Missed opportunities are the greatest cause of regret — Fitness Motivation

Missed opportunities are the greatest cause of regret pic.twitter.com/BVivTc9WKw

— Fitness Motivation (@LiveHeaIthy2Day) February 20, 2015

Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco – Va, pensiero (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves)

mampan7

 

Uploaded on Jun 13, 2011/ 2,368,606 views

Nabucco – Hebrew Slaves Chorus

Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending with violinist Hilary Hahn

The lark ascending (Hilary Hahn)

Alex Yoshii

Published on Feb 26, 2014

Ralph Vaughan Williams
The lark ascending

Hilary Hahn
LSO/Colin Davis

Bernard Herrmann – North by Northwest: Conversation Piece

Bernard Herrmann – Conversation Piece

Echoes of a Friend

North by Northwest OST (1959)
La mort aux trousses

Chroniques musicales sur Echoes of a Friend
http://www.echoesofafriend.fr/

this pressed for reality check: Sacred Justice | Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy

Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy Headshot

Writer, professor, singer, author of three books–Sacred Justice, The Mind’s Eye, and Writing and Healing–and essays,articles, and poems.

Sacred Justice

Posted: 02/10/2015 9:57 am EST Updated: 02/10/2015 9:59 am EST

The year 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in which over a million Armenians were murdered by the Ottoman Turks. We are already seeing articles that commemorate the Genocide, but one story essential to understanding the Armenian response remains to be told–that of the leadership of Operation Nemesis, a clandestine effort to carry out the death sentences given to the Turkish architects of the Genocide who had escaped punishment.

I grew up in my maternal grandparents’ small two-story frame house in Syracuse, New York where heated, weighty conversations about Armenian history and culture took place, but I knew nothing about Operation Nemesis. I heard my how grandmother Eliza loaded rifles to protect the town in the siege of Dortyol during the 1909 Adana massacres in which 30,000 Armenians were murdered; how her brother, Mihran stole past Turkish guns to destroy the dam the Turks built to cripple the

via Sacred Justice | Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy.

>>>>find more stories HERE

this pressed as a history lesson: The Conquest of Constantinople, Hagia Sofia and Turkey — EU | Constantine Tzanos

Posted: 06/25/2014 12:02 pm EDT Updated: 08/25/2014 5:59 am EDT

Many countries have a national or independence day to celebrate their nationhood, or their freedom from the yoke imposed on them by another country or an imperial power.

In 1950, the Turkish Council of Ministers established the Istanbul Conquest Society which every year organizes, on May 29, the celebration of the conquest, by the Ottoman Turks, of Constantinople (Istanbul), the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire from 330 to 1453 AD. The conquest was celebrated again this year with speeches, fireworks and reenactments of the assault, heavily sanitized from what really happened, glorifying and attributing lofty ideals to a great human catastrophe.

The Turkish journalist Burak Bekdil wrote in 2012:

Professor Mehmet Görmez, head of the General Directorate for Religious Affairs, who, at least in words, promotes interfaith dialogue, declared ‘Conquest, is not the occupation of lands or the destroying of cities and castles. The conquest is the conquest of hearts! In our history there has never been occupation. In our history, there has always been conquest.’ Sadly, his commemorating remarks for Conquest 1453 echoed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sentimental attachment to the Muslim-Turkish supremacy theory. According to Professor Görmez, one of the two pillars of conquest is to ‘open up minds to Islam and hearts to the Quran.’ Therefore, Turkey’s top Muslim cleric reasoned, the Conquest of Constantinople was the conquest of hearts.

The historian S. Runciman in The Fall of Constantinople 1453 writes:

via The Conquest of Constantinople, Hagia Sofia and Turkey — EU | Constantine Tzanos.

Pietro Mascagni-Cavalleria Rusticana(Intermezzo) , great compositions/performances

Pietro Mascagni-Cavalleria Rusticana(Intermezzo) 

Adam Csernay

 

Uploaded on Dec 28, 2007/ 760,937 views

A tribute to the greatest movie ever made. The music is from a great Opera which is part of the third and final Godfather movie. The second part of the video is: Nino Rota -The Godfather (excerpts). This is my favorite movie and it is a classic. Enjoy.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Pietro Mascagni in 1903

 Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni (Italian: [ˈpjɛːtro anˈtɔːnjo ˈsteːfano masˈkaɲɲi]; 7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music. Some critics^[who?] held that Mascagni, like Leoncavallo, was a “one-opera man” who could never repeat his first success, but L’amico Fritz and Iris have remained in the repertoire in Europe since their premieres.^{[citation needed]} Mascagni said that at one point, Iris was performed in Italy more often than Cavalleria (cf. Stivender).

