Henry David Thoreau

Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Discuss

DAME IRIS MURDOCH (1919)

An Irish-born novelist and philosopher, Murdoch studied at Cambridge under prominent philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein before pursuing a career in writing. Her novels focus on the idea that free will is illusory and depict humans as “accidental” creatures, seemingly free but actually bound to self, society, and the natural world. She penned 26 novels and many philosophical works before Alzheimer’s ended her writing career. To what non-medical condition did she initially attribute her symptoms?More… Discuss

 

THE CHOWCHILLA SCHOOL BUS KIDNAPPING (1976)

Chowchilla is a small California town that made national headlines when kidnappers took control of a school bus full of children in 1976. The 26 children and their bus driver, Ed Ray, were driven around in two vans for 11 hours before being forced into a moving van buried in a quarry. After 16 hours underground, Ray and the children managed to escape. All were safely returned home, and the kidnappers were soon arrested. What technique helped Ray to recall the kidnappers’ license plate number?More… Discuss

 

CHINA REVIVES WORLD’S LONGEST UNDERSEA TUNNEL PROJECT

China has announced plans to revive an undersea tunnel project that will allow vehicular traffic to cross under the Bohai Strait, cutting the travel distance between China’s eastern and northeastern regions by 620 miles (998 km). When completed, the tunnel will span 76.4 miles (123 km), more than twice the distance of Japan’s Seikan Tunnel, currently the world’s longest undersea tunnel. The project was first announced in the 1990s and was set to be completed before 2010 at a cost of $10 billion. However, it never went beyond the planning stage. Its cost has more than quadrupled since. More… Discuss

 

CHARNEL

Definition:	(adjective) Gruesomely indicative of death or the dead.
Synonyms:	ghastly, sepulchral
Usage:	The charnel smell coming from the suspect’s basement left little doubt that he was the killer we were seeking. Discuss

Hans Island

Hans Island is located between Canada and Greenland in the strait that connects Baffin Bay to the Arctic Ocean. Used by the Inuit as a hunting ground for centuries, it was later found by 19th-century British and American explorers searching for the Northwest Passage and the North Pole. The island was named after Greenlander Hans Hendrik, the guide of American explorer Charles Francis Hall. Though it is just 0.5 sq mi (1.3 sq km) and is barren and uninhabited, it is claimed by what two countries? More… Discuss

 

Locus Iste by Paul Mealor

Performance of Paul Mealor’s “Locus iste” (2009) in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, December 2009, 
by the Chapel Choir of King’s College, Aberdeen. Conductor: Roger B. Williams MBE. 
Recorded and Produced by Aled Edwards

Hubert Parry: I Was Glad

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, sings the famous Coronation anthem, ‘I Was Glad when they said unto me’, by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.

The autumn is old, Gustav Holst – Cor Ariadna de l’Agrupació Cor Madrigal

Concert de final de curs del Cor Ariadna

Data: dissabte 12 juny de 2010
Lloc: Parròquia Verge de la Pau

LEONARD COHEN. I CAN’T FORGET

 Send “I Can’t Forget” Ringtone to your Cell 

“I Can’t Forget”,  Leonard Cohen

I stumbled out of bed 
I got ready for the struggle 
I smoked a cigarette 
And I tightened up my gut 
I said this can’t be me 
Must be my double 
And I can’t forget, I can’t forget 
I can’t forget but I don’t remember what 
I’m burning up the road 
I’m heading down to Phoenix 
I got this old address 
Of someone that I knew 
It was high and fine and free 
Ah, you should have seen us 
And I can’t forget, I can’t forget 
I can’t forget but I don’t remember who 

I’ll be there today 
With a big bouquet of cactus 
I got this rig that runs on memories 
And I promise, cross my heart, 
They’ll never catch us 
But if they do, just tell them it was me 

Yeah I loved you all my life 
And that’s how I want to end it 
The summer’s almost gone 
The winter’s tuning up 
Yeah, the summer’s gone 
But a lot goes on forever 
And I can’t forget, I can’t forget 
I can’t forget but I don’t remember what

  Send “I Can’t Forget” Ringtone to your Cell 

Leonard Cohen : Sisters Of Mercy (“…When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned…”)

Oh the sisters of mercy,
they are not departed or gone.
They were waiting for me when
I thought that I just can’t go on.
And they brought me their comfort
and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them,
you who’ve been travelling so long.
Yes you who must leave everything
that you cannot control.
It begins with your family,
but soon it comes around to your soul.

