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Thursday, December 9, 2010

PAUL WARREN ALLEN DIES, 96, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010

Paul Warren Allen
December 31, 1913 - December 4, 2010

He didn't just make music,
his music was beauty in sound.
Created from feeling, understanding and nuance.


Published in Daytona Beach News-Journal obituaries on December 8, 2010.

I have been uploading songs from the recording that Professor Allen directed at North Central College in the spring of 1968, my freshman year.

Tribute To A Man Who Had Music In His Heart and Soul

It is because of my genuine appreciation of the music that he brought to my life that I post the music I have finished at this time. There will be more to come.

UPDATE ~ newest upload from the North Central College 1968 record as of January 14, 2011

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Maestro Paul Warren Allen conducts
the North Central College Choir
An die Musik ~ To Music


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I Am the True Vine

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The Eyes of All

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Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe

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Just the one song - It's May

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Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen
(opus 74, 1877)
Johannes Brahms

This history of the napervillechorus
and Paul Warren Allen's contribution.

Here is a portion:

The history of the Naperville Chorus is about music:

Centuries-old choral works of timeless beauty by Bach,

Beethoven, Haydn, Handel, Schubert, Strauss…

Reggae-style Christmas carols

The Requiem, or Mass for the Dead, Mozart left

unfinished at his own death

The Motet composed to honor Naperville

native Commander Daniel Shanower,

killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Modern masterpieces evoking despair and delight

and so much more.


The history of the Chorus is also about people:

In the 1960's Dr. Paul Warren Allen of the

North Central College Music Department melded

the vocal talents of students, college personnel

and community members into a forerunner of

the Naperville Chorus. The NCC-Community

Chorus flourished and performed contemporary

and traditional choral works until 1971, when

financial cutbacks at the college eliminated

the Music Department.


UPDATE December 10, 2010

Obituary & Life Histo

Paul Warren Allen, 96, of Orange City, passed away on December 4, 2010, and joined Eleanor Schuyler Allen, his wife of 67 years, and their only son Richard Ethan Allen, for a glorious reunion on Heaven’s shores. Born in Rochester, NY, on December 21, 1913, he died from complications after surgery. Survivors include daughters Bonnie-Jean Hisgen (Conifer, CO); Gail Townsend (Fern Park, FL); Paula Billingsley (Clearwater, FL); their spouses; 12 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. Surviving also are myriads of devoted students worldwide, as well as followers of “Prof’s” illustrious musical career. He earned his Bachelor and Master degrees in music at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (NY), where he was Director of Choral Activities for several years. He moved to the Midwest in 1953 and was on the music faculty of Wheaton College (IL) and then Chairman of the Music Department at North Central College (Naperville, IL). Called “the Robert Shaw of the Christian world”, Allen was well-known in church and school music as an adjudicator and guest conductor at music festivals and contests. Several of his groups toured abroad and always received rave reviews. Always giving the glory to God for his success, Allen has laid down his baton and is with his “Messiah” this Christmas!
A graveside service will take place at the Hollywood Cemetery in Orange City at 4pm on Saturday, December 18. Online condolences may be left at www.allensummerhillfuneralhome.com. Allen-Summerhill Orange City is in charge.

Cemetery Details

Hollywood Cemetery

Orange City, FL,
Get Driving Directions
Map
Map
Satellite
Hybrid
Terrain


UPDATE December 16, 2010


Credit to
napervillesun.suntimes.com/news/2858095-418/allen-music

‘One of those jewels’

Former North Central College professor
Paul Warren Allen died recently at age 96.

Music professor Paul Warren Allen could be moved to tears by the beautiful sounds created by students in his choir at North Central College. “I remember one Christmas, he was conducting the choir singing Handel’s ‘Messiah.’ The truth of the words gripped him and he had ... tears running down his cheeks,” recalls his daughter, Paula Billingsley.


Allen, of Orange City, Fla., died Dec. 4 from complications following surgery. He was 96. He was a direct descendent of American Revolutionary War patriot Ethan Allen, his daughter says.


Allen came to North Central in 1957 after serving on the music faculty at nearby Wheaton College. He assembled a choir that eventually grew to more than 100 students who toured the United States and Canada, performing for as many as 17,000 people a year.


At its peak in the 1960s, North Central’s Concert Choir performed in such prestigious venues as Orchestra Hall, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Allen left a lasting legacy among former students.


“He always kept by his side a notebook of choir concert programs and letters from former students, some decades old,” Billingsley says.


In addition to directing the choir at North Central, in the 1960s Allen was instrumental in establishing the NCC-Community Chorus, also known as the Oratorio Association, a 200-member ensemble that evolved into today’s Naperville Chorus.


