Free Trade, Why "Free" Matters
For Truthout, Dean Baker writes: "Senator McCain was in Colombia last week touting his support for the trade agreement that the Bush administration had negotiated with the country. He also touted his support for NAFTA, contrasting both positions with Senator Obama's opposition to the two pacts. McCain had an important ally in his campaign. The media decided to embellish McCain's case by touting his support for 'free trade,' as opposed to the specific deals in question. This is a very important difference and it reflects deeply held biases in the media."

For complete article, click here.

Implementer of "don't ask, don't tell" Says Policy Doesn't Work
A new study by four retired military officers has concluded that Congress should repeal the military gay ban because out gay and lesbian soldiers pose little or no threat to the nation's preparedness for war. The report from the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was co-authored by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Minter Alexander, a Republican who in 1993 took part in a Defense Department panel that helped implement the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

For the complete AP Story, click here.

Is Water the Next Crisis: Analyzing the flow of water news

Media Tenor looks at many recent reports on water problems that are surfacing and raising concern as South African society struggles to put faith in the "no crisis" sentiment.

For complete analysis, click here.

How to Really Help Pregnant Teens
Jeannette Pai-Espinosa writes for The Christian Science Monitor: "It was common for pregnant single women in the 1800s to be called 'lost, fallen, wayward, and depraved women.' Fast forward to 2008 and spend a bit of time online and you'll read statements that refer to the 17 young pregnant high school women in Gloucester, Massachusetts, as 'sluts, idiots, harlots, and immoral.' This is not progress. We need to move beyond name calling. Let's ask ourselves not only about how we look at vulnerable young women in our society, but let's use those answers to help make a positive difference for them."

For complete article, click here.

Justice Department Right not to Play Politics with Ruling.
The Washington Post, in an editorial, commends the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel for "keeping politics out of the analysis" when it ruled that the child of two women was entitled to Social Security benefits from his nonbiological parent. "In short, [the OLC] relied on a straightforward -- some might say 'conservative' -- approach to produce a result that even 'liberals' should applaud," the Post writes.

For complete editorial, click here.

"We Have Seven Years Left to Reverse the CO2 Emissions Curve"
Rajendra Pachauri, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change president and Nobel Laureate, says in an interview with Le Monde's Laurence Caramel and Stephane Foucart that humanity has only seven years to reverse the present greenhouse gas emissions trend before we cross a threshold of "serious danger."

For the complete Truthout translation of the Le Monde article, click here.