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Most writers seem to have self-doubt genetically encoded into their beings. Every word, on every page, fights with an undercurrent of chronic anxiety: this sucks. Wait, well—maybe it doesn't. No, this really sucks. And it is no wonder; even Ernest Hemmingway said, "The first draft of anything is shit." So writers constantly have to confront—there really is not a better word for it—shit.
But then there are the moments that come, rare, few, when we know our words ring with universality; we know that the words are right, bigger than us, beautiful. And when this clarity comes, it cuts through our doubts as crisply as the sound of ice cracking on Lake Superior. We chase that rapture.
Like most writers, I have been stalked by self-doubt; but beyond normal reservations about my chances of getting a book published, I have been haunted by a probability dilemma: I went to high school with Chuck Klosterman.
Why does this matter? Well, the idea that one published author might emerge from a rural town on the edge of North Dakota is a little wild. And we have celebrated this piece of trivia: Chuck lived here. We are tickled when he pops up on TV or we catch a familiar voice on the radio; with some awe, we imagine him, the kid we knew in school, sitting down to interview Billy Joel or Brittney Spears. Given Chuck's success, it seemed implausible that another successful writer would spring from Wyndmere.
I have not come across any legitimate studies about small town writers to validate my fears. But who needs studies? We are told, short of a miracle, that the work of few writers will find its way into the world. As time passes, we bump into other writers and learn that their writing practices have shrunk to nothing, like dehydrated mushrooms. The smaller the thing you care about becomes, the less it seems to hurt.
When people would encourage my writing, finding value in it, moved by it, even, I'd often say, out of self-deprecating habit, "But what are the odds? I went to high school with Chuck." Despite my curse, I kept writing. And the only way to explain to anyone, especially my farmer dad, why one would spend hours, perhaps thousands of them, doing something without a monetary yield, is that to put words on the page, to make meaning with them, is to constantly chase that rapture.
After several years of writing, I finished a book. And then something strange happened. I got an agent, and my agent then sent my book to presses, and I got one of those too—a good one. Something seemed wrong with my statistical prediction, but then again, I was never any good at math.
In addition to the doubts echoing in my writer's mind, there was a little sliver of wisdom I had gleaned from a talk by a well-known author many years ago. When asked how one can get published, the author said something along these lines: just write. Write a lot. If you are good, they will find you. You will get published. I understood her "they" to refer to people in the pub-lishing industry. After that talk I started to think of these people as the "book people." I imagined them with gigantic butterfly nets, reaching into the ether and pulling down what was good. I knew, then, deep down, that my chances of getting published had nothing to do with Chuck, but with me.
As news of my recently published memoir Prairie Silence circulated, people started congratulating me on Facebook, and my former schoolmate, Chuck, weighed in: "The per capita ratio of writers from Wyndmere is one for every 214.5 citizens. If this was the case for Fargo-Moorhead, that would equate to roughly 973 published authors. This is either a complete coincidence or a very positive reflection on Brenda Tamlyn's teaching career." Brenda Tamlyn was our English teacher.
As I embark upon my new venture as a published author, I know I have nowhere near Chuck's notoriety. (In farm-kid terms: I am a kernel of corn; he's is the entire harvest). He is, in my mind, a prolific, gifted, wickedly smart writer. And so when I think about my chances of quitting my day job, I presume I am doomed. I mean, what are the odds of two people from Wyndmere making their living as a writer? We'll have to see how far Mrs. Tamlyn's hard work goes, and pray I really do stink at stats.


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A couple weeks ago, we reported that Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga: New Moon), Ed Speleers (Eragon), and Leebo Freeman were all in the running for the male lead in Scott Charles Stewart's adaptation of the young adult book series The Mortal Instruments. Deadline is now reporting that Bower has won that race and will play Jace Wayland. Jace is a member of a group known as "Shadowhunters" who are warriors devoted to ridding the world of demons. The book's protagonist Clary Fray (played by Lily Collins and I swear I'm not making up these character names) witnesses a murder and is eventually drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters. In the synopsis, Jace is described as "a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk." Is the tagline for this movie going to be "This totally isn't anything like Twilight, but if you liked Twilight, you should see this movie."
Hit the jump for a synopsis of the first novel in The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones.
Here's the synopsis for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

subset: commoncrawl


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Hide Commutes from the Activity Feed but still count towards my stats
I would like this feature because nobody is interested in my twice daily commute, except me. I would still like it to count towards my total mileage and if I happen to do well on a segment then that should register too. Currently, if I mark a ride as private then segments don't count which seems unfair.
Alternatively maybe somewhere in the Strava settings there could be a "Hide other people's commutes" option?


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"Right now I am talking to you from bed, wrapped up in blankets because I can't regulate my body temperature," says Stefani Bush, a Chelmsford, Mass., mother. Bush, 35, has a gene mutation, one in a galaxy of mutations that causes often devastating conditions known collectively as mitochondrial diseases. She has been hospitalized about 16 times this year. She can't walk more than about 20 yards and has a host of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal symptoms.
A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature might offer a way to prevent children from inheriting such conditions in the future. Scientists in Oregon have found a way to remove the damaged genetic material and replace it with healthy DNA. The catch is it's controversial, and children born using the technique would, technically, have three genetic parents. It's just the kind of ethical debate that stopped such science dead in its tracks a decade ago.
Bush wasn't aware she carried her mutation until she was pregnant with her daughter, now 7. Her son, 9, has been diagnosed with the same mutation, and her daughter is showing signs she has it, too. On a recent family dream trip to Disney World, the little girl spent an entire day having seizures.
Mitochondria are tiny organelles in every cell of our bodies except red blood cells. They're the cells' power plants, converting glucose to energy. Mitochondria has DNA of its own – human mitochondria has 13 genes – that is passed down virtually unchanged from mothers to babies.
If mitochondria don't do their jobs properly, a wide variety of health troubles can result, especially in parts of the body, like muscle and brain, that have high energy requirements.
An estimated 1 in 4,000 children born in the U.S. are affected by some version of mitochondrial disease, according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.
Many children born with mitochondrial mutations don't live past age 4 or 5. Mutations can cause blindness, deafness, strokes, seizures and cardiovascular problems. Often, as in Stefani Bush's case, people go undiagnosed for many years.
Researchers have been trying for years to find ways to repair damaged mitochondria to give the kids a chance.
Shoukhrat Mitalipov at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and Oregon Health and Science University and colleagues found a way they think might work. Most of a person's DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell, carried on structures called chromosomes.
Mitalipov's team took the chromosomes out of one set of human egg cells. They replaced them with chromosomes from human donor eggs. Then they used fertilization techniques to inject sperm and fertilize the eggs – about 65 in total.
Mitalipov Lab / Oregon Health & Science University
Researchers have found a way to removed damaged DNA from a woman's egg cell and replace it with healthy DNA from another woman.
When the resulting embryos developed into balls of cells called blastocysts, they took out a few of the embryonic stem cells and tested them to show they were healthy and would have developed into normal embryos. Only about half did.
Even so, Mitalipov told a news conference, the process worked "pretty well. Mitochondrial DNA can be replaced efficiently."
Three years ago, the same team announced they'd used the technique to create reconstituted eggs from monkeys called macaques, fertilize those eggs, and implant them into females. Three babies were born.
"At three years follow up," Mitalipov said, "the study showed these are normal" juvenile monkeys.
By doing such manipulations, scientists hope to prevent mitochondrial disease by removing chromosomes from the eggs of affected women, and putting them into donor eggs. Any children that would be born would not carry the mother's mitochondrial mutations – but would have the mitochondrial DNA from the woman who donated her eggs.
"From my point of view, this has big implications in women who have some type of mitochondrial DNA mutation," said Carla Koehler, a mitochondrial biologist at the University of California Los Angeles who has been studying ways to repair the mutations. She uses some of the same kinds of techniques to make what she calls "cybrids."
"I'd hate to rush this technique and start using it in women," she added. "We should always have a high bar."
In 2010, a team from Newcastle University in Britain published results of their own, similar, chromosome transfer. On behalf of that team, Mary Herbert issued a statement applauding the work of the Oregon scientists and noting that it "confirms our previous work published in Nature, showing that, in principle, it is possible to use IVF-based techniques to reduce the risk of transmitting mitochondrial DNA disease from a mother to her child."
The team hasn't yet shown that an embryo made this way could be used to make a woman pregnant.
Mitalipov said the scientists think they've figured out why most of the manipulated eggs didn't develop normally. He hopes to start human tests. "I say it is safe enough to proceed," he said.
Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of the division of endocrinology and infertility at the New York University Fertility Center, agreed. "It's a great paper," he told NBC News. "This is a kind of orphan group of patients, but they are out there, and the only thing we can offer them now is donor eggs."
But Grifo also predicted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be very reluctant to approve any human trials
Grifo knows, because, in 1999, he published results of a similar technique in his effort to improve success rates for infertile patients.
"I think this study confirms what we were doing a long time ago," he said.
But Grifo was working at a time when there were great concerns over the issue of human cloning. He wasn't trying to clone anybody, just trying to make a healthy egg.
After media reports of Grifo's work were published, "I got a personal phone call from the assistant surgeon general of the United States who wanted to know why I was doing it and said I should not be doing it," he recalled. "Then I got a letter from FDA telling me to stop."
Grifo turned his data and research over to Chinese scientists so it wouldn't go to waste.
In fact, there are already children born with two genetic mothers. In the mid 1990s, Jacques Cohen, at St. Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey, began transplanting cytoplasm from donor eggs into eggs from infertile women as a way to "rescue" those eggs.
In 2001, Cohen announced that he'd found mitochondrial DNA from both the mother and the donor in the cells of babies born using this cytoplasmic transfer technique.
It was the first time the human germline – the genetic information that's passed down from one generation to the next – had been deliberately altered and resulted in the birth of children.
In response, the FDA said it would require researchers to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, and conduct clinical trials under that IND. In the 11 years since, FDA has not issued any such INDs, according to FDA spokesperson Rita Chappelle. Given fears over altering the human germline, and the idea that any babies would be born with DNA from three people, some question if FDA will change policy now.
"I'm not sure what FDA's stand is on this treatment," Mitalipov said. "Last time I heard, this topic was under active discussion in the FDA's Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies department."
Chappelle would say only that "any proposed process of mitochondrial transfer would be carefully evaluated before FDA could make a determination as to whether an IND would be required to conduct clinical research."
Bush understands the concerns, but has no doubts the science should move forward. If she'd known what she risked passing on to her children, "I would do it," she said. "If I could have spared my children one ounce of what they have gone though, I would."
Brian Alexander (www.BrianRAlexander.com) is co-author, with Larry Young Ph.D., of "The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex and the Science of Attraction," (www.TheChemistryBetweenUs.com), now on sale.
Related link:
Ethicist says controversial technique is worth the moral risk


