Warm Thoughts

Debate Summary

There was another Republican presidential candidate debate last night in Las Vegas. In my opinion, it wasn't of much value in part because there were still too many candidates on the stage...

...and in part because the "moderators" spent far too much precious time trying to instigate disagreements between specific pairs of candidates. Even the biggest narcissist on the stage, asshat Donald Trump, felt that too many of the questions focused on him.

Nothing happened last night to change my leanings (Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio,
and to a lesser extent Ted Cruz), but at this point it isn't clear that people are paying much attention to new developments in the race. We'll see what the New Year brings...

"Who really cares about politics this time of year anyway, am I right?"

You absolutely are, yes...

Happy Birthday, Maestro!

Ludwig van Beethoven, by Hugo Hagen

Although we have no official record of it, most historians regard December 16, 1770 as the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven because we know he was baptized on December 17, and it was traditional at that time for the baptism to take place a day after a child's birth.



I consider Beethoven to be the greatest composer in all of classical music, and his works have enriched my life beyond measure.

It is too long a clip to use for a closing send-off, but in honor of the maestro's birthday, here is a bracing performance of his magnificent Piano Concerto No. 5 featuring Murray Perahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields:

Christmas Movies & TV Shows

Title card from the episode

One of my favorite things about the TV series Supernatural, now in its 11th season, is the way it deftly combines elements of horror and suspense with more lighthearted elements.



One of the best examples of this approach was the show's 2007 Christmas episode, the 8th episode of Season Three.

One very fudged up Christmas party.

The plot of the episode is difficult to summarize, but suffice it to say that it culminates in the Winchester brothers having to fight for their lives to avoid being turned into Christmas dinner.



This scene featured a line that went on to become a catchphrase of sorts for fans of the show: "You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you." And he did...

My "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree: Day Three

This one was "just right."

The decorating process continued yesterday, but I am still not happy enough with the arrangement of the lights to hang the ornaments (you have to get the lights right first, or you'll go nuts trying to adjust them after the ornaments are already hung).

I'm pretty pleased with the little Nativity scene I found at Hobby Lobby, though. Not too small, not too big.

Until Next Time...

I lived for many years in St. Joseph, Missouri, and one of the points of St. Joe civic pride that was often touted this time of year was the fact that classical composer and teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis, a St. Joseph native who graduated from St. Joseph High School (now known as Central High School), had written the beloved Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally titled "The Carol of the Drum").

Cover of 1958 Harry Simeon Chorale single

That song has always resonated deeply with me. For as far back as I can remember, Christmas has been for me a mixture of joy and melancholy. The latter emotion was due in part to my own feelings of unworthiness to receive so many wonderful gifts each year, in part because I often felt that the gifts
I was giving to others weren't as special as I wished them to be, and in part due to my frustration at not being able to do more for those who lived lives far less materially comfortable than my own.



Davis's simple song taps into those emotions, but also reminds me that it is, after all, the spirit of a gift that really matters. It is that message, along with the song's simplicity, that has led to its being recorded hundreds of times over the years, by artists from almost every musical genre.

Faith Hill is an award-winning country singer who successfully crossed over into the popular market as well. At last count, she has sold more than 40 million records worldwide. And, like many popular recording artists, she has recorded an album of Christmas music. Her Joy to the World album was released in 2008, and is one of my favorites in the genre.

I have a weakness for distinctive singing voices, both male and female, and Faith's mezzo-soprano has a clarity and power that has always appealed to me, whether she is singing in the country style or more in the popular idiom.

Today's send-off is her particularly moving version of "The Little Drummer Boy" from Joy to the World. Enjoy...and if you feel a tear welling up, I'm right there with you...

224 Candles

Happy Birthday, Individual Liberty!

Well-played, Anti-Federalists, well-played.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, became law 224 years ago today, when Virginia's vote to ratify satisfied the Article V requirements.

Drafted by James Madison, these landmark provisions were designed to safeguard individual liberties and circumscribe the power of the central government.

As you know if you read this blog reasonably often, I believe the freedoms codified in this document are under sustained assault by the progressive left and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself), and their political manifestation, the Democratic Party.