“He left a great legacy,” says Jeordano “Pete” Martinez, a North Central music professor and Naperville Chorus director. “Alumni just rave about him. There was a strong kinship among members of the choir from that era.”

Under Allen’s leadership, North Central’s Concert Choir undertook an annual spring tour that took it from coast to coast and included numerous appearances on radio and television. The choir’s repertoire included works of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods, as well as Christian hymns and spirituals.


One former student says Allen, known as “Prof” to many, had a profound impact on her life.


“Some people enter our lives, and the effect that they have on us never fades, but becomes more meaningful, more powerful and our gratitude deepens,” says Sandra Hammel, a 1972 graduate of North Central. “I treasure the music that ‘Prof’ Paul Warren Allen — with his understanding and interpretive, expressive movements — lifted out of us.

“He truly had a gift. Those rare ones who elevate our experience contribute to a richness in our lives, especially in the arts. ‘Prof’ Allen was one of those jewels.”


Allen remained at North Central as chair of the music department until 1971, when financial pressures caused the suspension of the college’s music program. He continued working with school and church choirs and as an adjudicator and guest conductor at music festivals and contests.


Today, the restored music program at North Central includes more than 20 instrumental and vocal groups performing in the $30 million Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center, dedicated in 2008. Faculty include acclaimed classical music educators and internationally known jazz performers, and degrees are offered in vocal and instrumental music, jazz studies, and choral and instrumental music education.


The college’s revived Concert Choir once again tours the country and abroad each spring.


“In many ways we are keeping alive the traditions that Paul Warren Allen was instrumental in starting at the college,” Martinez says.


Allen was born in 1913 in Rochester, N.Y., and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at the Eastman School of Music at New York’s University of Rochester in New York, where he was director of choral activities for several years. He moved to the Midwest in 1953.


Allen is survived by Billingsley, of Clearwater, Fla., and two other daughters, Bonnie-Jean Hisgen of Conifer, Colo., Gail Townsend of Fern Park, Fla., and their spouses; 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.


He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Eleanor Schuyler Allen, and a son, Richard Ethan Allen.


A graveside service will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hollywood Cemetery in Orange City, Fla.

Online condolences may be left at www.allensummerhillfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Paul-Allen

Other locations of Paul Warren Allen obituary in Chicago area

chicagotribune.com/features/obituaries/ct-met-allen-obit-20101215,0,3525223.story

northcentralcollege.edu/news/legacy-paul-warren-allen

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear
Precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

A TRIBUTE to PAUL WARREN ALLEN ~ Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen

First
Worked on a project of putting together a video.
Second
Imported it at Youtube.
Third
Youtube compressed the movie and the timing was all off. So, I didn't make the video "public".
Fourth
I tried to rework the video seven times to correct this, then upload at Youtube. But, the timing was only wrong after uploading to Youtube, which made the corrections a calculation game at best and a guessing game at worst.
Fifth
Surrendered and made the final upload "public" even though the work of trying to coordinate text, transition placements and singing was not evident at Youtube.

Then days later, my project in the software program was no longer coordinated because I had been changing it, guessing at how to make it come out right at Youtube. But then, I had the idea to try to upload it at Facebook to see if the timing would come out how I had created it in the first place. But I had to retrieve old versions in Quick Time formats and splice them together, then downgrade the quality in order to downsize it below 1 GB, which is a Facebook requirement (Youtube's requirement is 2GB). I know it is hard to follow...but in the end, the Facebook upload came out with the timing correct. So I post it here.
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North Central College Choir ~ 1968
12:52

Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen (opus 74, 1877)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), op. 74 no. 1 (1877) [satb], from Zwei Motetten, no. 1.

Other songs from the record uploaded are
"DICHTERLIEBE" ~ "Art Songs" Robert Schumann
www.facebook.com/video
"The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee" by Jean Berger
www.youtube
"I Am the True Vine", arranged by Salli Terri
www.youtube
"It's May", Robert Schumann's "Art Song"
www.youtube

Source of the following is
www.cantate-choir.info/ProgrammeNotes/Brahms-WarumIstDasLichtGegeben

The imposing opening Adagio (in D minor) of this motet, is punctuated four times by the urgent cry of Warum? (wherefore?). The following sections are in flowing cannon form with a 'warm F major glow' reflecting the text. It ends with a nunc dimittis in chorale form.

