From Error to Truth

St. Thomas of Aquinas
Detail from The Demidoff Altarpiece, 1476
By Carlo Crivelli (1430-1494)
The National Gallery of Art, London

Laura Wood, from The Thinking Housewife, writes:

“The greatest kindness one can render to any man consists in leading him from error to truth.”
— St. Thomas Aquinas

Contemporary depictions of saints, and other biblical personalities, including Jesus, render them in soft light with benign faces. I think that couldn't be farther from the truth. The guidance from error to truth is a tall order, but also requires the greatest of humility. Those who undertake this, with the saints and Jesus as their guides, must realize the enormity of their task. Jesus knew this. And Saint Thomas of Aquinas shows this burden in his portrait above.

Below, on the left, is Diogo Morgado as the 21st century rendition of Jesus, from The History Channel series The Bible. Even if this Jesus were to get angry (in front of the temple, for example), or he suffers on the cross, he would end up looking like a Ken doll. (Would Mary then be a Barbie? I should work out this "artitist" project and make myself famous at the next Venice Biennial). A feature film is planned for February 2014, "inspired by the success of The Bible," as this site tells us. What epic can a Diogo Morgado, the actor slotted to play Jesus, inspire?

Ken Doll and G.Q. Jesus
The tattoo and the stigma are interchangeable.

Jesus from Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 The King of Kings
Played by H. B. Warner

Hollywood directors and actors of the 1920s and 1930s, and perhaps as late as the early 1960s, who produced the majority of Biblical films (worth watching), gave us the best filmic renditions of Jesus and other Old and New Testament forces. H. B. Warner played Jesus at age fifty-two. Granted that Jesus was a young man of thirty-three in the scriptures, but what contemporary actor that age can convince us of the path from error to truth? Perhaps the serious Leonardo DiCaprio might do so,


But not him, or him, or him, etc., etc.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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From Error to Truth

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x267/BlogPhotos_2007/BlogPhotos_2007037/CarloCrivelliThomasOfAquinas_zpsb0a9aeac.jpg


Laura writes:

“The greatest kindness one can render to any man consists in leading him from error to truth.”

— St. Thomas Aquinas

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Crass Culture

The lovely Richtree Natural Market Restaurant

A couple of days ago, I went to the nearby food court in the mall (I rarely go there since the atmosphere is unpleasant, with people chewing loudly, talking loudly, and generally looking unpleasant).

I went to the "hot meal" section, and ordered a dish of meetballs. The server put it on a nice, white (restaurant-style) plate. As she placed the food, some sauce dripped on the side. She ignored this (or didn't "see" this), and proceeded to give me the plate. I asked her for something to clean the side with. I didn't want the dripping to dirty my sweater as I carried the tray. Another "server" handed me a wad of paper towel. I cleaned the plate, and looked for someone to hand the dirty paper to. Both had left. The original server was further back, chatting with other servers. I called out "Excuse me," but there was no response.

I then threw the dirty paper across the glass counter. I don't even know if it landed on some food. At this point, the server comes rushing along, to pick it up. I don't know what she said as I left.

This server is Chinese, or possibly Philipino. My rough reaction was due to my repeated encounters with "Asians" and a certain sub-par level of behavior.

I was vindicated in the check-out line a little later on. A Chinese couple skipped in front of a white woman who was standing in line before me. I'm not sure if it was deliberate aggression, although I think it was more a lack of realization of what is going on. The woman politely asked them that there were others there before them (including me). They moved to the back, which was behind me.

I turned around to look at this couple. They looked like they newly arrived from China. They were wearing the cheap, synthetic coats that are always marked "Made in China." The woman had very short hair, and it was difficult to distinguish her from the man she was with.

I turned back to pay for my meal.

I am curious at how so many "new" Chinese are in Toronto these days. Immigration seems to have been curtailed, according to the new regulations. Although, the various immigration determiners have been saying that they are accepting "skilled" Chinese. We are in a recession, so how do these leaders expect the situation to improve if more people are added to the job stream?

