..jam-packed schedule today mixing Zombiekrig in the studio, buying christmas presents (together with most of the population here in Gothenburg!?!) and then doing the annual “day-before-christmas-wake” at Bingo Lotto with Fibes.. We contributed with “Driving home for Christmas” .. tired and off to bed -mode right now..

Tomorrow I´ll do a Chris Rea, with exception that I go by train instead of a car, and head home to Uddevalla..

Merry Christmas everybody!..

This is a little collection of music which are just some of my favourite Christmas tracks, ranging from classic rock, indie numbers, crooners, jazz tracks and folk duets. This mix has been made to enjoy for an hour or so, but hopefully this will show some of you guys that there can be good Christmas music. Please buy any of the albums that the songs are from (except for the God awful RTL Christmas Fever), they are some of the best of the best. I’ve added some links to buy a couple of these Christmas album classics.

The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Songs For Christmas, Christmas With The Rat Pack

• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Frank Sinatra
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Jack Johnson
• White Christmas – Frank Sinatra
• Christmas In Prison - Lightspeed Champion & Emmy The Great
• Skating – Vince Guaraldi
• Christmas TV – Slow Club
• Winter Wonderland - Phantom Planet
• Is This Christmas – The Wombats
• Christmas Time All Over The World – Sammy Davis Jr.
• Peace - Norah Jones
• Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea
• Silent Night - Sufjan Stevens
• O Tannenbaum – Vince Guaraldi
• Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys

Playlist zipped.

Thanks for the image Chris Jones.

A plague on the X-Factor, with its manufactured music and manufactured hype to get the Christmas Number One. (Not that any of these things are new.) So a campaign to usurp it, like the previous one to get Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah‘

up the charts, rather than Alexandra Burke’s, is something I would welcome.

Except I can’t really go for Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name‘, with its proliferation of f-words. Sorry.

But more positively, it set me thinking about what would be on my personal Christmas playlist.

Sufjan Stevens‘ 5-EP collection ‘Songs For Christmas‘ contains so many gems.  How about his version of ‘Come, thou fount of every blessing’?

For fun, you have to have Dylan. Yes, really: the old goat is laugh-a-minute. The recent ‘Must be Santa’ has to be in there:

Bruce Cockburn’s ‘Christmas‘ CD from the 1990s was pretty stunning. ‘Joy to the world’ is but one of the gems – unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to add the video into WordPress either directly or indirectly, so click here or possibly here to see it. Anyway, you won’t be surprised to find Cockburn in this list, since this blog’s name is inspired by him!

Back to the daft, and I have an irrational affection for ‘I Want An Alien For Christmas’ by the Fountains Of Wayne:

And for real Christmas kitsch, there’s nothing like a pseudo-Phil Spector sound, so over to Bruce Springsteen for ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’:

Or for the real thing, Darlene Love and ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’:

I mean, you just don’t need Mariah Carey, do you?

Of the mainstream big Christmas hits, there’s something I like about the guitar sound on Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home For Christmas’:

But where’s the Christian stuff?  Randy Stonehill has written a couple. I can’t find a video online of ‘Christmas Song For All Year Round’, but someone has put pictures to the poignant ‘Christmas At Denny’s’:

For Christian cynicism about the commercial season, I can’t trace a video by Larry Norman himself of his song ‘Christmastime’, but here is Stonehill’s version, complete with the immortal lines

Christmastime is coming and the kids are getting greedy
They know it’s in the store because they’ve seen it on the TV

Well, that’s just some random stuff from me. What do you love at this time of year? What can’t you stand?

Cari comaschi e comasche, come è andata con il concerto di Valerio Scanu nella vostra città? Tutto bene? (Non) lo voterete più sotto?

26.11.09 Antonello Venditti domani – nella nottata fra venerdì ventisette e sabato ventotto – su una televisione nazionale intorno a mezzanotte e mezza. Vedevate tali programmi tv Senza rete con Corrado e La caravella dei successi?

25.11.09 Scrivo forse troppo di Scanu? Sarà a «Torino sul Ghiaccio» ai Giardini Reali, oggi pomeriggio venticinque novembre, dalle tre alle cinque.

07.11.09 Come vi è sembrato Valerio Scanu a Scalo 76 Talent di Raidue oggi, sabato sette novembre?  Potete votarlo più sotto, ma solo per il mo blog.

23.10.09 Valerio Scanu alle quattro e mezza del pomeriggio in un centro commerciale di Firenze.

16.10.09 Valerio Scanu sarà venerdì sedici ottobre alle cinque e mezza in un centro commerciale di Novate Milanese, in provincia di Milano. Una pagina di questo blog su Scanu, una seconda ed una terza.

