Reader Tips

Reader Tips 42 Comments

Like national anthems, traditional Christmas carols are meant to be sung, and not interpreted; there are far too many cloying, over-wraught, over-interpreted vanity-project executions of traditional carols that are more about the singer than the song. As a seasonal palate cleanser of sorts, then, here are three straight-shooting renditions of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: first, under the under the direction of Edward Higginbottom, here is the Choir of New College Oxford’s performance; next, a vigorous, nicely-imperfect public-spirited singalong-type version from the Northern Baptist Association’s Big Sing held at Newcastle upon Tyne in England; and finally, from a 99-year-old recording, here is the Trinity Choir’s upright and respectful rendition. Pick your own favourite.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

42 Replies to “Reader Tips”

  2. Thanks for all the great Christmas music EBD.
    Any Merry Christmas to Kate ad all my wonderful SDA friends.
    Merry Christmas to all the trolls too!

  3. Meant to add, speaking of Christmas and gifts:
    “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!”
    2 Corinthians 9:15

  4. So I’m guessing you’re no more a fan than me when it comes to the Kanye West version,
    “Hey, mofo flyin dudes, wazzup?”

  6. Thanks for these wonderful recordings, EBD. These make up for last night’s contentious choice of “Little Dummer Boy” 8). I’d like to respectfully suggest my favorite, Silent Night, in the near future.

  7. Yes EBD, thank you for all the Christmas music.
    Merry Christmas to Kate and everybody posting here.
    bluetech, its the only one that lasts.

  8. Don’t you respectfully worry, drive-by-critic with a one-time-only pseudonym: Silent Night is on tap.
    It’s actually a pretty good beer. I’m going to hoist a glass when I listen to tomorrow night’s selection.

  11. Thanks for the great Christmas music, EBD. I’m not holding you to your selection for tomorrow night!

  13. Every year, St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver puts up a fantastic light display. It’s part of a campaign to raise money for Cancer Research. Here are some photos I took tonight of this year’s display.
    Notice anything strange about the Manger scene, 9th photo from the top? Rather than drawing any conclusions I’ve written them asking for an explanation.

  14. Don’t know how I’ve missed this – Theodore Dalrymple on Wikileaks: “The actual effect of WikiLeaks is likely to be profound and precisely the opposite of what it supposedly sets out to achieve… Secrecy, or rather the possibility of secrecy, is not the enemy but the precondition of frankness… The dissolution of the distinction between the private and public spheres was one of the great aims of totalitarianism.”
    http://www.city-journal.org/2010/eon1202td.html

  17. Second look at Julian Assange?
    “Former environment minister Jim Prentice told U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson that he was prepared to step in and impose tougher regulations on the oilsands if the industry damaged Canada’s green reputation, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks.”

  19. I blew up the photo real good, Robert, and found quite a few problems. Numero uno, baby Jesus has wandered off.
    Also, two wise men, third must be hassling with the hotel clerks.
    Cattle not lowing, or even paying attention.
    One of the shepherds appears to have a rather close relationship with one of the flock.
    Another shepherd is clearly taking a cell phone call.
    Joseph looks a bit shell-shocked.
    Manger made out of high quality B.C. lumber.
    The list would be pretty long, but the pictures are great.

  20. Don’t forget to feature the Huron carol, the Canadian carol. In English, French or Huron as you wish!

  21. Communist Lenin said: Shoot the Kulaks (farmers)*.
    …-
    “Hugo Chavez Militarily Confiscating Farms of Venezuelan Patriots? Using Foreign Forces?
    Late Sunday night, we began to see sketchy reports from individuals that farmers in the region of Sur del Lago, Venezuela were being attacked by Venezuelan as well as foreign military, all directed by Hugo Chavez. Initial and unconfirmed reports allege that fellow perpetrators are Cubans, thugs from the drug cartel FARC, and even Hezbollah, all there for the action.
    This seems to be a crackdown on elements of the Venezuelan populace which opposed Hugo Chavez in the recent Venezuelan election. The blog, Venezuelan News and Views puts it this way: “Sur del Lago people are resisting. The legislative assembly of the state moved down there to seat, the representatives elect are stirring the pot, the regime sent a Cuban general!”
    Twitter tweets which have been reporting these events have used hashtags: #SOSinternetVE, #SurdelLago, and #Venezuela. It was reported that up to 47 farms have been taken by Marxist forces. Is it the official Venezuelan military? Just who if any, are assisting them? Here are a few tweets:
    Hugo Chavez initiates Dictatorship by Confiscating Dairy and Cattle farms in #SurdelLago #Venezuela #TCOT pls RT
    The Venezuelan regime wants to take over productive lands in Zulia State to hand them over to the Russians for banana production. #Venezuela eralmoncada December 20th, and the majority of #Venezuela is in PROTEST and RIOTS!!! People’s sick of Chávez and his government! We want freedom!
    (Excerpt) Read more at gulagbound.com …”
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2646583/posts
    …-
    *Shoot the Kulaks:
    “Vladimir Lenin@Everything2.com **
    Lenin persecuted anyone who threatened the Bolshevik’s … hang publicly, so people can see it) at least 100 kulaks … surround a village in a pro-Menshevik area and shoot”
    http://www.everything2.com/title/Vladimir+Lenin