I think they are thinking "ahead." There is talk of natural gas reservoirs around Canada; the recession getting better. In this scenario, fired or laid-off workers will need to be accessed. But, cheap labor is quite possibly part of the answer. And who better than Chinese workers, who already work in slave conditions in their country's factories, to fill in these gaps left by laid off workers? They won't complain (they could get their immigration papers stalled); they will work long hours; they will "listen" to the boss; and they are better workers than Somali refugees.

Such is, I believe, the evil scheme of these leaders.

A family member said regarding my interaction: "Don't underestimate people."

I'm not sure what that means other than it was in reference to an earlier conversation where I said: "Don't underestimate Western civilization."

I also think it means that one of these people I confront will turn around and start a fight.

I said something to the effect: "It is better to fight for what you have than let some crass culture come and take it over. That is exactly what Muslims are doing. The Chinese appear to be better, but ultimately, all they can give us is more of what they left behind. I don't want that, nor will I accept it."
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Classic Pumpkin Pie

I've made apple pies, lemon meringue pies, and various cakes, but I've never made a pumpkin pie.

I will turn to Master Chef Martha Stewart for her recipe:

INGREDIENTS

- 1 sugar pumpkin, (about 4 pounds), halved, or 3 cups solid-pack canned pumpkin
- 1 1/2 recipes Pate Brisee
- All-purpose flour, for work surface
- 7 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 cups evaporated milk

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DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using fresh pumpkin, roast pumpkin, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Roasted pumpkin can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.

STEP 2
Reserve 1/4 of the dough for making leaf decorations. Turn out the remaining dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide in half. Roll out each half into a 14-inch round. Fit rounds into two 10-inch pie plates; crimp edges as desired. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

STEP 3
Roll out reserved dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a leaf-shape cookie cutter or a paring knife, cut leaves from dough. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.

STEP 4
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 egg and heavy cream in a small bowl; set aside. Brush edges of pie shells with a wet pastry brush; arrange leaves around edges, pressing to adhere. Brush leaves with egg wash. Cut 2 large circles of parchment; fit into pie shells, extending above edges. Fill with pie weights. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.

STEP 5
Bake pie shells 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake 5 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

STEP 6
If using fresh pumpkin, discard seeds. Scoop out flesh using a large spoon; transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin to a large bowl. Add brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, remaining 6 eggs, and evaporated milk; whisk until combined.

STEP 7
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place pies on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide pumpkin mixture evenly between shells. Bake until all but centers are set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream.

After the eternal words of another grand chef: "Bon Appétit!"



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What is Writing?

"What is Writing?

Half, maybe most, of writing is finding faults in one’s own writing, and fixing them, until one finds nothing more to fix. It is an immersion in one’s own flaws, and a constant, unyielding effort to ameliorate them."
Lawrence Auster: March 18, 2013

This is the same with all art. Artists will say that once an idea has emerged, one has to fix it until there is nothing more (humanely) possible to fix.

That is the joy, and agony, of art. It is a ruthless companion. It doesn't suffer laziness. Yet, that is how beauty is born.

I wrote to a correspondent about a critic of sorts of Larry's writing in response to his passing away. The writer wrote:

I'm damned if I'm going to wait to the end to note in "appreciation" Larry's deep and challenging, provocative and exacting, disturbing, irascible and trenchant commentary, all crafted in his compulsively writerly way to search not only for the truth, I would venture, but for a way out of the cultural abyss we find ourselves in. His means? The sharpest, starkest expression of the facts and phenomena he is able to convey, as unadulterated, as unjumbled, certainly as unvarnished as humanly possible. Whether in agreement or in opposition, a reader of Larry's work is on his mettle, keenly aware of the laser at work.