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A hotel in Ávila, the Spanish capital that lives nearer the sky
Mystical and traditional, before its time, a World Heritage Site, that's the "Spanish capital that lives nearer the sky", in the words of Camilo José Cela.
To be precise, the Hotel Rey Niño is situated in the historical centre of this beautiful city, Ávila, surrounded by the medieval walls of the old quarter.
This low-cost but high quality accommodation, fully renovated in 2001, stands in an old stone building which offers modern facilities including a free Wi-Fi wireless internet connection.
Special Offers
We publish offers periodically. Visit us soon so you don't miss them.


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jogos de meninas e jogos para meninas
jogosemeninas: Os melhores jogos de meninas em jogosemeninas.com, jogos de vestir, jogos de beleza, jogos de decorar, jogos de cozinhar, etc.
Twins Family
The twins in this fascinating puzzle game share a very special connection. If you bring them together they fusion together all the twins in the family to make them happy. Also grab the stars to get additional points!
Puzzle Games, Skill, Board Games
Slide the green block until it reaches the green arrows at the other side. Have fun in this crazy puzzle game!
Puzzle Games, Skill
Jelly Monster
Who can resist a tasty bowl icecream? Apparently not even a one-eyed, red monster made of Jelly can. Navigate your avatar through the levels,collecting all gems and avoid the bombs!
Skill, Puzzle Games


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For race use only. Not admitted in the area of the German StVZO!
Olé! Spanish temperament for your scooter with the TECHNIGAS "Next" and "Next R". The only red that will flash here is the color of your rear light in the eyes of the man behind you.
Material: Steel / Muffler Aluminum / Cone-CounterCone / usually E-Pass
The "Next" is the successor, in stock for many models. Sporty optics, quiet aluminum muffler, sturdy power increase, extreme light, good durability, fair price/performance ratio.
"Next R" muffler (now black) has modified intake, extra welding, comes for many models with E-Pass
SIP-TIP! Lighter vario rolls, harder clutch springs, larger main jets (circa 5%).
German Scooter Magazine SCOOTER & SPORT July/August 2002: "A real bargain from Spain..."
German Scooter Magazine MOTORETTA November/December 2002: "...successful optics...!
Rpm's: -9.500


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A recent HBR article from January 2008 Harvard Business Review has a provocative piece by innovation guru Clay Christensen and a couple of colleagues called "Innovation Killers: How financial tools destroy your capacity to do new things." I have the greatest of respect for Clay Christenson who does hit the nail on the head every time with his analysis of business. His critique of the limitations of DCF analysis is applicable to private equity deals, hence my interest.
Since my MBA and time at Deloitte, I have always been skeptical toward financial analysis and the reverence to which it is held.
While DCF analysis has its place, its limitations should be recognized. One problem is that fact that most DCF models are built on status quo assumptions (or growth projections) that don't account for the strategic and competitive curve balls. I would add that there is also the issue of garbage-in, garbage-out: the less you know about what's likely to happen (as is the case with new lines of business), the less reliable the output of your DCF model becomes.
I see the problem to be that instead of acknowledging this limitation, many finance geeks embrace the modeled output as Holy Writ. Besides being a false data crutch, it squeezes out consideration of other "softer" factors (like my favourite - non-quantifiable synergies)that are every bit as worthy of consideration. Pick up my book, Money Magnet, which deals with all of this in far greater detail.


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Make-Ahead Turkey and Egg Strata
Get the Recipe
The first time I came across a recipe for strata, I could not believe this great, magical brunch treasure had been under my nose all this time without my knowing about it. How could I, a die-hard egg and all-things-breakfast devotee, not know of the existence of a cross between a frittata and a bread pudding?
The situation rectified, and many admired strata recipes later, I finally took on my first one. In thinking about make-ahead Thanksgiving and holiday leftovers, a strata is a veritable no-brainer. For those new to the term, a strata is an egg and bread casserole that necessitates an overnight sit in the refrigerator, to allow the bread to soak up the egg and milk mixture. The result is something more custardy than a frittata, but not quite as rich as a quiche, with a nice crunchy browned crust on the top bread cubes.
Like a frittata, stratas can take on any number and combination of fillings, except they're layered on, lasagna-style, with the egg mixture poured over. For holiday season, I use this as a vehicle for leftover roasted turkey meat, as well as leftover cooked vegetable sides—here, mushrooms and spinach, with Gruyère and chives. To cut through the richness, I also added the typical strata ingredient of tangy Dijon mustard.
You can very easily customize this for whatever you happen to have on hand alongside your turkey, and you'll likely already have bread cubes for your stuffing. Once the dinner plates have been cleared, you can assemble this in 5 minutes flat. The following day, you'll have brunch waiting in your fridge at the ready to be baked off—once everyone's appetite has returned.
Get the Recipe
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But we can't let this heat beat us! I wanted to make desserts this week, but it was too hot. I turned on the oven briefly, and my apartment felt so hot. So I wanted a no bake dessert. So then these peanut butter pretzel balls came into mind. They are also known as Chubby Hubby Truffles.
I made chocolate dipped strawberries at the beginning of the week. And those inspired me to make these. You will enjoy these. Peanut buttery, salty, and chocolatey. They are so easy to pop out, and it won't make your home any hotter!
You will only need a couple ingredients, you might already have them in your home!
1 1/2 cups pretzel pieces
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 Tbs butter, unsalted and at room temp
2 Tbs brown sugar
pinch of salt
3 Tbs powdered sugar
1 cup of chocolate/candy melts (I used milk)
1. Crush the pretzels to small pieces in a large bag, I used my rolling pin.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and salt. Mix with a spoon until smooth and well combined.
3. Add in the pretzel pieces. Mix until combined.
4. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on top. And then mix until well combined.
5. I used a small ice cream scoop, about 1 Tbs in size, to scoop out uniform balls. Shape each with your finger tips into round balls. I got 12 balls from the recipe.
6. Put the balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Melt the chocolate or candy melts in the microwave at 50% power. Stirring the chocolate/candy melts every 15 seconds. Add some vegetable oil, if needed, to thin the chocolate.
8. Using a fork, dip each ball into the chocolate to coat completely. Then transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper to set. Repeat with all the balls.
9. Melt some peanut butter flavors chocolate/candy melts and drizzle over the dipped balls. Sprinkle with more crushed pretzels.
10. Enjoy after chocolate sets, or store in airtight container in the refrigerator for later.


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The world depends on mariners. Mariners depend on SCI. And we depend on you.
Scenes of the ocean and beach in Southern California, taken March 2011.
Photos by the Rev. David Rider, President & Executive Director.
The Seamen's Church Institute cares for the hardworking men and women of maritime commerce, but our mission would not be possible without the help of individuals, churches, corporations and foundations that work with SCI to meet their needs.


