The Christian Science Monitor back issues from March 2003:
Getting the goods.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Clayton Collins Here's a retail tale that just might say something about gender-based perspectives on the importance of where we buy. In the chatty first minutes of a staff meeting before Valentine's Day, I mentioned the terrific price of cut flowers at the ...
Orange Alert for Al Qaeda.(EDITORIAL)
Mar 03, 2003 ... If he sings like a bird under the hot lamp of interrogation, Al Qaeda's top operational leader, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, could reveal the minutest details that would help the US blow open his terrorist network, especially the so-called sleeper cells in the US and Europe. His ...
The 40-aisle boutique; Consumers who favor neighborhood niche shops over mega-retailers confront a fact of modern retail: Increasingly, 'mom-and-pops' buy the goods they sell from the giants.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Noel C. Paul Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Consumers who decry what they see as the rising dominance of mass retailers like Wal-Mart - and go out of their way to patronize mom-and-pop retailers instead - may be in for a reality check. Over the past few ...
Get Real With Reality TV.(EDITORIAL)
Mar 03, 2003 ... The old adage, "The box office never lies," has proved true again with news that more than 40 million TV viewers tuned in to watch the finale of "Joe Millionaire." That's a larger Nielsen rating than any entertainment program since last year's Oscars. And it produced a tankful of ...
Work & Money briefs.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Staff Keeping Track: new home sales Largest single-month plunge since 1994 In contrast to a record increase in existing home sales, the first month of 2003 brought the largest one-month drop in new home sales in nine years. January's 15.1 percent ...
Where to find stock advice that's worth the price; One expert who tracks the stock trackers says investors should shun analysts' recommendations, and eye earnings estimates.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Eric Troseth Special to The Christian Science Monitor Over the past three years, Wall Street firms have paid stock analysts more than $3 billion. During that time, investors have lost roughly $7 trillion. In other words, for every dollar Wall Street has spent ...
New car drives off the lot dragging old debt behind it.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Steve Dinnen Q: I can't believe I actually signed the papers to lease a $33,000 car. I subsequently wanted to purchase the vehicle, so I called the bank to get the payoff amount so I could take it to a bank in town for a better interest rate. They said the payoff is ...
In the pipeline; What's new and maybe useful.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Noel C. Paul Don't be alarmed by a smoky oven Smoke detectors are essential guardians of the home. But you don't want to hear one shriek just because you've seared the chocolate sauce, leaving dinner guests to tend the stove as you teeter on a chair to yank ...
A costly courtesy: overdraft privilege.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Jennifer LeClaire Special to The Christian Science Monitor Besides being illegal, bouncing a check is costly. Customers face combined charges from banks and retailers that often total $60 or more. In recent years, banks have helped customers avoid such ...
Social-cause crowd blasts Bush budget.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: David R. Francis The Bush administration's new budget has left Washington's social-cause establishment in shock. As many dozens of advocacy groups see it, President Bush's spending and regulatory plans will damage programs that help provide education, ...
How I became a CIA spy for a day.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Steve Altes In "The Recruit," Colin Farrell plays a top MIT student recruited by spy master Al Pacino. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to. Maybe I'll discover what I did wrong. You see, I'm "The Reject." In the mid-80s, while my liberal MIT ...
A tortoise can say what a parent cannot.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Sue Diaz "You're losin' it, Mom," my son laughs, calling home from a pay phone one Sunday afternoon in the middle of his 14 weeks of basic training. Losing it? Just because I asked him if he'd heard from Sponge Bob lately? Sponge Bob is the real ...
Japan fears N. Korea near point of no return; The North appears ready to start up a reprocessing plant.(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor TOKYO -- Satellite photos indicating that North Korea is cranking up its nuclear program - turning on its Yongbyon reactor and testing equipment that reprocesses spent-fuel rods - are deepening worries in ...
Thank you, Mr. Rogers; Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 03, 2003 ... In this age of television celebrities, it's good to be able to honor a man who encouraged every child who came into his neighborhood to be a "real" celebrity by expressing qualities such as kindness, patience, and friendliness to everyone. I think Fred Rogers, who passed on last week, ...
