Like toast?

Under the radar:

Spain is toast. That's the solid opinion of a billionaire global investor I know with whom I met privately in Paris last weekend. The only European countries left standing financially when Spain and thus the EU-Euro enterprise goes under are Germany, Denmark, and Holland - plus non-eurozone countries like Norway and of course Switzerland. There's a chance Italy might barely squeak through, but likely not the UK, and France is broke.

We'll always have Paris, and Europe too - but the EU-Euro game is soon to be over.

Oh - and my billionaire friend (whose $20B private equity fund is averaging 68% returns, so he knows what he's doing) won't touch investing in China with a 20-foot pole...

Il Silenzio (aka TAPS) - UPDATES

From a friend:

Thought all of you would enjoy this! I found this very moving.

You may never have heard the full rendition of Il Silenzio, otherwise known as "Taps". This is a most beautiful rendition.

The girl's name is Melissa Venema and is playing with maestro Andre Rieu from Maastriecht in the Netherlands. She is 13 and has been performing for years. This performance is in 2008 Masstriecht where city officials sealed off the town square and closed everything down so they get perfect noise control. Any of you that have studied music will appreciate such talent from such a 13 year old young lady. This is the first time I have ever heard the full rendition of Taps and I enjoyed it very much. It is a wonderful performance.

VIDEO

UPDATE - I just received this comment (which is in the comments below but I am also posting it here):

I suspect that your inspiration to post this article came from viewing my long running post on Musicouch: http://musicouch.com/musicouching/il-silenzio-and-bugle-call-a-k-a-taps/ and my blog at http://www.wdcplace.blogspot.com/. To my knowledge, I am the only person on the web who has dubbed il Silenzio as Taps. I did so after much research - read the comments on Musicouch. You might want to link my two addresses to your post since your material came from my posts. Wess

UPDATE #2: I just received another comment (which is in the comments below) but I am also posting it here since it, too, adds to the information about this piece of music:

Correct information on this piece can be found at:

www.tapsbugler.com/bugle-calls-in-other-nations/

Bottom line. It's a nice piece of music but

IT IS NOT TAPS

Thanks to both people who posted--it's great to learn more via people who are generous with their time and their knowledge!

UPDATE #3:

FROM A FRIEND: The link to the performance has been around before but I have never seen the story of the performance. At least one country celebrates their liberation by the Americans.

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944. Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor in their home. Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland." The day concludes with a concert. The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

This year the soloist was a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.

William Bradford: 3/19/1590

When Shakespeare was 26-years-old, William Bradford was born, MARCH 19, 1590 At age 17, Bradford fled for Holland with persecuted Pilgrims. At age 30, he sailed with them to America. In 1621, William Bradford was chosen governor and reelected 30 times till his death.

In his History of the Plymouth Plantation, 1650, William Bradford wrote: "Since ye first breaking out of ye lighte of ye gospell in our Honourable Nation of England...what warrs and opposissions...Satan hath raised...against the Saints...by bloody death and cruell torments...imprisonments, banishments...What could now sustaine them but ye spirite of God and His grace?...Ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers...came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto ye Lord, and He heard their voyce."

William Bradford continued: "All great and honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties...Out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing...and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise."

American Minute with Bill Federer