Some thoughts on why Handel's Messiah
at Christmas is so compelling
Posted By: Judy W., 12/26/2022 6:56:12 AM
At Christmas, instead of a lot of pop Christmas songs, I have been listening to passages from Handel's Messiah" oratorio, including the powerfully beautiful Christmas-oriented "For unto us a child is born" based on the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, and the soaringly magnificent Hallelujah Chorus. To hear these, compared to everything else makes me ask if this was the pinnacle of human musical achievement? Will there ever be anything greater? An argument can be made for it at least this far. This oratorio, after all, is touched by eternity.
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A health expert has sharply criticized the Chinese regime’s lifting of international travel restrictions in the midst of a massive COVID wave sweeping through the country, saying the move is “extremely irresponsible” and could cause a global resurgence of the pandemic.
The National Health Commission announced on Dec. 26 that the country would end all quarantine requirements for inbound travelers from Jan. 8, 2023. Travelers will need to obtain a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure, it said. Currently, travelers entering China need to undergo five days of mandatory quarantine in an approved facility, followed by three days at home.
Ten major revelations exposing extent
of government pressure on Big Tech to
censor Americans 6 replies
of government pressure on Big Tech to
censor Americans 6 replies
Two hundred and thirty-one years ago this month, America's founders enshrined free speech as the first protection in the ratified Bill of Rights with a declaration that the government could not infringe expression. A series of blockbuster revelations at the end of 2022 show just how imperiled those protections have become in the era of Big Tech.
From Elon Musk’s "Twitter files" to an FBI agent's candid testimony, Americans have gotten a glimpse into a once-hidden enterprise where federal agencies pressured social media platforms – directly and through proxies – to censor content under their terms of service. The goal, it appears, was to preserve the ruling elite's favored narratives
At Christmas, instead of a lot of pop Christmas songs, I have been listening to passages from Handel's Messiah" oratorio, including the powerfully beautiful Christmas-oriented "For unto us a child is born" based on the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, and the soaringly magnificent Hallelujah Chorus. To hear these, compared to everything else makes me ask if this was the pinnacle of human musical achievement? Will there ever be anything greater?
An argument can be made for it at least this far.
This oratorio, after all, is touched by eternity.
Deep State Suspicions
6 replies
I wonder if it’s because so many of us lost faith in the federal government after its absurd overreactions, bad public health policies, and demonstrable lies respecting COVID, or is it just the passage of time and changes at the top making it harder to keep secrets, but this week both the FBI and CIA are in the line of fire.
The CIA
Sixty years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the National Archives and Records Administration has finally released over 13,000 records in its possession relevant to that tragic event. Some 3% of the records are still being hidden from us. Why?
Hospice in Crisis
10 replies
Both my parents left this earth under the beneficent care of hospice professionals who kept them comfortable and at peace. (Snip) In recent years I have been hearing disturbing stories of hospice failings — things such as too much pain control to speed up the dying or inadequate services. Now, one of the nation’s top palliative-care doctors is sounding the alarm. From “Hospice care needs saving,” by Ira Byock:
As a palliative care physician who has contributed to hospice care and kept my finger on its pulse for more than four decades, I have been dismayed to witness the increasing frequency and severity in lapses in this type of care.
A tradition unlike any other
5 replies
Americans love to cleave to cultural traditions that have stood the test of time — especially ones that tell stories of the people who formed their communities, stories that reflect the craftsmanship, sacrifice and hard work of those who came before us.
When inventor and master tinkerer Joshua Lionel Cowen designed an electric fan operated by dry cells—and then, using the same motor that drove the fan, built a miniature railroad car—he began a business and a movement that has enthralled millions of people young and old. Hobbyists not only bought trains and track, but also often created elaborate homemade displays enjoyed by family and friends over the Christmas holidays.
Black Guns Matter
9 replies
We know about Black Lives Matter. My new video is about a group called Black Guns Matter.
Maj Toure, a Philadelphia high school dropout-turned-activist, tells me he started it after he got tired of hearing people endless chanting, “Black lives matter,” but saying nothing “when it’s time for black people to defend their lives.”
Toure carries a gun wherever he goes.
“This is my human right,” he says. “If anybody wants to come chase me down about that, let’s go to court.”
(Snip) “The only thing that’s going to stop evil are good, solid people strong enough to stop them.”
