Anyone have podcasts that they'd recommend?
Finally integrating WWW::Blog::Identify in to Shelob. I want to get a nice snapshot of how the blogosphere is reacting to the London bombings, mostly because people tend to point to 9/11 as a key event in development of the medium. This evening I'm going to be doing XML/XSLT work.
Current Listening: Mandre, Light Years (Opus IV)
I don't have much to say about the bombings in London this morning that hasn't been said a million times over at this point. Suffice it to say that I spent more than a little time in the tube and on buses in the city when I was over there in 1997 (hanging out with Keely, actually) and the idea of having a bomb go off while you're underground is absolutely horrifying. I'm heartened to see that, relative to past attacks, this one wasn't as bad as it could have been... though I'm sure it doesn't feel that way to those who were there or lost a loved one.
The Guardian blog has up to the minute news from London. If you're interested, I recommend this Frontline documentary on Al Qaeda in Western Europe, which includes a great deal of material on the group's presence in England.
This has me thinking about an excellent piece in a recent New Yorker titled "The Home Front: A Soldier's Father Wrestles with the Ambiguities of Iraq." It's worth checking out if you have the opportunity. It deals most directly with Chris Froheiser, whose son Kurt was killed in Iraq, and how he has struggled to jibe Democratic response to the war with his own political leanings and the realities of having a loved one in a combat zone. Here's a passage, in Mr. Froheiser's words, care of a blog post I found while Googling for a full text version.
Next Tuesday, George Bush will be campaigning near Des Moines, in a farm community called Alleman, Iowa. Apparently, the campaign invited us as Kurt's family to be there. Joel and I talked about it and Erin too. And we will attend. It is a tribute to Kurt, I think. It is a tribute to Kurt, I think. It may or may not be construed as support for Bush. But, you know, I will put my Democratic loyalty up against anyone's. As a tribute to Kurt I am entitled to shake hands with the President. Besides, it is still a bit odd I think that very little was said to me, a loyal Democrat, by leading Democrats, about Kurt's service. I know a guy who was the state party chair and who was an early Edwards supporter. I had expressed an interest in talking to Edwards about Kurt's service. It was never arranged. I thought someone like Edwards should speak to someone who lost a child in combat. Is there a larger issue exposed here? About Democrats and the soldiers? Sometimes it feels like I don't have a party. John Kerry did send a card to both Jeanie and me, but I really think there is an ill-at-ease sense among activist Democrats about the "warriors" because of opposition to the war.
Shifting further to domestic political news, we have three pieces related to the brewing SCOTUS nomination fight. The first is from William Saletan at Slate, who lays out his take on the President's political calculus. Also, WaPo's Charles Lane looks at the Gonzalez wedge, while a page or two away we have coverage of the President's reaction to attacks on Gonzalez.
Current Listening: Madlib, Distant Land
