John Grishamm, The Broker

Sure, this is a great book that fulfills all the prerequisite of its genre in a way that allows the reader to probe some of the possibilities of depth. The writing is taut (although I've only listened to it as a book on tape) and reminds me of the masters: Elmore Leonard and (my all time favorite) Carl Hiaasen.

iDNES.cz - Nový zákon přesně urÄ?uje, co je sexuální obtěžování
Nový trestní zákon, který přijali poslanci tento týden, zavádí trestný Ä?in, který přesně definuje sexuální obtěžování. Od ledna 2007 bude za sexuální obtěžování bude hrozit od 6 měsíců do 8 let vězení.
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Death penalty: Time to rethink? :: The Daily Herald, Provo Utah

Nature or nurture? - The Boston Globe
Well, it turns out that the more you believe homosexuality is innate, the more accepting you are of gay rights. A full 79 percent of people who think human beings are born with a sexual orientation support gay rights, including civil unions or marriage equality. But only 22 percent of those who believe homosexuality is a choice agree.

Conservative U. -- in cyberspace - Los Angeles Times
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, conservatives saw a country that was split about 50-50 between the left and the right, as it is today and will continue to be for a long time. But the country's main cultural institutions were nearly all liberal — making conservatives rage and despair. Things have now changed for the better, and technology has been the main enabler.

A Man's Right to Choose - New York Times
NOBODY is arguing that we should let my friend who impregnated his girlfriend off the hook. If you play, you must pay. But if you pay, you should get some say. If a father is willing to legally commit to supporting and raising the child himself, why should a woman be able to end a pregnancy that she knew was a possibility of consensual sex? Why couldn't I make the same claim - that I am going to keep the baby regardless of whether she wants it or not?

BBC NEWS | Education | Primary reading set for overhaul
The way children are taught to read in primary schools in England needs to be changed, says a government review.

It has backed the method synthetic phonics, which teaches children the sounds of letters and combination of letters before they move onto books.
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Why school achievement isn't reaching the poor - The Boston Globe

BBC - Thought for the Day, 29 November 2005

Terror's stealth weapon: women - Los Angeles Times
The stereotype exploited by terrorists is that women are gentle, submissive and nonviolent. Women evade most terrorist profiles because they are perceived as wives and mothers, victims of war-torn societies, not bombers. But terrorist organizations are increasingly employing women to carry out the most deadly attacks.