Young's Undying Faithfulness to Edwards

A story worthy of Danielle Steele

I watched Andrew Young's interview on 20/20 last night. The sensational story of Edwards betraying his wife (and his country) by having extramarital sex, and repeatedly lying about it, is worthy of a gritty Danielle Steele fiction. Young betraying his friend Edwards in this tell-all (he has written a book exposing everything) adds another dimension to this sordid story. I wouldn't have bothered to watch the show except I couldn't understand why Young so readily lied for Edwards about fathering Rielle's baby, and even more bizarrely, why he had her stay with him and his wife Cheri for several months through her pregnancy and birth of her daughter.

But, there were a few telling moments that explain why Young and Cheri went along with the scheme. Young says that the first time he saw Edwards, he "fell in love with him." Now, there is nothing homosexual about this confession. Rather, it is a man who is so taken up by the charisma and presence of another, that he becomes a loyal and unquestioning follower (and later friend). Young was therefore ready to do anything for Edwards, both politically and personally.

And, something which I should have figured out earlier, was when Young's wife comments (almost off-hand) about how she didn't want Elizabeth to find out about Edwards's affair and Rielle's pregnancy, since Elizabeth was apparently in the last throws of her cancer. So, Cheri's strangely altruistic behavior was to keep Elizabeth in the dark until the baby was born, by which time Elizabeth would have probably died!

Loyalty and love, a dying woman, and a pregnant mistress make for one of the most bizarre stories about betrayal in the life of a politician. There is of course money and a lavish lifestyle involved, with wealthy Democrats donating money which went towards expensive mansions and luxury holidays for the Young family. I wonder how Mr. and Mrs. Young will explain all those home movies of lush ski-slopes for Christmas and tropical beaches for New Years to their children. Some memories to cherish.

Turner's Watercolors

Capturing Ether

Margate, 1830

I've been looking at Turner's watercolors lately. I love their ethereal quality. It is surprising that a major artist should dedicate so many paintings to watercolor. Near the end of his life, Turner spent his days looking at the sky. Perhaps he was contemplating Heaven through the clouds he loved to observe. He understood their nuances, and I think also understood that watercolors can capture their delicate and fleeting character, perhaps better than oil. Looking at clouds is also looking at light in its many manifestations, whether diffused and subtle as in a grey winter’s day, or bursting with radiance and full of a mysterious glory.

Arth on the Lake of Zug. Early Morning. Ca. 1842–43

Modern Bridal Wear

Vera Wang's mounds of chiffon

From Vera Wang's Spring 2010
Bridal Collection

Beauty is the last thing on the minds of modern designers. Edginess, the avant-garde, experimentation and originality win over aesthetics.

Such is the case with bridal fashion. Vera Wang, the big name in bridal design, studied art history, and was fashion editor for sixteen years before she apprenticed with Ralph Lauren for a couple of years. She opened her store several years after that. The bulk of her experience is more in critiquing and analyzing gowns and dresses rather than making them herself.

Since beauty is no longer important, many design schools bypass craftsmanship for experimentation and originality. This suits designers like Wang just fine, who decided to enter the design field much later in life, and with minimal training. She doesn’t have to produce gowns which are carefully constructed and sewn. Instead, she can improvise with the gauzy materials and ephemeral colors. Modern brides, themselves with lax standards for craftsmanship but with high expectations for originality, are happy to pay thousands of dollars for her mounds of chiffon.

A Terrible Moment in the History of Feminism

Where daughters implore mothers a return to normalcy


The more I think about the Oprah interview with Sarah and Bristol Palin, the more I realize the gravity of the situation.

Feminism, in all its waves and adjustments, has proven itself to be an inhuman and narcissistic movement. The road to equality for women, however that is defined, is strewn with dead bodies.

Such was the case with Sarah Palin's bright and harsh predicament for her daughter. For the sake of her ideological position, she has thrown Bristol out of the cycle of life.

Bristol, looking older and wiser at nineteen than her mother, decided to take the harder route. Her staunchly determined position has a religious vigor to it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that is where she gets her confidence.

All around her Bristol sees young girls languishing on the wayside: Pop stars who enter drug rehabilitation as teenagers; divorced twenty-three-year-olds; rampant promiscuity. Many have their toddlers at their side and still continue with these destructive behaviors.