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Posts Tagged 'parents tips'
For this reason I decided to post this free online games top list, to flag some interesting and educational flash games websites found online. This is my personal free online games top list, but if you have other suggestions or you think I've missed some important resources feel free to add them in your comments.
All these free online games for kids listed below can help your children to improve different skills and abilities especially those regarding scholastic education.
Free educational online games are developed to support kids learning and help them to go deep to the earth of the school subjects (math, literature, reading and writing, history, geography, music, geometry).
Is in the early childhood that a kid start to discover is capabilities and all the brand new world around him; someone called this the "why period" because the endless curiosity of a child is always dedicated to ask questions to his parents even on deep arguments and sometimes the genitor doesn't know how to explain such difficult arguments to his 6 year old son.
Childhood is a crucial stage in the development of personality, because the kid is like a "tabula rasa", and parents and teachers have to do their best to built mental contents and find the best ways to develop the kid's knowledge whit shaping experiences in order to stimulate and favour their mental activity.
As Giovanni Pascoli, one of the greatest Italian writer and poet of the last century, suggest in his "poetica del fanciullino" (young boy poetics) poets and writer must should approach the world like kids do.
Pascoli, influenced by James Sully studies on children's psychology, developed an approach to writing with "kids eyes", in order to look all things with amazement and wonder.
Kids had this great attitude to approach the world whit surprise even for those little insignificant things object and basics phenomenon of knowledge that adults take for granted because they have experienced those many time in their life. When we grow up, and we left behind us childhood, we lose this "wonder attitude" for ordinary things because we tend to see things trough our ratio and direct experience.
Probably that's one of the principal reasons why childhood is the most incredible and happy period of our life:
imagine how could be for a children of five year look at a train for the first time, maybe he can't understand the train function at first sight, because is difficult for him find the logical cause-effects links without a previous experience; so his fantasy start to run and this mysterious and massive moving object appears like something magic to his pure eyes. All this guesses, fantasies and mental activities are unthinkable for an adult who knows exactly what is a train and what it's for; a man could make all the rational thoughts on the train, could know all the mechanics and the complex aspects of the locomotive could even know how to drive a train, the only think he can't do is looking at the train with "Child's Eyes".
That's because adults normally use their rational part to approach things and thoughts, and tend to repress their fantasy especially for well known things and routinely activities.
For the kids every new experience is an adventure, a tale, and often, the most common and ordinary objects became games in the hand of a child : a stick could be a sword, a broom handle a horse, a salad bowl put on the head a shining beaver and the home back garden an incredible war field. Fantasy of kids has not limits and boundaries, adult rationality is circumscribed, well defined and most of the times shaped on direct experience.
like Peter Pan, adults should listen sometimes the little child inside them.
The spontaneous game is the most important aspects of a child life, and parents must always encourage their little sons to play.
Some educational board games like brain boxes were developed to let the kids learn new things, stimulate their fantasy, and improve their memory.
These games are great educational tools, especially if played by father (or mother) and child (or daughter).
I know you're busy with your works and daily problems, but remember this simple truth:
a good genitor can alway find some time to play with his son.


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Page View
Catesby, Mark, 1683-1749. / The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects, and plants. Vol II.
Volume II (1754)
Perca marina gibbosa cinerea: The Margate Fish; Saurus ex cinereo nigricans: The Sea Sparrow-Hawk, pp. 2-T 2
Page 2
This material may be protected by copyright law (e.g., Title 17, US Code).| For information on re-use, see http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Copyright


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Where do you want to go? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Where do you want to go? Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Travel View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message Jenniferdu521Joined: 29 Mar 2009Posts: 72 Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:46 am Post subject: exceping countries or cities. If I have wings, I want to go to the sky where I can flow with the wind and breath the freshest air,and sleep with a sweet dream at the cloud~ Back to top c14tamamiJoined: 21 Nov 2010Posts: 9 Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject: Hi!! I wanna go to Hawaii or California!!! I wanna do surfing if I went to Hawaii or California. but I dont know how to surf so, first, I have to learn how to surf. lol haha Also I like to go to the beach and just walk around or do scuba diving. So I wanna do these three when I go to there!! Back to top Ayumi 1202Joined: 14 Nov 2010Posts: 1Location: Kyoto Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:28 pm Post subject: Hi, everyone. I'm from Japan, and studying Spanish in university. I would love to go to Seychelles. Do you know Seychells? Almost Japanese doesn't know about Seychelles. Of course I haven't known untill my teacher tells our class about Seychelles. And I searched Seychells on web, there are so many beautiful spectacls XD I really want to go there if I have time and money. And I want to Spain, too, because I study Spanish to be going to work on trading company. To improve my Spanish, I have to go to Spain! Back to top YucaJoined: 20 Nov 2016Posts: 7 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 6:29 pm Post subject: Re: Where do you want to go? mimifly wrote: If I have chance,I want to go Japan. I like there,and it is not too far for Taiwan. So,if I can go to other country,I want to go Japan. Which country do you want to visit? If you have chance you, you want to go to Japan? You should come to Japan. I'm from here. Here is a lot of good places. If you come to here, you should go to Kyoto. There are a lot of good place. You can see temple and can see Japanese culture. Anyway If I have chance I want to go to Australia. Back to top shinfaJoined: 20 Nov 2016Posts: 13 Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 6:53 pm Post subject: If I have enough time and money, I would like to visit around China, UK and Korea. China is my hometown, but I don't have chance to visit many cities. The first I want to visit Yunnan, I had a chance to visit Yunnan last year, but I cannot take long holiday…so I really want to visit there with my friends, if I have time.. I also want to visit UK. My friends are studying in there now. She tells me there is really beautiful and I should to visit there once. I choose Korea because I study Korean in my free time. So I want to visit Korea to practice my speak skill. Also I like Korean food. I want to try eating raw octopus. Back to top opel17Joined: 05 Dec 2016Posts: 2 Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:17 pm Post subject: I want to go to Egypt. I want to ride a camel and take a selfie with pyramids. Back to top Claire321Joined: 20 Jun 2016Posts: 45Location: Clarks Summit Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:06 am Post subject: I want to Australia. I have relatives there. But right now I have no time. I ned to work a lot. Wish I had time to go there. Back to top k27ayaneJoined: 08 Nov 2017Posts: 8Location: Japan Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2017 6:00 pm Post subject: I want to go to Taiwan. I live in Japan and I have never been abroad. So it is easy to go Asia because close from Japan. But I don't have enough money and time. I try to save money and make time! I also want to go to Canada. Because I want to feel great nature. Especially I want to enjoy snow. We have no snow in the area I live in. And I have heard that there are wild squirrels and I want to see. Back to top k31ayanoJoined: 15 Nov 2017Posts: 8Location: Japan Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:01 pm Post subject: I want to go to... I want to go to Korea, Taiwan. I like hot food so I want to go to Korea and eat Kimuchi, Bibimbap, and so on. I want to know the authentic taste. I want to go to Taiwan with my friends because there are so many food looks like delicious and Taiwan is close Japan, so it is easy to go. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Travel All times are GMT - 8 HoursGoto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Page 6 of 6 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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Labour Party and Public Spending: The case for reallocation
June 30, 2009 Leave a comment
Another look at what engendered a lot of anti-Ed Balls sentiment, even from inside the Labour ranks, as I put it on a Liberal Conspiracy entry;
"On CiF, and during an interview with Radio 4's World at One, Balls spelt out his reasons for wanting to go ahead with spending, along with why fighting within the Labour ranks is hurting the party, and giving the Tories a free ticket to political high ground.
But Balls in the interview was clearly more cautious than some have now made out – like Liam Byrne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, for example, who said
"We are going to decide how the growth in public spending is divided up much closer to the time. Looking into a crystal ball and understanding what the economy looks like in the year of the Olympics, I just don't think is possible right now."
Balls boldly stated that the moves on spending, to outdo Tory plans on 10% spending cuts
"will depend upon what happens to the economy and to unemployment and debt interest. But I think that with tough choices we can see real rises in the schools budget and the NHS budget in future years."
These careful claims are justified, but why has Byrne not understood them? Has he let anything out the bag? And more importantly, why is the Chancellor's department not backing the plans?"
I stand by my main thesis; that Balls is a cautious pursuer of future public spending, is stridently opposed to the Tories' staunch commitment to cuts, and in order for the Government to promote the "quality of life" – or the "missing link" as Pete B has put it – spending should begin the minute our finances can allow for it.
What's more, is that Byrne appeared to want to distance himself from Balls. But Byrne, over the weekend in the Guardian, has said that with a dash of cuts in capital expenditure, power to people, economy boosts, "Public services are the way in which we … open up those new horizons … [for] a more equal Britain", in order or the Labour Party to be at the centre of the public services debate.
So there was clearly no anger directed at Balls for his optimism – for public services are what Byrne, as well as Brown, consider to be the fighting issue at the next general elections.
But what it could be is that Balls' talk of "tough choices" – which I have translated as reallocation of money from other departments and/or expenditure – is implying that no new money (scroll down to see Jonathan Freedland for his criticism of this) will be achieved by the party.
Though it doesn't necessarily imply this at all.
The fact that Balls has been cautious when saying spending "will depend upon what happens to the economy and to unemployment and debt interest," proves that Balls doesn't know what is around the corner (and he certainly hasn't pretended to be looking into any "crystal ball" as Byrne noted). But whether the economy perks up or not, serious considerations should be taken in order to prioritise on sensible spending, aimed at "supporting families and improving services".
Whether or not we experience spendthrift times in the future, perhaps we the Labour Party could utilise some methods of reallocation – and renegotiate necessity – in places where possible, and without necessarily predicting the worst in the state of the economy.
ID cards today looked to be scrapped by the always ID-sceptic Alan Johnson (and now, since he is Home Secretary, such a move is not as "embarrassing" as this Mail article would have us believe). A Trident U-turn in the pipeline? These examples for a start seem, not only ideologically redundant, but an excess in terms of financial commitment. If reports are to be believed, a hold on these two issues would save £29bn itself.
A re-think on policies and spending that has working families and services – once the heartland of the Labour Party – in mind, is a tactic that can work alongside the creation of real money in the future. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
And furthermore, Balls' talk of "tough choices" can be a practical presence to all the good talk Labour are doing to counter the Tories' real commitment to 10% cuts.