Whether freedom will prevail over the totalitarian impulses of certain segments of the population remains to be seen. The self-evident truths that this nation was founded upon, and the political structures we put in place to embody them, have never been in greater peril.

In the meantime, though...

"...and many more!"

Let's hope so...

Christmas Movies & TV Shows

George C. Scott as Scrooge

The great Charles Dickens novella  
A Christmas Carol has been the basis for many motion pictures and television programs. You can actually get quite an argument going this time of year as to which filmed version of the familiar story is the best one.




I try to avoid getting into those conversations, but this space is for self-expression,
so I don't mind telling you that my favorite version of the Dickens tale is the 1984  
A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, one of my favorite actors.

There are numerous charms to this particular film, but I think what appeals to me most is watching Scott portray Scrooge as a fully-realized person and not just the usual caricature. That he could stay true to the Dickens character yet infuse him with such humanity even before his famous nightmares begin says a lot about Scott's brilliance as an actor.

My "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree: Day Two

My "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" project continues apace. After a successful shopping trip to Hobby Lobby yesterday, I began the process of decorating the tree last night.

I bought a serving platter to use as a slightly more stable base, and added some of that white, fluffy batting around the bottom. Eventually, I hope to add a Nativity scene, and perhaps some other decorations...

The next step was to add lights. HL had a 50-bulb set appropriate for a tree of this size, and while I still have some adjustments to make after I have hung the ornaments, I tested the lights last night and was pleased with the results.

"It's going to be SO funny when the cats knock it over."

Not going to happen...

Until Next Time...

My first clear memories of most Christmas carols and hymns come from Catholic school when I was young. Every school I attended had a Christmas program where each class performed one or two songs, with the finale being all of the classes singing a song together ("Silent Night" was a favorite for that honor). Some songs were easy to learn and to sing, but a few were difficult for me. I always dreaded "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" because I just couldn't hit the notes correctly.

The lyrics to the carol were written by Unitarian minister Edmund Sears in 1849. Oddly, there are two popular versions of the song. One of them pairs the Sears lyrics with the 1850 melody "Carol," written by Richard Storrs Willis. The other uses the melody "Noël," written in 1874 by Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan renown). The former version (often called the "American" version) is by far the more popular, but the latter version (referred to as the "English" version), has its charms also. You can listen to a great performance of the "Noël" version by clicking here.

Chanticleer is an all-male choral group founded in 1978 to revive medieval and Renaissance choral music in the style in which it was originally performed. The group
is named after a rooster that appears in many stories from medieval literature, most notably in "The Nun's Priest's Tale," by Geoffrey Chaucer (there is actually a community theater group in Council Bluffs which also bears that name).

I first encountered the group's wonderful music in the fall of 1997, with their album Reflections. I was searching for a particular song for a show I was directing, and that search led me to their album, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have all of their Christmas albums now, and highly recommend them if you like a cappella choir music. Peerless.

Today's send-off is the group's sublime rendition of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" using the "Carol" melody. Enjoy...

Treed

Barking Up the Wrong One

One of my principal objections to the way politics unfolds nowadays on the conservative end of the spectrum (where I have lived ideologically for nearly 50 years) is that almost everyone seems convinced that the best way to convince me to support their preferred candidate is to trash all of the other candidates and/or call people who support those other candidates vile names.

Of course, one of the two problems with that rhetorical strategy (which is ubiquitous on Twitter and other social networking platforms, and which has taken root in more conventional conservative media as well) is that it employs an absurd double-standard where other candidates' flaws are trumpeted, while the preferred candidate's are waved away as trivial, or ignored altogether. Every candidate has flaws. It just makes an advocate look ridiculous to pretend otherwise, and to make those flaws the raison d'être for opposing that candidate. I think we are better served by considering the candidates more holistically.

The other problem is that, in general, people are more persuaded by positive messages than negative ones. The best way to convince me to support Rand Paul, let's say, isn't
to trash the other candidates. It is to highlight what you perceive to be Senator Paul's strengths (which happen to be considerable).