Yet, despite the limelight and a famous mother, Bristol decided to take the less glamorous path. And this is the time she needs her mother, and all those other mothers, the most. In fact, without them, she might very well fail. Traditional families cannot occur at the will of an individual. They really need whole villages, to borrow Hillary's phrase. Fathers with shotguns and vigilant mother are not fictional roles for Hollywood films. Those were the ways that real families were kept together, if need be.

Sarah had her chance at redemption. Like her daughter, she could have changed her course. After all, she also has an infant son at home. Instead, she continues to be seduced by her career and public life, leaving her brave young daughter to battle this out utterly on her own, as was so clearly evident on Oprah.

Feminism has come full circle. Its granddaughters are imploring for a life back to normalcy. They, in their wisdom wrought by suffering, understand what they are asked to give up for mere chimera. Their mothers cavort sprightly along with the old mantras, and in fact repeat the same songs and clichés without blinking an eye.

We have reached a terrible moment in the history of feminism, where daughters know more than mothers, and mothers cannot humble themselves to resume their tried and tested roles.

Oprah and Sarah Gang Up on Bristol

And tell her to abandon abstinence

Bristol Palin on Oprah, looking like
a beautiful, suffering Madonna.

I managed to catch the first half hour of Oprah's show today where she interviewed Sarah and Bristol Palin. I know, watching Oprah. But, I am trying to slowly uncover what she is all about, behind that now benign-looking mother goddess figure that she is propagating. And each time I watch her, a little more of her is revealed.

The young Bristol looked like a beautiful suffering Madonna, whereas Sarah fidgeted like an excited schoolgirl, with freshly done curls (a new and strange style - often when people's style goes awry, there's something psychological that isn't going too well). Mother and daughter looked tense, with the more honest Bristol sitting aloof and cautious, paying close attention to her mother’s words.

Oprah cut straight to the chase, and asked Bristol about her decision to remain abstinent until marriage.

Oprah asks: I saw in InTouch Magazine, and I kind of bristled when I saw this, where you say "I’m not going to have sex until I’m married, I can guarantee it." The reason I bristled is why set yourself up that way? It may be ten years from now before you choose to get married...

Bristol answers: Yes, I just think it is a goal to have and other women should have that goal.

The rest is astounding. You can watch it here at the 56 second point. Oprah resorts to fist pounding to get the calm and confident Bristol to repeal this horrible thing, and go and have all the premarital sex she needs.

Sarah, on the other hand, goes full-out feminist. She hopes Bristol doesn’t get married too early (in order to break her abstinence), since she has a career and an interesting life to lead. And she comes out with "Bristol can do anything she wants without a man." Yes, the fish and the bicycle thing, alive and well in an ex-Republican Vice Presidential nominee’s rostrum of thoughts, in the 21st century.

So, here is a young girl, suffering and trying to correct her misguided life through a principled decision, and two adult females (one her own mother) who berate her and tell her to take the crooked route.

I wonder if Bristol will manage to keep to her pact, despite her determined look. Such decisions require a whole society to really work, and a value system that isn’t simply based on personal rectitude. Sarah’s true colors showed today. She is not interested in her family’s well-being. She isn’t the Christian that she proclaims so earnestly to be (although less so these days). The only thing she’s interested in is keeping Sarah Palin in the limelight. She found exactly the right place under Oprah’s glaring cameras.

The Inevitable Road Current Immigrant Artists Take

Touting the empty, soulless mantra of multiculturalism

Kim's ethnic (Korea)-based piece

Kim's most recent trajectory into
full-blown multi-culti terrain.
Titled: "I was there"

[Click on image to see larger version]

It is interesting to follow things all the way to their logical conclusion (or demise, I should say). Chung-Im Kim, the immigrant textile designer about whom I have written about here, has her latest works on display. Her trajectory is typical of many immigrant artists and designers.

She started off by quoting from her Korean "background" a few years ago, rolling out mediocre, simplistic pieces. And now she’s into the whole multi-culti schtick.

It must be really depressing to be an artists at this severe stage of a quite apparent mental block. Kim clumsily stitches and photocopies her new pieces together, giving them esoteric titles to make the look better. No craftsmanship, no artistry, no originality, no art.

She demonstrates the kind of empty souls that current immigrants are becoming.

Well Done to Americans

An example for others

In these extraordinary times of American history, right after Martin Luther King Day, on the first year anniversary of Obama's inauguration, and in the state that belonged to Kennedy and the Democrats, truth and goodness have prevailed.

All the hard work of the grass-roots Tea Party movements, the inherent independence and individuality of Americans, and the refusal to succumb to the state, has won.

