The Christian Science Monitor back issues from August 2004:
A Stronger Kerry.(EDITORIAL)
Aug 02, 2004 ... As a presidential candidate who has been perceived as weak on the war on terrorism, it must be heartening to John Kerry that the Bush campaign plans to shift attention from Mr. Kerry's Vietnam credentials by focusing in the weeks ahead on his long Senate record - one which includes "very ...
Trade Talks Back on Track.(EDITORIAL)
Aug 02, 2004 ... When the 147 strong-willed members of the World Trade Organization can agree on an issue as difficult and meaty as getting rid of farm subsidies, that's a feat worth celebrating. And now, with just such a deal, an important stumbling block to future trade talks has been cleared. ...
Why Boston's plants bloom earlier now than 100 years ago.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Christa Case Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor On a 100-acre farm in Middleborough, Mass., Betty Anderson has been taking notes for more than 50 years. "The first thing I do in the morning when I get up - besides getting myself a cup of coffee or tea - is look ...
Closer tabs on student visas.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor A year ago, administrator Sonja Mackenzie was up to her eyeballs processing foreign-student applications to attend the University of West Florida, when an e-mail from the Department of Homeland Security popped up ...
Still writing checks? Watch out.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Jonathan P. Decker Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- When Mary Ellen Corbett recently scanned her bank statement, she noticed a number of deductions from her checking account that she never authorized. It wasn't just one merchant - and it ...
A Week's Worth.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Laurent Belsie Work & Money editor * The S-L-O-W recovery: The economy lost some fizz this spring, posting a surprisingly low 3 percent annual growth rate during the second quarter after a 4.5 percent spurt during the first quarter. The culprit: a sharp slowdown in ...
Freelancing in your future? Rise of independent workers highlights challenges facing today's US labor market.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Stacy A. Teicher Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- She calls herself a "permalancer." Technically, Melora Soodalter freelances for a living, but after three years working practically full time in the cubicles known as "freelance row" ...
A simple estate plan may lead to complicated results.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Steve Dinnen Q: My wife and I are in our 80s and in good health. We have no real estate or debts. Our possessions are minimal. We have money-market accounts and CDs, but the amounts are nowhere near estate-tax level. We plan to leave our estate to our three children and ...
It takes a village to raise a millionaire.(FEATURES)(WORK & MONEY)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: David R. Francis When Meizhu Lui visited an alternative high school in Boston - a place where youths are often assigned after being kicked out of a regular high school for behavioral or other problems - she asked a class: Who expects to be a millionaire? The ...
Martha, Martha, Martha; Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 02, 2004 ... In one episode of the "Brady Bunch," middle sister Jan gets fed up with center-of-attention oldest sister Marsha. "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!" Jan cries in vexation. She can't take it anymore. Today, I can't remember what specifically precipitated Jan's frustration. Nor can I ...
A rabbit bridges the silence.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Willma Gore Esther and I entered through the Mother Goose-decorated door to serve our first stints as senior volunteers at Grandmother's House Preschool. We'd found the notice "grandmothers needed" on the bulletin board of our retirement complex. The young ...
First stop, drums - to a father's chagrin.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Robert Klose I am at that point in a parent's life when the inevitable must be faced: the choice of a musical instrument for my child. When I was growing up in New Jersey in the '60s, every kid - every kid - on my block took music lessons. Mine was a middle-class, ...
Why oil prices may stay sky high.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Scott Peterson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor MOSCOW -- When Russia's largest oil exporter, Yukos, was apparently ordered last week to halt production in a dispute over paying back taxes, oil prices surged to an all-time high of almost $44 per barrel. ...
Mom in Delhi needs a hand? E-mail yourmaninindia.com.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor BOMBAY -- So, you're an Indian living in the United States, making megabucks in Redwood City, Calif. A big shot. But your aging parents are back home in India, alone. What should you, as a good Indian ...
World trade gets new lease on life; Negotiators reached a series of compromises Sunday that could benefit African farmers.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Abraham McLaughlin Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- Keep the bicycle moving - or it will fall over and crash. That was the basic rationale behind a successful late-night negotiating session between members of the ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... * Friend of Prometheus: Correspondent Annia Ciezadlo says that when she's working in Iraq, she often visits the Arnold Gym, owned by Sabah Mehdi (page 7). She's not there for a workout, but as a friend. And every time, they go through the same routine: "We talk. He serves me tea or orange ...
