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The article observes that $733, 647,242.31 has been raised by candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2010 election cycle, and itemizes several things that collectively add up to that sum including a $100 million gift to schools in Newark, New Jersey by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the 2009 payroll for the Washington Redskins professional football team, and the portrait "Self Portrait" by artist Andy Warhol.

The article discusses fines assessed to corporations in the U.S. and presents several related graphs including one that shows fines levied against investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc., another that shows corporate fines and revenues for 2009, and a third detailing several fines that have been assessed against oil company BP PLC.

A chart is presented on television broadcasting history which notes celebrated incidents involving sex and swearing on television.

This article presents questions and answers about the design of consumer products, including a question about how early designers need to become involved in product development, some unlikely collaborations with design firms, and the use of a design firm by Ace Hotel.

The article discusses the federal estate tax in the U.S. Although zero for 2010, the estate-tax rate is set to jump to 55% in 2011 unless Congress acts. However, Congress has the right to make changes that would retroactively impose a tax for 2010. In 2009 the estate tax collected $23.4 billion. From 2010 to 2011 the rate on taxable gifts that exceed $13,000 will rise from 35% to 55%.

The article discusses the behavior of the chief executive officers (CEO) of eight banks, who were questioned by the U.S. House Financial Services Committee during a hearing about how they've used the taxpayer money they've been given. The CEOs' behavior from a public relations perspective is examined. It is considered that arrogance on the bankers' part is also a factor of the financial system failing because people who have done well in finance generally believe they do well at everything.

The article reports on an adjustment in the way Nielsen/NetRatings measures Internet traffic, to account for the amount of time users spend at a given site, not just how often they visit it. The change has been hailed by industry experts as a more useful metric for advertisers, but they add that no one measurement is ever likely to capture Web site popularity.

The article reports on Christian softball leagues around the United States. Particular attention is given to the Men's Evangelical Softball League in Nashua, New Hampshire, its rules and regulations, as well as its desire to convert non-Christian players. The author reports that the Christian Amateur Softball Association accounts for over 4,000 teams in the country.

This article announces the death of Kurt Waldheim, former two-term secretary-general of the United Nations. Waldheim was campaigning for the Austrian presidency in 1986 when it was revealed that he'd hidden his role as a Nazi officer during World War II. Experts concluded Waldheim probably did not personally commit any atrocities.

The article discusses a study which suggests that late U.S. President Thomas Jefferson may have had Jewish ancestry. Researchers found that Jefferson's Y chromosome is part of a line known as K2. The chromosomal line predominantly found in the Middle East was also dispersed across Europe. Experts say this could be a result of Jewish Diaspora, in which Jews spread west through Europe.

The article discusses the problems facing Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., the U.S. top institution for the deaf and hard of hearing. Students are questioning the appointed president's ability to remedy issues regarding school culture and accreditation flaws. University spokesperson Mercy Coogan states that continuing efforts are in place to resolve the concerns.

This article presents the Boston, Massachusetts terrorist bomb scare that was revealed to be a guerrilla marketing ploy for Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The city sent out emergency response totaling over $500,000 in expenses to detonate several bomb-like devices that were actually neon light signs. The disaster shut down a highway and subway for much of that morning.

The article presents obituaries for Molly Ivins, an Austin, Texas reporter and author, and for Barbaro, a Kentucky Derby racehorse and six-time race champion.

The article examines the reactions to senator Barack Obama from comedians in the United States in 2007. The article notes that Obama is held in such regard by the population that making fun of him is not easy for comedians. The article presents quotes from a number of comedy professionals on strategies they adopt to deal with Obama.

The article discusses the traveling process of reptiles, particularly snakes, as they move between museum exhibits as part of the specialty zoo, Reptileland. Of particular focus are the use of a 'snake hook' in handling deadly species of snakes, and the behavior patterns of snakes as they are being prepared for travel.

The article discusses how tourism is increasing in a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana. According to tourist guidebooks, much of the city is open for business, especially in the French Quarter where most of the hotels and restaurants are located. One of the biggest problems facing the tourism industry in New Orleans is being under staffed, because a lot of neighborhoods are still abandoned.

The article discusses a zine founded by Katherine Sharp called "400 Words." The idea was to spur creativity by confining the allowable length of the users' free submissions to 400 words. Sharpe gets hundreds of submissions by posting prompts to her blog and the Web site Craigslist. The quality of submissions is mixed. Content comes from writers and non-writers alike.