This kind of upset in Massachusetts would be unheard of in Canadian politics. All I can say is "Well Done!" to Americans. Perhaps other countries can make small amends through this great example.

Political Correctness at the Golden Globes

Precious "wins" three awards

Black actress Zoe Saldana
being transformed into blue-skinned
Na'vi in "Avatar"

Oprah, the Executive Producer of Precious, was not at the Golden Globes in anticipation of some wins. I suspect it is because she didn't want to up-stage the actresses who were up for awards - Gabourey Sidibe and Monique (I cannot write Monique's name in that idiosyncratic spelling). And perhaps she is waiting for the real movie awards, the Oscars.

I figured Monique (who played Precious's mother Mary Jones) would win best supporting actress, but Sidibe was competing with some seasoned actresses in the "best actress" category. And with actresses who played roles that equaled hers.

In the end, Sandra Bullock, who is a much better actress and does deserve the Golden Globe, was awarded the prize. But, she does act in a Precious kind of film, The Blind Side. Just with a better ending.

Bullock plays the role of Leigh Anne Roberts Tuohy, the adoptive (white) mother of black football star Michael Oher, who had been in and out of foster homes since a young boy until he was adopted by Leigh Anne and her family at seventeen. Michael eventually becomes a football star playing for the Baltimore Ravens.

The Best Motion Picture went to Avatar. No surprise there. But, the fascinating part is that the main female blue-skinned Na'vi from the moon Pandora is played by black actress Zoe Saldana. When I saw Saldana without the blue make-up, I wondered why Cameron cast her as one of the Na'vi. After all, with all the make-up and computer simulation to create these Na'vi, any actress would have done.

Saldana also played in the latest Star Trek, so she may have had some "science fiction" exposure from that film. But, my feeling is that the ultra-liberal Cameron simply wanted to be authentic down to the grind when he made his film about non-white people from another galaxy confronting those "imperialistic" and damaging white colonizers. What better way to do that than to give the role to a black woman, so the message won't get lost in mere metaphors.

So, in a way, Precious did win, or at least the spirit of Precious won in three awards: Best Picture (Avatar), Best Actress (Bullock) and Best Supporting Actress. Hollywood just can’t help being politically correct.

Michelle Ma Belle?

Still no sense of style

Laura Wood, over at The Thinking Housewife, asked my views on Michelle Obama's style. I had stopped writing (and following) this First Lady's sartorial decisions a while ago, but wrote this comment to Laura, which she has posted on her blog:

The last time I wrote about Michelle's fashion was to very indirectly mention her during her interview in Oprah's "Christmas at the White House."

I think she has no fashion sense.

There are a few factors which contribute to the public's perception of her fashion sense.

Firstly, what people see in her sense of style is really what most "career" women are wearing these days. There is a myriad of magazines, from Oprah's O Magazine to Instyle, which go into step-by-step directions on how to coordinate dresses/skirts/pants, blouses, shoes, accessories and even hairstyles in order for women to look well-dressed.

The surprising thing about career wear for women these days is how pleasant and feminine they look. I simply think it is the natural tendency for women to want to look attractive and "pretty" (if you can be that at the office). 80s style macho women is out.

So, I think there is that modern career woman's sense of style that Michelle is copying very successfully.

Another factor is I think the traditional black American sense of style, which is colorful and vivacious. She seems to have grown up in a pretty traditional family, and I expect her mother and other women would have instilled in her this formal and attractive style.

Thirdly, she is surrounded by stylists, experts and high-level designers, so it is not easy to go wrong.

Despite all of this, she makes atrocious mistakes, which I think shows her lack of understanding of clothes, her lack of style, and her lack of an eye for beautiful things.

Some examples are: her terrible shrunken sweaters which she clinches with wide, ungainly belts; the short shorts she wore on the public family holiday this summer to the confusion of every fashion and pop culture commentator; her dress for the "Christmas at the White House" interview which was too short, showing her unattractive calves - here I think she was "upgrading" the clearly fifties dress she was wearing, to appear more modern and hip/young. Often the prints on her clothes are odd and abrasive. And, she insisted on wearing unsightly flats for many of her official visits abroad, when even short heels (like Hillary wears) are an attractive alternative to high heels.

My conclusion to all this is that I think she is stubborn. I also think she doesn't respect the people around her, who expect some decorum and style out of her on all occasions. She is not really willing to relinquish her ordinary/career woman role for that of a much more subtle and high-level office which scrutinizes everything down to the bracelet on her wrist.

