Saturday morning roundup

A Russian media figure speaks his mind about the state of the nation's journalism.

Across the Persian Gulf, Designer museums are springing up.

Israeli lobbyists can be careful what they wished for, but there's a deeper issue here, which nagged at me as I read this:

With powerful friends like Mr. Cantor, a Virginia Republican and one of the highest-ranking members of Congress, the Israeli government was viewed by some as one of the big winners of the midterm elections.

It depends on how you define "friends," and it depends on you you define "winners." Winning what, exactly? More rounds of the same? If the "friends" you want are those that tell you you're perfect in every way, when you're also part of the problem, than that's what you got. Don't you know that your real friends are those that tell you to, say, stop smoking? To put down the donut, if you've just had a heart attack?

Charity Navigator is smartly shifting focus away from administrative costs. It's more about effectiveness, achievement.

Cycling in DC is really taking off.