  22. AGW Progress Report: Stop? Stop AGW?
    …-
    “53. gokart-mozart
    blogstrop @ 52: “The BBC World Service is still proselytising full-throttle on the “glerbal warmening” track. What will it take to stop them?”
    A glacier crushing Portland Place.
    It’s amazing, but the warmists were too close to total victory to quit now. There are still believers, and, as long as there are, they won’t stop.”
    “Ice Age 6”
    http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/12/22/ice-age-6/#comments
    …-
    “Ice and snow hit Christmas getaway in Western Europe”
    “Thick ice and snow have caused further travel disruption in Western Europe, as transport networks struggle to cope with the busy Christmas period.
    In northern Germany, freezing rain created 2cm (almost one inch) of ice on some main roads, prompting officials to advise against driving.
    There were further snowfalls in northern France and more were forecast.
    Driving conditions in parts of Britain were said to be “treacherous” on one of the year’s busiest days on the roads.”
    “In France, the authorities placed 17 areas on the second highest state of alert, including the entire Paris region. Weather forecasters have warned of heavy snow.”
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12066894

  24. “Somebody stole the baby!!! … baby Jesus has wandered off.”
    Nobody stole the baby and, I promise you, he hasn’t wandered off!
    It’s traditional not to put the Baby Jesus into the manger until it’s actually Christmas! We’re still in Advent, waiting for the coming of the Christ Child.
    It will officially be Christmas tomorrow night (“and the evening and the morning were the first day”) — which is the Vigil of Christmas when the Church begins its 12-day celebration of the Messiah’s birth.
    All of those empty mangers will soon have a baby in them. I have two creches with two empty mangers until tomorrow night. (The Wise Men are behind a picture, also waiting to enter the scene, as they didn’t arrive at the stable until well after Jesus’s birth. They will arrive at the stable on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.”)
    All good things come to those who wait … 🙂

  25. Peter O’Donnell: “Joseph looks a bit shell-shocked.”
    Well, wouldn’t you under the circumstances?!!

  26. batb, you figured it out, good for you…I knew you would.
    Robert, great pictures…as a matter of fact all the pictures are great..especially the ones further down and on the right.
    maz2 @7:42, you are bringing back bad memories.

  27. I agree with batb. At my church, Jesus is put in the manger at the children’s Christmas service. Advent is over: Christmas has begun!
    Merry Christmas to Kate, EBD, and the rest of the SDA community!

  28. @Peter O’Donnell 3:43AM Amazing they could find two wise men on the left coast.
    Great photos Robert W.

  29. You all spotted immediately what I did. Peter spotted a whole lot more – and me laughing too!
    As for the missing Baby Jesus (or “Baby Cheeses” as per Gloria on ‘Modern Family’) I thought of three possibilities:
    1. Not placed there for reasons of Political Correctness.
    2. Stolen.
    3. What ‘batb’ said about waiting for the arrival.
    Let’s hope it #3, be disgusted if it’s #2, and be dismayed & annoyed if it’s #1.
    Merry Christmas to You All! I’m hoping all BCDD regulars and their families have a Wonderful Christmas – be safe, eat lots, and enjoy the presence of all those around that love you.

