NIMBY

Been following the MacLean's/Mark Steyn fiasco?

Geez, these days I don't seem able to step out of the house without committing a hate crime - MARK STEYN
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/opinions/article.jsp?content=20080604_84794_84794

Maybe it would be best if we lost this battle - At the tribunal, there's no defence of fair comment, or good faith, or even truth - Andrew Coyne
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/opinions/article.jsp?content=20080604_37964_37964

Mark Steyn says he wants to lose human rights case
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080606/macleans_article_080606/20080606?hub=TopStories

Let's be clear, now, this is Canada, not Nazi Germany or Stalinist USSR. Canada. Peace, order, and good government. Wake up, sleeping giant, before you bleed to death from gnat bites.

Gleanings

Here's some lovely inflammatory stuff to get your dander up. Wasabi for the mind.

http://www.leaderu.com/jhs/lively.html

http://www.davidwarrenonline.com/index.php?id=876

An adventure

So, here it is the end of May, and while the weather has warmed up somewhat, it has not yet succeeded in drying out. Hope springs eternal. More emphasis on "springs." As in "fountains." Not to mention squalls, downpours, cloudbursts...this must be the west coast. I haven't been here for a while. I spent the first 3 weeks of May rolling across this great land and singing: activities pleasant enough on their own, but, in combination, unmitigated ecstasy. The tour was that of the UVic Chamber Singers, and the timing exquisite. Canada in springtime is worth seeing. The weather was gentle and warm, the hosts were wonderful, the concerts hugely successful, and I managed to cram an amazing amount of sightseeing into a few days between Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. We performed in Parksville, Comox, Langley, Penticton, Castlegar, Medicine Hat, Regina, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Here are some things that stuck in my mind: Langley: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church has marvellous acoustics - the sound had a brillliance and clarity that was unmatched by any of the more venerable churches we performed in. Penticton: expecting to be billeted that night, instead we got put up in a hotel that had a pool and hot tub. Nice. Castlegar: borsch, baby, borsch, served up by local Doukhobors, a cultural enclave that has reinvented itself as a vibrant and welcoming segment of society. Regina: Holy Rosary Cathedral has about a 3-second decay, which doesn't sound like much until you're singing in it. Very cool. Winnipeg: six of us were billeted at an upscale B&B on the river, a splendid old house of similar vintage to my grandmother's, only this one was spit-polished and furnished with antiques. Gorgeous. Had two days in Toronto and squeezed in the Royal Ontario Museum, some ethnic eating, and a trip to Niagara Falls. Had a day and a bit in Montreal and went on a kamikaze walking tour of churches and other architectural landmarks, shopped in Chinatown, ate smoked meat at Kraussman's, did one floor of the Museum of Fine Arts, and loved the city and everyone in it. Had half a day in Ottawa and did similar things, including "Canada's biggest 2nd-hand book store" (four floors). I managed to get through the fantasy and murder-mystery sections, and that was it. Went up the Peace Tower, walked along Sparks St Mall to see where the CBC early-afternoon show comes from, poked through the Byward Market, and popped in to Notre Dame Basilica which is similar to the one of the same name in Montreal. Gothic design, Baroque decor. You walk in and your visual cortex threatens to shut down from sheer overload. You have to remind yourself to breathe. We don't put up buildings and decorate them to the glory of God these days, because we know that the church is not made with hands. But what are we doing instead? What do we produce, in our Christian communities, that so obviously points to the beauty and majesty of our God? Is there anything? I wonder. And sometimes we sneer that all that gold could feed a lot of hungry kids, but is that where we put our gold? What did Jesus say to the Pharisees? "You ought to practise the one, without neglecting the other." I think we could learn a lot from those who poured their resources into building for God's glory - whether or not we copy their actions, we would do well to emulate their hearts.

A renewable resource - no, really

I read an article recently about some dude somewhere who has come up with a way to create fuel out of biomass. Mind, we're not talking about turning grain into oil here, but, potentially, compost into gasoline. The inspiration? The guy was watching cows graze and listening to them fart. It dawned on him that cows must have some micro-organism in there that consumes grass and belches out methane. Methane and gasoline both being hydrocarbons, it's not unreasonable to think that a certain amount of interference with the bacterial genome might result in an organism that eats yard waste and pees gasoline. And then, oh what an era of economic and political stability would dawn...no more appeasing the Middle Eastern nut cases just because we need their oil...why, we could end hunger in the developing world and glut the Western appetite for fuel at the same time: just round up starving people wherever they be, and offer them all the beans and cabbage they can eat, in return for having their gut colonized with designer bacteria and promising to excrete into a gas can. Utopia, here we come...

Don't light a match.

