Concierto de Aranjuez (Part III) - by Joaquín Rodrigo

Concierto de Aranjuez (Part III)

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Joaquín Rodrigo 
 

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Concierto de Aranjuez (Part II) - by Joaquín Rodrigo

Concierto de Aranjuez (Part II)

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Joaquín Rodrigo 
 

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Concierto de Aranjuez (Part I) - by Joaquin Rodrigo

Concierto de Aranjuez (Part I)

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Joaquín Rodrigo 
 

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** Parts II and III will be posted soon over the next two days.

The Here and the Now! - by TPO

The Here and the Now!

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Candorville *

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* "Candorville" - by Darrin Bell is an insightful look at community, race, and everything else through the eyes of Lamont Brown.

"A Trojan Thou Art" - by Art Buchwald

"A Trojan Thou Art"  

by

Art Buchwald *

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Should condom companies be permitted to beat the drum for their products on national TV?

I say they should.

I had a passing acquaintance with condoms long before they became an advertising issue.  But our generation never called them condoms.  They were Trojans.  Even in those days brand name was everything.

The first thing we learned in the P.S. 35 schoolyard was that Trojans came three in a pack, and that you had better carry them at all times because you never knew when lightening was going to strike.

We looked upon anyone who carried Trojans as our role model, and believed as gospel everything he told us about his sex life.  They were lies, all lies, but they certainly held our attention.

The toughest thing about Trojans was obtaining them from the drugstore.  The attempt to purchase them has been dramatized in every book and movie you can think of, and none of it is exaggerated.

On Jamaica Avenue it went like this: I entered and went to the soda fountain for a chocolate egg cream.  Then I cased the store, waiting for it to be empty, or as near to empty as it could get.  I read comic books until Doc Fiedler's counter was clear.

Doc Fiedler always kept the Trojans under the cash register next to the Feen-a-mint and Jergens lotion.  I once peeked back there to see how they were stacked.  Finally, after buying a small tube of Ipana toothpaste, I said, in a very high, screechy voice, "Oh, I forgot.  I believe I'll have a pack of Trojans, for my uncle."

Doc Fiedler looked at me suspiciously.  "You got a date with Jean Harlow tonight?" he asked.

"Maybe.  Are those the real thing?"

As I think back, I'm sure Doc had trouble restraining a grin.  He said, "You can have a money-back guarantee on all three."

I gave him fifty cents and stuffed the Trojans in a wallet, where they remained untouched for ten years.

Then they were discovered by my sister, who demanded to know what I was doing with them.  I said that I had bought them for an emergency when I was twelve years old, but sadly for everyone, I never needed them.

As most sisters would do, she called me a pig.

Even in the forties some people didn't appreciate the importance of having protection at a moment's notice.

So far as I can tell, Trojans went into a decline after Wold War II and miracle drugs took their place.

In fact, folklore has it that if it hadn't been for schoolkids buying Trojans to impress their friends, the company might have gone under.

Now condoms are back, and they are trying to sell them on national TV.  I don't believe that Doc Fiedler is still with us, but if he is, he doesn't have to worry about putting Trojans under the counter anymore.  You can have a nice big display in your store window and no one could care less.

You would think now that Trojans are so popular, I'd stock up on them.  But that isn't the case.  The fun of buying them was sneaking to the back of the store and making my purchase before anyone caught me.  Besides, what's the big deal of showing off to all my friends when they can see them for themselves next to the L'eggs display by the door?

I know that there are people who object to the sale of condoms on the premise that they lead to promiscuity.  They have nothing to fear.  Ninety-eight percent of all men who carried them in their wallets for forty years have never broken the seals.

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* Source: Art Buchwald, "I Think I Don't Remember" (Perigee Books, 1987)

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen - by Gustav Mahler

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world) Composer: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) lied (song) based on poem by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866) Czech mezzo-soprano, Magdalena Kožená Lucerne Festival Orchestra Claudio Abbado, conductor

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, Mit der ich sonst viele Zeit verdorben, Sie hat so lange nichts von mir vernommen, Sie mag wohl glauben, ich sei gestorben! Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen! Es ist mir auch gar nichts dran gelegen, Ob sie mich für gestorben hält, Ich kann auch gar nichts sagen dagegen, Denn wirklich bin ich gestorben der Welt. Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen! Ich bin gestorben dem Weltgetümmel Und ruh' in einem stillen Gebiet! Ich leb' allein in meinem Himmel, In meinem Lieben, in meinem Lied! Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

I am lost to the world with which I used to waste so much time, It has heard nothing from me for so long that it may very well believe that I am dead! I am lost to the world! It is of no consequence to me Whether it thinks me dead; I cannot deny it, for I really am dead to the world. I am lost to the world! I am dead to the world’s tumult, And I rest in a quiet realm! I live alone in my heaven, In my love and in my song! I am lost to the world!

   

Monsters' Tickers - by TPO

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Some WP Readers' Comments on Dick Cheney *

10/18/13 thru 10/19/13

Washington Post
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-padova44
10/18/2013
"FIVE deferments" Cheney was a warmonger and a war criminal. To quote C.E. Montague, who wrote for what is probably Cheney's least favorite newspaper, The Guardian: "War hath no fury like a non-combatant".