Well I’ve been where you’re hanging,
I think I can see how you’re pinned:
When you’re not feeling holy,
your loneliness says that you’ve sinned.
Well they lay down beside me,
I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes and
I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off
and condemn they will bind you with love
that is graceful and green as a stem.
When I left they were sleeping,
I hope you run into them soon.
Don’t turn on the lights,
you can read their address by the moon.
And you won’t make me jealous if
I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren’t lovers like that and besides
it would still be all right,
We weren’t lovers like that
and besides it would still be all right.

---

A D A E——-0—–0————2—–2—-|——-0—–0——0—————-| B——-2—–2————3—–3—-|——-2—–2——————0—-| G—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-|—-2—–2—–2———1———-| D——————–0—————-|———————–2—–2—–2-| A-0———————————–|-0———————————–| E————————————-|——————–0—————-| Sisters of Mercy they are not de- parted or A D A E————-0——2———–2—-|-0————————0———-| B——-2——–2———3———-|——-2—–0——2———–0—-| G—-2—–2————2—–2—–2-|—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-| D——————–0—————-|————————————-| A-0———————————–|-0———————————–| E————————————-|————————————-| gone They were C#m G#m C#m G#m E——-4——————4———-|——-4——————4———-| B————-5——————4—-|————-5——————4—-| G—-6—–6—–6——4—–4—–4-|—-6—–6—–6——4—–4—–4-| D————————————-|————————————-| A-4——————6—————-|-4——————6—————-| E————————————-|————————————-| waiting for me when I thought that I just cannot go E E————————————-|————————————-| B-0————————0———-|——-0—————————–| G——-1—–1——2———–2—-|-1———–1————1—–1—-| D—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-|—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-| A————-2——2———–2—-|————-2———————–| E-0———————————–|-0——————0—————-| on And they D A G7 E-2——————0—————-|————————————-| B——-3—–3———————–|-3——————2—————-| G—-2—–2—–2———2—–2—-|——-4—–4————2—–2—-| D-0———————2—–2—–2-|—-3—–3—–3——4—–4—–4-| A——————–0—————-|————————————-| E————————————-|-3——————2—————-| brought me their comfort and later they brought me their E E————————————-|————————————-| B-0————————0———-|——-0—————————–| G——-1—–1——2———–2—-|-1———–1————1—–1—-| D—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-|—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-| A————-2——2———–2—-|————-2———————–| E-0———————————–|-0——————0—————-| song OH, I A D A E——-0——————2———-|——-0————0—————-| B————-2——————3—-|————-2————3—–0—-| G—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-|—-2—–2—–2——1—–1—–1-| D——————–0—————-|————————————-| A-0———————————–|-0———————————–| E————————————-|——————–0—————-| hope you run into them you who’ve been travling so A D E————-0——2———–2—-|——-2—–2——3—–2—–0—-| B—————-2———3———-|—-3—–3—–3——0—–3—–3-| G-2—–2—————2—–2—–2-|————————————-| D—-2—–2———0—————-|————-0——0—–0—–0—-| A-0———————————–|-0———————————–| E————————————-|————————————-| long D A E——-2—–2——3—–2—–0—-|——-2————————0—-| B-3——–3—–3——0—–3—–3-|-3———–3——0—–2———-| G—-2——————————–|—-2—–2—–2——2—–2—–2-| D-0—–0—–0——0—–0—–0—-|-0—–0—–0———————–| A————————————-|——————–0—–0—–0—-| E————————————-|————————————-| A E——————| B——-0—–2—-| G—-2—–2—–2-| D——————| A-0—————-| E——————| E E-0——————0—————-|-0——————0—————-| B——-0—–0————0—–1—-|——-0—–1————0—–1—-| G—-1—–1—–1——1—–1—–1-|—-1—–1—–1——1—–1—–1-| D————-2——————2—-|————-2——————2—-| A————————————-|————————————-| E-0——————0—————-|-0——————0—————-| OH, I

---

Les soeurs de la miséricorde
n’ont jamais disparu
Elles étaient là
Et m’aidaient quand je me sentais perdu
Elles m’ount réconforté
M’ont donné des chansons et du pain
J’espère que tu les trouveras
Toi qui voyages au loin

Tu avais pourtant tout quitté
Ta famille ton métier
Mais bientôt c’est ton âme
Que tu ne pourras plus contrôler
Je suis passé par là
Et je sais qu’on est vite épignalé
Et que toujours la solitude
Reconnaît le pêché

Je me suis confessé à elles
A mes côtés couchées
Elles ont touché mes yeux
Sur leurs mains j’ai senti la rosée
Si ta vie est une feuille
Que les saisons arrachent et déchirent
Ouvre à l’amour qui est grave
Et gracieux comme une tige.