I write:

[The writer] makes [Larry] sound to be a difficult and slightly detached/unapproachable person. I wonder if she ever met him? Yes, Larry was not part of this era's "diplomatic" journalism. But why not write of his achievements, rather than pepper her comments with these criticisms, which diminish his achievements? I think Larry's writing has coherence and beauty, and a perseverance with ideas that few writers these days attempt, or bother with.

[The writer] writes interesting articles. But, there always seems to be a reticence about her. I suppose she has to be like that to keep her journalistic positions at various main stream publications.

She knows Larry, and his work. He has written very important works regarding conservatism. It would be nice if...she would be a supporter.

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Slaughter of the Lambs and Abraham's Christian Legacy

St. Francis' Day of blessing of the animals. Photograph is for St. James' at Meeker Colorado

I had originally titled my post Slaughter of the Lambs as Slaughter of the Innocent. I changed it to Slaughter of the Lambs because I realized that Islam has no love of animals.

Robert Spencer, of Jihad Watch, writes:

Muhammad didn't like dogs:

"Once Gabriel promised the Prophet (that he would visit him, but Gabriel did not come) and later on he said, 'We, angels, do not enter a house which contains a picture or a dog.'" -- Sahih Bukhari 4.54.50

"Abdullah (b. Umar) (Allah be pleased with them) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) ordered the killing of dogs and we would send (men) in Medina and its corners and we did not spare any dog that we did not kill, so much so that we killed the dog that accompanied the wet she-camel belonging to the people of the desert." -- Sahih Muslim 10.3811

"Ibn Mughaffal reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered killing of the dogs, and then said: What about them, i. e. about other dogs? and then granted concession (to keep) the dog for hunting and the dog for (the security) of the herd, and said: When the dog licks the utensil, wash it seven times, and rub it with earth the eighth time." -- Sahih Muslim 551

Still, this is a new one: "'Puppy Bombs' Rescued from Egyptian Violence," by Ari Yashar for Israel National News, October 29 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Two puppies from Egypt were rescued just moments before they were to be used by the Muslim Brotherhood in their protests as "puppy bombs" dipped in gasoline and set on fire.

The revelation about the Brotherhood's cruel tactic used two weeks ago at Tahrir Square during demonstrations against the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi's was made known by Robyn Urman, a pet rescuer in Tenafly, New Jersey, as reported by CBS 2.

The generous Tiberge, at Gallia Watch, writes about the slaughter of sheep for the Muslim holiday Aid-el-Kebir, and Résistance Républicaine's leader Christine Tasin arguing with a Muslim about the sheep that are slaughtered for the holiday:

Even though animal cruelty is the major accusation hurled at Muslims from animal rights organizations, we have to remember that we too are cruel to animals in many ways. Christine's Muslim opponent pointed that out.

This is the argument that the Muslim man makes to Tasin. He says:

"Do you find it normal that one breeds battery chicken?...You only have a problem with Islam."

I think this is what threw Tiberge off. Yes, battery hen breeding is a phenomenon in this century, but breeders go to great lenghts to make these conditions as bearable as possible for the hens, while thousands of anti-battery chicken movements speak up for these birds.

Where in Islam is anyone protesting the cruel slaying of these sheep in an annual Muslim ritual? And where in Islam is an effort made to kill these sheep in a more humane way?

The sheep are killed in this manner:

These animals were slaughtered in open fields, by untrained people. They were held down while their throats were cut and left to bleed slowly to death. This barbaric and despicable cruelty has outraged millions of civilized people. Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler has made it clear in two letters to me that ritual slaughter in the open air is illegal under EU law, and must only be performed in an abattoir. Will the Commission immediately take steps to prosecute the French authorities under Article 169 [Source: EUR-Lex: Access to European Union law, 20 May 1997]

Is this the kind of culture and religion we want to accommodate in our wonderful Multicultural Mosaic? Do we want to be confronted with streaming blood and the knowledge of deep animal suffering in order to be all-accepting of anything and any-one in the name of equality and multiculturalism?

