text:
Ditties. About lovers, happy and unhappy brides, parting and letting go, courage, love and predestination... All this is put into words and melody with the help of Hungarian folksongs, completed by a poetical song of the Chuvash in which they praise their relatives, also by a fine, elegantly dancing short Cheremis song, and a Bulgarian mountain song that sounds sharply from afar.
01. Az én szemem / My Eyes
02. Te kisleány / Little Girl
03. Hegyen s földön / Mountains and Valleys
04. De jó együtt / How Fine It Is Together
05. Este van / Evening Has Come
06. Ága-boga / The Flowers of the Wreath
07. Zaljubih / Mother, I Fell in Love
08. Kék szivárvány / Blue Rainbow
09. A szeretet próbája / A Test of True Love
10. Szemünk-lelkünk / Our Eyes and Souls
11. Ádil hullám / The Waves of Volga
12. El vagyon rendelve / Our Destiny Has Already Been Settled
Szilvia Bognár - voice
Péter Bede - saxophone, shepherd's flute
János Gerzson - oud
Krisztián Rácz - acoustic and electric guitar
Csaba Gyulai - percussion, gadulka
Zoltán Kovács - double bass, bass guitar, violin, vocal
István Pál "Szalonna" - violin
Balázs Thurnay - kaval, shepherd's flute, marimba, vocal
Special guests:
Ágnes Herczku - voice
Ági szalóki - voice
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For the CD big thanks for Frankie!
Címkék: Bognár Szilvia, Folk, Hungarian, World
The aim of this CD is to make the rich and diverse music of the Hungarian War of Independence in 1848-49 more well-known. The selection is based on period manuscripts, collections and on compilations by prominenent Hungarian historians, and also on the bands' own collections.
The songs on the album try to illustrate the most different strata of vocal and instrumental music from that age, ranging from the most archaic tunes and perfoming, up to the freshest, partly folklorised songs dating from that period.
"The history of a nation can most precisely be known form the existing writings of chroniclers and form the results of historical science. Neverthless, the hisorical consciousness of the masses and also the collective memory (which is a particular projection of the former) bear considerable significance. A retrospective view on the outstanding events and figures of history will show that the richest material in folklore is associated with revolution and the war of independence. This is partly due to the fact that the collective memory, which is able to span some generations has not forgotten them. On the other hand the time distance is big enough for the period words of art or earlier words recomposed by the people, as well as pieces of well-known poets and composers to polish to more perfection in the process of bequest. This selection is based on period manuscripts, collections, compilations, on the national collection from 1948-49, special bibliography on folk music and ethnography and also our own collections. The program attempts to illustrate the most different strata of vocal and instrumental music from the period of the independence war, form the pieces of most archaic melody and performance, yet actualised lyrics to the most fresh, partly folklorised songs belonging to that period."
01. Bécs várostól nyugatról keletre
02. Ütik a rézdobot
03. Jön Kossuth, jön
04. Kossuth-nóta
05. Kossuth Lajos azt izente
06. Kossuth Lajos a vezér
07. Este későn megpendítik a dobot
08. Azt beszélik oda föl
09. Megtanultam tótul, svábul
10. Kossuth izenete eljött
11. Erdély körül van kerítve
12. Rákóczi induló, féloláhos és verbunk
13. Gábor Áron rézágyúja
14. Krakowiak (A lengyel légió táncnótája)
15. Garibaldi nóták
16. Kun verbunk
17. Áldja meg az Isten azt az édesanyát
18. Kispejlovam megérdemli a zabot
19. Ezernyolcszáznegyvennyolcban
Zoltán Juhász - duct flute, long duct flute, flute, badpipe
Kálmán Sáringer - duct flute, long duct flute
Éva Fábián - gardon, voice
András Berecz - voice
(1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17)
Béla Halmos - violin
Tamás Petrovits - cimbalom
Péter Dövényi - viola
András Nagymarosy - bass, tamburica, ádurica
Éva Fábián - voice
(1, 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19)
Katalin Juhász - voice
Gergely Agócs - shawn, clarinet, voice
Réka Juhász, Dénes Juhász, Lilla Juhász, Anna Sáringer, Gergely Dövényi, Katica Szabó - voice
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"This steamy little disc of Russian and Romanian gypsy music is a case of musicus interruptus. Over in less than a half-hour, it leaves the listener panting for more. Though packaged as a nicely finished product, it is really more of a polished demo than anything else. But this New York based octet has a lot to offer. Every track is crisp and danceable, with sassy, jazzy horns, crashing percussion, and throbbing accordion. Vocalist Inna Barmash warbles as slinkily as a Balkan Edith Piaf.
Her work on "Tanya (A Secret)" is smoldering. On "Rustemul," guitarist Joey Weisenberg and violinist Jake Shulman-Ment set up a down-and-dirty near-rock groove that is picked up by the horns, but alas, at less than two minutes, it's over too soon. Winner of the best subtitle award is "Zaznobila & Baro Foro (She messed with my head in the great city)." It's a fun party song that lives up to the promise of its name. The bonus track is a scratchy, retrofied version of "Tanya." Then, just when the dancers are getting warmed up, it's over. More, more, more!"
01. Mariana
02. Loli Phabay (The Red Apple)
03. Shimdiggy
04. Tayna (A Secret)
05. La Circuma de la Drum (The Tavern on the Road)
06. Rostemul
07. Zaznobila & Baro Foro (Shes Messed With My Head in the Great City)
08. Moldovan Batuta
Inna Barmash (vocals),
Jake Shulman-Ment (violin),
Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin (viola),
Jeff Perlman (clarinet & saxophone),
Ben Holmes (trumpet),
Patrick Farrell (accordion),
Joey Weisenberg (guitar),
Ron Caswell (tuba),
Timothy Quigley (drums & percussion)
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Originally released in Europe, Willard Grant Conspiracy's sixth album, Let It Roll finally finds a domestic release for leader Robert Fisher's weary baritone and frightening tales of probity.
Fisher's relative anonymity stateside probably has a lot to do with the fact that he can be a challenging listen, and with ten songs clocking in at over an hour, Let It Roll is one tortuous record.
With somber visions and a voice that echoes late-period Nick Cave, Willard Grant Conspiracy is very much a thinking man's Americana, providing listeners who don't possess a modicum of patience little incentive to explore. But like some of those big-ass books still sitting on your shelf that appear too intimidating to start, Let It Roll can be an enjoyable read if you manage to find the time to sit down with it.
Starting with "From A Distant Shore", a first-person account of a soldier preparing for battle overseas, Fisher wisely chooses to accompany the tale with a metaphoric trumpet and haunting violin. The subject matter is far from a pleasant one and it foreshadows some of the weighty themes that W.G.C. examines throughout the rest of the album.
The title track, one of the lengthiest songs on the disc, starts with three minutes of passionate guitar and violin turbulence before Fisher sets foot behind the mic with an equally intense murder ballad. By seven minutes, he's defiantly yelling on his way to the gallows "There's nothing to dying more than a ropes last whisper," to the point where his voice has grown hoarse. Powerful stuff.
"Breach," the second track to clock in at over nine minutes, strolls along like a last-call conversation, which can be either a provocation or pleasure depending on your own state of inebriation.
The liquor seems to flow again with W.G.C.'s cover of Dylan's "Ballad Of A Thin Man." Fisher gradually builds up Bobby's ominous verses until he's rasping the lyrics while guitarist Jason Victor creates some gruff six string verbalization of his own.
There are parts of Let It Roll which recall Dream Syndicate's stunning The Medicine Show for good reason: Steve Wynn joins W.G.C.'s collective approach as a co-songwriter for the song "Flying Low" and backing vocalist. I'm sure the collaboration came from a feeling of mutual respect for one another and Fisher has found a great frame of reference in his own attempt at creating a commanding record.
As imposing as it strives to be, the unfastened quality of the performances oftentimes makes it seem too convoluted to receive the attention it deserves. But for those that can find the time to embrace it, Let It Roll turns out to be one helluva read.
"Boston-based music group Willard Grant Conspiracy sure knows how to make a music critic's job tough. Whereas most bands can be blithely described with a few words, WGC practically requires a new genre tag. Stylistically, it's got strong folk-rock and rootsy overtones but isn't exactly Americana. Instead, WGC couches the disquieting angst of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen in the baroque-like elegance of Belle & Sebastian at their most melancholic. Lead singer Robert Fisher's smooth, contemplative baritone has a winning straightforwardness mingled with world-weariness and suspicion. On the ditty "Flying Low," he croons, "And I dreamed I saw the angels flying low/They encompass all that's good, or so I'm told." The album is lent orchestral savor by the regal-sounding violin/viola of Josh Hillman and the yearning trumpet of guest Dennis Cronin. Rendering Roll more cathartic than depressing is WGC's occasional forays into wrenching rockin' dissonance a la Roxy Music and John Cale-era Velvet Underground. Dylan fans may not like the droll, thundering rendition of his "Ballad of a Thin Man." With WGC, it appears that glum is good."
01. From A Distant Shore
02. Let It Roll
03. Dance With Me
04. Skeleton
05. Flying Low
06. Breach
07. Crush
08. Mary Of The Angels
09. Ballad Of A Thin Man
10. Lady Of The Snowline
Címkék: Alt.-Country, Americana, USA, Willard Grant Conspiracy
"Since the first volume of this Network Medien series came out in 1995, the whole notion of "Desert Blues" has become more familiar, even to the point where not every song on a double CD like this has to necessarily fit the description (a description that, since first coined, has been open to varied interpretation anyway). All that's really needed are great songs from the Saharan regions, and there are loads of them here. Not a lot of the featured artists were on the first two volumes, so there's a healthy amount of freshness here.
You can start just about anywhere with blow-by-blow descriptions: rootsy rai from Khaled, elegant kora work by Toumani Diabate, rockish excursions courtesy of Tinariwen, etc. If you want a quick summation, the back cover offers one: "Recently discovered finest ballads from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Niger, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia." I suppose "finest ballads" does at least as well as "desert blues" in describing the music here, which represents everything from griot tradition to jazz and classical fusion. Actually, as more Saharan artists and countries increase their presence on the global music scene, collections like this will continue to be necessary in keeping up with the work of established stars (Gigi, Oumou Sangare, Habib Koite), newer or lesser-known names (Bako Dagnon, Idrissa Soumaoro) and even non-Africans who successfully get in on the action (Markus James, Kronos Quartet). There's over two hours of superb sounds on this set, the illustrated liner notes are informative and thoughtful, and it's essential listening even if you missed the first two installments."
Disc 1.
01. Djelimandy Tounkara - Fanta
02. Idrissa Soumaoro - M´ba Den
03. Souad Massi - Raoui
04. Khaled - Wahrane, Wahrane
05. Tiris - El Nabi
06. Booubacar Traore & Regis Gizavo - Kanou
07. Markus James - Dream After
08. Bako Dagnon - Lassidan
09. Fula Flute - Keme Bourema
10. Gigi - Bati Bati
11. Cherif M´baw - Baayo
12. Abdouolaye Alhassane Toure
13. Rokia Traore & Kronos Quartett - Bownboï
14. Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Touri - Ai Ga Bani
Disc 2.
