Friday, October 23, 2009
Next Week, We Make History!
Why do I get the feeling our executive branch is playing 'chicken' with the world?
Do they think they can do this indefinitely?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexican city sees record murders
BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexican city sees record murders
Nope, we don't need to beef up security on the southern border.
President Hopey-Changey has got it all under control.
Move on, nothing to see here.
Nope, we don't need to beef up security on the southern border.
President Hopey-Changey has got it all under control.
Move on, nothing to see here.
Pastor Peters Ponders Pope's Perspicacity
Forgive me. It's been a long few weeks.
Actually, a great part of the formation of culture, both here in the US and elsewhere, has been the practice of Christianity, in its many forms. It really matters, and if the churches can 'find their mojo' again, we'll all benefit.
Pastor Peters does a great job as a highly literate Lutheran minister pondering these questions. He feeds my poor brain weekly, and I recommend him to you.
You can find his latest musings, about Rome's new 'open door policy' to the Anglicans.
I must say, it is a lot more thoughtful than my rant of a few days ago.
Actually, a great part of the formation of culture, both here in the US and elsewhere, has been the practice of Christianity, in its many forms. It really matters, and if the churches can 'find their mojo' again, we'll all benefit.
Pastor Peters does a great job as a highly literate Lutheran minister pondering these questions. He feeds my poor brain weekly, and I recommend him to you.
You can find his latest musings, about Rome's new 'open door policy' to the Anglicans.
I must say, it is a lot more thoughtful than my rant of a few days ago.
Remember How Many Jobs The White House Claimed They Would Create?
Just pass The Stimulus, and the recovery will begin. Millions of jobs will be created and 'saved'.
Well, the results so far are in.
Hmm...if you like charts, this one tells the story.
It worked so well, we keep hearing rumors of another one in the pipeline.
(Breathless anticipation!)
My unborn grandchildren will be paying for this tragic, reckless, counter-productive behavior.
But they don't matter to these guys, since they can't vote.
Well, the results so far are in.
Hmm...if you like charts, this one tells the story.
It worked so well, we keep hearing rumors of another one in the pipeline.
(Breathless anticipation!)
My unborn grandchildren will be paying for this tragic, reckless, counter-productive behavior.
But they don't matter to these guys, since they can't vote.
Sen. Lamar Alexander Warns About The White House Enemies List
Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander is the antithesis of the grandstanding blowhard that so commonly shows up in the Senate. He made his mark in his first governor's race by donning a red and black plaid work shirt, and walking across Tennessee, visiting every one of the ninety-three county seats. He had to clean up a terrible corruption mess left by Democrat Ray Blanton(exposed by Fred Thompson), and worked conscientiously (if not always successfully) to improve the schools and economic health of the state. From there he moved on to head the University of Tennessee, and eventually to the Senate, while starting a business, serving in the Reagan administration, and teaching a bit at Harvard enroute.
His biggest 'gimmick' for the crowds is that he plays the piano passably well.
He is, in other words, a nerd.
This gives him a real advantage: When he stands up to say something serious, we'd better take him seriously.
Today he stood up in the well of the Senate and issued the warning to the Obama White House: If you create an enemies list, a la Nixon and company, you are on the path to self-destruction. I know, I was there when it happened.
His remarks in part here:
In 1969 and during the first half of 1970, I was a wet-behind-the-ears, 29-year-old staff aide in the West Wing of the Nixon White House. I was working for the wisest man in that White House, Bryce Harlow, who was a friend of President Johnson, as well as the favorite staff member of President Eisenhower, and President Nixon's first appointee.
Based upon that experience and my forty years since then in and out of public life, I want to make what I hope will be taken as a friendly suggestion to President Obama and his White House: don't create an enemies list.
[...]
In 1971 Chuck Colson, who was then a member of President Nixon's staff and today is admired for his decades of selfless work in prison reform, presented a list of what he called "persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration." He said he thought the administration should "maximize our incumbency...[or] to put it more bluntly...use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies." On that list of 20 people were CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr, Washington Star columnist Mary McGrory, Leonard Woodcock, the head of the United Auto Workers, John Conyers, the Democratic Congressman from Michigan, Edwin Guthman, managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, and several prominent businessmen such as Howard Stein, of the Dreyfus Corporation and Arnold Picker, vice president of United Artists. The New York Times and the Washington Post were made out to be enemies of the Republic.
