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Saturday, December 31, 2022

Music For New Year's Eve 2022 And The New Year 2023

Instead of "Auld Lang Syne" (the typical musical fare for this time of year), a round-up of events in 2022, or a list of New Year's resolutions, enjoy this selection:
 

Happy New Year! May 2023 be kind to us all.

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Pay Attention!

Photo credit

Please investigate for yourself by following all links below.

Excerpt (teaser):
  • The FBI paid Twitter $3.5 million to censor conservatives.
  • The FBI pressured Twitter to give them information that would legally require warrants, though they did not have warrants.
  • Leading up to the 2020 election, the FBI would eventually hold weekly meetings with Twitter and tell them whose tweets to squelch and which accounts they wanted to be suspended. Almost all were those of conservatives.
  • The FBI knew the Hunter Biden laptop story was real, they knew it was coming out — weeks before the 2020 election — and they told Big Tech to expect a “Russian disinformation” drop and squelch the story. That means the FBI corrupted the election to help Joe “totally showered with his daughter, Ashley” Biden.
  • There are so many former FBI employees at Twitter that they have their own Slack channel.  
  • And... 

...Twitter wasn’t the only Big Tech firm hip-deep in spooks.  The feds had their fingers in Verizon, Reddit, Facebook, Microsoft, and, for some reason, Pinterest....

The rest is here at Why You Need to Start Paying Attention to the "Twitter Files."  Please read all embedded hot links before commenting!

Government corruption galore!

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Musical Interlude For Christmas Day — And Beyond

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

If you love excellent choral music, cue up the video below and play this 1991 recording as you enjoy Christmas Day and the remainder of this Holy Season. If you have a Smart TV with a sound bar, as Warren and I do, even better!

The Choral Arts Society of Washington has been a choir of the top order, both nationally and internationally, since 1965.  Members of the choir are not paid!  If approved by a grueling audition (fewer than one in four pass the test), these "amateur" musicians sing because they so love music.

(Personal note: I had the privilege of being in the alto section of the Choral Arts Society of Washington from its founding under the baton of Maestro Norman Scribner, until the spring of 1968, when I resigned so that I could prepare to go to college.  I'll be ever grateful to Maestro Scribner on taking a chance on a child of thirteen to be join a choir of adult singers.  Oh, the training I received!)


00:00 JOY TO THE WORLD for brass 00:57 OF THE FATHER'S LOVE BEGOTTEN 04:11 JAUCHZET, FROHLOCKET! | Bach 12:20 TOMORROW SHALL BE MY DANCING DAY | Rutter 15:23 I SAW THREE SHIPS | Vaughn Williams 16:54 THE HOLLY AND THE IVY | Rutter 19:48 FANTASIA ON ‘GREENSLEEVES’ | Vaughn Williams 24:32 IN DULCI JUBILO for organ | Bach 25:46 NOEL NOUVELET 29:12 BOGORODITSE DEVO, RADUYSA | Rachmaninoff 32:14 WELCOME, ALL WONDERS | Dirksen 39:13 VOLTE | Praetorius 39:58 INTONATION for organ | Gabrieli/IN DULCI JUBILO | Scheidt 44:41 O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL | Willcocks 48:11 DECK THE HALLS | Shaw-Parker 49:21 MARY HAD A BABY | Dawson 52:35 CANDLELIGHT CAROL | Rutter 56:51 STILLE NACHT | Gruber 59:44 ZITHER CAROL | Sargent 1:01:32 BRING A TORCH | Shaw-Parker 1:03:01 WILLIE, TAKE YOUR LITTLE DRUM | Hall 1:04:37 CANTIQUE DE NOEL | Adams 1:08:55 SHEDRYK 1:10:06 A MERRY CHRISTMAS | Warrell 1:11:30 HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING | Willocks

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Warren's A Christmas Visitor: A Christmas Tradition Here At This Blog



Posted by Warren

(Originally posted on "Longrange" for Christmas 2004)

4:00 am 12/24/04

There was a knock on my front door which startled me awake. My dogs were barking which required my dire threats to quieten them as I answered the door.

Maybe you have heard of our weather and the unusually cold temperatures and large amount of snow that has fallen in the last 24 hours. I live just south of Interstate 64 in Southern Indiana and you may have seen the news about the closed Interstate and stranded motorists on the national news.

