Day 2 - Quebec City

A long day where we went to St. Anne de Beaupré cathedral, le montmorency chute, and a quick walk around Old Quebec. We ended it by having a delicious dinner at Le Laupin Sauté, where we had a delicious Rabbit & Duck plate with a bottle of red wine, seen here.

Day 1 - Montreal de nuit

Our first night, after 8h30 of driving, was spent out on the town in Montreal. Pat was kind enough to drive us around and show us the real nightlife of Montreal.

Let's enforce the NDAA now!

On August 8th, it was announced that our democratically elected president, His Royal Highness George W. Obama, is asking the judicial branch to bless his authority to indefinitely detain American citizens without due process if someone is thought by the government to have aided and/or abetted terrorists. This power, which was given to him by congress in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (section 1021), was stricken down by a judge after reporters and activists sued in a Manhattan court alleging that it was unconstitutional and could easily lead to abuses. Undeterred, our constitutional scholar of a president is appealing the decision to have this power reinstated. On top of that, the White House's lawyers are not confirming or denying that they are complying with this ruling.

What should we do about this? Let's reinstate it and enforce it immediately!

Before I proceed to explain why I support this important piece of legislation, allow me to quote the disputed section of this now law of the land (highlights added for clarity):

SEC. 1021. AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF
THE UNITED STATES TO DETAIN COVERED PERSONS
PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY
FORCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Congress affirms that the authority of the
President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to
the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40;
50 U.S.C. 1541 note) includes the authority for the Armed Forces
of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection
(b)) pending disposition under the law of war.
(b) COVERED PERSONS.—A covered person under this section
is any person as follows:
(1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided
the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001,
or harbored those responsible for those attacks.
(2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported
al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged
in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners,
including any person who has committed a belligerent act or
has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy
forces.
(c) DISPOSITION UNDER LAW OF WAR.—The disposition of a
person under the law of war as described in subsection (a) may
include the following:
(1) Detention under the law of war without trial until
the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for
Use of Military Force.
(2) Trial under chapter 47A of title 10, United States
Code (as amended by the Military Commissions Act of 2009
(title XVIII of Public Law 111–84)).
(3) Transfer for trial by an alternative court or competent
tribunal having lawful jurisdiction.
(4) Transfer to the custody or control of the person’s country
of origin, any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity.
(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section is intended to limit
or expand the authority of the President or the scope of the
Authorization for Use of Military Force....

As someone who values the wisdom and dedication of our fair politicians, who want nothing more than the preservation of the greatness of the American way of life and its values, I stand against the opponents of the NDAA 2012. I argue that if we were to implement this provision right now, taking into indefinite detention and possible military court those that are supporting the initiative of terrorists bent on destroying us, we can start to truly bring peace back to our land.

I'd like to focus on one of the main reasons that groups like Al Qaeda and its ofshoots continue to grow in strength and numbers, something that substantially supports terroristic trends against the USA. According to a New York Times article from September 24th, 2006, the National Intelligence Estimate of that same year concluded that the occupation of Iraq and other middle eastern countries has, instead of reducing the threat of terrorisim, helped it spread throughout the globe. The article goes on to say:

The estimate concludes that the radical Islamic movement has expanded from a core of Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups to include a new class of “self-generating” cells inspired by Al Qaeda’s leadership but without any direct connection to Osama bin Laden or his top lieutenants.

Given that the US government has concluded that its own foreign policy of peace through war has helped the spread of Al Qaeda and its subsidiaries, it would seem that those that have perpetuated these polices are substantially supporting forces that are engaged in hostilities against the USA. Thankfully we live in a land of lawfulness and equality! If the White House successfully appeals the Manhattan court's decision, then it should proceed to detain the Obama (and Bush!), their staff, and all congressmen that have supported the US's military endeavors in the Middle East since 2001, and held "under the law of war without trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force."

Unfrotunately, these hostilities don't seem to have an end in sight, so the President et al might have to hunker down and wait for some time until they get some sort of hearing for their acts of treason against the United States of America. But thankfully we are a nation of laws, enacted to protect us and our values. With a government cleared of people that substantially support terrorists, we might indeed become safer and hopefully return to truly be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Pax Humana!

Nocturne in f by F. Chopin

My most recent endeavour into piano music is Chopin's Nocturne in f, Op. 55 No. 1. I was entranced by the simple, repeated melody and Chopin's talent of introducing small variations to keep you on your toes. The piece, in a minor key which tend to gain my favor, had caught my ear when I saw Vladimir Horowitz' 1965 televised recital in Carnegie Hall. His touching performance convinced me to attempt the piece (not being able to get it out of my head contributed to this), and so last month I embarked on this adventure. Using one of Grandpa's old sheet music (complete collection of Chopin's Nocturnes) I plowed in and was pleased to discover that with some years of piano practice I can pickup new pieces with more ease.
At the point of writing this, I am halfway (two pages) into the piece and work on refining what I have already learned. I will admit that the first two pages are probably the easiest in terms of technique, but I am pleased with the results nonetheless. The next two pages are a bit more agitated, so it may take more time to get to a satisfiable level. I am most worried about the stretto section towards the end, where I need to accelerate on the right hand and yet play lightly. I have had to learn to play like that before, in Chopin's Nocturne in E Op. 9, No. 2, yet that section is in octaves and has some slight leaps. In the end, the technique for these two nocturnes' stretto sections is different and may prompt a post on the experiential difference later on.
Here is a rough draft of the first half of the nocturne.