01. Dhafer Youssef - A Kind Of Love
02. Seckou Keita Quartet - Tounga
03. Ali Farka Toure - Penda Yoro
04. Boubacar Traore - Kar Kar
05. Malouma - Yarab
06. Bassekou Kouyate & Lobi - Traore Banani
07. Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou - Imidiwan
08. N´gou Bagayoko - Kulu
09. Tinariwen - Izarharh Tenere
10. Oumou Sangare - Djorolen
11. Habib Koite - Mali Ba
12. Amadou & Mariam - Ce N´est Pas Bon
13. Getatchew Mekurya - Eywat Sstenfegagn
14. Gigi - Ethiopia
Guitarist, composer, arranger, and professor at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Gyula Babos is one of the best known personalities of jazz life in Hungary. He was hardly 17 when he won the Jazz Competition of the Hungarian Radio in 1966, and since that time his goal has been to make his mark on the international music scene with compositions rooted in Hungarian folk and Gypsy music. After joining and founding several groups (the Aladár Pege Quintet, Kex, Rákfogó, Kőszegi Rhythm and Brass, Saturnus, BDSZ Collection, the Babos Trio and Quartet) and participating in European jazz festivals, in 1989 he produced his first solo album, called In 'n Out, which contains his own compositions – just like Blue Victory, his second release, recorded in 1994, with Victor Bailey, Terri Lyne Carrington, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, and the late George Jinda. The album was released in twelve European countries. He made his third solo album for Sony Columbia in 1998, entitled Once Upon a Time..., which is the realization of his intention to fuse jazz with Hungarian and Gypsy folk traditions in his own way. The material was recorded with the Babos Project Romani. Babos introduced the group not only in Europe, but also in England and in Israel at the Red Sea Festival. Seventy-five Minutes Live, his latest release features the celebrated percussionist Trilok Gurtu. On this album, East-, West- and Middle-Eastern Europe meet in Babos' music. Besides recording and composing (film and cartoon scores included), he is also a producer for pop and contemporary artists. One of his greatest dreams was fulfilled when in 1991 he played with Frank Zappa in front of an audience of thirty thousand people in Budapest.
01. Intro
02. Nara-Nannay
03. Gelem
04. Trans-Sylvania
05. Csillagok - Stars
06. Három nap - Three Days
07. Romantic Gipsy Heart
08. True Colors
09. Mathild Song
10. Mese feketén fehéren - Tale Black and White
Babos Gyula - guitar, synthesiser
Oláh "Chumo" Árpád - piano
Hárs Viktor - double bass
Lattman Béla - bass guitar
Borlay Gergő - drums
Kunovics Katalin - voice
Dobi Matild - voice
Bihari "Imi" Ernő - voice, can
Daróci "Choli" József - voice
Original Uploader: gerzoli. Thanks!
Címkék: Babos Gyula, Ethno-jazz, Gipsy, Hungarian
"For the first time in over two decades, Steeleye Span sounds like a bona fide band again. While their string of sporadic comeback albums from the past 20 years were generally decent (although not spectacular), they seemed to lack the intangibles that distinguish a true and cohesive group effort from a reformed assemblage that only half-heartedly recaptures their past glory. While only fiddler Peter Knight and guitarist Bob Johnson remain from that period, Bedlam Born is the closest Steeleye Span has come to recreating their '70s heyday. Bassist Tim Harries, who has been with them since 1989's Tempted and Tried, provides the most out-and-out rock & roll moment on this album with his electric guitar debut on "John Ditchford." At least three other tracks ("Well Done Liar," "The Beggar," and "We Poor Labouring Men") also display a noticeable rock angle that hearkens back to albums like Rocket Cottage and Parcel of Rogues. But this album is equally divided between the raucous and the reflective, the traditional and the contemporary; "Who Told the Butcher" and "Poor Old Soldier" with their electric piano accompaniment and Peter Knight lead vocals sounds like Sails of Silver-period Steeleye. Lead singer Gay Woods adds a maturity and firmness of voice not necessarily found in Maddy Prior, the legendary vocalist whom she eventually replaced. They are different types of singers but both are equally suited for Steeleye Span. Woods provides captivating vocals on "Beyond the Dreaming Place," "The Connemara Cradle Song," and the chilling "The White Cliffs of Dover." After appearing on just three tracks on Horkstow Grange, longtime Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks returns to make a full-time contribution on Bedlam Born, thus significantly solidifying the foundation of this band."
01.Well Done Liar
02.Who Told The Butcher
03.John Of Ditchford
04.I See His Blood Upon The Rose
05.Black Swan
07.Poor Old Soldier
09.There Was A Wealthy Merchant
10.Beyond The Dreaming Place
11.We Poor Labouring Men
12.Connemara Cradle Song
14.White Cliffs Of Dover
Gay Woods, vocals, bodhrán;
Bob Johnson, vocals, acoustic & electric guitar;
Peter Knight, vocals, keyboards and violin;
Tim Harries, bass & electric guitars, keyboards, vocals;
with Dave Mattacks, drums and percussion
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Címkék: Ethno-rock, Steeleye Span
Ando Drom (On the Road) Gypsy folklore group was founded in Budapest 1984.The songs are sung in Gypsy Language, accompanied by guitar, mandolin and tambura; for percussion they use spoons, jugs, wooden through and oral bass.
Since the members come from different segments of the Hungarian Gypsy population, the group presents a wide range of styles and variations within Gypsy music and culture. They present the traditional music and dances of the Gypsy people in an authentic and, at the same time, modern way.
In addition to their concert tours abroad, they often perform in Hungary, where Ando Drom is considered to be one of the most renowned Gypsy folklore groups. They were honoured twice with "Nívó-díj", a high Hungarian musical award.
01. Iszik a kocsmán / Drinking In The Pub
02. Te szan mange piramnyi / You Are My Lover
03. Xanamiko / Brother-in-law
04. Könyörgés / Prayer
05. Na mangav me ratyija / I Don't Need Brandy
06. Ahaj Devlam szote kerav / My God, What Shall I Do
07. Pujari szomasz - Kanak tu ternyi szanasz / I Was Child – When I Was Young
08. Naj man sella / I Have No Money
09. Bare gindura / Big Trouble
10. Raja Devla / My Lord, God
11. Csi Zsanav / I Do Not Know
12. Lasi ratyi – Kövecselik az utakat / Good Evening – They Are Making Roads
13. Pergyij e bar lulugyenca / The Garden Is Full of Flowers
14. Muro nav / My Name
15. Sza tele zsav / I Go Around The World
Jenő Zsigó - voice, guitar, mandolin, can, spoons, udu,oral bass
Imre Bihari - voice, guitar, can, oral bass
Matild Dobi - voice, dance, spoons
Gyula Bódi – accordion
István Samu - guitar
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"Recorded live in Bordeaux.
Developed over the last 15 years, Song of the Lodz Ghetto is a unique musical work, a song cycle in which memory and imagination freely interact to create a Proustian journey between present and past. At the center are Brave Old World's arrangements of the rare Jewish street and cabaret songs from the Nazi ghetto of Lodz, Poland, 1940-44. Leading through the Lodz repertoire like stepping-stones through the river of memory are Brave Old World's own original compositions, reflections on 17 years of performing Jewish music. Michael Alpert's moving Berlin 1990 forms the emotional and musical counterpoint to the passionate and ironic street songs of the bard of the Lodz ghetto, Yankele Herszkowicz. A musical and spiritual journey of resistance, love, and reconciliation."
"...this collection illustrates the power of the creative consciousness to survive, even thrive, in the most harrowing of circumstances."
01. Rumkovski Kayim/Lodzh-fidl
02. Lodzh-overtur
03. A gants fayn mazltov
04. Nisht nor simkhe/Veynendiks
05. Vayl ikh bin a yidele
06. S'Iz Kaydankes, kaytn
07. Kimts in herts/Rumkovski Khayim
08. Yikhes/Vinter 1942
09. Makh tsi di eygelekh
10. Berlin 1990 (Refren)
11. Es Geyt a Yeke
12. Ver Klapt du Azoy?/Geto varyant
13. Geto, getunya
14. Kuyavyak
15. Amerike Hot Erklert/Kemfn!
16. Berlin 1990
17. Lodzh-coda
18. Bobover Khupe-Marsh/Rumkovski Khayim
Alan Bern: musical director, accordion, piano
Michael Alpert: vocals, fiddle, percussion, guitar
Kurt Bjorling: clarinet, bass clarinet
Stuart Brotman: bass, cello, cymbalom, trombone, fiddle
Címkék: Brave Old World, Klezmer
Recorded in 2001, Golem's debut album features tunes sung in Ladino, Ukrainian, Spanish, and of course, Yiddish... not bad for a 5 song EP!
01. Skrip Klezmer!
02. Balkan Espanol
03. Kopav Kopav
04. Madre Mia
05. Az der Rebbe Elimelekh
Aaron Diskin: vocals, tambourine
Alicia Jo Rabins: violin
Curtis Hasselbring: trombone
Taylor Bergren-Chrisman: contrabass
Laura Cromwell: drums
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"Once upon a time in Hungary a group of young and talented people – who had otherwise not much common points – agreed that they will show their compatriots and to the whole world that the saying "the Hungarian rejoices crying" is absolutely false. In the music of Yava Folcore Punk Brigade the folk songs are not artefacts of museums or worldmusic-like commercial products but pulsating energy which is not only intertwined with the musical traditions of the Middle East or Indonesia but also with hardcore punk music. After long waiting the debut album of the band will be coming out in November 2008 and the band that already had several international gigs is ready to conquer the world.
Yava was established by the bassist of the legendary band "Galloping Coroners" (VHK), Adam Mestyan and Polett Dus in 2001 and their very different characters define the main features of the band. Polett today is the editor in chief of a radio station but before she played as an actor in a travelling company, was a folk-musician and then lived for a long time in Indonesia where she studied the ancient arts of "wayang" and the "gamelan" music. Adam was graduated as an Arabist and lived in North Africa and later one year in Kuwait. In 2002, the folk musician Szabolcs Roka joined the band who is the master of the Hungarian "koboz" and the Arabic-Turkish oud. From 2004 the also legendary VHK-member guitarist Fritz Laszlo Nemeth joined the band while the progressive metal-drummer Kristof Szabo is the youngest member.
In the inimitable music of the YAVA FOLCOR PUNK BRIGADE it can happen that the bass will answer to the themes of the bagpipe. Who does not believe this, listen to this magic how the different musical traditions of different nations are united, how the medieval songs and instruments are joined to punk and hardcore melodies."