To some extent, I blame political consultants for this problem, but in the end we are responsible for our own behavior. Candidates (and their advocates) who consistently put forth a positive message will win me over much more successfully than candidates (and their advocates) who spend their time attacking their Republican rivals and anyone who supports them.

For the record...

I think Marco Rubio is a good man, and a staunch conservative. I think he would make a fine President, and I have contributed to his campaign.

I think Carly Fiorina is a good woman, and a staunch conservative. I think she would make a fine President, and
I have contributed to her campaign.

I think Ted Cruz is a good man, and a staunch conservative. I think he would make a fine President, and
I have contributed to his campaign.




If you prefer someone else, more power to you. I'm always happy to discuss these things, calmly and rationally. Who knows, one of us might even change the other's mind ("the art of persuasion, beautiful and just," as those of us in the rhetorical arts like to say).
But if you start attacking me personally the moment you find out I don't support your candidate, you do that candidate no good service, as I will simply tune you out (as will most other voters you might be trying to persuade).

"Wait! You have attacked that Trump fellow and his supporters pretty harshly."

That's different. Trump isn't a conservative, or even a Republican, really, and most of his supporters aren't either. Fuck 'em...

Things That Make Me Happy: Hot Streak Edition

In a game marred by a constant downpour, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs did just enough to defeat the San Diego Chargers 10-3 yesterday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. The win was the team's seventh straight, and at 8-5 the Chiefs are still in the hunt for the playoffs. Quite remarkable given the team's 1-5 start.

QB Alex Smith threw an interception, a rare occurrence. He had gone 312 straight pass attempts without throwing one, a team record and the second-longest streak in NFL history. Alex managed to throw for 191 yards and a touchdown in the downpour, but the key to the win was the 150 yards the Chiefs racked up on the ground.

Alex wore gloves for the first time trying to combat the wet conditions.

Next up is the final regular-season road game, against the 4-9 Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

My "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree: Day One

It was raining yesterday morning when I left home to go to 8:00 Mass at St. Peter's. It was still raining when Mass let out, so I was walking with my head down when I stopped at the Hy-Vee on the way home. That drew my attention to some small Christmas trees and wreaths they had on display outside, and in particular to one little guy standing off by himself...

I spent a good part of the rest of the afternoon wishing I had brought the little tree home with me the first time I saw him, so after the Chiefs game ended I went back to Hy-Vee to see if he was still there. He was...and it was still raining...

I took him inside and after a ridiculously long wait finally got someone to take my money. They bagged him up, and when I got him home I parked him on top of one of my Bose 201 loudspeakers.

  

Once I had him out of the bag and put some water in his stand, he opened up a bit, and I could see that he is reasonably symmetrical. He also smells...like my childhood, actually.
It has been awhile since my living space smelled like a fir tree. It is a magical scent...

For the record, he's a Fraser fir, and today
I will be heading over to Hobby Lobby to get some appropriate decorations. I'm sure HL will have plenty of stuff that will work well with such a small tree (if you're not buying your Christmas decorations at Hobby Lobby, you're out of your ever-lovin' mind).

It should be a lot of fun decorating him. I'll document the process here, of course.

"You have a plan to keep the cats from attacking him?"

At the moment? No...

Christmas Movie & TV Shows

A sufficient number of "steamboats."

One TV show I'm fond of that always does a good job with its Christmas episodes is the Hart Hanson police procedural comedy/drama Bones, now in its 11th season. The show is based on characters created by mystery novelist Kathy Reichs.

My favorite of their Christmas episodes is Season Three's
"The Santa in the Slush." Although they are not romantically involved (yet),
Dr. Temperance Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel) agrees to kiss FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (played by David Boreanaz) under some mistletoe in order to get something she needs from a co-worker.

Of course, she winds up enjoying the experience, as her co-worker knew perfectly well that she would...

It has been arranged for Brennan to spend Christmas Eve with her father and brother, who are incarcerated, and her brother's wife and children. No Christmas decorations are allowed in the prison trailer where the family gathering will take place, so Booth and his son arrange a unique "Christmas miracle."

