OK Neo, you did it to yourself by introducing reaction videos on YouTube. I’d never heard of them before but have become a bit addicted. Here’s a lady that appeared on my feed a little while ago. There’s a ton of them who bill themselves as a voice coach. She bills herself as “The Charismatic Voice, Vocal Coach/Opera Singer.”
“Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production She’s performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia, currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona. Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.”
Regarding the Rubik’s cube kid; people are simply amazing. Humans can adapt to so many different situations; live in polar and equatorial regions; play pianos and tubas; hang glide and scuba dive; climb sheer walls; run 100 miles in less than half a day; swim the English channel; juggle, walk tightropes; and, sing like the Bee Gees!
There are some great videos with titles like, “People are amazing/incredible.” Always fun to watch.
Most of you have likely heard of the recent poll that shows that for the first time in America’s history a majority of Americans report no affiliation with a house of worship.
I was thinking today about the pandemic and the reactions of so many people I know well, who are behaving irrationally besides the data right in front of their eyes. Then I remembered that study. Perhaps this is what the world looks like when living amongst a majority population with no notion of an afterlife, or leaving a legacy beyond one’s own survival? All that matters is living one more year. One more month. One more day.
They are not viewing our pandemic response with concern for others; the local restaurant or gym owner. Protection of themselves and their self interests is all that matters.
No offense to any atheists here, I was one myself. But even when I was an atheist I was glad I lived in a nation where the majority of citizens were not.
I think a nation needs a moral foundation built on theology or nationalism to thrive. I prefer the former, but I’d take the latter. We now have neither. Looks like we’re headed for an extended period of “bad luck.”
I was looking at the photo above the fold; two books and ballet slippers. We know the reason for the ballet slippers. One of the book spines is legible; “The Last Lion/Winston Spencer Churchill.” But the book on top of that one? Do we know what it is? Has neo ever mentioned it?
It looks to be a four or five letter title and the first letter looks like an, “F.” Goethe’s, “Faust?” Maybe? I could see neo liking it, but choosing it as one of only two books in her header? Seems unlikely. Also, there appears to be a contemporary, black and white photograph, a headshot, on the cover. That makes me think it’s another autobiography or biography.
Hmmm…
Well, when it comes time for the first serious warp-drive test, I think we have our pilot, ladies and gentlemen.
Rufus, that’s the Frost collection from the Library of America. I have that volume as well.
Rufus T. Firefly:
I’ve mentioned what that book is, but not for a while, although I mention the author a lot. It’s a hardback copy of Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, & Plays.
One of the odd things is that, when I decided on that photo so many years ago, I was unfamiliar with Frost’s politics. I was just choosing him because he is pretty much my favorite poet. It was only later that I discovered that his politics were also largely in tune with mine.
That is a very interesting synergy, neo. Extremely interesting you felt compelled to include it in your header without consciously knowing that aspect of Frost.
I have had that happen a few times. Someone I really like, for a completely non-political reason, turns out to be an admirable political thinker once I learn about that side of their life.
This gives me an idea for an open thread game:
If you were a highly respected and successful blogger, like neo ( 😉 ), what object and two books would head your page?
Rufus T. Firefly:
Yes, it rather amazed me when I learned his politics. But perhaps I had already sensed it within his poetry, without even realizing it.
Rufus, in reference to your thread game: for me, a view of the Earth from the moon, or as Sagan’s pale blue dot, or a globe = something to place our planet in perspective within the immensity of the universe; including the possibility that we will never be able to live as a species anywhere else.
Then Sowell’s Conflict of Visions [constrained vs. unconstrained] and perhaps right now I would also select Larry Siedentop’s Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism.
This last book sort of addresses your earlier remark “… even when I was an atheist I was glad I lived in a nation where the majority of citizens were not.” I gather that even nonbelievers might come to appreciate that the Christian religious impact on Western culture led to our current views on human rights, and that other cultures and “civilizations” don’t seem to have adopted this outlook (except to the extent the “modern” West has impacted them).
Rufus, hello again. Since the terms of the contest seem to imply a template selection of one non-fiction and one any-other-genre book (poetry is not exactly fiction, but not quite what is generally understood to be non-fiction either), I’d go for:
1. Grant’s memoir;
2. struggling between a Shakespeare volume and The Silmarillion – would probably opt for the former in the end because, as much as I think Tolkien goes far beyond the ‘typical’ fantasy literature and The Silmarillion is IMO genuinely fine literature on the merits, I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed as a fantasy fan on that account, and the Bard would balance the highly prosaic Grant to some extent;
3. an icon of the Resurrection.
Oh, speaking of which, happy Easter to folks!
If I had everyone’s email address, I would send you a Jacquie Larson ecard for Easter, but I don’t, so do yourself a favor and stroll over to her website.
You can look at cards without being a member, but it’s cheap for a year and you get access to everything, plus sending “free” cards to everyone you know as often as you like. I send very few paper cards anymore.
I have been enjoying the Archbishop’s work since I first read about his ministry in Denver. We got his book last week, but I haven’t started reading it yet.
Thread, you say… How about Threads?
https://youtu.be/xV8rgAyiwd4
OK Neo, you did it to yourself by introducing reaction videos on YouTube. I’d never heard of them before but have become a bit addicted. Here’s a lady that appeared on my feed a little while ago. There’s a ton of them who bill themselves as a voice coach. She bills herself as “The Charismatic Voice, Vocal Coach/Opera Singer.”
“Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production She’s performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia, currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona. Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.”