01. Szerelem
02. Tizenkettö
03. Ó, Castília
04. Indonéz
05. Mire vársz
06. Gen 36
07. Rejtsetek el engem
08. Kezemet homokba
09. Üsküdari mese
10. Aranytoll
11. Izzott nyögött
12. Hergetés
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Címkék: Ethnic-punk, Hungarian, World, Yava
Szvorák Kati & The Monarchia Orchestra: Télkergető - Winter Chasing - Carnival in Central Europe0 Comments
"Winter Chasing draws from the music of the peoples of our country in the widest sense of the word: I could almost say, it embraces nearly all the peoples with a common fate during its thousand: year: old disastrous, bloody history who have influenced each other musically: Katalin Szvorák, who gives expression to this common tone, is a highly competent, artistic interpreter of the music of the Hungarians and all the peoples living with them.
May you regard the music you hear as a bunch of flowers made of the music of thousand years and love it both as a whole and each of its precious flowers separately.
And accept it with proper love from from Katalin Szvorák who has gathered the bunch and presents it to you now."
Sung in Hungarian, Slovak, German, Moravian, Armenian, Czech, Gypsy and Croatian.
01. Ma vagyon Farsang híres napja
02. Ez ki háza, ki háza
03. Za nuno baluśo
04. Hipp, hopp farsang
05. Kura Jóska, dudáljon kend
06. Pod šable
07. Elmúlott a hosszú farsang
08. Dúsgazdag siralma
09. Sokác kóló
10. Talalaj, talalaj
11. Haj ki kiszi, haj ki
12. Keď si videl, že nemožem
13. Jaj, de szennyes a kendője
14. Faschingmarsch
15. Huculka
16. A macskának kesely lába
17. Gakavik
18. Ezek a szép szász leányok
19. Illik a tánc a rongyosnak
20. Hopp csillárom
Kati Szvorák - voice
and The Monarchia Orchestra:
MULATSCHAG GRUPPE (Bécs, Vienna, Austria):
Evelyn FINK - violin, voice
Ernst FRITZ "Blizzfrizz" - violin, accordion
Andrea HOFFMANN - harp, voice
Rudolf PIETSCH - violin, voice
Margit WERNER-ANDERL - voice
PONITRAN (Nitra, Slovakia):
Bernard GARAJ - Slovak bagpipe, cimbalom, voice
Peter HUJER - violin, ozembuch, voice
Marián JÁREK - violin, voice
Ján VÁCLAVEK - viola, voice
Pavol VAKOŠ - double bass, voice
Béla ÁGOSTON - clarinet, bagpipe
Joszif Jurijevič ČERNAVEC (Técső, Ukraine) - Jew's harp
Tamás GOMBAI - violin
Mihály HUSZÁR - double bass, accordion, voice
Ferenc KISS - voice, kobsa, zither, Jew's harp, tambur, percussions, violin, hurdy-gurdy, water can
Zsolt KÜRTÖSI - double bass
Péter PÉTERDI - keyboards
Zoltán SZABÓ - Croatian bagpipe, tambur, ocarina
Sándor D. TÓTH - viola
Pupils of the folk-song class of Szentendre Vujicsics Tihamér Music School:
Flóra KISS, Berci SASVÁRI, Borcsa SASVÁRI, Marci SASVÁRI, Csenge SZEBENY, Rebeka TAMÁSI, Sára TÍMÁR, Réka ZETELAKI - voices
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Címkék: Folk, Hungarian, Monarchia, Szvorák Kati
"In both Polish and Hebrew, the word "balagane" means either "big mess" or more colloquially, "whorehouse." It is also the name of the second album from Montreal-based group Jeszcze Raz (pronounced YES-chay Raz), led by the irreverent poet/songwriter Paul Kunigis. Balagane is a playful collection of rollicking songs driven by elements of Jewish, Gypsy, and Arabic folk, with hints of French chanson, jazz and blues in the mix.
This array of influences is skillfully woven by polyglot pianist and songwriter Paul Kunigis. Polish-born of a Catholic mother and Jewish father, Kunigis was raised in Israel where he went to a school run by French Jesuits and took Hebrew studies on the side. He plays his upbringing like a trump card, laughing, "I had a first communion AND a bar mitzvah!" with self-conscious irony. In his music, Kunigis acknowledges the myriad of sometimes opposing cultural forces that created him. Most of all he identifies as an outsider.
Songs in Polish, Hebrew, Arabic and French lambaste bar-stool philosophers, celebrate the lives of rag-pickers and prostitutes, and dream improbable dreams of a lasting peace in the Middle East. The impassioned lyrics are bittersweet and gutsy: Kunigis pulls no punches. In concert, he likes to say with a twinkle in his eye, "My music is not politically correct. It's just correct."
Balagane was produced by Yves Desrosiers of Lhasa de Sela fame, and features Desrosiers on guitars. The elements that made Lhasa's La Llorona sound great (including a careful attention paid to arranging and dynamics) make this album a success, too. A song that starts with bare-bones percussion and bass might evolve into a raucous burlesque sing-along with swirling violin, snaky accordion and sleazy bass clarinet blats. Percussion lines laid down by the rock-steady Rémi LeClerc are played over in such a way that individual songs integrate klezmer, Latin and Arabic influences effortlessly.
If there is one shortcoming to the album, it is that you may recognise some concepts from earlier tracks returning in some of the latter songs. But Kunigis and Jeszcze Raz can hardly be classified as one-trick ponies. No, they are the whole crazy circus. Balagane, indeed."
In March of 2003, Jeszcze Raz won the 2002 Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies) for World Music Album of the Year.
01 - Balagane (Bordel)
02 - Czarna kawa (Café Noir)
03 - Alte zachen (Vieilles Guenilles)
04 - Yahayouni (Mes Yeux)
05 - Bamidbar (Dans le Désert)
06 - Zimbergaya (Tzimbergaya)
07 - 3 pajaci (3 clowns)
08 - Swetlana (Chviétlana)
09 - Tiberiade (Tibériade)
10 - Ostatni dzien (La Derninre Valse)
11 - Mamaleh (Petite Maman)
12 - J'aimerai te dire
13 - Shequette (Silence)
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Canada, Jeszcze Raz, Klezmer, World
"After years of research, a dream has at last come true: the world's first major anthology of Rembetiko – the "Greek Blues". Presenting 31 ensembles from 13 countries, the album showcases the leading representatives of Rembetiko in its many forms throughout the world and traces its development over the years. Rembetiko emerged in the early 1920s in the port cities of Piraeus and Thessaloniki where hundreds of thousands of Greek refugees arrived from Asia Minor. They brought with them their own lifestyle and their oriental music. In the taverns, or tekes, they smoked hash, made music, and dressed in a distinctive way. It was a subculture that went against the grain. Banned under various dictatorships and later ideologically rejected, Rembetiko still survived in various forms, eventually becoming an integral part of Greek identity. From Greece, Rembetiko spread among the immigrant communities of North America, Australia and Western Europe. This musical journey through the world of Rembetiko presents the best groups, including Apodimi Compania from Australia, Prosechos, Salto Orientale and Zotos Kompania from Germany, Kudsi Ergüner and Melihat Gülses from Turkey, Diamanda Galas and the Projekt Café Aman Amerika from the USA, Taximi from Sweden, Palio-Paréa from Holland, The Rembetika Hipsters from Canada and such icons of recent Greek musical history as Mikis Theodorakis, Dionyssis Savopoulos, Nikos Xydakis, Niki Tramba and Ross Daly at the Café Aman and Stavros Xarchakos with music from the legendary film "Rembetiko".
01. Stavros Xarchakos - Prologos-Mana Mou Ellas
02. Cafe Aman America Orchestra - O Pinoklis
03. Taximi - Rosenbuskens Blad
04. Kudsi Erguner Ensemble - Yedikule
05. Kegome - Salto Orientale
06. Bayat - Irinaki(Traditional Arr.)- Bratsch
07. Talking To Charos - San Pethano Sto Karavi
08. Christos Pantelis - Bouzouki Mou Diplochordo
09. Miquel Gil - I Giren
10. Ross Daly & Labyrinth - Afou Chis Allon Stin Kardia
11. Ankala - Cafe Izmir
12. The Rembetika Hipsters - Mes Tis Polis To Hammam-
13. Evening Take-Abaji - For Rita
14. Pavlos Sidiropoulos - To Blues Tou Paliokaravou
15. Grigoris Bithikotsis - Mikis Theodorakis Sta Pervolia
01. Apodimi Compania - Doctor
02. Martha Frintzila - Thalassa Lipisou
03. Zotos Kompania - Ego Mangas Phenomouna
04. Diamanda Galas - Anoixe
05. Christos Pantelis - Pali Kiapopse Skeftikos
06. Salto Orientale - Diki Mou Ine I Ellas
07. Michalis Jenitsaris - I Ladades
08. Fotia - Psila Ta Parathyria Sou
09. Palio-Parea - Tou Votanikou O Mangas
10. Prosechos - Plimyra
11. Stelios Vamvakaris & Louisiana Red - I Fantasia Stin Exousia
12. Solon Lekkas - San Pothano Paragelno
13. Vosporos - Zeybekiko
14. Niki Tramba, Ross Daly & Labyrinth - Emai Orfanos Apo Paidhi
15. Melihat Gulses - Barba Yannakakis(Kurban)
16. Roberto Zanisi - Stin Ipoga
17. Nikos Xydakis, Manolis Rasoulis & Nikos Papazoglou - I Manges Den Iparchoun Pia
18. Dionyssis Savopoulos - Zeybekiko
Cd 2.
"Inner Voice is a meditative inner journey meant to awaken the primeval powers slumbering at the very depth of the "Self". It is a bringing up to the surface the energies of the ancient elements of earth, water, fire and air with the natural means of music and harmony.
We can only reach the very depth of our selves by the help of growing silent completely, a turning inward in meditation. The touching of the primeval powers slumbering in the depths of our "Self" happens when we use the most ancient of string instruments, that is, the human voice, archaic Hungarian folksongs, Gregorian chants and special instruments that awaken the four archetypical elements."
1. Föld / Earth
2. Víz / Water
3. Tűz / Fire
4. Levegő / Air
5. Belső hang / Inner Voice
Irén Lovász - voice
János Kerekes - didgeridoo
Ágnes Pintér - harp
Gergely Balázs - violin
Judit Gesztelyi Nagy - shakuhachi
Zoltán Mizsei - voice
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Hungarian, Lovász Irén, World
"On first thought, the idea of the Man in Black recording such covers as "Bridge over Troubled Water," "Danny Boy," and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" might seem odd, even for an artist who's been able to put his personal stamp on just about everything. But American IV: The Man Comes Around, which also draws on Cash's original songs as well as those by Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), Sting ("I Hung My Head"), and Depeche Mode ("Personal Jesus"), may be one of the most autobiographical albums of the 70-year-old singer-songwriter's career. Nearly every tune seems chosen to afford the ailing giant of popular music a chance to reflect on his life, and look ahead to what's around the corner. From the opening track--Cash's own "The Man Comes Around," filled with frightening images of Armageddon--the album, produced by Rick Rubin, advances a quiet power and pathos, built around spare arrangements and unflinching honesty in performance and subject. In 15 songs, Cash moves through dark, haunted meditations on death and destruction, poignant farewells, testaments to everlasting love, and hopeful salutes to redemption. He sounds as if he means every word, his baritone-bass, frequently frayed and ravaged, taking on a weary beauty. By the time he gets to the Beatles' "In My Life," you'll very nearly cry. Go ahead. He sounds as if he's about to, too. Unforgettable."
