Just a Thought: “The World is in dire need for wise leaders…I mean it always has been, and will always be!

Quotation: Oscar Wilde On paying for one deeds

Sooner or later we have all to pay for what we do.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Today’s Birthday: ISMAIL I (1487)

Ismail I (1487)

The young Ismail I went into hiding after his father’s death and emerged at age 14 to proclaim himself Shah of Iran. Despite his youth, he was able to reunify Iran and establish the Safavid Empire, which remained intact until 1736. Ismail converted Iran from the Sunni to the Shi’a sect of Islam, drawing the ire of Selim I, the Sunni sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who wrote Ismail belligerent letters before invading Iran. Ismail was also a prolific poet who wrote under what pseudonym? More…

 

This Day in the Yesteryear: APOLLO-SOYUZ TEST PROJECT: FIRST DOCKING OF RUSSIAN AND US SPACECRAFTS (1975)

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: First Docking of Russian and US Spacecrafts (1975)

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the US and Soviet space programs. Its primary purpose was symbolic, to show that the two superpowers were easing the tensions of their Space Race. The two mission commanders exchanged the first international handshake in space through the open hatch of the Soyuz. Though American Deke Slayton had been selected for the Mercury mission in the 1950s, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was his first flight into space. Why did he have to wait? More…

OBESITY GENE INCREASES HUNGER ( but, let it not get you discouraged!)

Obesity Gene Increases Hunger

Many people still consider obesity to be an issue of self control, but it is actually a complex problem influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics. The FTO geneis known to play a role in the development of obesity, but scientists did not understand just how it did so until now. A new study found that the gene may affect the levels of a hunger-stimulating hormone in the body called ghrelin. Men with two copies of the high-risk FTO gene variant had higher levels of ghrelin in their blood as well as increased sensitivity to the chemical in their brains as compared to men with the low-risk versions. This essentially biologically predisposes them to eat more. More…

SAMIZDAT

Samizdat was the clandestine system of writing, printing, and distributing literature that was suppressed by the Soviet government. The term also refers to the literature itself. Samizdat began appearing in the 1950s and typically took the form of carbon copies of typewritten sheets that were passed from reader to reader. Subjects included dissident activities, transcripts of political trials, and analyses of socioeconomic and cultural themes. What does samizdat mean in Russian? More…

 

A word Each day: foppish Definition: (adjective) Affecting extreme elegance in dress and manner. Synonyms: dandyish

foppish 

Definition:	(adjective) Affecting extreme elegance in dress and manner.
Synonyms:	dandyish
Usage:	Though not foppish, he appreciated fine clothes.

Alexander Nevsky (1938)

1938 directed by Sergei Eisenstein starring Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov and Andrei Abrikosov.

Alexander Nevsky is also (Russian: Александр Невский) is the score for the 1938 Sergei Eisenstein film Alexander Nevsky, composed by Sergei Prokofiev. He later rearranged the music in the form of a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra, with text by the poet Vladimir Lugovskoy and Prokofiev. It has remained one of the most renowned cantatas of the 20th century.

In the 13th century Russia has been overrun by foreign invaders. A Russian knyaz’, or prince, Alexander Nevsky, rallies the people to form an army to combat an invasion by Teutonic knights. This is a true story based on the battle at a lake near Novgorod. 

Praise the Lord – Sergei Rachmaninov

“Благослови, душе моя” (“Blagoslovi, dushe moya” or “Praise the Lord”) from Sergei Rachmaninov performed by the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir.

Magnificent Russian Orthodox Song (If you know the name….Please share!)

Coptic Orthodox Church

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
The work is scored for SATB soloists and chorus, 2 violins, “Bassi”, 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, 3 trombones (which reinforce the alto, tenor and bass) and organ. Notable is the lack of violas, typical of music written for Salzburg, and the vague name “basses” for the stave shared by organ, bassoon (specified only in the Credo), Cello and Double bass. Among the original parts is one for “Violone”, a slippery term sometimes implying a 16′ bass but also used for the 8′ Bass violin.
The Kyrie, Gloria and Credo all begin emphatically in C-major with an almost military rhythm. The soloists contrast with the larger forces of the choir, often as a quartet. Of note in this regard are the central Adagio section of the Credo at Et incarnatus est, and the surprise of the Benedictus after the chorus has already declaimed the Hosanna. These musical breaks mimic what is occurring in the Mass at these points, and serve to link the music to the proper forum for which it was intended: The Traditional Roman Catholic Mass. Rubrics require the congregation to change from a standing position to a kneeling position at the ‘incarnatus’ out of respect for the Incarnation of Christ: hence the musical break. Similarly, only the first verse of the ‘Sanctus’ is sung before the Consecration, the ‘Benedictus’ verse is required to be sung afterward, according to the rubrics of the Mass. This required rubrical division often results in the verses appearing in music as two separate movements, although they are thematically joined. In the Credo, Mozart introduces the trombones for the Crucifixus and using a chromatic fourth in the bass. The soprano solo of the Agnus Dei exhibits melodic similarities to and may foreshadow “Dove sono”, the Countess’ main aria from Le nozze di Figaro. 

