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My Amazon Light and the Herald Sun suggest that politics is not the hottest game in town: Lindsay's so hot
The world still has millions of mystics, and the most mystical human beings are often among the most practical as well ... One of New York's hottest young artists portrays her circle of friends, her fellow artists and her favorite icons My Bohemia

Literature & Art Across Frontiers: Publisher Encourages Students to Participate in Democratic Process by Awarding Grants
In celebration of the new book "D is for Democracy," publisher Sleeping Bear Press, a Thomson Gale imprint, is encouraging students in grades 3-8 to play an active role in our democratic process by developing their own volunteer project. Sleeping Bear Press will award five $1,000 grants to fund the winning student projects.
The Grassroots Volunteer Campaign is a way to encourage kids to develop volunteerism, one of the cornerstones of our democratic society. This election year is a great time to learn about democracy through 'D is for Democracy' and to participate in the process through the Grassroots Volunteer Campaign.
• This type of activity makes learning fun, encourages creativity and will help those in need -- a winning combination [The poorest poet who could not sell words for money has given humanity far more than busloads of best sellers with private foundations All of civilization rests on symbolic giving: Real writing is a gift beyond measure - It's only the counterfeit stuff that needs to be laundered; To blog or not to blog: More authors keeping online journals ; Matt Liddy's Poll Vault Weblog: How our political leaders speak ]
• · We are endlessly caught in the movement of our desire like a fish in a net of its own making. 32 keys and their music puts the devil to flight…and he whom no force can overcome is overcome by harmony The universe is harmonious for it is the work of God and musical harmony is the human key to the divine harmony. Far from having all the best tunes, the devil abhors harmony (Simon Critchley -This essay is the text of a talk given at The Sydney Opera House on 23 August); [ Paolo Totaro reviews Giuliano Montagna’s autobiography My Father Giovannino Guareschi – from the Po to Australia chasing a dream (PDF version) The odyssey of a lost, loving son]
• · · Liz Else, Alun Anderson complaining about sloppy thinking, logical errors, fallacies and muddles Your beliefs are like your wardrobe. How dare anybody question your style? Your ideology is your own. As for evidence
• · · · Rules of debate. You have Buckleys in NY. You may not stick fingers in your mouth pretending to vomit while your opponent speaks. Do not use the terms girlie-man, frog, or bozo. Elevator shoes are strictly forbidden Mr Christopher Buckley
• · · · · The story of Czechoslovak Oskar Schindler was not something Thomas Knealley found. Rather, it found him. He was looking for a briefcase.
• · · · · · The Meander (aka Menderes) is a river in Turkey. As you might expect, it winds all over the place. But it doesn't do this out of frivolity. The path it has discovered is the most economical route to the sea. The River ; The river's algorithm is simple. At each step, flow down. For the essayist this translates to: flow interesting. Of all the places to go next, choose the most interesting. One can't have quite as little foresight as a river. I always know generally what I want to write about. But not the specific conclusions I want to reach; from paragraph to paragraph I let the ideas take their course. The Cold River [This doesn't always work. Sometimes, like a river, one runs up against a wall. Then I do the same thing the river does: backtrack. At one point in this essay I found that after following a certain thread I ran out of ideas. I had to go back seven paragraphs and start over in another direction.]