Word: flooringly
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Discussions of faith are rarely heavy-handed within the confines of the Senate. No one is quizzed on his or her religious affiliation; I have rarely heard God's name invoked during debate on the floor. Beyond the Senate's genteel confines, though, any discussion of religion and its role in politics can turn a bit less civil. Take my Republican opponent in 2004, Alan Keyes, who deployed a novel argument for attracting voters in the waning days of the campaign. "Christ would not vote for Barack Obama," Mr. Keyes proclaimed, "because Barack Obama has voted to behave...
...even more thrilling to watch the process in its chrysalis phase. In this respect, the masterclass between five Sydney Symphony woodwind players and 100 budding band members at an Osaka high school was the high point of the tour. The stage was a plastic-covered gymnasium floor, with headmaster Yoshio Shinohara's office standing in as green room. "I feel Australia is very close to my heart," says Shinohara, pointing out a Melbourne tea towel, kangaroo ashtray and koala-adorned sheepskin cushion?legacies of previous student exchanges...
...best present for Ichioka High School's 800 students is the presence of Sydney Symphony's principal tubist, Steve Rosse, out on the gym floor. With the Australian musicians joining ranks with the school band, blond-haired Rosse is conducting the Chaconne from Holst's Suite No. 1 in E-flat. But on its first run through, the rousing march is deemed too restrained. "Lawrence, have you got some advice for the clarinets here?" Rosse calls out to the Sydney Symphony principal. Rosse is even more assertive when it comes to the tuba section. "I want them to pronounce...
...figure out the common values that can serve as a basis for discussion." Sensing my skepticism, he tried again: "This book doesn't drill that deep in terms of policy ... There are a slew of good ideas out there. Some things end up on the cutting-room floor...
Universal health insurance also found its way to the cutting-room floor. I asked about the universal plan recently passed in Massachusetts, which was a triumph of Obama-style bipartisanship. The plan requires everyone who earns three times the poverty rate to purchase health insurance and subsidizes those who earn less than that. Shouldn't health insurance be mandatory, like auto insurance, for those who can afford it? Obama wouldn't go there. "If there's a way of doing it voluntarily, that's more consonant with the American character," he said. "If you can't solve the problem without...