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Some close ups from around my house. You can tell these were taken at different times since some things have moved around in the photos!
Other Stories
9 comments:
Lovely details. Love how you decorate your home...just lovely!!ReplyDelete
Lovely as always!ReplyDelete
Happy friday!
The details in your home make it come alive! Bravo : )ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 30, 2012
Gorgeous black and white decor!!ReplyDelete
beautiful. would you mind saying where you got your coffee table? the one with the metal base and white/birch top?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 01, 2012
You have such an inspirational home! I would love to know where are those grey paperball decorations from. They're so sweet!ReplyDelete
✚ you have the most cute little things! ✚ReplyDelete
Hope you won't mind but could you tell me the producer of those containers? I'm selecting new objects for a nursery/garden centre in Italy and they would be perfect for them. Thanks!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Smart ways to live on one income
Having a baby is a financial conundrum – it's one of the most expensive life stages, yet many of us find ourselves living on one household income rather than two. So how is it done? "I was the main earner, so for me to stop work was a big deal," reveals Becky Goddard-Hill, author of How to Afford Time Off with Your Baby . Here are her tips for downsizing from two incomes to one.
Take a mortgage break
On finding out she was pregnant, the first thing Becky and her husband did was reduce the amount they paid towards their home loan in the short-term. "We went interest only for a while," she says, adding that they also rang their bank and asked to take a break from paying their home loan altogether for six months."When they said OK, I was shocked," she says.
Approach work differently
Becky managed to take six years off work as a social worker teaching child development, but still helped support her family by taking on freelance work from her company when her children were young, along with learning a new skill. "I joined a franchise teaching baby sign language classes to groups of mums," she says, adding that she earned around $150 dollars for one morning a week. Even better, she paid no childcare, met other mums and interacted with her baby.
Check your benefits
While she thought about taking on part-time work when her children were small, Becky advises other mums who receive Government benefits to call Centrelink first to check if the extra income will result in any reduction in payments, which may be in line with the hours you're considering. "In this instance, it's better to call up rather than look on-line," she says. "It's a minefield - very confusing. By calling up you can ask them hypothetical questions and I found out that working part-time wouldn't have been worth it financially."
Be open about your finances
While you might not usually discuss your bank balance, talking about your reduced income with those close to you can also help. "We've been open with friends and family and told them that we wouldn't have much money for a while," says Becky."It meant they felt more able to offer us second-hand baby clothes or a nursing chair they'd finished with," she says, adding that they also asked parents-in-law to use a monthly bank deposit for their grandchildren to pay for nappies and baby products. "We told them we'd put it back when we were working again, and they were really happy to help."
Have a swishing party
It might sound a little odd, but a 'swishing party' actually means meeting up with a group of friends and bringing along bags of clothes or toys from home to swap with each other. Choose a theme, such as baby clothes, kids' or women's clothes, meet at someone's house and get ready to stock your baby's nursery wardrobe, or replenish yours! "It's fun and you get something that's completely new to you," says Becky.
Get the gifts you want
While you might not tell your family what you want for your birthday, consider telling them what gifts to buy when your baby arrives. "Do ask for specifics –a car sunshade, expressing machine or baby monitors - otherwise nearly everyone buys clothes," says Becky. When it comes to children's birthdays, she advises asking grandparents to buy 'experiences', such as baby massage lessons or Kindermusik classes, as the memories will last longer than a plastic toy.
Care about car costs
While you might need a car more than ever once you have a baby, there are some vital ways to keep the costs down. Try and buy a car outright, rather than saddling yourself with costly monthly payments and remember that walking provides exercise while also helping to keep car maintenance costs downs."Walk or cycle when you can and give your car a rest," says Becky. "Your car will thank you in lower wear and tear repairs and in keeping petrol costs down."
Share your skills
Swapping skills with other mums is a sure-fire way to make your household income go further. Becky says she's gained baby food and even free counselling sessions by swapping her skills with mums of babies the same age. She suggests you save time and money on baby food by starting a 'puree club' "One of you does a big load of two purees each week, say bean and apricot, everyone else chooses different fruit or veg, and then you share them all out."


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Funny, I've been thinking a lot about sprite and tile resources and how awesome it would be to get a mostly complete set of one style to be used by everyone.The problem is actually first and foremost that we don't even have all the original MC graphics ripped, and a lot of it that we do have is not optimized and it takes some looking around to find what you want, if you can even find it at all. The fact is that there is so much content in MC that it's a massive job to get it all. Ripping and optimizing isn't exactly a fast process, even if you use helpful ripping and optimizing tools (maybe there are better ways these days though?).Animations in MC are honestly a little overkill, IMO. They really could have done less frames for many animations. Anyway, I guess my thinking is - why try to create new content when we don't even have all the "base" graphics available yet? I mean, it's totally up to you to do this if you want, but I'm just thinking that it will be a waste to re-style the various Zelda graphics into MC style, because there is not enough regular content for someone to make a proper MC style game. It just feels like we'd be skipping an important step.But anyway, I've actually been thinking a lot about this kind of thing and I'm looking into how it might work to have a simpler graphical style with less animation frames and somewhat dumbed down graphics, like something in between LA/OoS/OoA and MC. If nothing comes of it, then I'm turning back to seeing about doing something with ZFGC style. MC is simply more difficult to do right than the stuff I'm thinking of.That said, I believe the KoT community project is using MC, so I guess I'm the only one who thinks it's too ambitious to go MC.
And so it begins!Hey, just a thought. Since you're converting everything into MC style, you might want to use Zelda wiki to compile lists of all the things you will need, then put the lists in the first post inside of spoilers (to keep it from being a super massive post). For each thing, you would have a status beside it that lets everyone know if it's 1) not started, 2) incomplete, or 3) complete. This is going to get rather massive, and it's pretty much a requirement to have that kind of organization in order to make sure nothing gets missed and also so that things go as fast and smoothly as possible.They've already got most everything nicely listed here for SS (characters, bosses, enemies, items, etc.):http://zeldawiki.org/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Skyward_Sword#ListingsOf course, things like world tiles and various special effects won't be on a wiki. At least, not in the same manner.Good luck! I'm already doing quite a lot of other stuff so I won't be contributing any sprites at this time.
Couldn't resist to redo the Scaldera, I want that bad boy to look massive and scary. This might be a little overkill but... I JUST WANT TO BRING OUT IT'S INNER BEAST!I will post more updates soonish ~ Also, the colors aren't even close to final
You're forgetting:
I just made this.IMPA - SWS to MC Style
Got around to make the chuchu's down pose. Might need to tweak the palette a bit
Thanks, I made them from scratch actually! I'm gonna continue on Scaldera today
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Best of's are funny old things indeed. Half the time they're released too early, prompting a second cash-cow outing later on, and the other half of the time they're ill thought-out, failing to sum up an artist's career and lazily slip into the 'radio hits' category rather than offer a true indication of their best work.
And as the summer becomes a distant memory and record companies search for the festive cash cow (turkey), it's time for another set of discs to eek out the remains of a band's career. Here are four that may interest you;
'In Time: The Best Of REM' is a long overdue summation of the band's time on the Warner Bros. label. Covering the group's best-known work and unsurprisingly concentrating on the mega selling 'Out Of Time' and 'Automatic For The People' LPs, it's largely a swift run through of the trio's singles with a couple of non-album tracks ('All The Right Friends', 'The Great Beyond') and newies ('Bad Day', 'Animal') thrown in. The whole album sits together well in a pop ballad/anthem style, but for keener REM fans, it's a fairly under-nourishing affair. Rather than offer a second disc of acoustic tracks and b-sides for the train spotters (who'll have them anyway), a double album including tracks like 'Drive', '_Country Feedback', 'You Are The Everything', 'I'll Take The Rain_', 'Pop Song 89', 'Be Mine' and 'Sad Professor', would have been far more satisfactory all round. Still, there's so much quality on the album, that it would be churlish to give it less than a 4/5.
'Suede: The Singles' is, as it says on the packet, all the band's singles nicely shoehorned onto one CD. The story of Suede is an easy one; they used to be great, and now they're merely passable. At best. Therefore, half this of collection of songs (peaking somewhere halfway through third album '_Coming Up' are magnificent and majestic ('New Generation', 'Animal Nitrate_', 'Stay Together'), strutting like a smacked-up peacock, whilst the other half range between average ('Electricity') and terrible ('Attitude'). Annoyingly, the songs are not chronologically arranged, although in this world of ipods and CD players, the skip button is always handily placed. DiS recommends you buy the band's first two albums and top it off with the unimpeachable '_Sci Fi Lullabies_' collection. Still, it's well worth a 3/5.
'Let's Make This Precious: The Best Of Dexys Midnight Runners' is a collection of the glorious soul pop of Kevin Rowland's ideologically fearsome young soul rebels. It's a great overview of one of the most underrated bands of the last twenty years. Like a proper best of, it contains the obvious
'Geno', 'Jackie Wilson Said', 'Because Of You' and of course, 'Come On Eileen' all sit at the start of the album - but it also contains wondrous tracks like 'Tell Me When My Light Turns Green' and 'Plan B'. An excellent induction into the world of Dexys and a fine CD in its own right. Buy. 4.5/5
The most satisfying of the quartet however, is the forty-song anthology that is 'Must I Paint You A Picture?: The Best Of Billy Bragg'. The Bard of Barking is an overlooked soul these days, preferring to continue reinterpreting the songs of his hero, Woodie Guthrie, but, like his ability for acute social comment, it doesn't mean that he's any less relevant or indeed, great. From his earliest raw, scratchy recordings ('New England', '_Milkman of Human Kindness') to musically more sophisticated songs like 'Sexuality_' and 'The Space Race Is Over', the fire is always undiminished, the lyrics ever compelling and involving. Plus he's written some achingly wonderful love songs to boot. And if you've never owned a Billy Bragg record, it's worth buying just for the timeless anthem 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards'. An inimitable 4.5/5.


