Thank you once again.As I listened and watched this performance,a niggling thought came to mind.What is the function of the conducter? We have professional musicians,playing scripted music. They must know their piece and their cues.And if they love music,they should not have to be induced into playing with passion. Why the conductor then?.. An aside,my grandparents last name is very similar to the conducter.

A lot of people see similarities between B. Obama and S. Palin as far as their (lack of) experience goes. Ace of Spades has a pictorial contrast that sums it up pretty well for me:

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/271871.php

The function of the conductor is to remind people who don't close their eyes while listening to music that they should. But seriously, the role of the conductor inspires ongoing debate, Wally, here's an introduction to their duties and responsibilities.

Personally, I like a conductor who does a good job of carrying the public face of the orchestra, somewhat like a president of a company does. For example, I think Herbert von Karajan was great; he really brought a whole shtick I like to the Berlin Philharmonic.

And of course, though I realize that some people are afraid of dance (there's an old joke that the problem with sex is that it leads to dancing), I like dancing, and I notice that the conductor is the only member of the performance who is dancing. What's not to like?

Great piece of music Vitruvius. I think this is my first introduction to Shostakovich. Although I recognize this peace by Andre Rieu but did not remember the composer.

Vitruvius, et al.

Someone has just GOT to link to Ace's post about DailyKos et al and Andrew Sullivan attacking Palin's children and family in the most disgusting way possible.

And you have to get Kate to promise to join Ace's lifelong boycott of Andrew Sullivan.

IMHO

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/272062.php

I went to the wiki thing and read. I really should have saved time and stopped after reading your first sentence. Cheers.

Don't look at me, Christoph, I stopped reading Andrew
Sullivan and anything about him over three years ago.

I was never a fan of circus side-shows as a child, either.
Step right up folks, the hairy lady, the man with breasts.

Feh. Some people will believe anything. Place your bets.

Jeff at Protein Wisdom does a first class job of refuting all of the smears against Mrs. Palin in a way only he can.

http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=13191

Sample line: Real feminists back Bill Clinton and John Edwards — whose love for this country is so strong that sometimes they feel as though they have to stick their c*cks into all of it.

[Dem apologizes for joking about hurricane] CNN

[Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Don Fowler apologized Sunday for recently joking Hurricane Gustav's expected landfall on the same day as the opening of the Republican National Convention suggested God was on the Democrats' side.] CNN

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/31/dem-apologizes-for-joking-about-hurricane/

See Michelle Malkin's expose of Michael Moore and other Dems' gloating that hurricane Gustav may be hitting New Orleans thereby prompting the Republicans to delay their convention. It's absolutely sickening to hear the libs' unashamed glee at the prospect of their countrymen's suffering possibly even death bringing some trivial political gain.

[Dem apologizes for joking about hurricane] CNN

[Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Don Fowler apologized Sunday for recently joking Hurricane Gustav's expected landfall on the same day as the opening of the Republican National Convention suggested God was on the Democrats' side.] CNN

The Dems just can't seem to get Gus back up to a Cat 3 - may even be just a 2 at landfall. Needs more Big Al Windamere.

Musician and community activist P. Diddy has some thoughtful, well-researched advice for John McCain, and he questions the wisdom of McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as McCain's Vice Presidential nominee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thmueS0ngAs

*NSFW* -- oaths. Tomorrow's a holiday, though, and it's good to hear another perspective. We need to be better listeners. Why, in certain communities, if you don't obey, that's called "not listening".

We can work it out. Keep hope alive.

She ain't the Man from Scranton

Scroll comments - they are loaded and it becomes apparent that Republicans will loose moose vote :))

Thats so true about the hurricane Dr.Dave. Hurricane Katrina was one of the most shocking moments in my life - first the raw tragedy of it but what really shook me was that instantly the conservative writers I was reading weren't talking about the hurricane, they were defending Bush from having the disaster pinned on him.

American liberals looked at a human tragedy and saw a political opportunity. It seems like that's all there is for them.

Bureauc-ratism: "Mr. A and Mademoiselle B" and "Mr. X".
The "watchdog" is muzzled.
...-

"Former bureaucrat investigated for fraud fights to keep name secret
Mr. X turns to courts to stop PS watchdog from posting details of case on the Internet"
http://tinyurl.com/6gbaxj (citizen)

"Katrina" as meme for ?. George? But, George is going, going. Who/what is "Katrina" now? Is the meme/cultural gene of "Katrina" dead?

