Outstanding, thoughtful account of a dramatically important action by a courageous former Marine who has resigned from the US Foreign Service because of his disillusionment with US policy in Afghanistan. Extensive quotes from Matthew Hoh, other diplomatic and military officers give a fully-formed portrait of one man's careful analysis and evaluation of the situation in Afghanistan. A "Must Read" for anyone who wants to understand what is happening and why.

Greenwald makes and supports his point with hard evidence: excerpts from Captain Hoh's letter, David Rhode's comments after being a Taliban hostage for seven months, and a Pentagon-commissioned report on America's intervention in the Muslim world.

Focused report on the issues of sewage treatment and water quality in Gaza, and the implications for public health and environmental quality.

Independent source for chronology of Afghan history, in this case by Australian company dealing in Asian art.

This Web site provides in-depth descriptions of Afghan history. Unable to clearly identify the source, I offer this as additional background material.

Solid background information on the history of Afghanistan, helps strengthen understanding of this region and the environment in which the US military is operating.

Interesting look at massive drought from an economic perspective, but skips over the broader issues: without water, food, or money, what will the farmers do? And what will the educated urban entrepreneurs eat?

Interesting glimpse at relative popularity of right-wing talk shows from an economic perspective, particularly the Glenn Beck phenomenon as a source of political opposition to the Obama administration.

This is a series of very tightly-cut and shuffled clips from at least four networks, assorted pundits, a defense strategist, and General Wesley Clark. Composed of out-of-context comments, a phrase or two at a time, this collage from a number of different sources decries the Obama strategy for continuing war in Afghanistan, pointing instead to Pakistan as the headquarters of Al Qaeda today.

In a brief but thoughtful article, Thompson focuses attention on the underlying security concerns raised by the growing number of gun-toting protesters at town hall meetings.

Informative piece of breaking news with substantial background information on the continuing conflict between Han Chinese and Uighurs.

Solid background on the real power behind the Iranian government. Essential information for Westerners to understand the volatile and precarious balance of power in this crucial nation.

Brilliantly clear, simple account of four former US prisoners now freed to Bermuda as guest workers.

Solid overview of the AMA's opposition to any proposed "public health insurance option" in the current efforts to "remake the health care system." Little mention and less detail of the reasons FOR a public option, or of the overwhelming costs, gaps, and inequities in the current system.

Lively article with peaks and valleys of journalistic merit. On the whole, this piece contains some whopping biases ill-concealed (see 'quotes'). Some "balance" is achieved by representing opposing viewpoints on the issue. To the writers' credit, even this alone is better than most mainstream media reports.

This piece strikes at the heart of two issues: the illegal, immoral, and disgraceful American use of torture, and overwhelming efforts by politicians and pundits to pretend simultaneously that it didn't happen, it wasn't so bad, and they did it for our own good. Any attempt by alleged "news media" to dodge the facts or dismiss the seriousness of the issue is unconscionable.

Thoughtful piece presenting the history, results to date, and future prospects for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Solid look at this pending case, the financial interests in the Niger Delta, and the odds against the plaintiffs. What's missing is any representation of the actual results of more than 40 years of oil extraction on the land, air, water, and people of the Niger Delta.

In his excellent report on major breaking news story, Cillizza supplements the story lead with facts that clarify the significance of Senator Specter's dramatic party shift.

Moving report of the continuing misery for civilians in Gaza, who are forced to camp out without resources or supplies in the wake of Israeli government's brutal military assault from December through January. Missing is any comment from Hamas in Gaza, and any counter to the Israeli official's claim that the Israeli government is withholding cement as a safety measure.