J’espère que tu les trouveras
Toi qui cherche fortune
N’allume pas la lumière
Leur adresse est écrite sur la lune
Et je ne serais pas jaloux
De savoir que tu tentes ta chance
On ne s’aimait pas comme ça
Et c’est sans importance

 

 

Leonard Cohen – Suzanne (promo Live in London 2008)

Just a nice memory I Wanted to share with you…once more time!

euzicasa

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river 
You can hear the boats go by 
You can spend the night beside her 
And you know that she’s half crazy 
But that’s why you want to be there 

And she feeds you tea and oranges 
That come all the way from China 
And just when you mean to tell her 
That you have no love to give her 
Then she gets you on her wavelength 
And she lets the river answer 
That you’ve always been her lover 
And you want to travel with her 
And you want to travel blind 
And you know that she will trust you 
For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind. 

And Jesus was a sailor 
When he walked upon the water 
And he spent a long time watching 
From his lonely wooden tower 
And when he knew for certain 
Only…

View original post 480 more words

Leonard Cohen Live – “A Thousand Kisses Deep” (recitation) and “I’m Your Man”

A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP 

Leonard singing an early version
of A Thousand Kisses Deep
(Captured from Armelle Brusq’s 
documentary Spring 1996) 

The song A Thousand Kisses Deep on
Ten New Songs is based on this poem.

For Those Who Greeted Me *)

1. You came to me this morning
And you handled me like meat.
You´d have to live alone to know
How good that feels, how sweet.
My mirror twin, my next of kin,
I´d know you in my sleep.
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep?

2. I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat.
I´m just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet,
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique –
With all he is, and all he was
A thousand kisses deep.

3. All soaked in sex, and pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
We made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked
A thousand kisses deep.

4. I know you had to lie to me,
I know you had to cheat.
But the Means no longer guarantee
The Virtue in Deceit.
That truth is bent, that beauty spent,
That style is obsolete –
Ever since the Holy Spirit went
A thousand kisses deep.

5. (So what about this Inner Light
That´s boundless and unique?
I´m slouching through another night
A thousand kisses deep.)

6. I´m turning tricks; I´m getting fixed,
I´m back on Boogie Street.
I tried to quit the business –
Hey, I´m lazy and I´m weak.
But sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep.

7. (And fragrant is the thought of you,
The file on you complete –
Except what we forgot to do
A thousand kisses deep.)

8. The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it´s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it´s real
A thousand kisses deep.

9. (I jammed with Diz and Dante –
I did not have their sweep –
But once or twice, they let me play
A thousand kisses deep.)

10. And I´m still working with the wine,
Still dancing cheek to cheek.
The band is playing “Auld Lang Syne” –
The heart will not retreat.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep –
You ditch it all to stay alive
A thousand kisses deep.

11. And now you are the Angel Death
And now the Paraclete;
And now you are the Savior’s Breath
And now the Belsen heap.
No turning from the threat of love,
No transcendental leap –
As witnessed here in time and blood
A thousand kisses deep.

September 21, 1998

 

Merkel wants tough EU line on Internet firms after spying outcry | Reuters

Merkel wants tough EU line on Internet firms after spying outcry | Reuters.

New at euzicasa: Open Library is yours (ACCESS FROM HERE): now a one stop access widget!

Open Library is yours (ACCESS FROM HERE)

Leonard Cohen – Anthem (“bought and sold and bought again… the dove is never free”)

LEONARD COHEN LYRICS

 Send “Anthem” Ringtone to your Cell 

“Anthem”, by Leonard Cohen

The birds they sang 
at the break of day 
Start again 
I heard them say 
Don’t dwell on what 
has passed away 
or what is yet to be. 
Ah the wars they will 
be fought again 
The holy dove 
She will be caught again 
bought and sold 
and bought again 
the dove is never free. Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in. 

