It states some essentials that have been overlooked: that the President is not, if the Constitution counts, a CEO who can act independently; that knowledge and an intelligence that is both broad and deep matter. (We also seem to have forgotten that the match-up is between McCain and Obama; Palin and Biden. Somehow all that has changed so that it is between Palin and Obama, the two bright stars.)

The city where I live is 60+% black with many blacks in government and leadership positions, yet it seems the power brokers are mainly white men. We have a high percentage of people living in poverty, underemployed, undereducated. The heritage of prejudice - race, gender, and class; like me and not like me - is part of the problem. These studies provide support in finding the origins and seeking resolutions.

The statistics are horrifying. That the UN is stepping up its efforts to end violence against women has ramifications - perhaps when misogyny is reduced, respect for others will increase. Think what that would mean. Is it good journalism? It presents information intelligently. It is reporting. So, yes.

Rape as a weapon of war needs to be talked about continually. That it is primarily civilians who die in contemporary wars. That women and children, innocents so to speak, are the primary victims of war. One of the things that makes Ann Jone's story good journalism is that she gives brief histories of the conflicts, therby tying the women's individual stories to the upheavals as direct cause and effect. It is chilling to read how the perpetrators of very personal destruction of lives ... More »

Opinion pieces don't have to be fair or sourced.

Since the corporate person, with the consent of the American people, is rewarded for "looking good", while neither doing good nor doing well, major changes in corporate governance need to be imposed. Krugman says it well and without referring to the old SNL skit about it being better to look good than to feel good.

Poverty "isn't about them, it's about us" is the key quote. "Us" as all the people. ALL people - the wealthy, the middle-class, the poor - are short changed by the repercussions of poverty.

The trickle down effect. Irresponsible lenders, in their greed, create foreclosures. The stock market reels. The wealthy reduce charitable contributions. Workers lose jobs. Food banks are empty. Homeless shelters are full. (Charities should appeal directly to Goldman-Sachs for funds. Apparently it is racking up.)

Antoon marks the change from training in leadership to serve the country and the constitution to bullying cadets into warriors who will burn in hell if they don't accept Jesus as their personal savior. He is right to point out that this is an unconstitutional stance for a secular institution. His disillusioned son decided against accepting a scholarship there. Have we, this society, lost a potential leader or will the son find an institution who will value him and teach him leadership skills?

more reality checks - running out of municipal water effects more than the lawn: poultry industry, airlines, golf courses, UPS, soft drink industry, landscaping industry layoffs and related industries effected. The US is profligate in use of resources. Other municipalities need to take this into account when trying to attract people and businesses, in smart growth planning.

This is a plea for UN intervention in Iran and not, strictly speaking, journalism. It describes the government as exceedinly repressive and the threat of war from the U.S. as a further justification for more violations of human rights by the Iranian government.

the protesting monks and the government's brutal treatment of the them have captured the attention of the public. Now it seems it is time to go deeper into the plight of the people, the reasons the monks joined the protest and brought world attention to Burma.

Restorative justice - how it is working at San Quentin to restore humanity to those who commit crimes as well as those whose lives have been diminished by crimes.

Raises good questions: Does gambling bring more to state government budgets than its costs? How did it happen that gambling is no longer considered a sin? How does it differ from playing the stock market? Is it addictive? What is its impact on families? All questions to be addressed in a conference.

That women are imprisoned for behaving (or having been accused of behaving) like human beings rather than behaving like a piece of property of the male are safer remaining in prison than being released. That this is tradition. That laws need to be codified, divorces need to be recorded to protect human rights, in these cases, women's right to live.

Not much has been said about the impact of global warming on women - the primary caretakers - who, especially in nations of few resources, have skills and knowledge to offer in planning for the predicted diasters and who will be challenged by them in very direct ways.

