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Yesterday my daughter and I went to the monthly meeting of the Chicago Bonsai Society. We meet at the Garfield Park Conservatory which is a lovely place to visit. Ava and I both re-potted our bonsai. I have took my Fukien tea and Ava took her lovely little Euphorbia geroldii. Hope you enjoy the photos [...]
The following question does not necessarily express the practice of the writer it is only presented as a topic of discussion.
“Why as a society do we tell our children to share their toys, books, crayons when we grow up sharing of that kind is not practiced.”
Is there something wrong in telling our children something that is not the way society works?
I look forward to your replies.
Since this is National Poetry month I thought I would gather up a few ideas to spark interest. Have fun!
source: www.poets.org
In Buddhism we speak of being “Mindful” during meditation. In meditation there are two parts of the mind; Concentration and Mindfulness. Concentration provides the power to keep you focused on the object of mediation. If and when your mind wanders Concentration is the force that guides the mind back onto the object. Mindfulness is the gentle part that pays attention to the object and notices that the attention has wandered. In this posting I present one of my favorite Symphonies, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony as a focus for our meditation.
To facilitate our mindfulness I put forth some questions that I found in a very old album at a yard-sale recently. Please read through the questions before listening. The questions were devised to help measure audience perception in music appreciation class. But, it was found to do much more: the questionnaire ended up heightening attentiveness! Think about that, if you prepare yourself before you meditate upon something you will pay increase your mindfulness.
For those of you who do not share my love of classical music and are not familiar with some of the terms used I have included a list at the bottom of this post.
1. (True or False) Throughout the Eroica Symphony Beethoven uses startling changes in key and rhythm to achieve surprise and shock.
2. (True or False) The first movement opens with a quiet pastoral melody.
3. (True or False) The first theme of the movement is built on three notes.
4. In the developing section of the first movement Beethoven departs from usual practice and introduces a:
a. Fugal Passage b. Canon c. New Theme
5. (True or False) The first movement concludes with a short coda.
6. We would characterize the main theme of the second movement as:
a. somber b. dramatic c. wistful
7. (True or False) There is a fugal passage in the second movement.
8. The third movement is a:
a. Rondo b. Scherzo c. Theme and Variation
9. Would you describe the third movement as:
a. Dark and Sinister b. Frivolous and Gay c. Powerful and Driving
10. (True or False) The trio of the third movement features a fanfare for horns.
11. The fourth movement is a:
a. Set of Variations b. Waltz c. Rondo
12. Which of the following instruments prominently play one of the melodies in the fourth movement?
a. Bassoons b. Flutes c. Trombones
Here is the entire symphony. If you do not have time to listen to the whole thing listen to one movement at a time and return. They can also be downloaded at Archive.org
Answers for Quiz here. (In white text so you will have to highlight them to see them.)
1. T; 2. F; 3. T; 4. c; 5. F; 6. a; 7. T; 8. b; 9. c; 10. T; 11. a; 12. b
Musical terms:
| Waltz - | A dance written in triple time, where the accent falls on the first beat of each measure. |
| Coda - | Closing section of a movement. |
| Movement - | A separate section of a larger composition. |
| Sonata - | Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo, rhythm, and melody; but are held together by subject and style. |
| Sonata form - | A complex piece of music. Usually the first movement of the piece serving as the exposition, a development, or recapitulation. |
| Scherzo - | Pertaining to the sonata form, a fast movement in triple time. |
| Rondo - | A musical form where the principal theme is repeated several times. The rondo was often used for the final movements of classical sonata form works. |
| Canon - | A musical form where the melody or tune is imitated by individual parts at regular intervals. The individual parts may enter at different measures and pitches. The tune may also be played at different speeds, backwards, or inverted. |
| Fugue - | A composition written for three to six voices. Beginning with the exposition, each voice enters at different times, creating counterpoint with one another. |
| Theme - | A melodic or, sometimes a harmonic idea presented in a musical form. |
Homa Khaleeli
The Guardian, March 7, 2011
Article History
Novelist behind The Handmaid’s Tale, a cautionary story of a world without feminism
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale has been a relevation for millions of readers – offering a terrifying glimpse of a parallel future where biological determinism and misogyny are taken to their logical conclusions. It’s a cautionary tale of a world without feminism, and after the excesses of the Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan seems more prescient than ever.
