From BBC news : Saving Gaza’s only grand piano

Saving Gaza’s only grand piano http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32042375

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From BBC news : Beating prompts protests in Michigan

Beating prompts protests in Michigan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32061734

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From BBC news : US air strikes target IS in Tikrit

US air strikes target IS in Tikrit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32035340

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Catholics in England gather to pray for Richard III, one of their own :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Leicester, England – March 23, 2015. Requiem Mass for the Repose of the soul of King Richard III with Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster at Holy Cross Priory.

Nottingham, England, Mar 25, 2015 / 02:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In preparation for the reinternment of the remains of Richard III, a 15th century English king whose body was only recently rediscovered, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster has offered Compline and a Requiem Mass for the late monarch.

“This evening we fulfil a profound and essential Christian duty: that of praying for the dead, for the repose of their eternal souls,” Cardinal Nichols preached during a March 23 Requiem Mass said at Holy Cross Priory in Leicester.

“The prayer we offer for him this evening is the best prayer there is: the offering of the Holy Mass, the prayer of Jesus himself, made complete in the oblation of his body and blood on the altar of the cross, present here for us on this altar.”

Richard III was born in 1452, and reigned over England from 1483-1485, when he died in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York; he was succeeded by Henry VII, founder of the House of Tudor.

His corpse was buried without pomp, and subsequently lost. It was found in 2012 under a parking lot in Leicester, 30 miles south of Nottingham, on the site of Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary dissolved during the English Reformation.

His body has been kept at the University of Leicester, and was processed to Leicester Cathedral, an Anglican church, on Sunday.

That evening, Cardinal Nichols led a Compline service at the cathedral, during which Richard’s coffin was sprinkled with holy water, and incensed.

“This sprinkling with holy water is a reminder that King Richard, at the beginning of his life, was baptised,” the cardinal reflected. “He was thereby called to live as a follower of Jesus Christ.”

“The deepest intentions of Richard have always been hard to fathom. Yet that is often true for many of us. Within the depth of his heart, amidst all his fears and ambitions, there surely lay a strong desire to provide his people with stability and improvement.”

Cardinal Nichols noted Richard’s achievements, including a development of the presumption of innocence, the concept of blind justice, the practice of granting bail, and translating laws into the vernacular, while adding that “nevertheless his reign was marked by unrest and the fatal seepage of loyalty and support.”

“All of this reminds us, if we need reminding, that baptism does not guarantee holiness of life or saintliness of nature. But it gives a fundamental and enduring shape to a journey through life, in all its struggles and failures.”

He recalled Richard as a man of prayer and “anxious devotion,” who composed a surviving prayer and established chapels.

“We pray that, being brought into the presence of that Divine majesty, Richard may be embraced by God’s merciful love, there to await the final resurrection of all things in the fullness of time.”

Until its reburial, Richard III’s body will remain at Leicester Cathedral. More than 20,000 visited the cathedral to view the coffin. The reinternment will be held at the cathedral on Thursday, led by Justin Welby, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury.

On Monday, March 23, Cardinal Nichols said a Requiem Mass at Holy Cross Priory, a Dominican parish in Leicester. He wore a chasuble known as the “Westminster Vestment,” which is believed to be from Richard III’s own wardrobe. The chasuble’s embroidery matches that described from his inventories, and has been dated to the third quarter of the 15th century.

The Mass was attended by several bishops from across England and Wales, as well as by Tim Stevens, the Anglican Bishop of Leicester.

Msgr. Thomas McGovern, administrator of the Diocese of Nottingham – which includes Leicester – commented that “it is fitting that, after 530 years, Richard III’s mortal remains are once again laid to rest, this time in Leicester Cathedral, the mediaeval Catholic parish church of Leicester, not far from where they were first buried by the Franciscan friars after the Battle of Bosworth.”

