Yes, the Action=recent is useful but not perfect in that it shows a touch more detail than (IMHO) is necessary and lists more than one post on a particular topic.
What would be really cool is a longer version of the "Recent" column, right hand side that shows a concise summary - quick and easy to see issues on the table right now. As the main screen generally shows content way down the page, the "recent" column could afford to be at least twice (or more) as long.
(sorry, there is always something someone wants done, isn't there ?)
Davo