About the composer
Johannes Brahms was born 7th of May in 1833 in Hamburg, Germany
Bio:
www.johannesbrahms.org/JBbio.htm
and more at www.johannesbrahms.org

Johannes Brahms - (7 May 1833 in Hamburg, Germany to 3 April 1897 in Vienna, Austria)

Brahms studied piano from the age of seven and composition from thirteen. He had a lifelong interest in early music and amongst his generation he was without equal in sophisticated contrapuntal technique. He did not enjoy a meeting of minds with composers of the New German School, but his artistic kinship with Robert Schumann and his passion and veneration for Clara Schumann are well known influences on his life. Whether or not Brahms was a believer, he whole-heartedly accepted the Christain ethic and admired and embraced the literature and poetry of the Bible. His background was North German Lutheran Protestant. This inheritance gave to his choral music 'a noble human consolation' and air of hope.

His musical style was of the romantic school; his nature was introspective, reserved, logical and studious. Musicologists point to the essence of all these influences being demonstrated in the a capella motets spread over thirty years, and in his other sacred music, but most especially in the German Requiem.

Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen (opus 74, 1877)

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; which long for death but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures; which rejoice exceedingly and are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? (Job 3, 20-23)

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens (Lamentations 3, 41)

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. (James 5, 11)

With peace and joy I go forth in the will of God, my heart and mind are comforted, gentle and still. As God has promised me, death but becomes sleep to me. (Martin Luther - 1524)

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

PAUL WARREN ALLEN ~ NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE ~ DICHTERLIEBE ~ SCHUMANN

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NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CHOIR ~ ROBERT SCHUMANN'S DICHTERLIEBE ~ POET'S LOVE from ilovemylifesblog on Vimeo.

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NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CHOIR ~ ROBERT SCHUMANN'S DICHTERLIEBE ~ POET'S LOVE
Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog

The record was made in the auditorium of Pfeiffer Hall in the Spring of 1968 in Naperville, Illinois. Three years later, North Central College eliminated the music department.

Artists work used in video
Childe Hassam
Christine Comyn
Crazy Frankenstein.com
Garmash
Taras Loboda
Waterhouse
Found at storylet

Schumann's original title in 1840 is "Twenty Songs from the Lyric Intermezzo in the Book of Songs for One Singer and Piano." A letter in 1844 refers to the Dichterliebe cycle though it is not clear who assigned this title. The word is usually translated as "Poet's Love"

Link to information
Schumann_Op48
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) / Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856): Dichterliebe, Op. 48

Robert Schumann wrote, "At certain points in time, (Heine's) poetry dons the mask of irony in order to conceal its visage of pain; perhaps for a moment the friendly hand of a genius may lift that mask so that wild tears may be transformed into pearls."

Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen (opus 74, 1877)
Johannes Brahms
facebook
The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee
Jean Berger
youtube
I Am the True Vine
arranged by Salli Terri
youtube
It's May
Robert Schumann's "Art Song"
youtube

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Friday, November 19, 2010

TRIBUTE TO A GIFTED MUSIC TEACHER AND CONDUCTOR ~ PAUL WARREN ALLEN ~ BRAHM'S "WARUM..."


We young ladies of the North Central College choir wore these and the young men wore sweat shirts that read "Sons of Levi".


UPDATE
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Uploaded at Facebook with lesser quality to fulfill their 1GB limit.
But at Facebook, the compression didn't ruin the timing of the music with visual elements, which happened at Youtube (which is below from the original post).

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Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog

As stated on the video's end, this video was uploaded numerous times at Youtube. In my software programs, the video project has transitions and text placements perfectly timed to fit the music. But each time I uploaded this video at youtube, the timing was completely off. Obviously, this is a disappointment to me after all the time spent trying to present the music and video the best that I could. But after much tested patience, determination and
endurance, I had to surrender and put up a video that is not what I had done. The compression of youtube spoiled what I had attempted to do. But even so, I continue to post one song at a time of this North Central College Choir record from 1968, conducted by Paul Warren Allen and this song therefore had to go up in that effort.

Text from my youtube upload:
Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen (opus 74, 1877)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), op. 74 no. 1 (1877) [satb], from Zwei Motetten, no. 1.

Other songs from the record uploaded are
The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee by Jean Berger
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L22uUsS-63E
I Am the True Vine arranged by Salli Terri
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZLk36Wqng
It's May, Robert Schumann's Art Song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOlOH1LaUzw

Source of the following is
www.cantate-choir

The imposing opening Adagio (in D minor) of this motet, is punctuated four times by the urgent cry of Warum? (wherefore?). The following sections are in flowing cannon form with a 'warm F major glow' reflecting the text. It ends with a nunc dimittis in chorale form.