He sells a T-shirt withthe slogan “Make criminals afraid again”
A licensed psychtherapist who testified against laws banning so-called conversion therapy says he warned Americans about Sam Brinton, the non-binary Biden administration nuclear official who is facing charges for allegedly stealing two pieces of luggage at two separate airports.
“My colleagues and I warned lawmakers in California and Massachusetts, and the LGBT activist groups which were sponsoring him, about Sam Brinton’s ever-changing story about abuse he allegedly underwent in therapy because of his LGBT attractions,” Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Jr., the therapist and founder of the Reintegrative Therapy Association, said. “But nobody cared, so Brinton’s testimony about his alleged experience played a key role in banning legitimate practices across the nation.”
Rasmussen polled the American people with a simple four question survey and found that my polls were accurate and so was the V-safe data and so was the Israeli Ministry of Health safety report that nobody wants to see.
The Rasmussen poll of 1,000 Americans found that:
32% were not vaccinated
7% of those surveyed had a major side effect.
A 7% major side effect rate is unprecedented. We know from the V-safe data that this effectively means that the side effect was so bad, they had to seek medical attention. If any drug had that kind of safety profile, it would be immediately pulled from the market.
The Guardian just reported the results of a study of 2 million-year-old DNA found in northern Greenland.
Two-million-year-old DNA from northern Greenland has revealed that the region was once home to mastodons, lemmings and geese, offering unprecedented insights into how climate change can shape ecosystems.
The breakthrough in ancient DNA analysis pushes back the DNA record by 1m years to a time when the Arctic region was 11-19C warmer than the present day. The analysis reveals that the northern peninsula of Greenland, now a polar desert, once featured boreal forests of poplar and birch trees teeming with wildlife. The work offers clues to how species might adapt,
The American Girl doll brand is facing backlash over a book targeted at prepubescent girls that promotes gender transition seemingly without parental consent.
The book, titled "A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image," which is marketed to girls ages 3 to 12, encourages children to talk with a doctor if they are questioning their gender identity.
"At first, you and the doctor might talk about wearing the clothes and using the pronouns (like he, she, or they) that make you feel most like the true you," the book reads. "If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes,
Oversight Project Investigation Uncovers
Shocking Facts About Who’s Facilitating
Biden Border Crisis 6 replies
Shocking Facts About Who’s Facilitating
Biden Border Crisis 6 replies
WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, and Border Security and Immigration Center, today released new information documenting the scope not just of the Biden border crisis, but the role of non-governmental organizations in facilitating and continuing it.
In a new memo titled, “Tracking Movement of Illegal Aliens from NGOs to Interior of USA”, the Oversight Project unveiled new data showing the massive numbers of illegal aliens who have made their way to NGO facilities physically located along the border and in border states, and subsequently traveled throughout the United States.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Afew years ago, I bought a used Tesla, not because I’m a car nut but because I had been a hypocrite. For years, I had been outspoken about the dangers of carbon emissions. Yet at the same time, I was driving an old gas-powered heap that got about 25 miles per gallon, and that sounded like a rocket launch every time I turned on the ignition.
Michelle Obama has revealed that she 'couldn't stand' husband Barack while their children were young.
The former First Lady, 58, also dubbed her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, as 'terrorists' when they were small.
She claims the couple struggled as they were both trying to 'advance their careers' – with her husband going on to become the president.
Michelle made the claims about her relationship with Barack, 61, while promoting her new book The Light We Carry.
As Buffalo begins to dig itself out from its deadliest disaster in a decade, the plights of people stuck for days in frigid homes without much food, their streets still unplowed, have reignited deep economic and racial fault lines that have long polarized the city. (Snip) As the toll on the city has become clearer, a dozen residents and community leaders said in interviews that structural issues such as poverty, food deserts, poor housing and a lack of investment by government have made the impacts on working-class, Black and Brown neighborhoods much worse. They expressed concerns that surrounding wealthier and
This is one of those stories that you’re certain is from the Babylon Bee, and that is stunning in its implications when it turns out to be the truth. In this case, the truth is that, in accordance with UN and WEF climate recommendations, the city of Oxford (home to the famed university) approved plans mandating that citizens may not drive more than 15 minutes distance from their homes without permission. It’s called the “15 Minute City” and is intended to reduce auto emissions. Mostly, though, it will reduce liberty, which is what climate change madness has always been about.