Smetana – Die Moldau (Karajan)

Smetana – Die Moldau (Karajan)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Mozart – Missa Brevis in C, K. 317 (“Coronation Mass”)

The Krönungsmesse (German for Coronation Mass) (Mass No. 15 in C major, KV 317; sometimes Mass No. 16), composed in 1779, is one of the most popular of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s 17 extant settings of the Ordinary of the Mass. This setting, like the majority of Mozart’s mass settings, is a Missa brevis, or short mass (as opposed to the more formal Solemn Masses or High Masses, known as Missae solemnes). This Mass was completed on March 23, 1779 in Salzburg. Mozart had just returned to the city after 18 months of fruitless job hunting in Paris and Mannheim, and his father Leopold promptly got him a job as court organist and composer at Salzburg Cathedral. The mass was almost certainly premiered there on Easter Sunday April 4, 1779. Contrary to common misunderstandings, it was not intended for the church of Maria Plain near Salzburg, and was probably not performed at the Imperial coronations in Prague in 1790 and 1792. It appears to have acquired the nickname “Coronation” at the Imperial court in Vienna in the early nineteenth century. In the following century, Joseph Haydn alluded to this Mass in his Harmoniemesse. Structure:
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei

Mozart – Lacrimosa

• Artist
  KPM Philharmonic Orchestra, KPM Choir, Hieronym Baltazar, Maciej Korczaky, KPM Philharmonic Orchestra, KPM Choir, Hieronym Baltazar, Maciej Korczaky

Mozart – Flute and Harp Concerto in C, K. 299

The Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C major, K. 299 is a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for flute, harp, and orchestra:

• I. Allegro
• II. Andantino
• III. Rondeau – Allegro

It is one of only two true double concertos that he wrote, as well as the only piece of music that Mozart wrote that contains the harp. The piece is one of the most popular such concerti in the repertoire, as well as often being found on recordings dedicated otherwise to either one of its featured instruments.

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, in E minor, “From The New World”: Karajan · Vienna Philarmonic

Great presentation of the Great Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan, playing the 9th Symphony of Antonin Dvorak “From the new world”. 

(0:37) 1st mvt (Adagio, Allegro Molto)
(10:42) 2nd mvt (Largo)
(23:30) 3rd mvt (Scherzo, Molto Vivace)
(32:07) 4rth mvt (Allegro con fuoco)

Gran presentación de la Filarmónica de Viena conducida por Herbert von Karajan, interpretando la novena sinfonía de Antonin Dvorak “Sinfonía del Nuevo Mundo”.    Telemonde 1992

From Wikipedia:

NIGHT OF THE MAYA OF WILD – SILVESTRE REVUELTAS SANCHEZ

Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (Durango, December 31, 1899 – Mexico City, October 5, 1940) was a Mexican composer of symphonic music modernist of the first half of the twentieth century, violinist and conductor. It is considered the most influential composer of Mexican nationality by the scope and originality of his chamber music and certain works that have become a very important part of the orchestral repertoire. Revueltas’s music has attracted international musicological interest, a phenomenon observed only until 50 years after his death. The different investigations are shaping a composer whose importance you place within the original creations of the twentieth century music.According to several authors is the only composer of genius who has had Mexico. 

SCHUMANN – Introduction and Allegro Appassionato in G major Op. 92

Song to the Moon – Antonín Dvořák (with soprano Renee Fleming)

See lyrics translated into English below.

Soprano Renee Fleming sings this aria. Dvorak’s composition relies upon expansive arpeggiated chords to capture the fairy tale ambiance of Rusalka. The amicable old Spirit of the Lake, Jezibab, is enjoying the singing of the Wood Nymphs, when his daughter, Rusalka, sadly approaches him. She admits that she has fallen in love with a handsome prince. Yearning to know the bliss of union with him, she wishes to become human. Deeply saddened, the Spirit of the Lake consents to her request, and leaves. All alone, Rusalka sings this magnificent aria and shares the secrets of her longing to the moon.

Featuring the paintings and artwork of William Bouguereau, Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, J.W. Waterhouse, Armand Guillaumin, and Spadecaller.