“Just as Mass would have been offered for the repose of his soul by the priests who buried him, we do him the same service tonight, asking Almighty God to receive him into the kingdom of heaven with his sins forgiven. May he rest in peace.”

Cardinal Nichols remarked during his homily that “during this week, Mass is being offered in many Catholic Churches for the repose of the soul of King Richard III. Rightly so. That is exactly what he would have wished, having himself set up at least one chantry chapel for Masses to be celebrated for the dead of both sides of the Battle of Towton in 1461.”

“This evening we pray that the merciful judgement of our loving God is extended to him in every degree, for we know that it is only the gift of God’s mercy that protects us from the demands of God’s justice … We offer this holy Mass that even while his remains are lying in the Cathedral nearby, his soul is united with God in the glory of heaven there to await the final resurrection of all things in Christ.”

via Catholics in England gather to pray for Richard III, one of their own :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

From BBC news : Yemen president flees rebel advance

Yemen president flees rebel advance http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32048604

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: Yemen president flees rebel advance

Yemen president flees rebel advance http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32048604

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From BBC news : Hopes grow for climate-proof beans

Hopes grow for climate-proof beans http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32039991

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From BBC news : Drones: US loss could be UK’s gain

Drones: US loss could be UK’s gain http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32049209

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From BBC news : The myths about food and pregnancy

The myths about food and pregnancy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32033409

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From BBC news : BT returns to mobile phone market

BT returns to mobile phone market http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32047642

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From NPR News: ACA MAKES TAX SEASON PAINFUL FOR MANY

Affordable Care Act Makes This Tax Season Painful For Many http://n.pr/1NbHmLt

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From BBC news : Afghanistan’s 9/11 millionaire

Afghanistan’s 9/11 millionaire http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32008567

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From BBC news : Shattering the highest glass ceiling

Shattering the highest glass ceiling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31967516

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From BBC news : Pakistan takes aim at Sim cards in anti-terror drive

Pakistan takes aim at Sim cards in anti-terror drive http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-31924186

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From BBC news : Yemen rebels seize base near Aden

Yemen rebels seize base near Aden http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32048604

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From BBC news : Indiana set to enact ‘freedom’ bill

Indiana set to enact ‘freedom’ bill http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32045536

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From BBC news : Elephants rescue lorry in Louisiana

Elephants rescue lorry in Louisiana http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32053331

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Johannes Brahms – Theme & Variations in D minor

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Louis Demetrius Alvanis, piano. Paint, After Luncheon by Berthe Morisot

• Music

  • “String sextete in B Flat Op.18: Theme and Variation in D minor” by Louis Demetrius Alvanis (Google Play • eMusic • AmazonMP3)

Antonin Dvorak – New World Symphony (Full)

avrilfan2213

Uploaded on Sep 19, 2011

The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World”, Op. 95, B. 178, popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is divided in four movements:

I. Adagio 0:00
II. Largo 12:07
III. Scherzo 24:14
IV. Allegro con fuoco 31:29

Viktor’s Tale, The Terminal- John Williams

ALBEDO MUSIC

 

I’m playing Viktor’s Tale from “The Terminal” by John Williams on the Clarinet with the West Valley Symphony on June 2, 2007.

Leopold Hofmann – Cello Concerto in D major, Badley D3

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Published on Jan 30, 2013

Tim Hugh (cello)
Northern Sinfonia
Leopold Hofmann – Cello Concerto in D major, Badley D3
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio un poco andante
III. Allegro molto

this pressed: Pope Francis on the family synod: ‘We need prayers, not gossip’ :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

By Elise Harris

Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his March 25, 2015 general audience. Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA. Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his March 25, 2015 general audience. Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA.

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2015 / 06:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his weekly general audience Pope Francis spoke about the gift and call of the Christian family, and urged attendees to pray for the intentions of the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the family.

“The Church needs a prayer full of love for the family and for life,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in a drizzly St. Peter’s Square for his March 25 general audience.