Turkey's domestic gridlock hurts US plan; The AK Party says it had no plans for another vote on US troop presence.(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Ilene R. Prusher Staff Writer of The Christian Science Monitor ISTANBUL -- The political battle to base more than 60,000 US troops in Turkey may not be over yet. After Turkish lawmakers failed to muster enough votes Saturday to approve a proposal, a spokesman ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Cultural snapshot * NO MISSILE MUGSHOTS: Getting a photo of Iraq's Al Samoud missiles being crushed by bulldozers has been as difficult for photojournalists as it has been for UN weapons inspectors to find illegal weapons, says correspondent Scott Peterson. Rumors about when ...
Disarmament pace accelerates; Iraq destroyed 10 Al Samoud missiles this weekend. Will the other 120 follow shortly?(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Scott Peterson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- Iraq is reluctantly embracing its own disarmament as never before, under pressure as a crucial United Nations Security Council report on its progress looms on Friday. But UN ...
Criticism of US plans unites Iraqi opposition leaders; Opposition forces appoint leadership at weekend meeting despite US resistance.(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Cameron Barr Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor SULAYMANIYAH, IRAQ -- For much of the past decade, US officials have bemoaned the inability of Iraq's opposition groups to get it together in their struggle against President Saddam Hussein. Now these ...
On Iraq question, cracks widen in Arab unity; Over the weekend, the United Arab Emirates proposed an exile scenario for Saddam Hussein.(WORLD)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Philip Smucker Special to The Christian Science Monitor SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT -- The Arab world's efforts to speak with one voice about a US-led war against Iraq became a full-throated shouting match over the weekend. At the emergency Arab League Summit here, ...
Letters.(OPINION)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Despite its rhetoric, N. Korea is behaving rationally In the Feb. 27 opinion piece "Not engaging N. Korea is like handing it a loaded weapon," Rose Gottemoeller writes that North Korea is acting like "a child who is out of control." I disagree, and think that North Korea is ...
Mr. Rogers: A true director of homeland security.(OPINION)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Steven M. Gorelick NEW YORK -- I think it was the matches that finally pushed me over the edge. My mother, grandmother, and aunt were huddled around the kitchen table preparing for nuclear war. My 9-year-old cousin and I watched warily from across the room. ...
Lessons from Botswana.(OPINION)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Robert I. Rotberg GABORONE, BOTSWANA -- This is the heart of a very special Africa. It is the kind of place where an ex-head of state answers his own cell phone and rushes to the airport to greet an American visitor, displaying a modest decorum unusual among former ...
A street gang with MBA order and Mafia cruelty.(USA)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Kris Axtman Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor SAN MARCOS, TEXAS -- The full weight of who he had become hit him, startlingly, when he witnessed that one little grin. Inside a public housing project in San Antonio, Oscar Esparza says he watched the grin snake ...
Forced medication: When does it violate rights? The high court considers the case of a defendant who won't take drugs to stand trial.(USA)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- A St. Louis dentist accused of insurance and Medicaid fraud is fighting an effort by the US government to forcibly inject him with antipsychotic drugs, to render him competent to stand trial. ...
Major score for anti-terror war; The capture of Khalid Sheik Mohammed could significantly impact Al Qaeda operations.(USA)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Faye Bowers and Scott Baldauf Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON AND KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -- Unlike Osama bin Laden, he's not a household name - at least not until now. But no individual's capture could have wider implications for ...
Legal limits of solicitation? High Court to decide if 'misleading' telemarketers are covered by free speech.(USA)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- It's dinner time. The phone rings. An unfamiliar voice on the line says she is soliciting on behalf of a worthwhile charity, which she identifies by name. She describes the noble and ...
Surfer girls riding an unsteady crest; They may be a hot commodity in Hollywood, but sponsorships and interest lag on the professional circuit.(USA)
Mar 03, 2003 ... Byline: Alex Salkever Special to The Christian Science Monitor HONOLULU -- For Rochelle Ballard the North Shore of Oahu is an ideal spot for her day job. A top female pro-surfer, Ms. Ballard spends her working days tunneling through crystalline blue waves and dodging wipe-outs ...
