President Trump has astute political instincts… that’s one of the reasons why those who know him longest (and best) simply remind everyone to just let Trump be Trump. Our president knows our nation needs joy… He not only senses it, he inherently is tuned into it.

Leaders of large private sector institutions and large corporations all carry this skill-set. It establishes the tone and humanity of the organization. Follow this lead.

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The value of this positive national message is far beyond measure. Most professional political observers do not have a frame of reference from which to value the importance and visibility of this campaign messaging.

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Enjoy watching this splendid display of fireworks synchronized to the inspiring music “Heart of Courage”.  When you’re done watching, check below the fold to find out how the video was made. 

Come travel with us on a wonderful trip through the region of Andalusea in southern Spain. You’ll find Zurich Mike’s complete travel itinerary below the fold.  The music accompanying Mike’s photos is called “Fantasia para un Gentilhombre” ( Fantasia for a Gentleman), by Joaquín Rodrigo,  and played by Andres Segovia.  I couldn’t think of a more appropriate theme for ZM.

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H/T to yankeeintx
What a wonderful surprise for this newly married couple .  Check Father’s face at 3:00 ….he knows he’s rockin’ it.  😀

Following dramatic failures of the last two singles, “Share The Wealth” and “Income Inequality”, President Lip-Sync announces the catchy new single which has been typed into the teleprompter:

“Ladders of Opportunity”

Whether anyone buys it is yet to be determined – however, the media critics who have heard early snippets say: ‘it’s general sound is a remix heavy on the drum-beat’.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Income inequality is out, “ladders of opportunity” is in.

Eager to dispel claims that President Barack Obama is engaging in “class warfare” as he heads into his State of the Union address next week, the White House is de-emphasizing phrases focusing on economic disparity and turning instead to messages about creating paths of opportunity for the poor and middle class. (more…)

It’s interesting to see how really smart people define the persona of President Obama.   Many psychological descriptives are generally discussed, assigned and presented for consideration by some insightful people.   All of whom are far, far smarter than I.
But, after watching Dear Leader in action for 5+ years, most of the presented descriptions just don’t fully reconcile for me personally.
I just don’t see him as that smart.
Nor do I think he’s cognitively pathological, emotionally narcissistic, or other various types of [ insert your favorite behavioral science aspect here].   I just don’t see it.
President Obama is a front-man, a dupe, a ruse or a puppet.   He just seems more Milli Vanilli than all of that traditional stuff which would put him as the coordinator, or even as an active participant.
Now, don’t get me wrong – the previous definitions would apply to his band; and I could rightly agree if his band was called the “Malignant Narcissists“.  Yes, that I could agree with. (more…)

Having done an initial brief touch on the Time elements of music, today I highlight the first Space element of music– melody. Like the other basic elements of  music, melody is familiar to us as, from the earliest lullabies sung by our parents, the songs learned in kindergarten, to hymns and patriotic songs and drinking songs . . .

The purest use of melody remains the chants of various religions across the world– Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu. . . the simplest things are the easiest to convey across generations, and so they last. They persist through the centuries, unchanged, until their very  sound is at once exotic and hauntingly familiar, a greeting from the roots of a culture to the leaves.

As a Christian woman, I am most familiar with the Christian chants. As a Catholic Christian Woman who sings quite a bit, I have long been in love with the chants written by Hildegard von Bingen. Among Catholic singers, she is like Mozart or Bach, needing only to be named with a single name– Hildegard!– for folk to know exactly of whom you speak.

I chose this video because I am a sucker for space imagery. The text is (mostly) from Psalms 109 and 110, with an antiphon (refrain) invoking the Trinity. Lean back, sip your coffee and or Jack, and let this clear the air about you.

No, sorry, not pulling out the KC and the Sunshine Band quite yet! I’ve been starting this series by addressing the roots of music– history, elements. . . In terms of tlements we’ve addressed the origins of “beat” and we’ve touched o the origins of “melody” with the impassioned prayer last week.

Today, I’d like to touch on rhythm. If beat is the steady drive beneath a song, the heartbeat or ticking second hand, then rhythm is non-pitch specific rhapsody upon the bead. If Og over there is pounding out a steady “Doom, Doom, Doom. . .” upon his big drum, it’s only a matter of time before Ug get’s bored, and starts playing around. In fact, we see this clearly with small children who discover the wonders of wooden spoons and pots. . . I don’t know that all that much needs saying about the relationship between beat and rhythm, really, since most people already know what they are. . .

With the dawning of both in human consciousness, it can’t have been that long for dance to arise– dance seems to be almost instinctual with most humans– we start tapping out feet to the beat, swaying back and forth in our chair, head bobbing to the rhythm . . . our bodies seem made to express music in anyway possible.

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I have no intention of presenting these posts as straight music history, presented in chronological order. That’s perfect for Music History class (taught by a professor that looks like a grown-up Hermione Granger, no less)– but for the weekly post at a blog full of rag-tag misfits that enjoys discussing the finer points of politics, philosophy, and bacon? No, I think a more meandering presentation is better. Granted, I felt a duty to start off with the oldest complete recorded piece in the world. But a second post has no such weighty considerations, only that I try to make it connect, somehow, to the previous post in some manner.

Our connection is theme. The song is a recent one, from 2009. I know nothing about the guy singing. It’s possible he was on American Idol. But you’ll notice that the lyrics are taken right from the same philosophical vein as the Epitaph of last weekend.

But the song, when I was listening to it, called to mind the central idea of this particular presentation. Before I get to that idea, though, I have to present another, by way of a question: What is music?

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Well, my proposal for a new weekly feature here met with some measure of approval, so here we go with the First Entry. Before I do so, I wanna give some credit for the inspiration for this series to ZurichMike (the other ZM of the Treehouse)– on Thursday’s language post, he and I had a brief conversation around the pronunciation of the word “forte”, which had me quoting some lines from the aria “Nessun Dorma” (From Puccini’s Turandot). This made we want to post the aria for all to enjoy, but then the wheels started turning, and what would have been one post will be a recurring series.

But I’m going to hold off on the Puccini. If we’re to do this properly, and considering that we are the Conservative Treehouse. . . we must start much as we started the Advent Calendar, and kick it old school. Only today, we’re leaving Chant in the dust, going back another thousand years, for the oldest recorded complete song on the planet.

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