Tag Archives: Philadelphia

The Scripps National Spelling Bee


 

The Scripps National Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee run on a non-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company, held at a hotel in the Washington, DC, area. The competition came into existence in 1925, and the first winning word was “gladiolus.” The bee is open to the winners of sponsored regional spelling bees held mostly throughout the US, and participants must be in eighth grade or below, or 15 years old or younger. Why is it called a spelling “bee”? More… Discuss

today’s holiday: Mother’s Day (United States)


Mother’s Day (United States)

The setting aside of a day each year to honor mothers was the suggestion of Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose own mother had died on May 9, 1906. She held a memorial service and asked those attending to wear white carnations—a gesture that soon became a tradition. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson had proclaimed a national day in honor of mothers, and some people still wear carnations on the second Sunday in May—pink or red for mothers who are living and white for those who have died. More… Discuss

today’s holiday: Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet


 

Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet

In the coastal town of Bayou La Bartre, Alabama, the shrimp blessing has been celebrated since 1950. The fleet blessing began simply: a priest went up and down the bayou blessing the boats tied to the docks. Now some 25,000 people come for the blessing ceremony by the priest of St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church, and a parade of boats decorated with pennants, bunting, and papier-mâché figures. Other events include contests in oyster shucking, shrimp heading, and crab picking; seafood and gumbo dinners; a fiddler-crab race for children; and the crowning of the Fleet Queen. More… Discuss

today’s holiday: Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday (2015)


Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday (2015)

Born in Boston on this day in 1706, Benjamin Franklin helped edit, and was a signer of, the Declaration of Independence. He also helped to frame the Constitution. When he died in 1790 in Philadelphia, he was given the most impressive funeral that city had ever seen: 20,000 people attended. In Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute Science Museum holds a two-day “birthday bash” that often involves people dressing as Franklin. The celebration takes place on the weekend preceding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is the Monday after January 15. More… Discuss

today’s holiday: First Monday Trade Days (2015)


First Monday Trade Days (2015)

The First Monday Trade Days are a trading bazaar that each month brings 100,000-300,000 people to the small town of Canton, Texas. This legendary affair in northern Texas has its origins in the 1850s when the circuit court judge came to Canton on the first Monday of the month to conduct court proceedings. Farmers from the area would gather to sell or trade horses, conduct other business in town, and watch the occasional hanging. Now the flea market starts on Thursday and runs through the weekend before the first Monday, offering merchandise and food at more than 3,000 exhibition stalls. More… Discuss

Saint of the Day for Sunday, December 14th, 2014: St. John of the Cross


Image of St. John of the Cross  St. John of the Cross

Born in Spain in 1542, John learned the importance of self-sacrificing love from his parents. His father gave up wealth, status, and comfort when he married a weaver’s daughter and was disowned by … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

this pressed: The Church is about Christ – not an NGO, Pope tells Swiss bishops :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)


Pope Francis celebrates Mass for the Feast of Pentecost in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 8, 2014. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.

Vatican City, Dec 2, 2014 / 03:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In an address to the Swiss bishops on Monday, Pope Francis urged them maintain a lively faith, lest their country’s religious buildings become nothing more than dust-filled museums.

The Holy Father also used the opportunity to encourage the bishops to live their episcopal fatherhood; to uphold the ministerial priesthood; to engage in frank ecumenism; and to maintain the Church’s witness to the Gospel.

“Your country has a long Christian tradition,” he said in a text delivered to the bishops of Switzerland Dec. 1 at the Vatican, adding, “you have a great and beautiful responsibility to maintain a living faith in your land.”

“Without a living faith in the risen Christ, your beautiful churches and monasteries will gradually become museums; all the commendable works and institutions will lose their soul, leaving behind only empty spaces and abandoned people.”

He continued, “the mission that has been entrusted to you is to nurture your flock, proceeding in accordance with current circumstances … the People of God cannot exist without their pastors, bishops and priests; the Lord has given the Church the gift of the apostolic succession in the service of the unity of faith and its full transmission.”

Through this complete transmission, Pope Francis said, the Swiss, especially the youth, “can more easily find reasons to believe and to hope.”

via The Church is about Christ – not an NGO, Pope tells Swiss bishops :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

Saint of the Day for Sunday, November 23rd, 2014: Bl. Miguel Pro


Image of Bl. Miguel Pro

Bl. Miguel Pro

Born on January 13, 1891 in Guadalupe, Mexico, Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez was the eldest son of Miguel Pro and Josefa Juarez. Miguelito, as his doting family called him, was, from an early age, … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

today’s holidady: Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was first celebrated by the Greeks in about the 8th century and was not adopted by the Roman Catholic Church until the later Middle Ages; no one is quite sure when this festival was first introduced. As related in the apocryphal Book of James, it commemorates the presentation of the three-year-old Mary in the Temple to consecrate her to the service of God. More… Discuss

