A Hardy New Year

New Year's Eve
Thomas Hardy
1906

"I have finished another year," said God,
"In grey, green, white, and brown;
I have strewn the leaf upon the sod,
Sealed up the worm within the clod,
And let the last sun down."

"And what's the good of it?" I said.
"What reasons made you call
From formless void this earth we tread,
When nine-and-ninety can be read
Why nought should be at all?

"Yea, Sire; why shaped you us, 'who in
This tabernacle groan' -
If ever a joy be found herein,
Such joy no man had wished to win
If he had never known!"

Then he: "My labours--logicless -
You may explain; not I:
Sense-sealed I have wrought, without a guess
That I evolved a Consciousness
To ask for reasons why.

"Strange that ephemeral creatures who
By my own ordering are,
Should see the shortness of my view,
Use ethic tests I never knew,
Or made provision for!"

He sank to raptness as of yore,
And opening New Year's Day
Wove it by rote as theretofore,
And went on working evermore
In his unweeting way.

Grace Has Appeared

"For the grace of God has appeared,bringing salvation to all men"

-- Titus 2:11
New American Standard Bible


Merry Christmas one and all.

To Ride the Danube Waves

For the next two weeks, I will be on Christmas holiday with good company to cruise on the wintry Danube River from Austria to Germany. At ports of call we will sample the food and spirit now swirling and permeating all the Christmas Markets along the river banks.

The MP3 below expired on 01-02-2011.
Click here to play the current selection.

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops
- Waves of the Danube (Ivanovici)

Alex North Unchained

Alex North
Oscar awarded motion picture composer
(4 December, 1910 – 8 September, 1991)
The MP3 below expired on 12-08-2010.
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Nashville Superpickers (1994)
- Unchained Melody (North)

Enriched for All Liberality

On this Thanksgiving Day, 2010, a reading of these verses is selected from
2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (New American Standard Bible):

10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.

TSA Pat-down Equals Political Correctness

The liberal administration sowed political correctness and we the people reaped.

The Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, Napolitano et al will never be subjected to the TSA goons doing pat-downs (read: sexual assaults) at the airports. These elitists have their military planes and other transportation modes paid by us, the government sanctioned assaulted victims (i.e. American taxpayers). In fact, Senator Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri refers to the groping of the a person's private parts as "love pats". I like to see a YouTube of McCaskill reaction when she receives her love pats at the St. Louis International Airport.

The issue I have with TSA pat-downs is it epitomizes the warped liberal mindset of playing fair. This means Americans or westerners such as blond-haired toddlers, nuns, grandmas, and medically handicapped are being groped at the airports. By so doing, it is not to offend the Muslims in particular. Never mind that on and post 9/11, everyone in the world knows it is the terrorists of the Islamic faith who have killed Americans and fanatically wanting to destroy the western culture. It is what it is. Period.

Yet, according to these what-is-best-for-our-safety liberals, by singling out any persons by creed and ethnicity for potential terrroist activities (i.e. Muslims only) is profiling. And that is not fair and it is verboten. Why, a white three-year-old boy, an airline pilot, or a bladder cancer patient, they could be terrorists (as well). We should appreciate the TSA for doing such a thankless job in keeping us safe from all terrorists, even at our expense as its employers.

What is happening now with TSA is analogous to Obamacare. It's big government ramming through the socialistic fairness doctrine. It is now washing over and drowning our American exceptionalism.

The aim of Obama and his ilk is control. Never mind the hypocrisy there is never equity in the fairness doctrine, nor in its theorized effectiveness. The only thing certain of it is whatever "fairness" these elitists promulgates, tax and spending go up, private sector, jobs, service quality and quantity go down.

For those who voted for change in the 2008 presidential election, you got it. In fact, we all got it for at least two more years. Big Brother Obama will continue his assault to strangle the American citizens of their wealth, health, and freedom.

Happy airport groping!

At Home with Layne Tom

While at Huntington Beach, CA, in mid-October, we fans went to Layne Tom's (aka Charlie Chan, Jr.) for a visit.

Billy May's Birthday Anniversary

Billy May
American-born composer, arranger, and trumpeter
(10 November 1916 - 22 January 2004)
The MP3 below expired on 12-04-2010.
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Billy May and His Orchestra (2000)
with Dan Grissom, vocal
- Charmaine (Pollack and Rapee)

Love Autumnal

It's autumn here in the northern hemisphere. Enjoy Oliver Jenkin's poem 'Love Autumnal' to the setting of this Chopin piece.

Evgeny Kissin (age 12), piano
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, 2nd Movement
(Frédéric Chopin)
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.

Love Autumnal (1922)
Oliver Jenkins

My love will come in autumn-time
When leaves go spinning to the ground
And wistful stars in heaven chime
With the leaves’ sound.

Then, we shall walk through dusty lanes
And pause beneath low-hanging boughs,
And there, while soft-hued beauty reigns
We’ll make our vows.

Let others seek in spring for sighs
When love flames forth from every seed;
But love that blooms when nature dies
Is love indeed!

Patience, It is Your Move

Dear D_H_:

Admittedly, this game is a constructive medium for both fun and learning. It is gratifying, certainly, if one achieves a higher scoring than the other player. Your being an uninspiring WWF opponent, however, has never entered my mind. So perish the negative vibes.

Our playing WWF is a facet of fellowship, although virtually. Winning or losing is not the essence. For me, this activity is a little something I do gladly in bringing some relaxation, and hopefully, some assuagement to your present out of joint family life. Years from now, both of us could regale at some gathering (together maybe?) the tale of our playing WWF.

Cervantes once said, "Patience, and shuffle the cards." I say, "Patience, it is your move."

*grin*