28.12.08 Eleggiamo la migliore canzone del 2008 in base ad una selezione di UnDueTre Blog. E c’è, inoltre, in rete anche una versione dal vivo di On the Beach di Chris Rea.

- Località turistiche straniere (Vota)

- Quale di questi monumenti italiani vi piace di più? (Vota)

- La musica. Quale il vostro brano preferito? (Vota)

Un browser europeo – Opera – e Mozilla o i sistemi operativi di Linux ed Apple. Neomedia.it

- Crema al cacao con nocciole ed anacardi, cioccolato fondente con nocciole o gianduia con nocciole intere oppure al latte con nocciole e nocciole intere

Spreadthesign, dizionario e linguaggio dei segni. Commissione europea – Istruzione e formazione

28 dicembre ‘08 – aggiornato 13 dicembre ‘09
calogeromira.wordpress.com – e-mail

Risparmio energetico (forse)?

‘Heaven’

This week, we’re getting into our virtual car and stepping on the gas pedal in Songs About Driving. Read on to find out what tracks are accompanying the girls speeding through their work and all the way into the weekend…

Sostylistic selects: Tracy Chapman – Fast Car.

Sartoriology recommends: Chris Rea – Road To Hell.

A Work In Progress picks: Madness – Driving My Car.

Ellie chooses: Iggy Pop – The Passenger.

New Favourite Thing suggests: Prince – Little Red Corvette.

Frankie opts for double whammy as it’s her turn to own the phrase “BECAUSE I’M LEAVING!”: Cyndi Lauper – I Drove All Night.

And..

Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas.

Soldiersailor elects: AC/DC – Highway To Hell.

In tune with Battersea Park love themed fireworks, things got a bit slushy in the office last week. Find out what tracks we chose in Songs Inspired By Love.

این اجرای قدیمی از این ترانه ی باحال کریس ری آ رو ندیده بودم. توش خیلی جوونه و در برنامه ی Top of the pops انگلیس اجرا شده، تقدیم به دوستان بامعرفت

Dyin’ flame, you’re free again
Who could love, do that to you
All dressed in black, he won’t be comin’ back
Look, save your tears
Got years and years
The pains of seventeen’s
Unreal they’re only dreams
Save your cryin’ for the day

Fool if you think it’s over
‘Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it’s over
I’ll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the mornin’ sun
Fool if you think it’s over
It’s just begun

Miss Teenage Dream, such a tragic scene
He knocked your crown and ran away
First wound of pride, and how you cried and cried
But save your tears, got years and years

Fool if you think it’s over
‘Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it’s over
I’ll tell you why…

(Fool if you think it’s over)
(Fool if you think it’s over)

I’ll buy you first good wine
We’ll have a real good time
Save your cryin’ for the day
That may not come
But anyone who had to pay
Would laugh at you and say

Fool if you think it’s over
‘Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it’s over
I’ll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first

Celebrul solist, chitarist şi pianist de origine irlandezo-italiană, Chris Rea, va susţine un concert extraordinar la Bucureşti pe data de 6 februarie 2010, la Sala Palatului, spectacolul fiind inclus în turnelul european de promovare a celui mai recent album al artistului: “Still So Far To Go – The Best Of Chris Rea”.

Considerat drept unul dintre cei mai talentaţi artişti din lume, Chris Rea impresionează prin profunzimea vocii şi a stilului său natural şi pasional, fiind renumit pentru show-uri live hipnotizante, caracterizate prin calitate, simplitate şi rafinament. Cu o carieră ce se întinde pe mai bine de 30 de ani şi cu numeroase piese devenite clasice în lumea rock-ului şi a blues-ului internaţional, Rea are la activ un portofoliu impresionant ce cuprinde nu mai puţin de 22 de albume de studio, opt albume de compilaţie, două albume înregistrate în apariţiile live şi un material cu piese apărute pe coloana sonoră a filmului “La Passion”.

Chris Rea s-a lansat în anul 1978 cu albumul “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini ? ”, care a primit şi discul de aur, acesta fiind urmat un an mai târziu de materialul “Delitics”. Anii ‘80 au adus un record în cariera artistului, Rea devenind faimos la nivel european prin lansarea a nu mai puţin de opt albume de studio. Chris Rea şi-a afirmat valoarea pe plan internaţional odată cu apariţia a două dintre cele mai de succes materiale ale anilor 1989 şi respectiv 1991: “The Road To Hell” şi “Auberge”, ambele clasându-se încă de la apariţie pe primul loc în clasamentele de specialitate din Marea Britanie.