This Goes to all Christians of all denominations who are suffering persecution by the enemy of of our Faith IN Egypt, Syria, and everywhere!: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 on pipe organ

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 on pipe organ by Johann Sebastian Bach (composer and organist) 1685 to 1750.

Artist Henk Lagendaal

 

Coptic Christians cry out ‘JESUS’ for 10 minutes ! SO BEAUTIFUL !!

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What Would You Do…If something like this happen to you?: Mystery of American who woke up speaking Swedish is solved – by a medieval re-enactment society

Mystery of American who woke up speaking Swedish is solved – by a medieval re-enactment society.

What Would You Do…If something like this happen to you?

NTSB blames the intern, a time-honored tradition – In the Loop – The Washington Post

NTSB blames the intern, a time-honored tradition – In the Loop – The Washington Post.

BBC News – Egypt’s Coptic Christians pay price of political tumult

 

BBC News – Egypt’s Coptic Christians pay price of political tumult.

CA Signs Off On Controversial Project Next to Joshua Tree Nat’l Park | The Grid | ReWire | KCET

 

CA Signs Off On Controversial Project Next to Joshua Tree Nat’l Park | The Grid | ReWire | KCET.

Are Brit international creatives better than their Yankee counterparts? | The Displaced Nation

 

Are Brit international creatives better than their Yankee counterparts? | The Displaced Nation.

BBC News – Barclays fined $435m in US over energy market-rigging

 

BBC News – Barclays fined $435m in US over energy market-rigging.

Calanque d’En Vau, France — Travel 365 — National Geographic

 

Calanque d’En Vau, France — Travel 365 — National Geographic.

Trusting Law Enforcement After the Trayvon Tragedy | American Civil Liberties Union

 

Trusting Law Enforcement After the Trayvon Tragedy | American Civil Liberties Union.

Exclusive: Fired employee to file lawsuit against Zimmerman prosecutors | Reuters

Exclusive: Fired employee to file lawsuit against Zimmerman prosecutors | Reuters.

How Reformers Can Threaten Liberty

Jay P. Greene's Blog

I’ll interrupt my hiatus to post this video of my lecture to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation as part of their Friedman Day celebrations.  In this lecture I discuss ways in which aspects of the education reform movement are in danger of becoming the thing that they oppose.  In particular, I discuss Common Core, top-down accountability, and narrowing education to focus only on work-related skills.

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Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit

Rare Live Footage of one of the firtst 
anti rascism songs ever.

‘Lava Surf by Moonlight’ – Oil Painting(My Art Collection)

‘Lava Surf by Moonlight’ -Oil Painting (My Art Collection)

What Happened To: On the Brink of Extinction

What Happened To: On the Brink of Extinction

Phytoplankton’s influence on th eGlobal Carbon Cycle

Phytoplankton’s influence on the global  Carbon Cycle

Kevin Gosztola: Behind the Scenes of the Bradley Manning Trial Ignored by Corporate Media | Democracy Now!

Kevin Gosztola: Behind the Scenes of the Bradley Manning Trial Ignored by Corporate Media | Democracy Now!.

The judge in the Bradley Manning case says she will decide Thursday on his lawyers’ request to dismiss seven of the charges he faces, including allegations that he aided the enemy when he provided hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. The defense says the prosecution has not provided sufficient evidence that Manning had actual knowledge that the information he leaked would end up with the enemy. Lawyers for the government have said that, based on his training, Private Manning knew that al-Qaeda and other groups could have access to the documents. For an inside look of the Manning trial we speak to Kevin Gosztola, a civil liberties blogger at Firedoglake who is one of only a handful of journalists covering the Manning trial on a daily basis. “It really is only being covered when the outlets in the U.S. media feel they have an obligation to cover something,” Gosztola says.