Remembrance Day

Having read and heard a wide diversity of views on war, peace, peacemaking, and state-sanctioned violence around Remembrance Day, I feel a need to respond so as not to fester.

Let those who hold to positions of pacifism, conscientious objection, etc. remember that the very freedom to hold and express such opinions is won and maintained for them by those who do not refuse to bear arms, and who pay a terrible psychological price for their involvement in conflict even if they escape physical damage. They, too, are victims of war, and it is entirely appropriate to call them “heroes”, as they freely choose to put themselves in harm’s way on behalf of all of us.

For a civilized nation, the impetus for war is not imperialism, but defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The quarrel is an ancient one, and the foe an ideologically-fuelled hatred that would impose totalitarian oppression on one people group after another, taking away each individual’s freedom to think and choose for him- or herself. Religious freedom would be among the “collateral damage.” Furthermore, if such oppression is not kept at bay in Afghanistan and elsewhere, it will most assuredly come to our own doorstep. In fact, for those with eyes to see, the war is already all around us, but it is, so far, being fought on a political, rather than military, level. Hatred takes myriad forms, but comes, ultimately, from one source. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Nor is it in error that the apostle Paul uses military metaphors: “Put on the full armour of God…for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Instead of engaging in petty denigration, let us boldly hold our government accountable (another hard-won freedom), and ensure that the wars our country fights are not squabbles over territory, resources, or culture, but a reluctant and well-considered defence of the (biblically-based, don’t forget) ideals of a free society.

Human nature being what it is, is anyone really, really a pacifist, through and through? I strongly doubt it. And it’s also clear that peace – the real thing, not some variety of ceasefire - can only take root when everyone gives up the desire for domination, which will happen only with the advent of the Prince of Peace. And even the One who bears that title “will rule them with an iron scepter…dash them to pieces like pottery.” And only then will they “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” May that day come soon. In the meantime, may we not fail to stand firm for what we know is right.

An evening off

Went to see La Traviata last night, presented by Vancouver Island Opera, for which I am the rehearsal pianist, on this side of the pond anyway. This company uses young (for the most part), emerging singers in the main roles and amateurs in the chorus. I loved it. Opera is one of few genres where even a lot of small flaws somehow fail to detract from the whole. Evelyn Thatcher, who has been the heroine in every full production we've done, was back as Violetta, and, as usual, blew the crowd away. She does some odd things with her vowels sometimes, but she has a voice like a floodlight and she ACTS. A micro-synopsis: Act I: Alfred, a young twit, falls like a ton of bricks for Violetta, a well-seasoned party girl. She thinks it through, decides he's the one she's been waiting for, and they go off to the country to mess around. Act II: A few months later Alfred's dad catches up with them, corners Violetta and lets her know that her kind is not welcome in a decent family like his and, in fact, his daughter's fiance will ditch her if V. sticks around. V. decides to do the noble thing and split. None of it really matters cuz she's dying of consumption anyway. So she takes off and heads to a party with another guy. Alfred, who doesn't know the whole story, gets some PO'd and follows her. He insults V. in front of everyone and her new BF challenges him to a duel. Act III: Okay, Violetta 's really dying now, but as is usual in these things, she takes an unconscionably long time to do it. After an aria from her deathbed she gets up and sings a couple more, during which she and Alfred are reunited and all is forgiven, following which she continues to totter around and sing at the top of her lungs until the very moment when she collapses, lifeless, into his arms. All most lugubriously satisfying. I may actually have had some damp eyelashes near the end. Amazing where you can go with a whacking dose of suspension-of-disbelief, willingly imbibed.

Chor values

Went to see Musica Intima in concert a few weeks ago. This twelve voice a cappella vocal ensemble sings, for the most part, non-standard repertoire, and does so with impressive technical flawlessness. Unfortunately, it ends there. The performance was somehow flat (not musically) - short a dimension, like looking at a perfectly realistic mural where you expected a window. I couldn't put my finger on why until one of the members made some remarks about the program, including a statement on the choice of repertoire which amounted, not overtly in its words, but in its tone of voice and body language, to a sneering dismissal of Christianity and the choral music informed by the Christian faith. I saw no need for such a statement - if they want to sing unusual material then they can knock themselves out and nobody will bat an eye. The fact that it was made at all indicates an anti-Christian bias that goes far beyond the mere desire to explore different musical paths. No wonder they're the darling of the CBC. And that explains the missing spiritual dimension in their performance - they themselves have banished it. Interestingly enough, some spiritual depth began to show up in the second half, which did include some faith-based repertoire. I'm sure they didn't intend it, but there it was. Beware, humanist musicians. If you participate in music that was created for the glory of God, He will be glorified in spite of you. And if you refuse, the very stones will cry out. Rock music.