That should be the core of Tasin's protest, and her response (of course not directly to this aggressive Muslim, or she could be rushed to the emergency room) to arguments brought by Muslims who compare Muslim animal cruelty with barely existing Christian ones, and Western treatment of animals.

In fact, the various denominations and churches have a "Blessing of the Animals" services, where animals are brought in on a specific day, to be blessed by the priest. This was a ritual established by St. Francis. What Muslim "saint" celebrates, and blesses, animals?

And Christ is known as The Good Shepard, who protects and guides his sheep. What is Mohammed's benevolent title? He is known for killing dogs, those loyal friends of man, and shepherds.

As Robert Spencer writes in Jihad watch:

Muhammad didn't like dogs:

"Once Gabriel promised the Prophet (that he would visit him, but Gabriel did not come) and later on he said, 'We, angels, do not enter a house which contains a picture or a dog.'" -- Sahih Bukhari 4.54.50

And here is more from the Hadith, where Mohammed orders to "Kill the dogs":

Sahih Muslim 5248:

Narrated Maymunah: “One morning Allah's Messenger was silent with grief. Maymunah said: Allah's Messenger, I find a change in your mood today. Allah's Messenger said: Gabriel had promised me that he would meet me last night, but he did not meet me. By Allah, he never broke his promises; and Allah's Messenger spent the day in this sad (mood). Then it occurred to him that there had been a puppy under their cot. He gave an order and it was turned out. He then took some water in his hand and sprinkled it on the place. When it was evening Gabriel met him and he said to him: You promised me that you would meet me the previous night. He said: Yes, but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. So the very next morning he commanded the dogs to be killed. He announced that the dog kept for the orchards should also be killed, but he spared the dog used for the protection of extensive fields (or big gardens).”

Christ's sacrifice as The Lamb of God was his gift to humankind, giving up his life so that we might be saved.

Muslims slaughter sheep to "remember" Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son Isaac, and when God, seeing Abraham's faith, told him to sacrifice a sheep instead. But Abraham sacrificed one sheep, and there is no mention in our Bible that he did this in the cruel and vicious way that Muslims sacrifice their multitudes of sheep. This is the Muslim way: a bastardization of Goodness; a re-telling in exaggerated and horrific ways, of our Good Book.


St. Francis blessing the animals
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Let's All Pray

Here is a screenshot of the sophomiric design for Chelsea Clinton's new project
Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership. Scribbled words tell us to
"get our newsletter," and now! The links are designed like a "tag cloud."
But what does the larger "CLUBS" mean - that there is
more activity in that section than in the other sections? No, it is a
"hip" design to attract all those adolescent twenty-something year-olds
who seem to be the target for the organization.

Chelsea Clinton, the odd daughter of Hillary and Bill, who isn't as smart as either of her parents, has started an "interfaith" organization at New York University.

The New York Post's gossipy Page Six informs us:

Multitasking, job-hopping Chelsea Clinton has quietly taken on a big new job at New York University.

The former first daughter has tackled what the school calls a “multifaith” role as co-founder and co-chair of its brand-new Of Many Institute. The program is described by the university as aiming to “develop multifaith dialogue and train multifaith leaders.”

[...]

She’s recently spoken of a desire to lead a program discussing faith and academics. Back in September, Clinton — who’s married to banker Marc Mezvinsky — told Time of her desire to study faith and education: “With all candor, because my husband is Jewish and I’m Christian, and we’re both practicing, it’s something that’s quite close to home,” she said.

And Frontpage Magazine's Daniel Greenfield answers his own questions:

What is a multi-faith leader you may ask? Does this mean that Chelsea Clinton is now an Imam, Pope and Rabbi? It’s entirely possible.

A commenter under this article quips:

Multi-faith, shake and bake, we're all one big happy family.

I've written several posts on Chelsea, and here is one titled Busy Chelsea, Married Lady that summarizes most of my observations, where I write:

She is newly hired to work for the NBC Nightly News "Rock Center with Brian Williams" and its "Making a Difference" series.

