Poetry

I've been taking a course in and extracurricularly studying a lot of poetry lately, as part of my preparation for the English Literature AP exam which I so stupidly signed up for.  I didn't know very much about poetry before, so I've been finding this very interesting.

• Poetry is approachable, and by normal people.  It can be read, understand, and enjoyed.
  
• Poetry is very interesting.  Poets express extremely complex thoughts in the most compact, effective way possible.
• Poetry appeals intellectually.  For me, poetry requires more brainpower than prose.  You have to really concentrate to read and interpret poetry, because poets don't waste words.  Even the aesthetic aspects of poetry are intellectually interesting (e.g. seeing how the poet's use of devices such as alliteration, assonance, meter, etc. make you feel a certain way).

Poets.org is a great resource.

"Remarkable family connections" *cough

MSNBC had an interesting headline this morning: "Researchers find remarkable family connections for the candidates" (link).  Namely, Barack Obama and Brad Pitt are ninth cousins, and Hillary Clinton and Angelina Jolie are ninth cousins, twice removed.  That all the major news networks are going crazy over this is nothing short of ludicrous.

Let's do the math.  If each of your parents have two siblings, and each sibling has four children, you will have 16 first cousins, 64 second cousins, 128 third cousins, and so forth, ending up with 1,048,576 ninth cousins.  You will have 17,891,328 ninth cousins, twice removed (number of ninth cousins + number of children in seventh generation + number of children in eleventh generation).  These numbers are astounding!  For reference, the population of New York State was 19,306,183 in 2006 (US Census Bureau).

Remarkable family connections?  Hardly.

News story

When I was warming up before a competition last week, some photographers from a local news station came into the room to take pictures and video clips.  The video clips were on the news, but I didn't see them and couldn't find them online.  I did find this news story, however, and that's me at the piano in the picture.

Tasmin Little

British violinist Tasmin Little has posted a few of her recordings as free downloads on her website, www.tasminlittle.net. The recordings are of the Bach Partita No. 3 in E major, Ysaye's Sonata No. 3 in D minor, and the Luslawice Variations by Paul Patterson. You can visit the download page here.

This is a very interesting idea. It's interesting both as a means of addressing copyright law and as a means of getting more people interested in classical music. The problem is, I listened to her recording of the Bach Partita, and it's terrible. It was horrendously out of tune, and her interpretation was extremely strange (way too fast!). I happen to be playing this piece, and I know how insanely difficult it is to get it in tune, but a professional violinist should be able to do better.

You can listen to the recording of the Preludio (the hardest movement) here.

(If you want to hear an excellent recording of this, check out the Milstein or Szeryng ones. You can watch the Milstein one on Youtube here.)

I'm still alive!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted.  Lots of things have been happening to me lately - good things, but they make my life crazy.

Fortunately, the piano competition business is slowing down.  For that I am very grateful.  Now I need to catch up in school, and, unfortunately, the AP exams are looming on the horizen.

Guinness Book of World Records error

This post doesn't have anything to do with anything...it's just a random observation.

On page 129 of the Guinness Book of World Records 2008, John D. Rockefeller is listed as the "richest person ever" with $900 million in 1913. The book states that this is the "equivalent to $189.6 billion today." If this conversion is accurate, then we've seen 20,000% inflation since 1913. That would make $1 in 1913 the equivalent of $200 today!

Since these numbers just didn't seem reasonable, I looked up inflation rates and the consumer price index online. Apparently the book is off by a factor of 10. Inflation since 1913 is about 2000% rather than 20,000%. You can check this on the U. S. Department of Labor statistics website. Scroll down to the section entitled "Get Detailed CPI Statistics" and click the top link, "Inflation Calculator."

Thus, Rockefeller's wealth was actually about $19 billion. I think this means that Rockefeller is not the "richest person ever," since Bill Gates is listed at $50.1 billion.

I tried to contact Guinness, but I didn't see their email address on their website. (Granted, I didn't look very hard or for very long.)

Founding Father letter

This is a fascinating letter I came across while researching my paper on Christianity and America's founding. The letter is from the Letters of Delegates of Congress, part of the Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation collection from the Library of Congress American Memory site. (The Century of Lawmaking collection is an excellent resource; unfortunately, it is not included in search engine queries. The site has its own search engine, which searches automatically generated text transcriptions of the various records within the collection. The transcriptions are temporary files which expire about an hour after they are generated.)

York Town, May 1. 1778

My Dear Son,
As I suppose you are now at home with your Honored Daddy & Mama, I wish you to use every Endeavour to make them and your Brothers & Sisters comfortable and happy; and at the same Time to improve your Vacation in such a Way as will prove advantageous to your own Education, and honorable to you in Point of Behavior among your Friends & Acquaintances.
Carefully avoid the Allurements of every Vice, and shun industriously the Temptations of youth. Tread diligently in the Paths of Virtue, & strive above all to obtain, through the Merits of your Redeemer, the inestimable Blessings of true Godliness & undefiled Religion.
A Seene is opening, my Dear Child, in this Country for the greatest imaginable Display of Talents and Education, and a Young Man with your Capacity, Abilities and Learning can't fail under God, if he sets out right, of making a Figure in public Life on the great Stage of this new World. Indeed I cannot help contemplating my Sons as shining in future in some of the most splendid Departments of this mighty rising American Empire, the Glory of the western World- and greatly eclipsing their Father in every civil Accomplishment. This is surely in their Power, since they now may improve themselves designedly for this Purpose; whereas he from this amazing Change in human Affairs was unexpectedly & reluctantly, as well as unpreparedly and rapidly pushed from Stage to Stage to the most important Seat he now has the Honor to fill, and to which he finds himself Alas, but too unequal. But how will it ring my Heart, if by any false Step, if by any fatal vicious Indulgence these my fond Hopes shall be disappointed? Then indeed will my grey Hairs descend with Sorrow, & perhaps a speedy Pace, to the Grave.
O my Son, let it be your daily & nightly prayer to be delivered from every Evil & every Temptation, and to be prepared for the whole will & Pleasure of God your Creator, Preserver and constant Benefactor.

Love & Respects to all, & am my Dear Son, your affectionate & Indulgent Father, Nathl Scudder

Nathaniel Scudder was a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and a colonel in the Revolutionary War. He died in battle on October 17, 1781 , only three years after this letter was written. One can read the Wikipedia article on him here.