Philadelphia Sinfonia – Astor Piazzolla “Melodia en La Menor”: make music part of your life series



From:     Philadelphia Sinfonia  Philadelphia Sinfonia

Philadelphia Sinfonia – Astor Piazzolla “Melodia en La Menor” 

(for bandoneón & strings)

Philadelphia Sinfonia
(Youth Orchestra)
Gary D. White, Conductor & Music Director
Astor Piazzolla – Melodia en La Menor
(live performance featuring the strings of Philadelphia Sinfonia – 2009)

Philadelphia Sinfonia Association includes 3 orchestras:
Philadelphia Sinfonia – our advanced orchestra (high school & college)
Philadelphia Sinfonia Players – our intermediate orchestra (middle school & high school)
Philadelphia Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra – our strings only chamber orchestra

Our talented and dedicated students come from all over the Delaware Valley to participate in our high-level orchestral training program.

“Educating Musicians. Creating Artists.” – Philadelphia Sinfonia Association

http://www.philadelphiasinfonia.com – website
info@philadelphiasinfonia.com – email

Politically Correct: Noam Chomsky


Noam Chomsky

 
Chomsky” redirects here. For other uses, see Chomsky (disambiguation).
Noam Chomsky
Chomsky.jpg

On a visit to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2004
Born December 7, 1928 (age 85)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names Avram Noam Chomsky
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) 1949, (M.A.) 1951, (Ph.D.) 1955
 
Era 20th / 21st-century philosophy
Region Western philosophy
School Generative linguistics, Analytic philosophy
Institutions MIT (1955–present)
Main interests Linguistics ·
Metalinguistics
Psychology
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of mind
Politics · Ethics
Notable ideas
Influences
Influenced

Avram Noam Chomsky (/ˈnm ˈɒmski/; born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher,[20][21] cognitive scientist, logician,[22][23][24] political commentator and activist. Sometimes described as the “father of modern linguistics”,[25][26] Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy.[20] He has spent most of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is currently Professor Emeritus, and has authored over 100 books. He has been described as a prominent cultural figure, and was voted the “world’s top public intellectual” in a 2005 poll.[27]

Born to a middle-class Ashkenazi Jewish family in Philadelphia, Chomsky developed an early interest in anarchism from relatives in New York City. He later undertook studies in linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his BA, MA, and PhD, while from 1951 to 1955 he was appointed to Harvard University‘s Society of Fellows. In 1955 he began work at MIT, soon becoming a significant figure in the field of linguistics for his publications and lectures on the subject. He is credited as the creator or co-creator of the Chomsky hierarchy, the universal grammar theory, and the Chomsky–Schützenberger theorem. Chomsky also played a major role in the decline of behaviorism, and was especially critical of the work of B.F. Skinner.[28][29] In 1967 he gained public attention for his vocal opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, in part through his essay The Responsibility of Intellectuals, and came to be associated with the New Left while being arrested on multiple occasions for his anti-war activism. While expanding his work in linguistics over subsequent decades, he also developed the propaganda model of media criticism with Edward S. Herman. Following his retirement from active teaching, he has continued his vocal public activism, praising the Occupy movement for example.

Chomsky has been a highly influential academic figure throughout his career, and was cited within the field of Arts and Humanities more often than any other living scholar between 1980 and 1992. He was also the eighth most cited scholar overall within the Arts and Humanities Citation Index during the same period.[30][31][32][33] His work has influenced fields such as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, logic, mathematics, music theory and analysis, political science, programming language theory and psychology.[32][33][34][35][36] Chomsky continues to be well known as a political activist, and a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, state capitalism, and the mainstream news media. Ideologically, he aligns himself with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.[37]

<<<<  andsoon >>>>

[youtube.com/watch?v=vi-7XAAvzNs]

The Walnut Street Theatre


The Walnut Street Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the oldest continuously-operating theater in America. Its first play was The Rivals in 1812, and it went on to host many pre-Broadway tryouts of soon-to-be classics—including Gigi with Audrey Hepburn and A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando. Technologically innovative, it was the first theater to install gas footlights and air conditioning. In 1976, what major non-theatrical event happened there? More…

today’s holiday: Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion


Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion

The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village that was raided by the police on June 28, 1969. As the outraged crowd threw stones and bottles, more police arrived and subdued what had turned into a riot. Today, the event is regarded as a turning point in the history of the gay rights movement. It is commemorated in New York, Philadelphia, and other U.S. cities with parades, memorial services for those who have died of AIDS, and other activities to draw attention to the ways in which homosexuals have been discriminated against. More… Discuss

today’s holilday: Elfreth’s Alley Fete Day


Elfreth’s Alley Fete Day

Elfreth’s Alley is a street of privately owned 18th-century homes in Philadelphia, the only street in the city that has survived architecturally since the alley first opened in 1702. The idea of holding an “at home” day dates back to 1934, when a group of residents formed the Elfreth’s Alley Association. Now called Fete Day, it is a day on which many of the houses are open to visitors, with members of the Association acting as hostesses in Colonial dress. Over the years the Elfreth’s Alley Association has played an active role in saving some of the houses from destruction. More… Discuss

Enhanced by Zemanta

great compositions/performances: Falla: Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo / Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit


[youtube.com/watch?v=7IFSugEcAh0]

Falla: Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo / Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit

“El amor brujo (Love, the Magician, rarely translated as Wedded by Witchcraft) is a piece of music originally composed by Manuel de Falla for a chamber group, then re-scored as a symphonic suite, and eventually as a ballet. The texts were by Gregorio Martínez Sierra.