Now make no mistake, politics was not such a gentlemanly affair in those days either. After Barry Goldwater had won the Presidential nomination in 1964, Daniel Schorr had told CBS viewers that Goldwater had "travel[led] to Germany to join-up with the right wing there" and - "visit[ed] Hitler's old stomping ground." Schorr later corrected that on the air.
What was different about Colson's effort, though, was the open declaration of war upon anyone who seemed to disagree with administration policies. Colson later expanded his list to include hundreds of people, including Joe Namath, John Lennon, Carol Channing, Gregory Peck, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Congressional Black Caucus, Alabama Governor George Wallace. All this came out during the Watergate hearings. You could see an administration spiraling downwards. And, of course, we all know where that led.
There is much more, and you can find his full remarks here.
When the nerd starts to crowing, it's best we pay attention.
His biggest 'gimmick' for the crowds is that he plays the piano passably well.
He is, in other words, a nerd.
This gives him a real advantage: When he stands up to say something serious, we'd better take him seriously.
Today he stood up in the well of the Senate and issued the warning to the Obama White House: If you create an enemies list, a la Nixon and company, you are on the path to self-destruction. I know, I was there when it happened.
His remarks in part here:
In 1969 and during the first half of 1970, I was a wet-behind-the-ears, 29-year-old staff aide in the West Wing of the Nixon White House. I was working for the wisest man in that White House, Bryce Harlow, who was a friend of President Johnson, as well as the favorite staff member of President Eisenhower, and President Nixon's first appointee.
Based upon that experience and my forty years since then in and out of public life, I want to make what I hope will be taken as a friendly suggestion to President Obama and his White House: don't create an enemies list.
[...]
In 1971 Chuck Colson, who was then a member of President Nixon's staff and today is admired for his decades of selfless work in prison reform, presented a list of what he called "persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration." He said he thought the administration should "maximize our incumbency...[or] to put it more bluntly...use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies." On that list of 20 people were CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr, Washington Star columnist Mary McGrory, Leonard Woodcock, the head of the United Auto Workers, John Conyers, the Democratic Congressman from Michigan, Edwin Guthman, managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, and several prominent businessmen such as Howard Stein, of the Dreyfus Corporation and Arnold Picker, vice president of United Artists. The New York Times and the Washington Post were made out to be enemies of the Republic.
Now make no mistake, politics was not such a gentlemanly affair in those days either. After Barry Goldwater had won the Presidential nomination in 1964, Daniel Schorr had told CBS viewers that Goldwater had "travel[led] to Germany to join-up with the right wing there" and - "visit[ed] Hitler's old stomping ground." Schorr later corrected that on the air.
What was different about Colson's effort, though, was the open declaration of war upon anyone who seemed to disagree with administration policies. Colson later expanded his list to include hundreds of people, including Joe Namath, John Lennon, Carol Channing, Gregory Peck, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Congressional Black Caucus, Alabama Governor George Wallace. All this came out during the Watergate hearings. You could see an administration spiraling downwards. And, of course, we all know where that led.
There is much more, and you can find his full remarks here.
When the nerd starts to crowing, it's best we pay attention.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Whoooweee! I Smells Me A Recovery!
Well, then again, maybe not.
At what point will reality set in with the elites in DC and NYC?
HT once again to Calculated Risk.
At what point will reality set in with the elites in DC and NYC?
HT once again to Calculated Risk.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Arthur Cutten For President
This interview with Arthur Cutten, aka Jesse, is worth a careful read.
He is an ethical voice in an amoral swamp, with words of great hope to share in this dark time.
He concludes the interview by saying:
There is a wonderful thing in America, its Constitution. It sets out the basic principles of freedom in a marvelous way. It is not perfect. It does not contain all the details, which are to be found in the body of laws that surround and support it, and those who swear to preserve, protect and defend it.
It starts by simply saying ‘no’ to those who would rule us by fear and discouragement. To say no to private prejudice and greed, which cause us to turn a blind eye to injustice. Daylight is a good disinfectant. Secrecy is not the normal condition in a free society.
Periods of time can be dangerous, because there are sometimes wolves in sheep’s clothing. Hitler was put forward as a strong reformer. He was elected by a minority, and suspended the rule of law. So a nation will be wise in whom it selects to lead it. If it holds on to its principles, in the case of America, the Constitution, then it can stay on the path to reform.
OldSouth nominates Jesse.
He is an ethical voice in an amoral swamp, with words of great hope to share in this dark time.
He concludes the interview by saying:
There is a wonderful thing in America, its Constitution. It sets out the basic principles of freedom in a marvelous way. It is not perfect. It does not contain all the details, which are to be found in the body of laws that surround and support it, and those who swear to preserve, protect and defend it.