AssPress shifts/moves "Katrina" from New Orleans to "the low-lying Cajun country west of New Orleans".

AssPress doesn't mention global warming/sea levels rising here: "the sea has been nibbling away the land for years,". How could AssPress be so dumb?
...-

"Gustav on track to become Cajun country's Katrina
The Associated Press - 35 minutes ago
HOUMA, La. (AP) - In the low-lying Cajun country west of New Orleans, where levees are largely nonexistent and the sea has been nibbling away the land for years, the looming threat of Hurricane Gustav has inspired a pervasive sense of dread."

If anyone's asking about Alfonso Gagliano's $500,000 federal "loan" from the government (loan in Librano vernacular means free money from the suckered Canadian taxpayer) for his latest "business," a vineyard, you can tell them that the CPC is "disturbed" by it and has written the agency that gave it to Gagliano. From an article in the Probe and Fail:

[begin quote]

Dimitri Soudas, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, said in an e-mail to The Canadian Press on Saturday: “Alphonso Gagliano receiving a loan from Farm Credit Canada was disturbing.”

“The Conservative Government believes that money should go to help farmers, not former Liberal cabinet ministers.”

Mr. Soudas said the Tories are in the process of tightening guidelines that Crown Corporations must take into account when loaning money.

[end quote]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com...ional/home

The meme known by the letters g-l-o-b-a-l-w-a-r-m-i-n-g mutated to c-l-i-m-a-t-e-c-h-a-n-g-e.

Now, that meme is mutating to D-a-r-w-i-n-k-e-y-f-a-c-t-o-r.
Mutating prickly fish are da proofs. Hefty.
...-

"VANCOUVER - A tiny, prickly fish is helping B.C. researchers understand how organisms evolve in response to new or changing environments.

Scientists say that's a key factor in forecasting how different species might deal with climate change and other human-imposed environmental conditions."
"Prickly fish add genetic heft to Darwin's theory"
http://tinyurl.com/5fujl4 (canpress)

Poor old Gags, accused and humiliated,with his reputation in tatters got shuffled off to Denmark by Da Boss to be protected from the prying taxpayers.

Now he's out of politics, on government pension and scuttling farm loan money from us for a vineyard?

Is this not more evidence the government bureaucrats are Liberal heavy and able to reward/award former Librano MP's with such loans?

Gags still feels like he's a victim no doubt,he's definitely a scapegoat as a reward for being a tool for Chretien. Recall him saying in the HOC,"I do what I'm told", when questioned on the subject of what became Adscam. In other words he was taking orders from higher up. Who was that?

Yeah, Liz J, Gagliano was definitely "taking orders from higher up." As to "Who was that?" I have a feeling it wasn't just higher ups in the Librano$...

Does any of this sound familiar?

(PDF warning) Jim White, Oman 1965-1976: From Certain Defeat to Decisive Victory

An often-overlooked counterinsurgency campaign of the mid-20th century was the one that raged from 1965-1976 in the Sultanate of Oman. Overshadowed by the larger conflicts that engulfed Southeast Asia, by 1970 a communist-led insurgency in the Southern Omani province of Dhofar (Dhufar) came very close to achieving victory over the British-backed government of the Sultan. However, in a remarkable turnabout grounded in time-tested counterinsurgency ‘best practices,’ by 1976 the communist insurgency had been defeated and government control restored to this strategically located nation. This paper will describe the causes of the insurgency, the actions of the insurgents and counterinsurgents, and finally, the factors that led to the success of the government and the defeat of the insurgency...

One other important aspect of the amnesty program was the establishment of the firqas, tribally organized militias of SEPs who were trained and led by the British Army Training Teams composed of SAS soldiers. As former insurgents and jabbalis, the firqas were not only at home operating in the Jabal but were also very knowledgeable of PFLOAG tactics and infrastructure. As a result, the firqas, and their SAS trainers, played an increasingly important role in many of the SAF’s military operations until the end of the insurgency...