They set up a Christmas tree within sight of the prison trailer, powering the tree's lights with Booth's car battery. He calls Bones on her cellphone and has her and her loved ones look out the window...

Yup. Every single time...

Until Next Time...

Most of the Christmas hymns and carols I was taught in school are English in origin, with an occasional song that originated in France, or sometimes Ireland. But "O Tannenbaum" is German, and I actually learned the German version before I even knew there was an English translation. In fact, it was in those 20th century translations that Christmas gets featured. The original German lyrics simply sing the praises of the faithful evergreen tree.

Like most songs that can be taught easily to young children, "O Tannenbaum" is quite simple musically. A lot of artists get a little heavy-handed with their orchestrations, trying to make what is essentially a children's song into something more substantial. Not a good idea.

More to my liking are versions that preserve the charming simplicity of the song, like today's send-off. I wrote about Vince Guaraldi and his landmark soundtrack for the original 1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas special last Thursday. Guaraldi's jazz-inflected rendition of "O Tannenbaum" is one of the highlights of the score for me, true to the original but also with a whimsical charm of its own. Enjoy...

Joyful

Third Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete Sunday, or Joy Sunday. It is on this day that the Advent spirit of anticipation and preparation (including penance) is
set aside as we revel in the joy and gladness of the impending birth of Jesus.

The candle for Gaudete Sunday is called the Shepherd's Candle, after
the shepherds to whom the angels appeared to herald the coming of the Christ Child. Instead of lavender or purple, the Shepherd's Candle is traditionally a pink or rose color.

Christmas Movies & TV Shows

It is traditional for American television shows to acknowledge the Christmas season with holiday-themed episodes (even though the actual "Christmas" episodes are often filmed in July). And, traditionally, these are often my least favorite episodes of my favorite shows, as they typically descend into secular banalities.

The political drama The West Wing was an exception to this rule. I enjoyed every Christmas (and Thanksgiving) episode for its seven-season run. My favorite Christmas episode was "Bartlet for America," the ninth episode of the show's third season.

I had been introduced to the show by my late best friend Matt, and we often discussed how the relationships among some of the show's characters mirrored our own friendship. The epitome of this was a scene near the end of "Bartlet for America," a scene that could reduce both Matt and me to blubbering wrecks.

The President's Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, played by the late John Spencer, returns to his office late on Christmas Eve after spending the day at a grueling congressional hearing over a matter that could force him to resign. His best friend, who also happens to be the President of the United States, Jed Bartlet (portrayed by Martin Sheen), is waiting for him there. And, after a bit of their characteristic banter, the President gives his friend a Christmas gift.

When McGarry first approached Bartlet to run for president years before, he had closed his pitch by giving Bartlet a cocktail napkin on which he had hand-written the slogan "Bartlet for America"...

I know you do, old friend...

Tough Loss

My Army Black Knights lost to Navy 21-17 yesterday in the annual Army-Navy Game. It was a disappointing loss, as Army led for much of the game, and had numerous opportunities to take the lead in the 4th quarter. They simply turned the ball over too many times in Navy territory.

In yesterday's post I mentioned that Navy was sporting snazzy new helmets for the game which featured various naval warships. At the time I wrote that item, I didn't know that the Black Knights would also be wearing special helmets for the game. Here's what Army's helmets looked like...

Congratulations to both teams for a hard-fought, clean game, one of the best I've seen this college football season. A real barn burner!

Always Remember

Until Next Time...

What better song with which to celebrate Joy Sunday than the traditional English hymn "Joy to the World"? The early 18th-century lyrics by the prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts were inspired by Psalm 98, and in 1839 the American composer Lowell Mason put the hymn to music he based on a melody by George Handel. The result is one of the most beloved of all Christmas hymns and carols. According to one reputable source, it is the most-published hymn in North America, and by a wide margin.

Today's send-off is a moving live performance of the hymn by singer-songwriter David Archuleta, accompanied by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. The arrangement is by composer Sam Cardon, and it was recorded in December 2010 at the famous LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Enjoy...and if you do, consider buying Glad Christmas Tidings, the DVD of that concert...

