Saturday, May 3, 2003

Judging Bush The president's determination in the face of opposition proves his courage. But our greatest leaders also had wisdom. [Salon] 9:11:15 AM

Friday, May 2, 2003

Apple's Music Store Wow! I am certainly proving to be an addict of Apple's new music store. I downloaded the new iTunes4, installed Quicktime 6.2 and by the afternoon had scored a cut by Gaelic storm. Poking around led to a Tito Puentes album and some tracks from Dave Brubeck. The next day I turned on the shopping cart in prefs and bought Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock and the album "Jazz Samba" by Charlie Parker and Stan Getz. Last night, while listening to the Tito Puentes, they called out Mongo SantaMaria on congas which led me to pull down a couple of HIS tracks. Then I saw the staff suggestion for Freddie Hubbard, and, well - you get the idea I have been looking for a way to buy the music I want. This satisfies my desires both in convenience and price. I don't share the view that the prices are out of line. 8:37:52 AM

Monday, April 14, 2003

Iraq and America's Role in the World: What's Next? Whether war in Iraq was, or was not, necessary, only history can now say. In retrospect, repeated references to "weapons of mass destruction" seem largely irrelevant. The issue now is "what's next"? Here are some clues to look for: (1) will the Bush adminsitration move quickly to end terrorism in Israel and the Palestinian territories, roll back settlements, and push for a Palestinian state as promised; (2) will we lead the Syrians to believe they are next for invasion; (3) and will we ask other nations to help rebuild Iraq. How the administration responds to these questions will suggest whether we truly are launching into a dangerous new world of "go-it-alone". [Gary Hart News Blog] 1:14:21 PM

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Geov Parrish: 'The national gloat' America's national gloat is, at its root, partly self-congratulation at having rid the world of an undeniably unsavory dictator. Few will weep over the departure of Saddam Hussein -- his muscle gone, his palaces rubble. Dictators have no friends. How he was removed, however, sows the seeds of a much longer and by definition unwinnable war -- one which goes a long way toward fulfilling the bin Laden fantasy of a pan-national Islamic guerilla war against America. That conflict is also being fueled by the other part of America's gloating: the national sense that despite the unified political opposition of nearly the entire world, America can do whatever it likes, rules be damned. [The Smirking Chimp] 10:15:05 AM

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

DaveNet: Eve of destruction .... DaveNet: Eve of destruction. Quoting Dave Winer: Shortly after President Bush's speech last night, Scott Rosenberg, managing editor at Salon, posted an analysis on his weblog. I sent Scott an email with my compliments. It isn't often that an essay changes minds. This one changed mine. [Scripting News] 8:22:25 PM

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Washington Journalist Tells of White House Quote Massaging BuzzFlash: Proof That the Washington Post and the White House Press Corps Wear Knee Pads: Breathe Deeply and Swallow. Not only do the so-called reporters have to get approval before including the quotes in an article, the White House can alter the quotations and demand that they be printed as though they were the original quotations. [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 6:39:56 PM

Friday, February 28, 2003

"Thrashing toward self-destruction" In a stinging letter of resignation, senior U.S. diplomat Brady Kiesling says the Bush administration has squandered U.S. legitimacy through a "swaggering and contemptuous" approach to foreign policy. [Salon] 7:27:56 PM

© Copyright 2003 Peter Loats. Last update: 5/3/03; 9:12:43 AM.