Direct translation:To sleep in her and wake)...

These dirty stations,
Where I meet her,
The crowds that silently curse,
The drunk that mutters something in his sleep,
That while we live she lives too.

Don't ask me, don't ask me,
What I see in her...

Don't ask me, What I still see in her,
Don't ask me, Why not in another,
Don't ask me, Why I still want,
To sleep and wake in her (Direct translation:To sleep in her and wake)...

Don't ask me, Why I'm with her,
Don't ask me, Why not with another,
Don't ask me, Why I think that,
That there is no other place for me....

Don't ask me, Why I'm with her,
Don't ask me, Why not with another,
Don't ask me, Why I think that,
That there is no other place for me....

Don't ask me, What I still see in her,
Don't ask me, Why not in another,
Don't ask me, Why I still want,
To sleep and wake in her (Direct translation:To sleep in her and wake)...