January 30, 2010 - Bad news: historian, writer and activist Howard Zinn died on wednesday (1/27) of a heart attack at the age of eighty-seven. We believed he was immortal, but the evidence is hard to deny: one of the most critical intellectuals of our time disappeared.

There would be so much to say to celebrate his work, specially his books.

A People’s History of the United States, presenting American history through the eyes of working people, changed the way we look at history in America.

December 28, 2009 - According to Afghan president Hamid Karzaï, ten civilians, including eight children, were killed last Saturday in an airstrike by NATO forces in the province of Kunar (a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan).

On Sunday, a NATO spokesman affirmed that there were no reports of civilian deaths in the area.

But according to a senior Western military official (who did not want to be named), it could be an operation by the US Special Forces, conducted independently of NATO and coalition forces.

More on this topic:

Ten Afghan civilians killed in military operations

December 4, 2009 - While the U.S. President, Barack Obama, expected his NATO allies to send some 5,000 soldiers to reinforce the military strength, NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has now guaranteed that more than 7,000 troops will be deployed to "finish the job" in Afghanistan.

At the today meeting of foreign ministers of NATO and other countries participating in ISAF mission (ISAF International Security Assistance), Rasmussen said: "The 44 countries of the ISAF have made clear that they are united in this mission. The nations are backing up their words with deeds. At least 25 countries will send additional troops. And I have been offered about 7,000 and more to come. "

Of course there will be an inquiry. And in the meantime, we shall be told that all the dead Afghan civilians were being used as "human shields" by the Taliban and we shall say that we "deeply regret" innocent lives that were lost. But we shall say that it's all the fault of the terrorists, not our heroic pilots and the US Marine special forces who were target spotting around Bala Baluk and Ganjabad.

When the Americans destroy Iraqi homes, there is an inquiry. And oh how the Israelis love inquiries (though they rarely reveal anything). It's the history of the modern Middle East. We are always right and when we are not, we (sometimes) apologise and then we blame it all on the "terrorists". Yes, we know the throat-cutters and beheaders and suicide bombers are quite prepared to slaughter the innocent.

The progression of the Talibans is a serious threat to the very existence of Pakistan, the only Muslim country holding the atomic bomb.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, are concerned about the risk that nuclear weapons fall into the wrong hands.

According to The New York Times, Buner, one of the most important and strategic districts of the country, has fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

Buner, about 60 miles from Islamabad, is a gateway to Mardan, the second largest city in the province of the North-West Frontier. In establishing an effective and strategic control of the Buner district, the Talibans have demonstrated the inability of the government and the army to stop them.