(PDF warning) William S. McCallister, Corruption in Iraq: Exploiting Market Behavior as a Form of Irregular Warfare

The term corruption, when used in a technical sense, is a general concept in which components of an organized and interdependent system are not performing the functions for which they were originally intended, or performing them improperly to the detriment of the system's original purpose. Its original meaning has connotations of being morally wrong in practice and principle. Corruption has evolved into an institution in Iraq. What has been described as a culture of corruption now serves a vital function in the distribution of scare resources. In a sense, corruption has been elevated to a form of irregular warfare as various groups compete for access to influence and limited resources. The study of corruption as a form of irregular warfare therefore will assist in developing suitable anti-corruption strategies and to communicate these strategies within the target audience’s cultural frame of reference.

Yael Shahar, Al Qaida: A reflection of Globalization?

Almost every aspect of international terrorism—from the make-up of terror organizations, to their tactics, to their overall goals—has undergone major changes over the past two decades. A case can be made that these changes stem from the “globalization” of terrorism.

Some good news for the cancerites: "very promising", says the "expert".
Don't tell the CCS which has been searching for the "cure" for more than 50 years.
Cancer: the hope and the fear and the guilt; a perfecta of a trifecta.
...-

"Leading cancer expert Professor Karol Sikora said the discovery was probably five years away from reaching clinical trials but was “very promising”."
"NEW HOPE OF CURE FOR ALL CANCERS"(sic)
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/59276

Lowell Green now has a blog.

http://lowellgreencfra.blogspot.com/

Common Sense revolution? Yes & long overdue.

Multiculturalism is ensconced/buried in the PET Cemetery. Cerberus, the 3-headed watchdog of Hades, stands guard at the portals. Not even the manes/ghosts of PET are allowed to leave the pit of the PET Cemetery.
Kudos to PM Harper and Minister Kenney.

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper Announces the Appointment of Jason Kenney as Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)
January 04, 2007"
http://www.jasonkenney.ca/EN/4961/49238
...-

"Heritage department takes aim at religious radicals

Multiculturalism plan under scrutiny"

"Canadian Heritage officials, who are responsible for the promotion of citizenry, say the country has moved beyond the "mosaic" model of the 1970s and entered an era of "integrative multiculturalism" that requires, in part, a battle against youth extremism.

In a presentation to a federal national security advisory board, Andrew Griffith, Canadian Heritage's director-general of multiculturalism and human rights, raised a series of issues including the question: "What is the appropriate role for Canadian Heritage and its Multicultural Program in countering radicalization?"

"Are traditional government objectives [civic participation, anti-racism/cross-cultural understanding, inclusive institutions] enough to address radicalization, or are radicalization-specific initiatives required?""
http://tinyurl.com/6j3zjt (g-m spins)

Donna Jacobs has been profiling Sidewinder in her "Monday Morning" column for the past couple of weeks. Last week there was a tag line at the end of the column : "NEXT WEEK: McAdam: China's Top 5 Myths." This morning . . . nothing. I know things sometimes get pulled at the last minute, so I will watch for this next week. It would be very strange if it did not appear at all.

I actually managed to sit through the first hour of Question Period yesterday and could not believe my ears when Michael Ignorantieff actually suggested Stephand Eon would be a better PM..Then I saw Jack Layton after his meeting with PMSH, saying that to him, it appears the PM was looking to quit his job and he told him he would be applying for the PM job...My question to Jack is, "What are your qualifications?" This guy needs to be told to wake up and smell the organically grown free trade coffee and realize he has about as much chance of being PM as I have of winning a gold medal in the 100 metres..

I actually managed to sit through the first hour of Question Period yesterday - Posted by: aproudwesterner at September 1, 2008 11:02 AM

That should earn you a gold medal for something, maybe an ability to withstand torture?

CTV's Question Period is favourite among Liberals.

The giggling, twittering twit,Jane Taber and her sidekick Oliver, are Liberal hacks to the core and just can't help showing it.

For balance, it's not a show to watch at all. Of course it'll run on and on as a service to the Liberals. With a possible election coming they're going to get worse.

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves – Edward R. Murrow

I LOVE IT.

The Moonbats north and south of the 49th parallel have their collective knickers in a knot!

The Dems because of Sarah Palin's candidacy for Republican VP and the Libs/Dippers/Blockheads because of the probable election coming up faster than a speeding bullet. (May's Moonbats aren't even a blip on the radar.)