It starts by simply saying ‘no’ to those who would rule us by fear and discouragement. To say no to private prejudice and greed, which cause us to turn a blind eye to injustice. Daylight is a good disinfectant. Secrecy is not the normal condition in a free society.
Periods of time can be dangerous, because there are sometimes wolves in sheep’s clothing. Hitler was put forward as a strong reformer. He was elected by a minority, and suspended the rule of law. So a nation will be wise in whom it selects to lead it. If it holds on to its principles, in the case of America, the Constitution, then it can stay on the path to reform.
OldSouth nominates Jesse.
Cold, And From A Distance
The Pope is finally getting his payback on Henry VIII.
It took a while, but after all, the Church of Rome has a long track record, a long memory, and they can take their time!
In effect, His Holiness is saying(translated to my dialect, of course):
Have ya'll had enuff of these pantywaist Anglican types, ordainin' homosexuals, saying it's ok for Sharia law to establish in England and elsewhere, followin' the latest left-edge political party line, and beatin' yoh' ass to a pulp if you dare object? Then come on over heah', brother! You can keep yoh' traditional Anglican sensibilities, and we won't insult either yoh' intelligence or yoh' morals. Henry was a bad deal for us all, but no hard feelings. Let bygones be bygones. Say goodbye, they be gone!
Were I Anglican, I'd be saying 'Whooo-Weee, where dooo I sign up?'
Actually, I was an Anglican in part of my mis-spent youth, and love the liturgy of Cranmer. It never has been bettered. But I couldn't stay, with the bishops instructing the priests to read endorsements of Walter Mondale from the pulpit, the active embrace of homosexuality(no double-entendre intended), and worst of all, the systematic disowning of the Christian faith while maintaining the ritual thereof.
The intellectual and spiritual dissonance became too loud to ignore, and with much chagrin, I headed out the door, eventually finding a home with Calvin and company, in a Presbyterian parish. I love it dearly, and am grateful to be there. But, it was a long and painful trip, one I personally would have preferred not to have made.
I'm not Catholic, don't think I can ever be one.
But I do, in this instance, really and truly wish the Pope well.
There is an old proverb(Sicilian, I think): Revenge is a dish best served cold, and from a distance.
It took a while, but after all, the Church of Rome has a long track record, a long memory, and they can take their time!
In effect, His Holiness is saying(translated to my dialect, of course):
Have ya'll had enuff of these pantywaist Anglican types, ordainin' homosexuals, saying it's ok for Sharia law to establish in England and elsewhere, followin' the latest left-edge political party line, and beatin' yoh' ass to a pulp if you dare object? Then come on over heah', brother! You can keep yoh' traditional Anglican sensibilities, and we won't insult either yoh' intelligence or yoh' morals. Henry was a bad deal for us all, but no hard feelings. Let bygones be bygones. Say goodbye, they be gone!
Were I Anglican, I'd be saying 'Whooo-Weee, where dooo I sign up?'
Actually, I was an Anglican in part of my mis-spent youth, and love the liturgy of Cranmer. It never has been bettered. But I couldn't stay, with the bishops instructing the priests to read endorsements of Walter Mondale from the pulpit, the active embrace of homosexuality(no double-entendre intended), and worst of all, the systematic disowning of the Christian faith while maintaining the ritual thereof.
The intellectual and spiritual dissonance became too loud to ignore, and with much chagrin, I headed out the door, eventually finding a home with Calvin and company, in a Presbyterian parish. I love it dearly, and am grateful to be there. But, it was a long and painful trip, one I personally would have preferred not to have made.
I'm not Catholic, don't think I can ever be one.
But I do, in this instance, really and truly wish the Pope well.
There is an old proverb(Sicilian, I think): Revenge is a dish best served cold, and from a distance.
As Halloween Approaches, The Attack of the Zombies!
Like, it's not really news, but...
According to Bose George, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, the two government sponsored entities that buy mortgages from banks have zero value to common shareholders.
Zero. Zippo. Nada. These firms used to be the backbone of retirement accounts, 'cuz they were so safe and stable, remember?
Brain-dead and on life support. Bailed out to the tune of $100 billion, and probably going to need the other $300 billion before all is said and done.
Remember when Henry Paulson asked for authority to bail these clowns out, assuring everyone he probably wouldn't need to use it? Just in case, you know.
And, they'll be with us for decades, we can't get rid of them. Or, at least, no one yet has developed the courage to drive the stake in their hearts.
