On the homepage today, I have a dispatch from the Salzburg Festival, offering a sampler: comments on a mixture of performances (chamber music, opera, etc.) (no plays) (the play’s not the thing, with me). Let’s have some mail.

In a post yesterday, I had some remarks on price gouging (real or imagined). A sharp and lively correspondent from Indiana writes:

Hi, Jay:

I hope your “hills are alive with the sound of music.” As for me — there was price gouging at this year’s State Fair. Beignets were $12. Two years ago, they were $8. A giant corn dog is $10.

Let me interject, before letting our correspondent continue. A giant corn dog, only $10? In New York, where I live, $10 would get you, like, half a giant corn dog . . .

Okay, resuming:

I don’t know about you, but, with her price-control proposal, Harris may win my vote. It would lower my State Fair food cost next year. Which would raise my cholesterol. Which would raise my medical expenses. Which would be lowered, by government fiat. Which would make me wait longer to see my doctor. Which there would be fewer and fewer of (doctors), because of lower prices. Which would make me wait even longer to see one. Which . . .

Maybe these price controls aren’t such a good thing? All I want is a lower-priced beignet!

I wonder how much they are these days at Café du Monde (New Orleans). Haven’t been there since the ’80s . . .

In another post yesterday, I brought up the issue of apostrophes — because it has been brought up by the issue of Kamala Harris and her candidacy. Does one write “Harris’s candidacy” or “Harris’ candidacy”? An old, old issue, of course. Strunk & White lead off with it (at least in the edition I had, eons ago).

“Charles’s birthday,” they say.

Several readers have written to me about the ancients, in particular: Moses, Aristophanes. “Moses’s laws” would be weird; so would “Aristophanes’s plays.” (Sounds like you’re sneezing: “Aristophanes’s.”) A neat work-around, say Strunk & White, is “the laws of Moses,” or “the plays of Aristophanes.”

What else? Readers have written about Vladimir Kara-Murza, the Russian democracy leader, who was one of the 16 released from Russia in the recent prisoner swap. I had a post about the releasees two days ago. One reader says,

The last picture I had seen of Kara-Murza — posted by you — was from a court appearance, and it was alarming. I thought he was a goner, for sure. So happy to see him out. The courage of men like him, Oleg Orlov, and all the others is truly awe-inspiring.

I have received lots of notes about politics. I see the word “orphan” a lot. “I consider myself a political orphan.” Also the word “wilderness.” I have received many, many notes about race in America, stemming from my article “Our Ongoing Dilemma,” published two weeks ago. I will provide a sampling of those later. Lots of readers write about Ukraine and the GOP, too.

But let’s close today with a note about music. A reader writes,

Dear Jay,

Recently, you have been mentioning hybrids of musical styles. I am reminded of one I learned about not long ago. Anyone familiar with the musical traditions of Trinidad and Tobago, or really just the Caribbean in general, knows all about steelpan, or steel-drum, music.

A new and intriguing example of this is Pan Rocks, a group started by a white dude in Carolina. This fellow, Tracy Thornton, was introduced to the steelpan by a Caribbean friend, got hooked, and took it upon himself to merge steelpan with his first love, rock ’n’ roll.

Our reader suggests we try a sample: here. And the group’s website is here. I will quote from the website:

You’ve never heard steel drums like this before! If you’re looking for relaxing and dreamy Caribbean Island soundscapes…you’ve come to the wrong place! PAN ROCKS is unapologetically loud and energetic, but most of all, ROCKIN’!

Well and good — but, personally, I am not averse to “relaxing and dreamy Caribbean Island soundscapes” . . .

Rock on, y’all. And thanks much.