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Apple Music Service?

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Apple is apparently working on an online music service, to be tightly integrated into iTunes and iPod.
Apple online music service wins kudos
Los Angeles Time (via Mercury News)

The new service would only be available to users of Apple’s Macintosh line computers and iPod portable music players, who have been largely overlooked by the legitimate online music services. Although no licensing deals have been announced, sources close to the situation say at least four of the five major record companies have committed their music. The service could be launched as early as next month.

‘Dirty Tricks’ Campaign

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Have you heard about the latest effort by the U.S. government to use reason and logic to convince the world that a war against Iraq is just and necessary?
Reason and logic? That’s for wimps! President Bush and his team of stellar diplomats have more effective means of convincing others to follow America’s lead.
Bribery and threats have been favorite tactics so far. Now, an intensive campaign to spy on diplomats from countries who are either opposed to or undecided about supporting war against Iraq is the latest example of the Bush administration’s clumsy and arrogant foreign policy. It’s astonishing how quickly Bush is squandering any remaining goodwill towards America.
US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war
The Observer

The United States is conducting a secret ‘dirty tricks’ campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq.
Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer.
The disclosures were made in a memorandum written by a top official at the National Security Agency — the US body which intercepts communications around the world — and circulated to both senior agents in his organisation and to a friendly foreign intelligence agency asking for its input.

No Comment From U.S. on ‘Dirty Tricks’ Report
Newsday
Uncle Sam’s dirty tricks?
Salon.com
Countries, even allies, routinely spy on each other — nothing new there. But when you add something like this to a long list of recent American actions that show a rough disdain for the opinions and policies of other nations, it just ends up feeding the perception of a new, arrogant, bullying America.
After September 11, 2001, Bush told the world that “you’re either with us, or against us.” He’s certainly working hard to provide plenty of reasons to be against us.
This is big news around the world — everywhere but in America, apparently. It doesn’t seem to qualify as important news at major media organizations in the U.S.

Tatu

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Tatu is rocketing out of Russia on a tidal wave of titillating press coverage. This manufactured pop confection takes Britney’s schoolgirl act to another level — or to new depths, if you’re one of the concerned citizens apoplectic about the short skirts and lesbian posing. Sure, it’s all manufactured for a good, strong shock. But they’re meant to appeal to the thirteen-year-old girls who drive the development of popular music, not to dirty old men (who spend money on porn, not pop music).
Surprisingly, Tatu isn’t just another tired, roll-your-eyes, R&B-flavored yawn-a-thon of the type being churned out on a regular basis in the U.S. The girls actually have some energy and life to them. Their remake of The Smiths’ How Soon Is Now is not bad.
Listen here…
Heavily produced and definitely bubblegum music. But all bubblegum music should be this good.

Two Shades Of Blue From Shiga Kogen

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shiga01.jpg
After the mountain clouds blew off around noon, we had spectacular weather for a day of boarding at Shiga Kogen. The above photo was taken from the top of Yakebitai Yama (2000m), looking across a valley to another of the 21 resorts that make up Shiga Kogen. Even though we could see all the way down to Nagano in the distance, I wasn’t able to get a good photo of that view because the sun was shining so brightly from that direction.
By the time we left around 5pm, the sun was just setting behind the resort mountains. The photo below was taken in the parking lot, looking west.
shiga02.jpg

The Two Towers

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I remember watching the credits roll after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring more than a year ago, thinking what a long time a year would be to wait for the second installment.
That year and several months seems to have gone fairly quickly. I just got home from watching The Two Towers, which opened in Japan last weekend. My first impression is that I enjoyed first episode more, but that may just be because of the anticipation and raised expectations. I still thoroughly enjoyed The Two Towers, and can’t believe another year will have to pass before seeing the conclusion.

Bush Speech, Nothing New

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KCRW today interrupted NPR’s All Things Considered to air a live speech by President Bush at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, where he was to be giving a “major speech on American foreign policy.” Unfortunately, when they switched over to the sound of applause from the event, a gentleman’s voice asked the audience to remain standing “for the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Attorney General John Ashcroft.” KCRW quickly switched back to NPR’s programming, saying they’d go back to the speech once it actually started. One can only hope Ashcroft choked on the “with liberty and justice for all” section of the Pledge.
Listening now to Bush’s speech, and reading pre-released excerpts on the web, it appears this is the beginning of yet another shift in emphasis in the Bush administration’s ongoing efforts to convince Americans that a war against Iraq is necessary. Saddam’s purported ties to Osama bin Laden are so last week. Now it’s time to talk again about how America has a moral obligation to liberate the Iraqis because they live under an oppressive regime. It’s all about liberty and democracy, don’t you know?