[..]

Commentators who are calling her debut a "journalistically-bankrupt decision" may be exaggerating, and are surprisingly mean-spirited, but Breitbart is a little more informative:

Her delivery sounds more fit for an obscure web series than broadcast television; she mumbles and low talks through her questions and response. This, coupled with her name and the general knowledge of how she got her job, strikes a discordance against the sort of story she’s reporting. A tale of elite privilege sharing the story of poverty.

Such is the life of Busy Chelsea.


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Slaughter of the Lambs

Christine Tasin, founder of Résistance Républicaine

[I should add that made the collage above. News media are too cautious to lay blame, and especially with religious implications, as I fasion Tasin to do above. I don't think she even sees the problem in religious terms, but in cultural ones.]

Tiberge at GalliaWatch has a post on the Muslim holiday Aid-el-Kebir.

She writes:

On October 15, and for three days thereafter, thousands of sheep were slaughtered in France in the annual Muslim blood-bath called Aïd-el-Kébir (or Aïd-el-Adha). Belfort, in the region of Franche-Comté, was one of many cities to host the Islamic spectacle of ritual sacrifice, and, because of the magnitude of the deed, gained some notorious publicity. Christine Tasin, founder of Résistance Républicaine attended the ceremony in Belfort (from outside the improvised slaughterhouse) and engaged in a bitter quarrel with Muslims who interviewed her (video above [here]). Veterinarian Alain de Peretti, who administers the anti-halal website Vigilance Halal, wrote the following article that also appears at Riposte Laïque.

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Jofi Joseph: National Security Risk

"White House staffer fired for tweeting" reads the headline of this article. When I first saw this story on Fox News, I thought: "He looks Indian. It sounds like one of those "American" children of Third World immigrants."

I've written about this extensively. This is what I said about Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Captain and Company Commander in the Marine Corps.

Here is a fascinating video of Bhagwati rambling on in free-style fashion about the evils of the military, misogynistic white men, fighting wars, and the hegemonic empire that is the United States. The video is titled: "Interview With a Reluctant Veteran: Anuradha Bhagwatl." I've transcribed it below from around the 15 minute point in the video to the end, to show the quality of her mind.

Well now, it looks like we have another "alienated" "American" of Indian background. Jofi Joseph was director of nuclear non-proliferation on the White House National Security Council staff, until he got fired for "tweeting."

Here are some excerpts form the story White House staffer fired for tweeting:

- Former White House national security advisor Jofi Joseph - fired from his job for anonymous posts to Twitter.com - was raised in Muskegon [Michigan].

- Joseph and his parents were natives of India who moved to Muskegon from West Germany when he was only 6 months old.

- Joseph is the 1990 valedictorian of Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

- At Muskegon Catholic Central, he won an array of academic honors.

- He went on to an illustrious career in academics and public policy, and was a Truman Scholar at Princeton University.

- Among his academic accolades was a trip to Rotary Fellowship at the Universitat Salzburg in Austria.

- "I really have a strong interest in government and international affairs," Joseph told the Chronicle's Loretta Robinson in 1993. "It's my commitment to public service. I want to make a difference in life, and the best way to do this is a career in this, helping to shape our nation and foreign policy."

Here is more on the kind of responsibilities Joseph had as director of the White House's nuclear non-proliferation program:

The Treaty comprises legally binding nonproliferation commitments and is the basis for international cooperation on stemming the spread of nuclear weapons. It is widely regarded as the legal and political cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and as containing three main concepts or “pillars” – nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. In Prague on April 5, 2009 President Obama said that the basic bargain at the core of the Treaty is sound: “countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament; countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them; and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy.” The President also called on NPT parties to take steps to strengthen this vital nonproliferation instrument.

Tweeting is harmless enough. But it is disturbing that this high-level government official, dealing with sensitive national security information, should abandon his duties to write even one of those messages.

