Wednesday morning roundup

Much-needed journalistic fact-checkers establish themselves in South Africa (and some other African countries, to a lesser extent). 

The latest Friedman on Egypt.

The damage that energy companies have wrought in New Orleans.

Mark Bittman on whole grains. My friend Kate has used his "glib answer" with regard to vegetables, where I don't think it applies (how do you cook them? you put them in a pot and cook them "until they're done") but with grains that's pretty much it. It's usually double the amount of water as grain, and some salt.