Seasonal Nostalgia

Christmas Shopping Memories

It has been 20 years since my family's last full-blown Christmas get-together. The tradition ended when my mom passed away in the spring of 1996 (as in many families, mom was the ringmaster of that particular circus).

Even now, though, I still run across things that remind me of those family Christmases. My fondest memories are of the ones we all spent together in Kansas City, the family's home beginning in 1967. How vividly I can recall some of the "traditional" shopping I did for family members in those glorious pre-Internet days!

Topsy's at the Crown Center Shops

I was usually tasked with making sure dad got his tub of Topsy's popcorn, which he would cheerfully munch on while reading the books he got for Christmas (books were by far the most popular gifts for every member of my family).

The elusive dark chocolate species

Another of my tasks was making sure mom got her box of Queen Anne chocolate-covered cherries. Made by Brach's, it was easy to find the milk chocolate variety, but I was stubborn enough to keep shopping around to find the dark chocolate version she preferred.

The tradition of getting high-end pipe tobacco for my older brother began when I worked at a clothing store just around the corner from Diebel's on the Country Club Plaza. I would typically get one of his favorites, along with a new variety recommended for him by the store's very knowledgeable staff. Everyone always wanted a sniff when he'd open that particular gift.

My younger brother liked music and movies, but his tastes ran to the rather obscure at times, so Penny Lane Records in Westport was a regular stop for me at Christmas time. If they didn't have something, nobody did.

The famous mirrored storefront

I was also responsible for providing a couple of boxes of Russell Stover chocolates for the whole family to share. You could actually go to a store and hand-pick what you wanted in your box, which meant that no one ever had to put up with crappy coconut centers...

"You're going to have to climb down off that hobby horse someday."

Coconut is NOT a "cream center," no matter what Russell Stover says...

Christmas Movies & TV Shows

Original 1994 "one sheet" poster

Not long after I got divorced, I happened across a movie that became one my all-time Christmas favorites.

Released in March of 1994 (a sign that Touchstone Pictures didn't have much confidence in the film), The Ref quickly vanished from theaters due to lack of promotion. When I first saw it on cable TV somewhere near Christmas of 1996, though, I thought it was brilliant.

Directed by Ted Demme, the film stars Denis Leary as a burglar on the lam who takes a squabbling married couple played by Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey hostage on Christmas Eve while he plots his getaway from a failed job.


In the style of all great farces, events rapidly spin out of Leary's control, and in the end one of the more plausible happy endings I've ever seen takes place.

In addition to the principals, the rest of the star-studded cast does a marvelous job. The film was the big-screen debut for J.K. Simmons.

It is a rare film comedy that can make me laugh out loud even a few times. The Ref can still do it consistently throughout the movie, even though I've seen it many, many times. Watching it on Christmas Eve has been a tradition for me for nearly 20 years.

Highly recommended...

Approved!

For today's traditional game against the Black Knights of Army, the Navy Midshipmen will be wearing helmets featuring a variety of U.S. warships. Very cool move, Navy...

Until Next Time...

On December 12, 1915 Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. You could say he led a remarkable life.

Frank's biggest claim to fame, of course, is as a recording artist. Many people consider him to be the finest singer in the history of American popular music. I'm not part of that club, but he is undeniably a distinctive voice responsible for some of the most famous and beloved music ever recorded.

In the fall of 1957, Sinatra released A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra, his first full-length Christmas album. In addition to Sinatra's smooth vocals, the album featured arrangements of favorite Christmas songs by Gordon Jenkins (who also conducted the studio orchestra for the recordings). Sinatra was also backed by the Ralph Brewster Singers, who often recorded with Jenkins.



The album was his first release on Capitol Records that didn't make the top 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at No. 18, but it continued to sell well for years after its initial release. It eventually became the first Sinatra album to receive a Platinum certification.

Among the various Christmas "standards" on the album was "I'll Be Home For Christmas," which had been a hit for Bing Crosby in 1943 (as the "B" side of "White Christmas"). Frank does wistful very well, and this recording takes full advantage of that skill. I've always been fond of Christmas songs with a tinge of melancholy, but this one never really hit home for me until the first time in my life that I wasn't able to get home to my family on Christmas. A blizzard kept me stuck in Wyoming one year, and ever since then this song is enough to put a lump in my throat...