This article reveals that:

Joseph could be sarcastic and bitter, especially in regard to colleagues who were given higher-level positions that he did not think they were qualified for.

This seems like a vindictive grudge. He clearly was in a plum post, with challenging responsibilities. Colleagues praise him as:

...a smart, ambitious foreign policy aide who specialized in nuclear nonproliferation issues.

Which makes his neglect of duty troubling. It is one thing for a low-level, not very smart, government worker to spend time on the internet, but quite another matter for someone like Joseph to do so. How can we be sure that he wasn't interacting with foreign governments, and for example, with his country of origin, India, relaying to them sensitive information? This isn't the first time that American-born or American university-educated Asians have passed on sensitive documents to their countries of origin.

The news is filled with the National Security Agency "spying" on foreign leaders. Collecting information through various means to ensure the safety of a nation is not "spying." Yet, now, we have foreigners who fit the actual definition of spies:

A person employed by a government or other organization to secretly obtain information on an enemy or competitor. [Source: Oxford Dictionaries]

I would add to that, in this world of multiculturalism and easy immigration: "A foreign person employed..."

If Joseph wasn't doing this already, what's to stop him for doing so eventually? Firing him over tweeting is ridding the agency of a potential, much bigger, security risk.
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Autumn in New York

Central Park Mall, running through the park from 66th street to 72 street



Autumn in New York
By Frank Sinatra

Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so inviting?
Autumn in New York
It spells the thrill of first-knighting.

Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds
In canyons of steel,
They're making me feel
I'm home.

It's autumn in New York
That brings the promise of new love.
Autumn in New York
Is often mingled with pain.

Dreamers with empty hands
May sigh for exotic lands.
It's autumn in New York,
It's good to live it again.

Lovers that bless the dark
On benches in Central Park.
It's autumn in New York,
It's good to live it again.
[Note: I cannot find any punctuation for the lyrics,
so, I've added them myself]

Below is Peter Mintun singing Autumn in New York with the piano accompanying. The song is from the Veron Duke's Broadway musical Thumbs Up!.



I cannot find the original performer in the musical, J. Harold Murray, singing Autumn in New York, but below is probably an original 1923 recording (I wish Youtube posters would give us precise information - dates, recordings, performers, etc!) of him singing Faded Love Letters. This gives us an idea of his voice and his style. Of course, very different from Frank Sinatra.



Below is Charlie Parkers saxophone version:



And Sarah Vaughn's vocal version:



And Chet Baker on his trumpet:



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The Grandeur of Autumn

Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Itzhak Perlman with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded on 18-20 May 1976, No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London

The Youtube source above has conflicting information. It describes the above recording as both by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I found another recording of Perlman playing The Four Seasons, clearly identified as with the London Philharmonic, and the Youtube version above matches this recording (in performance style). I am therefore labeling the above recording as with the London Philharmonic Orchestra



This source has the following description on the recording:
- Recorded on 18-20 May 1976 at No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London.

- 180g Audiophile Vinyl Cut from the Original Analogue EMI Master Tapes at Abbey Road Studios

- The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Op. 8 led by violinist, conductor Itzhak Perlman...

- Cut at Abbey Road Studios from the original stereo analogue master tapes with the Neumann VMS82 lathe fed an analogue pre-cut signal from a specially adapted Studer A80 tape deck with additional 'advance' playback head, making the cut a totally analogue process.

Musicians:
Itzhak Perlman, violin, conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Rodney Friend, leader
John Toll, harpsichord

And here is a review the recording:

In the original February 1976 review, Edward Greenfield of the GRAMOPHONE wrote:
"Perlman... presents a personality performance, one which naturally brings out the individuality of his artistry. So the momentary hesitations in the bird noises have the finesse of a great artist to make them more compelling, and on balance Perlman's style of phrasing is a degree freer and more overtly expressive than Galway's [version for flute], except that for a movement like the central Adagio of "Summer" he adopts a deliberately simple style, stilling his vibrato. There is flair too in the quirky contrasts between the alternating sections of the first movement of that concerto, and generally contrasts of all kinds are heightened. The LPO strings play with great refinement, and with a rather more intimate acoustic than to the other versions, the result is both in scale and sharply defined..."