The slums of the Philippines are getting an extreme home makeover in the form of two liter bottles in their ceilings. The bottles function as 60-watt lights powered by 100% solar energy. Refraction is an amazing thing, if you drilled a hole in your ceiling light would drop directly through the opening in a straight line casting a shadow on the ground in the shape of the hole.
Today is the 81st birthday of Leonard Nimoy aka Spock of Star Trek. He is my wife’s favorite on the series and in honor of our meeting him we celebrate his birthday. Here is the cake we ordered.
I also wrote a haiku earlier this year about him titled
Taken at Star Trek convention 2011
When mankind creates a ecological niche by wiping a species off the face of the Earth it is good to see another species filling that place. The Carolina Parakeet was extinct by 1920 due to hunting. The Monk Parakeet is filling that niche and humans helped them do it.
Wild Monk Parakeets
Good to see them in the sky
Filling eco niche
—————————–
Monk Parakeet
Carolina Parakeet by John Audubon
Virtual classroom
One room school, parent teaching
Customized learning
We are a homeschooling family. My wife and I decided that taking responsibility for our children’s education was the best option for us.
The other day my daughter was asking me about playing with some kids down the street. I remember that one of the kids was mean to her. So I used the following story to talk about being around a group with “just ONE” of anything. It worked and she realized that even just a little bit of poop can spoil the whole batch. Next time you have an issue like this give this a try.
A father of some teenage children had the family rule that they could not attend “R” rated movies. His three teens wanted to see a particular popular
movie that was playing at local theaters. It was rated “R.” The teens interviewed friends and even some members of their family’s church
to find out what was offensive in the movie. The teens made a list of pros and cons about the movie to use to convince their dad that they should be
allowed to see it.
The con’s were that it contained ONLY 3 swear words, the ONLY violence was a building exploding (and you see that on TV all the time they said), and you
actually did not “see” the couple in the movie having sex it was just implied sex, off camera.
The pros were that it was a popular movie – a blockbuster. Everyone was seeing it. If the teens saw the movie then they would not feel left out when
their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good story and plot. It had some great adventure and suspense in it. There were some fantastic
special effects in this movie. The movie’s stars were some of the most talented actors in Hollywood. It probably would be nominated for several
awards. Many of the members of their Christian church had even seen the movie and said it wasn’t “very bad”. Therefore, since there were more pros
than cons the teens said they were asking their father to reconsider his position on just this ONE movie and let them have permission to go see it.
The father looked at the list and thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent some time and thought on this request. He
asked if he could have a day to think about before making his decision. The teens were thrilled thinking; “Now we’ve got him! Our argument is too good!
Dad can’t turn us down!” So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to think about their request.
The next evening the father called in his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. There on the coffee table he had a plate of
brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat a brownie
then he would let them go to the movie. But just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons.
The pros were that they were made with the finest chocolate and other good ingredients. They had the added special effect of yummy walnuts in them. The
brownies were moist and fresh with wonderful chocolate frosting on top. He had made these fantastic brownies using an award-winning recipe. And best
of all, the brownies had been made lovingly by the hand of their own father.
The brownies only had one con. He had included a little bit of a special ingredient. The brownies also contained just a little bit of dog poop. But
he had mixed the dough well – they probably would not even be able to taste the dog poop and he had baked it at 350 degrees so any bacteria or germs
from the dog poop had probably been destroyed.
Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a “little bit of crap” and not be effected by it, then he knew
they would also be able to see the movie with “just a little bit of smut” and not be effected.
Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies and the smug smiles had left their faces. Only Dad was smiling smugly as they left the room.
Now when his teenagers ask permission to do something he is opposed to the father just asks,
“Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?”
