Classical Music & Opera Forums

brunnhilde wrote:Hi, Jessie! "Petuhe" is more generally known as "pierogi" - those potato-cheese dumplings wrapped in soft dough and served with fried onions and mushrooms and sour cream. I think "pierogi" is a Polish or Russian word, because the hard "g" sound in Russian is softened to an "h" in Ukrainian. Like cabbage rolls - "golombki" in Russian, but "holubtsi" in Ukrainian. Or God - "Gospode" in Russian is "Hospode" in Ukrainian. Mind you, I don't really speak Ukrainian, just a few words, but I know the sounds from listening to my grandmother. (I was told by a Russian coach once that I sing Russian with a Ukrainian accent, but I think she was making it up, just being difficult.)

Yeah, no one could sport a scalplock like Yul!

I'm using my new laptop for the first time, after my ancient - six years old! - one quietly and irrevocably expired, and went to recycling heaven. This one is so light weight - kinda tiny screen, though, it makes me squint somewhat.

I have a victrola from 1904 which still functions just fine. And nothing to plug in, or recharge.

Thanks for the language and culture lesson, brunnhi -- most enjoyable! (But I'm afraid you'll also have to translate "Stabreim" ) Of course I know "pierogi", which have a place in Jewish "cuisine" (you must understand the latter two words used together very loosely). I always thought the dish was of Polish derivation, but with your additions of fried onions, mushrooms and sour cream, it sounds downright appealing!

Now, a native English speaker (right?), singing Russian with a Ukrainian accent ... that's getting a bit complicated

What do have that you can play on that Victrola? Fascinating!

Enjoy that new laptop of yours. I'm a fan of the lightweight ones myself.


lul, a couple of years ago I sprang for one of those notebook-style monsters -- with the huge HD screen, harmon kardon sound system, etc. ... but you're right, it's not really portable outside of your home ("Quasimodo", or something like that, it's called). So that is now my "desktop", as it were, and my "real" laptop is of the small & light variety. Since you are interested in Sony, you would probably like their "vaio" -- they come in small and large versions.

I have looked at Sony, both their desktops and laptops. The one I have my eye out for is a vaio and is about $2,400 (give or take a few hundred dollars). I love it. It's on my agenda, probably in the fall. The smaller 16.4 inches or so does not have a full-size keyboard but is much cheaper. I need a full-size keybaord (read: I WANT a full-size keyboard). I want what I want when I want it but in this case I can't have it when I want it. If I could afford it, I could ditch this HP Pavilion in a nanosecond.

Hi, Lulu! You would hate my little machine - the screen is 14.1 inches. But it's a lot lighter to carry around - and it was on sale!

Jessie, Stabreim is the ancient Teutonic literary form that Wagner employed for his Ring Cycle - all that alliteration and repeated consonants, like "Lieb ich auch muthig der Maenner schlact," ie.

And I have an entire cookbook (albeit a slim one) of Jewish cuisine. Love that knudeln! And lattke, or as my baba called 'em, plyatski.

brunnie:

But I do carry it around: my living room, bedroom, sofa, coffee table.

(Except for putting it on my knees; it would break my knee caps).

In English, Stabreim is called "head rhyme". It was very prevalent in Anglo-Saxon poetry and makes reappearances from time to time; in the last century, W.H. Auden used it with excellent control.

pzipott wrote:

In English,Stabreim is called "head rhyme". It was very prevalent in Anglo-Saxon poetry and makes reappearances from time to time; in the last century, W.H. Auden used it with excellent control.

Joe Piscopo employed it rather effectively on SNL in his "sportscasts".

Jessie, I have a collection of 12" 78 rpm platters from the 20s-40s, mostly of opera singers, like Tibbett, Zenatello, Kipnis, etc. The platters are in pretty good shape, and they sound amazing on the vitrola. The sound is purely acoustic amplification, and it's like they're standing in my living room.

Iranian Elections

For the past few days, I've been following the protests in the aftermath of the Iranian elections. What started out as some scattered protest has grown into a demonstration of several hundred thousand. This kind of public demonstration is probably the largest such display since the revolution.

The interesting thing is that Mir Hossein Moussavi, the reformist candidate, who the government claims lost in a huge landslide (a unbelievable claim) is still a member of the establishment. He was prime minister during Iran-Iraq war in the 80s -- the most fundementalist time of the post-revolution years. If he had won, there would have been some small changes in Iran and certainly in the tone of the dialogue with the west. But things would have essentially stayed the same. His loss, however, may have provided the catalyst for a much bigger change. It's much too early to hope that these demonstrations will turn into another revolution. But there's no doubt that what's happening in Iran is a boiling over of restless population that is largely under-30 and ready for change.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/world/middleeast/16iran.html?ref=global-home

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/15/gerges.iran.election/index.html

Ali, may the Iranian people find their way to a more humane government. I fear the road will be neither short nor smooth.

