OpenAustralia.org. Quite possibly the best thing to happen online for democracy in Australia this year – a group of volunteers have created a website which puts Hasard online and makes it searchable – and lets you look up your local representative to find out their recent appearances in Parliament (for example, questions without notice) and stats on their voting record and that kind of thing. Inspired by the UK’s They Work For You website, thank you for doing it here! — OpenAustralia.org

In Google we trust. Search giant Google has topped a poll of America’s most reputable companies. But what should be even more eye-opening to the other companies on the list is that Google’s victory shows that a company that spends nothing on advertising can still be the most positively perceived by consumers. — Advertising Age

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The US military’s policy against openly gay people serving in the armed forces is affecting women in disproportionate amounts. “Women make up 15 percent of the armed forces, so to find they represent nearly 50% of Army and Air Force discharges under ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is shocking,” says the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. — NYT

True Grit. To me, the word “COWBOY” calls to mind a long and noble tradition of hard work and honesty. But every time I turn on the news, I hear it thrown around as a pejorative, hijacked by pundits and politicians to refer to arrogant, reckless types who go it alone and break all the rules. If any of these folks had ever spent a day with my father on the McElroy Ranch—or with the thousands of working cowboys in Texas—they might have a different idea. — Texas Monthly