Happy Friday to all!

9/11 Memorial

We recently had a chance to visit the NYC 9/11 memorial. It was a very thoughtful location that constantly highlights the deaths caused by the felling of the WTC buildings. I recommend that everyone visits it at one point or another. More pictures to be in the gallery.

Do Good

Grandpa was a larger than life kind of person. He had such an impact on those that knew him, and even those that did not. His magic touch could be seen in living rooms around the world, happy hours, offices, neighbourhoods, choirs, and especially in our lives.
I can only personally attest to a portion of his legacy, having been raised in the amazing family he gave life to with Grandma. A family of joy and thoughtfulness where we are free to discover ourselves and always have a helping hand when we fall. This raises the question: how do you achieve that?
Grandpa personally taught me how to build a snowman, to ride a bicycle, to drive a lawnmower and a car. I would like to apologize to anyone affected by that last one. I also would not have persevered in learning the piano without his encouragement. He also showed me that one can make it to 62 years of marriage and attain personal success with a lot of work. But again: how?
During these last couple of days I have come to realize just how many lives were made a little brighter by Grandpa. You could have known him for a couple of hours or a couple of decades, yet the consensus seems to be the same: he was a thoughtful man who lived a simple life and believed in enjoying it to the fullest with everyone he came in touch with. So knowing what he did for so long, What was his secret?
The answer to this nagging question came to me as I went through some of my things earlier this week. It proved to be the key to understanding Grandpa's approach to life. It was a message written on a copy of his own book that he had autographed for me. Being a man of short words, he had written only two:

Do Good


-Ed2

Grandpa's Obituary - by David L. Crow

Edward L. Crow lost his battle with heart and kidney disease on July 5, 2012. Surviving are his wife Carol of 62 years, sons Wayne and wife Debbie, David and wife Carmen, Stephen and wife Sue and a daughter Debbie; 6 highly achieving grandchildren, Eduardo and wife Estela, Kevin, Gary, Nathan, Jesse and Anna.

Born in Cameron, West Virginia, he graduated Valedictorian from Cameron High School in 1944. He received a B.A. in Economics from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon in 1949 (where he met his future wife). Ed served in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1946. He attended a summer session at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland with courses in European Economics and Political Science. In 1951,

Edward and Carol married on April 2, 1950. They established themselves in Philadelphia to continue studies, start a family and professional endeavors. Ed received an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia with a major in marketing. Ed's first job out of graduate school was with the Atlantic Richfield Refinery Company. They later moved back to West Virginia to help expand Carol's father's hardware store business. Then, they moved back to Philadelphia for Ed to pursue a Ph.D. in Marketing, while lecturing at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. He subsequently worked at the Saturday Evening Post, National Analysts and Behavior Systems Inc.

In 1972, Ed formed E. L. Crow, Inc. Marketing and Economic Consultants. As a marketing consultant, Ed developed and worked closely with a wide variety of government, non-profit, private and commercial clients directing market feasibility studies. Some of the more noteworthy communities that he helped to redevelop were, among others, Old City Philadelphia, Manayunk, Pittsburgh, Ephrata, Schwenksville, Kennett Square, Albany NY and Savannah GA.

Ed had a vision of what the world could be like ... of neighborhoods working together to create a better life in the community. His believe was that economic motivation should lead community development. He uniquely related to both the man on the street and to those in the corporate board room, the community activist to the business retailer. He was welcomed in the black, Hispanic and various other ethnic mix communities in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and small town business districts from Savannah, GA to Albany, NY. His impact never sought recognition, but gave credit to others. He never compromised his integrity or lost faith in a higher good. He gave much more of himself than he was ever paid and he maintained a clear vision of who he was and where he stood. Once contemplating a life of full-time Christian service, his pragmatic side won and he determined that the world needed more strong Christian business persons.

In 2003, he published a book "Paths and Pitfalls" - on the way to a new vibrancy in older retail districts focusing on the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk.

Ed had always been passionate about helping others through his involvement in community and church. He was a member of Masonic Lodge, church choir and active leader with the Boy Scouts and at church and community councils.

Ed had a zest for life, good humor, good work ethic, was a successful professional, faithful husband, proud father and grandfather. He was an example to family and friends as a devoted Christian family man.