Mascagni wrote fifteen operas, an operetta, several orchestral and vocal works, as well as songs and piano music. He enjoyed immense success during his lifetime, both as a composer and conductor of his own and other people’s music. He created a variety of styles in his operas: a Sicilian passion and warmth of Cavalleria, the exotic flavor of Iris, the idylls of L’amico Fritz and Lodoletta, the Gallic chiaroscuro of Isabeau, the steely, Veristic power of Il piccolo Marat, the over-ripe post-romanticism of the lush Parisina, which demonstrate a versatility.

Biography

Early life and education

Mascagni was born in Livorno, Tuscany, the second son of Domenico and Emilia Mascagni. His father owned and operated a bakery. Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti (“Nanni”) was born the same year in the same city and became Mascagni’s lifelong friend and collaborator.

In 1876, at the age of 13, Mascagni began musical studies with Alfredo Soffredini, who founded the Instituto Musicale di Livorno (later called Istituto Cherubini). The older man had just completed his musical studies in Milan. Also a native of Livorno, Soffredini was a composer, teacher and musical critic. The youth started composing rapidly, and between 1879 and 1880, he composed several works: Sinfonia in do minore, Prima sinfonia in fa maggiore, Elegia, Kyrie, Gloria and Ave Maria.

Musical career: 1880–89

The premiere of Mascagni’s first cantata, In Filanda, took place at the Istituto Cherubini on February 9, 1881. Performed at a musical contest in Milan, the cantata won the first prize. In the same year Mascagni met the musicians Arrigo Boito and Amilcare Ponchielli in Milan.

In 1882, he composed his Cantata alla gioia from a text by Gustav Schiller, followed by La stella di Garibaldi for voice and piano, and La tua stella. On May 6, Mascagni left Livorno for Milan. He passed the admission examination of the Milan Conservatory on October 12. In Milan, Mascagni met the noted composer Giacomo Puccini.

On 9 January 1883, Mascagni’s sister, Maria, died. The cantata In Filanda became Pinotta, and was proposed for the musical contest of the Conservatorio, but as his registration was late, it was not accepted.

In 1884, he composed Ballata for tenor and piano; M’ama non m’ama, scherzo for soprano and piano; Messagio d’amore, and Alla luna.

In 1885, Mascagni composed Il Re a Napoli in Cremona, a romance for tenor and orchestra, on a text by Andrea Maffei. He left Milan without completing his studies. That year, he began touring as a conductor in the operetta companies of Vittorio Forlì, Alfonso and Ciro Scognamiglio, and, in Genova, the company of Luigi Arnaldo Vassallo.

Mascagni met the impresario Luigi Maresca in 1886 and started working with him. That December, Mascagni arrived in Cerignola with Maresca’s company. He was accompanied by Argenide Marcellina Carbognani (Lina), his future wife. Helped by the mayor Giuseppe Cannone, Mascagni soon left the company of Maresca, not without problems.

He was appointed as the master of music and singing of the new philharmonia of Cerignola. His reputation grew. He also gave piano lessons. In February 1888, he began work on the Messa di Gloria. In July, Casa Sonzogno announced in the Teatro Illustrato its second competition for a one-act opera. The following year, Mascagni completed his composition of Cavalleria rusticana on May 27 and sent the manuscript to Milan.

Marriage and family

Mascagni married Lina Carbognani on February 3, 1889. The next day their first son, Domenico Mascagni (“Mimì”), was born. Their son Dino was born January 3, 1891. A daughter, Emi, was born in 1892.

1890–99

Mascagni in c. 1890

 On 21 February 1890, Mascagni was summoned to Rome to present his opera. The première of Cavalleria rusticana, winner of the Sonzogno contest, was held 17 May at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. It had outstanding success, and the opera was soon performed in both the north and south of Italy: Florence, Turin, Bologna, Palermo, Milan, Genoa, Naples, Venice and Trieste.