Cu vânzări de peste 30 de milioane de albume de-a lungul întregii cariere, Chris Rea a devenit un promotor şi reprezentant de marcă al culturii rock şi al blues-ului, având la activ un număr impresionant de premii, inclusiv patru discuri de aur, şase de argint şi 14 de platină !

Turneul , în cadrul căruia este inclus şi concertul pe care Chris Rea îl va susţine la Bucureşti în luna februarie, va debuta cu o serie de show-uri în Anglia şi Irlanda. Noul album va fi lansat în Marea Britanie pe 5 octombrie 2009 şi va conţine, pe lângă celebrele piese: “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”, “On The Beach”, “Let’s Dance”, “Josephine”, “Stainsby Girls”, “The Road To Hell (Part 2)”, “Auberge”, “God’s Great Banana Skin” sau “Julia”, şi două piese noi, “Come So Far, Yet Still So Far To Go” şi “Valentino”. Primul single va fi lansat pe 28 septembrie 2009, atât în varianta fizică, cât şi în varianta digitală, balada “Valentino” urmând a apărea pe piaţă la începutul lunii decembrie a acestui an.

În cadrul turneului de la începutul anului viitor, Chris Rea va fi însoţit de Paul Casey, un tânăr şi foarte apreciat compozitor, solist şi chitarist, originar din Irlanda, despre care Rea declara că “un astfel de talent apare numai o dată la multă vreme”. Colaborarea dintre cei doi a început cu ani în urmă, atunci când Rea a ascultat un demo al tânărului. Impresionat de calităţile lui Casey, Rea a început să lucreze tot mai mult cu acesta, cel mai recent proiect fiind noul turneu “The Very Best Of Chris Rea: Still So Far To Go”.

Sursa: Citatepedia – Blog

My world is miles of endless roads
That leaves a trail of broken dreams
Where have you been
I hear you say?
I will meet you at the Blue Cafe

Because, this is where the one who knows
Meets the one who does not care
The cards of fate
The older shows
To the younger one, who dares to take
The chance of no return

R:
Where have you been?
Where are you going to?
I want to know what is new
I want to go with you
What have you seen?
What do you know that is new?
Where are you going to?
Because I want to go with you…

So meet me down at the Blue Cafe
The cost is great, the price is high
Take all you know, and say goodbye
Your innocence, inexperience
Mean nothing now
Because, this is where the one who knows
Meets the one that does not care
Where have you been?
I hear you say
I’ll meet you at the Blue Cafe
So meet me at the Blue Cafe

R:
Where have you been?
Where are you going to?
I want to know what is new
I want to go with you
What have you seen?
What do you know that is new?
Where are you going to?
Because I want to go wïth you…

Zi-mi ca are rost…

Zi-mi ca scriu cuvinte ce vor schimba macar o viata
Zi-mi ca semintele de astazi, vor fi maine o planta
Zi-mi ca plantele de maine
Vor fi vesnic inflorite.

Zi-mi ca are rost sa plang, pentru vieti prea scurt taiate
Zi-mi ca are rost sa rad si sa mai am sperante
Zi-mi ca tot ce simt eu astazi
Maine va fi mult mai bine.

Zi-mi ca nu incerc degeaba, sa ridic castele
Zi-mi ca portile fericirii vor fi mereu deschise.
Zi-mi ca armele sunt doar cosmaruri negre
Sunt doar iluzii optice, de-ale mele.

Zi-mi ca apa pura va curge-o vesnicie
Zi-mi ca raiul e dincolo de stele.

De data asta nu mai sunt in pozitia de a da sfaturi, ci in aceea de a primi inapoi amintiri. Amintiri cu sali de clasa goale in asteptarea bacului, de walkman-uri cu casti de sarma, de ultima vara de liceu. Si de muzici recomandate cu nasul pe sus de colegi care acum au par alb in cap. Multumesc…

Nota Bene: Do not read the lyrics whilst listening to the music.

My world is miles of endless roads
That leaves a trail of broken dreams
Where have you been I hear you say
I’ll meet you at the Blue Cafe
‘Cause, this is where the one who knows
Meets the one who does not care
Cards of fate, the older shows
The younger one, who dares to take
The chance of no return
Where have you been?
Where are you going to?
I want to know what is new
I want to go with you
What have you seen?
What do you know is new?
Where are you going to?
‘Cause I want to go with you
The cost is great, the price is high
Take all you know, and say goodbye
Your innocence, inexperience
Mean nothing now
‘Cause, this is where the one who knows
Meets the one who does not care
Where have you been I hear you say
I’ll meet you at the Blue Cafe
Where have you been?
Where are you going to?
I want to know what is new
I want to go with you
What have you seen?
What do you know is new?
Where are you going to?
‘Cause I want to go with you
Where have you been?
Where are you going to?
I want to know what is new
I want to go with you
What have you seen?
What do you know is new?
Where are you going to?
I want to go with you

The autumn of 1989 – twenty years ago – was a quiet one. I’d landed in Anoka, Minnesota, a town about twenty miles north of Minneapolis, after my two mostly unhappy years on the North Dakota prairie. I wasn’t in Anoka long, just a little more than ten months, but it was a good place to recharge my batteries and decide in which direction to go next.

