… especially in Florida, and especially if they’re a Republican running for office. It’s scary to think that a prominent political figure thinks this way, although it’s likely just an attempt to cynically manipulate vote banks. I don’t know which conclusion is sadder.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/28/senate.harris.ap/index.html

Excerpt:

MIAMI, Florida (AP) — U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is “a lie” and God and the nation’s founding fathers did not intend the country be “a nation of secular laws.”

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected, politicians will “legislate sin,” including abortion and gay marriage.

Classical music has many elements not present in pop music, but to me the most compelling element is the sheer joy and love in the process of making music. Commercial success is not considered in the crafting of a piece of music, but devotion to music itself. The music itself becomes the musician’s deity, their connection to an inner world of beauty and joy. The music becomes an end, in and of itself.

by Dilip Goswami

the white flower
dancing on the wind
swaying liliting

a twist and a spin
a flutter of petals
movements in time

the wind subsides
her flight ends
yet memories remain.

(more…)