Fine article in the Wall Street Journal Online this morning:

What Iraqis Really Think
We asked them. What they told us is largely reassuring.

BY KARL ZINSMEISTER
Wednesday, September 10, 2003 12:01 a.m. EDT

Some bad news, even though we knew it was coming:

Warren Zevon, 56, dead after a long illness
From MSNBC via Virginia Postrel

One of the most interesting songwriters around, Warren was a real treat to hear in concert. He generally toured alone, and entertained the audience with piano and guitar. He didn't usually sing about love. "Roland Headless Thompson Gunner" was more like it. Rick Derringer made "Lawyers Guns and Money" a hit, as Linda Ronstadt did with "Poor Poor Pitiful Me". In my opinion, "Stand in the Fire", recorded live but WITH a band, was his best album. Unless somebody has made an MP3 copy, it's only available on cassette or vinyl, which is a real crime. The album includes "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" and "Jeanie Needs A Shooter" along with his better-known tunes. I hear that some of his albums are going to be re-released, and hopefully Stand in the Fire will be among them. Zevon's sense of humor permeated his music, and I think that's what really set it apart from the mainstream---he always reminded me of a perky, happy Tom Waits. Warren Zevon was a real character who will be long remembered.