church and state fire sale

Charles Pierce (you may have to scroll down, or it may be gone, depending on how soon you look) on Newsweek's recent "faith portrait" of the president.

Roger Ebert on public prayer.

NYT catch-up

Three things about music from Sunday's Times:

1. An article about L.A. Reid, now head of Arista Records.

   Mr. Reid summed up his long-term goal for the label in one word: hits. "Today my strategy is where is my next hit going to come from," he said. "My strategy in 10 years will be the same damn strategy: Where will the next hit or the next star come from?"

   There's also a quote from Interscope's President of Black Music, which I guess is what musicians like Aretha Franklin, Dr. Dre, Living Color, Steve Lacy, and Charley Pride play.
   
2. A classical music critic on current film scores, Oscar-nominated and should-have-been. (He hates Philip Glass's The Hours, and likes John Williams's Catch Me If You Can, which, to my surprise, I liked too.)
   
3. Reader responses to a recent article about how music for grown-ups is boring.
   

(no subject)

Paul Krugman on a little-noticed diplomatic crisis:

[Bush] alluded to the possibility of reprisals if Mexico didn't vote America's way, saying, "I don't expect there to be significant retribution from the government" -- emphasizing the word "government." He then went on to suggest that there might, however, be a reaction from other quarters, citing "an interesting phenomena taking place here in America about the French . . . a backlash against the French, not stirred up by anybody except the people."

And Mr. Bush then said that if Mexico or other countries oppose the United States, "there will be a certain sense of discipline."

Internet art

These look cool.