Bunting raises important questions about our burgeoning world population and its consumption of resources by looking at England as an island with limited land. According to another report, soon if not now, most of the world's population will be urban, living in cities of millions - billions. Remember the predictions of the group Zero Population Growth?

NOt journalism, but a statement, a small manifesto. Yet, it does talk about the "peace pipeline" and the case the administration is making for war against Iran

Well organized. Informative. Balance achieved through including the NYC project.

Describes an experience and frustration common to every one who has been the subject of a story or has read accounts of a time/event she experienced first hand. This demonstrates that all history is revisionist, all events seen through a narrowed vision.

So, I wrote it for the local "alternative" press. There is not much media given to nonviolence.

It clearly states the position of the women who are called to the priesthood and the position of the Roman Catholic church. I would like to see comments from the laity, both those who have chosen a woman priest church and those who, when the opportunity was there, decided against it. The question of why this matters, the big picture, is not addressed.

Raises a legitimate question about tolerance of abuse of women and the lack of restraints on this by athletic associations vis a vis the furor over Vick and dog fighting. While abuse of animals is indeed heinous, why is it treated more seriously than abuse of women?

It is a fun story. Now I know where Owsley acid came from!

Remember the 1940s films about newspapers? The journalist/hero had integrity, was concerned with "the public's right to know". Not with writing to the grandmother with a third grade education. Could it be that our educational system and business model, neither of which values critical thinking, has influenced the dumbing down of the news into shock, ain't it a shame, and Paris Hilton? Seems to me a 7% return to stockholders should be sufficient, IF informing the public were valued.

With the stock market banging the pier like a caught cod, yes this intelligent conversation about the interdependence of world economies, recent economic history in U.S and the world, and possible outcomes is definitely needed.

The big picture presented here is a definition of terrorism. The big picture is the 62 plus years of the threat of nuclear annihilation. We can already kill every human on the planet ten times and we're going for killing them even more times. The Bush administration is also pressuring Japan to change its Peace Constitution so that Japan begins a military build up. Scheer's opinion opens the door to a dialogue on nuclear proliferation.

The Mayor of Hiroshima commemorates the deaths of 140,000, cites a World conference of Cities and Local Governments calling for an end to nuclear weapons, spports Japan's Peace Constitution (Article 9 is being reinterpreted to allow military.) Aug 6 & Aug 9 bombings

addresses the question of what happened to the genius of the Islamic world over the last 1000 years and concludes that pedantry has superseded critical thinking (plus the requirement to stop everything and pray five times a day). Cites statistics on percentage of women in university, scientic papers published in Islamic world, etc. by chair of dept of physics in Pakistan. presentation is academic rather than journalistic

A worthwhile question. For me, it is reminders of how long and hard women fought for suffrage in the U.S. that illustrates the solemnity with which voting should be approached.

At base, it is a plea for more informed and more thoughtful voters.

makes clear the ways HIV/AIDS is transmitted and the societal repercussions of a lack of this knowledge. using the terms "ignorance" (even though correct description of the situation) and 'fascism" tend to be inflammatory rather than instructive.

The tone is playful, flirtatious and in keeping with the study findings. (Interesting confirmation that some men do use sex to increase their territorial holdings.)

uses video clips from international broadcasts to show that there are millions of refugees all over the world - the cost of wars in the degradation of human beings without material resources, particularly the youth whose only means of survival is through the sex trades.

Lacks exploration of the many serious barriers women journalists face. Though these Arab journalists are lively and wanting to do their best, other reports indicate all is not so hunky-dory.

Spotlights some of the real problems in meeting Mellennium Development Goals - the need to involve the people, the need for governers to work for the greater good. Doesn't talk about impact of war, single crop farming, refugees, global warming, general instability on the acheivement of goals. But that would take the article too far afield.

A blog post of a letter that asks for accountability from the Associated Press which reported, but did not disclaim a false story, then did not report a similar and apparently well sourced incident. Seems to be a taking to task, but not strictly speaking journalism.