I did a little bit of teaching at a nearby community college and spent half of my time working for a newspaper chain, reporting for a paper that covered the small towns of Champlin and Dayton. (Champlin has grown into a good-sized suburb in the twenty years since; Dayton is far more rural and has grown, too, but not as rapidly.) After one quarter of teaching, I left the community college and worked full-time for the newspaper chain, reporting and taking care of special projects.

It was a pleasant, undemanding time, which was exactly what I needed. Those months were made more pleasant by weekly visits from a lady friend from St. Cloud, who would stop by on Wednesdays for dinner on her way to teach a course at the same community college. I’m a pretty decent cook, and Wednesdays were my favorite day of the week during that time, what with the regular visits to the butcher shop and the bakery and the chance to cook for someone other than myself. We generally had chicken or fish although I do recall trying my wild rice and turkey curry – a favorite of mine – for the first time. Those weekly dinners were among the highlights of my life in Anoka.

We always had music playing, sometimes the radio but usually records on the stereo, and here are a few tracks from that year, some of which we might actually have heard while eating dinner.

A Mostly Random Six-Pack from 1989
“Texas” by Chris Rea from The Road to Hell
“Where’ve You Been” by Kathy Mattea, Mercury 876262
“Vanessa” by Alex Taylor from Voodoo In Me
“Have A Heart” by Bonnie Raitt from Nick of Time
“No One” by the BoDeans from Home
“Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls from The Indigo Girls

“Texas” is a moody piece from a moodier album. I recall hearing “Texas” when the album was released; it got a lot of play on Cities 97, which was my radio station of choice during my months in Anoka. The Road to Hell and another Rea album from about the same era, 1991’s Auberge, remain among my favorites.

“Where’ve You Been,” a story song about soulmates, was pulled from Mattea’s Willow in the Wind album. I very well could have heard it on Cities 97, but I’m not sure. I wasn’t listening to a lot of country radio at the time, though, so that’s not the answer. I do know I heard it frequently during my months in Anoka, as the story resonated with me. And it’s a beautiful song: The next year, it won Don Henry and Jon Vezner a Grammy for Best Country Song, and Mattea walked away with a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

I know I never heard Alex Taylor during those dinners in the autumn of 1989, because his work was something I didn’t discover until years after it was recorded and years after he died in 1993. “Vanessa” is a fine piece of bluesy rock, as was the entire Voodoo in Me album, which turned out to be Taylor’s fifth and last released album. Taylor, whose siblings were James, Livingston and Kate, also recorded and released With Friends & Neighbors (1971), Dinnertime (1972), Third for Music (1974) and Dancing With the Devil (1989). I’ve heard them all but Third for Music. Anyone out there got a line on it?

The story of Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time is one of the great tales: A failed album in 1986 (Nine Lives), followed by work with producer Don Was, leading to a handful of Grammys, including the award for Album of the Year. As to “Have a Heart,” as a single, it went to No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and to No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The little note that pops up on the RealPlayer whenever I hear a tune by the BoDeans says, “The very definition of heartland music, the BoDeans’ rootsy pop rock is a cross between the Replacements and Tom Petty.” I suppose that’s not a bad description, but like most capsule characterizations, it skips the subtleties entirely. You actually have to listen to the music for those, and although I didn’t listen much back then, I do now, and like the work of the boys from Waukesha, Wisconsin, pretty well.

I’ve told the tale before, in another venue: I was sitting in a restaurant in Edina, Minnesota, during the late summer of 1989 when I heard a pair of young women in the next booth discussing the best new group they’d heard in a long time: The Indigo Girls. I jotted a note to myself, finished my lunch and then drove to a nearby record store and bought The Indigo Girls on LP. For twenty years, ever since the moment I heard the opening strains of “Close to Fine,” the Indigo Girls have been among my favorite performers and The Indigo Girls has been one of my favorite albums.

21/3/2009

Il silenzio del mattino

scandisce il tempo denso di te.

La magia del desiderio

riempie l’anima di follia e fantasia.

Melodia di carezze,

la tua pelle sulla mia,

labbra, sguardi, respiri,

due corpi nell’azzardo di un sospiro.