I suspect that the only party disciplined and monetarily prepared enough is the CPC, though the others will dissemble--as I see they've been doing over at the Lib cheerleader headquarters aka National Newswatch--and say that they're in full election mode.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I wouldn't be surprised if the wheels just fall off the Librano Wagon with Dee-Yawn holding the handle. In fact, I love the image: Dion holding only a wagon handle with the kids in the wagon careening down the slippery slope into Lake Librano.

Glug. Glug. Glug.

Sweet.

"Fighter Pilot"? Not really. "Carrier Pilot"? Yes. There is a big difference.

Biden your time.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Biden_Israel_Iran_WMD/2008/09/01/126692.html?s=al&promo_code=68F7-1

Isreal on the block

Stalin + lberia + Putin = "effective manager"s.
...-

"New Stalin for New School Year

Last year, a controversial teachers' manual described him as an "effective manager." Now a new manual explains that Soviet dictator Josef Stalin acted rationally in conducting a campaign of terror to ensure the country's modernization. The new manual, titled "A History of Russia, 1900-1945," is part of a series of education materials the authors say will help promote patriotism in young people. Critics have taken exception, however, to numerous excerpts, which they say are essentially attempts to whitewash Stalin's crimes. [...more]"
...-

"Ingushetiya.ru Owner Shot Dead

The owner of the embattled opposition web site Ingushetiya.ru was killed Sunday after being detained by police, and his supporters promised massive protests that could lead to a sharp escalation in violence in the restive region."
(jacks newswatch)

An excellent article on the impending election, which reveals why Western Canadians are alienated, and the hypocrisy of first past the post electoral systems.

Why no one fights for T.O.
..." Local politicians will undoubtedly seek commitments from federal candidates to deal with GTA issues like gridlock and air pollution, she said. "But it's like a one-way dialogue," Lindgren said. The federal Conservative Party is reluctant to invest too much in an area that Liberals dominate politically with little effort, she said. "And the Liberals can't lose so they're offering nothing," Lindgren said.

and even a rare look into the average Trawnna voter - but staring too long might cause permanent damage....

One veteran Conservative campaigner said he always knew when federal Liberal governments were calling an election because they would suddenly start talking about national daycare, homecare, pharmacare and redeveloping the Toronto Waterfront. Nothing much may have come of the promises but the strategy never failed to impress Toronto voters, he said. "My experience with Toronto campaigns is one of frustration," the Conservative admitted. "Its like Ground Hog Day over and over again -- with the image of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick."

Albertans are taken for granted by the Cons for exactly the same reasons

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/08/31/6620446-sun.html

Hillel Halkin, Jews and Their DNA

How genetically distinct are the Jewish people, and does it matter?

'Conservative' Alberta is wildly outspending everbody else

Alberta's right-wing, fiscally responsible, red-tape hating, big government-loathing, strong and free "Conservative" government will spend $37.8-billion on government programs in fiscal 2008-09. What makes this figure exceptional is that it is higher than spending in British Columbia, where the government is slated to spend "only" $37.7-billion this year and they have nearly a million more citizens than Alberta.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=f991ac90-be0c-4041-968c-8f09993b98ab

Long live General Petraeus.
Long live George Bush.
Long live freedom and democracy.
...-

"A boom in Iraq's holy city of Najaf

Prosperity makes appearances for the first time in the Shiite south of Iraq"
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/iraq/bal-te.iraq31aug31,0,6716982.story

The war within Islam.
Go to it, MoAl.
...-

"Pakistan claims victory in militant stronghold *Waziristan* (No signs of UBL or Zawahiri)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's army claimed Monday to have routed Taliban militants in a stronghold near the Afghan border but turned up no sign of Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072637/posts

http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/topics/sep2008.html

Things are not good in Caledonia again. Natives protesters have taken over Dana and Dave's porch. OPP have agreed to pay for them to stay in a hotel for the night. WTF? Why are the OPP not removing the trespassers or arrest them? Roads blocked again, garbage being chucked off overpasses, yet the only arrest has been a resident. Oh, you can get around road block if you are going to buy illegal smokes.That is one screwed up province. This problem might cost Harper, MP Diane Findlay's seat.