Hot topic in Germany: aggression in World War I; Sunday marked the 90th anniversary of the start of World War 1.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Charles Hawley Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor BERLIN -- In 1961, historian Fritz Fischer shocked Germany with his book, "Germany's Grasp for World Power," which asserted that Kaiser Wilhelm II was largely responsible for the outbreak of World War I. To a ...
Pumping for Arnold in Baghdad.(WORLD)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Annia Ciezadlo Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD -- At the Arnold Classic Gym in Baghdad, two things matter: Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding. No matter what's happening outside - Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, mortars, kidnappings - ...
Letters.(OPINION)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Veterans air views on Bush and Kerry Regarding your July 29 article "US veterans remain sharply divided": As a 30-year veteran of the US Navy, I supported Bush when he launched the war on Iraq because I believed his claims that we were in imminent danger from Iraq's weapons of ...
The rap on reading: TV, Internet aren't only culprits.(OPINION)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Gail Vida Hamburg CHICAGO -- Recent findings by the National Endowment for the Arts on America's literary tastes suggest that fewer than 47 percent of us read for pleasure. The pundits and academics wasted no time weighing in on the reasons for this decline: ...
In this race, close echoes of last one; Four years ago, Bush ran as a centrist who could unite the nation. Now a Democrat makes that case.(USA)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Liz Marlantes Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ZANESVILLE, OHIO -- Building on momentum from the Democratic convention, Sen. John Kerry is taking the fight to President Bush's geographical and issues terrain - and taking some pages out of Mr. Bush's 2000 ...
Bush's turn: Start of a month-long attack; President defends his own accomplishments and portrays Democratic rival as a do-nothing 'flip-flopper.'.(USA)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Linda Feldmann Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- Lest there be any doubt, it is now clear that the 2004 presidential race will be relentlessly fought right through Election Day. President Bush took to the campaign trail within hours ...
Economy's 'soft patch' deeper than expected; Reluctant consumers and record-high crude oil prices, at $43.85 a barrel, affect GDP growth - and election campaign.(USA)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Ron Scherer Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- It's time to worry about the economy, again. Consumers are balking about pulling out their wallets, particularly to buy new cars. Paychecks for low-wage workers are not keeping up with ...
Lauded healthcare plan for kids takes a hit; For the first time, fewer children were enrolled last year in a federal-state endeavor.(USA)
Aug 02, 2004 ... Byline: Alexandra Marks Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor After years of little impact, budget woes are now taking a toll on kids' healthcare. The State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, which provides coverage for children of working ...
How American is Marine One?(EDITORIAL)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Marine One is among the best known symbols of presidential power. A gleaming green and white helicopter frequently swoops onto the White House South Lawn these days to carry President Bush off on another election-year trip. But it is also a symbol of the tension between domestic ...
Going Code Orange.(EDITORIAL)
Aug 03, 2004 ... In elevating the terrorist threat alert levels for the financial sectors of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Newark, N.J., on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security acted with a specificity that increases its credibility. Prior changes in the color-coded alert system ...
Germans question traditional means of learning a job; In the US and Germany, economic realities drive new approaches to vocational education.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Isabelle de Pommereau Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- Janine Frisch used to see painting as a job. But at the Philipp Holzmann School she's discovered a profession - and also a passion. Like all pupils in Germany's ...
Quick trip to a new career.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Lisa Leigh Connors Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Mark Luzaitis has traded in spreadsheets for Sheetrock. After spending more than 12 years working as an accountant for several Fortune 500 companies and earning close to six figures, Mr. Luzaitis closed his ...
The best question comes from a third-grader.(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Todd R. Nelson I've been thinking a lot about interview questions lately, having recently gone through a stimulating interview process to be a K-8 principal. You have to answer a lot of questions in order to be a school principal, and I love a good question - better than ...
Can you be a techie if you can't type?(FEATURES)(LEARNING)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Rebecca L. Weber Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Once a week at John Eaton Public School No. 160, each class comes to the computer lab for a session with teacher Susan Eastman. Kids pull an orange plastic cover over the keyboard so that they can't look at ...
Home, Sweet Home; A penniless aristocrat is forced into the workforce to save his estate.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Ron Charles The quickest way to thin out a shelf of great novels is to restrict yourself to the funny ones. Instead of alphabetizing the bounty that pours in every year, you'll be left casting about for a small vase to hold up the two or three contenders from each ...
A spicy history of humanity; The quest for spices drove exploration around the world.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Ruth Walker On a shelf in one of my kitchen cabinets, I have a small jar of much-traveled cloves that have crossed the Atlantic twice in the international moves I have made over the past decade. As their numbers have dwindled over the years since I bought them, back in ...