The article discusses the evolution of cartoons from flat panels to Internet-based animated cartoons. Traditional U.S. print cartoonists have dropped in number from 2000 in the 1980's to about 60 in 2006. Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Walt Handelsman has learned Flash software and now supplements his daily panels with animated features.

An obituary for CBS News journalist Ed Bradley of "60 Minutes" fame, is presented.

This article reports on rock star Madonna's expedited adoption of a child in the African country of Malawi. Human rights groups said they would seek a court injunction to block the adoption. Tom Atwood, president of the National Council for Adoption, said there is, in practice, no line to cut in front of since few Malawi children have been granted visas into the U.S.

The article reports that as the National Hockey League (NHL) prepares to return in 2006 after a year of suspended activity, the mass media plans on cutting back on coverage of the sport. However, fan web sites and bloggers are becoming an important part of broadcasting NHL news, and the organization says it will be concentrating its marketing efforts on these tech savvy, hardcore fans.

The article reports that Doha, Qatar is planning a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The speculation is made that the credibility of their campaign will rely on how they perform as hosts of the 2006 Asian Games in December. Several issues working against Doha's candidacy are highlighted, but the point is made that whether or not they win the bid, campaigning to host is a smart way of raising the area's sporting profile.

This article reports on the fact that people are making topical parodies of the film "Brokeback Mountain." Versions of the parodies include the faces of Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff in place of those of the actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as well as take-offs of movies like "Top Gun," ("Top Gun 2: Brokeback Squadron") and "Back to the Future," ("Brokeback to the Future"). The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has denounced the practice as homophobic.

The article reports that having the Super Bowl at Detroit's Ford Field means that there will be international participation in the festivities. Just across the border is Windsor, Ontario, where the exchange rate makes post-game partying on foreign soil enticing. Border Protection officials will be on the look-out for underage drinkers and other illegal activity, but their main concern is terrorism. The Super Bowl is not expected to be any more dangerous this year than in the past.

This article looks at a new service that is becoming available on cable television systems that helps fantasy football players to keep track of their team and some opposition players without channel-hopping. Access to the information is through your TV remote control with information showing up on your TV screen in a window every five minutes. The service is free, but is currently being offered only in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area. The system's creator, BIAP Systems, is negotiating with other cable providers across the country.

The article reports on the results of a recent study of 2,100 Britons that found that more than a third of people in Great Britain buy certain titles solely to look intelligent. Comments regarding the issue from Random House Inc. editor Mark Tavani. The author suggests that certain titles are notorious for having sales figures that belie their readability, such as Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time," and Michael Faber's "The Crimson Petal and the White."

The article focuses on the legacy of Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865. The author questions what role Mudd had in the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. A forthcoming motion picture titled "Manhunt," starring Harrison Ford, will include Mudd as a supporting character. Mudd's reputation throughout history is discussed.

The article reports on TableSound technology, a wireless audio system that lets bartenders beam up to four audio feeds to special battery-powered speakers on each table. The system allows patrons to select which sports event or television program they can hear at their table. The article includes comments regarding the technology from TableSound president Scott Schaefer.

This article offers tips on learning how to use a digital SLR camera. Now that prices for these cameras are beginning to drop, more people will be buying them and trying to figure out how to use their many features, such as interchangeable lenses and manual settings. For many of these cameras, the manuals are inadequate. Magic Lantern books or JumpStart Guides on DVD are good sources. There are also Web sites with help and suggestions for weeklong courses offered.

Looks at the trend of wearing multi-colored rubber wrist bands that support good positive causes and display rosy slogans. How McPhee & Co. is selling wrist bands that promote nothing or misanthropic ideals such as apathy and despair; Comments from David Wahl of McPhee; How the bands are hotsellers and none of the proceeds go to charity.

Looks at the life of Vivian Malone Jones who died last week. Her enrollment and arrival at the University of Alabama in 1963; How Alabama Governor George Wallace tried to block the doorway to the school; A settlement of the dispute choreographed by President John F. Kennedy and the Alabama National Guard; Her college experience and harassment from classmates; How she graduated and worked for the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency; A 1996 meeting with Wallace.

Focuses on new evidence suggesting that sports writers are more likely to suffer from burnout than other journalists. Discussion of the study, conducted by Scott Reinardy, assistant professor of journalism at Ball State University; Evidence of high levels of emotional exhaustion and cynical attitudes among sports writers; Comments from Reinardy regarding the study.

