Thursday, January 27, 2011

Mozart for the Ages...

...even New Age. Music, that is.

Mozart's Birthplace, Salzburg, Austria, Christmas 2010

On This Mozart's Birthday Anniversary
(27 January 1756 - 5 December 1791)

The MP3 below expired on 03-06-2011.
Click here to play the current selection.


Keiko Matsui, piano (1997)
- Into the Forest
(after Mozart, arr. Kazu Matzui)

For the Mozart fans, here is a quiz. Name the original Mozart score for this Matsui arrangement.

If you can provide the right answer, I will send you a classical recording (MP3)by a renown artist of this Mozart composition. This contest expires upon the installation of a new tune.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

One of Those Things

Hubert Giraud wrote this tune, 'Sous le ciel de Paris' (Under Paris Skies) in 1951. My making this YouTube was just one of those things, as Cole Porter would say.

Maurice Larcange, accordion
Under Paris Skies (Sous le ciel de Paris) 1962
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.








Sunday, January 02, 2011

Christmas 2010 Travel Panoramas







Panoramic View of the Christkindl Village
Styr, Austria, Christmas 2010








                        Panoramic View from the Nuremburg Castle
Nürnberg, Germany, Christmas 2010

            Panoramic View of Regensburg and the Danube River
Regensburg, Germany, Christmas 2010








Panoramic View from the Melk Abbey
Melk, Austria, Christmas 2010

Happy New Year 2011

Vienna at Night, Christmas 2010

The MP3 below expired on 01-27-2011.
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In Classical Mood: Nights in Vienna (1996)
- Radetzky March, Op. 228 (J.Strauss Sr.)

Friday, December 31, 2010

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.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

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.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

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)

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Alex North Unchained

Alex North
Oscar awarded motion picture composer
(4 December, 1910 – 8 September, 1991)

The MP3 below expired on 12-08-2010.
Click here to play the current selection.


Nashville Superpickers (1994)
- Unchained Melody (North)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

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.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

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!