Social
Browsing a bunch of old MetaFilter entries, I found Going Dutch. After a year and a half of living in the Netherlands, American writer Russell Shorto compares the Dutch welfare state to the tax, health care and social security systems of the United States. Very interesting to see an outside perspective.
Also on Metafilter, an article on whether or not optimism is uniquely American. Contains some great comments, one in particular I'd like to quote.