In December, Gustav Mahler conducted the opera in Budapest. Soon thereafter, the cities of Munich, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Dresden and Buenos Aires welcomed the opera. In March 1891, it was sung in Vienna. At age 26, Mascagni had become internationally famous.

Mascagni premiered his L’amico Fritz, his second most successful opera, October 31, 1891 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. I Rantzau was premiered November 10 at the Teatro La Pergola, in Florence, under his personal direction.

The composer next completed Silvano (1894). On February 16, 1895, he premiered Guglielmo Ratcliff at the Teatro alla Scala of Milan. On March 15, Silvano was premiered at the same theatre. That year, Mascagni accepted the directorship of the Liceo Rossini in Pesaro and moved his family there.

On 2 March 1896, Mascagni conducted the première of Zanetto at the Liceo. He continued his composing and directing. On June 29, 1898 in Recanati, Mascagni conducted the première of a symphonic poem, A Giacomo Leopardi. Mascagni began a collaboration with Luigi Illica, a librettist. Their first work, Iris, was premiered on November 22 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.

Mascagni’s father died in May 1899.

1900–09

Original Amica poster (1905)

 In 1900, Mascagni toured Moscow and St. Petersburg and, on 17 January 1901, Le maschere was premiered in six Italian theaters. Giuseppe Verdi died on January 27 and the following month Mascagni commemorated Verdi’s passing. That same year, he conducted Verdi’s Requiem in Vienna.

Mascagni composed the incidental music for Hall Caine‘s play, The Eternal City in August 1902; the première of the play with Mascagni’s music took place in London on 2 October.

In 1902 and 1903, he toured in Canada and in the United States, (in particular Montreal, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco), where he conducted many of his and other composers’ works. The tour was mostly a fiasco, except for the visit to San Francisco where Mascagni was extremely well received.

In 1903, Mascagni left Pesaro after problems with the authorities. He became director of the Scuola Musicale Romana, in Rome. In the same year he signed a contract with the French editor Paul de Choudens.

Amica, based on a poem by Choudens with French libretto by Paul Collin,^[1] was premiered on 16 March 1905, in Monte-Carlo. That year, he had disputes with Ruggiero Leoncavallo and Giacomo Puccini. He also had the Livornese première of Le maschere.

Mascagni was director of the Costanzi for the season beginning in August 1909.

1910–19

Mascagni caricatured by WH for Vanity Fair, 1912

 On 4 April 1910, Mascagni began a relationship with Anna Lolli. In October he was reconciled with Puccini.

Mascagni ceased his activity as director of the Scuola Musicale Romana in 1911. That May, he left for Buenos Aires, beginning a seven-month tour in South America. The première of Isabeau took place in Buenos Aires on 2 June.

The Italian première of Isabeau was held simultaneously at La Scala in Milan (conductor Tullio Serafin) and at La Fenice in Venice (conductor Mascagni) in 1912. On 28 March, he began to work on Parisina in Bellevue, near Paris, sometimes with his daughter Emi, his mistress Anna Lolli, and the librettist Gabriele d’Annunzio.

Parisina was premiered in Milan on 15 December of that year. Almost all the important Italian composers of the time were present, among them Puccini, Umberto Giordano and Riccardo Zandonai. The new work was premiered in Livorno and Rome in 1914. On July 28 occurred the events that shortly led to World War I: Puccini and Mascagni were against the involvement of Italy in this war, where Mascagni’s son Dino was later made a prisoner.

In 1915 Mascagni wrote music for Nino Oxilia’s movie Rapsodia Satanica; the custom was for silent films to be accompanied live in a theater by organ, piano, or an orchestra, often using a prepared score (sometimes with original music) with cues for the conductor or musician. Mascagni had a quarrel regarding the rights of Louise de la Ramée’s Two Little Wooden Shoes (I due Zoccoletti), that inspired both Puccini and Mascagni. The subject was retained by Mascagni for Lodoletta. The latter opera was premiered on 30 April 1917 in Rome. The Livornese première of the opera was on 28 July with Beniamino Gigli as Flammen.

Sì, Mascagni’s operetta – which he had been manoeuvred into writing by the impresario Carlo Lombardo, was premiered on 13 December in Rome.

