Caught in a clash of love and war
The white letters skewed across our car's windows are impossible to make out from this ninth floor hotel balcony, but I know what they say: "JUST MARRIED . . . He's Off to War." And in the top right-hand corner of the rear window: "War Bride." The words supplant the message I had placed there when our country went to war after Sept. 11. Printed on a sheet of white paper and taped to the bottom corner of the rear window, it had been easy to tear away, this one, promissory word: "PEACE."

TV news tuned in to the Middle East
TEMPLE TERRACE -- Before we enter the coffee shop, Jamil Jreisat wants me to understand a few ground rules.

A masterpiece of management
Michael Milkovich possessed nothing but ambition when he first came to the United States, but he climbed the art world ladder to leave his mark on St. Petersburg's culture.

Art for a wider community
During his tenure as director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Michael Milkovich has expanded its holdings, as well as its galleries, diversity and appeal.

Audio files
THE STROKES, IS THIS IT (RCA) Hipsters who have heard the gigantic buzz about the debut album from the Strokes -- about it being amazing, and a throwback to real, gutsy, arty rock -- have likely heard the counter buzz: Is This It is a derivative piece of poo, ripping off every New York postpunk band from the Velvet Underground to Television.

Classical Files
IL TENERO MOMENTO; SUSAN GRAHAM, ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT/HARRY BICKET (ERATO) If there is any one thing about 18th century opera that distinguishes it from its mid and late 19th century romantic cousins, it is its emphasis on decorum, both compositional and dramatic. While the stories it tells are no less passionate or fanciful, the demands of through-composition in those days were governed by a well defined aesthetic.