Volo nel silenzio del mattino

nell’attesa che tu mi porti via.

In sottofondo: “Josephine” – Chris Rea

Bacau… ploaie mocaneasca cca 5 grade Ceslius, orele 14 si 30 de minute… Honda rezista! Cizme nou noute – 160 lei la reducere, costum din tercot cu captuseala – 700 lei (cea mai buna investitie facuta la viata mea), casca (vai de mama ei, tunata cu niste burete de izolat geamuri de la nea Petrica) – 80 euroi acum 3 ani, manusi de vara – 30 euro ranforsate pe interior cu o pereche de manusi din lana – 4 lei; optional manusi chirurghicale – 1 leu, pe care din pacate nu le-am putut folosi. Ideea insa merita apreciata. Plimbare cu motorul pe o vreme caineasca – PRICELESS.

Incarcatura, ca de obicei. Cateva toale murdare in rucsac, geanta de rezervor cu maruntisuri in ea. Curios, nu prea se mai gaseau bagaje. Ca si cum nimic nu vroia sa participe la ceea ce avea sa urmeze. Castile in urechi cu acorduri fine, si la drum. Opresc la benzinarie pentru “beutura”. Viziera se aburea tot mai des. Aveam doua variante la dispozitie, ori merg cu ea intredeschisa, ori viteza maxima pentru a creea un curent adecvat care sa echilibreze temperatura din interior cu cea de afara! Directia e cam cu cantec, si necesita putina finete, mai ales la trecerea peste marcajele soselei. Acolo poti aluneca mai ceva ca pe gheata daca nu esti atent.

Primii 20 km i-am parcurs foarte bine, pana cand ploaia mi-a penetrat intocmai cum cearneala penetreaza celebra creta, manusile. Simteam o amorteala teribila dupa inca 20 de km. Cand am ajuns la Adjud, am oprit la benzinarie pentru a ma incalzi cu un ceai. Era sa scap ceasca din mana de amortita ce era (mana). Era senzatia aceea de inghet pe care o ai iarna cand cu mainile inghetate intri intr-o incapere incalzita, ori bagi mainile in apa calda, sau banala apa rece ti se pare fierbinte uneori. Cizmele nu meritau dupa nici 50 km pretul pe care il platisem. Simteam apa in ele. Probabil datorita faptului ca am bagat “paltalonii” in ele, si apa a gasit loc sa se strecoare pe langa ei. Savurez cu placere ceasca de ceai fierbinte. Eram undeva la 40% din drum. Vreo doi musterii se minuneaza pe langa “fata mea”.

Adjud, 15 si 40 de minute, aceeasi ploaie mocaneasca de la inceput, parca si mai intensa acum ca ajunsesem pe meleaguri vrancene, Honda rezista! Mai departe. Drumul intre Adjud si Marasesti, nu mi se paru foarte lung, din contra, parca ma teleportasem. In schimb aceleasi probleme apar la maini.

Opresc la un han langa Marasesti. Stupoare, cand intru, faceam pliosc-pliosc. In cizme era lac. Comand un ceai si ma retrag in glorie la o masa. Apa din cizme imi murasera cartoafele urat de tot. Ma gandeam ca nu mai am mult pana acasa, poate rezist totusi. Dar vad o tanti ca duce gunoiul. Fuck. Imi vine o idee geniala la momentul respectiv. Ma duc la baiatul de la bar si il rog frumos sa imi dea 2 saci menajeri. Merg la baie, ma sterg bine pe picioare, eram terminat. Mi se incretise pielea. Imi pun o pereche de sosete uscate, nu si curate! Bag picioarele in saci, si apoi in cizme. Eram cel putin uscat.

Focsani, 16 si 40 de minute, Honda rezista, costumul rezista, popic nu mai rezista. Mainile imi erau gheata, simteam de acum durere la incheieturile mainilor. La cotesti, ma opresc pentru a ma incalzi putin la motor. Avea sa fie o gura de oxigen, pentru ca nu stiu daca ajungeam pana la Gugesti fara acest neplanificat pit-stop.

Orele 17 si 25 de minute, ajung in sfarsit in spatele blocului. Descalaresc si ma reped in casa. Bag un resou in priza si incerc sa imi incalzesc picioarele inghetate. Nu stiu de ce in 30 km, mi-au inghetat in conditiile in care 80 poate mai bine de km nu au reusit acest lucru. Cu un dus rece care mi se parea fierbinte, incet incet unghiile incep a capata culoarea fiziologica a unui viu!