1920–39

In 1920 Mascagni composed Il piccolo Marat, which was premiered in Rome on 2 May 1921, following by a premiere in Buenos Aires in September. The composer returned to South America for a tour beginning in May 1922.

In 1923, he composed Visione Lirica. He moved to the Albergo Plaza in Rome in 1927, a place he would not leave until his death.

In 1930, Mascagni conducted La bohème in Torre del Lago, as a homage to Puccini, who had died in 1924. In 1931, Le maschere was performed at La Scala.

Pinotta was premiered in San Remo on 23 March 1932. He joined the PNF (Fascist party), following the example of many contemporary musicians, including Giordano.

Nerone was premièred in Milan on 16 January 1935, followed by the première in Livorno on 24 August.

In June 1936, Mascagni’s son Dino died in Somalia.

Last years

Plaque dedicated to Mascagni in Rome

In 1940, celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of his most popular opera, Cavalleria rusticana, took place all over Italy, often with Mascagni conducting. The opera was recorded for La Voce del padrone (“His Master’s Voice”) at La Scala under the direction of Mascagni, who recorded a special spoken introduction. EMI later reissued the recording on LP and CD.

In 1942, after an audience with Pope Pius XII, newspapers quoted Mascagni, a Roman Catholic, as saying that his tuberculosis-stricken niece was cured after receiving a rosary and silver medal blessed by the pope.^[2]

In April 1943, Mascagni appeared for the last time at La Scala to conduct L’amico Fritz. By that time he had to conduct sitting on a chair. The last season of Mascagni at the Rome Opera (Cavalleria rusticana and L’amico Fritz) was 1944–45.

Mascagni died on August 2, 1945 in his apartment at the Hotel Plaza di Roma. The funeral ceremony was August 4. The Italian authorities were not present. In 1951, the mortal remains of Mascagni were transferred from Rome to Livorno, where finally Mascagni received an official homage.

Selected works

Operas

• Cavalleria rusticana (17 May 1890 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) – libretto, libretto
• L’amico Fritz (31 October 1891 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) – libretto
• I Rantzau (10 November 1892 Teatro La Pergola, Florence)
• Guglielmo Ratcliff (16 February 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan), composed between 1885 and the early 1890s – libretto
• Silvano (25 March 1895 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Zanetto (2 March 1896 Liceo Musicale, Pesaro) – libretto
• Iris (22 November 1898 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) – libretto
• Le maschere (17 January 1901 Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa – Teatro Regio, Turin – Teatro alla Scala, Milan – Teatro La Fenice, Venice – Teatro Filarmonico, Verona – Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Amica (16 March 1905, Monte Carlo, in French) – Italian libretto
• Isabeau (2 June 1911 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires)
• Parisina (15 December 1913 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) – libretto
• Lodoletta (30 April 1917 Teatro Costanzi, Rome) – libretto
• Il piccolo Marat (2 May 1921 Teatro Costanzi, Rome)
• Pinotta (23 March 1932 Casinò, San Remo), adapted from the cantata In filanda (1881)
• Nerone (16 January 1935 Teatro alla Scala, Milan), with music written between the 1890s and the 1930s

Operetta

• Sì (13 December 1919 Teatro Quirino, Rome)

Sacred music

• Messa di Gloria in F major for soloists, chorus and orchestra

Orchestral music

• A Giacomo Leopardi, cantata for voice (soprano) and orchestra (19 June 1898, Teatro Persiani, Recanati)
• Il re a Napoli, romanza for tenor and orchestra (18 March 1885 Teatro Municipale, Cremona)

Projects contemplated

During his long career, Mascagni contemplated writing many operas. The following is an incomplete list of such projects, which never saw the light of day:

• Zilia, probably on a libretto by Felice Romani (c. 1877)
• Scampolo, probably on a libretto by Dario Niccodemi (c. 1921)
• I Bianchi ed i Neri, on a libretto by Mario Ghisalberti (c. 1938)

In other media

The sound track of the 1980 film Raging Bull uses the Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana, the Barcarolle from Silvano, and the Intermezzo from Guglielmo Ratcliff (known as Il sogno di Ratcliff).^[3]

The 1990 film The Godfather Part III used a production of Cavalleria rusticana at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo as the setting for its climax, with Michael Corleone‘s son Anthony as Turiddu. The movie ends with the Intermezzo playing.^[4

 

 

 

Johnny Cash – Come Home, It’s Suppertime great compositions/performances

Johnny Cash – Come Home, It’s Suppertime

PeterRabbit59

Suppertime Lyrics

from The Greatest: Gospel Songs

“Suppertime” is track #4 on the album The Greatest: Gospel Songs. It was written by Stanphill, Ira F..

