Opinion: In today’s pages: Toxic kids’ toys, Texas highways, traffic
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Metal Edge magazine editor Philip Freeman says the album isn’t dead:
Yes, album sales for the first half of 2007 were down 15% compared with the same period last year, and the record industry has entered what seems like a perpetual state of panic. And yes, most music that’s being downloaded legally is bought a la carte, song by song. But that doesn’t mean albums, or even CDs, are doomed. Certain genres -- pop, hip-hop, dance music -- have always been, and will always be, about the perfect song. Albums are more contemplative, presuming and demanding both commitment and patience on the listener’s part. But for those of us who love the idea of being permitted into an artist’s world for an hour or so, that’s how it should be -- and these are good times. Ambitious, personal music, frequently in lavish packaging, whether by arty metal acts such as Sunn O))) or rap mega-stars such as Kanye West, is reaching the fans it’s meant for.
Pediatrician Harvey Karp and attorney Rachel Gibson argue against toxic chemicals in kids’ toys. The Reason Foundation’s Shikha Dalmia and Leonard Gilroy answer conspiracy theorists’ fears that a Texas highway project will hurt U.S. sovereignty. And columnist Patt Morrison thinks identity politics are so 20th century.
The editorial board isn’t surprised that L.A. leads the nation in traffic congestion. The board notes a bipartisan consensus on healthcare in Sacramento and says it’s time to make a deal. And finally the board comments on Europe’s ruling that Microsoft engaged in anti-competitive behavior.
On the letters page, readers react to the Blackwater controversy in Iraq. Santa Monica’s Forrest Murray asks, ‘Is there a difference between an ‘enemy combatant’ and a privateer Blackwater contract player with state-of-the-art weaponry?’