A Progressive on the Prairie

Lengthy weekend miscellany and marginalia

Recent travel leads to an extended list of linkage this weekend:

I’m enough of a Jon Stewart fan that I have both a “Jon Stewart for President 2008″ t-shirt and bumper sticker. But I’m not sure about this.
On a related note, while I’m not a fan of the Colbert Report, those who are might have fun with this. (Via Roberson’s Interminable Ramble.)
Publishers Weekly’s Book Life comes up with a list of 15 top books about rock ‘n roll, of which I’ve read about a quarter.
Here’s an interesting list of court opinions that cite blogs.
In light of the London terror arrests, this article (PDF file) on the risk of terrorism may be even more relevant. It notes: “Even with the September 11 attacks included in the count, the number of Americans killed by international terrorism since the late 1960s (which is when the State Department began counting) is about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts.”
The “long list” for the 2006 Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage has been announced. (Via The Millions.)
A Canadian reviewer who, like me, panned John Updike’s Terrorist takes the initiative of coming up with a list of English language books written by Arab and Muslim writers exploring “the Muslim mind.” (Via Critical Mass.)
On a somewhat related note, the essay in this weekend’s New York Times Book Review takes a look at Turkey’s prosecution of writers.
The Guardian looks at the role of drugs in Philip K. Dick’s work and life.
I’ve suspected this most of my life.