01. The Man Comes Around (by Johnny Cash)
02. Hurt (written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails)
03. Give My Love to Rose (by Johnny Cash)
04. Bridge over troubled Water (by Paul Simon)
05. I Hung My Head (Sting)
06. The First Time I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl)
07. Personal Jesus (Martin L. Gore)
08. In My Life (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
09. Sam Hall (Arranged by Johnny Cash)
10. Danny Boy (Arranged by Johnny Cash
11. Desperado (Glenn Frey/Don Henley)
12. I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
13. Tear Stained Letter (Johnny Cash)
14. Streets of Laredo (Arranged and Adapted by Johnny Cash)
15. We'll Meet Again (Ross Parker/Hugh Charles)
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Alt.-Country, Americana, Johnny Cash, USA
Bugotak plays Siberian music in a traditional folk basis, but their musical references are so diverse to be classified by genre (let's call it Siberian Contemporary music). They even dare to cover rock classics, in their traditional Siberian instruments. The main idea of Bugotak's art is that only those traditions come alive, which develop itselves; stark traditions are subject to nobody. Therefore, the project declares itself to play in any style, keeping native Siberian spirit. Lovers of 'pure folk' should stay away, to avoid stagnation of native folk's culture.
01. Kon' Togethy (The Beatles's Come Together)
02. Altai Kys (Uriah Heep's Gypsy)
03. Kaar Mege (Nirvana's Rape Me)
04. Hododoo (Metallica's Nothing Else Matters)
05. Maadai-Kara (Mission Impossible)
06. Kozhung Of The Rising Sun (The Animals House Of The Rising Sun)
07. Ajylham Djiktite
08. The Crow And The Crucian
09. Aduushanai Duun (The Cowboy's Song)
10. Men Sanaarym (Queensryche's I Will Remember)
11. The Arctic Fox (It Happens)
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Bugotak, Russia, Throat singing, World
"Fado (translated as destiny or fate) is a music genre which can be traced from the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, Fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. However, in reality Fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure.
The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade (that has no match in English but it could be understood as nostalgia felt while missing someone), a word describing a sentiment. The word "pine", sharing the same root as the portuguese word "pena" (which has evolved to express the feeling of being sorry for someone) seems to describe the meaning of the word saudade only in very crude terms as a feeling of nostalgia, or longing, which is agreed by translators to not be an accurate description.Furthermore, because the word pine is actually a verb in English whilst saudade is simply a noun, any translation using these two words would be inaccurate.
Some enthusiasts claim that Fado's origins are a mixture of African slave rhythms with the traditional music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic influence.
There are two main varieties of Fado, namely those of the cities of Lisbon and Coimbra. The Lisbon style is the most popular, while Coimbra's is the more refined style. Modern fado is popular in Portugal, and has produced many renowned musicians. According to tradition, to applaud fado in Lisbon you clap your hands, while in Coimbra one coughs like if clearing one's throat.
Mainstream fado performances during the 20th century included only a singer, a Portuguese guitar player and a classical guitar player but more recent settings range from singer and string quartet to full orchestra."
01. Alfredo Marceneiro - A Casa Da Mariquinhas
02. Carlos Ramos - Nao Venhas Tarde
03. Berta Cardosa - Tia Macheta
04. Hermina Silva - A Tendinha
05. Max - A Rosinha Dos Limoes
06. Maria Teresa De Noronha - Rosa Enjeitada
07. Antonio Dos Santos - Partir E Morrer Um Pouco
08. Lucilic Do Carmo - Foi Na Travessa Da Palha
09. Amalia Rodrigues - Foi Deus
10. Tony De Matos - Lisboa A Noite
11. Tristao Da Silva - Aquela Janela Virada Pro Mar
12. Vicente Da Camara - Fado Das Caldas
13. Fernando Farinha - Belos Tempos
14. Hermano Da Camara - Colchetes De Oiro
15. Antonio Mourao - Fadista Louco
16. Te-Embora - Fernanda Maria - Saudade Vai
17. Joao Ferreira Rosa - Embucado
18. Teresa Silva Carvalho - Amar
19. Carlos Do Carmo - Saudade Mal Do Fado
20. Joao Braga - Arraial
21. Maria Da Fe - Ate Que A Voz Me Doa
22. Nuno Da Camara Pereira - Carvalo Ruco
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Djelem is a Gypsy group based in Montréal, Québec, lead by Anatoli Iakovencho, a Ukrainian Gypsy. What differentiate Gypsy musicians from any other musicians is that a Gypsy is at home everywhere they go. And this is exactly the case with Iakovencho. As he says it himself, "Gypsies take the colors of the new surroundings." In Souvenirs, their second CD, this is what we find. On the one hand, unable to deny his Ukrainian roots, his music keeps an East European flavor, but as the same time, you can feel the Canadian influence, especially with a folk-type acoustic guitar playing similar to the one found among Quebecois singers. Moreover, he wrote a song titled "Montréal-Québec" to celebrate his new home and he also rearranged a well-known French Canadian song. The word "djelem" means let's go, meaning what it is to be a Gypsy, open to new experiences. The group includes as well Moldavian violinist Sergei Trofanov, Claude Simard on double bass and keyboards, and Sonya Sanscartier on vocals. Romantic, nostalgic, serene, from the heart, open to the world! Gypsy music with a new flavor!
01. Montreal Quebec
02. Souvenir Bulgare (Bulgari)
03. Tiha Voda
04. Plene Lune (Full Moon)
05. Solitude
06. Hors De Roumanie (Romania)
07. L'aube (The Dawn)
08. Trans-Siberia
09. Pole
10. Yamshick
11. Perseide
12. Bozo (instrumental)
13. Pour Une Derniere Fois
Sergei Trofanov: violin
Anatoli Iakovenko: voice, guitar
Nikolai Makar: pan flute
Claude Simard: double-bass, percussion
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded by Joseph Shabalala in 1974. They've cut well over 30 albums since, but the group did not become well known outside of South Africa until Paul Simon asked them to perform on Graceland. Shabalala was born into a poor family that lived on a white man's farm near the town of Ladysmith. There were eight children in the Shabalala family, and, as the oldest boy, it was Joseph's duty to take care of the family after his father died.
Shabalala's first musical experience, save for a bit of fooling around on the guitar, came with a choral group called the Blacks. Shabalala eventually took over leadership of the group and became its main composer. The Blacks won most of the local vocal competitions and became the most popular Zulu vocal group, but Shabalala felt that something was missing. "I had been hearing a voice inside me," Shabalala said. "I didn't know it, but it was the voice of God." When the voice told him to fast, Shabalala obeyed, and on his fast, he had a vision of a new kind of vocal music. Shortly thereafter he became a Christian. Taking the choral music he heard in the Christian church, he combined it with the Zulu tradition to create his own style.
When the Blacks refused to take part in Shabalala's experiments, he formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The group consists of seven bass voices, an alto, a tenor, and Shabalala singing lead. The combo immediately began releasing albums at a staggering rate, offering a massive catalog of vocal music. Even if you don't speak Zulu, when they hit a low rumbling note, you can literally feel the power of their voices in your body.
"In Zulu singing there are three major sounds," Shabalala explains. "A high keening ululation; a grunting, puffing sound that we make when we stomp our feet; and a certain way of singing melody. Before Black Mambazo you didn't hear these three sounds in the same songs. So it is new to combine them, although it is still done in a traditional style. We are just asking God to allow us to polish it, to help keep our voices in order so we can praise Him and uplift the people."
01. Homeless
02. Hello My Baby
03. Kangivumanga (I Disagreed)
04. Lelilungelo Elakho
05. Nomathemba
06. Nkosi Yamakhosi
07. Sisesiqhingini
08. Zithi Nqonqonqo
09. Liph' Iqiniso
10. Inhlelemtombi
11. Nansi Imali
12. Izinto Ziyavuma
13. Uthando Olungaka
14. Zintombi
15. Awu Wemadoda
16. Vulani Amasango
17. Yanda Yabeletha
18. Akehlulek'ubaba (With God Everything Is Possible)
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Africa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, World
"This family band from Flagstaff, Arizona, pump up their politically driven punk with some serious medicine - a unique Native American worldview that informs their music as it sets them apart from other message rockers. Navajo (Diné) siblings Klee, Clayson, and Jeneda Benally are joined by elders both spiritual and geneological on One Nation Under, which features Joey Ramone on two tracks as well as proud papa Jones Benally, a champion hoop dancer and pow-wow singer. There's no starker depiction of the Blackfire dichotomy, and the band make the tensions between hallowed tradition and the urgencies of modern rock work for them again and again on this CD, which handily netted a Native American Music Award in 2002. Blackfire drive home their reservation blues with traditional percussion and vocals deployed over a taut rhythm section recalling the predatory post-punk of Fugazi. There's plenty worth shouting about, as the scandalous situation of America's first people is rich with enough bad faith, cynicism, and exploitation for a hundred Minor Threat albums. But while the social injustices may be specific to the Diné and their kin, there's resonance with the struggles of oppressed folk everywhere. And it's to them that Blackfire offer their hard truth, promising survival to those strong enough to maintain their culture, with all the incongruities, rage, and humor that this modern age demands. May they long practice what they preach."
01. No Control
02. Exile
03. Stand Strong
04. One Nation Under
05. Prove Them Wrong
06. Is This Justice
07. Dine' Gourd Dance Song
08. Many Farms
09. What Do You See
10. It Ain't Over
11. Lying To Myself
12. Someone Else's Nightmare
13. Level
14. Shattered
15. Downfall
Clayson Benally - Drums, Vocals
Jeneda Benally - Bass, Vocals
Klee Benally - Vocals, Guitar
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Blackfire, Ethnic-punk, Native American, USA
Vándor Vokál (Wanderer Vocal) has been a regular performer in various Hungarian clubs and dance-houses: Falkafolk, Csik, Ghymes, Méz, Rila, Méta, Tatros, Zurgó, Martenica, Fonó, House of Traditions, Muzsikás.
As the name itself suggests - the old Hungarian word 'vándor' means wanderer - the group stages East European and Balkan vocal polyphony, using the authentic and original attributes mixed with the members' own style and ideas.
Vándor Vokál was established from pupils of Klára Bodza, folk singer and music teacher of the "Nádasdy Kálmán" Music School in Budapest. Musical education, coupled with regular participation in field - recording trips have helped the members to master the versatility of melodies and styles characteristic of East European and Balkan folk music.