Prevad un week-end de cosmar, si sun pe Andy sa-mi prescrie ceva pentru o previzibila raceala. Ma bag intens pe ceaiuri si vitamina C, fervex si altele. Fara scapare, ma trezesc a doua zi dimineata mort in pat. Ma prins, o raceala care mi-a dat drumul din brate numai pe vreo marti.

Am tras la garaj motorul pentru iarna, si ma mai gandesc daca imi iau o casca mai buna la primavara ori il fac pe 4 roti. Dar cum sangele apa nu se face, la mai multe raceli baieti si fete pe motoare, ca viata e scurta si trebuie traita! Atata timp cat ai cine sa iti faca o frectie, si sa-ti dea o aspirina si un mar, merge si o raceala de toamna. Ca doar n-om fi efemeri!

Pe curand!

“Now, when I was just a little boy,
Standin to my daddys knee,
My poppa said, son, dont let the man get you”
( From: Born on the Bayou – Creedance Clear Water Revival )

“God’s Great Banana Skin” by Chris Rea…..

“Don’t you ever think no-ones better than you…
Keep your head down, don’t listen to what your ego will say…”

My subjects are Music, Art and Creative Writing and if I had to write a book about them, I would need to do my research. I am also a Theologian and could probably writer a good book about it. However, I am not a professional Biologist; though I do have a basic understanding of Biology, and if the trees and plants in The Company Gardens, behind St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town could talk, they would tell you a tale of how I instructed them in Matric Level Biology. (Which I did pass thanks to their patience lol)

Now Professor Dawkins is a professional Biologist and not a professional Theologian, or Philosopher, yet in his book ‘THE GOD DELUSION’ – he wrote a chapter about the various arguments for the existence of God and according to a professional who knows all about that; he did not do his homework and actually he had not even studied Professor Alvin Plantinga who is quite an authority. (and even I know that lol) Well let’s listen to Dr. William Laine Craig as he talks about this part of TGD….there is more, but I don’t want to spoil it for you…

Transcript ..

Yeah___rrr he does seem to think that although he himself admits that D.E. does’nt do anything to explain away the fine tuning. He thinks that that has to be yet be explained, that there really is no good explaination for that, and when I looked at his chapter in ‘The GOD delusion’ ; on the arguments for the existence of GOD, I was rather suprised Kevin by frankly how superficial, his handling of the arguments are. For example I think that he says nothing in response to the Lieten-Nietzschian argument from contingency: the argument that there needs to be and explanation to why something exists, rather than nothing. He has nothing about the Kalaam Cosmological Argument: the argument that there was a beginning of the Universe and therefore the Universe needs to have a transcendant cause. He talks about the design argument but he does’nt deal with the Fine Tuning, he only deals with the biological aspects of it, but has nothing to offer in terms of how you can explain the fine tuning of the Universe; of the Big Bang for intelligent life.
The Moral argument; here he’s just completely inconsistent, on the one hand if he grants the premise : that if GOD does not exist, there are no object morals and duties, he’s very clear that he thinks that morality is just basically a human illusion, but on the other hand, over and over again in the book makes moral judgements and affirms moral truths and therefore affirms the second premise in the Moral argument: that objective moral values exist. So he does’nt refute that argument, then finally the Ontological argument, oddly enough he spends the most time on that one. He he spends several pages on the Ontological argument, but if you look at it, all it is ridicule, he does’nt know anything about Alvin Plantinga’s defence of the Ontological Argument — he just mocks it and makes fun of it, and it’s very clear that he does’nt know the literature, that he’s not familiar with the argument.
So… I was very unimpressed. I mean quite honestly looking at his handeling of the arguments for the arguments for GOD’s existence.

Kevin:
I’m curious about the quote attributed to him (Prof. Dawkins) that is; ‘The study of Biology, the challenge there, is that you are examining systems that look as if they’re designed.’ and but…

Dr. William Laine Craig:
Right and he says, ‘that you need to constantly remind yourself that they’re not….

Kevin:
…why not say — because maybe they are ?

Dr. William Laine Craig:
Hahaha right

Kevin:
…I mean your Naturalism is’nt going to let you say I guess.
Dr Craig you’ve rebated the top Athiest thinkers in the world, on University Campus’ and at other events but what about a debate with Dawkins.

Dr. Craig:
Well, I’d welcome it, I would like to have a debate with Dawkins. In fact I recently had a UK (United Kingdom) debating and speaking tour that took me to quite a number of British Universities. It was set up by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the UK and the board of directors chairman — Peter May — of InterVarsity wrote a very nice letter to Richard Dawkins at Oxford, in which he explained that William Laine Craig was coming to Great Britian on a university speaking and debating tour, that I was a Philosopher interested in Philosophy of Science and wanted to know if he would be interested in participating in debate with me on the existence of GOD. So it was’nt about Creation-Evolution, I was’nt presenting it as a religious person of theologian but as a Philosopher of Science — and the letter that Dawkins sent back to Peter May said, ‘I don’t know who William Laine Craig is if I were to debate a religious person he would have to be at least a Bishop, and while a debate with Craig might look good on Craig’s resume it would’nt look good on mine.’