About the composer
Johannes Brahms was born 7th of May in 1833 in Hamburg, Germany
Bio:
www.johannesbrahms.org and more at johannesbrahms

Johannes Brahms - (7 May 1833 in Hamburg, Germany to 3 April 1897 in Vienna, Austria)

Brahms studied piano from the age of seven and composition from thirteen. He had a lifelong interest in early music and amongst his generation he was without equal in sophisticated contrapuntal technique. He did not enjoy a meeting of minds with composers of the New German School, but his artistic kinship with Robert Schumann and his passion and veneration for Clara Schumann are well known influences on his life. Whether or not Brahms was a believer, he whole-heartedly accepted the Christain ethic and admired and embraced the literature and poetry of the Bible. His background was North German Lutheran Protestant. This inheritance gave to his choral music 'a noble human consolation' and air of hope.

His musical style was of the romantic school; his nature was introspective, reserved, logical and studious. Musicologists point to the essence of all these influences being demonstrated in the a capella motets spread over thirty years, and in his other sacred music, but most especially in the German Requiem.

Warum ist das licht gegeben dem mühseligen (opus 74, 1877)

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; which long for death but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures; which rejoice exceedingly and are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? (Job 3, 20-23)

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens (Lamentations 3, 41)

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. (James 5, 11)

With peace and joy I go forth in the will of God, my heart and mind are comforted, gentle and still. As God has promised me, death but becomes sleep to me. (Martin Luther - 1524)

Entry on Brahms ~ wikipedia

Free MP3's of Johannes Brahms~
music/Johannes+Brahms

This recording was done in Pfeiffer Hall in the spring of 1968 in Naperville, Illinois, outside of Chicago at North Central College. Three years later the college eliminated the music department. The decision was made by the college President, Arlo Schilling.

It was the year of 1971, the flourishing music department was cut out of the school. A church affiliated college with no music department.

The following is taken from the NCC website on the history of it association with churches ~
"Originally founded in 1861 by the Evangelical Association, North Central College became affiliated with the United Methodist Church (UMC) when the Association's inheritors, the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB), merged with the Methodist Church in 1968 to form the new denomination... We're proud of our association with the UMC and its deep commitment to spiritual renewal and social justice." northcentralcollege

Eighteen years later, in 1989, the music department was brought back.

The history of The Naperville Chorus ~

In the 1960's Dr. Paul Warren Allen of the North Central College Music Department melded the vocal talents of students, college personnel, and community members into a forerunner of the Naperville Chorus. The NCC-Community Chorus flourished and performed contemporary and traditional choral works until 1971, when financial cutbacks at the college eliminated the Music Department.

Read the entire article at www.napervillechorus

Virtual tour of NCC ~ virtualtour

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

IN HONOR OF PAUL WARREN ALLEN - NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE

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Paul Warren Allen
North Central College Choir
I Am the True Vine
Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog

I am making my 1968 album into mp3s and trying to get them uploaded on Youtube in hopes that Paul Warren Allen will be able to hear them before he dies. He is 96 or 97 years old. I spoke with his daughter in January over the phone. She had responded to my letter that I sent to him. And then later I received a message on youtube that Professor Allen remembered the music by heart of this video
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but he didn't remember making the album. He is diagnosed with Alzheimber's disease and lives in Florida.

Music stays with us when other things don't. Music is a blessing and a gift.

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Conductor Paul Warren Allen
The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee
North Central College Choir
Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog

The choir roster can be found at this post

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Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog
This video was taken with a really cheap camera in poor lighting. It is of the last Tuesday, April 13, 2010 rehearsal of our local theatre company's production of The Fantasticks. And since I was running the spotlight for all music portions, I could only video scenes such as this without music. Our President doesn't want youtube videos of our plays on youtube due to legal issues of copyright with the play's company, so I may not leave this up much longer.

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Saturday, September 12, 2009

SO I MISSED THIS BECAUSE MY MIND'S BEEN ON RAFA AT THE US OPEN

JUST PLAIN MISSED THIS

I simply love youtube. Because it just makes the world so small.

I was thinking Oprah opened her season next week.
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Uploaded by heppinyc

National TV Broadcast: Black Eyed Peas performed "I Gotta Feeling" and officially opened Oprah's 24th Season (2009-10) along with 21,000 fans dancing on Michigan Avenue (Chicago, Illinois) on Tuesday, Sept 8th (2 days before it aired nationwide).

The producer, Australian Michael Gracey, was also responsible for a famous flash mob dance at a Liverpool train station that was used for a phone commercial, but Tuesdays event was much larger in scale.

And in order to pull it off, late last month local casting agencies were enlisted to look for dancers.

This is being touted as the World's Largest 'Single-City' FLASH MOB event ever held, thanks in part to T-Mobile! Watch in HD Quality if available.

