Castanets

Now used primarily in Spanish dance music, castanets are percussion instruments that were known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Of the many kinds, the most common consist of two small matching pieces of hard wood or ivory, joined at the inner edge and used with a thin strap in the player’s hand. They are snapped together between the palm and fingers and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents, especially to accompany dancing. What is the origin of the instrument’s name? More… Discuss

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Hands-Free Technology Can Make Drivers More Dangerous

Hands-free, speech-activated phone and infotainment systems for drivers are meant to make roads safer, but many are having the opposite effect. These systems are intended to make it easier for drivers to do things like make a call, send a text, or tune the radio without taking their eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel, but many of the programs are so error-prone and complicated that they end up being a greater distraction than, for example, talking on a hand-held cell phone. More… Discuss

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Democracy – Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen – Democracy
(lyrics from http://www.6lyrics.com)

It’s coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It’s coming from the feel
that this ain’t exactly real,
or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It’s coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don’t pretend to understand at all.
It’s coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It’s coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin’
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.