The group has been actively involved in the music life of Hungary, performing in various folk music clubs, dance-houses and festivals, including the annual Dance-house Festival in Budapest, the Kaláka Festival in Diósgyőr, the Ost-West Festival in Kőszeg and the Vujicsics Festival in Szentendre.
In addition to this CD release they are featured on several folk music albums and CD's like the 'Táncháztalálkozó'-Dance House Festival; 'Élő Népzene'-Living Village Music- (Evening Song).
Band members - history
Tünde Farkas, Kata Izsák, Judit Szluka, Szilvia Bognár have worked together since November 1998. In 2000 Bea Palya joined the group. Meanwhile Bea left. Her place was taken by Katalin Bakó. Szilvia Bognár and Navi, also former members of the band, have left.
It was formed in 1990 in Budapest from Hungarian folk singers. After several field recording trips to East-European countries the repertoire has been enlarged with Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Greek, Slovakian, Ruthenian and Corsican songs in addition to the Hungarian ones. In our performance we try to be as close to the original as possible while adding our own ideas to the songs.
In the future we would like to go on discovering and presenting more peoples' folk tunes.
The present lineup is:
Szilvia Bognár: ethnographer, folk dancer, sings with several folk an world-music groups.
Tünde Farkas: majored in aesthetics and Romanian at ELTE, flarnenco dancer and singer.
Kata Izsák: majored in English and history at ELTE, the mother of two, dancer, the contact persen of the group.
Andrea Navratil: Biologist, wolfmother, the singer of Zurgó folk-music group, song and step master of dancehouses for children.
01. Magyarbődi dalok zene nélkül
02, Magyarbődi dalok zenével
03. Szlovák dalok
04. Szerb, horvát, bolgár dalok
05. Mama si
06. Magyar dalok Moldvából
07. Gyimes
08. Kalotaszeg
09. Kihajtottam(Szászcsávás)
Vándor Vokál:
Izsák Kata (voice)
Farkas Tünde (voice)
Bognár Szilvia (voice)
Bakó Katalin (voice)
pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com
Címkék: Folk, Hungarian, Vándor Vokál


text:
Today Ezra Klein at the Washington Post put out a piece promoting Common Cause's lawsuit to have the Senate filibuster declared unconstitutional. Klein repeats myth after myth about the filibuster. This piece should commence an interesting national debate finally putting the argument to bed that the filibuster is somehow unconstitutional. Abolition of the filibuster will lead to a Senate with less time for debate and limited transparency for the American people.
It is interesting to note that these short sighted leftists may be laying the table for an easy repeal of ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank and extending the Bush tax cuts. Clearly, Republicans control of the Senate is within reach (see RCP analysis of Senate polls). There is also a 50-50 chance that Republicans win the presidency. Liberals are trying to get rid of the one tool they would have to stop Republicans from dismantling the Obama legacy of higher taxes and more regulation.
I have to imagine that some Republicans will want to take liberals up on the offer of ridding the Senate of the filibuster in January of 2013.
First of all, many of the voices on the left are hypocrites. Many of the same groups calling for filibuster reform, were defending the filibuster in 2005. When it served the purpose of obstructing President Bush's agenda in 2005, they were 100% for the filibuster (see here).
It is ironic that Common Cause is fighting for filibuster reform. In 2005 they were singing a different tune.
Jonathan H. Adler at The Volokh Conspiracy writes in a post titled, Common Cause's Filibuster Flip:
In 2005, Common Cause vigorously defended the filibuster when some Republicans proposed invoking the "nuclear option" to end the filibuster of judicial nominees. From a 2005 press release: Common Cause strongly opposes any effort by Senate leaders to outlaw filibusters of judicial nominees to silence a vigorous debate about the qualifications of these nominees, short-circuiting the Senate's historic role in the nomination approval process. "The filibuster shouldn't be jettisoned simply because it's inconvenient to the majority party's goals," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. "That's abuse of power." (Hat tip: Don Surber)
Now it seems that Common Cause supports the "abuse of power." I did a Google search to find the text of a Common Cause press release titled "Filibuster shouldn't be tossed aside to convenience Senate majority" and it has been taken off the web site.
Also, it is a convenient myth for Klein and opponents of the filibuster to argue that "the filibuster was a mistake." History does not prove this assertion to be true.
John Quincy Adams wrote in his memoir that the early Senate rejected a rules change that would have limited debate, because in 1806 Vice President Aaron Burr argued that a rules change was not necessary to end debate on a question. According to the late Senator Robert C. Byrd's in The Senate, 1789–1989, "Henry Clay, in 1841, proposed the introduction of the 'previous question' but abandoned the idea in the face of opposition." Byrd also noted that "when Senator Stephen Douglas proposed permitting the use of the 'previous question' in 1850, the idea encountered substantial opposition and was dropped." According to Byrd, "An effort to reinstitute the 'previous question,' on March 19, 1873, failed by a vote of 25–30." Byrd cited the following: "Between 1884 and 1890, fifteen different resolutions were offered to amend the rules regarding limitations of debate, all of which failed of adoption." This is evidence that the filibuster was not an accident of history, yet it was an accepted practice that was validated by Senate votes.
James Madison wrote in Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 that one of the purposes of the Senate was to protect the people against the temporary feelings Members of Congress may posses.
In order to judge of the form to be given to [the Senate], it will be proper to take a view of the ends to be served by it. These were first to protect the people against their rulers: secondly to protect the people against the transient impressions into which they themselves might be led.
Finally, the Constitution specifically delegates rule making authority to the House and Senate in Article I, Section 5, "each house may determine the rule of its proceedings." The filibuster is constitutional and the federal courts have no jurisdiction to litigate this political question.
To argue that supermajority votes are unconstitutional, is to ignore the many supermajority rules as part of the statutory budget process, explicit rules of the Senate and tradition. Today, the Senate will hold a series of votes on legislation to extend the life of the Export-Import Bank, and amendments to the legislation, with a 60 supermajority required to pass as agreed to by both parties. This practice is commonplace in today's Senate.
The Senate and House frequently have votes on matters that are subject to supermajority votes. In the House, a suspension of the rule vote is a supermajority vote. In the Senate there are 60 vote points of order, suspension of the rules and a supermajority to shut off debate are a weekly occurrence.
The big question is whether this full court press by the left is merely setting up a liberal talking point that Republicans are obstructionists or if this is a serious effort to set the table for changing the filibuster rule.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Most every Sunday Ruth or Lily Janousek hands me a drawing on the way out the door. I have quite a collection.
Lily and Ruth are budding theologians. They may not know that about themselves, but that's what they are: budding theologians — they do theology. They do their best to speak of God.
They draw pictures of God and us. Like the one from last Sunday — a drawing of a bouquet with the words:
"God doesn't love us as a flower but as a bouquet."
Right then and there, standing at the door, I knew I had the sermon for the next week in my hand.
Ruth's drawing took me back some years ago when I had the great privilege of serving as the summer minister for Saint Timothy's Memorail Chapel in Silver Cross, Mont., a ghost town with four residents. One of the Silver Cross denizens was 92-year-old Eliza, who lived up the hill, perhaps the length of a football field, from Saint Timothy's.
Every Sunday morning Eliza would cut the wildflowers in her yard, arrange them into a beautiful bouquet and place them on the altar for worship. Now I get a drawing from eight-year- old Ruth — a younger version of the nonagenarian theologian, Eliza.
"God doesn't love us as a flower but as a bouquet."
I wonder who the flowers are in this bouquet, the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus speaks of it in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-14) or, "the Body of Christ," as Paul speaks of it in first letter to the Corinthians.
As Ruth's drawing and Eliza's Sunday morning arrangements illustrate, a bouquet is made up of a variety of flowers. Individual flowers come in a single size and shape, each with its own color. In a bouquet, these different colors, shapes and sizes complement and contrast with one another to make something altogether beautiful in the hand of a skilled florist.
Ruth may be a rose and Lily a sunflower, Bob might be a purple Iris, and I might be…a Milkweed or a thistle or a twig of red oshier — but put us all together and we become something more than who we are.
God loves us as a bouquet.
We are God's bouquet. We are the flowers; God is the florist; we belong in God's bouquet.
Could this be what Jesus is talking about in the Sermon on the Mount? Could the collection in Jesus' Beatitudes be the bouquet, the Kingdom of Heaven?
Listen to the florist's strange list of flowers in this bouquet:
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
Blessed are those who mourn;
Blessed are the meek,
Those who hung and thirst after righteousness,
The merciful, the pure in heart,
The peacemakers,
Those who are persecuted,
Those who are slandered against for doing what's right.
"You are the city set on a hill that cannot be hid. the bouquet that cannot be ignored."
Until recently, I had always thought of these beatitudes as a description of the individual life of the disciple of Jesus. But to think of them that way is depressing because it's unachievable.
In a former pastorate I used to visit four young men in psychiatric institutions whose demented states of mind I was sure were rooted in some way to their failure to measure up to this impossible spiritual standard.
Each of them was a professor's son. Each of them had been raised on a missionary style of Christianity. Each of them had been raised to feel sorry for the persecuted, the meek, the poor, the oppressed. And each of them, as we walked the grounds of the psychiatric hospital in Mansfield, would talk as though he should be able to save the world from its pain. Each of them seemed to believe that purity of heart meant being like Jesus – which meant to them incessant suffering, guilt, and sorrow.
Each of these brothers bore the marks of the Beatitudes. Each was poor in spirit. Each hungered and thirsted for justice. Each was merciful. Each was pure in heart. Each felt persecuted for pursuing what was right in a world that didn't care or didn't know. Each of them felt slandered for doing what their parents – and Jesus – had taught them to do.
But there was one quality that was missing: the quality of meekness…
So long as they lived in the illusion that they, as individuals. were responsible for the world as It was, or that each of them alone was responsible for ridding the world of its suffering, each of them was lost in the lonely world of a flower without a bouquet. So long as they embraced the twisted missionary moralism of their distorted Christian upbringings, they would suffer the horrors of shame and loneliness.
Now, I know, of course, that each of the four brothers I visited back then were mentally ill. They didn't choose to be in the state psychiatric institution. But I also knew their parents. And I knew the church in which they had been raised. It came as no surprise to me that there seemed to be a profound connection between what I was hearing from the homes and the church of their upbringing and what I was hearing form their sons in the psychiatric hospital.
I have to admit to sharing in the twisted spirituality that saw the Beatitudes as a list of requirements for the Christian life. It's made me sick along the way.
But now, in light of Ruth's yellow card, I'm seeing them differently.
"God loves us not as a flower but as a bouquet."
Not every flower in God's bouquet is poor in spirit. Not every one of us is in mourning. Some of us got up this morning with smiles on our faces and a song in our heart.
Not every one of is meek. Not everyone came here this morning hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Some of us came out of habit; some of us came for comfort, some of us came to sing some hymns. Some of us don't know why we came.
Not everyone is known by acts of mercy — we come with grudges and desires for retribution. Not everyone is pure in heart or a peacemaker. And almost of none of us is being persecuted as advocates for social justice.