And therefore he (Dawkins) declined to engage and so I did’nt have the chance to debate with Dawkins.

Kevin:
Daniel Dennett is another author, he’s got a best selling book called “Breaking the Spell”

Dr Craig:
Yes.

Kevin:
– the implications thereof. What is his take ?

Dr. Craig:
Well..uh…again Dennett is an interesting character, I was just in a conference with him in New Orleans, a couple of months ago, on Atheism and Theism and he was debating Alistair McGrath on this topic and then several of us were invited to give comments uh on the whole debate; I was one of them, Keith Parsons was another and I decided I would look at Dennet’s response to the typical arguments for the existence of GOD, since he does’nt think there are any good reasons. And again Kevin, I was shocked, this man is an emminent Philosopher at Topsis University — this is not some popularizer, and yet if you looked at his responses to the typical answers for the existence of GOD, George Smith does a better job — ((you know a popularizer)) — than what Dennett did.
Uh..for example his response to the Kalaam Cosmological argument, which says that whatever begins to exist has a cause — the Universe exists therefore the Universe has a cause — He agrees with the first premise: that anything begins to exist must have a cause that brings it into being. He agrees with the second premise, he thinks the Universe began to exist, and that the BIG BANG gives good evidence of that. So he agrees with the conclusion: the Universe has a cause, but here’s his answer, ‘The Universe has a cause….the Universe caused itself’…the Universe brought itself into being. He says, ‘It’s the ultimate bootstrapping trick’ — The Universe brought itself into existence.
And I pointed out to him, ‘You know that in order for the Universe to bring itself into existence, it would have to exist before existed; otherwise it’s not self-caused — it would be uncaused ( it would come out of nothing ) So his view would be — the Universe had to exist before it existed, which is a self-contradiction. It’s logically incoherent — and yet this was his response to the Cosmological argument

Kevin:
I imagine he’ll find another one, after that conference

Dr. Craig:
I think so…you know it was funny because after I’d presented my response there was an applause from the audience and then he was invited to give and impromtu reaction, and then he walked up to the platform and he …just stood there…. looking out at the audience for a minute..uh rrrr — a moment in silence and then he says, “Tha__t was a viruoso performance!”

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Big Bang – The Bible Taught It First!

By Hugh Ross and John Rea

‘Most science textbooks that address cosmology credit Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson with the discovery that the universe arose from a hot big bang creation event. While it is true that they were the first (1965) to detect the radiation left over from the creation event, they were not the first scientists to recognize that the universe expanded from an extremely hot and compact state. In 1946 George Gamow calculated that nothing less than the universe expanding from a near infinitely hot condition could account for the present abundance of elements. In 1929 observations made by Edwin Hubble established that the velocities of galaxies result from a general expansion of the universe. Beginning in 1925 Abbé Georges Lemaître, who was both an astrophysicist and a Jesuit priest, was the first scientist to promote a big bang creation event.’

(…read all…)

O piesă tristă. Citadină. Capitalistă, în sensul rău (nu sunt socialist!). Îmi amintește de Moartea unui comis-voiajor. Omul vine acasă după ce a muncit 24×7, cum se zice, timp de un an, o viață, cine știe.

O piesă despre alienare. Despre nimicul care cotropește oamenii. Dacă n-ar fi chestia asta cu automobilul, cred că s-ar fi potrivit și cu spleenul secolului XIX.

Vocea lui Chris Rea se potrivește cu melodia și cu ideea ei.

Sorry Martin but Mince Pies are weirdly fantastic. I’ve always been a fan but you can really only appreciate them after they have been cooked nicely in the oven and are then served with Brandy Butter whilst listening to ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ by Chris Rea.

Mince pies are filled with mincemeat – a preserve typically containing apple, dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and spices. Mince Pie fans – watch out for the ones with Suet – that’s raw beef or mutton – Yuck.

On a more positive note, Rea fans watch out for a new studio album due to be released mid 2010.

I guess everybody’s making these playlists this time of year,
but here’s a really good one…

Christmas wishes from me and all of these guys!

• Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas
• Ella Fitzgerald – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• Weeping Willows – Christmas In Prison
• Tori Amos – What Child, Nowell
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe – O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
• Johnny Cash – Little Drummer boy
• Sufjan Stevens – That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
• Travis – River
• David Hasselhoff – White Christmas
  (i wonder how that’s working out for him by the way..)
• Rosie Thomas – Why Can’t It Be Christmas Time All Year
• The Jordanaires – Mary Did You Know?
• Mahalia Jackson – What Child is This?
• San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus – The Nutcracker Suite

#20091211 – christmas

(get your player at www.spotify.com)

Pentru minunata zi de Craciun  o pereche de cercei ghidusi si copilarosi dar cu stralucire si eleganta sunt condimentul perfect.

Pe acordurile piesei Driving home for Christmas a lui Chris Rea au luat nastere minunile astea mici.

Editie de Craciun – Elise, Sophie si Adeline

Cercei din perle de sticla sidefate, cristale swarovski si tortite argint 925.
Dimensiune: 2,5 cm

Elise a plecat pe meleaguri rusesti

Pret: 20 lei

Mai sus aveti variante revizuite ale Editiei de Craciun:
din perle de sticla sidefate, cristale biconice si tortite argintate.
Dimensiune: 3 cm
Pret: 12 lei

Ogni mese la redazione di Metal Hammer UK si spreme le meningi per proporre ai lettori della rivista una particolare quanto improbabile “top 10”, palesemente a fine ironico, legata in qualche modo al mondo dell’heavy metal. Sul numero di dicembre, per fare un esempio, è stata proposta la top 10 degli effetti per chitarra ancora da inventare, dominata dall’“Anti-Paramore”, un pedale che fulmina sul momento chiunque pensi soltanto di suonare un brano della famigerata emo-band americana. Oggi invece vi propongo la classifica pubblicata sul numero di ottobre (Top 10 Metal Gig Punter Stereotypes), che passa in rassegna dieci inquietanti stereotipi di personaggi in cui è probabile imbattersi andando a un concerto metal. Riconoscete qualcuno – o peggio ancora voi stessi – in uno dei seguenti? Spero proprio di no!

10 > L’old-schooler. Brizzolato, pancia da alcolista, barba opzionale, t-shirt sbiadita degli Styx (tour mondiale del 1978), sguardo vagamente confuso. Probabilmente ha prestato un album dei Tygers Of Pan Tang a Mosè.

9 > Il gotico. Giacca di pelle nera fino ai piedi, capelli neri, eyeliner, cicatrici poco verosimili sulle braccia, bianco come un lenzuolo, ossessione morbosa per Il Signore degli Anelli. Autentico minchione.

8 > L’idiota glam. Make-up, lacca in abbondanza (che peraltro non nasconde l’imminente calvizie), jeans attillati che gli stanno malissimo, tatuaggi orribili, ridicolamente imbronciato. Decisamente più vecchio di quanto vorrebbe far credere.

7 > Il moccioso deathcore. Frangetta da Hitler, orribile t-shirt multicolore di Ed Hardy, jeans da donna (senza culo), assoluta ignoranza del death metal pre-2006, bisognoso di un pasto decente.

6 > Il necro-poser. T-shirt bianca e nera di una band dal logo illeggibile (e probabilmente inventata), viso sprezzante, vago puzzo di urina, album dei Korn nascosti nell’armadio.

5 > Il fanatico dei Pantera. Due metri di statura, 120 chili, tatuaggi di foglie di marijuana e Dimebag Darrell, indossa t-shirt dei Pantera, pantaloncini dei Pantera, mutande dei Black Label Society, ha una barba lunghissima e probabilmente la cirrosi epatica.

4 > Il papà-di-qualcuno. Occhiali da vista, capelli grigi e scarpe comode, maglietta del tour di Chris Rea (apprezziamo lo sforzo), accompagnato da dodicenne sovreccitato e con gli occhi velati di terrore.

3 > L’eccentrico in abito da sera. Orecchino e capelli appuntiti che tradiscono fedeltà al lato oscuro, valigetta e abbigliamento curato che denotano l’intenzione di guadagnarsi una vita decente. Potenziale serial killer. Alla larga!

2 > La moglie dell’old-schooler. Capelli tinti, niente pancia da alcolista e t-shirt dei Def Leppard, alta a malapena un metro e venti, per il resto del tutto identica al marito, con i jeans attillati che impediscono l’afflusso di sangue al cervello.

1 > Il critico musicale. Sciatto, trasandato, sporco, apparentemente senza amici, bazzica per tutta la sera intorno al bancone del bar, è l’unica persona in tutto il locale con uno zaino, un laptop o un registratore portatile. Non vi fidate.

IL VIDEO: Slayer, Dittohead (da “Divine Intervention”, 1994)