Today's send-off celebrates Frank's 100th birthday with his rendition of the song paired with a Christmas-themed animation. Enjoy...

The Rights Stuff

Thank Optimus Prime It's Friday!

"Never put your trust in a 'crossover' vehicle, humans. Never!"

They Made a List, They Checked It Twice

I have been very fortunate in my life, and so there is very little in the way of material things that I need or want that I don't already possess.

That being the case, what do I hope Santa brings me for Christmas? Simple: A greater knowledge of
and respect for our Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, by everyone living in this great country of ours.

You see, I'm tired of callow students on college campuses across this land arguing that the 1st Amendment must take a back seat to their feelings.

I'm tired of agencies of my government insisting that the 1st Amendment's protection of religious practice is subject to the whims of petty bureaucrats.

I am tired of being told that the 2nd Amendment's guarantee of a right to bear arms is a "mistake" that needs to be corrected.

I am tired of seeing politicians in both political parties act as if they had never heard of the 4th Amendment.

I am tired of hearing that 5th Amendment guarantees of due process can be ignored
if your name turns up on a secret government list.

This list could go on for awhile, but that might injure my Christmas Spirit, so we'll leave it at this: Santa, I want the republic our Founding Fathers designed for us. I want the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to reclaim their rightful place in our national life, rather than being relegated to mere inconveniences to be discarded when the President, or his agencies, or Congress, or un-elected judges, or candidates running for office, or anyone else, thinks that their political ends justify it.

You don't have to bother to wrap it, Santa...

"He can leave it under your Christmas tree...oh, wait."

We've had this conversation...putting up a tree isn't something I need to do anymore...

Christmas Movies and TV Shows

Original 2007 "one sheet" poster

While it is not a "Christmas" movie, strictly speaking, the most important parts of the 2007 film The Ultimate Gift take place at Christmastime, and so I feel comfortable in including it on my list of favorite Christmas films.

The film is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Jim Stovall. Produced on a modest budget, it was not well-promoted by 20th Century Fox, and so it quickly disappeared from theaters. It became a considerable success on DVD not long afterward, and continues to sell well in that format even today.

It was actually something of an accident that I even found the film in the first place. I was looking for something else, but when I saw that this movie featured two of my favorite actors, James Garner and Brian Dennehy I decided to give it a try.

As it turned out, the whole cast is splendid. The story, while a bit contrived perhaps,
has a good narrative flow, and after awhile the message begins to sink in and you stop worrying about such things.

The film has a number of memorable scenes, and appeals to the sentimental side of me in a big way. My favorites take place on a ranch in Texas, where a belated Christmas celebration is held...

"When Emily...tells Jason...what she really wants for Christmas..."

I know, old friend, I know...me too...

Wordplay

From the indispensable comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

One of the oldest Christmas carols in the English tradition is "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen," which we can trace back as far as the 16th century. Over the centuries both the music and lyrics have been tinkered with by countless hands, with the result that there are probably more variants of this carol than there are stars in the sky. The 19th century substitution of "Ye" for the original "You" is one of the more popular
(if ahistorical) changes, and most of the versions you've heard in your life probably incorporate it. When Charles Dickens refers to the song in his famous story A Christmas Carol, though, he uses "You."

I happen to live just across the Missouri River from the birthplace of a Christmas music phenomenon, Mannheim Steamroller. Songwriter Chip Davis was making a nice living in Omaha in the early 1970s writing commercial jingles and country & western songs, but wanted to explore a fusion of modern musical styles with more classical techniques. After founding his own record label and coming up with "Mannheim Steamroller" as the name of his "group," Davis enjoyed some success beginning in 1975 with a series of instrumental albums celebrating each of the four seasons (the Fresh Aire series).