But TOGETHER all of those blessed people are here in God's Bouquet.
Makes me wonder whether Jesus had read the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scriptures of India written a few centuries before he preached the Sermon on the Mount in Palestine. Listen to its familiar ring, and let the Florist place you in the vase of God's remarkable Bouquet:
"I am the Self…seated in the heart of every creature. I am the origin, the middle, and the end that all must come to.
"All your thoughts, all your actions, all your fears and disappointments, offer them to me, clear-hearted; know them all as passing visions.
"Thus you free yourself from bondage, from both good and evil karma; through your non-attachment, you embody me, in utter freedom.
"I am justice; clear, impartial, favoring no one, hating no one. But in those who have cured themselves of selfishness, I shine with brilliance.
"Even murderers and rapists, tyrants, the cruelest fanatics, ultimately know redemption through my love, if they surrender
"To my harsh but healing graces. Passing through excruciating transformations, they find freedom and their hearts find peace within them.
"I am always with all beings; I abandon no one. And however great your inner darkness, you are never separate from me.
"Let your thoughts flow past you, calmly; Keep me near, at every moment; trust me with your life, because I am you, more than you yourself are."
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
"You – together – are the salt that preserves the earth from its own self-destruction.
"You – together – are the city set upon a hill that gives light to the world."
We – together – each and all – are God's bouquet. God loves us as a bouquet!
Gordon C. Stewart is a social commentator, whose commentaries air on Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered and appear in print on MPR's Public Insight Journalism, www.MinnPost.com, The Chaska Herald, The Chanhassen Villager, The Star Tribune and The Presbyterian Outlook. He is pastor of Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minn., and former Executive Director of theh Legal Rights Center, Inc., in Minneapolis. You can read more of Gordon's work on his blog, Views from the Edge.
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Go ahead honey, it's gluten-free!
Health-promoting homeopath and fetching superhero-ette, Naomi, of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried fame, is the creative spark behind the "Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free" recipe event. Every month it's my intention to participate and every month I pout and stomp my feet (superhero style) when I realize I missed the deadline again. Shirley of Gluten-Free Easily is the event hostess this month and I know if I don't get with it and participate, she'll give me all kinds of gluten-free grief.
Plus, Shirley picked something that's right up my alley (err, I mean trail) — gluten-free camp food. Last summer my son and I backpacked half the Colorado Trail (close to 250 miles) and I pre-made and dehydrated all our dinners, so this assignment is perfect for me. It's also a great way to use up all my CSA kale and collard greens. I love the stuff, but my gosh, my hair's turning green.
Unfortunately, most of my recipes are in my head, made up as I go, or scribbled on the back of bank statements. I'm not the most organized cook, that's why I call half of my recipes "launching pad" creations. The two I'm featuring here are in that category. Adjust and change ingredients to your liking.
Melissa's mile high trail mix
what you need
dry ingredients
1 box Perky's Nutty Rice or Nutty Flax crunchy cereal
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
wet ingredients
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash salt
coconut oil for greasing the pan
dried fruit *
* Gently blend in chunks of dried fruit after the mix has been cooked and cooled. I use a combination of unsulphured papaya, pineapple, mango, ginger, cranberries and/or raisins.
what you do
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Use 2 racks placed in the middle of the oven. Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently. Combine wet ingredients in a medium sized saucepan over low-medium heat; whisk/stir constantly until well blended and bubbly. Bring to a low boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. It will have a semi set-up texture.
Drizzle blended wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir gently until all of it has been mixed in. Spread out on 2 large, lightly greased cookie sheets and place one on each oven rack – unless you can get both cookie sheets on one rack in the middle of the oven. I just stack the two and use my convection setting, but a regular oven setting works just fine. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, remove and gently stir (try to keep clustered bunches intact). Return to oven. If you are using two racks, switch the cookie sheets and alternate putting one on the top rack and one on the rack below. Continue baking for another 45 minutes or so; taking time to remove, check, and gently stir every 6 to 8 minutes. Alternate cookie sheet placement each time. Mixture should be a uniform golden brown color. Depending on your oven temperature, this should take a total about 40 to 60 minutes of bake time. Carefully watch how the mixture browns as oven temperatures vary and this stuff can burn quickly. Keep an eye on it. Don't wander off and forget!
Cool completely. After the mixture has cooled, you can add the dried fruit. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator when not on the trail.
Garlic potato, kale and chicken backpacking soup
what you need
1 bunch kale
instant garlic mashed potatoes
instant chicken base
dried herbs of choice (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, mixed Italian herbs)
Wash, chop and dehydrate kale according to your dehydrator directions. Using a medium sized bowl, combine garlic mashed potatoes flakes, chicken base granules and dried kale. Add salt, fresh ground black pepper and dried herbs of choice; blend well and place in ziplock bags. I use one package of Hearthland Foods garlic mashed potatoes (4.5 ounces), 6 to 8 heaping teaspoons of Vogue Cuisine instant chicken broth base, one bunch of dehydrated kale, assorted dried herbs, sea salt and ground pepper to make 2 very large soup dinners for backpacking (or 4 smaller meals). This is a fast and nutritious meal while on the trail as all you need is boiling water. Shake some of the soup mix into your camp mug or bowl, add boiling water and stir gently. Adjust water depending on the consistency you want. I like it very thick and creamy, like a potato bisque. I've also dehydrated celery leaves and added those to the mix. Be creative and enjoy!
You might also like the Colorado Trail part 1, part 2 and part 3, or nutrition for the backcountry, or I see no good reason to act my age.
Go forth and be a happy camper!
Tags: backpacking food, camping, community supported agriculture, dehydrated food, gluten-free, hiking, kale, trail mix


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Call Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday!
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led a press conference and rally to save Social Security yesterday:
Senate Majority Leader Reid, Other Democrats, Join Hundreds to Demand No Cuts to Social Security
Sens. Reid, Harkin, Sanders, Franken and Blumenthal Follow Emotional Speeches by Americans Who Depend on Social Security and Oppose Cuts
… Under the slogans "Back Off Social Security" and "Hands Off Social Security," more than 350 fired-up retirees and others packed a meeting room on Capitol Hill to hear from the Senators and program beneficiaries, and to demand no benefit cuts, no retirement age increase, and no privatization. The large public event happened as the battle heats up in Washington between those wanting to sacrifice Social Security as part of a deficit-reduction deal and those demanding that it not be cut.
The following is from the Strengthen Social Security coalition, of which Campaign for America's Future is part:
We need you to call your Senators and demand that they vote for the Sanders/Reid Social Security Protection Amendment.
Senator Sanders and Majority Leader Reid are leading the fight in the Senate to protect Social Security from drastic cuts.
Their amendment simply says:
Social Security benefits for current and future beneficiaries should not be cut and Social Security should not be privatized as part of any legislation to reduce the Federal deficit.
Call your Senators RIGHT NOW at 1-866-251-4044. You'll be given a choice of which of your state's two senators to be connected with. Call BOTH if you have the time. It only takes a minute each.
Tell the person who answers the phone:
- I am a voter/constituent living in [your state]. I am calling to tell the Senator:
- I oppose all cuts to Social Security and
- I urge them to vote yes on the Sanders/Reid Social Security Protection Amendment.
Please take the time for this very important effort today. This is for all of us who depend on Social Security.
Call Today: 1-866-251-4044.
Stay involved, the threat to Social Security continues. Please click to stay involved in the fight.


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Much like the auto industry, Jalopnik has lost its way. It's time to get back on track with a simple mission: regain our snarky, just-shy-of-libertarian voice, and then use it to create a new generation of car enthusiasts. Let's roll.
Last Fall was a time for rejoicing. Four years after Gawker founded this site for the "sleek freak" in love with cars "for the curve of a hood," Jalopnik had done the impossible: despite a silly name It had grown from a tiny niche site with a handful of readers into an online institution measuring its reach in the millions. At the same time, we had retained our core audience. All looked right with the world.
Then came the Carpocalypse. Our Gawker overlords — hoping for the best but preparing for the worst — forced me to cut our editorial budget in half while simultaneously demanding increased traffic. At first, I pushed back. I overspent my budget. I paid writers' fees out of my own pocket. I did whatever I could to forestall the inevitable, but I wasn't strong enough to do it forever.
A year ago this month, I caved. I did what I was told, dampening our smart and snarky voice. I moved Murilee from daily to weekend duty and let go of many new names. Instead of looking forward while remembering the past, I forced my overworked and undersupported team to stumble blindly across the post-Carpocalypse automotive desert. We chased the same carrot as Autoblog, Motor Trend, and the rest, pursuing what we were told was the "growth segment" of the automotive universe — general consumers and non-enthusiasts.
In the end, it was little more than a mirage, one made of nanny-state-bloated hybrids, crossovers, and shitboxes. These vanilla appliances were built for the Big Gulp-fattened, cow-like masses, not enthusiasts like us. But we were hungry for cheap traffic, and we gorged, competing over meaningless press releases and page-view-whoring galleries because there was nothing else on the table. And dammit, we were good at it.
I recently realized that those choices did nothing but push you, our brothers in arms, closer to irrelevance. The numbers tell the story: According to a study performed by Pew Research in 2008, 23% of people believe their car is "something special — more than just a way to get around." That figure is half of what it was in 1991. If that trend continues, by 2021, less than 5% of American drivers will give an emotional rat's ass about the car they drive.
Car companies are creating the instruments of their own demise. They're killing their shot at the next generation of auto enthusiasts by providing little more than a choice between bloated technobarges and hybrid jelly beans aimed more at mass marketing than mileage for the masses. Both are designed to be cattle cars, ferrying commuters from A to B with no real connection to the road. Sure, there are exceptions. But for every Cadillac CTS-V, there are five fat and lazy Toyota Avalons or, worse, bloated-disguised-as-fun machines like the Ford Taurus SHO.
Some old-school car writers think this is the end for the car-loving individual. I think they're wrong. I believe the post-Carpocalyptic automotive world is actually fertile ground for a new breed of enthusiast. This new generation is waiting to be freed from the shackles of a crossover culture. Who are they? They're the gadget guys and gamers who have grown up driving cars on a computer but never tried them in real life. These are the kids that are living their lives on Facebook and wouldn't know that a V, an SS, a GT or an F can make all the difference in the world. I truly believe that once they feel what it's like to drive an awesome and exciting real car, they'll never turn back.
This new audience needs an old-school champion, a voice that looks forward while still looking back. Jalopnik can be that champion, but only if we're willing to stand up for what got us here. We need to regain the snarky, contrarian and often-times libertarian-minded voice that Spinelli created, Johnson honed, Lieberman championed with the commenters, and I foolishly mass-marketed. But that voice needs more than just a you-are-there-quality. As a first step, I've hired Sam Smith to be our new Features Editor, to help the site ooze automotive enthusiasm from every pore and pixel. We want to continue to provide an independent and intelligent viewpoint on the stuff that matters, but we also want to do it in a way that's accessible to (and engaging for) newcomers.
