This is the first time I've paid for online content...

...and I don't regret it one bit.

I hesitatingly shelled out $5.95 (US) to watch Al-Jazeera International (English) online for a month. It's been only two days but I can feel myself getting my money's worth every time I watch the high-quality live stream.

I've learned about hot mud taking over an entire Indonesian village thanks to drilling by a gas company, Zimbabweans jumping off trains into very dangerous territory while being deported from South Africa, why Afghan farmers are still into poppy production, the Gulf's first sportswoman, how a Rabbi in Gaza is trying to protect Palestinian farmers from attacks by settlers, the environmental fallout of China's progress and its effects on ordinary citizens, not to mention extensive coverage of the conflict in Darfur.

But don't take my word for it.

New York Times: Not Coming Soon to a Channel Near You

CBC Editor-in-Chief Tony Burman: Al-Jazeera should be available in Canada