A funny thing happened on way to disbelief; A theologian at Oxford University explains why atheism's appeal has faded.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Jane Lampman Time magazine spurred public debate 40 years ago with a startling question on its cover: "Is God Dead?" Some estimate that half the world's population was then nominally atheist. And many in the West were predicting that scientific progress would eliminate ...
His head in the clouds and his dreams in the sea; Narcis Monturiol built a revolutionary submarine, but his plans for success sank.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Tim Rauschenberger History is peppered with individuals whose inventions became indispensable to society: Johannes Gutenberg, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Graham Bell. Narcis Monturiol ardently wished for his Ictineo (combining the Greek words for "fish" and "boat") to ...
An evening with Coretta Scott King; Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 03, 2004 ... I had the privilege recently of sitting at the dinner table with Coretta Scott King. It was a larger, more formal table than I'm accustomed to, in a larger, fancier home than mine. Waiters served us - that certainly never happens at my house! - and there were more forks next to my plate ...
Liberty's back; The famous symbol of America reopens to tourists Tuesday.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Owen Thomas Now it is revered as a national symbol, but in the beginning the Statue of Liberty didn't get much respect. France's grand gift of friendship was first greeted with an "it'll never happen" attitude from Americans. When it began to look as though the French ...
A 'true life' memoir of an honor killing unravels in Australia.(WORLD)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Janaki Kremmer Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- The facts of Norma Khouri's story were supposedly so explosive she had to flee Jordan to write it. Her bestselling memoir, "Forbidden Love," tells how her lifelong friend, ...
Iraqis decry attacks on Christians.(WORLD)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Scott Baldauf and Dan Murphy Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD -- A rare display of violence against Christians here may signal that Sunni insurgents are broadening their effort to destabilize Iraq and stir up differences between Islam and other ...
In Brazil, an unlikely literary mecca; Parati's second annual international literary festival drew Booker Prize winners and autograph hounds.(WORLD)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Andrew Downie On the cobbled streets running alongside one bank of Parati's charming estuary, US author Paul Auster strides through the crowds like a rock star. Nearby, Booker Prize winners Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, and Ian McEwan sign autographs for packs of fans ....
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)
Aug 03, 2004 ... * Fictional Killings? Correspondent Janaki Kremmer was one of those who was caught up in the hype of what looks like a hoax. She bought a copy of the nonfiction book "Forbidden Love" (page 1) before the Australian media discovered a string of factual errors that has left most observers ...
Oil windfall heads for East Timor; Asia's poorest nation is developing offshore fields that, in the coming years, will yield billions of dollars.(WORLD)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Carolyn Robinson Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor DILI, EAST TIMOR -- Every week, Manuel Mendonca travels the dubious roads around East Timor's jagged peaks and valleys on a mission: to tell his fellow citizens about the wave of oil money that will soon ...
Letters.(OPINION)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Are jobs an effective method of keeping score? Regarding the article "Jobs, pay, and the score so far" in the July 28 edition: Why can't we see the "half-full picture"? I think we need to focus more on the fact that there have been more jobs created, not the fact that these jobs ...
Terror war can't fill strategic vacuum.(OPINION)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Gary Hart Although the cold war ended more than a decade ago, in August 1991, our political system has not yet produced a new, grand strategy for the United States to replace containment of communism. Until Sept. 11, 2001, this failure might have been ...
Kerry, the happy warrior, vs. the defensive smirk.(OPINION)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Dante Chinni Maybe John Kerry should visit home more often. Thursday night's speech showed a swagger many Americans hadn't seen in the usually staid senator. There was a sense of confidence. And as he gave President Bush backhanded semicompliments, and even took outright ...
9/11 panel's plan has a big price tag; Beyond spy-agency reshuffle, steps urged by commission would cost billions in ports, at the border, overseas.(USA)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Gail Russell Chaddock Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- New terror alerts are reinforcing the 9/11 commission's "urgent" call to reinforce America's defenses, but they are also a reminder that securing the homeland involves a difficult ...
The politics of fighting terror; As Bush calls for a national director of intelligence, Kerry is treading carefully.(USA)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Linda Feldmann Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- The politics of terrorism have shot to the forefront, as both President Bush and his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, grapple with a heightened terror threat aimed at the nation's financial ...
