Hari gives his usual insightful look at the American political system. The one thing I can think of that would have added to it is an exploration of the Supreme Court ruling that established corporate personhood, and opened the door to corporate lobbying. Since this ruling is up for review in the next session of the Court, it would make a worthwhile addition to the story.

Unfortunately, this piece takes an important topic and turns it into a "he said, she said" piece. Since the author doesn't quote any facts or figures from either side to support their assertions, it's hard to evaluate their claims. And Cheng fails to do so either. In addition, Cheng neglects the opportunity to tie the discussion into other well-reported environmental issues. For example, the linked story talks about how climate change will impact the world's ability to feed the ... More »

This, to me, is an example of mediocre journalism. And a type of story I see a lot. Goldman sent out a press release. Bowley picked it up and added a very minor bit of context. And that's it. Nothing about how the new program compares to the billions they'll hand out in bonuses, what they used to lend, or what's needed to really contribute to recovery. In short, Bowley has shortchanged readers by not doing his homework.

Never known for her demure style, Pollitt lets out all the stops on this one. It's a good expression of feminist rage.

Ever since the first Gulf War there have been reports of increased death rates and birth defects among populations exposed to the war's leavings. Similar stories have been reported of radiation poisoning among returning U.S. troops. Yet nothing has been done, and the use of the suspect weapons has not been stopped. This is the latest chapter in a long, sad story. Thanks to Randall for keeping it alive.

Hari does an excellent job of examining what drives Islamists. In-depth and compelling.

A very small slice of life from a very specialized perspective. Or a completely over-the-top observation from a totally obsessive point of view. Your pick.

I've always heard that studies this small don't offer statistically significant results. Still, I found the concepts and results interesting.

A chilling example of why the men who wrote our constitution separated church and state. But not the only recent one. The other is the recent House health care reform bill--where religious beliefs impacted the final bill and the Catholic Church weighed in again too.

A bold and truthful look at the unintended consequences of the "war" on drugs--and why we are losing it.

A continuation of the 24-hour cable discussion, only online. Corn doesn't say anything I haven't already heard, proposes no new interpretation, and advances no new proof for the opinions. Corn is a better journalist than this.

Classic Krugman. Even though it's not his field, the man is a close observer of the American political scene and has been right more than a few times. Democrats ought to pay attention to him.

Cole is one of the foremost experts on the Middle East. This is far from being one of his best pieces. But it does an adequate job of explaining the current impasse.

Sad to read the U.S. is still considered the major impediment to progress on this critical issue. But McCarthy makes a good case for why it is so. He also does a good job of summarizing where other countries stand.

A damming piece that shows the attitude that war trumps the law. If this were so, we would not have war crimes trials. Usborne could have gone into more background. But most readers probably know it.

An interesting look at the mood in Iran.

The representative fails to provide any proof for ANY of his arguments. He also fails to note the success or failure of health systems in other countries that would tend to prove or disprove his arguments.

I guess I have a different definition of "paying off." To me, it would mean Congress is about to achieve meaningful reform that will contain health care costs and improve access to care for the American people. This article fails to prove that. Instead it is another puff piece for Rahm Emanuel.

This piece falls in the category of speaking truth to power. Though Solnit starts with the current water wars going on in California, she ably expands her theme to the U.S. as a whole to examine how our priorities are shaping our future.

Interestingly, the one thing that would provide a convincing argument for protection as journalists is never mentioned: Did the students write up the results of their investigations as articles? The argument that they were working as an investigative agency is more persuasive if they did not.

I read the story first in The Independent this morning. But there it was linked to another recent story about a high-profile defection (which I've linked here). This provided more context. Neither original article digs very far into the decades-long controversy into the group, or the actions taken in other countries.

Not a very good story as it fails to note that most credit card companies have already hiked rates. So this is a pretty clear case of shutting the barn door after the horse is already out. Still, with that background information, I thought it so funny I had to post it.