Suppertime Lyrics

Many years ago in days of childhood
I used to play till evening time would come
Still winding down that old familiar pathway
I hear my mother call at setting sun

“Come home, come home it’s suppertime”
The shadows lengthen so fast
“Come home, come home it’s suppertime”
We’re going home at last

Some of the fondest memories of my childhood
Are woven around suppertime
When mother used to call from the back steps
Of the old home place

“Come on home now son, it’s suppertime”
My how I’d love to hear that once again
But you know the time has woven for me the realization
Of a truth that’s even more thrilling

That someday we’ll be called to gather
Around the great supper table up there
For the greatest suppertime of them all, with our Lord
I can almost hear the call now comin’ from the portals of Heaven
“Come home son, it’s suppertime”

“Come home, come home it’s suppertime”
The shadows lengthen fast
“Come home, come home it’s suppertime”
We’re going home at last

Songwriters
STANPHILL, IRA F.

Published by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Read more: Johnny Cash – Suppertime Lyrics | MetroLyrics

this pressed for your information: Rebel takeover of eastern Ukraine city raises questions about cease-fire, Putin’s intentions

Rebel takeover of eastern Ukraine city raises questions about cease-fire, Putin’s intentions

By Info on February 19, 2015 News

Feb. 18, 2015: An Ukrainian soldier stands next to a broken down vehicle outside Artemivsk, Ukraine, as troops pull out of Debaltseve,

The Ukrainian military’s withdrawal from a key eastern city – leaving Russia-backed rebels to roam the streets in celebration – has raised questions about a newly struck cease-fire and Vladimir Putin’s ultimate intentions.

via Rebel takeover of eastern Ukraine city raises questions about cease-fire, Putin’s intentions.

Borodin Petite Suite with Maria Prokofieva

Borodin Petite Suite

Maria Prokofieva

Published on Mar 15, 2013

Petite Suite for piano of Alexander Borodin played by Maria Prokofieva
In the monastery – Intermezzo – Mazurka – Mazurka – Dreams- Serenade – Nocturne
Het Klooster Theater Woerden, 05.03.2013

historic musical bits: Vladimir Horowitz, piano: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1948) , great compositions/performances

Vladimir Horowitz, piano: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1948)

GregNichols1953

 

Published on Nov 15, 2013

New York: Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, April 11th, 1948.

I’ve never heard a greater ovation in the middle of a piece; after the first movement. I wonder if this recording gives us a glimpse of the night in 1928 when Horowitz, a last-minute substitute, got his big break in Hamburg so wonderfully described by Abram Chasins in his great book “Speaking of Pianists”:

“…After the orchestral opening, Horowitz started. Upon hearing his first crashing chord, the conductor Pabst spun around in amazement. At the second, he jumped off the podium and sprinted to the piano, staring incredulously at Horowitz’s hands. He stayed right there until the conclusion of the first cadenza, his face a study in disbelief while his arms beat time – Horowitz’s time. When it was all over, the piano lay on the platform like a slain dragon and the whole house rose as one, screaming hysterically. Pabst grabbed his soloist and hugged him repeatedly, while the audience tore the place apart…”

The composition: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Co…)

1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso — Allegro con spirito (B flat minor → B flat major)
2. Andantino semplice — Prestissimo (D flat major)
3. Allegro con fuoco (B flat minor → B flat major)

The composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Il…

The pianist: Vladimir Horowitz:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir…

The conductor: Bruno Walter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Wa…

 

Saint of the Day for Thursday, February 19th, 2015 : Bl. Alvarez of Corova

Saint of the Day for Thursday, February 19th, 2015

Bl. Alvarez of Corova

Alvarez was born in either Lisbon, Portugal, or Cordova, Spain. He entered the Dominican convent at Cordova in 1368. He became known for his preaching prowess in Spain and Italy, was confessor and … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

Bl. Alvarez of Corova St. Auxibius St. Barbatus of Benevento St. Beatus St. Belina