(Lyrics)

I gotta feeling that tonights gonna be a good night,
That tonights gonna be a good night.
Lets live it up.
I got my money,
Lets spend it up.
Go out and smash it.
Like Oh My God,
Jump off that sofa.
Lets get get OFF,
I know that well have a ball,
If we get down,
And go out,
And just loose it all.
I feel stressed out,
I wanna let it go,
Lets go way out spaced out,
And loosing all control.
Fill up my cup,
Mozoltov,
Look at her dancing,
Just take it off.
Lets paint the town,
Well shut it down.
Lets burn the roof,
And then well do it again.


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So, this is what I like to dance to.....
and have twice at Waterplace Park in Providence, Rhode Island


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Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca- Mambo Yoyo
Love this band. So much fun! Can't sit still when the conga rules.
Uploaded by idamawatu

Click post title to go to
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca website.

Song Mama Kiyelele - starts at 45 seconds

Fourth video on my sidebar has the song
São Salvador by Ricardo and Makina Loca

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

GETTING READY TO EXHALE IN RHODE ISLAND - USA

Watching the polls results, has been a roller coaster ride. When Barack Obama was projected to win Pennsylvania, I cried. When Senator Obama was projected to win Ohio, my eyes widened. I yelled "yyYesss!!" We haven't reached the 270 electoral votes, but we are looking better and better.

I have been so anxious. I couldn't bear thinking having George W Bush finally leave the administration of this country and then having John McCain have his bunch continue wrecking my heart. We are looking good right now.



I was driving down Turner Road in Middletown, Rhode Island today and drove by something I found interesting. I had to turn around and go back and asked these children their permission to take their picture. These children were enthusiastically calling out to cars as they were going by and yelling "Honk for Obama" and they had a tally sheet laying on the driveway keeping track of how many "thumbs up" they received and how many "honks for Obama" they received. They asked me if their picture would be in the paper. I said "no" I just wanted to take their picture. We had a little chat and I promised to honk and give them a thumbs up when I drove away.


I had to take a look at what is being written around the world....

ADDOSTOR, Egypt

Obama Unites the First and Third Worlds,
Christianity and Islam, the Poor and the Rich

Translated By Ahmed Massoud

30 October 2008

Edited by Louis Standish


Egypt - ADDOSTOR - Original Article (Arabic )

An American with African roots, a Christian with Muslim origins, a wealthy man from a poor background. Is there any citizen more universal than Barack Obama to govern the country that governs the world?

It's good enough for Obama that his competitor is John McCain: a Republican, a fundamentalist, an American cowboy, an old man, an agent for the oil companies and the successor of Bush. The reasons to reject McCain are endless, but these are not the only reasons to support Obama, who looks to be a better presidential candidate than it can be believed.

Movies have always shown a black president in the White House, but no one imagined it would happen so fast as it’s happening now. When the famous TV star Oprah Winfrey said that she will support Barack Obama, a lot of people thought that this was just a kind of symbolic support given to Green or other third-party candidates, and it was thought that Obama was nothing more than a test candidate who wanted to open to black Americans a small window to the outside world, but Barack has astonished every one and has got only just a few more steps to reach the dream.

The astonishing consensus for supporting Obama's by America’s friends in Europe and its enemies in the Middle East is not unusual or some kind accident, as the unusual mixture of races, religions and social classes that make up Obama makes everyone feel that they are attached to him in some way, as the African origin do not mean just Africa but also the Third World, especially when adding in his half-sister Maya, the product of his mother and her Indonesian father. Also, the links between his Muslim origins and his present Christian beliefs in the unfamiliar name (Barack Hussein Obama), symbolically bringing together followers of the two greatest religions in the world. Obama is not just linked to the Third World, as his mother was a white American from the state of Kansas, who raised him by herself since he was two years old. So it's not difficult for anyone to find something attractive about the Democratic candidate.

But the most important thing about Obama's nomination is the rare way he ascribes change in form and content. The motto "change" in his electoral campaign is not just a platform for economic and tax reformations, but it is a glimmer of hope for everyone, that anything can be possible: it is possible that America can have a president from the minority, even from the most unlucky minority, the African-Americans who came to the new world as slaves, later to become first-class citizens, with one even possibly becoming president. If Obama is elected, he represents a change as he will be a Democratic president, one of the few in the last 30 ears excepting Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, while there have been three Republican Presidents: Ronald Reagan, Bush I and Bush II. These Republican presidents have shown America’s aggressive face, while the Democrats – despite every thing – can be defined by their engagement among minority and civil rights organizations that back the Democratic Party, and one that even fights for the poor, the same organization that Obama once chaired himself in Chicago during the 1990s. He is also just 47, meaning he is still a young man and if we look at the ages of American presidents, change rarely comes too far from young men. And yes we can say that America is a country of organizations, but the prospect of the president and the idea of a leader are very effective in American culture, especially when that leader has a charismatic personality that flows out of the TV screen.