But it was in 1984 that Davis's creation exploded into the popular culture, with the release of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. The album was a hit, making the Top 50 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (highly unusual for instrumental music of any kind), and eventually earning six platinum certifications. It is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time, and led to subsequent highly successful Christmas releases. Mannheim Steamroller has been a beloved Christmas tradition for more than three decades now.

Today's send-off is the rendition of the "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from that landmark 1984 album. Enjoy...

Latin Lesson

Trump Ipsa Loquitur

I have spent a fair amount of time and intellectual energy trying to figure out what the hell is the deal with asshat Donald Trump.

It's a free country, so he's welcome to run for president if he wishes. But why is he running as a Republican when he's been a progressive Democrat his whole adult life?


Why is he claiming to be a conservative while taking position after position that are anathema to conservatives?

And then there's his habit of saying something completely outrageous every time the Democrats are about to have a few negative news cycles. Whether it's President Obama or Hillary Clinton the press is about to spend time going after, Trump swoops in to make sure that doesn't happen. It's uncanny.

Or maybe it isn't. I'm fond of Ockham's Razor, the philosophical principle which states that the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is to be preferred over more elaborate and complex explanations. In the case of Donald Trump, the simplest explanation for how he is proceeding is that he wants Hillary Clinton to be elected President of the United States.

There is a Latin maxim that seems appropriate to apply here: Cui bono? Who benefits from Mr. Trump's antics? Who benefits from the increasing perception that the Republican party is dominated by Know-Nothings, misogynists, crony capitalists, fascists, and even white supremacists? That would be none other than everyone's favorite black-eyed skank, of course.

"If you think I'm imperious now, just wait till I'm President!"

From the beginning, there have been conservative voices warning of this possibility. There was another really good one published just a couple of days ago.

It's a simple question, really: If Trump were trying to make sure that Hillary got elected, what would he be doing differently than what he's doing right now? The answer, too, is simple: Nothing at all.

The header for this section is a play on the old Latin maxim res ipsa loquitur, loosely translated as "the thing speaks for itself." In the case of Mr. Trump and his campaign, it certainly does.

"Quod erat demonstrandum."

Prorsum se sic habent, old friend...

Christmas Movies and TV Shows

Fifty years ago today, just about every kid in the United States (including 12-year-old me) went to school on a Friday chattering excitedly about what we had seen on TV on Thursday night.

On October 9, 1965 the original broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas took place on CBS.

The program quickly became perhaps the most beloved of all Christmas TV specials.

Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company in spite of predictions of failure by both CBS and the show's own producers, the program has been rerun every Christmas season since its premiere, to excellent ratings. It was and is a cultural landmark.


The show won Emmy and Peabody awards, and for good reason. The script by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz did a marvelous job of bringing his Peanuts comic strip characters to life, and the program's message of Christian faith in the face of excessive commercialism still resonates with audiences today.

I was the sort of kid who, like Charlie Brown, felt sorry for the scrawny, unloved little Christmas tree on the lot, and wanted to give it a loving home. I guess I still am that kid, because that scene gets me misty-eyed half a century later...

Me too, old friend, me too...

One Christmas Album I Can Do Without

From the stalwart pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read regularly, as I do.

Until Next Time...

When producers Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson began putting together A Charlie Brown Christmas, they made a number of choices that were decidedly unconventional for an animated children's program. They eschewed the use of a laugh track, and they hired child actors to voice the characters rather than more professional adult voice actors. Both choices worked out splendidly, as did their selection of jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi to score the show.

The soundtrack Guaraldi produced was the biggest success of his career. A mix of his own original compositions and covers of traditional Christmas material, Guaraldi's jazz-inflected music was unlike anything that had ever been featured in an animated special before. It quickly because a hit, and still sells briskly every Christmas season. Many of its songs are radio staples this time of year. The album has earned three platinum certifications, was elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame, and has been added
to the National Recording Registry, a collection of historically significant recordings maintained by the Library of Congress.

Today's send-off is one of the show's original compositions, "Christmas Time Is Here." Written by Guaraldi (with lyrics by Mendelson), the song appears twice in the program, as an instrumental version (which you can listen to here) and this version, with the lyrics sung by the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of San Rafael, California.

Enjoy...