-NANBAN
10/19/2013
Cheney's big deeds - Total Iraquis dead 500,000 and counting! Wonder where he is going to end up?

     -NavyRetired1 responds ...
      How many were killed under Saddam?

     -ottercliff responds
      So your point NavyRetired1, is that Dick Cheney is no worse than Saddam Hussien? 
      How would you stack him up against, say, Bashar Assad?

-Captain Murdog
This article put to rest the issue of whether or not Dick Cheney has a heart. The real question is does his brain have an emote function?

-Gorgonzola
I always thought Big Dick Cheney was audio-animatronic, anyway, eh?

-jayc1
I am reminded of the old fairy tale (referenced in the recent "Once Upon a Time" TV series) about the ogre who was impossible to kill because his heart was locked up safely in a box and buried away.

-scrim1
Now that this article is out, I wonder what kind of ghoulishly costumed creatures will knock at Cheney's door on Halloween night, dressed in heart-stoppingly scary costumes.

The servant he no doubt has tasked with opening the door and handing out the candy corn to trick or treaters should be warned that there are people out there trying to scare him to death.

-YellowJacket
There are lots of haters who post here that need to grow up.

     -Leo10 responds ...
      Yellow: You, deny someone telling the truth?

     -s.richart responds ...
      Where is that "thumbs down" button?

     -starling1 responds ...
      Cheney gives people plenty reasons to hate.
  
     -kerr759
      He was the worst kind of chicken hawk. Why is this story even being reported on 
      60Minutes or WaPo. And frankly, I doubt if the terrorists thought him worth zapping. 

     -starling1
      He is probably more worried about American patriots than terrorists.

-florentine
If the terrorists had really wanted to harm the U.S., they would have gone after Bush and left us with Cheney.

-Samster2
I can't imagine anybody would want their heart to go to that monster.

-maximum60
Couldn't Dr. Reiner simply give Cheney a diauretic to pee out the excess potassium like any other doctor for any other patient?

-Clance
"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your heart (life) it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid......." 
S.Stills

-Diamondback88
Just look at all the personal attacks, incivility, intolerance, venom, hatred, and bigotry leveled against Cheney by the lunatic left. Then see what happens if someone voices a simple disagreement with the gays. Then watch the Post and all of these leftist lunatics start screaming about "intolerance" and "incivility" and "bigotry."

I hope Cheney lives to be 120 years old, just to anger the left. It brings me tremendous joy every day to see that Cheney and people like Scalia and Clarence Thomas have lived for yet another day, knowing how much this angers the lunatic left.

     -Rachelva responds ...
      You sound very balanced and reasonable.

     -padova44 responds ...
      You should apply to Fox News.

     -Leo10 responds ...
      What makes you think all of this comes from the left?

     -DCsandiego responds ...
      That's a nice way correcting an idiotic posting, Cheney is reviled by the left, middle,
      and right. His supporters, small number that they are, tend to be nutters. _________________________________________________
* Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/cheney-had-heart-device-partially-disabled-to-prevent-a-terrorist-from-sending-a-fatal-shock/2013/10/18/ca6e2d7a-384d-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html?hpid=z4

On Falling in Love - John Steinbeck

"On Falling in Love"
John Steinbeck's Letter to son Thom *
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New York
November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

    First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

    Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that

does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry.

Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa
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* Source: Maria Popova ( www.brainpickings.org )

The Mean and the Ugly! - by TPO

The Mean and the Ugly !

by TPO

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"Que serais-je sans toi?" - Jean Ferrat

"Que serais-je sans toi?"

 - Jean Ferrat -

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The Perfect Avenger(s)! - by Andy Borowitz

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The Perfect Avenger(s)!
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by Andy Borowitz
The New Yorker,
October 12, 2013

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) * -
           Poll: Americans Divided Over What Wild Animal They Would Like To See Congress Mauled By

As the partial government shutdown grinds on into its twelfth day, Americans remain deeply divided over what kind of wild animal they would most like to see Congress mauled by, according to a new poll released today.

While a majority of Americans say they would enjoy seeing Congress torn limb from limb by a ferocious bear, there is disagreement over which species of bear would be best suited for that assignment.

When asked, “What kind of bear would do the best job of savaging Congress with its fearsome paws?,” Americans gave grizzly bears the highest job-approval rating, followed by polar bears, and by black bears in a distant third.

But the poll showed that there was also strong support for the idea of Congress being set upon by a pack of rapacious animals, with rabid hyenas the first choice of many respondents, followed by feral dogs and cats.

While insatiable, bloodthirsty mammals were most often cited as the animals Americans would like to see eviscerate Congress, there was significant support for another scenario, involving Congress being consumed by a swarm of predatory insects.

Fifteen per cent of those surveyed “strongly agreed” with the statement, “Being torn limb from limb by a grizzly bear or devoured by a pack of rabid hyenas is too good for these people. They should be eaten, very slowly, by a colony of hungry fire ants. Yes, that’s it—fire ants. That would be amazing.”
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* Source -  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/10/poll-americans-divided-over-what-wild-animal-they-would-like-to-see-congress-mauled-by.html? printable=true&currentPage=all#ixzz2hiYhUMW6