The most important item in Obama's platform is the tax increase on incomes more than 250,000 dollars a year, which is about over ten percent of Americans, in order to aid social programs and pensions for the other ninety percent. This can be seen as social privilege in Obama’s capitalism, differing from the unhelpful Republican capitalism that has had a destructive impact on the world in modern times.

Now what about when they said Bush was for democracy in the Middle East? It has become clear that the Republicans have deceived the people here and they have renounced the change for democracy when their true intentions were revealed, and the Democrats will not be worse than them. At least the Democrats are promising to pull out of Iraq, while McCain says that they will stay there for a hundred of years.


CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL VERSION









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Folha, Brazil

Obama Wave Reaches Brazil

Source: Watching America

By Eliane Cantanhêde

Translated By Caroline Martinez

04 November 2008

Edited by Louis Standish

Brazil - Folha - Original Article (Portuguese)

Both the Planalto Palace* and the Itamaraty** are visibly pulling for the victory of Barack Obama in the American elections. Brazil prefers the Democrat due to his multilateralism and also for the symbolism of having a black man as the president of the largest democracy on the planet.

The information comes from Eliane Cantanhêde, columnist for Folha and Folha Online, who says that the Obama “wave” has reached Brazil.

“President Lula himself has revealed his opinion. He said that Obama would be to the United States something like what Chavez was for Venezuela, what Lula himself, a union leader, was for Brazil, what the indigenous leader Evo Morales was for Bolivia and what the Bishop Lugo was for Paraguay. A great novelty. An extraordinary factor.”

Cantanhêde, affirms that the great fear is that a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic majority in Congress will transform the United States, especially in the midst of this crisis, into an excessively protectionist country.

According to the columnist, despite the preference for Obama, Brazil likes John McCain’s more open stance with regards to ethanol. “May the American people vote well, and may the best occur not only for the United States, but also for the world. A world that is in crisis,” she says.

*Seat of the Brazilian Government
** Headquarters of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs


CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL VERSION


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11-04-2008 18:14

Goodbye Bush, Hello Obama?

Source: Korea Times.co.kr


International students at Yonsei University watch special coverage of the U.S. presidential election at a global lounge center on the campus, Tuesday. Ballot boxes were opened in Seoul last night. / Korea Times Photo by Bae Woo-han

Premier Han Says Not Much Will Change Whoever Wins US Election

By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

Seoul officials said Tuesday that not much will change no matter who wins the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 4. During an interpellation session at the National Assembly, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said that whoever wins Tuesday's election, Korea-U.S. cooperation and alliance will remain strong.

Lawmakers asked Prime Minister Han and also Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan questions on a range of issues including foreign policy, security and inter-Korean relations.

They wanted to know how Barack Obama from the liberal Democratic Party views the Korea-U.S. alliance and what possible changes he might bring, should he win the White House.
One legislator speculated that if Obama prevails, one could expect Washington to embrace a different North Korea policy.

Prime Minister Han replied, ``Whoever becomes the next U.S. President, the North Korea-U.S. diplomacy will start on the basis of firm South Korea-U.S. alliance."
One lawmaker asked Minister Yu whether an Obama presidency would result in Seoul and Washington having divergent views on North Korea. This year, both President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush have favored a conservative, hawkish approach toward the Stalinist country, though both have arguably softened their stance in recent months.

Yu forecast there won't be any significant problems or changes under the Obama presidency.
``Basically, the Obama camp also actively supports strengthening the bilateral alliance. They also support our North Korea policy of resolving the nuclear problem through six-nation discussions. Policy-wise, we don't think there will be any significant problems," Yu said.

The foreign minister also said that in order for the U.S.-North Korea relations to improve, specific steps for denuclearization ― and Pyongyang's strategic resolve to follow these steps ― must be verified. Washington would also want to see Pyongyang address other issues including human rights abuse in the North, Yu said.

Answering questions about inter-Korean diplomacy, Prime Minister Han also told lawmakers that building another inter-Korean economic zone, similar to the existing Gaesung Industrial Complex, is ``a very good idea."
Rep. Yim Tae-hee from the governing Grand National Party is proposing introducing a bill that would create an inter-Korean industrial area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which is located just south of the truce village of Panmunjeom.
``We will support it as much as we can," the prime minister said.