“Because of this, I ask you to pray insistently for the next Synod of Bishops, on the family, so that the Church is increasingly more committed and unified in her witness of the love and mercy of God with all families,” he said.

Francis emphasized that ahead of the October meeting, which will gather more than 200 Bishops and representatives from all over the world, “we (the Church) need prayers, not gossip,” and asked that “those also pray who feel alienated or are not accustomed to praying.”

The Pope’s petition for prayer took place during his continued catechesis on the family – a theme he announced last fall would be the subject of every general audience leading up to this year’s synod of bishops as a means of preparation.

via Pope Francis on the family synod: ‘We need prayers, not gossip’ :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

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.

Today in History
March 25

708		Constantine begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1634		Lord Baltimore founds the Catholic colony of Maryland.
1655		Puritans jail Governor Stone after a military victory over Catholic forces in the colony of Maryland.
1668		The first horse race in America takes place.
1776		The Continental Congress authorizes a medal for General George Washington.
1807		British Parliament abolishes the slave trade.
1813		The frigate USS Essex flies the first U.S. flag in battle in the Pacific.
1865		Confederate forces capture Fort Stedman, during the siege of Petersburg, Va.
1879		Japan invades the kingdom of Liuqiu (Ryukyu) Islands, formerly a vassal of China.
1905		Rebel battle flags that were captured during the American Civil War are returned to the South.
1911		A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, a sweatshop in New York City, claims the lives of 146 workers.
1915		The first submarine disaster occurs when a U.S. F-4 sinks off the Hawaiian coast.
1919		The Paris Peace Commission adopts a plan to protect nations from the influx of foreign labor.
1931		Fifty people are killed in riots that break out in India. Mahatma Gandhi was one of many people assaulted.
1940		The United States agrees to give Britain and France access to all American warplanes.
1941		Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers.
1953		The USS Missouri fires on targets at Kojo, North Korea, the last time her guns fire until the Persian Gulf War of 1992.
1954		RCA manufactures its first color TV set and begins mass production.
1957		The European Common Market Treaty is signed in Rome. The goal is to create a common market for all products–especially coal and steel.
1965		Martin Luther King Jr. leads a group of 25,000 to the state capital in Montgomery, Ala.
1969		John Lennon and Yoko Ono stage a bed-in for peace in Amsterdam.
1970		The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight.
1975		Hue is lost and Da Nang is endangered by North Vietnamese forces. The United States orders a refugee airlift to remove those in danger.
1981		The U.S. Embassy in San Salvador is damaged when gunmen attack, firing rocket propelled grenades and machine guns.
1986		President Ronald Reagan orders emergency aid for the Honduran army. U.S. helicopters take Honduran troops to the Nicaraguan border.
Born on March 25
1133		Henry II, King of England (1154-1189).
1767		Joachim Murat, Napoleon’s brother in law who became king of Naples in 1808.
1797		John Winebrenner, U.S. clergyman who founded the Church of God.
1839		William Bell Wait, educator of the blind.
1867		Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore.
1868		Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor.
1906		Alan John Percivale Taylor, English historian.
1908		David Lean, British film director (Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia).
1925		(Mary) Flannery O’Connor, novelist and short story writer.
1934		Gloria Steinem, political activist, editor.
1942		Aretha Franklin, American singer, the “Queen of Soul.”

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.ej4kNFlL.dpuf

A WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)

A WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) Specialist (Photographer) 3rd Class salutes as she stands among the springtime cherry blossoms near the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C., during World War II.