St. Boniface of Lausanne Bl. Lucy St. Odran St. Valerius St. Zambdas

Today In History. What Happened This Day In History

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

February 19

1408		The revolt of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, against King Henry IV, ends with his defeat and death at Bramham Moor.
1701		Philip V of Spain makes his ceremonial entry into Madrid.
1807		Vice President Aaron Burr is arrested in Alabama for treason. He is later found innocent.
1847		Rescuers finally reach the ill-fated Donnor Party in the Sierras.
1861		Russian Tsar Alexander II abolishes serfdom.
1902		Smallpox vaccination becomes obligatory in France.
1903		The Austria-Hungary government decrees a mandatory two year military service.
1915		British and French warships begin their attacks on the Turkish forts at the mouth of the Dardenelles, in an abortive expedition to force the straits of Gallipoli.
1917		American troops are recalled from the Mexican border.
1919		The First Pan African Congress meets in Paris, France.
1925		President Calvin Coolidge proposes the phasing out of inheritance tax.
1926		Dr. Lane of Princeton estimates the earth’s age at one billion years.
1942		Port Darwin, on the northern coast of Australia, is bombed by the Japanese.
1944		The U.S. Eighth Air Force and Royal Air Force begin “Big Week,” a series of heavy bomber attacks against German aircraft production facilities.
1965		Fourteen Vietnam War protesters are arrested for blocking the United Nations’ doors in New York.
1966		Robert F. Kennedy suggests the United States offer the Vietcong a role in governing South Vietnam.
1976		Britain slashes welfare spending.
1981		The U.S. State Department calls El Salvador a “textbook case” of a Communist plot.
1987		New York Governor Mario Cuomo declares that he will not run for president in the next election.
Born on February 19
1473		Nicholas Copernicus, Polish astronomer who introduced the idea that the earth revolved around the sun.
1683		Philip V, King of Spain.
1817		William III, King of the Netherlands.
1859		Svante Arrhenius, Swedish chemist, founder of physical chemistry.
1902		Kay Boyle, short story writer (“The White Horses of Vienna”).
1911		Merle Oberon, film actress.
1917		Carson McCuller, writer (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter).
1940		Smokey Robinson, American singer and songwriter.
1952		Amy Tan, novelist (The Joy Luck CLub, The Kitchen God’s Wife).

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.oUU56rIE.dpuf

today’s image: Lewis Hine and Child Labor Reforms

Lewis Hine and Child Labor Reforms

In 1908, the National Child Labor Committee estimated that one of every four miners was a child between the ages of 7 and 16. Lewis W. Hine photographed these young Pennsylvania coal miners, who worked from dawn to dusk. Early-20th-century reformers crusaded against many social problems caused by America’s rapid industrialization and urbanization, including child labor. Teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Hine documented industrial child labor for the National Child Labor Committee. Disguised to evade suspicious employers, Hine captured some of the most powerful images in the history of documentary photography.

Image: Library of Congress

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day#sthash.r7KJS93D.dpuf

today’s holiday/commemoration: Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin (2015)

Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin (2015)

On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory. As a tribute to honor the dead and those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a monument to those slain in World War I. At 9:58 AM, the exact time the attack began, a World War II air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will reenact the attack: ground units fire their guns, and fighter planes perform fly-bys over the memorial site. More… Discuss

quotation: Ralph Waldo Emerson Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Full Audiobook)

The days…come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Discuss

Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Full Audiobook)

BooksterAudio

Published on Nov 26, 2013

“Download Audiobook Here: http://amzn.to/HvGfex”

Walden; or Life in the Woods is an American book written by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau&rsquoi;s experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts.

today’s birthday: Nicolaus Copernicus (1473)

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473)

Copernicus was a church canon, physician, and economist, but his most important work was in the field of astronomy. He developed the heliocentric theory of the universe that placed the Sun, not the Earth, at the center of our solar system and helped launch a scientific revolution. Though Copernicus conceived his revolutionary model of planetary motion by 1530, his treatise on the subject did not see print until he was on his deathbed in 1543. What heliocentric hypotheses preceded Copernicus’s? More… Discuss

The Battle of Gallipoli Begins (1915)