The work is distinctively Andalusian in character with the songs in the Andalusian Spanish dialect of the Gypsies. The music contains moments of remarkable beauty and originality; it includes the celebrated Ritual Fire Dance, Cancion del Fuego Fatuo (Will-o’-the-Wisp) and the Dance of Terror.

El amor brujo was initially commissioned in 1914-15 as a gitanería (gypsy piece) by Pastora Imperio, a renowned flamenco gypsy dancer. It was scored for cantaora voice, actors, and chamber orchestra. It was performed at the Teatro Lara, Madrid on 15 April 1915 but was not successful.

The following year, Falla revised the work for symphonic orchestra, with three short songs for mezzo-soprano. This version was performed on 28 March 1916 with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra under Enrique Fernández Arbós.

In 1925, de Falla transformed it into a one-act ‘ballet pantomímico’. The work’s United States premiere was presented by the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company at Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House on March 17, 1927 with mezzo-soprano Kathryn Noll and conductor Alexander Smallens.

El amor brujo is the story of a young Andalusian gypsy girl called Candela. Candela falls in love with a man called Carmelo, after her unfaithful husband, whom she had been forced to marry, had died. The dead husband’s ghost returns to haunt Candela and Carmelo. To rid them of the ghost, all the gypsies make a large circle around their campfire at midnight. In this circle Candela performs the Ritual Fire Dance. This causes the ghost to appear, with whom she dances. As they whirl around faster and faster, the magic of the fire dance causes the ghost to be drawn into the fire, making it vanish forever.”

Enhanced by Zemanta

State of Conflict: Bill Moyers on North Carolina’s Right Wing Takeover & the Citizens Fighting Back (…’we should know who’s buying our government…’)


http://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/27/state_of_conflict_bill_moyers_on

Published on Jan 27, 2014

http://www.democracynow.org – Legendary broadcaster Bill Moyers joins us to discuss his latest investigation which explores how the influence of large, untraceable political donations known as “dark money” have become the greatest threat to democracy in the United States. In “State of Conflict: North Carolina,” Moyers and his team explore how wealthy right-wing donors are greatly influencing state politics. “This is more than North Carolina,” Moyers says. “It’s a harbinger of how organized money is the greatest threat to democracy because it unbalances of equilibrium. Democracy is suppose to check the excesses of private power and private greed and if money disestablishes that equilibrium we’re in trouble.” Moyers, the host of “Moyers & Company,” also talks about the long fight to secure voting rights. Fifty years ago, he was serving in President Lyndon B. Johnson‘s administration at the time of the “Freedom Summer” campaign in 1964 and the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Moyers has won more than 30 Emmy Awards. He also was a founding organizer of the Peace Corps, served as press secretary for President Lyndon Johnson, and was a publisher of Newsday and senior correspondent for CBS News

Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,200+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET at http://www.democracynow.org.

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit http://owl.li/ruJ5Q.

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/democracynow 
Twitter: @democracynow 
Subscribe on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/democracynow 
Listen on SoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/democracynow 
Daily Email News Digest: http://www.democracynow.org/subscribe 
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow
Tumblr: http://democracynow.tumblr.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/democracynow/

Enhanced by Zemanta

Philadelphia Sinfonia – Astor Piazzolla “Melodia en La Menor”



Philadelphia Sinfonia 
(Youth Orchestra)
Gary D. White, Conductor & Music Director
Astor Piazzolla – Melodia en La Menor
(live performance featuring the strings of Philadelphia Sinfonia – 2009)

Philadelphia SInfonia Association includes 3 orchestras: 
Philadelphia Sinfonia – our advanced orchestra (high school & college)
Philadelphia Sinfonia Players – our intermediate orchestra (middle school & high school)
Philadelphia Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra – our strings only chamber orchestra

Our talented and dedicated students come from all over the Delaware Valley to participate in our high-level orchestral training program.

“Educating Musicians. Creating Artists.” – Philadelphia Sinfonia Association

http://www.philadelphiasinfonia.com – website
info@philadelphiasinfonia.com – email

 

Great Performances: Isaac Stern – Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole, Op.21



Eugene Ormandy conducting Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Scherzando
III. Intermezzo
IV. Andante
V. Rondo