Index: dashboard_blocks.module
===================================================================
RCS file: dashboard_blocks.module
diff -N dashboard_blocks.module
--- /dev/null	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ dashboard_blocks.module	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+<?php 
+// $Id$
+
+
+/**
+ * Implementation of hook_menu()
+ */
+function dashboard_blocks_menu(){
+  $items['recent_content/refresh']= array(
+    'page callback' => 'recent_content_refresh',
+    'access arguments' => array('access dashboard'),
+    'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
+  );
+  return $items;
+}
+
+function dashboard_blocks_theme(){
+  return array(
+    'comment_approval_block' => array(
+      'arguments' => array('cids'=> null),
+    ),
+  );
+}
+/**
+ * Implementation of hook_block_info()
+ */
+function dashboard_blocks_block_info(){
+  $blocks = array();
+  $blocks['recent_content']= array(
+    'info' => t('recently published content'),
+   );
+  $blocks['comment_approval']=array(
+    'info' => t('comments to be approved'),
+  );
+  return $blocks;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Implementation of hook_block_view().
+ */
+function dashboard_blocks_block_view($delta=''){
+  switch($delta){
+    case 'recent_content':
+      drupal_add_js(drupal_get_path('module', 'recent_content') . '/recent_content.js');
+      $settings = array(
+        'recent_content' => array(
+          'refresh' => url('recent_content/refresh'),
+        ),
+      );
+      drupal_add_js($settings, array('type' => 'setting'));
+      $block = array(
+        'subject' => 'Recent content',
+        'content' => recent_content_display_block()
+      );
+      return $block;
+    case 'comment_approval':
+      $block = array(
+        'subject' => 'Recent comments',
+        'content' => comment_approval_display_block()
+      );
+      return $block;        
+  }
+}
+
+function recent_content_display_block(){
+  $result = db_query_range('SELECT n.nid,n.changed FROM {node} n WHERE status = 1 ORDER BY n.changed DESC',0,10,array());
+  $items = array();
+  $nids = array();
+  foreach($result as $record){
+    $nids[] = $record->nid;
+        
+  }
+  
+  $nodes=node_load_multiple($nids);
+  foreach($nodes as $nid => $node){
+    if(node_access('view',$node)){
+      $item = l($node->title,'node/'. $nid);
+      if(node_access('update',$node)){
+        $item .= l(' [edit]','node/'. $nid .'/edit');
+      }
+      $items[] = $item;
+    }    
+  }
+  return theme('item_list',$items);
+}
+
+function comment_approval_display_block(){
+  $result = db_query('SELECT c.cid,c.timestamp FROM {comment} c WHERE c.status = :status ORDER BY c.timestamp DESC',array(':status'=>COMMENT_NOT_PUBLISHED));
+  $cids = array();
+  foreach($result as $record){
+    $cids[] = $record->cid;
+  }
+  return theme('comment_approval_block',$cids);  
+}
+
+function theme_comment_approval_block($cids){
+  $output ='';
+  $uids = array();
+  $comments = comment_load_multiple($cids);
+  foreach($comments as $comment){
+    $uids[] = $comment->uid;
+  }
+  $users=user_load_multiple($uids);
+  foreach($comments as $comment){
+    $output .= "<div class='cid-".$comment->cid."'>";
+    $user = $users[$comment->uid]; 
+    // theme user picture if available 
+    if(!empty($user->picture)){
+      $output .= theme('user_picture',$user);
+    }
+    $output .='</div>';
+    $result = db_query('SELECT n.title,n.type FROM {node} n WHERE n.nid = :nid',array(':nid'=>$comment->nid));
+    foreach($result as $record){
+      $node_title=$record->title;
+      $node_type=$record->type;
+      // I bet there's a better way to fetch only 1 row
+    }
+    $output .= '<div>'. t('Submitted by ') . theme('username',$user) . ' on ' . format_date($comment->timestamp,'medium') . '<br/>';
+    $output .= node_type_get_name($node_type) . ': ' .l($node_title,'node/'. $comment->nid) .'<br/>' . $comment->comment;
+    $output .="</div>";
+  }
+  return $output;
+}
+/**
+ * ajax callback for refreshing recent_content block
+ * @return unknown_type
+ */
+function recent_content_refresh(){
+  print recent_content_display_block();
+}
\ No newline at end of file
Index: recent_content.js
===================================================================
RCS file: recent_content.js
diff -N recent_content.js
--- /dev/null	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ recent_content.js	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// $Id
+(function ($) {
+
+/**
+ * Implementation of Drupal.behaviors for dashboard.
+ */
+Drupal.behaviors.recent_content = {
+  attach: function(){
+	$('#block-recent_content-recent_content').append('<div class="refresh"><ul class="action-links"><a href="#">' + Drupal.t('refresh') + '</a></ul><div class="canvas"></div></div>');
+    $('#block-recent_content-recent_content .refresh .action-links a').click(Drupal.behaviors.recent_content.refresh).addClass('use-ajax');
+  },
+  
+  /**
+   * refresh the content of the block
+   */
+  refresh: function(){
+	 $.get(Drupal.settings.recent_content.refresh,{},
+		        function (data) {
+		          $("#block-recent_content-recent_content > div.content").replaceWith(data);		          
+		        },
+		        'html'
+		      );
+	  
+  }
+};
+
+})(jQuery);
\ No newline at end of file
Index: dashboard_blocks.info
===================================================================
RCS file: dashboard_blocks.info
diff -N dashboard_blocks.info
--- /dev/null	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ dashboard_blocks.info	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+; $Id$
+name = dasboard blocks
+description = blocks for use on the dasboard
+package = core
+core = 7.x
+files[] =  dashboard_blocks.module