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Go Birding
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Glossy Ibisby F. Portmann
The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is the United States Department of Interior's only "wildlife refuge" administered by the National Park Service. All other national refuges fall under the aegis of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge covers 9,000 acres (20 square miles) of open bay, saltmarsh, mudflats, upland field and woods, two man-made brackish ponds—117-acre "East Pond" and 45-acre "West Pond" and small fresh water ponds, including Big John's Pond. The Wildlife Refuge is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
West and East Ponds Mapby R. Bourque
Click here for printable PDF map
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places in New York City to observe migrating species. In fact, it's a birder's paradise with 332 bird species sighted at the refuge over the last 25 years (38 are accidental, and include several New York State records); that is nearly half the species in the Northeast. It is one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the northeastern United States. Birding is excellent year round. It is a rich area for wintering waterfowl, including Snow Goose (at least 700 at one time),
Snow Geese and Mergansersby F. Portmann
Nesting Osprey and Shorebirdsby F. Portmann
Brant, various species of ducks and raptors including Cooper's Hawks and Peregrine Falcon. In spring, there are numerous shorebirds, such as American Oystercatcher, both yellowlegs, and Dunlin; waterfowl; wading birds; and warblers, which, on rare occasion, include Prothonotary and Connecticut. Also in the spring, American Woodcock performs courtship displays, right by the Visitors Center at dusk. In the fall, look for Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, both yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper, and both dowitchers (with Short-billed being much more frequent).
Yellow-crowned Night-Heronby F. Portmann
There are approximately 70 species that nest regularly at the Refuge. Among them are Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron (the best place in New York City to see this species), Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Glossy Ibis, Osprey (on man-made platforms), Clapper Rail, American Oystercatcher, Willet, American Woodcock, Laughing Gull, Forster's Tern, Barn Owl (in man-made nest boxes), Willow Flycatcher, American Redstart, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Marsh Wren, and Boat-tailed Grackle.
In early summer (by July 1), the East Pond water level is lowered to provide a mudflat around the 3-mile perimeter, thereby making it attractive to shorebirds and birders. However in recent years, there has been difficulty with adequate drainage affecting the available shoreline of the East Pond. Please check with the Refuge office for current conditions before travel at 718-318-4340.
Forster's Ternby F. Portmann
A checklist, Birds of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, (not available online) can be obtained at the Visitor Center, which is located at the entrance, or by writing Gateway NRA, Wildlife Refuge, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York 11234. Also at the Visitor Center, rangers can point you in the right direction and give you tips on the birds. The facility has interesting exhibits which highlight Jamaica Bay's remarkable plant and animal life and history. Just outside and behind the Center, towards the West Pond, is a wooden box which houses a log of recent sightings of note. Check it out before you go out!
Yellow-rumped Warblerby F. Portmann
West Pond, North Garden and South Garden
From the back of the Visitor Center take the gravel trail that encircles the West Pond, following it in a clockwise direction. The trail is about 1 and ½ miles and takes about an hour and a half to complete, depending on your birding style. At the westernmost end make a short detour on the Terrapin Trail. Note that the Terrapin Trail is closed during diamondback terrapin nesting season to provide protection for these turtles. From June through July, females leave the waters of the Bay to lay their eggs in sandy areas. Along this portion of the trail, you can look one way and see the bay and saltmarsh and the other way to view the West Pond - it's spectacular! The bird life changes constantly with the seasons, in late summer it's a tern nursery – in winter, the pond is filled with hundreds of ducks.
East Pond Guideby R. Bourque
Click here for printable PDF map
As it swings around, after you have lost sight of West Pond, you reach the lush, wooded North Garden. The South Garden follows; it is just before you return to the Visitor Center. These garden trails are excellent places to explore in spring and autumn for migrant vireos, gnatcatchers, warblers, and other songbirds. Also, check out the butterflies. To date, 72 species have been recorded with 35 species regular breeders. Pick up a butterfly checklist at the Visitor Center.
East Pond and Big-John's Pond
Big John's Pondby D. Riepe
To reach Big John's Pond and the western side of East Pond, first cross Cross Bay Boulevard at the traffic light opposite the parking lot entrance, then walk north (left) along the Boulevard for 800 feet and then take a sharp right onto a trail into the woods. This trail will shortly lead you to Big John's Pond (on your left) which has a duck blind for observing wildlife. From the blind you will see a nesting box. In season, Barn Owls call it home.
Continuing down that trail, leads to mid-pond viewing. For shorebirds, a spotting scope is very helpful here.
View of East Pondby D. Riepe
When the East Pond water has been sufficiently lowered, walking on the edges of the pond to view shorebirds is possible. Many birders start at the southern end. To reach this area after crossing the Boulevard, walk south (right) about 200 yards and look for a trail in towards the pond. Boots are highly recommended as it can be muddy and wet. Here, it is advisable to bird with others, in case someone gets stuck. Another access point, again only if the water is very low, is from the north end. Parking is available in the Fisherman's Parking Area just south of the North Channel Bridge. Access to the pond is from the northwest. Again, if the water level is too high, do not walk in. If it's muddy, walk with caution.
For the greatest numbers of shorebirds, it is best to bird the East Pond, about 1 to 2 hours before high tide in Jamaica Bay. For tide information, click here - under "Jamaica Bay" click on "Beach Channel (bridge)" and then choose the month and day you are birding. Tide information can also be obtained by calling the Refuge.
Refuge Regulations
Obtain a permit at the Visitor Center desk, if you are a first-time visitor. The following regulations apply: stay on trails, except in garden areas; picnic only at the designated site outside visitor center; no smoking; no radios or other sound-producing equipment; no collecting plants and/or other wildlife; no feeding of wild animals; and no bicycles, motor bikes, or cars on the trails.
Magnolia Warblerby F. Portmann
Visitor Center
The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is open dawn to dusk year-round, and the Visitor Center hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. The main lot is open dawn to dusk and parking is free. (If the lot is full - which is rare - visitors can park ¼ mile south in Broad Channel.) The Center has a bookstore, natural history exhibit area, restrooms, and lecture room. National Park Service Rangers offer bird walks, workshops, and other activities from the Center. Check their website.
When to Go
Nesting** Spring Migration*** Fall Migration*** Winter**
(no star = birding is not very productive, * = somewhat productive, ** = productive, *** = very productive)
Birding is good at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge any time of year. The peak month for spring migration of shorebirds and songbirds is May, earlier for waterfowl and hawks. Walk the garden trails in the early morning for both spring and fall migrants. Most fall shorebirds are seen at the East Pond from mid July to mid September. Waterfowl start to arrive in late September, and their numbers build up through October and into November.
From mid-March through May, woodcock courtship displays, featuring the aerial exertions and acrobatics of the males, can be seen just before dark in the fields south of the Visitor Center.
Willetby F. Portmann
Personal Safety
From April to September, beware of ticks, mainly dog ticks, along grassy edges of the trails. Also, poison ivy is common trailside.
Getting There
Google map click here
For Additional Information on the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, 718-318-4340, www.nyharborparks.org
American Littoral Society, 718-474-0896, www.alsnyc.org
Brooklyn Bird Club, www.brooklynbirdclub.org
Linnaean Society of New York, 212-252-2668 www.linnaeansociety.org
Queens County Bird Club, www.qcbirdclub.org
Resource Persons for Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Birding:
2012 - Don Riepe, Vice President of Conservation, Board of Directors, NYC Audubon, Refuge Manager (retired), Gateway National Recreation Area, and Chapter Director, American Littoral Society and Guy Tudor, Wildlife Illustrator and Queens Naturalist
2001 - Don Riepe