A man in his early fifties, about my own age, stood at the door. He was wearing tennis shoes, jeans, a field jacket and sock hat. His glasses were frosted and his pale white hands and reddened knuckles gave witness that he wore no gloves.

He told me he was lost and asked for directions to a certain address. I told him that he missed his mark by a mile and a half and asked him where his car was. He said he was walking.

I invited him in and sat a chair for him by the warm air from the furnace vent. He was shivering uncontrollably and a faint whiff of alcohol was on his breath. I asked if I could fix him something to eat but he refused and accepted a hot cup of coffee.

My wife talked to him as he warmed himself and I could hear him speaking as I prepared his fresh coffee.

My son heard his voice and came into the living room to sit and listen, and to watch, just in case.

His story unfolded.

He was homeless veteran, he had been sleeping in a box, under a bridge over the Ohio river, several miles to the West. He had decided that it was too cold and he might freeze to death if he didn't find safe shelter with more than a cardboard box to keep him warm. About midnight, he had left his meager possessions and headed for his sisters home, a mile or so from my own home. He had walked past in the blowing snow and the dark but continued walking. He was lost, confused and probably somewhat drunk. Hypothermia can add confusion to even the sober mind.

As he spoke, I realized that he had mental problems as do many of the homeless.

There are places that provide refuge for the indigent, I'm sure he knew, but they don't accept anyone who is intoxicated, which I'm also sure he knew.

He drank his coffee then asked me if I would drive him to his sisters home. He then offered me two dollars. Of course I refused the money but offered to take him where he wanted to go.

I intended to take measures to see after him and he seemed anxious to leave.

As I drove, he told me that his sister was out of town but he had permission to use her house in an emergency. I was worried that he was just lying for reasons of his own but I was determined to see the thing through, even if I had to call the police to ensure his well-being through this cold weather.

As we drove up to the house, there was a porch light on and smoke coming from the chimney vent. Even so, it was apparent that there was no one home, the snow around the house was undisturbed.

I asked him if he was sure he could get in, he said, "Yes, she (his sister) told me where the key is." He reached out his hand, as if for a hand shake, and when I offered mine, pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it saying, "God bless you".

I was profoundly embarrassed but stayed long enough to see him dig around in the snow and find a key, unlock the door and wave goodbye.

I drove home, my thoughts disturbed, by the events that had taken place.

My wife was relieved as I returned and I started preparing food (very early,) for Christmas Eve. As I cut up fruit for salad and prepared the turkey for baking, my son came up behind me, hugged me and kissing my head, said, "Dad, you did a good thing."

Again, I was embarrassed, not by my son's hug and kiss but by his praise.

It was the right thing to do.

My son told me that he tries to help the homeless ones that hang around his place of employment. We spoke of how little we can actually do for them and I was proud of my son for being a good man and doing the right thing.

As I continued to prepare food for Christmas Eve, my thoughts drifted to a couple seeking shelter in Bethlehem and the birth of the Lamb of the New Covenant, and I felt God's Peace.

May God's Peace and blessings be with you all!
Merry Christmas.

Warren

Post Note:

First, please watch "Mary, Did You Know?" as performed by the Pentatonix, an a capella group. I hope that you love it as much as I do:


====

Eighteen years ago, I first posted this true story -yes it actually happened- and I am always asked to brush the cobwebs off and re-post it for Christmas. The post note is changed to reflect my feelings and events.

"Mary, Did You Know?" by the Pentatonix, is my favorite Christmas Carol. If you haven't heard this version before or if you would like to hear it again, I urge you to put on your headphones or good speakers and have a listen. 

Maybe below you could tell me your favorite Carol.
This year, I'm spending Christmas with my new bride, AOW, in our new home. It has been a year of many happy changes.

Christmas Eve, we shall celebrate with one of my brothers and my son and daughter-in-law.

Once again, and to all my friends -and you know who you are!-
Merry Christmas!
Warren



Merry Christmas to all who stop by this site. Be blest!

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Spot-On Satire

Senator Rand Paul's Christmas 2022 satire:
Weep for our republic, which is being driven into the ground by the federal-government big spenders ("public servants"). Both parties are guilty of political malpractice!

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Christmas Music Interlude

One of my personal favorites, this version arranged for female voices, harp, and cello: 


More selections from Kinga Elżbieta Vnuk HERE.
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