Lyrics (translation)

Silver moon upon the deep dark sky,
Through the vast night pierce your rays.
This sleeping world you wander by,
Smiling on man’s homes and ways.
Oh moon ere past you glide, tell me,
Tell me, oh where does my loved one bide?
Oh moon ere past you glide, tell me
Tell me, oh where does my loved one bide?
Tell him, oh tell him, my silver moon,
Mine are the arms that shall hold him,
That between waking and sleeping he may
Think of the love that enfolds him,
May between waking and sleeping
Think of the love that enfolds him.
Light his path far away, light his path,
Tell him, oh tell him who does for him stay!
Human soul, should it dream of me, Let my memory wakened be.
Moon, moon, oh do not wane, do not wane,
Moon, oh moon, do not wane….

 

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major (Opus 92)

Symphony No. 7 in A major (Opus 92) is a composition reflecting Beethoven’s unparalleled wisdom.

The Seventh Symphony is in four movements:

1. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
2. Allegretto
3. Presto – Assai meno presto (trio)
4. Allegro con brio

Beethoven began writing Symphony No. 7 in 1811 and completed it in 1812. He took his time to create something totally amazing, and this remains one of the best music ever written. This is the moment when we identify a modern stage in the composer‘s creation, where classical elements intertwine with romantic ones, thus generating a new expression far more intimate and more complex.

Movement I (Vivace) 

The first movement starts with a long, expanded introduction marked “poco sustention”, showing a solemn and majestic character. On the rhythmical background we hear the fine motif. This first part brings many new elements, easy to decipher, because the composer achieved perfection through sound. Here, we see Beethoven’s distinctive use of rhythm and pioneering sense of key relationships. 

Gustav Holst – The Planets, Op. 32 (1914 – 1916)

Happy Birthday Gustav Holst ! Holst is 137 years old. He won’t die…
http://www.gustavholst.info/compositi…
Reupload of the Planets
Eugene Ormandy, Philedelphia Orchestra (1975)
– Mars, the Bringer of War, 00:26
– Venus, the Bringer of Peace, 07:20
– Mercury, the Winged Messenger, 15:23
– Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, 19:36
– Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, 27:57
– Uranus, the Magician, 36:27
– Neptune, the Mystic, 41:55

 

Gustav Holst, The Planets – III. Mercury, The Winged Messenger

The Planets, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox

India’s protest-hit nuclear plant to generate power – FRANCE 24

 

India’s protest-hit nuclear plant to generate power – FRANCE 24.

Quotation: Anna Sewell on ignorance and wickedness

Only ignorance! Only ignorance! How can you talk about only ignorance? Don’t you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness?

Anna Sewell (1820-1878) Discuss

Today’s Birthday: EMMELINE PANKHURST (1858)

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858)

Pankhurst was a leading British suffragette. In 1889, she founded the Women’s Franchise League, which in 1894 secured for married women the right to vote in local elections. She later advocated militancy, mainly in the form of arson, and was once arrested 12 times in a year. During World War I, she organized a rally of 30,000 women to encourage employers to let men fight while women did their jobs in England. What did her supporters hand out to every young man they encountered in civilian dress? More… Discuss

 

This Day in the Yesteryear: ST. MARK’S CAMPANILE COLLAPSES (1902)

St. Mark’s Campanile Collapses (1902)

Originally built in the 9th century, St. Mark’s Campanile is the 323-foot (98.6-m) bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. It has been damaged many times in its history, including by fire and an earthquake. In 1902, a crack appeared in its north wall. On the morning of July 14, the campanile collapsed. Remarkably, no one was killed by the collapse, and only one building was damaged. Reconstruction of the campanile was completed in 1912. What was the one casualty of the collapse? More… Discuss

 

BABY HATCHES

In medieval Europe, mothers unable to care for their babies could leave them in a foundling wheel, typically a revolving cylinder lodged in a church or orphanage wall. Today, many countries continue to offer mothers the ability to safely and anonymously abandon their babies in much the same way. Modern baby hatches consist of a door in a hospital’s outer wall that opens onto an infant bed. When a baby is deposited, an alarm sounds, alerting caretakers. Why are some opposed to the hatch system? More…Discuss

 

A Word Each Day: ERUDITION

erudition 

Definition:	(noun) Profound scholarly knowledge.
Synonyms:	encyclopedism, learning, scholarship
Usage:	They, like himself, had been bred in the studious cloisters of a university, and were supposed to possess all the erudition which mankind has hoarded up from age to age. Discuss.