If she wants to do something, it seems to me that she will do it. I am sure she is advised against these choices by her stylists and designers - any stylist would cringe at them - but she goes ahead anyway to make her point.

But, there is a final and more subtle reason, I think, for her choices. I've noticed this with black celebrities. They seem to want to form their own style, different from the white world around them. I think Michelle, in her own uncultured way, is trying to be The Black Woman in the White House, and refuses to follow the precedence of listening to experienced stylists and designers, who themselves are formed by the white world, and thus will make her dress "white". So, I think she takes matters in her own hands, and not being very talented, ends up with the disasters that keep cropping up.

I think Laura is being generous when she groups Michelle in with the "beautiful women." I suspect many people are drawn in by the constant photographs and images if Michelle, and some have indeed called her beautiful. I just wouldn't go that far.

Mozart at 254

A tribute by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra


I can never have enough praise for Mozart. You could say that I am a Mozartphile. I am forever surprised, astounded, delighted and intrigued by his music. Recently, I have been listening to Dvorak and Sibelius, and they surprise and astound, but they never really delight like Mozart.

The incredible thing about Mozart is how accessible he is, without losing any of his musical complexity. I think he does this by keeping his essential melody (often enchantingly beautiful) always within the listener's reach.

He bends and rotates the melody, without ever putting the fear into the listener that the melody would get lost in a myriad of incomprehensible notes. Each note, however distant and distinct from the original, makes perfect sense, and is as natural a progression as the air we breathe.

In other composers, I sometimes wonder why they went in the direction they went, or at some point, I get a little bored or distracted with their melodious experiments. But never with Mozart.

In fact, I get irritated when other (worldly) things distract me from Mozart's intricate meanders. But, he never leads us far from the origin, and never teases us too much, although he loves to tease. His music may have some jest and playfulness in it, but it is, down to the simple piano sonatas, very serious. Each note was chosen with a certain aim, and is as precious as the next.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Mozart's 254 birthday (yes, any excuse will do to have a mini Mozart festival). I was present at this performance which featured his:

1. Symphony No. 25 in G Minor - K.183, which he wrote at 17.

2. Horn concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major - K. 417. Often his horn concertos are derided by classical music snobs. But these horn concertos describe his essence: his approachability; his love of the instruments that he wrote for; his playfulness (we hear those horses galloping away); and finally his seriousness in the craftsmanship and musicality of the piece.

3. The aria Ch'io mi scordi di te....Non temer, amato bene - K. 505, which the conductor Peter Oundjian described as an optimistic melody despite the melancholic lyrics.

4. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major - K. 467. A well-known piece, but deceptively familiar. Each hearing brings on different and unexpected nuances.

The only gripe I had was with the pianist Jonathan Biss’s style. I found him too lyrical. I think Mozart is crisper and sharper than that, although he can show the utmost delicacy and gentleness. But, not all the time, and not as a signature style.

A Welfare Tale

Precious and her woes


Frontpage Magazine has published my review of Precious, a new movie about a young black girl on welfare.

The movie has been nominated for three Golden Globe awards:

- Best Motion Picture - Drama

- Gabourey Sidibe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

- Mo'nique for Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

It is also expected to receive as many nominations for the Oscars.

In line with my article on the less than impressive direction of the film, it didn't win Best Director or Best Script.

Mo'nique and Sidibe certainly made the film, I think simply with their overwhelming presence.

Alice in Wonderland for Childish Adults

Cannot live up to the original

Photo from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland,
to be released in March 2010

Another movie I won't be watching anytime soon based on the trailer is Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. He has changed the original story to make Alice a nineteen-year-old who once again goes down the rabbit hole. He calls it "a sequel". I think he has simply sacrificed the original young girl’s story to write one for adults.

Photos and trailers of the movie show it to be oddly coloroless, with sepia tints, foggy greys and cold blues dominating. The characters look frighteningly distorted: the Red Queen (from Through the Looking Glass) has a huge head on a tiny body; the Mad Hatter has exaggerated eye makeup which really makes him look crazy rather than endearingly nutters; Tweedledee and Tweedledum (also from Through the Looking Glass) look like inflated midgets. Even where there is color, it is bland and diluted.

Well, without even seeing the film, I have already done a 140-word write up on it. Maybe I will just go and watch what Tim Burton has concocted, since I’m sure he will not match up to the original story of the lively, bossy young girl who tests her courage with the strange characters she meets in her adventure, and even befriends some of them.