LGBTQ+++™ Pinocchios Now Claim Male-to-Female
Transgenders Can Get Periods: 'I'm a Real Girl!' 30 replies
Transgenders Can Get Periods: 'I'm a Real Girl!' 30 replies
Biological assimilation into femininity has long been the final frontier for transgender activists — a Rubicon they had not yet been able to fully cross. Aspirational transgenders can get various sordid surgeries to appear more feminine; they can adopt feminine social roles, but they could never really become fully biologically female.
This nags at the LGBTQ+++™ community something fierce, as biological reality always belies the religious conviction that “transgender women are women,” full-stop. They wish they could menstruate because, like transgender Pinocchios, they want desperately to be real girls, despite the deep-seated and dysphoric knowledge that their goal is impossible.
For instance, transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney explains
Have you ever wondered why no pictures of Michelle Obama pregnant are available online?
The right-wing conspiracies are that there are no pictures of Michelle Obama pregnant at all.
But the left wing thinks that they aren’t pictures out there because Michelle Obama wasn’t famous at the time she was pregnant because Obama wasn’t a big deal and paparazzi weren’t hunting them.
One recent Twitter, thread sparked a huge controversy!
President Joe Biden reportedly does not trust the Secret Service to protect him, even though the agency has appeared to slow-walk disclosing documents related to Hunter Biden’s alleged gun violations.
According to Chris Whipple’s new book, “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House,” Biden does not trust the Secret Service because some of them allegedly do not support him politically.
“A bigger problem was Biden’s discomfort with his Secret Service detail; some of them were MAGA sympathizers. He didn’t trust them,” Whipple wrote. “The Secret Service is full of white ex-cops from the South who tend to be deeply conservative.”
Whipple makes Biden appear paranoid
James Cameron has made some of the best action movies ever. Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens. Even True Lies was pretty good. I thought Titanic sucked, and Avatar was a snooze, but Cameron has a few greats to be proud of.
But he isn’t proud of them. In fact, without naming these movies he implies he wished he never made them. They “fetishize” gun violence, and he is done with that. Guns make him sick to his stomach now.
He is so done with gun violence, in fact, that he has made a war movie (Avatar 2 is indeed a kind of war movie, in which the human beings
Being all uber-woke you can be has just about brought the Army to its knees. In this day and age, they’ve fallen so far down the rabbit hole anymore that they can’t get anyone who’s their normal target recruit to sign up to save their lives. Or anyone else’s, for that matter. Their recruiting numbers are dismal.
…The service fell 15,000 recruits short of its fiscal 2022 goal and it cut its goal for total number of soldiers in fiscal year 2023 by an additional 15,000, suggesting that it sees a longer-term problem.
Only 23% of young Americans meet the fitness, health and other standards required to join the military,
President Joe Biden is enjoying his tropical vacation in St Croix while thousands of Americans continue to suffer from travel chaos and the deadly blizzard that killed at least 68 people.
He will be sunning himself in the 84-degree Caribbean heat at a private home with beach access in the Virgin Islands. He's staying as a rent-free guest at the home of Bill and Connie Neville, who are bigtime Democratic donors.
He is joined by first lady Jill, grandkids Natalie and Hunter Jr., and daughter Ashley and her husband Howard for a family vacation. Ashley and Howard even brought their dog for the week-long getaway.
Italy’s decision to take extra precautions with Chinese travelers paid off on Wednesday as two flights from China landed in Milan and half of the passengers tested positive for Covid-19.
Italy was one of four countries that announced they would impose coronavirus restrictions on Chinese travelers because a massive wave of coronavirus infections is ripping across China, racking up millions of cases in a single day — but the tyrannical Chinese government decided to abandon almost all of its disease control protocols with almost no preparation for the consequences, loosen up travel restrictions, and begin handing out passports just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday.
A health expert has sharply criticized the Chinese regime’s lifting of international travel restrictions in the midst of a massive COVID wave sweeping through the country, saying the move is “extremely irresponsible” and could cause a global resurgence of the pandemic.
The National Health Commission announced on Dec. 26 that the country would end all quarantine requirements for inbound travelers from Jan. 8, 2023. Travelers will need to obtain a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure, it said. Currently, travelers entering China need to undergo five days of mandatory quarantine in an approved facility, followed by three days at home.