The album cover is described as "original artwork." I tried to find the artist, but often on album covers, he remains anonymous. In any case, it is a lovely, delicate illustration, and looks like an Art Nouveau style of the 19th century, a little like a William Morris, depicting the four seasons.


Album Cover Illustration
(Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter)


Collage of Charles Voysey's designs. Voysey is a contemporary of William Morris,
working in the Art Nouveau style of the 19th century
I'm labeling the pieces: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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Marchesa's D';Extase

The couture clothing line Marchesa, run by the two friends Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, released its first perfume last year, called D'Extase. I've been to Sephora to try it, and as usual, they gave me a small sample to test. Often with perfume the initial spurt is not enough to release the middle and base notes. A small sample helps me test the perfume through the day, as it changes and reaches its final scent.

Here are the notes:

Top Notes: Iris, Freesia, Black Current, Violet Leaves
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom
Base Notes: Iris, Musk

I forgot about this perfume until recently, when I saw the lovely bottle again during a recent trip to Sephora's. My original sample had evaporated by then, so I asked the shop girl to give me another.

The perfume has a light beginning, but it then blossoms into a sweet florals and a warm musk. The jasmine gives it a powdery softness. It lasts for several hours, and stays on sprayed fabric for days.

The ad below has one of the women rambling on about the perfume making a woman feel powerful, special, intoxicating, beautiful, sensual, confident, strong, ethereal. Is there any adjective missing for this woman who wants it all?



Still, these woman have designed a good perfume. It's no Chanel or Dior, but it is a warm welcome to to the cold days ahead.

The perfume bottle is crystal-encrusted, after the evening clutches designed by Marchesa.



Below is an evening clutch from the Marchesa collection, which I particularly like:


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Women, Careers, Politics, and God

Michele Bachmann started her professional and political life when her some of her children were still quite young. She started a Christian charter school with her husband in 1993, when she still had a six-year-old, a three-year-old and one-year-old. She finished law school in 1988 (she started in 1976, and the eight years it took her was probably its conflict with her family obligations). She worked as a tax litigator from 1988-1993, when she resigned to to stay home and take care of her younger children, then raging in age from six to twelve (her oldest was eighteen by then). She entered local Minnesota politics in 2000, when her children's ages ranged from six to eighteen She was Minnesota's state senator from 2000-2006. She was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2006, representing the 6th Congressional District of Minnesota. She was re-elected in 2008, and again in 2011. She announced her candidacy for president in June 27, 2011. She exited the GOP race in January 2012, after placing last with only 5% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses. She has announced in May 2013 that she will not run for re-election in Congress in 2014. In an interview on June 2013, she said that she's not taking anything off the table for the 2016 presidential run. Her political fight at the moment is to repeal Obamacare, and to fight against the debt ceiling. On October 10, 2013, she filed procedures to impeach President Obama due to his refusal to negotiate Obamacare, which led to a two-week government shutdown. On Oct. 16, 2013 she voted against a bill that would raise the debt ceiling.

Her professional life took her away from her family, but she entered it at the bidding of her husband, and through God's calling:

In a campaign appearance at the Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Oct. 15, 2006, Bachmann discussed the importance of God's calling at critical moments in her life. She told the audience how she met Marcus Bachmann, how she earned a law degree at Oral Roberts University, and how she returned to law school for a second degree, this one in tax law.

"My husband said, 'Now you need to go and get a postdoctorate degree in tax law,'" Bachmann told the audience. "Tax law? I hate taxes. Why should I go and do something like that? But the Lord said, 'Be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husband.' And so we moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and I went to William and Mary Law School there. ... Never had a tax course in my background, never had a desire for it, but by faith, I was going to be faithful to what I felt God was calling me to do through my husband."