When it comes to news reporting, we need to be breaking stories by shining a light on the dark underbelly of the automotive world. When we're not, the only stories you'll see here will be those where we're adding real value. Obsessed with the auto industry? Fine. We'll teach you how to be self-reliant. Rather than regurgitate what others have written under a patina of oversimplified and often false summaries, we'll show you how to find the news that's important to you with tools like Twitter or an RSS reader.
We're also giving up on breathlessly and enthusiastically reporting about boring cars. So what if there's a new Dodge Journey or Toyota Sienna? Those are the vehicles that the car companies want us to report on, and that we've mistakenly covered out of a desire to please some SEO god rather than the enthusiasts. Dull, slow hybrids? Fuck 'em. If you want to do something green, ride a bus or the subway when you commute and drive a Se7en on the weekends. We'll also no longer allow ourselves to be trapped in the middle, championing just-greater-than-meh by saying "it's better than the rest of the segment" when the entire segment's worthless. That's like saying one piece of shit smells better than than the rest of the pile, and you deserve better.
We're going to need help. A revolution takes more than one voice, and if we're going to cast off the shackles of mediocrity, we'll need co-conspirators. That means it's your job to spread the gospel of automotive obsession to your friends. See something truly awesome? Send us a tip. Inspired? Tell us about it. Furious? Let us know. Our best stories come from you and our best stories are promoted by you.
There's more change on the way, but for now, rest assured that your voice has been heard. We know we've fallen down. Now it's time to pick ourselves up, dust off, and let Jalopnik be Jalopnik by taking the path we were meant to take — the path of awesomeness — starting with this upcoming week's Detroit Auto Show.


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Debian Security Advisory
DSA-2148-1 tor -- several vulnerabilities
- Date Reported:
- 17 Jan 2011
- Affected Packages:
- tor
- Vulnerable:
- Yes
- Security database references:
- In Mitre's CVE dictionary: CVE-2011-0427.
- More information:
The developers of Tor, an anonymizing overlay network for TCP, found three security issues during a security audit. A heap overflow allowed the execution of arbitrary code (CVE-2011-0427), a denial of service vulnerability was found in the zlib compression handling and some key memory was incorrectly zeroed out before being freed. The latter two issues do not yet have CVE identifiers assigned. The Debian Security Tracker will be updated once they're available: https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/source-package/tor
For the stable distribution (lenny), this problem has been fixed in version 0.2.1.29-1~lenny+1.
For the testing distribution (squeeze) and the unstable distribution (sid), this problem has been fixed in version 0.2.1.29-1.
For the experimental distribution, this problem has been fixed in version 0.2.2.21-alpha-1.
We recommend that you upgrade your tor packages.
Further information about Debian Security Advisories, how to apply these updates to your system and frequently asked questions can be found at: https://www.debian.org/security/


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Cadillac's New Naming Scheme Could Result In A New Designation For All-Wheel Drive Vehicles: Opinion25
Sponsored Links
Given that GM is on our minds on a
daily hourly minutely secondly basis here at GM Authority, we wanted to share a not-so-random thought: Cadillac's new naming scheme will likely necessitate a new way to refer to vehicles equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD).
Currently, Cadillac differentiates all-wheel drive models by appending the number 4 to the name of the model — ATS4, CTS4, XTS4, and SRX4. While that works well with the current nomenclature, we just don't see it working on the new CT# and XT# naming structure. For instance, CT34 or XT54 just doesn't sound good.
As such, we have to wonder how Cadillac will call its all-wheel drive vehicles in light of the new naming scheme, something we're sure to find out in the very near future as the brand launches the Cadillac CT6 and Cadillac XT5, both of which will offer all-wheel drive as an option. To note, the CT6 on display at several auto shows has had the AWD badge, though we're not certain whether or not that will remain. So until we find out for sure, how would you like to see Cadillac refer to its AWD vehicles? Sound off in the comments.
More on Cadillac's new naming scheme and upcoming vehicles:
Sedans, Coupes, Wagons
Crossovers/CUVs, SUVs
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a Corvette Z06 and 2024 Silverado. Details here.


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Kohl's Department Stores opened two new stores in the Washington area on Wednesday.
The Menomonee Falls, Wisc.-based retailer said in a statement that it would hold grand opening ceremonies at new locations in Aspen Hill, Md. and Haymarket, Va. as part of a twelve store expansion across the country that would create approximately 1,500 new jobs.
The new stores bring the total number of Kohl's locations in the Washington area to 21, according to the retailer.
In addition to the stores in Aspen Hill and Haymarket, Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) said it would open locations in Berlin, Conn.; Killingly, Conn.; New Milford, Conn.; Savannah, Ga.; Ottumwa, Iowa; Hutchinson, Kan.; Worcester, Mass.; Jacksonville, N.C.; Greenwood, S.C.; and Gig Harbor, Wash.Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.


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Gets data where it needs to be in minutes or hours instead of weeks or months.
Keeps your confidential data confidential. With A2B Data™ your information never leaves your firewall.
A2B Data™ was designed to dramatically streamline the data staging process reducing expensive overhead.
100% data accuracy as it is metadata driven, no coding is necessary
A2B Data™ supports the industry's best range of sources and targets, enabling you to load, land, stage, migrate and deliver data fast on premises and across cloud environments
What's inside
A2B Data™ was designed by a team of data management and business intelligence experts. After decades of witnessing the huge amount of time and money spent on data ETL, A2B Data™ was designed to automate the data migration process. A2B Data™ allows teams to save time and resources, gain more immediate analytic ROI on data and deliver data securely. By getting data where it needs to be in minutes and hours instead of days or weeks, the value of your data can be realized a lot faster. Additionally, the necessary best-practice design methods to manage an enterprise data staging environment are already built into A2B Data™. Quite simply, A2B Data™ is the faster, better, more economical solution to the alternate manual processes.
3X faster than manual coding
Your sensitive data stays in your data center
Time, cost and project risk is dramatically reduced with A2B Data™. Your company will literally save hundreds of thousands of dollars
100% accuracy of your data is realized with A2B Data™ as it is codeless and metadata driven
What is Data Mining?
What is Data Mining? Data mining is an essential process where intelligence and insight is extracted from your corporate and social data. The process of discovering business patterns in your large data sets involves methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems. Data mining is the analysis step of the "knowledge discovery in databases" process. With the[…]
[Infographic] How A2B Data™ Compares to Manual Data Prosessing
This easy to follow Infographic shows the benefits and comparison of A2B Data™ vs. traditional ETL methods of data migration, landing, and staging. What is A2B Data™ and Active Data Staging? A2B Data™ is an automated ETL tool that makes your data migration projects easier by creating a solid foundation for your enterprise reporting. Today,[…]
A2B Data™ and the Triple Constraint of Project Management
A2B Data™ and Project Success – How and Why WYNTEC CONSULTING, LLC By Sass Babayan @SassBabayan Project Managers know the Triple Constraint of project management: Time, Cost and Scope. And they are expected to manage to it. How does A2B Data™ help in managing the Triple Constraint? A2B Data™ reduces Time and Cost by doing[…]
Looking to Mitigate Project Risks in Your ETL?
A2B Data™ and Project Success – How and Why WYNTEC CONSULTING, LLC By Sass Babayan @SassBabayan Want to mitigate your data quality issues and ensure development consistency? A2B Data™ mitigates risks because it was designed to deliver enterprise data faster, more efficiently, consistently and of quality by doing the following: A2B Data™ is cloud based[…]
Want to Reduce Costs in Your Data Migration Projects? Here's How
WYNTEC CONSULTING, LLC By: Sass Babayan @SassBabayan How does A2B Data™ reduce costs during the project life cycle? For the same reasons as it does to save time. Using the 'Time is Money' philosophy, A2B Data™ reduces time – and costs – by doing the following: Manages the design and processes to perform the data[…]
Here's How to Save Time in the Data Extract Project Life Cycle
A2B Data™ and Project Success – How and Why WYNTEC CONSULTING, LLC By Sass Babayan @SassBabayan The traditional methods to develop the data extraction and load processes, for data lakes and enterprise data warehouses, is done manually. This means a team or individual is spending a lot of time and effort processing thousands of rows[…]
Is Fast Data the new Big Data? Why #BigData is No Longer Enough
What if the average time and effort you currently spent in your data extract processes for each object, per file or table could be reduced from thousands of hours to nearly zero? "Big data is only as useful as its rate of analysis. Otherwise, businesses won't gain access to the real-time suggestions and statistics necessary[…]
Want To Step Up Your Data Migration Time? You Need To Read This First
WynTec, LLC has developed A2B Data™, a powerful database software solution that will change the way companies move data forever. What once took teams thousands of hours to develop and manage the extraction of data, utilities like A2B get the work done 95% faster. A2B Data™ is truly a disruptive technology that punches a hole[…]


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Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Ten Popular And Healthy Herbs You Can Grow Inside, In Water All Year Long
Herbs are known for their culinary, medicinal and relaxation properties. They give flavor to food and provide numerous health benefits. However, not many people can manage to have fresh herbs throughout the year and they use dried ones. This is mainly due to the climate. Fortunately, you can grow your own herbs indoors and have a fresh supply all year long. Fresh herbs are rich in nutrients, color, and flavor. Here's how to grow herbs indoors.
The process of growing plants indoors in water is known as hydroponics. So, here are the steps:
- You should take some herb cutting and put them in glass bottles. Add plain water, either rain water or tap water which has been left to air overnight. Avoid using tight-fitting containers.
- Remove the lower leaves because they can rot in water. You should change the water once a week. When the roots start growing, don't change the water.
- You can also soak a few willow branches in warm water overnight and then use to speed up the growth.
- Place the jar on a bright light.
10 Herbs You can Grow Indoors
1. Basil
You can easily grow basil indoors. It is packed with antioxidant, antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral properties and it provides numerous benefits. Simply, cut off the stem you want to root before the parent plant flowers.
2. Lemon Balm
This herb is known for its fresh smell, which keeps the mosquitos and insects away. You should pick several cuttings in spring or fall and put them in water in a bright place. Lemon balm can help digestion and reduce anxiety. Bear in mind that you should change the water once a week.
3. Oregano
The process of growing oregano is similar to that of basil. You should take fresh oregano cuttings in water and pinch the growing tips as it grows. It has various health benefits which come as a result of its antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antioxidant properties.
4. Peppermint
This is probably the easiest herb you can grow indoors. All you should do is place some fresh peppermint cuttings in water. You can use it in your salads and desserts. It will soothe bowel syndrome and reduce the stress levels. Moreover, you will be protected from spiders and mice as they don't like the smell.
5. Rosemary
Its thick stems will take a while to grow roots and should be placed in a sunny spot. You can use it in soups, as a garnish or meat rub. It can improve the brain health, boost memory, and promote hair growth.