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr

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Le Potentiel, Congo, The Democratic Republic of

Barack Obama:
Candidate of Africans

Source: Watching America

By JOSEPH KAPWASA

Translated By AIME PINGI

4 November 2008


Congo, The Democratic Republic of - Le Potentiel - Original Article (French)

The skin color of the black senator of the Illinois Barack Obama, the candidate for the race for the White House leaves few people indifferent, especially in Africa. Numerous Africans see in his candidacy a chance for the future of the black continent. But this is not the opinion of the pessimists who believe that the nomination of Obama in the White House would be beneficial only to the Americans.

It is a real debate between the Africans pro-Obama and those who observe the behavior of the African leaders, and who do not hesitate to make the analogy.
In close past, the African continent has known shady periods and continues to undergo fatal consequences as a result of the elections required by democracy. Personalities, who just yesterday were in power, were demonized and seen prevented from running for the head of several countries.

Kenneth Kaunda, Allasan Dramane Ouattara and so many others bore the costs of not having the required nationality. Their previous history having been questioned, their candidacies were purely and simply rejected on base of constitutions made to fit the countries.

It is because the question of nationality raised many debates. To go for the presidency of the Republic in certain countries, it is necessary to have not only parents of the same nationality, but also grandparents. This is nevertheless a drift which no one had the courage to denounce. Even human rights NGOs did not raise the problem. Just like accomplices.

Today when Obama, candidate for the presidency of the Republic of United States of America holds favorable measures to succeed George W Bush, all of Africa is lined up behind him to support his candidacy.

Associations and groups of support have been constituted in Africa to say that Obama was their candidate, because of his African father. These groups of Africans thus remember his previous history and see in him, more of a Kenyan than an American.

Proof that if, just for fun, we asked these Africans to choose Obama as president of the United States, they will certainly not think twice to grant him their votes. But would it be the same if Barack Obama was trying to become the president of the Republic of Kenya? Here also, the answer would be spontaneous. Kenyan politics would have certainly rejected him for a single reason: the origin of his mother. The nationality would have been refused to him under pretext that he is not 100 % child of the soil. His candidacy would be rejected.

Today considered wrongly, or perhaps rightfully, as a héro, Obama transcent all the splits of colors or origin. That is the lesson that Africans have to learn from this American presidential election, even if the American Constitution is very different from those that African conceived for and by the strongest who do not hesitate to do everything to remain a president for life.

Whatever the results, the Africans should remember the example which give the United States are setting today by accepting the candidacy of the one that a good fringe of the population considers as a valid candidate for the future of their nation.

It is thus time that the African leaders understand that the people need only their well-being no matter who the person who would preside over their destiny is, provided that this one showed skill and credibility.

The criteria of origin, race or any other consideration hiding evil intent of those who want to perpetuate their power in African countries are behind the regression of the African people and of the whole of the continent while the others think of conquering space.


CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL VERSION

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Friday, August 29, 2008

C-SPAN HAD THE BEST COVERAGE OF THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION'S LAST DAY

I especially liked the prayer that ended the evening in Denver.

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Barack Obama spoke to an audience of 84,000 at Invesco Field - Mile High Stadium,
on August 28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado

Uploaded by BarackObamadotcom

The entire Speech in print form can be found barackobama.com


That promise is our greatest inheritance. It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours – a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things. They could’ve heard words of anger and discord. They could’ve been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead – people of every creed and color, from every walk of life – is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

“We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise – that American promise – and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

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...We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.

So I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can’t just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose – our sense of higher purpose. And that’s what we have to restore...

This is only a small portion of the speech given by Barack Obama

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The man who introduced us to Barack Obama

Senator John Kerry

Senator John Kerry, former Democratic presidential candidate, speaking at the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, 2008.

Read a previous post of mine: A SOCIETY THAT WILL TRADE A LITTLE LIBERTY FOR A LITTLE ORDER WILL LOSE BOTH AND DESERVE NEITHER~ THOMAS JEFFERSON

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

PARTY WITH THE DEMOCRATS - TUNE INTO C-SPAN FOR BARACK OBAMA - TONIGHT AUGUST 28, 2008

C-Span is the best kept secret

Forego all the mind-numbing chatter on other TV channels



Let the sun set on the Bush administration and their heir John McCain


I want to believe in what we stand for again.


