Meet DJ Besho. For a gangsta rapper, he doesn't swear and even weaves a bit of the Koran into his lyrics. His story also provides an insight into some of the cultural rifts developing between the young and old in Afghanistan.

Having been the victim of bike theft, this Slate piece caught my eye.

Number 1?

Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock, $89.95
Pertinent Thickness: 18 mm Shackle
Weight: 4.6 pounds
Free Anti-Theft Warranty: $4,500 for one year

If I were a pro bicycle thief, I'd skip any bike protected by a poison-frog-yellow New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock (or the NYFU). It took its beating with the poise of a journeyman NHL defenseman. At my hacksawing rate, it would have taken 42 minutes to cut through the 18 mm shackle. (It didn't get a perfect 20 score for security because my assault managed to jar a spring loose inside the crossbar, but that wouldn't affect lockup strength.)

I wasn't too surprised: The NYFU is made with so much hardened steel that it could moonlight as a dumbbell. But weight aside, its small size makes it easy to carry. The only drawback of "mini" U-locks like the NYFU is that the small stature means you can only lock the bike frame to an object—there's no room for also locking wheels. Kryptonite has enough confidence in their new flagship lock to back it up with a $4,500 anti-theft warranty. (Not that I've ever seen, much less owned, a bike worth anywhere near that much.) It's pricey, but the NY Fahgettaboudit is worth the dough.

Security: 19
Portability/Ease of Use: 7
Value: 7.4
Total: 33.4

Michelle Goldberg, a senior writer with Salon, has just written a book on the rise of the Christian right in the United States. Here's a disturbing sample.

Bad blood between David W. Mitchell, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former owner of the Point Reyes (Ca.) Light, and Robert Plotkin, the man who purchased the weekly paper,  is currently the most riveting story for its readership.

USA Today gets a gold star for telling Americans their National Security Agency is building a database of every phone call made by tens of millions of Americans. Wow. That's a lot of suspected terrorists!