At least Mr. George did:
It should come as no surprise that we cannot advise holding these shares, and at this point we think these shares are little more than a tool for speculators.
Actually, the better movie title would be 'Night of the Living Dead'.
This would be funny, except my unborn grandchildren will be paying for it, cursing our memory as they do it. For their sake, if not for ours, we must find a way to peacefully and effectively end this nonsense.
Have we thought about what happens to a culture if we teach that the most outrageously irresponsible among us earn access to the public purse?
According to Bose George, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, the two government sponsored entities that buy mortgages from banks have zero value to common shareholders.
Zero. Zippo. Nada. These firms used to be the backbone of retirement accounts, 'cuz they were so safe and stable, remember?
Brain-dead and on life support. Bailed out to the tune of $100 billion, and probably going to need the other $300 billion before all is said and done.
Remember when Henry Paulson asked for authority to bail these clowns out, assuring everyone he probably wouldn't need to use it? Just in case, you know.
And, they'll be with us for decades, we can't get rid of them. Or, at least, no one yet has developed the courage to drive the stake in their hearts.
At least Mr. George did:
It should come as no surprise that we cannot advise holding these shares, and at this point we think these shares are little more than a tool for speculators.
Actually, the better movie title would be 'Night of the Living Dead'.
This would be funny, except my unborn grandchildren will be paying for it, cursing our memory as they do it. For their sake, if not for ours, we must find a way to peacefully and effectively end this nonsense.
Have we thought about what happens to a culture if we teach that the most outrageously irresponsible among us earn access to the public purse?
Slathering More Moral Hazard Onto The Culture: First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit
Calculated Risk: WSJ: IRS Examining Many Suspicious First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Claims
So, if the new homeowner doesn't have a tax bill over 8K, and buys that house for the first time, the guv'mint sends him or her a freaking check! Not a carryover of tax credit into future years, as is usually done, say, when a large loss is sustained by a taxpayer.
They send Joe or Jane Homeowner a check. They can take it to the bank, cash it, and put it in their pocket.
The potential for fraud, up and down the line of the home sale transaction is huge.
All to keep the real-estate market pumped up a few more months.
Even admitting fraud exists, the realtors want to extend the program, and expand it!
A spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, Lucien Salvant, said, "Any time there is a lot of money around, there is going to be people attracted to it with evil intent."
Housing-industry officials recently have stepped up their lobbying for an extension of the credit. In a letter to the Obama administration on Monday, the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association called for a 12-month extension of the credit. They also asked that the tax break be extended to all home buyers -- not just first-time purchasers -- and noted that they were urging Congress to expand its value.
Heaven help us.
So, if the new homeowner doesn't have a tax bill over 8K, and buys that house for the first time, the guv'mint sends him or her a freaking check! Not a carryover of tax credit into future years, as is usually done, say, when a large loss is sustained by a taxpayer.
They send Joe or Jane Homeowner a check. They can take it to the bank, cash it, and put it in their pocket.
The potential for fraud, up and down the line of the home sale transaction is huge.
All to keep the real-estate market pumped up a few more months.
Even admitting fraud exists, the realtors want to extend the program, and expand it!
A spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, Lucien Salvant, said, "Any time there is a lot of money around, there is going to be people attracted to it with evil intent."
Housing-industry officials recently have stepped up their lobbying for an extension of the credit. In a letter to the Obama administration on Monday, the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association called for a 12-month extension of the credit. They also asked that the tax break be extended to all home buyers -- not just first-time purchasers -- and noted that they were urging Congress to expand its value.
Heaven help us.
Wall Street's Naked Swindle : Rolling Stone
A little over a year ago, I was scouring every article and source I could find, attempting to understand the frightening events I was witnessing.
Deep Capture was a blog I stumbled over, but to my poor brain, it seemed too convoluted, and frankly too conspiratorial in tone. I didn't think it was credible, and after some attempts to read and absorb, I moved on.
I was wrong. The authors of Deep Capture were spot on.
What I had balked at was the style of writing, which, to my feeble brain, made the presentation hard to follow.
This article by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone(of all places for an old fuddy-duddy like me to be reading) does a fabulous job of describing the outrageous criminality of both Wall Street and Washington at the top levels. It is numbing to ponder what has happened to us, while we were busily living our lives, raising our kids, going to church, and trying to keep the bills paid.
HT to Jesse, once again, for pointing it out. I sure as shootin' don't troll the pages of Rolling Stone!