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An Interview with His Grace, Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria
Chancellor, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Dean Emeritus, Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, and Dean, Archpriest John Behr, attended the world premiere of the English setting of "The Passion According to Saint Matthew," a musical composition by His Grace Hilarion (Alfeyev), Bishop of Vienna and Austria, on October 25, 2008 in Toronto. Bishop Hilarion's musical settings, which include as well "The All-Night Vigil" and "The Divine Liturgy," have received high acclaim from both ecclesial and secular reviewers.
At the premiere in Canada, Fathers Chad, Thomas, and John were able to visit with His Grace for several hours. Subsequently, the SVS Dean and Chancellor arranged for an interview with His Grace, to learn more about this prominent, global Orthodox figure, and in particular, his understanding of the relationship between the Moscow Patriarchate, under which he serves, and the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
Recently, Bishop Hilarion has become a person of particular interest within OCA circles, following suggestions from some Orthodox Christian faithful-including a public statement by Protopresbyter Hopko-that he be considered for possible election to the position of Metropolitan of the OCA at the upcoming 15th All-American Council, November 10-13.
Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff, Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at SVS, conducted the following interview on October 30, 2008.
Your Grace, as an archpastor and scholar, with experience both within the Moscow Patriarchate and globally, you have reflected on a vast array of topics, many of which are now of key importance to us in the Orthodox Church in America as we prepare to meet in council and elect a new primate. While we in America reflect on the origins of our autocephaly, the recent scandal in our Church, and the challenges we face, how do you see a way forward for us?
I find it helpful here to recall the history of more than two centuries of Orthodox presence in North America. Orthodoxy came to North America from Russia through Alaska (which, as Governor Sarah Palin has recently reminded us, is "sort of near the eastern border of Russia"). The roots of Orthodoxy in North America lie with St. Herman of Alaska, who came to Alaska in 1794 and spent more than 40 years there, and St. Innocent (Veniaminov), the future metropolitan of Moscow. In 1872, five years after the sale of Alaska to America, the see of the Russian bishop was transferred to San Francisco. From 1898 to 1907 St. Tikhon, future Patriarch of Russia, governed the diocese. It was he who organized the all-American council of 1907, which renamed the diocese as the "Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America." Thus began the future autocephalous American Orthodox Church.
But American Orthodoxy then quickly became multi-ethnic. Thus began a new, unique ecclesiological model that foresaw that bishops of different nationalities could act within one Local Church and on the same canonical territory, with dioceses being created not on the basis of territory, but ethnicity. Such a model did not correspond to the ecclesiology of the Ancient Church, but it was true to the new reality that emerged as a result of immigration to Europe and America. If events had continued according to the plan outlined by St. Tikhon, a Local Orthodox Church in America could have been created in the 1920s, headed by one metropolitan, under whom bishops of various nationalities would be in submission, with each caring for the flock of his own ethnic background, be it Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Antiochians, Romanians, et cetera.
However, as a result of the mass immigration of Greeks from the former Ottoman Empire to Europe, America, and Australia in the 1920s, metropolitanates of the Patriarchate of Constantinople were created on these continents. Moreover, the Patriarchate of Constantinople declared its jurisdiction over the entire church "diaspora" which, in their definition, included practically all of Western Europe, North and South America as well as Australia and Oceania. In North America, however, there already existed an Orthodox Church headed by a Russian metropolitan. Thus the creation there of a jurisdiction of Constantinople introduced divisions into American Orthodoxy, something that was exacerbated after the establishment of other jurisdictions.
In 1970 the Russian Orthodox Church, inspired as before by St. Tikhon's vision of a single Orthodox Church on the American continent, granted autocephaly to that part of American Orthodoxy that was previously under its canonical authority. It was hoped that the Orthodox of other jurisdictions would eventually join this autocephalous Church, which received the name "Orthodox Church in America." However, this has not yet happened, and in the Americas there are currently metropolitanates, archdioceses, and dioceses of several Local Orthodox Churches alongside the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America.
Within this situation, I believe that the uniqueness of the OCA consists in the fact that it is the first Orthodox Church on the American continent that has declared itself American. It is meant to be not one of the ethnic churches of the "diaspora," but the national Orthodox church of the USA, Canada and Mexico. It is meant to be the living testimony to the universality of Orthodox Christianity. As Metropolitan Kallistos Ware said, "The Orthodox Church is not something exotic or oriental. It is mere Christianity." So, we can say to whoever wants to join the Orthodox Church: "You don't need to be or to become Russian, or Greek, or Antiochian in order to be Orthodox. You don't need to become exotic or oriental. You can be Orthodox while retaining your national and cultural identity."
While being American, however, the Orthodox Church on the American continent must be able to pastorally assist all ethnic groups that need such assistance. This kind of receptivity, indeed, is part of the very American experience. The Church should also be able to react to new waves of immigration and incorporate new immigrants with their languages and cultures. The mission of the Orthodox Church in America with regard to the immigrants should consist not in Americanizing, but in Christianizing and "Orthodox-izing" them. Hence the need to be open to new possibilities offered by new immigration.
In Hungary, where I have been serving as a bishop for the last five and a half years, we have both Hungarian-speaking and Russian-speaking Orthodox people. But the diocese was initially devised as Hungarian and not Russian. Therefore one of the bishop's tasks is to maintain its predominantly Hungarian character. For example, when I celebrate liturgy on Sunday in our Cathedral in Budapest, 90 per cent of service is conducted in Hungarian, and only 5 per cent respectively in Greek and Slavonic. On the other hand, I cannot overlook the needs of the Russian-speaking people. Thus, in the Cathedral we have some Slavonic services on weekdays at the request of our "Russians" (including Ukrainians, Belorussians, Moldavians, and so forth). All priests of our diocese, with one exception, are native Hungarians. But, as far as I know, all of them (without any instruction on my part) use not only Hungarian, but also Slavonic and occasionally Greek in liturgical services.
I am not in a position to give a concrete advice, I am only saying that the shepherd, be it bishop or priest, must be sensitive to the needs of his sheep. This, I believe, was precisely the vision of St. Tikhon, when he dreamed of a united Orthodox Church of North America in which people of all ethnic backgrounds would feel at home.
Orthodox Christians everywhere-and especially lately in America-have been seeking to identify the proper relationship between conciliarity and hierarchy, among bishops, clergy, and laity, on all levels of church life. How do you understand these relationships?
Here too, I would like to think historically, although in this case going further back, to the first centuries of the Church, which laid the foundations of an answer to your question. The Orthodox Church is "episcopal" in the sense that the primacy in each diocese belongs to the bishop. In the early Church, as we know primarily from St. Ignatius, the guarantee of the catholicity of each local Church, i.e. the Church of each local region, was the presence in it of a single Eucharistic gathering headed by the bishop as the chosen head of God's people.
The supreme role of the bishop is due to the fact that he occupies the place of Christ in the Eucharistic gathering. It is this understanding that explains the fact that the so-called monarchic episcopate-one bishop in each Eucharistic community or Church-became generally accepted in the ancient Church.
Being the single leader of the Church of a given locality, the bishop nevertheless governs the Church not single-handedly, but in conjunction with the presbyters and deacons. The bishop does not possess ecclesiastical power or authority by himself, due to his ordination to the episcopate: he is a member of the local church community that entrusted him with this service. Outside the church community the bishop's ministry loses its meaning and efficacy. And if he acts in an authoritarian way, if he does not consult clergy and laity before taking important decisions, if he acts on behalf of himself rather than implementing the desires of his community, then his ministry does not correspond to the norm.
It is clear that on the level of a diocese the primacy belongs to the diocesan bishops. On the level of a Local Church consisting of several dioceses, however, the principle of primacy gives way to collegial forms of government. In practice this means that the primate of a Local Church is the "first among equals" among the bishops of his Church: he does not interfere in the internal affairs of the dioceses and does not have direct jurisdiction over them, although he is granted some coordinating functions in questions that exceed the competence of the individual diocesan bishops.
Although the rights and duties of the primate vary in different Local Churches, there is not a single Local Church that accords him supreme authority, for it is the council that has always been the final authority. For example, in the Russian Orthodox Church dogmatic authority is granted to the Local Council, in which not only bishops, but also clergy, monastics and laity participate, while the highest form of hierarchical government is the Bishops' Council. In the Orthodox Church in America supreme administrative power is given to the All-American Council.
What was the role of the presbyters and the laity in the church governance?
Ancient church councils were in fact councils of bishops. Presbyters could participate in these councils only as proxies for bishops (e.g. legates of the Pope took part in Ecumenical Councils), and lay people participated only if they played special role (such as, the emperor who would convoke a council). However, in the ancient Church presbyters and laity took part in the election of the bishop. Therefore, while it was the bishop who represented a diocese at a council, yet by virtue of having been elected by the people of God he had legitimate right to represent the clergy and the laity. Nowadays clergy and laity in some Orthodox Churches take part in the election of the bishops. They also participate in various governing or controlling bodies.
To clarify: you find it appropriate that councils-including those involving the election of bishops and decisions about church life-be composed of bishops, clergy, and laity?
There are different types of councils. In the Russian Church, for example, the supreme authority in theological and dogmatic matters belongs to the Local Council, which consists of bishops, clergy, monastics and laity. It is this body that elects the Patriarch. The supreme authority in administrative matters belongs to the Bishops' Council, which is convoked every four years. Between the Councils it is the Holy Synod, presided by the Patriarch, which has supreme authority in administrative matters. Only bishops participate and vote in Bishops' Councils and sessions of the Holy Synod. However, a good number of clergy and laity are invited to participate as experts in various fields. So, the decisions of the Bishops' Councils and the Holy Synod are based on the expertise and wisdom of people in all areas of church life, lay and ordained.
Would you make some further general remarks on the role of the non-ordained in church life?
The people of God includes both ordained and non-ordained members, and all of them constitute "the royal priesthood," of which St. Peter spoke in his epistle. The division between those who are teaching and those who are being taught, between the initiators and those who are being initiated, between ordained and non-ordained is alien to Orthodox theological tradition. This division derives from medieval scholastic thought and from the arguments between Roman Catholics and Protestants at the time of the Reformation.
Nowadays the ordained and non-ordained alike may teach theology in schools, seminaries and faculties, may preach in the church and do many other things. Many leading theologians of the two preceding centuries were lay: remember Khomiakov, Lossky, Evdokimov, to name but a few. The only thing that is reserved to the clergy is the celebration of the services and sacraments. But the presence and active participation of the laity is as important as the presence of a celebrant. The Divine Liturgy, for example, is a "common act," in which the laity participates through prayer, singing and, most importantly, through Holy Communion.
How do you see the relationship between the bishop and the clergy of a diocese? Would you comment on this from your personal experience?
I believe that the bishop should be both the father and a brother of the priests of his diocese. Unfortunately, this does not happen very often. If a diocese is too large or a bishop too busy, it is difficult to establish a kind of family relations built on mutual trust and love. I have seen, however, a very inspiring example of such relations in one American diocese: the Diocese of Wichita of the Antiochian jurisdiction of North America. I was a speaker at their annual retreat and was able to observe their life for several consecutive days. I must admit that I had never seen such a strong bond of friendship and spiritual love between the clergy and their bishop. Since then I have regarded Bishop Basil of Wichita as a model of a true shepherd.
In my diocese in Hungary I inherited a rather difficult situation. My predecessor was not on good terms with some of the clergy, and there were lots of tensions. When he left and I came, my first meeting with the clergy was a "listening session": I listened to a long list of bitter complaints. I was asked to change many things immediately, but I replied that I would need time to make my own evaluation of what should be done. Then I just observed and learned for about a year before I started to implement certain changes with the consent and approval of the clergy. I also had many encounters with the priests, both with all of them and with each of them separately. I am glad to say that we were able to create a community that now lives like a family. All of our clergy (with one exception) are native Hungarians, yet I believe they wholeheartedly support me as their bishop. When relations are based on mutual respect, trust and friendship, the ethnic factor either loses its importance or disappears altogether.
The heads of Orthodox churches met recently in Istanbul. Their common statement accounted for the need to address "the canonical anomalies... in the so-called diaspora." The OCA was naturally not there, as our autocephaly goes unrecognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. What do you see as the contribution, the role, and the position of the OCA on the global Orthodox scene?
I believe that the granting of autocephaly to the OCA was a prophetic action of the Russian Orthodox Church. One of the most important features of the OCA in 1970s-90s was its high reputation throughout the world, perhaps especially through the great missionary work of St. Vladimir's Seminary and its most notable personalities, such as Fathers Georges Florovsky, Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff. While the OCA remained unrecognized by Constantinople as an autocephalous Church, its merits in mission, education, and evangelism were recognized throughout the world. In other words, its fame was to a significant degree dependant on the personalities that represented it internationally. It is felt that after the untimely death of Fr. John Meyendorff the reputation of the OCA began to steadily decline. Indeed, the recent turmoil dealt a very serious blow to its fame. Great efforts will be needed to restore its credibility in the Orthodox world.
Before the 1990s the OCA had very close relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. During the past 15 years or so these relations have declined somewhat. I cannot list all the factors that contributed to this estrangement, but I believe a certain lack of leadership and vision was one of the causes. The Russian Church was the Mother Church for the OCA, but in 1970 it became the OCA's sister. But until the OCA's autocephaly is universally recognized it will still need its former mother, at least as a kind of backup force. It is clear to me that there is nobody else to actively defend the OCA as an autocephalous Church. And there is no way back, since autocephaly cannot be revoked by the former Mother Church. Thus, I believe, special efforts need to be made in order to restore trust between the Moscow Patriarchate and the OCA.
The OCA plays a special role in American Orthodoxy. Through its participation in SCOBA it is already involved in fostering pan-Orthodox unity on the American continent. I believe that one day, sooner or later, there will be a united Orthodox Church of America that will embrace all currently existing jurisdictions. It is clear, however, that there is a long road ahead, and on this road the OCA, which is already constituted as an autocephalous Church, may assist other Orthodox Churches in identifying themselves as parts of all-American Orthodoxy.
Many times, you have reminded ecumenical gatherings of the important witness Orthodox Christians make in the theological, moral, and ethical spheres. Do you believe that ecumenical dialogue holds promise?
After more than thirteen years of intensive ecumenical involvement I can declare my profound disappointment with the existing forms of "official" ecumenism as represented by the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches and other similar organizations. My impression is that they have exhausted their initial potential. Theologically they lead us nowhere. They produce texts that, for the most part, are pale and uninspiring. The reason for this is that these organizations include representatives of a wide variety of churches, from the most "conservative" to the most "liberal." And the diversity of views is so great that they cannot say much in common except for a polite and politically correct talk about "common call to unity," "mutual commitment," and "shared responsibility."
I see that there is now a deep-seated discrepancy between those churches which strive to preserve the Holy Tradition and those that constantly revise it to fit modern standards. This divergence is as evident at the level of religious teaching, including doctrine and ecclesiology, as it is at the level of church practice, such as worship and morality.
In my opinion, the recent liberalization of teaching and practice in many Protestant communities has greatly alienated them from both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. It has also undermined the common Christian witness to the secularized world. The voice of Christendom is nowadays deeply disunited: we preach contradictory moral standards, our doctrinal positions are divergent, and our social perspectives vary a great deal. One wonders whether we can still speak at all of "Christianity" or whether it would be more accurate to refer to "Christianities," that is to say, markedly diverse versions of the Christian faith.
Under these circumstances I am not optimistic about the dialogue with the Protestant communities. I am also far less optimistic about the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue than my beloved teacher Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. In my opinion, the only two promising ecumenical dialogues are between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics, and between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox families. While there are well-known theological differences between these three traditions, there is also very much in common: we all believe in Christ as fully human and fully divine, we all uphold the apostolic succession of hierarchy, and de facto recognize each others' sacraments.
But even with regard to relations between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox, both Eastern and Oriental, we need new forms of dialogue and cooperation. It is not sufficient to come once every two years for a theological discussion on a topic related to controversies that took place fifteen or ten centuries ago. We need to see whether we can form a common front for the defense of traditional Christianity without waiting until all our theological differences will disappear. I call this proposed common front a "strategic alliance" between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox. I deliberately avoid calling it a "union" or a "council," because I want to avoid any historical reminiscences and ecclesiastical connotations. Mine is not a call for yet another "union" on dogmatic and theological matters. I am rather proposing a new type of partnership based on the understanding that we are no longer enemies or competitors: we are allies and partners facing common challenges, such as militant secularism, aggressive Islam, and many others. We can face these challenges together and unite our forces in order to protect traditional Christianity with its doctrinal and moral teaching.
As an author of many scholarly publications, including groundbreaking reflections on theological education in Russia, would you please comment on how academic work informs faith, and how faith informs scholarly work?
I don't think that every church leader has to be "an academic" in the technical sense of the word: to spend time in libraries, doing research and polishing footnotes. Yet I do not share the opinion that church leaders do not need to be good theologians. The great Fathers of the past were all theologians, even if hardly any of them was "an academic."
I was recently in Toronto and, among other things, gave a lecture on the theological education in the 21st century. I argued, in particular, that one of the major problems of contemporary Christianity is the divorce between theory and praxis, between faith and knowledge, between theology and life. Nowadays knowledge about theological subjects does not necessarily presuppose faith. You can be a "theologian" and not belong to any church community; in principle, you do not need to believe in God to receive a theological degree. Theology is reduced to one of the subjects of human knowledge alongside with chemistry, mathematics, or biology.
There is also another divorce: that between theology and liturgy. For an Orthodox theologian, liturgical texts are not simply the works of outstanding theologians and poets, but also the fruits of the prayerful experience of those who have attained sanctity and theosis. Liturgical texts have been accepted by the whole Church as a "rule of faith" (kanon pisteos), for they have been read and sung everywhere in Orthodox churches over many centuries. Throughout this time, any erroneous ideas foreign to Orthodoxy that might have crept in either through misunderstanding or oversight were eliminated by church Tradition itself, leaving only pure and authoritative doctrine clothed by the poetic forms of the Church's hymns.
To rediscover the link between theology, liturgy and praxis, between lex orandi, lex credendi, and lex vivendi would be one of the urgent tasks of theological education in the 21st century. The whole notion of a "theology" as exclusively bookish knowledge must be put into question. The whole idea of a "theological faculty" as one of many other faculties of a secular university needs to be re-examined. The notions of "non-confessional," "unbiased," "objective," or "inclusive" theology as opposed to "confessional" or "exclusive" must be reconsidered. I believe all this applies both to the European and the North American situation.
Finally, Your Grace, your musical compositions, inspired by scriptural, patristic, and liturgical texts, have received high acclaim. Would you comment on the influence of music in your life, including your spiritual life, and on the relationship between faith and culture?
Music has played very significant role in my life, though my involvement in "practicing" music was not always as intense as it is currently. I studied music from the age of 3 to the age of 20, and music became a part of my nature. Music was meant to be my profession, but at the age of 20 I entered monastic path and decided to dedicate my life to the service of the Church. I took things rather radically and decided that, since I must renounce the world and the only thing that connects me with the world is music, I have to renounce music. This is what I did. For several years I did not allow myself even to listen to music, not speaking of playing or composing it. Eventually, when I became less radical, I started to listen to classical music again.
But it was only relatively recently, in June 2006, that I began to compose music again, after an almost twenty-year break. I began with the Divine Liturgy, which I composed in ten days, while traveling from Moscow to Budapest and then from Vienna to Annecy via Geneva. Some pieces were composed in airports or on the plane. For example, the Beatitudes were composed in the Sheremetyevo airport, "Holy God" on the plane from Moscow to Budapest, some litanies in the Geneva airport, some other pieces in Annecy during the sessions of the WCC Faith and Order Commission. Then in August of the same year, when I was more or less on holiday in Moscow, I composed the "All-Night Vigil." And then, on 19 August, while I was driving from Vienna, where I celebrated the Holy Transfiguration, to Budapest, where I was to celebrate the memory of St. Stephen of Hungary on the following day, an idea occurred to me to compose the "St. Matthew Passion" using the Bach model but filling it with Orthodox content. On my way back from Budapest I began to compose in my head the early melodies. It took me three weeks to compose about 80 percent of the music. I then left it aside for a couple of months, after which I returned to it, added a few pieces, and made a thorough revision.
The "muse" then disappeared for a while in order to return on 30 January, when I was walking along the Thames in front of the Houses of Parliament and suddenly began to hear the music of "Glory to God in the highest." In three months, on 30 April, the "Christmas Oratorio" was completed. There was then a break for more than one year until I went to Finland for a short holiday in August this year. I spend there one week, which resulted in a choral symphony on the Psalms. This is my short musical biography.
When I rediscovered music at the age of 40 I saw it not only as an interesting and inspiring occupation, but also as a strong missionary tool that can be used to preach Christ. The significant element of my two major compositions, the "Passion" and the "Christmas Oratorio," is the reading of the Gospel. Music "illustrates" the Gospel, so to speak, helping the listener emotionally and spiritually to live through the story of Christ's life and death. I also found out that there are things that you cannot transmit to other people through the language of words, while you can communicate them through music. Music is a different type of language, with a more direct and intimate access to human heart.
Music and other arts, as well as culture in general can bear the Christian message. Pavel Florensky noted that the word "culture" derives from "cult," which points to the cultic, sacred nature of the culture. In modern time culture is very often transformed into anti-culture and instead of carrying spiritual message becomes a tool for driving people into passions, depression, or aggression. I believe that the Church needs to build bridges between itself and the world of art and culture by exporting its own cultural richness and by positively influencing secular culture. We have a great deal to offer to the people not only inside our Church but also outside it. A dialogue between the Church and secular culture is one of the missionary imperatives for the 21st century.
Source: www.svots.edu