Photo: National Archives

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day#sthash.W9CeuLfV.dpuf

today’s holiday: Tichborne Dole (2015)

Tichborne Dole (2015)

The custom of handing out a dole, or allotment of flour, to the village poor in Tichborne, Hampshire, England, dates back to the 12th or 13th century. Lady Mabella Tichborne, who was on her deathbed at the time, begged her husband to grant her enough land to provide an annual bounty of bread to the poor, who were suffering from a recent failure of the wheat crop. On March 25, or Lady Day, each year, villagers in need of assistance gather at the porch of Tichborne House to claim their portion of the gift: a gallon of flour for adults, half as much for children. More… Discuss

quotation: Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. Jane Austen

Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) Discuss

today’s birthday: Aretha Franklin (1942)

Aretha Franklin (1942)

Known as the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin began singing in church choirs as a child before achieving mainstream success with a string of hit songs including “Respect,” “Think,” and “Natural Woman.” In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and, in 2005, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian decoration in the US. She is the second most honored female singer in the history of the Grammy Awards. How many has she won? More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: World’s First Passenger Railway Begins Service (1807)

World’s First Passenger Railway Begins Service (1807)

In 1804, British Parliament approved the laying of a railway line between Swansea and Oystermouth in South Wales to move limestone from the quarries of Mumbles to Swansea and to the markets beyond. Later renamed the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, the line was approved to carry passengers in 1807. The world’s first regular passenger service began that same year and operated in one form or another for more than a century and a half before it was decommissioned. What powered the line’s first trains? More… Discuss

Lego

Lego is a line of toys featuring colorful plastic bricks, gears, and minifigures that can be assembled to create models of almost anything imaginable. The company had very humble beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a poor carpenter from Denmark, but today manufactures about 20 billion bricks a year. A substantial fan culture has developed that has used the toys to build such things as a harpsichord, a pendulum clock, and an electronic lab kit. What does “Lego” mean? More… Discuss

hieratic

Definition:	(adjective) Of or associated with sacred persons or offices.
Synonyms:	priestly, sacerdotal
Usage:	The laws did not apply to the heratic class, whose members were held as nearly gods. Discuss.

this pressed: DHS Report: 1.13 Million Foreign Students in US

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Home | Newsfront

Tags: foreign students | college | DHS

DHS Report: 1.13 Million Foreign Students in US

Wednesday, 25 Mar 2015 07:31 AM

By Elliot Jager

Financially hard-pressed public universities, but also comparatively well-off private schools, are intensively recruiting foreign undergraduates who pay premium tuition fees. Some 1.13 million international students are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges, the Department of Homeland Security reported on Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

States have been cutting the amount of money they set aside for higher education. This obliges colleges to have students pick up a higher share of their education costs in tuition fees, Bloomberg reported.

Special: Homeowners in for a Huge Surprise about their Mortgage. Read:

Some colleges even send emissaries abroad to recruit foreign students. The University of Colorado Boulder currently has a foreign student population of 6.5 percent. Administrators want to boost the figure to 10 percent. Most of the schools international students are from China, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. These students pay $35,231 annually in tuition compared with $10,971 for instate residents, according to the Journal.

The increasing flow of foreign students into U.S. colleges is facilitated by rising affluence in China and by the policies of oil-rich Arab countries that provide openhanded scholarships.

The highest number of foreign students, 331,371, is from China. Next is India with 146,336. South Korea comes in third with 87,384. Saudi Arabia is fourth with 81,000 students compared to about 5,000 at the time of the 9/11 attacks.

via DHS Report: 1.13 Million Foreign Students in US.

Who’s eating all from your plate? this pressed: Private Chat With Steve Forbes Turns Ugly

NEWSMAX_INDEPENDENT_AMERICAN

One of the perks of being the financial publisher at Newsmax is the opportunity to meet and work with various industry icons.

This past winter, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Steve Forbes during a trip to New York City. We met so I could get Steve’s take on politics, investing, and economics.

The conversation started out light, but when the topic of retirement came up, the talk got much darker.

Steve told me how the Federal Reserve’s recent policies are intentionally hurting seniors, how money managers are quietly walking away with up to 70% of investor returns, and how millions of baby boomers are destined to run out of money during their retirements.

Needless to say, the conversation got ugly, quick.