Bachmann went on to say that God later called her to run for the state Senate in Minnesota and, still later, for the U.S. Congress. After the church posted a video of her appearance on its website, a left-wing blogger picked it up and spread it on anti-Bachmann sites. If Bachmann's opponents were hoping it would be the end of her campaign, they were wrong; Bachmann won the race in 2006 and has been re-elected twice since.

But Bachmann's statement -- in public, on stage, microphone in hand, in the context of a political campaign -- raised a legitimate question. What role does her husband play in her performance in public office? With that in mind, at the Fox News-Washington Examiner debate in Ames, Iowa, on Aug. 11, I asked Bachmann whether, as president, she would be submissive to her husband.

The question prompted boos in the Republican-filled hall, and then cheers when Bachmann answered. "What submission means to us," she said, "if that's what your question is, it means respect." [Source: Townhall.com]

As her husband advised her, her preparation in tax law is now bearing fruit.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Yes, She Can

Michele Bachmann and Charlie Rangel on CNN's Crossfire
which aired September 19, 2013

Michele Bachmann stands her ground with humor and strength on CNN's Crossfire with race hustler Charlie Rangel, which aired on September 19, 2013.

Below is the video. Her "interaction" with Rangel begins aroud the 1:13 point. Here is the full transcript.



Here are some amusing sections, with Bachmann playing along, but also serious about her points. I've numbered the different sections.

1. BACHMANN: You believe in equal protection for all. You believe everyone should be treated equally.

RANGEL: I believe in the Constitution.

BACHMANN: Hey, we're on the same side. But you believe that everyone should be treated equally. I know you do.

[...]

2.

BACHMANN: Unfortunately President Obama decided he was going to give an exemption for big business...

JONES [Co-host]: Hold on a second.

BACHMANN: ... but not for Joe Six Pack. I'm for Joe Six Pack. Why aren't you for Joe Six Pack, Charlie?

[...]

3. RANGEL: The president got reelected on the issues.

BACHMANN: And so did I. And so did I.

[...]

4. RANGEL: She's a lawyer. She's a very good legislator.

BACHMANN: And don't forget attractive.

RANGEL: There's only one question. What?

BACHMANN: That came out of your mouth.

RANGEL: It did. I say that so often people say that that's sexist and everything, so...

BACHMANN: No, no, no, we like that.

RANGEL: I don't know about that "we," but no one's going to challenge your beauty.

CUPP: All right. Someone has to break up this love fest.

RANGEL: And even the beauty of having so many children that you've raised. So -- but...

BACHMANN: I like Charlie.

[...]

5. RANGEL: ...no one's going to challenge your beauty.

CUPP [co-host at Crossfire]: All right. Someone has to break up this love fest.

RANGEL: And even the beauty of having so many children that you've raised. So -- but...

BACHMANN: I like Charlie.

[...]

6. RANGEL: Do you agree with me that the Republican Party as a national party, it is so dead in ten years based on a whole lot of strange..

BACHMANN: Watch the phoenix rise from the ashes, Charlie.

RANGEL: And I need the Republican Party, because we've got to have someone to beat up on.

BACHMANN: Oh, Charlie, as a Congressman, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

Rangel is quite taken in by Bachmann. But, she won't let him argue based on her "beauty" and instead mocks him for not putting up a fight.
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Published by Kidist P. Asrat
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What's in a Name?

Michele Bachmann is being touted as the ditz-in-politics across the left-wing, liberal media. But she's far from it.

Starting with her name. I wondered at the odd spelling, but it is more accurate than it seems.

Michele is the actual French spelling for Michelle, although the first e has an accent. It is written Michèle in French.

The Swiss/German Bachmann spelling appears to be a variation for the Anglicized version which is what we are used to in America. But, the ending with two n's is not uncommon.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------