THE BEST PLACE TO WATCH INDESCO (Mile HiFIELD IS C-SPAN

FOR THE PARTY THAT IS GOING ON NOW

C-Span.org

C-Span LATEST VIDEOS

Sen. Obama Accepts the Nomination

Today

Now on C-SPAN

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) accepts his party's presidential nomination in Denver's Invesco Field on the final day of the DNC 2008 Convention. Other featured speakers tonight include fmr. V.P. Al Gore, Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) and others.
Read Obama Puts Final Touches on Speech
Watch DNC Chair Dean | Watch MLK Tribute


Whenever I have volunteered here in Rhode Island or New Hampshire, the young people in their teens and early twenties have inspired me in seeing their involvement in this campaign. They are taking the lead in helping elect Barack Obama. This was the first time I have ever volunteered in an campaign. I am one of those people who has donated in $25 increments. I feel more a part of my government by acting, not standing by.

Not only have I witnessed young people come together in Barack's campaign, but people my age (older). No age group, no ethnic group, no religious group has not been involved.

It is a We The People government. And unless we get involved we will lose what we thought we had.

If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions. Thomas Jefferson


The sign in the Newport, Rhode Island Obama campaign office in February and March 2008


Barack's father's side of his family
Barack is in the back row, 2nd from the left.


My front yard in Rhode Island
since February 2008 has had these two signs

Thursday, August 28 2008: Change You Can Believe In

REVISED Thursday @ 2 PM

Time shown as local – Denver, Colorado MST

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (LOCAL)
Live Performance (before gavel)
Yonder Mountain String Band
Jeff Austin, Adam Aijala, Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston

American Voices Program
Remarks
John Kuniholm - Wounded Iraq veteran – North Carolina
Wes Moore – A Rhodes Scholar from New York, former White House Fellow and veteran
Nathaniel Flick – Baltimore best-selling author of “One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine”
John Estrada – From Orlando, Florida, the highest ranking enlisted Marine for four years


Voter Registration Presentation

Remarks
The Honorable Luis Gutierrez
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

David Plouffe
Obama Campaign Manager

Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado

The Honorable Jan Schakowsky
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

Call to Order
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Permanent Chair, Democratic National Convention
Member and Speaker of the US House of Representatives, California

Invocation
Rabbi David Saperstein

Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism – Washington, DC

Presentation of Colors
Disabled American Veterans

Pledge of Allegiance
Shawn Johnson
US Olympic Gymnast

National Anthem
Jennifer Hudson

Academy award-winning singer and Broadway performer

Remarks
Elbra Wedgeworth
President/Chair, Denver Host Committee

Reading of Resolutions

Democratic National Committee Vice-Chairs
Mark Brewer
The Honorable Linda Chavez-Thompson
The Honorable Mike Honda
The Honorable Lottie Shackelford
Susan Turnbull

Remarks

Honorable Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor of Colorado

The Honorable Ed Perlmutter
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable John Salazar

Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable Diana DeGette
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (LOCAL)
Video & Remarks
The Honorable Howard Dean
Former Governor of Vermont
Chair of the Democratic Party


Barack Obama and John Lewis

Video & Remarks: Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Honorable John Lewis
Member of the US House of Representatives, Georgia
Rev. Bernice King
Daughter of the late Dr. King
Martin Luther King, III
Oldest son of the late Dr. King

Live Performance
will.i.am
Accompanied by John Legend (piano), Agape Choir, and band

Remarks

Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado

Live Performance
Sheryl Crow
Singer/songwriter

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (LOCAL)
Remarks
The Honorable Mark Udall

Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable Tim Kaine
Governor of Virginia

The Honorable Bill Richardson
Governor of New Mexico

Live Performance
Stevie Wonder
Singer/songwriter

Remarks
The Honorable Al Gore
Former Vice President of the United States

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (LOCAL)

Live Performance
Michael McDonald
Singer/songwriter

Remarks
Susan Eisenhower
Granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Retired Generals Tribute
Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration (Ret)
Accompanied by additional generals

American Voices Program
Roy Gross – Michigan Teamster car transport driver affected by decline in car manufacturing
Monica Early – New to campaigning, this Akron mother & grandmother is an Obama volunteer
Janet Lynn Monacco – Struggling small business owner from Melbourne, FL with health issues
Teresa Asenap – Albuquerque, New Mexico public school worker concerned about economy
Pamela Cash-Roper – Unemployed nurse and lifelong Republican from North Carolina
Barney Smith – Marion, Indiana plant worker - lost job of 30 yrs when plant moved to China

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (LOCAL)
Introduction of Barack Obama Video
The Honorable Richard Durbin
US Senator, Illinois


Remarks
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Benediction
Pastor Joel Hunter
Senior Pastor of Northland in Central Florida

Adjournment
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Permanent Chair, Democratic National Convention
Click on the article to enlarge.

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I was there when the YES WE CAN speech was first given - at Nashua, New Hampshire, January 8, 2008. Here it is posted by BarackObamadotcom

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