A memorial service will be held at his church First Presbyterian Church of Springfield in Flourtown on July 14 at 11:00am.

Goodbye Grandpa

Grandpa, aka Edward L. Crow, passed away on the morning of July 5th in his sleep. It was his time to rest, and he'd earned it. He was a couple of weeks shy of turning 85. His joy and humor will be greatly missed, yet it rests on us to continue on with his life traditions (specially with his Happy Hours). Here is my favorite picture of him that helps us remember his visage, smile, and sense of humor. You can find more in the gallery.

 

Saint-Saens: The Bridge from Classical to Modern.

    Born Charles-Camille Saint-Saens in 1835, while Chopin still lived, Saint-Saens shone in many aspects of his long life which ended in 1921. He excelled in the playing of the piano and organ, composition, teaching, philosophy, biology and astronomy. He is most known for the “joke music” Le Carnaval des Animaux (which Disney uses often), and  the creepy ‘Danse Macabre.’
    He was gifted in sight reading, which made Hans von Bulow proclaim him to be “the greatest musical mind” of the era. Considering Bulow was Liszt’s son-in-law, this was quite a statement. He was often characterized as being to “sanitary” in his music, refraining from pyrotechnics and heavy showmanship that the public liked during that time. If you listen to a decent sample of his works, you’ll probably get a sense of the elegance of his composition, rarely being excessive in any particular way. He did experiment, specially towards the end of his life, a trend that can be found in many composers.
    He had the unique distinction of being the first renowned composer to score a (newly emerging medium) motion picture, a feat that highlights the life-span of this magnificent musical mind. During his life he inspired other titans like Sergei Rachmaninoff, and pianist Claudio Arrau.

    Recommended listening:

-The Carnival of the Animals
- Piano Concerto No. 2
    +Movement No. 1 A
    +Movement No. 1 B
    +Movement No. 2
    +Movement No. 3
-Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)

Alkan: the Unknown Romantic

Charles-Valentin Alkan was brought to my attention by my good friend Brian. Contemporary of Liszt, Chopin, and the rest, he had a very independent view of music, and was eccentric both in personality and composition. He explored dissonance much more than the “conservative romantics” (Schumann et al.), and and seems to have influenced Liszt in his compositions. Liszt of course championed his peers music, helping keep Alkan’s ouvre alive despite the composers apathy for society. He became a hermit later in life, and his work was slowly forgotten.
His works have quite an emotional range: from the lyricism known to Chopin (his neighbour), the virtuosity of Liszt, the mysticism of Scriabin. All during or before their works came to be. They tend to be moody and dark, yet sometimes I feel that he captures the essence of happiness and desperation with his awe inspiring composition.
As a performer, he was known for his impeccable technique and virtuosity. Even Liszt complimented this master’s prowess.


Some recommended pieces from him are:

Symphony for Solo Piano
Concerto for Solo Piano
Grade Sonate “Les Quatre Ages”

An Introduction to Scriabin

A more modern Russian composer was Alexander Scriabin. He was born in 1872, and lived to meet great musicians like Rachmaninoff and Horowitz, whom were influenced by his work and played them often. He was initially a melodic composer in the line of Chopin, yet he developed his own musical character turning the piano into a percussion instrument, as Horowitz described it. His later works were driven by a poetic and mystical vision of music, where Scriabin linked colours to notes and chords, making him a unique composer amongst all of the great Russian writers. As a note of interest, Scriabin’s last five sonatas were written without a key signature, solidifying his desire to experiment with music; he helped transcend music from tonal to harmonic.
He predicted a great career for the young Horowitz, who visited him shortly before he died. His Etude Op. 8 No. 12 in D-Sharp minor (“Patetico”) is a riveting piece full of examples of Scriabin’s genius. It is quite hard to play, and one can easily perceive the desperate nature of the Patetico piece. It is a study for octaves, jumps, repetitive chord strikes, and massive stretches. There is little respite throughout the work until the very end, as you can see in this excellent video of Horowitz during his prime.

A Sigh from Liszt

Franz Liszt was a prolific writer of music for all types of performances. From the racy Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 that everyone seems to remember, to mournful and introspective works like his “Via Crucis.” I have read and studied Liszt’s life and constantly find gems of music that are not as popular as the limited warhorses he used to play in his youth. One of the recent encounters of this nature I had was with his concert etude in D flat major, ‘Un Sospiro.’
It’s a very flowing piece that deceives the ears into thinking it’s three hands playing the keyboard. Pianist Leslie Howard states that Liszt took a liking to use this etude in his later years, and encouraged his students to come up with their own cadenzas. It’s an excercise in crossing hands, keeping the hands fluid in how they recite the simple melody. Here I include an old but good video that shows the technical demands on the pianist.

Here you can find a good video by Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin. I’ve seen him perform live at the Lincoln center and have his book on pianist composers. Let the music flow.