I am grateful I was raised in a Southern church, because we were taught how to navigate our Bibles as children. The book of Judges is not light reading, as it describes how the most blessed nation on the face of the earth came apart at the seams, due to its own moral blindness and stupidity. The line is repeated several times, but is most pointedly used at the very end, inserted, I am certain, by the rabbinical editors just to make the point one last lamenting time:
In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
The narrative later moves to Samuel, who in response to popular demand, anoints a secular king, while warning the Hebrew Children of the horrific consequences attached. Rather than restrain their own behaviour, they opt for Saul, who turns out to be paranoid, and disastrous.
The problem wasn't the lack of a king. The problem was the lack of an ethical rudder.
Heaven help us.
Deep Capture was a blog I stumbled over, but to my poor brain, it seemed too convoluted, and frankly too conspiratorial in tone. I didn't think it was credible, and after some attempts to read and absorb, I moved on.
I was wrong. The authors of Deep Capture were spot on.
What I had balked at was the style of writing, which, to my feeble brain, made the presentation hard to follow.
This article by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone(of all places for an old fuddy-duddy like me to be reading) does a fabulous job of describing the outrageous criminality of both Wall Street and Washington at the top levels. It is numbing to ponder what has happened to us, while we were busily living our lives, raising our kids, going to church, and trying to keep the bills paid.
HT to Jesse, once again, for pointing it out. I sure as shootin' don't troll the pages of Rolling Stone!
I am grateful I was raised in a Southern church, because we were taught how to navigate our Bibles as children. The book of Judges is not light reading, as it describes how the most blessed nation on the face of the earth came apart at the seams, due to its own moral blindness and stupidity. The line is repeated several times, but is most pointedly used at the very end, inserted, I am certain, by the rabbinical editors just to make the point one last lamenting time:
In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
The narrative later moves to Samuel, who in response to popular demand, anoints a secular king, while warning the Hebrew Children of the horrific consequences attached. Rather than restrain their own behaviour, they opt for Saul, who turns out to be paranoid, and disastrous.
The problem wasn't the lack of a king. The problem was the lack of an ethical rudder.
Heaven help us.
Monday, October 19, 2009
What the Morehouse Man Wears-A 'No Cross-Dressing Zone'
Three cheers for Robert Franklin, President of Morehouse College, who has imposed a civilized dress code upon his campus.
Here are some of the policy's features:
* Caps, do-rags and hoods are banned in classrooms, the cafeteria and other indoor venues. Do-rags may not be worn outside of the residence halls.
* Sunglasses may not be worn in class or at formal programs.
* Jeans may not be worn at major programs such as convocation, commencement or Founder's Day.
* Clothing with "derogatory, offensive and/or lewd messages either in words or pictures" may not be worn.
* "Sagging," defined as "the wearing of one’s pants or shorts low enough to reveal undergarments or secondary layers of clothing," is banned.
* Pajamas are banned in public areas.
* Wearing of "clothing associated with women’s garb (for example, dresses, tunics, purses, handbags, pumps, wigs, make-up, etc.)" is banned. (Morehouse educates only male students.)
Three guesses about which item on the list has created a tizzy amongst the politically correct.
TimeZup! The last item, which addresses cross-dressing by a few of the students.
It will be interesting to see how the SensitiveLeft will go about beating Dr. Franklin up on this one. After all, he's no Jerry Falwell.
But he knows that ethics matter.
Ethics shape culture, which shapes the economy.
Green Shoots nominee here!
Here are some of the policy's features:
* Caps, do-rags and hoods are banned in classrooms, the cafeteria and other indoor venues. Do-rags may not be worn outside of the residence halls.
* Sunglasses may not be worn in class or at formal programs.
* Jeans may not be worn at major programs such as convocation, commencement or Founder's Day.
* Clothing with "derogatory, offensive and/or lewd messages either in words or pictures" may not be worn.
* "Sagging," defined as "the wearing of one’s pants or shorts low enough to reveal undergarments or secondary layers of clothing," is banned.
* Pajamas are banned in public areas.
* Wearing of "clothing associated with women’s garb (for example, dresses, tunics, purses, handbags, pumps, wigs, make-up, etc.)" is banned. (Morehouse educates only male students.)
Three guesses about which item on the list has created a tizzy amongst the politically correct.
TimeZup! The last item, which addresses cross-dressing by a few of the students.
It will be interesting to see how the SensitiveLeft will go about beating Dr. Franklin up on this one. After all, he's no Jerry Falwell.
But he knows that ethics matter.