Redesigning Iraq, Postwar; Why is Bush wary of revealing details, prewar?(EDITORIAL)
Mar 04, 2003 ... IN a major policy speech last week, President Bush went beyond the question of simply ridding Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. He began to define what a postwar Iraq might look like. "A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for ...
One person's bias ...(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Stacy A. Teicher Back in high school, I took a one-semester class on Vietnam that had a sort of what-your-textbooks-don't-tell-you cachet. A history teacher and a social studies teacher had just put together the curriculum, which incorporated historical readings, films ...
The value of virtue; Students size up businesses in a new course on corporate social responsibility.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Elizabeth Armstrong Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WALTHAM, MASS. -- When Gail Snowden talks about making profit off the "disadvantaged" in "poor neighborhoods," like Harlem in New York and Roxbury in Boston, not a single person in the classroom flinches ....
A task as large as Africa itself; An academic struggles to tell the story of higher education on his continent.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Clark Boyd Special to The Christian Science Monitor Damtew Teferra knows firsthand the many kinds of adversity that can overwhelm African academics. A native of Ethiopia, he watched as his alma mater, Addis Ababa University, was torn apart by civil war in the 1970s and ...
Serious senioritis? Fewer students say courses are meaningful.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Helana Kadyszewski Parents, take note. The disgruntled dinner-table sentiments of your high-schooler are being statistically documented. As part of its "Monitoring the Future" study, which has been surveying adolescents on a range of topics since 1975, the ...
It's your chance to be a 'hero' journalist - then again, maybe not.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Stacey Smith In school, I always seemed to be in the class behind the "great" class. Nostalgic ruminations from misty-eyed teachers played a major role in my childhood. It was no different when I arrived at the Columbia University Graduate School of ...
Before you suspend me, can I call a lawyer?(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Patrik Jonsson Special to The Christian Science Monitor RALEIGH, N.C. -- With the principal as the prosecutor and six teachers as the jury, the scene was a little like "Law and Order" meets "Boston Public." Facing sexual-harassment allegations in this ...
Giving peace a chance in the classroom; As the US moves toward war, some teachers are offering their students extra instruction in the fine art of making peace.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Rosemary Zibart Special to The Christian Science Monitor SANTA FE, N.M. -- As the United States inches closer to war with Iraq, some teachers are seizing the opportunity to capture student attention with history and geography classes that analyze the conflict. ...
An important message from Harry Potter; For kids.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 04, 2003 ... In the second book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," we meet a funny new character, Gilderoy Lockhart, a new teacher at Hogwarts. The author J. K. Rowling shares little details about him that make us laugh. His autobiography is called "Magical Me." He's ...
Every track tells a story.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Sharon J. Huntington During a recent overnight snowfall in my city, a bird settled on the sidewalk outside my house while I was asleep. A cat came around the side of the house, saw the bird, crept up, and pounced. But the bird got away, and the cat walked off ...
Iraq: Saladin to Saddam; The ancient cradle of civilization has fiercely resisted occupiers for millenniums. Will this time be different?(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Scott Peterson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- The Shabandar Cafe is where Iraqis with an intellectual bent and a taste for sweet, hot tea served in slender glass cups gather to discuss poetry, and politics - and offer stark warnings to ...
Kirkuk, a mirror of Iraq's schisms; A city in Iraq's oil-rich northeast could become a model for the future, or a free-for-all for competing interests and the settling of old scores.(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Cameron W. Barr Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ARBIL, IRAQ -- Since 1998, when Iraqi officials put Inam Ismail on the back of a truck and sent her away from Kirkuk, she has been a refugee in her own country, living with six family members in two dingy ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... * A PLACE IN HISTORY: Iraq's rulers have always left their own imprint on their nation's history, and Saddam Hussein is no different, says Monitor correspondent Scott Peterson. In recent years, the Iraqi leader has portrayed himself as a modern-day Nebuchadnezzar, sharing a profile with ...
