and a little from the left

Well, these posts are aren't really from the "left" in my view, but I would say that Slate and Salon do typically lean that way.  Both links came from Radley Balko at The Agitator, as usual.

This isn't political at all - just totally map-geek fantastic.  This is the story about an award-winning map of the US, and it's quite interesting.

And, this one is an interesting look at how bureaucrats, unquestioning reporters, and columnists use the terms "moderates" and "centrists" to frame discussion and con us into believing what is an acceptable opinion.  This piece is about the drug war, but it could really be about anything political.