Phantom of the Opera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxLZNCYCCA8&t=2s
Heavy metal (Gahh…!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyeoo5UCJU
Singing with a friend. Yes, I can shatter glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB7lYoVbiHM&list=RD5UjrWnxEQS8&index=2
Here’s the lady herself singing the aria “Matern aller Arten” from Mozart’s “Abduction from the Seraglio.” She’s the real deal. Who knew opera was an athletic event?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UjrWnxEQS8&list=RD5UjrWnxEQS8&start_radio=1
and here’s Elizabeth’s reaction to herself. Very funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TONPtYZeOSQ
Regarding the Rubik’s cube kid; people are simply amazing. Humans can adapt to so many different situations; live in polar and equatorial regions; play pianos and tubas; hang glide and scuba dive; climb sheer walls; run 100 miles in less than half a day; swim the English channel; juggle, walk tightropes; and, sing like the Bee Gees!
There are some great videos with titles like, “People are amazing/incredible.” Always fun to watch.
Most of you have likely heard of the recent poll that shows that for the first time in America’s history a majority of Americans report no affiliation with a house of worship.
I was thinking today about the pandemic and the reactions of so many people I know well, who are behaving irrationally besides the data right in front of their eyes. Then I remembered that study. Perhaps this is what the world looks like when living amongst a majority population with no notion of an afterlife, or leaving a legacy beyond one’s own survival? All that matters is living one more year. One more month. One more day.
They are not viewing our pandemic response with concern for others; the local restaurant or gym owner. Protection of themselves and their self interests is all that matters.
No offense to any atheists here, I was one myself. But even when I was an atheist I was glad I lived in a nation where the majority of citizens were not.
I think a nation needs a moral foundation built on theology or nationalism to thrive. I prefer the former, but I’d take the latter. We now have neither. Looks like we’re headed for an extended period of “bad luck.”
I was looking at the photo above the fold; two books and ballet slippers. We know the reason for the ballet slippers. One of the book spines is legible; “The Last Lion/Winston Spencer Churchill.” But the book on top of that one? Do we know what it is? Has neo ever mentioned it?
It looks to be a four or five letter title and the first letter looks like an, “F.” Goethe’s, “Faust?” Maybe? I could see neo liking it, but choosing it as one of only two books in her header? Seems unlikely. Also, there appears to be a contemporary, black and white photograph, a headshot, on the cover. That makes me think it’s another autobiography or biography.
Hmmm…
Well, when it comes time for the first serious warp-drive test, I think we have our pilot, ladies and gentlemen.
Rufus, that’s the Frost collection from the Library of America. I have that volume as well.
Rufus T. Firefly:
I’ve mentioned what that book is, but not for a while, although I mention the author a lot. It’s a hardback copy of Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, & Plays.
One of the odd things is that, when I decided on that photo so many years ago, I was unfamiliar with Frost’s politics. I was just choosing him because he is pretty much my favorite poet. It was only later that I discovered that his politics were also largely in tune with mine.
That is a very interesting synergy, neo. Extremely interesting you felt compelled to include it in your header without consciously knowing that aspect of Frost.
I have had that happen a few times. Someone I really like, for a completely non-political reason, turns out to be an admirable political thinker once I learn about that side of their life.
This gives me an idea for an open thread game:
If you were a highly respected and successful blogger, like neo ( 😉 ), what object and two books would head your page?
Rufus T. Firefly:
Yes, it rather amazed me when I learned his politics. But perhaps I had already sensed it within his poetry, without even realizing it.
Rufus, in reference to your thread game: for me, a view of the Earth from the moon, or as Sagan’s pale blue dot, or a globe = something to place our planet in perspective within the immensity of the universe; including the possibility that we will never be able to live as a species anywhere else.
Then Sowell’s Conflict of Visions [constrained vs. unconstrained] and perhaps right now I would also select Larry Siedentop’s Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism.
This last book sort of addresses your earlier remark “… even when I was an atheist I was glad I lived in a nation where the majority of citizens were not.” I gather that even nonbelievers might come to appreciate that the Christian religious impact on Western culture led to our current views on human rights, and that other cultures and “civilizations” don’t seem to have adopted this outlook (except to the extent the “modern” West has impacted them).
Rufus, hello again. Since the terms of the contest seem to imply a template selection of one non-fiction and one any-other-genre book (poetry is not exactly fiction, but not quite what is generally understood to be non-fiction either), I’d go for:
1. Grant’s memoir;
2. struggling between a Shakespeare volume and The Silmarillion – would probably opt for the former in the end because, as much as I think Tolkien goes far beyond the ‘typical’ fantasy literature and The Silmarillion is IMO genuinely fine literature on the merits, I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed as a fantasy fan on that account, and the Bard would balance the highly prosaic Grant to some extent;
3. an icon of the Resurrection.
Oh, speaking of which, happy Easter to folks!
If I had everyone’s email address, I would send you a Jacquie Larson ecard for Easter, but I don’t, so do yourself a favor and stroll over to her website.
You can look at cards without being a member, but it’s cheap for a year and you get access to everything, plus sending “free” cards to everyone you know as often as you like. I send very few paper cards anymore.
https://www.jacquielawson.com/
And have a very joyous Easter!
Townhall had several Easter-oriented posts, so I will only link two of them.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kathrynlopez/2021/04/04/chaput-book-reminds-us-whats-worth-living-for-n2587348
I have been enjoying the Archbishop’s work since I first read about his ministry in Denver. We got his book last week, but I haven’t started reading it yet.
https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2021/04/04/how-the-death-of-a-20th-century-rabbi-helps-demonstrate-the-reality-of-the-resurrection-of-jesus-n2587320
Some interesting speculations by Brown, summarizing the argument of his own book.
Happy Easter all!