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By: Mark Hagland
When I was growing up it was often said that there are three things one should never discuss in "mixed" company: religion, sex, and politics. Now that I'm a parent, I strongly disagree with trying to shield children from politics. In fact, I see this through the same lens I use as a person of color, with regard to the realities of race and white privilege: it is in fact important to begin explaining politics to your children (in an age-appropriate way) in order to prepare them to move out in the world and to help them see the world as it is, with all its complexities and issues. It only makes sense to me.
This being an election year, there's really no escaping politics, even if one wanted to. After all, the choices facing our country are enormous. And it's a wonderful opportunity, I think, to talk about more abstract issues like values. My daughter is ten years old now, and though she isn't yet interested in politics per se, I can already see that she has some societal consciousness—which I am absolutely trying to help cultivate and guide—and that she's beginning to be interested in the wider world.
Of course, I want to teach her my values -of inclusiveness, compassion, and progressivism. We recently had a conversation about the homeless lady on the street to whom we gave an apple a year and a half ago. It was a cold December day in downtown Chicago, and my daughter, troubled at the sight of this tiny, vulnerable lady, asked if there was anything we could do. Fortunately, I happened to have an apple in my book bag with me, and asked her to hand it to the woman. She did, and the woman seemed very grateful. I knew as it was happening that it was a great teaching moment.
In the middle-class suburb where my daughter lives with her mother, there are no panhandlers or street people, and every time we see one in Chicago, I know it disturbs my daughter. What's great is that she asks good questions, like why are those people asking for money? do they have homes? I explain as best I can and suggest compassion and understanding as responses.
I've widened the conversation to include issues about how to deal with the reality that, on a broader level, our society has a lot of poor people, and that that is partly what this whole "politics" thing is about; it's about how grown-ups view the world around them and what values and priorities we have for our society.
She has asked me why some people are Democrats and some are Republicans. Both her mother and I are progressive, and I make no secret of my own politics. She once asked me, "Are all Republicans bad?" to which I replied, "No, of course, not, Honey. They just see the world differently." I express confidence in my political views, and explain why I hold them, but quickly add that "Good people can disagree on what they believe and why they believe it."
My daughter and her mother live in a very, very Republican area, so while I definitely want to get my own political views across, I have to do it in a careful way in order to help her navigate the social community in which she's living, a community very different from the Chicago she visits a few times a year.
Inevitably, race comes into the discussion, not only because we have an African-American president, but frankly, because of the racism directed at him and his family. I've been open in explaining to my daughter that, while some good people oppose President Obama, there are a lot of people -racists- who hate him just because he's black. "That's so dumb!" she exclaims (and she's right). But I've tried to put all this into a historical context for her. After all, Obama was elected president in 2008, when my daughter was just six years old, so he's been president long before she was even vaguely aware of politics.
In the end, I've not only found it a good experience to explain some basics to my daughter, but also to use the opportunity to talk about broader values such as compassion, inclusiveness, community, responsibility, and aspiration. I think it would be bad parenting if I weren't explaining some of these things to her now, because in 2020, she'll have the opportunity and responsibility to vote in a presidential election herself.


