Pentatonix Confusions

In the course of piano practice today I happened to run across this wholesome looking group of gifted singers, Pentatonix, performing beautiful Christmas songs and carols. OED: “The earliest known use of the noun carol is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED’s earliest evidence for carol is from before 1300, in Cursor Mundi: a Northumbrian poem of the 14th… Read More Pentatonix Confusions

The disarmament of German Jews and of Russian Citizens After the Revolution

They could have stood a chance. “The disarmament of the German Jews started in 1933, initially limited to local areas. A major target was Berlin, where large-scale raids in search for weaponry took place. Starting in 1936, the Gestapo prohibited German police officers from giving firearms licenses to Jews. In November 1938, the Verordnung gegen den Waffenbesitz der Juden prohibited the possession of firearms and… Read More The disarmament of German Jews and of Russian Citizens After the Revolution

When the review is likely worth the interest —and the novel not so much

Sontag and Vidal. First published in 1967, Death Kit –Susan Sontag’s second novel– is an example of modern fiction. Blending realism and dream, it offers a passionate exploration of the recesses of the American conscience. — Goodreads. “The recesses of the American conscience.” Now that tells me a lot! I will not reveal the plot so… Read More When the review is likely worth the interest —and the novel not so much

Savage Calls Out Sanders and Mamdani. Opinion.

“Savage reacts to Mayor Zohran’s Mamdani’s “seditious” Independence Day speech. Savage warns that the United States is approaching a political crisis as communist and socialist ideologies pose a growing threat. He recounts the rise of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge’s rule in Cambodia that resulted in the deaths of millions. Drawing parallels between Cambodia’s… Read More Savage Calls Out Sanders and Mamdani. Opinion.

Sartre’s Humanism. It took to the streets where it still thrives.

Norman Geisler, the Evangelical scholar who studied at Loyola University, Chicago, reflects on Jean Paul Sartre’s atheism: “It should be noted … that Sartre’s attempt to eliminate God is seriously flawed. First of all, he constructs a straw God by defining him as “self-caused.” Most theists do not believe God is a self-caused being; they… Read More Sartre’s Humanism. It took to the streets where it still thrives.

Dark River Road Storms. Sinking but trusting

“This vintage blues playlist carries the raw spirit of 1930s Mississippi Delta blues, country blues, profound spiritual blues (here), rural jazz, and Southern spiritual storytelling. Each note feels like a memory from an empty road, a wooden porch, a forgotten juke joint, or a train track disappearing into the dark.”

Tatyana Ryzhkova

Fuga, J. S. Bach, performed by Tatyana Ryzhkova Recording was made in Weimar, where J.S.Bach lived from 1708 to 1717. She speaks of “projects of my heart: especially Italian Guitar Camp. See here. “Exceptional week in Italy with guitar, friends, food, love and Italian love of life.”

Catering the errant harbor

“So you arrive at a place, but not your destination, and you wonder how far you have left to go. Or to put it another way, having contemplated the cat on the window sill, maybe… Continue reading → Catering the errant harbor