Peter: If real change is in the cards, then I'm afraid that the road won't be smooth and many will lose their lives. But, I don't know if real change is in the air. I think that some pro-reform gestures might successfully quiet down the protests. Still, the sight of hundreds of thousands of people marching in silence is a powerful one, and, as I mentioned, unprecedented since the (disastrous) revolution 30 years ago.

It is thrilling to see; I just hope that it yields something positive, and at minimal cost in lives. As one of Hungarian origin, I can't help but think of the 1956 revolution and the hopes raised and dashed (or postponed by 33 years) there. More recently, there are the Tienanmen Square events, just 20 years old. Will China see democracy in 13 more years? Will it take Iran another 33?

pczipott wrote:Will China see democracy in 13 more years?

Indeed, will the USA?

The US already has the hallmarks of a socialist state; nationalised (or partly so) banks and auto industry with more invariably to follow, a bankrupt treasury etc.

ACD

Not mine but another local bike club that uses the free forum format like we use here is being in undated with porno posts under many topics and from many different user names. I was wondering if you utilize any special procedures to avoid this from happening on the CM&OF forum. I have not had any problems on my bike club free forum but this maybe a wake up call. I noticed in the Administrator Control Panel under "User Register Setting" a feature under Activation where the Administrator has to confirm registrations.
Do you use this???? Would appreciate any comments since you have been so helpful in the past on forum matters.

bikejack wrote:ACD

Not mine but another local bike club that uses the free forum format like we use here is being in undated with porno posts under many topics and from many different user names. I was wondering if you utilize any special procedures to avoid this from happening on the CM&OF forum. I have not had any problems on my bike club free forum but this maybe a wake up call. I noticed in the Administrator Control Panel under "User Register Setting" a feature under Activation where the Administrator has to confirm registrations.
Do you use this???? Would appreciate any comments since you have been so helpful in the past on forum matters.

I guess we've been lucky here (as you also seem to be) as I have no filtering of new user registration other than requiring a valid eMail address to which the CM&OF activation eMail is sent by the CM&OF software (if the eMail address is not valid, no activation of the new registration can be made). I hope that doesn't have to be altered to using more drastic measures like the one you mentioned above.

ACD

ACD wrote:

bikejack wrote:ACD

Not mine but another local bike club that uses the free forum format like we use here is being in undated with porno posts under many topics and from many different user names. I was wondering if you utilize any special procedures to avoid this from happening on the CM&OF forum. I have not had any problems on my bike club free forum but this maybe a wake up call. I noticed in the Administrator Control Panel under "User Register Setting" a feature under Activation where the Administrator has to confirm registrations.
Do you use this???? Would appreciate any comments since you have been so helpful in the past on forum matters.

I guess we've been lucky here (as you also seem to be) as I have no filtering of new user registration other than requiring a valid eMail address to which the CM&OF activation eMail is sent by the CM&OF software (if the eMail address is not valid, no activation of the new registration can be made). I hope that doesn't have to be altered to using more drastic measures like the one you mentioned above.

ACD

Thanks ACD for your prompt response. I also noticed on the Administrator Control Panel a feature to "disable new registrations" which I may also consider If this becomes a serious problem. My new membership has been quiet since everyone has signed up. This wouldn't work for you since this forum is so far reaching where mine is more local.

Kashie, I, too, have been following the news from Iran. As you say, it appears that Moussavi would not be a big step ahead, but the protests would appear to signal winds of change. It'll be a brutal time ahead, no doubt, but maybe reason will eventually prevail over slavish devotion to outdated dogma.

Actually, in conversation with a friend who practises Sufism, it seems that the philosophy of Islam is truly being twisted and hijacked to serve the political ends of the radicals who hide behind Islam in an attempt to justify violence - which, nonetheless, they can't justify. So, my earlier comment about "slavish devotion to dogma" is inaccurate. "Slavish devotion to an outmoded, medieval social system" is more like it.

Anyway, will we ever live to see peace in the Middle East? Probably not in my lifetime, whatever remains.

This is really off topic but has anyone been watchng Harper's Island?

It is one of the trashiest programs ever on television (and that's saying a lot): the acting is beyond "bottom of the barrel;" the storyline is no more than a gruesome "And then there were none;" predictable except who the killer is. I could go on about how tasteless, gory and stupid this show is.

That being said, I'm totally addicted to it. (But then, I love Hammer horror films in all their garish color.)

calvert:

And you didn't think I was "low brow?"

[quote="kashania"]Michael Jackson. Sui generis.

Fortunately.

Michael Jackson

I thought he had very little talent except for his dancing in Thriller video. I also thought he was a very mentally ill man with how he treated his children and what he did to his skin. I also think he was very strange with his behavior at Neverland and I think he was also very strange with the kids at Neverland.

Still, 50 is a very young age to die.

As for Farrah Fawcett, very sad and tragic. For her father to lose a wife and now two daughters to cancer is a sorrow I cannot begin to fathom.