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Maurice EMMANUEL (1862-1938)
The Six Sonatines (1893-1926) [58:04]
Laurent Wagschal (piano)
rec. April 2012, Vincennes, Coeur de ville
Includes DVD called 'Maurice Emmanuel; La Rumeur du monde', a film produced by Anne Bramard-Blagny and Julia Blagny. No DVD specifications provided.
Maurice Emmanuel was an exact contemporary of Debussy but his quietly revolutionary musical mind worked in a different way to his much more lauded compatriot. Emmanuel's music was saturated in Burgundian soil and it embraced folklore, carillon and modes in a progressive absorption of influence and sound world. The six Sonatines are the perfect focus of attention to consider the ways in which he moved from folk song to Hindu modes and thence to a very personal relationship with baroque dance forms.
In a sense all of Emmanuel's music was rooted in dance of one kind or another. The First Sonatine of 1893 shows his stylised way with the chansons bourguignonnes which he alternates with carillon for which he drew on various chimes from churches of his experiences, not least Notre-Dame de Beaune. The music is playful but never simplistic. Four years later his second sonatine is a three-movement pastorale saturated in birdsong. Messiaen was one of Emmanuel's most eminent pupils, though the use to which the pupil put birdsong was very different from Emmanuel's more Beethovenian richness. A long gap followed until the 1920 Third Sonatine and now the diction is more dissonant and abstract, though the attractiveness and immediacy of the music no less compelling. The Fourth is perhaps the most well-known because it embraces Hindu modes. Dedicated to another pianistic pioneer, Busoni, it's a work that follows in the heels of Roussel and Holst, and offers constant reward for both listener and performer. The longest of the Sonatines is the Fifth, 'Alla Francese' in which Emmanuel conjures up a genuine dance suite starting with an overture and ending with a Gigue. This French Suite becomes, in effect, a Burgundian Rameau. It was dedicated to Robert Casadesus. The last Sonatine, dedicated to Yvonne Lefébure, is both technically demanding and also radiant, both witty and dynamic.
There have been a number of intrepid Emmanuel pianists of late. Of them Laurent Wagschal is now one of the most authoritative, and listeners who may only have come across Peter Jacobs's Continuum disc [CCD1048] now have a different point of view. To put the matter crudely, and this is very crude, if Jacobs is the Marguerite Long of Emmanuel pianism, Wagschal is the Alfred Cortot. Jacobs is consistently lighter, more reserved, clarity conscious and sparing of pedal. Wagschal uses far more pedal, his chording is deeper, and heavier, and more romanticised. Thus the First Sonatine is much grander and more externalised with Wagschal, a touch wittier with Jacobs. Peter Jacobs's bird calls are clearer in the Second where, perhaps surprisingly, one finds Wagschal pushing on a bit impatiently in the slow movement, one of Emmanuel's most beautiful. Jacobs stresses the sheer modernity of the Third by playing up its dryer qualities: Wagschal is the more evocative. Both explore the modes of the Fourth in complementary ways, in accordance with their differing aesthetic positions throughout. Wagschal is almost always faster than Jacobs in the Fifth but both play beautifully. So they do so as well in the final sonatine.
There is a bonus with this disc which is a DVD film. It's something of a missed opportunity because it's desperately short of real biographical bite. The most interesting contributor is the composer's elderly granddaughter, who speaks with clarity and precision about the influence of Burgundian folklore, grape-pickers' songs, of how Emmanuel freed the music from the 'Tyrant C', the use of Greek music, modes and medieval influences.
There's a very brief interview with Dutilleux, a student of Emmanuel, but he has nothing much to say about his teacher, noting only that Messiaen studied longer with Emmanuel. There is a lot of windy stuff in authentic philosophical French style from a couple of musicians. What's charming in an Eric Rohmer film is thoroughly tiresome when peddled by musicians. It's best to watch performances by Wagschal of some of the Sonatines - all of No.1 though it's bisected by interviews, and movements from some of the others. He and violinist Alexis Galpérine play the Suite on Greek themes. Fortunately Galpérine, guilty of some of the worst drivel in his interview, plays the violin well enough.
I would concentrate on the Sonatines and treat the DVD as a frustrating adjunct. As for a choice between the Jacobs and Wagschal, I suppose it's a case of Cortot or Long, and which approach is the more appropriate and significant in this music. Sometimes Jacobs's sec approach works very well, at other times Wagschal's greater tonal breadth is the more compelling. I'm able to enjoy both.
Jonathan Woolf
Saturated in Burgundian soil and embracing its folklore, carillon and modes.