The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
The Senate today held hearings on the Defense of Marriage Act. There were a lot of poignant moments, but Senator Al Franken may have pulled off one of the best exchanges of the day. Franken is a smart guy, and these idiots from the hate organizations need to not sell him short. They may get away with making shit up with other Senators, but not much gets by Sen. Franken.
Read moreYou gotta hand it to Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY). He’s got a very creative way of pointing out the hypocrisy and lack of concern for the “lesser of these” of the Republicans in Congress. Go Joe! is all I can say. I can’t think of a better way to tell them.
Read moreDirector Spike Jonze has posted an amazing video of Los Angeles street dancer Lil Buck (Damian Woetzel) doing a collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma. This is an inspiring and beautiful blend of both old and new. It combines amazing modern dance techniques by Mr. Woetzel with the usual beautiful accompaniment by Yo-Yo Ma of “The Dying Swan” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. This will ease you into a nice mood for the weekend. Enjoy.
Read moreSounds a little different on a pipe organ, but this is an incredibly cool way to render a song, and this one in particular. I wish I had the kind of time it would take to set this up. This is about three minutes and is definitely worth your time. I especially like how they did a couple of the tremolo phrases.
Read moreI had occasion to hear the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus several times when I lived in Dayton. In fact, it seemed their Christmas Concert and that of the Cincinnati Gay Men’s Chorus were often the same weekend, so I’d do Cincinnati Saturday evening, and then go to Columbus for their Sunday afternoon concert. Both were excellent choruses, and they both had very different styles, so it was a great fun. Here the Columbus Chorus provides a youtube for the “It Gets Better Project” with the Columbus Youth Choir. I’ll just let the music speak for itself.
Read morePlanned Parenthood has long been banned from using federal monies for abortions. But they would have received $330 million through the end of September for preventative-health services, including federal funding for contraception and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. But in a vote of 240-185 (with 10 Democrats presumably burnishing their “conservative credentails”) the Congress took aways that funding. But, oh that’s right, we’re a Christian nation, so we can’t provide preventative health services and cancer screenings for the poor and struggling women of this country.
Read moreHere’s a little something/s to blow your mind. From the “how’d they do that” category comes a compilation of optical illusions. If you’re interested, a little research, and you can find how to replicate most of these either on Youtube or with our usual friend Google.
Read moreWell, Christmas 2010 has come and gone. Nothing left to do but pack up the decorations. I’d have to rate it as a pretty good Christmas. I think I managed to stick to a fairly tight budget, and despite a few arguments with Lay, we wound up with everyone getting something they really enjoyed. I got my shopping and gift wrapping done well ahead of time this year. The decorations were up right after Thanksgiving, and the Christmas Cards went out just after that, so I never felt rushed or hectic.
Read moreI guess there’s really no better way to welcome in the New Year than the fireworks over Sydney I guess there’s really no better way to welcome in the New Year than the fireworks over Sydney Harbor. They always seem to know how to do it up right down under. Give me a choice between ringing in the new year down in Sydney and Times Square, and I’m heading to Australia. Let’s all hope (and if you’re so inclined, pray) for a better year this year than most of us had last year.
Read moreAs we move towards the new year, and after the rush of Christmas, here’s a few minutes to settle back and contemplate what has gone before, and what is yet to come. This is Christopher Parkening playing Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.
Read moreAs we move towards the new year, and after the rush of Christmas, here’s a few minutes to settle back and contemplate what has gone before, and what is yet to come. This is Christopher Parkening playing Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.
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