6. Sage
You can grow your own sage indoors by taking a few sprigs in the spring from an outdoor plant and placing them in shallow water. Make sure you don't let the leaves touch the water. This amazing herb will help you with anxiety, and it will improve the memory.
7. Spearmint
This herb requires the same growing process as peppermint. It is extremely beneficial for post-menopausal women and can balance sex hormones.
8. Stevia
Take organic stevia cuttings and put them in a glass jar full of water. Stevia doesn't like the cold, so make sure to put it in a consistently warm spot. It will help you stop smoking.
9. Tarragon
Grow tarragon by taking spring cuttings after fresh growth appears. You should place it on a warm and bright spot. Tarragon is packed with antibacterial properties and it can regulate blood sugar levels and treat metabolic syndrome.
10. Thyme
You should take cuttings in the mid-spring or early summer before the parent plants flowers. Keep it moist to prevent drying out. This herb is beneficial as it can lower blood pressure, prevent tooth decay, and cause cancer cell death.
Posted by: Various Authors
Shield Spirit has become an excellent destination for all the news that really matters. Twitter


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Audiobooks Narrated by Your Favorite Celebrities April 20, 2020
You usually look for your favorite celebrities in movies and tv shows, but have you ever thought to look for them in audiobooks? Whether they're reading memoirs, fiction, or original audio productions, these stars will add a little sparkle to your listening. READ MORE


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Sept. 27, 2013— -- intro: Got cellulite? You're not alone: The cosmetic condition affects nearly 90% of women at some point during their lives, even women who are otherwise slender and fit.
As common as cellulite is, there's also an awful lot of misinformation out there about what it is, what causes it, and how to get rid of it. So before placing blame, scheduling a cosmetic procedure, or spending a fortune on over-the-counter products, read up on the real story behind cellulite.
How to Get Rid of Annoying Body Problems
quicklist: 1category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Cellulite is caused by toxins in your body: Mythurl: text: Some over-the-counter cellulite products may claim to help remove impurities and toxins from the body. But neither their efficacy nor their claims about what causes cellulite are supported by science. Rather, cellulite occurs when underlying fat deposits begin to push through layers of collagen fibers, or connective tissue, under the skin (often in the buttocks and thigh areas, but also on arms, stomachs, and other common trouble spots, as well).
Connective tissue can be weakened by hormones, lack of exercise and muscle tone, excess fat, and poor circulation, says New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Cheryl Karcher. But the condition is not caused by "toxins."
Want to Detox? This Cleanse is Good For You
quicklist: 2category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Women get more cellulite than men: Facturl: text: Women tend to carry more fat around their hips and thighs. We also have less supportive connective tissue to keep it all in place.
"If you think of a scaffolding outside a building that has those X crosses on them, that is sort of what men's fat chambers have," says Dr. David McDaniel, director of the Institute for Anti-Aging and assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. It is estimated, however, that about 10% of men suffer from cellulite, as well.
18 Moves to Tone Your Butt, Thighs, and Legs
quicklist: 2category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Cellulite gets worse with age: Facturl: text: Hormones also seem to play a role in the appearance of cellulite: As women age, their bodies produce less estrogen—a hormone that helps keep blood vessels flowing smoothly. Less estrogen can mean poorer circulation, which can also mean a decrease in new collagen production and the breakdown of older connective tissue.
quicklist: 3category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Cellulite may be in your genes: Facturl: text: It's true that cellulite runs in families; if your mother and grandmother had cellulite, you have a better chance of also developing it. In fact, there's even a genetic test on the market that can tell you whether you have a gene variant that puts you at higher risk for moderate to severe cellulite—but, considering that most women will develop cellulite in their lifetimes (and the fact that you'll know it when you see it), it's not exactly worth its hefty price tag.
If you're not one of the lucky ones with smooth-skinned relatives, take heart: Genetics is only one small part of the cellulite puzzle; factors like diet, exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight also play a role.
What Your Looks Say About Your Health
quicklist: 4category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Cellulite only happens to out-of-shape people: Mythurl: text: Being overweight does make the appearance of cellulite more noticeable; the more fat you have underneath your skin, the more it's likely to put stress on your connective tissue and bulge out of its weak spots. But cellulite also happens to women of all shapes and sizes, says Shira Ein-Dor, owner of the American Cellulite Reduction Center in New York City.
"I even treat Victoria's Secret models," she says. "They're very lean, they work out and eat well, they do everything right but they still have cellulite."
Lose 15 Pounds in 5 Weeks with This Workout
quicklist: 5category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Exercise can reduce the appearance of cellulite: Facturl: text: A regular exercise practice cannot cure cellulite—but in many cases it can help prevent or reduce its appearance. Cellulite occurs when connective fibers underneath the skin become weak or lose their elasticity, but stretching and strengthening those areas (in addition to burning away excess fat overall) can help.
"Firming and toning those muscles will in turn tighten the skin, giving the illusion that cellulite is less noticeable," says McDaniel. Yoga routines that target the butt and thighs can help, as well as strength-training moves that build muscle and boost circulation.
How to Become an Exercise Addict
quicklist: 6category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Cardio is best for reducing all-over jiggle: Mythurl: text: Running or other forms of cardio can help keep weight off, which may reduce the appearance of dimples and dents. But to really smooth out your skin, you've got to strength train.
One study by researchers at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that adults who did three 30-minute aerobic workouts each week for eight weeks lost four pounds, but gained no muscle—and only slightly improved body composition. When they paired 15 minutes of aerobic activity with 15 minutes of strength training three times a week, however, they lost 10 pounds of fat, added two pounds of muscle, and saw a greater overall improvement in body composition. In other words, they looked better and lost some of the wiggle!
The Best Strength Moves for Weight Loss
quicklist: 7category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Skin-firming creams can cure cellulite: Mythurl: text: Despite what you might read on their labels, no topical creams—prescription or over-the-counter—have been shown to permanently reduce the appearance of cellulite. Studies have found, however, that products containing retinoids (labeled as retinol over-the-counter) may provide some temporary effects by creating a thicker skin cover that can help camouflage bumps.
There is limited evidence that creams or scrubs with stimulant ingredients, like caffeine, ginger, and green or black tea, may also help by improving circulation and breaking down fat-cell stores, but they are less proven.
"Mostly I think if these topical creams work—and I think most probably do little or nothing—they are more likely to help with slimming and body contouring, which is not the same as cellulite," says McDaniel.
quicklist: 8category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Skin fillers can even out dimply skin: Facturl: text: Injectable dermal fillers like Restylane and Radiesse, used primarily to plump up sagging cheekbones and remove facial wrinkles, have also shown to be beneficial—at least temporarily—for cellulite-plagued sections of skin.
"It's like putting icing on a lumpy cake to make it look better," says Karcher. "Especially if someone is really skinny and they have a few really deep divots, a filler can plump that up and even it out really well."
However, the procedure can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per leg, she adds, and the results tend to only last a few months.
Moves to Get Legs Like a Ballet Dancer
quicklist: 9category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Non-invasive procedures for cellulite really do work: Facturl: text: Laser, radio-frequency, and massage techniques have been used for several years to reduce the appearance of cellulite—and while their results are not permanent, they are effective in the short-term, says Karcher. "These are going to work better than some drug-store cream, and they can be worth it if you have the time and the money to spend on them."
Some (like TriActiv and VelaSmooth laser treatments) require 10 to 15 sessions to significantly improve appearance, and require monthly maintenance appointments. Others (like the radio-frequency treatment Thermage CL) are more expensive but results seem to last six months to a year.
quicklist: 10category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Liposuction will make your legs (or arms, or tummy) look better: Mythurl: text: If cellulite is your problem, liposuction should not be your solution, says McDaniel. In fact, the cosmetic procedure could even make fat distribution more uneven, making its outward appearance even worse.
Another vacuum-like (but non-surgical) procedure, however, known as Endermologie, has been shown to help: During Endermologie, a technician runs a suctioning device surrounded by rollers over a patient's skin, pulling and squeezing trouble spots for about 30 minutes. Results are visible after about 10 visits (two per week), which can cost between $80 and $150 each.
quicklist: 11category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Certain foods can help fight cellulite: Facturl: text: Your diet alone can't determine whether you will or will not get cellulite, but eating a well-balanced, plant-heavy diet can reduce inflammation throughout your body and help you maintain a healthy weight, says McDaniel. Staying hydrated—both by drinking water and by eating plenty of foods with high water content—will also keep your connective tissue strong and supple, and may even help you lose weight. Aim to eat more cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, and bell peppers, which (along with many other fruits and veggies) are all more than 90 percent water.
Best Superfoods for Weight Loss
quicklist: 12category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Only a dermatologist should perform cellulite treatments: Mythurl: text: A skin doc is a good place to start, and many dermatologists do perform treatments in their clinics. But cellulite is not a medical condition, says Ein-Dor, and a medical professional is not required to treat it.
"I am not a doctor, but because I focus only on cellulite, I can provide many more options in my center than most doctors can provide in their offices," she says.
Medi-spas can also perform treatments such as Endermologie and non-invasive laser procedures—but Ein-Dor cautions that you make sure your technician is licensed and has received proper training on whatever device you choose. (If you want a surgical procedure like Cellulaze, however, you'll need to see a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon.)
quicklist: 13category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: The clothing you wear can make an impact: Mythurl: text: Yes, wearing compression-style leggings while you exercise can reduce thigh jiggle as you move—but it's only a temporary effect, says Karcher, and you're unlikely to see any change after you strip down post-workout.
"For any clothing that claims to actually have lasting results, it's just a marketing gimmick and it's not true," she adds. In fact, for some tight clothes, the opposite may be true: Elastic bands on underwear, for example, can actually contribute to the appearance of cellulite if they cut off circulation and limit blood flow.
quicklist: 14category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Smoking can affect the appearance of cellulite: Facturl: text: Cigarette smoke has been shown to reduce blood vessel flow and to weaken and disrupt the formation of collagen, allowing for the connective tissue to become stretched and damaged more easily and for underlying fat to show through. Plus, smoking can make you look bad (literally) in lots of other ways, as well: It causes premature wrinkles and aging, leave skin dry and discolored and can contribute to stretch marks, to name a few.
15 Ways Smoking Ruins Your Looks
quicklist: 15category: Myths and Facts About Cellulitetitle: Smoking can affect the appearance of cellulite: Facturl: text: This one's not exactly true or false, but scientists do seem to be getting better and better at finding long-term solutions for treating trouble spots. The most recent and promising procedure is a surgery called Cellulaze, approved by the FDA in 2012, in which an optic laser melts fat, breaks up fibrous connective tissue and stimulates the growth of new collagen, all through a pinhole-sized incision in the skin.
"It's great because it works on both those fibers that are pulling down your skin and on the fat globules that are popping through," says Karcher. Recovery is quick, too: "You might be a little bit sore afterward, but you can have it done on a Friday and be back to work by Monday." The treatment starts at about $3,500 per leg, but results seem to last at least a year or two.