Then, I can write a sharp and severe review of it, since I already know 1/5 of what I’m going to say.

The Mulatta Madonnas

New directions in pop culture

Beyonce with her light brown hair
extensions and consciously cultivated
body to make it larger and fuller.
I believe blacks in general do this
to distinguish themselves from whites
(Hispanics also do this, as seen by
Jennifer Lopez). Also, body structure
of blacks is different, so it is partly
to accentuate their natural looks.

Current pop culture is awash with mulattas: Beyonce, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis to name a few. These are women celebrities, often singers, who have at least a parent, a grandparent, or some heritage (Beyonce calls herself Creole) that is white. They, of course, identify themselves as black, but their behavior and creativity is subtly unique. Unlike black pop stars who attract a core black audience, these mulattas seem to be super, even mega, stars for all.

They resemble one another, to the extent that they may be cultivating a movement. They present a body image that is larger and heavier than other white pop stars. They often have long, artificial hair, usually unnatural reds, blondes or browns. The wear overtly sexual clothes, both on and off stage, like all pop stars these days. But in their case, it is taken up a few notches.

When not performing, they are often soft-spoken, feminine, and even demure in public. But on stage, they are aggressive and sexual. In rare moments, their belligerence also comes through in public. Alicia Keys is famous for saying that she wears AK-47 pendent around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em [white people] dead." Beyonce is married to rap singer Jay-Z who was once a drug dealer. And Rihanna went through a public “domestic violence” case where further investigation shows that she wasn’t exactly a saint in the relationship.

These women hardly ever sing rap or hip-hop, but they collaborate with other rap and hip-hop stars, usually male. Their choreography is full of inelegant, often sexualized, moves, which is different from rap or hip-hop, but does contain some elements of these dances.

Madonna, Britney, and even the latest wonder Lady Gaga, spend time on intricately designed stage presence, often with difficult and superior choreography. Their songs are also multi-layered compositions – as pop music goes. But, this mulatta group is more interested in presence than substance. Their songs are simplistic and mediocre, although initially catchy, and their choreography inferior. Their aggression is the vehicle that carries them through their performances.

In a way, they are the female version of the male rap and hip-hop stars. There is no name for their “movement” and type of music. Perhaps in a less politically correct world, the Mulatta Madonnas might work. Rihanna did say that she wanted to be the “Black Madonna,” which is a little presumptious considering the uncontested (whether a fan or not) talent of the real Madonna Ciccone.

Other non-whites are joining the mix, at least in song-style, stage presence and aggressiveness. Jennifer Lopez, who presents herself as a Puerto Rican from the Bronx (don’t Puerto Ricans have some black ancestry in their mix?), dresses, behaves and performs very similar to the Beyonces and Rihannas. She also dated black rapper P. Diddy some years back, and was with him at a night club shoot out that got him arrested.

You can watch Jennifer Lopez performing on New Year’s Eve. Her aggressive moves, her hostile expression and her scant clothing, represents much of what the original Mulatta Madonnas are about.

This is the new direction, and the degraded quality, that pop music is taking.

The Decline of Val Kilmer

And other blonde male actors

Val Kilmer in At First Sight

Val Kilmer has always been one of my favorite actors. Most of his work is minor, he is not a big Hollywood star, although his role as the lead singer of The Doors was superior. He even sang the songs himself, and was the reincarnation of Jim Morrison.

He acted alongside mega stars Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in one of the best suspense/drama film in years, Heat (the movie revolved around DeNiro and Pacino never meeting, adding drama that was external to the actual plot). Kilmer simply got lost in the fray.

In At First Sight, he was a blind man who recovers his sight and loses it again. His performance was perfect, not overly sensitive or politically correct. Similarly, in Salton Sea, he is a trumpet player working for the FBI to help catch drug dealers, while trying to find his wife’s killers. As in At First Sight , Kilmer is working with double identities, and dual worlds. He maneuvers it all excellently.

Maybe it is his slightly aloof nature (a woman star whose personality reminds me of his is the blonde Michelle Pfeiffer, and I consider her one of the best actresses around). He brings a different layer of nuance into his roles, which other actors would sledgehammer through.