Vietnam disrupts crime network, but will reforms follow? Its biggest gangster and his codefendants are on trial. Sentencing is expected in April.(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Simon Montlake Special to the Christian Science Monitor HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM -- Outside the peeling walls of the colonial-era courtroom, hundreds of onlookers wait to hear from the man alleged to be Vietnam's biggest gangster. Inside, the judge runs through the ...
India takes steps to expel illegal Muslim immigrants; Anti-Muslim sentiment has grown in the country's east against Bangladeshis who come to India for work.(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Amol Sharma Special to The Christian Science Monitor Calcutta, India - Mihir Kumar Basu hires construction workers for a low-cost housing project on Calcutta's east side. To find cheap labor, Mr. Basu travels about 60 miles northeast of the city to the villages and towns ...
Japan's Koizumi faces a 'Tony Blair bind' on Iraq; Over the weekend, thousands rallied in Hiroshima against a US-led war.(WORLD)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor TOKYO -- When Junichiro Koizumi got an apology from Kim Jong Il last September, his popularity soared. What a change. In July, some had predicted Japan's prime minister wouldn't last the fall. But the bold ...
Fight HIV with straight talk.(OPINION)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Amitai Etzioni WASHINGTON -- The new White House and congressional initiatives to stem the HIV epidemic, which have yet to be reconciled, lack the straight talk that is vital if millions of lives are to be spared. Neither the initiative announced by President ...
Letters.(OPINION)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Antiwar protesters do care about the Iraqis Regarding the Feb. 26 opinion piece "If antiwar protesters succeed": The anonymous author attacks people with antiwar views and implies that they will abandon any interest in the plight of Iraqis after a war is averted. ...
Economy feels shock of oil prices; The recent spike in oil costs ripples through every sector, from transport to heating, raising the specter of recession.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Ron Scherer Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- Twelve months of rising energy prices are starting to threaten the US economy. A spike in oil prices has almost doubled the price of a commodity that literally fuels much of the economy ....
Palestinians who are working toward peace.(OPINION)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: David Nassar ARLINGTON, VA. -- Tomorrow, a Palestinian - or several - likely will be shot and killed by an Israeli soldier. The next day, and the day after that, it could be the same. Or perhaps a few days or weeks later a Palestinian might walk into a crowded Israeli ...
Healthcare tabs hit the wealthier; Rising premiums, already a problem for the poor, eat into middle-class wallets.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Alexandra Marks Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- The healthcare crisis, long a problem for the working poor, is now taking a tangible toll on middle-class Americans. Spiraling costs are forcing many companies to hike employee premiums ...
In New York crosswalks - yes, they're there - walkers reign; In the capital of pedestrian fatalities, a new law aims to make crosswalks inviolate. But in the land of hustle, many doubt that antsy drivers will comply.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Stacey Vanek Smith Norman Chonacky is stepping off the curb at a four-way stop. But after only two steps in the crosswalk, he has to stop: A blue driving-school car turns in front of him. Until recently, this car-meets-man scenario was typically won by the ...
Americans who eschew brie and Beaujolais; Boycotts of all things French stem from disputes over Iraq - but have roots in centuries-old cultural tensions.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Mark Sappenfield and Terry Costlow SAN FRANCISCO AND CHICAGO -- The way Dan O'Neill sees it, he can at least send a message. His leverage, he knows, is limited. Foie gras is hardly a staple of the American diet. Nor is Camembert cheese in great demand for Chicago Bears ...
Bush's tough sell on Mideast goals; By linking Iraq and the Palestinian-Israel conflict, he allays some, but not all, fears.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Howard LaFranchi Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- With the White House largely focused on Iraq, President Bush's public return to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict surprised some observers both in the United States and abroad. But ...
The surfing majority? Candidates expand presence online; New research finds Web campaigns trying to capitalize on an increasingly wired society.(USA)
Mar 04, 2003 ... Byline: Laurent Belsie Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ST. LOUIS -- This is the point in the election cycle where, to figure out who to support for president, the uncommitted voter would have once had to tromp through the snows of Iowa and New Hampshire, attend ...