Ethics shape culture, which shapes the economy.
Green Shoots nominee here!
Somebody, Find Cranmer
Cranmer is a popular UK blogger, commenting on both theology and politics, always employing an erudite wit.
Two days ago, his post was distressed, out of character, and deeply disturbing.
He hasn't surfaced since.
The outpouring of responses has been moving to read, but the question remains: Where is he, and is he safe?
Someone in the UK undoubtedly knows who this man is. It's time for his friends to check in on him, because there is a really clear undertone in his last post that he may attempt to hurt himself.
In the meantime, let our prayers go up for him. There is a 'fellowship of the saints', and it's time for them to circle the wagons around him.
Two days ago, his post was distressed, out of character, and deeply disturbing.
He hasn't surfaced since.
The outpouring of responses has been moving to read, but the question remains: Where is he, and is he safe?
Someone in the UK undoubtedly knows who this man is. It's time for his friends to check in on him, because there is a really clear undertone in his last post that he may attempt to hurt himself.
In the meantime, let our prayers go up for him. There is a 'fellowship of the saints', and it's time for them to circle the wagons around him.
Feminism's Freedom Fighter
Feminism's freedom fighter.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali has put her life on the line to defend women against radical Islam.
And she continues to do so, thoughtfully, courageously, saying the things the Left hates to hear.
Amongst them, these words:
To be a community of free people, you have to defend that freedom tooth and nail, and for this country to remain vital, you have to understand that freedom is a very, very vulnerable institution. It's something you have to keep defending, and the only way to achieve that is intolerance of intolerance.
Kudos to the American Enterprise Institute for their support of this brave woman.
I hope you take time to read this interview, and then ask a simple question:
Now why was it Our Beloved Leader was given the Nobel Peace Prize?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali has put her life on the line to defend women against radical Islam.
And she continues to do so, thoughtfully, courageously, saying the things the Left hates to hear.
Amongst them, these words:
To be a community of free people, you have to defend that freedom tooth and nail, and for this country to remain vital, you have to understand that freedom is a very, very vulnerable institution. It's something you have to keep defending, and the only way to achieve that is intolerance of intolerance.
Kudos to the American Enterprise Institute for their support of this brave woman.
I hope you take time to read this interview, and then ask a simple question:
Now why was it Our Beloved Leader was given the Nobel Peace Prize?
El Sistema Arrives in The US
El Sistema, the transformational program that lifts kids out of poverty via music study, will launch in the US.
Three cheers and more.
Music education in the United States has been abysmally done, and for all the wrong reasons, for decades now. I lose count of the numbers of recitals I have endured where students were attempting to perform big pieces of literature, studying with teachers who hadn't taught them scales!
The kids are often cannon fodder in the brush-war rivalries between teachers (and some parents). Those few who do continue in university programs have to be disassembled and reassembled by the faculty, because they arrive so abysmally prepared. My college-teacher buddies sport thinning gray hair--what hasn't been torn out has been turned...
This is a true Green Shoot for the culture. Here's hoping it is embraced, and not suborned, by the US.
Three cheers and more.
Music education in the United States has been abysmally done, and for all the wrong reasons, for decades now. I lose count of the numbers of recitals I have endured where students were attempting to perform big pieces of literature, studying with teachers who hadn't taught them scales!
The kids are often cannon fodder in the brush-war rivalries between teachers (and some parents). Those few who do continue in university programs have to be disassembled and reassembled by the faculty, because they arrive so abysmally prepared. My college-teacher buddies sport thinning gray hair--what hasn't been torn out has been turned...
This is a true Green Shoot for the culture. Here's hoping it is embraced, and not suborned, by the US.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Perennial Green Shoot--The Music of Herbert Howells
In honor of Howells' birthday, a performance of perhaps his most-loved choral anthem, 'Here Is The Little Door', sung by Chanticleer:
Text by Frances Chesterton:
Here is the little door, lift up the latch, oh lift!
We need not wander more but enter with our gift;
Our gift of finest gold,
Gold that was never bought nor sold;
Myrrh to be strewn about his bed;
Incense in clouds about his head;
All for the Child who stirs not in his sleep.
But holy slumber holds with ass and sheep.
Bend low about his bed, for each he has a gift;
See how his eyes awake, lift up your hands, O lift!
For gold, he gives a keen-edged sword
(Defend with it Thy little Lord!),
For incense, smoke of battle red.
Myrrh for the honoured happy dead;
Gifts for his children terrible and sweet,
Touched by such tiny hands and
Oh such tiny feet.
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