But, the fundamental reason for his lack of popularity is also the diminished interest in blonde actors (blonde actresses fare much better, with Michelle Pfeiffer, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, and dozens more, who dominate the screens). Other blonde actors are given similar under-handed treatments. James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter) and Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ) come to mind. A younger and more contemporary Leonard DiCaprio, despite his superior acting skills, is now left in the shadows. I don’t think it is his choice, but rather a lack of roles offered to him. And not only are blonde actors less likely to star in big movies, but when they do, they are given negative roles of villains. They never save the day, like the dark leading men.

Of course there are Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Steve McQueen, but they are of an older generation. This mania exclusively for darkness is a new phenomenon.

Leading men now seem to be obligatorily dark haired: Tom Cruise, George Clooney, all the James Bond stars post Roger Moore, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, Johnny Depp, and the list goes on. These dark-haired stars are debonair and spirited, glowing in the adoration of their fans and happy to keep up their appearances. Blondes either disappear from the limelight (Woods, Walken, Dafoe and DiCaprio) or efface their good looks as has done blonde Brad Pitt, who appears more and more unkempt over the years, reflecting, I think, the audience's interest in his relationship with the dark-haired and olive-skinned Angelina Jolie – the dark substitute to his blonde looks – rather than in him.

Which brings us back to Val Kilmer. There is a depressing and sad decline in his appearance, just like Brad Pitt. His sharp and chiselled features have become soft and doughy, and his weight gain is unspeakable for an actor of his caliber. He is constantly indecisive these days, unable to make up his mind whether he act, sing or run for politics. Like Brad Pitt, who once basked in the adoration of the public, Val Kilmer has psychologically withdrawn from life itself, after his audience shifted its gaze away from him.

Mass in B Minor By J.S. Bach

A journey into the sacred

I got a chance to listen to the Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach just before Christmas, and it was an exhilarating experience. It is very long, almost two hours, but it had such a variety of choral, orchestral and solo (both vocal and instrumental) parts, that time just flew by. According to David P. Goldman, who wrote an article "Sacred Music, Sacred Time" for First Things, I was transported into the sacred.

David P. Goldman (he is the infamous Spengler of Asia Times) is apparently knowledgeable in Renaissance music theory and teaches the history of music theory at Mannes Collge of Music. I never really liked his Spengler persona, and didn't appreciate his approach to world politics, Christianity or even Islam, but this writing on sacred music seems to me to be intuitively sound.

In his long article, which is really worth reading, he says that sacred music allows us to perceive eternity through tonal expectations that guide us into the "future" of the piece of music.

This "unfolding" of music leads us through time. The longer the unfolding (the expected resolution of the music), the more distant into the future the composer can take us. Our perception of time is expanded, and we enter into the realm of the sacred, of eternity.

This is what I understood from that long piece of writing. I will try to relate it to modern music at a later post. Modern music doesn't follow this attempt at taking us into the sacred (via a passage to eternity), but rather confines us into the present. The best example of this type non-sacred modern music I can think of is the compositions of Philip Glass.

Back to the Mass in B flat. What I especially loved was the duels, if I can use that in sacred music, between the soloists and their corresponding solo instrument. I have written below each vocal solo (or duet) and the corresponding instruments:

Soprano I and II duet Christe eleison with violin
Soprano II solo Laudamus te with violin
Soprano I and Tenor duet Domine Deus with flute
Alto solo Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris with oboe
Bass solo Quoniam tu solus sanctus with French horn and bassoons
Soprano I and Alto duet Et in unum Dominum with violins
Bass solo Et in Spiritum Sanctum with French horn and bassoons
Tenor solo Benedictus with flute and cello
Alto solo Agnus Dei with flute

Below is a recording of the mass in a two CD volume.

CD 1 of J.S. Bach Mass in B Minor

J.S. Bach - CD1 - Mass in B Minor by American Bach Soloists



CD 2 of J.S. Bach Mass in B Minor

J.S. Bach - CD2 - Mass in B Minor by American Bach Soloists

"What a Match-Up!"

Sarah and Hillary in 2012


I wrote a few weeks ago that Sarah Palin's challenger in the 2012 elections (yes, I think she will run, just like Hillary kept saying she woudn't run for the 2008 elections but did anyway) is not Obama but Hillary herself.

Here is a recent poll reported at the LA Times, with the heading: "What a match-up! America's new most-admired women -- Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton" with Sarah getting 15% of the vote, and Hillary 16%.

The article asks: "Are American voters dropping a hint here?"

Although the article categorizes them as Republican and Democrat, I have made the argument that both are pretty close in many of their political views, with Sarah center-right and Hillary center-left. Their match-up would make for interesting times.