Bits & Tidbits, Slate edition

Slate magazine is a good read; I find that they have a welcome style to presenting the news, with just a hint of snarky sarcasm when appropriate, and good humor often. They also do a good job of keeping up with what other news sources are reporting, and offer things like “top headlines of the week” from major sources.

Recently, they’ve had a small handful of articles that I would normally include in a “Bits & Tidbits” post, so I thought I would have one just for them.

• Obama plans to spend as much on defense as Bush did.
• Why American churchgoers like to shop around.
• Bad uses of good technology.
• Why American Muslims don’t join Al-Qaida or blow things up.
• What grief is really like.
• Can Michael Lewis’ piece on Shane Battier make me a better basketball player? (By the way, if you haven’t read the Michael Lewis piece in the NY Times-- sorry, Slate-- then if is a must-read. Think, Malcolm Gladwell writes about basketball...)