I readily agreed with Steve’s thoughts on the Federal Reserve, but I had to stop him when he said Wall Street money managers were walking away with up to 70% of investors’ profits.

If this were true, it was tantamount to outright theft.

And that’s when Steve showed me how hidden, compounding fees are gutting investor accounts without investors even realizing its happening — and worst of all, it’s 100% LEGAL!

Look, it’s one thing for big banks to get aggressive with deposit accounts, nickel-and-diming clients to death with check and ATM fees, but now we’re talking about Wall Street aggression against federally regulated retirement accounts.

That’s when Steve showed me how this fee compounding makes it mathematically impossible for Wall Street fund managers to outperform their benchmarks.

You may want to let that sink in for a minute. Whatever your financial adviser is telling you about your account performance is likely rigged.

But you have to see it for yourself to believe it.

Editor’s Note: Click Here to Watch This Exclusive Interview with Steve Forbes

Steve went on to show me how these fees compound within investor accounts and can easily “cut your returns in half or more.”

He said, “If you would normally have $100,000 [in your account], you could end up with, say, $30,000 or $40,000 because of what fees eat up.”

As Steve continued to expose the details, I told him our private chat needed to go “on the record.” We had to get this message out to as many people as possible.

And he agreed. But there was one condition — we both knew we couldn’t sound off publicly on a massive problem like this without also providing a solution.

So my team and I came up with a plan.

A plan that will allow anyone the chance to make incredible returns in the stock market — no matter their age, income, or investment experience.

And in the new video interview featuring Steve Forbes, we reveal this plan, and what you can do to ensure you don’t lose another cent to Wall Street’s greed.

But I have to warn you.

After witnessing the evidence Steve Forbes and my team have put together in this exclusive video, you will never look at investing the same way again.

And more importantly, once you see how easy it is to sidestep Wall Street’s greed machine, I think you’ll see why we believe we are about to turn Wall Street on its head.

Christian Hill

Financial Publisher

Newsmax Finance

via Private Chat With Steve Forbes Turns Ugly.

this pressed: Pakistan jets kill 30 Taliban-ally militants, including spokesman: sources

Pakistan jets kill 30 Taliban-ally militants, including spokesman: sources

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani jet fighters killed 30 militants allied to the Taliban in a missile attack in the mountainous northwestern Khyber region on Wednesday, including the group’s spokesman, intelligence officials said.

The air force has been pounding positions in the Tirah Valley for days and the military says it has killed scores. At least seven soldiers have also been killed.

The 30 killed in Wednesday’s attack in the Sipah district were from the Lashkar-e-Islam, which announced an alliance with the Taliban earlier this month, the intelligence officials said.

The casualties included group spokesman Salahuddin Ayubi, the officials said.

The group was not immediately available for comment.

A U.S. drone strike killed 11 Pakistani Taliban militants in northeastern Afghanistan, including six or seven senior commanders, intelligence officials said on Wednesday, hours after a strike killed at least nine militants in the same area.

The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban share a similar jihadist ideology but operate as separate entities, with the Pakistani militants focused on toppling the state and establishing strict Islamic rule.

No one tracks drone strikes in Afghanistan – many of them take place in remote regions and are not reported – but Taliban commanders say that fighters there have been increasingly targeted since late last year.

The strikes come amid warming relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, traditionally hostile neighbors who each accuse the other of harboring insurgents to act as proxy forces.

Relations improved after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was elected last year. Pakistan says it is supporting potential peace talks between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban.

(Reporting by Saud Mehsud; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Michael Perry)

via Pakistan jets kill 30 Taliban-ally militants, including spokesman: sources.

Moulin Rouge at Montmartre in Paris, 1923 — Classic Pics (@classicepics)

Moulin Rouge at Montmartre in Paris, 1923 pic.twitter.com/Eye3QBguIw

— Classic Pics (@classicepics) March 25, 2015