No Jackpot for States in Slots.(EDITORIAL)
Mar 05, 2003 ... The State of Maryland projects a $1.2 billion budget shortfall this year. Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) wants the legislature to approve slot machines at racetracks and shore up revenues with an estimated $800 million a year in new gambling profits. Maryland's decision is being closely ...
A Treaty Up in Smoke?(EDITORIAL)
Mar 05, 2003 ... IT sounds like a good idea: Get the nations of the world together to agree on a treaty to curb tobacco use. But it's not so easy to accomplish, despite good intentions all around. Delegates at a World Health Organization (WHO) conference in Geneva agreed last weekend on a text ...
No bars to love; The Girl Scouts help incarcerated mothers and their daughters build strong bonds.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Elizabeth Lund Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NIANTIC, CONN. -- They look like a row of baby birds, perched on a pile of gym mats. All 16 girls crane their necks, eyes fixed on the gymnasium door. They have waited two long weeksfor this. A few ...
A reporter finds the unexpected.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Elizabeth Lund Sometimes the story a writer comes back with is not the story she expected to find. That was the case recently when I drove to the women's prison in Connecticut to do a piece on the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program. (See story) As the miles ...
Henry Higgins would have his hands full.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Marilyn Gardner EARLY ON A late-winter morning, a businessman waiting to board a flight at Boston's Logan Airport pulls out a cellphone and calls his secretary with an unusual request. "Susan, it's Bill," he begins, in a voice loud enough for other passengers ...
The convenience is built in; When building or remodeling, homeowners have a wide choice of handy amenities.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Ross Atkin Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor When it comes to customizing their homes, Americans are great ones for choosing paint colors, floor coverings, and the latest appliances. Where homeowners often fall short, in the estimation of one ...
Working for an honor brings two big achievements.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Ann Symonds When he was in the 11th grade, my oldest son became a member of the National Honor Society. While induction into this society is an accolade that most serious high school students would like to obtain, I think that the lasting merit for my son will be more ...
Adirondacks blaze new culinary trail; Long known for its simple, down-home cooking, the region in upstate New York takes on more sophisticated flavors.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Sarah Tomlinson Special to The Christian Science Monitor When Greg and Sharon Taylor bought a ski lodge in the Adirondack mountains, one of their favorite tasks was planning the restaurant menu. Natives of the mountainous region in northeastern New York, they reveled in ...
Yum, a century and a half of chips.(FEATURES)(HOMEFRONT)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Staff The potato chip turns 150 this year, and what a flavor-packed adventure this snack food has had so far. Since its invention in 1853, the potato chip has gone from a lowly side dish to America's crunchy, munchy favorite. The chip market generates sales ...
We're more than our history; Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Most pictures I have from my childhood show a little girl with furrowed brow, watching with resentment or curious bitterness other children licking bigger lollipops or sitting on the laps of friends and family where I was supposed to be. Not that I always had the smallest ...
Accents speak louder than words; In britain, unlike in the US, we virtually divulge our postal district the moment we open our mouths.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Christopher Andreae I remember one time, when I lived in the States, a telephone operator - just when I thought she was going to give me the number I'd asked for - sank strangely into a long silence. Eventually I asked, "Er, are you still there?" "Oh, yeah, ...
It'll take a heat wave to get me to leave my house again.(THE HOME FORUM)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Jim Fabiano There comes a time in every winter hermit's life when he has to venture out of his cave to see if the temperature has risen above 32 degrees F. The other day I did just that, and discovered that 21 straight days of subfreezing temperatures had come to an end ....
US-taught Iraqis feel war's weight; Iraqi professors have close ties to Americans, but now see a wide cultural divide.(WORLD)
Mar 05, 2003 ... Byline: Scott Peterson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- They lived for years with American roommates. They studied and partied and fell in and out of love with American friends. Now, they're trying to reconcile for their children - and for ...