pixiequix

­'Unity at Dawn''Bringer of the Dawn'­

Wondrous art by Egil Paulsen.Thanks to Denise for sending it my way. 'Furioso''Virtuoso Violence'

There's an innocent kind of beauty in Kami Lerner's art.I like it.

The Lacrimosa, from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor, is so hauntingly beautiful that it can reach in and touch the very depths of a person's soul. Mozart was working on the Requiem Mass when he died in December of 1791. The last utterance of his musical genius can be heard throughout the first eight measures of the Lacrimosa movement.I like this video because the words and sheet music follow along with the music.Here they are, first in Latin and then the rough English translation:Lacrimosa dies illa Qua resurget ex favilla Judicandus homo reus.Huic ergo parce, Deus,Pie Jesu Domine,Dona eis requiem.Mournful that dayWhen from the dust shall riseGuilty man to be judged.Therefore spare him, O God.Merciful Jesus, LordGrant them rest.

"The drug war is based on a repugnant assertion: that you do not have ownership over your own body; that you don't have the right to decide what you'll do with your body, with your property and with your life. The position of the drug warriors is that you should be in jail if you decide to do something with your body that they don't approve of.People will always do plenty of things that are bad for them, and there's no reason to put them in prison for it. Think about all the things that you do which are bad for your own health and well being -- should the government outlaw those too?People eat too much fast food and they forget to floss every day. They watch too much TV and they don't count their calories. They stay up too late and they spend too much. And, guess what else? People swallow, snort, shoot and smoke drugs that are both legal and illegal -- and it's not going to stop. A free society just wouldn't force you, under the threat of punishment, to be "good" to yourself all the time. That was the job of your parents -- unless, of course, you want the feds to be your new "daddy." Every day that the war on drugs continues is another day of injustice; another day of spending countless billions to lock people up that don't behave the way the bureaucrats want them to behave.It's time to bring this multi-billion dollar attack on your liberty to an end"Thank you Dr. Duke.

This is an amazing Ken Burns documentary about the life of Jack Johnson. Four hours long and I was enthralled for every moment of it. It's very well done and the subject matter is already so interesting to begin with.I admire Jack Johnson. He was not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a die hard individualist. He was who he was with no apologies and remained true to himself to the very end. Never feeling compelled to alter his lifestyle to suit the racist social mores of the times in which he lived.