Presents an interview with Keith Phipps, editor of the Onion's A.V. Club. How Phipps feels about the Onion getting more publicity than his reviews and interviews; His opinion of the redesign of the A.V. Club; How Phipps approaches his coverage of pop culture.

Looks at the growing trend of "podcasting" or radio-like programming for iPod's. Discussion of how the technology was once the home of "Geek News Central" and "Knitcast" but is now drawing the attention of the sex industry; Overview of various adult-oriented programing available at podcasting Web sites; Suggestion that available filtering software for parents is useless against the new technology.

Focuses on common bugs found during the summer months and how to get rid of them. Description of hornets, cockroaches, mosquitoes and bedbugs; Types of climates they like; Products to use to kill these bugs.

Looks at the impact of labor disputes on professional hockey in the U.S. Report that players accepted pay cuts to resolve the disputes from the 2003-2004 season; Impact of the conflict on the popularity and profitability of professional hockey; Details of changes to the rules of hockey intended to increase its popularity.

Offers clues from J. K. Rowling's new book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of her best-selling series. Hints concerning a death, the true identity of the prince, and the possibility of any shocking surprises.

Offers a look at the Cereality food store chain, which offers 30 varieties of cereal to customers with multiple options for toppings. Report that that the store is popular with families, college students, and business executives in its Philadelphia, Pennsylvania location; Plans to open more stores in business districts, airports, and toll booths in the eastern U.S.; Comments of cofounder David Roth on the store's popularity.

The article discusses the performance of hedge funds since the 2008 global financial crisis. Topics include a discussion of the white paper titled "Hedge Funds: Problems Under the Hood" written by lawyer Gerald Kerner on way hedge fund contracts disadvantage investors; the stance of investor Warren Buffett and the California Public Employees' Retirement System pension fund on hedge funds; and economic trends likely to affect the future performance of such funds.

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Libor Mastermind Tom Hayes Deserves a Lot of Company in Prison More substantially, Hayes wasn't a top executive, and when he acted to rig the interest rate in question - the London interbank offered rate, aka Libor - he often did so with the knowledge of his bosses. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on investment strategies and the advantages of long-term investments over trying to anticipate stock declines. It commenting that chief equity strategist Barry Bannister at brokerage firm Stifel changed his forecasts for the Standard & Poor's index for the end of 2014, stating he had forecast a modest loss but now envisions a 15 percent increase. It reports investors who put money in the stock market in 2007 would have earned a 5.2 percent average annual return through 2014.

The article focuses on "FAMe jagazine," a quarterly digest focusing on finance and accounting founded by Bhagwan Chowdhry of the University of California. Topics include the readership of financial magazines in the U.S. in 2014, why "FAMe" is targeting non-academic and non-financial industry readers, and the rewriting of academic finance papers for the digest.

The article reports on the prevalence of sexism in Silicon Valley, California and in the technology industry generally, focusing on a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against executives of casual sex mobile application Tinder, Justin Mateen and Sean Rad, by their former colleague Whitney Wolfe. Topics include comparisons to the U.S. securities industry in the 1980s, the charge that Wolfe was written out of the founding of Tinder by Rad, and strategies to minimize sexism in the industry.

The article focuses on taxable bond funds in the U.S. in 2014. Topics include the problems that could stem from a mass sell-off of bonds, the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates near zero, and if outflows in the bond market will occur if interest rates are increased. Information is provided on the corporate bond market in the U.S. in 2014.

The article focuses on stock market performance in the U.S. in 2014. Topics include the record high closings of the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Stock Index in 2014, the recovery of the U.S. stock market after the market drop in March of 2009, and why investors continue to be cautious with market investments.

The article focuses on CCP Games, an Icelandic video game company and creator of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Eve Online. Information is provided on CCP's creation of an aluminum and granite structure containing the names of all the Eve Online players in the world at their corporate headquarters on April 30, 2014. Topics include the annual revenue generated by Eve players and how CCP's revenue has impacted the economy of Iceland.

The article discusses the arrival of startup companies such as Wealthfront, Betterment and Personal Capital that use algorithms in the online investment market. Topics include the high numbers of relatively young investors using such services, their popularity among employees of large technology companies such as Twitter, Google and Facebook, and the use of "robo-advisers," or an algorithm-based service that passively tracks an index for consistent low returns rather than attempting to beat the market.