Great story about how careless users are causing major security breaches because of P2P software. Also touches on the issue that most P2P software is not transparent about which files/folders are being shared.

Very good writeup by Malcolm Gladwell on the collapse of Bear Stearns in relation to its CEO. Has a bias towards blaming him for the bank's collapse. The article is weak on the actual facts surrounding the bank's collapse and just how much the CEO had to do with it.

A decent story providing yet another facet of the current healthcare-reform debate. Shows that many state governors oppose the healthcare plans that are currently receiving the most attention in congress due to cost concerns.

A brief treatment of the dangers posted by near-earth asteroids and comets. Veers towards a scare piece with the typical "how to save the planet" scenarios (including using nuclear weapons. I would have appreciated a deeper treatment exploring how vastly underpowered current observation networks are, the actual likelihood of an impact, and the current efforts to track and catalog these objects.

Excellent writeup on the SBIR program and the factions agitating for modifications in its upcoming renewal. Treats the subject fairly and the writer's opinion is logical.

Excellent story covering tax havens and some of the reasons that corporations use them. Covers a major point that grandstanding politicians don't usually mention: most companies that utilize tax havens are perfectly within the tax laws of the US.

Good article covering the lack of transparency surrounding TARP and the Treasury. Also points out the closed-door meetings the White House has been holding with health and drug companies w/re the healthcare reform debate. A general indictment of Obama's promises of more transparent government.

Short writeup on the efforts of the Open Source community to encourage the government to open more contracts to open source. For those who aren't familiar, Open Source software is software that is distributed with its source code in a readable format. In the Linux operating system, you can see and modify the code to tweak the system vs. Windows where the source code is not open and you cannot tweak the operating system.

Pretty feeble attempt by a (newspaper?) to justify the continued existence of newspapers. I'd think that any print periodical trying to justify its continued existence would try to at least cite some more examples of its necessity and the services it provides.

The New Yorker is always a treat. Excellent coverage of the global obesity trend and those on both sides of it. I did not even know that there was a "fat liberation" movement. Excellent use of facts and figures as well as anecdotes and expert opinions.

Brief piece discussing a fact that many people don't often hear from the media: government prosecutors at all levels make huge mistakes that ruin lives and reputations. These mistakes are often made out of self-interest (the high profile cases of Ted Stevens and the Duke Lacrosse team are mentioned).

A great story pointing out some of the cost saving measures that can be implemented now with little or no negative effect on quality and effectiveness of care. The story is a good introduction to evidence-based medicine and the savings it allows.

A very biased piece lacking a lot in current facts. The major thrust of it implies that Zelaya's ouster is a conspiracy by the Chiquitia Company (formerly United Fruit) because of his decrees raising minimum wage. Garbage.

Average news story relating Nissan's new plans for a wireless electric vehicle charger. Its a proven technology, but it remains to be seen if it is feasible for electric vehicle applications.

Pretty poor analysis of the reasons for NASA's apparent stagnation and the shuttle's failure to live up to expectations. The writer should have done a better job exploring the various political motives behind the shuttle's design as a "jack of all trades but master of none" and the amazing amount of political nonsense that goes on in an agency devoted to science and exploration.

Very short update on the Honduran election dispute that really covers no new ground. Factual, but disappointing in its lack of analysis or deeper coverage.

An excellent opinion piece backed up by a number of references.

An interesting opinion piece questioning the fervency of religious "believers". If they are so confident in religion, why do they agitate so restlessly for it?

This article brings more focus to the ongoing debate that some states are having over educational standards and the role of religion in education. Texas is only the most recent state to have its academic standards fall prey to religious interests.

A good article showing the negative impact that DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology often has on consumers. The article details how a disagreement between the publisher and Amazon lead to people losing their ebooks. It also briefly treats the patchwork of international copyright law as the reason for rescinding the books.

A short article that illuminates the many advantages of the military and clandestine agencies' access to high technology and how that same technology can be put to great scientific use.

Very short article that barely scratches the surface of its subject

Jacob Weisberg has been following the healthcare debate since 2007. His opinions are well formed and he has produced numerous, reliable sources that support his views

Long and in-depth review of the failures of the US in Afghanistan. It covers specific cases of corruption and how the contractors the US hires are gaming the system at the expense of the Afghan people. An EXCELLENT article, extremely informative and well written.

A quality piece detailing the European response to the US bailouts of the financial sector and potentially to a bailout of the Big 3.

Though overlooked throughout the campaign for the GOP nomination, Ron Paul had a major internet and grassroots following. Paul is still attempting to influence the election despite his withdrawal from the race. His latest action has been to endorse all of the major 3rd-party candidates (Independent, Libertarian, Green, Constitution) and urge voters to reject Obama and McCain as well as the two-party system that currently rules American politics.

This article has a good analysis of why the presidential candidates have been avoiding a huge issue facing the US; the credit crunch. The analysis is balanced and takes into account trends in previous elections. The author cites a political economy professor as saying that politicians don't like to talk about contentious topics. Another point is that politicians try to avoid problems the public, and they, barely understand. The article concludes with a hope that the issue will be ... More »

A tongue-in-cheek censure of the McCain campaign's distortion of Obama's voting record on K-12 sex-ed. The McCain campaign falsely claims that Obama voted in support of 'explicit' sex-ed for kindergarteners and this author criticizes them using a sports-penalty analogy.