Who runs corporate media? Yeah, as if you didn’t know! 

 

L.A. mayor: 13 arrested in Zimmerman protests

 

L.A. mayor: 13 arrested in Zimmerman protests.

Just a thought: The World needs to have a cold look at itself: It needs balance!”

Just a thought: The World needs to have a cold look at itself: It needs balance!”

Zimmerman juror drops plan to write book

Zimmerman juror drops plan to write book.

Snowden applies for temporary asylum in Russia

 

Snowden applies for temporary asylum in Russia.

Rachmaninoff Variation 18 Rhapsody on Themes of Paganini Valentina Lisitsa

Live footage from the recording session. London Symphony Orchestra , Michael Francis conducting. The recording is available now on Decca. Get yours today! 🙂
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/paganinirhapsody
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LisitsaPaganini

Somewhere In Time Musc Video

the very beautiful and touching movie of all time…….the theme music composed by (JOHN BARRY)

New at euzicasa: Valentina Lisitsa – Franz Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No 12

[Quelle: Servus TV]

“The summer has finally arrived to Paris: balmy 30 degrees, sweaty tourists…. It is even more amazing that the moment music begins sounding all those people who a minute ago were hurrying along busily , those people suddenly stop in their tracks and dive into the magic of sound, like it was a cool pool. Enjoy this short report for http://www.streetpianos.com and next time you suddenly hear piano sounds on a hot summer day on a street – it’s not an aural mirage , it’s for real – come and join in !”

Gilels plays Rachmaninov: Vocalise op.34 no.14

The great Russian pianist of the Soviet period Emil Gilels plays Richardson’s transcription of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Vocalise op.34 no.14
From the recital at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire

A wonderful encounter with Valentina Lisitsa

Here’s my video-portrait of piano genius Valentina Lisitsa, my favourite classical pianist and certainly one of the very best classical pianists the world has ever witnessed.
I interviewed and filmed Valentina on 2 April 2009 in London. I’ve combined my material from London with dvd-material and pictures of Valentina (all used with permission) and I hope the result shows both Valentina’s immense musical powers as well as her friendly, spontaneous, energetic and witty nature… she’s such a delightful person. 
Apart from this portrait I’ve published the complete pieces of music Valentina played during the interview (4x Rachmaninoff and 1x Schumann) elsewhere on my Youtube-channel. Check them out, they’re all great performances!
It was so much fun meeting Valentina and producing this video! 🙂
Hope you’ll enjoy this video and look out for your response.
[Pieter de Rooij, 15-6-2009]

 

Liszt – Spanish Rhapsody, S254 (Hough)

Franz Liszt’s sunny Rhapsodie Espagnole, played by Stephen Hough. IMO, this performance is really playful, beautiful and elegant, spiced with the feeling of improvisation, from which this piece is very likely to have come out from beneath Liszt’s fingers.

Liszt Grand Galop Chromatique (Wow)

Wagner Liszt Spinning Song

Valentina Lisitsa

Valentina & Alexei Chopin Sonata #2 (Saint-Saens) 1/2

Valentina Lisitsa plays Schubert-Liszt Die Taubenpost

Valentina Lisitsa plays Schubert-Liszt Die Taubenpost from Schwanengesang
From her DVD – Schwanengesang, Schubert’s last 14 songs transcribed by Liszt

Spem in Alium – Thomas Tallis

Lyrics: [Latin] Spem in alium nunquam habui praeter in te
Deus Israel
qui irasceris
et propitius eris
et omnia peccata hominum in tribulatione dimittis
Domine Deus
Creator coeli et terrae
respice humilitatem nostram

[English]
I have never put my hope in any other but in You,
O God of Israel
who can show both anger
and graciousness,
and who absolves all the sins of suffering man
Lord God,
Creator of Heaven and Earth
be mindful of our lowliness

by Thomas Tallis, composed circa 1570
This piece is the culmination of Renaissance polyphony

version: David Hill, Winchester Cathedral Choir of 1995

 

Ottorino Respighi-Gli uccelli (The Birds)

The Philadelphia Orchestra-Eugene Ormandy: conductor-1966-

• 1. Prelude 
• 2. La colomba (The Dove) 
• 3. La Gallina (The Hen) 
• 4. L’usignuolo (The Nightingale) 
• 5. Il cucù (The Cuckoo)