The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli during World War I. It was initiated by the Allies to open a Black Sea supply route to Russia and capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. The Allied navy arrived at Gallipoli in February 1915 but did not get sufficient land support for two months, giving the Turkish army ample time to reinforce its troops. After months of fighting, the Allied forces withdrew in January 1916. What had caused the Allied army’s delay? More… Discuss

Human Civilization: First Genetically Modified Apple Approved in US

First Genetically Modified Apple Approved in US

The US Department of Agriculture has approved America’s first genetically modified apple—a variety engineered not to turn brown when bruised or sliced. Scientists achieved this effect by turning off a particular gene. Although it will be several years before these apples are sold to the public, they have already sparked a backlash from critics, who say that more human studies should be conducted before genetically modified organisms are widely sold. More… Discuss

The Boll Weevil

The boll weevil is a beetle that feeds on bolls, the seed-bearing capsules of cotton plants. Probably of Mexican or Central American origin, the boll weevil appeared in Texas about 1892, spread to most cotton-growing regions of the US, and eventually became responsible for the destruction of about 8% of the nation’s annual cotton crop. Eradication programs begun in 1978 have proven successful in many states. Why did the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama, erect a monument to the pest in 1919? More… Discuss

word: portmanteau

portmanteau

Definition:	(noun) A large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments.
Synonyms:	Gladstone
Usage:	With both sides stuffed to capacity, he needed to sit on top of the portmanteau in order to close it. Discuss.

USA TODAY: Obama’s blindness aids ISIL: Column

From USA TODAY

Obama’s blindness aids ISIL: Column

http://usat.ly/1A9xfUu

Get USA TODAY on your mobile device:
http://www.usatoday.com/mobile-apps

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USA TODAY: Lake Erie almost frozen over

From USA TODAY

Lake Erie almost frozen over

http://usat.ly/1EsIWp6

Get USA TODAY on your mobile device:
http://www.usatoday.com/mobile-apps

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From France 24

US preparing to sue Ferguson police over ‘racial bias’

http://f24.my/1Dts9VC

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From CNN : World Press Photo Contest 2015

World Press Photo Contest 2015
http://www.cnn.com//2015/02/12/world/gallery/world-press-photo-contest-2015/index.html

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From CNN : Obama to name three new national monuments

Obama to name three new national monuments
http://www.cnn.com//2015/02/18/travel/feat-obama-new-national-monuments/index.html

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From CNN : Frozen Niagara Falls draws tourists

Frozen Niagara Falls draws tourists
http://www.cnn.com//2015/02/19/travel/feat-great-lakes-niagara-falls-frozen/index.html

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From CNN : Germ universe populates N.Y. subway

Germ universe populates N.Y. subway
http://www.cnn.com//2015/02/07/us/new-york-subway-germs/index.html

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From CNN : White House wants $1.2B to beat superbugs

White House wants $1.2B to beat superbugs
http://www.cnn.com//2015/01/27/politics/white-house-combat-superbugs-billions/index.html

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From BBC : Australia Hep A outbreak spreads

Australia Hep A outbreak spreads http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-31529275

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From BBC : Radical HIV vaccine ploy raises hope

Radical HIV vaccine ploy raises hope http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31511244

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From BBC : Dozens exposed to superbug in LA

Dozens exposed to superbug in LA http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31537617

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From BBC : Ukraine firing spreads despite truce

Ukraine firing spreads despite truce http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31535512

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From BBC : Germany rejects Greek loan request

Germany rejects Greek loan request http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31532755

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From VOA : US Navy Corruption Scandal Deepens

http://www.voanews.com/A/2648741.html

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From VOA : Obama Chooses Clancy as New Secret Service Director

http://www.voanews.com/A/2649100.html

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From VOA : Author Andrew Keen Warns of Internet’s Disastrous Impact

http://www.voanews.com/A/2649154.html

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From VOA : Lengthy Legal Battle Looms Over Obama Immigration Order

http://www.voanews.com/A/2649604.html

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From VOA : Jordan Urges UN Security Council Action on Libya

http://www.voanews.com/A/2650032.html

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From BBC : US memorial for IS hostage Mueller

US memorial for IS hostage Mueller http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31529846

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From BBC : Russian aircraft seen off Cornwall

Russian aircraft seen off Cornwall http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31530840

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From BBC : Russia denounces ‘peacekeeper’ call

Russia denounces ‘peacekeeper’ call http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31530252

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