Concert by Lola Astanova - remembering the past

CCCNY got a treat from former member Jahja Ling with limited seating for his concert with pianist Lola Astanova, of the former Soviet Union.

I am writing this so I can throw away the brochure.

Astanova's performance, which was from memory, was well received. However, some have noticed minor mistakes and the New York Times complained she lacked passion.

Everyone loved Jahja's conducting, of which I didn't pay much attention as I do not know how to judge it.

The accompanying orchestra was Orchestra of St. Luke. One of its cello member was Arthur Fiacco, who also played for OSNY. Looking him up, I stumbled upon the fact that his "partner" is Kent Tritle, conductor of OSNY. I read an article on their lives together, nothing repugnant at all. This lead me to consider how sexually irrelevant many gay cases are, not that I know any intimate lifestyle of the Tritle/Fiacco couple.

I only decided to go to the concert after learning of the pieces being played. Tante Lyna or Rev. Lin love to invite people to concerts held by people they know. I however, not having much time, must choose the pieces first, performers secondary.

The pieces played are well known by many:

1. Suppe (1819-1895) Overture to Light Calvary

2. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat minor, Op. 23  Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso-allegro con spirit
Andantino semplice-Prestissimo
Alegro con fuoco

3. Smetana (1824-1884) Three Dances from The Bartered Bride  Polka
Furiant
Skonca: Dance of the Comedians

4. Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Moderato
Adagio sostenuto
Allegro scherzando

After the performance, Rev. Lin had Ning Ning call everyone to backstage to meet the musicians. I, Nadia and Willy passed and went home. We weren't the only ones. I thought, it's unnecessary. I am grateful for the invitation tickets, but I'll pass the privilege of a backstage groupie.

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J.I. Packer Suspended

Kudos to J.I. Packer. Although, I find it more news worthy that why he's there in the first place before walking out on the caucus.

My guess is, it has to do with all these respect people's privacy dilemma. So, no one knows others' true intention until one has to walk out against it in the last moment.

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BBM on Android...coming soon, finally

Finally, this summer. This article mentions when. I can't believe how other news sources are so ignorant about this deadline fact.

At least I do not have to write this program myself for iphone for my wife.

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Sharing things

reading posts shared on Facebook, I conclude:

To share others' works: a book, a post, an article, etc., give a couple of summary points of the reason for sharing. Summary but not generalized. Otherwise, it's better to just share one's own work.

Ultimately, it's still sharing your own work no matter what.

This is when one shares in a way that insists others to listen.

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Meet the Chinese 'censors' who watch 700 pornographic movies every week

This happens because of the so called today's definition of "art". Solving this is actually as simple as banning all of them, not categorizing them or whether or not they have artistic value. Wasting people's tax dollars and time.

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The friendliest Evangelist

It is a popular fad nowadays for preachers and pastors to claim how many homosexual friends they have around them. This is to show how gracious they are, how open minded they are willing to be. Some made a practice of their ministry, showing the world what a peacemaker they are that you can find very few if not hardly any enemies against them.

To this, my response is Matthew 10:25: It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Jesus didn't suffer for us to become successful peacemakers. He suffered for us to be courageous peacemakers.

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Eating Insects

I eat insects. Hope they will be in more places than just Thailand.

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Skin Tags Cure?

This is circulating on FaceBook, I am not sure of its validity.

Got a skin tag? Well, the hard fact to deal with is the older we get the more likely these things are going to appear on our body. In most cases, all a skin tag is a benign tumor that is harmless. This said, you should always consult with your doctor if something out of the ordinary shows up on your body. Once you determine that it is not serious, you can go about with these home remedies to remove skin tags from your body. This article will show you how to remove a skin tag naturally....And the best news is that you can do this from the comfort of your house...

3 Herbal Treatments to remove skin tags that actually work

I could go over the typical remove a skin with duct tape or fingernail polish and they do work but can be painful. Instead, in this article I am going to focus on herbal remedies to treat skin tags. The upside to herbal remedies is that they are less invasive than other "fast" remedies. The downside is that they take a little more time and consistency in order for them to work....

Tea Trea Oil- Tea tree oil works very well for removing skin tags as well as moles. In fact, tea tree oil is used on various skin disorders. To use this all you need is a little tea tree oil and a cotton ball. Soak the cotton ball in the oil and apply it directly to the affected area. Do this once or twice daily for up to 4 weeks or until the skin tag vanishes.

Castor Oil- Most of you are too young to remember castor oil but this oil was used on a wide variety of common ailments and can be taken both internally and externally. The good news is that you will be using castor oil as an external ointment (I still shudder whenever I think of drinking that stuff). Here is what you will do. Take a little baking soda and mix it with the castor oil to create a paste. I suggest you add some citrus oil as it will stink to high heaven. Apply it to the affected area and cover with a band-aid. The typical time it will take is 2-4 weeks before the skin tag vanishes.

Apple Cider Vinegar-Apple cider vinegar works very well for removing skin tags and the good news is that you can buy it in a grocery store for fairly cheap. Just like tea tree oil, you simply dab some of it on a q-tip or cotton ball and apply it directly to the skin tag. Unlike the tea tree oil, Apple Cider vinegar may cause a stinging sensation for a couple minutes after being applied. Typical time until the skin tag vanishes?....2-4 weeks.

Those are just 3 herbal treatments that you can use to remove skin tags. If you don't mind waiting a couple weeks and can discipline yourself to treating the skin tag at least once a day, then these will naturally treat your skin tags from your home.

Posted in Biology, Botany, Questions | Leave a comment

Ordo Salutis

The Order of Salvation.

A question about the order of regeneration and repentance prompted me to remind myself of the term Ordo Salutis, I first heard from R.C. Sproul, I think. He's a good teacher of theology.

The reformed camp's order:

In the Reformed camp, the ordo salutis is 1) election/predestination (in Christ), 2) Atonement 3) gospel call 4) inward call 5) regeneration, 6) conversion (faith & repentance), 7) justification, 8) sanctification, and 9) glorification. (Rom 8:29-30).

 

Posted in Theologization, Vocabularies | Leave a comment

Standing on the Shoulders of the Saints

This should be used as a mean, not as an end.

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