As Far As You Know

Paul Krugman's column in today's New York Times skewers the Bush Administration's cynically serving the interests of its wealthy power base while appearing to do the opposite during the 2004 election cycle. As always, Krugman pulls few punches in tackling his favorite target.

Users of iTunes may or may not be enamored of the little box you can open in the lower left of the main window to display album cover art. As one who grew up in an era when LP covers were adorned by some pretty cool artwork, this is something I miss in the age of digital downloads. I admit to having spent probably too much time downloading album cover art from Amazon.com to display in my iTunes. But there are now applications that will do it for you automatically. Mac users ought to give Fetch Art a try. Once installed, this is a script you can activate within iTunes that will find the appropriate cover art from an online database and put it in that little window for you. It's not going to change the world, but it's a pretty nifty slice of technology.

Click here for Tom Tomorrow's take on one of the favorite chestnuts of American conservatives: the supposedly "liberal" bias of the media. Brilliant.

Some thoughts on our recently departed 40th President from today's New Dem Daily e-mail newsletter:

Since today's Republicans invariably cite Ronald Reagan as their guiding inspiration, they should pay special attention to three aspects of his political career that his conservative heirs have too often forgotten:

• Despite his fervent anti-communism and unshakable belief in the unique mission of the United States, he remained faithful to the Cold War bipartisan tradition in foreign policy, and never abandoned America's traditional alliances or the multilateral institutions created to advance them.
• Despite his longstanding championship of a conservative domestic agenda, he was willing to compromise and adjust his policies to reflect real-life conditions, as shown by his decision to sign a liberal abortion law as governor of California, and to support tax hikes both as governor and as president.
• Despite his many years of service to the GOP, he never sought to demonize his political opponents, and never questioned their patriotism or sincerity.

Reagan's universally praised decency was undoubtedly rooted in a healthy sense of his own limitations, and of politicians generally. That, ironically, is why he was larger than his ideology, his party, or his record, and why his memory will live on when all the debates that accompanied his long political career have faded.

(To read the entire piece, click here.)

James Fallows, longtime contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, has written a fascinating and well-balanced piece analyzing the debating styles of George W. Bush and John Kerry in the cover story of this month's issue. A must read for political junkies!

Don't miss the documentary Super Size Me, still out in theaters. It's better muckraking than I thought it would be. It's about a man who spends thirty days eating nothing but McDonald's meals and the catastrophic effects this has on his physical and mental health. It tackles all sorts of important related issues, too: school districts shilling sugar water, corporate influence on Congressional legislation regarding nutrition, the hidden agenda behind fast food advertising, and similar topics.

Okay, I may or may not be posting for the next two weeks. It all depends on access to Internet cafes. I'll be on holiday in Paris, Scotland, western Ireland, and London. I'll try to snap some pics for the site.

I'm outta here!

Beautiful weather and lingering daylight in the evenings have marked my time in Paris thus far. A few quick observations:

• It's amazing how much better public transport is in Europe than back Stateside. The Metro system here in Paris is fast, cheap, and convenient.
• Walking around with an iPod basically provides a soundtrack for exploring the world's great cities. I had The Streets in my ears while (whilst, as they would say) on the Tube in London the other day and was listening to Berlioz as I walked by Notre Dame yesterday.
• Dvorak keyboards are damned frustrating.
• Paris may be a movable feast, but it's expensive as hell to eat here.

On to Scotland . . .

I've returned after two weeks abroad. Good to travel, good to be home. Regular posting will resume in the next few days.

The 1963 song "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan just popped up on random shuffle on iTunes. It's eerily fitting for the events of 2004!