  34. AGW Progress Report.
    Att: socialist Liberals IggyRaeMcGuinty.
    Thor’s hammer falls on O’s red-green fraud.
    “The company blames the unusually cold winter in Europe:”.
    The thunder echos …….
    …-
    “Taxpayer-subsidized solar cell maker shuts down”
    “Thomas Lifson
    So much for green jobs being the wave of the future, as promised by President Obama. Taxpayer-subsidized solar cell maker Spectra-Watt has announced it is shuttering its plant. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports:
    In a stunning reversal, the frequently lauded and taxpayer-funded SpectraWatt Inc. has told the state it will close its solar cell plant starting in March and lay off 117 workers.
    The announcement was startling because in the past two months, the company, which had been promised about $8 million in tax dollars, planned to train more workers and changed its work shifts to enable a 24-hour operation.
    The company blames the unusually cold winter in Europe:
    “This action is undertaken in response to deteriorating market conditions resulting from a harsher-than-usual European winter causing a large drop-off in demand for solar cells.
    Wait a minute! Aren’t we subsidizing solar cells instead of building coal fired plants because we’re supposed to be worried about global warming?
    It is time to junk all these green power schemes before we waste any more money borrowed from China.
    Hat tip: Bryan Demko”
    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/12/taxpayersubsidized_solar_cell.html
    http://newsbeat1.com/

  35. Different Bob,
    That is a terrible CBC poll question on par with “When did you stop beating your wife?”. The CBC will spin the result to say “Canadians are in favour of taxpayer funded Quebec and Saskatchewan stadiums”.
    Of course the correct answer is “tax money should not go to subsidize professional sports stadiums in Canada ever.”

  36. Thanks, Van Grungy. My eyeliner’s running.
    God bless, keep, and protect our troops.
    Thank you, military families, for sharing your loved ones who sacrifice so much for our freedoms.

  37. Getting off foss…, uh, wait … Getting on Muskrat.
    That’s not good for AGW Inc.; but, good for Labrador/Newfoundland & Canada.
    …-
    “SNC-Lavalin to helm construction of Muskrat Falls hydro project”
    “- Montreal-based engineers SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. will manage construction of the generating station planned for the 824MW Muskrat Falls hydro development on the Lower Churchill river in Labrador, under a letter-of-intent signed with prime contractor Nalcor Energy, the Newfoundland and Labrador crown corporation.
    The work also covers management of construction of the overland portion of the transmission link to the island of Newfoundland. Nalcor is handling the subsea cable portion through a specialized contractor.
    The signing for the full twin-province Churchill II project is scheduled for next year.
    Leslie Quinton, SNC-Lavalin’s vice-president of global communications, said: “We don’t usually comment on letters-of-intent signings, but in this case we can say it’s very good news for our Newfoundland office.”
    The Muskrat Falls, located below the existing 5000MW Churchill Falls hydro station, is the first of two generating projects planned for the Lower Churchill site. It will cost about $2 billion to develop.”
    http://www.montrealgazette.com/Lavalin+helm+construction+Muskrat+Falls+hydro+project/4019461/story.html

  40. HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING also makes an excellent QUICK MARCH. I had an uncle by marriage who became a Lieutenant Colonel in the pre War Indian Army. He told me he was returning with his Indian troops from operations in the area where the Pakistan Army is now engaged with insurgents, very tired and dirty. He said the tune raised his spirits no end.
    As they approached camp, the band of the Sherwood Foresters was playing it as they marched out to their Christmas day Church Parade. Of course, following the Indian Mutiny (1857) when disarmed British troops had been attacked on Church parade, all subsequent Church parades were under arms and there were rifle rests in the pews of the garrison churches.

  41. Just what Ontario needs: A scholarship fund for foreign post doctoral students. This is just another multicultural sop to the ‘progressives’ that are employed at such bastions of free thinking as UofO.
    Roy Green writes: While this week I proposed on air, in the National Post online and in this space an education or career development fund for returning military reservists who volunteered for combat duty in Afghanistan, an education or career development fund which would include a living allowance, Mr. McGuinty announced a $30 million, four year scholarship fund ($20 million from taxpayers, $10 million from universities) for foreign post doctoral students who would receive some $40,000 per year.
    It was further suggested here the Premier’s foreign student scholarship fund might be redirected toward the military education and/or career path development effort.
    Immediate pushback. The $30 million in scholarships for foreigners was aimed at the brightest and best educated. No doubt it escaped notice these scholarship recipients would be post doctoral students. They would raise the profiles of some Ontario universities, perhaps placing them on a par with Cambridge, Harvard and Yale. There would be the additional cultural upside.
    Please! Stop!
    Read his post here http://tinyurl.com/298hb53

  42. Thanks Kate and thanks to the NBA for a wonderful hour of music we’ve listened to for the last hour with tears in our eyes
    blessings
    Jack & Jean McLeod

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