Can state intervene in medical decisions? Florida Supreme Court will decide if Gov. Jeb Bush was right in restoring a feeding tube to a critically ill woman.(USA)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor MIAMI -- For 14 years, Terri Schiavo has relied on a nutrition tube inserted into her throat to keep her alive. During six of those years, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman has existed at the ...
Lady Liberty welcomes visitors again; Despite new concerns about national security, the statue is to reopen to the public Tuesday.(USA)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Alexandra Marks Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- As Willi casts his fishing line out into New York harbor, he stops and admires Lady Liberty standing in the distance framed by clouds pink from a setting sun, her torch glowing like a star. ...
How New Yorkers cope with latest terror alert; As police presence grows, cities struggle to balance security needs with personal freedoms.(USA)
Aug 03, 2004 ... Byline: Ron Scherer and Sara B. Miller Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- Acting on what US intelligence officials consider a "treasure trove" of information, the US is once again hardening its terror defenses - starting with Wall Street and the nation's ...
Afghans Side With Democracy.(EDITORIAL)
Aug 04, 2004 ... After experiencing just about every form of government possible - monarchy, dictatorship, communism, warlordism and religious rule - the Afghan people are embracing democracy. They've proven it by registering to vote in droves, even as Al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents try to ...
Stemming Violence in Mexico.(EDITORIAL)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Ridding Mexico of systemic violence and corruption has been a theme of many a Mexican politician. But for decades it's been more rhetoric than reality. So it's encouraging that the public is now saying "enough." Earlier this summer, some 250,000 protesters filled the streets of ...
India's railway children; Homeless children find community - and a precarious existence - living in Bombay's railroad stations.(FEATURES)(LIVING)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Andrew Strickler Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor BOMBAY -- At Mumbai Central station in Bombay, a thousand tired passengers disembark from an overnight train. Businessmen with briefcases, barefoot laborers, and wealthy families followed by luggage- toting ...
Open wide - this blackberry is a mouthful.(FEATURES)(LIVING)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Elizabeth Lund Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor JEMISON, ALA. -- When blackberry lovers arrive at the pick-your-own section of Petals From the Past nursery in Jemison, Ala., early in the summer, they act as if they've found mecca. "Ooh," they say, eyeing ...
Does an eldercare crisis loom in the US?(FEATURES)(LIVING)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Marilyn Gardner All morning on a cloudy summer Tuesday, poignant stories of love, courage, and selflessness fill the air at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. But the subject today isn't law. It's caregiving, encompassing all the small and large acts of kindness ...
Can he/she really say that?(FEATURES)(COMPASS)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Amanda Paulson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor The case was an unusual one: Last month the Supreme Court of Washington state ruled on a man's right to prevent his ex-wife from complaining about him with the intent of "annoying, harassing, vexing, or ...
Writing the rules to govern the cosmos; Where mankind may go, lawyers are quick to follow - and futuristic as it may seem, some are busily writing the laws they hope will ultimately govern the universe.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Sheera Frenkel Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Which waste and recycling laws should govern a city on the moon? Will custody rights pertain to families in space stations? Can a "finders-keepers" attitude be applied to asteroids? Wherever man ...
The homeless find a way to participate.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Sheera Frenkel Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor In the nine years since she became homeless, Saundra Porch has not registered to vote. She felt disillusioned, she says, by a system that provided little help for her mother, who suffered from depression, or ...
Justice watch: Keeping an eye on the law.(FEATURES)(COMPASS)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Affirmative action denied SAN FRANCISCO - A Superior Court judge has ruled that a two-decade-old affirmative action program in San Francisco violates a ban on race and gender preferences approved by voters in 1996. Judge James L. Warren said the city's ...
Troubling attitudes amid the platitudes.(WEB)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Patrick Chisholm csmonitor.com WASHINGTON -- It is fortuitous that keynote political convention speeches take place between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. here on the East Coast, when most people get ready for bed. Such speeches are the perfect sleep-inducers. If one ...
Is armed struggle leading Palestinians to liberation?(WEB)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Ghassan Rubeiz csmonitor.com WASHINGTON -- The Palestinian Authority government is in chaos. The Intifada has been leading the Palestinians away from their destination. The wall of separation is encircling the Palestinians, indicating that Israel is giving up on peaceful ...
Water in the West; Originally published in the Christian Science Sentinel.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Not everyone in California's Yosemite National Park these days is gazing up at the breathtaking granite walls of El Capitan and Half Dome, which rim the valley and captivate rock climbers with the awesome challenge they present. A handful of people are instead gazing down at reams of data ...
Artist tries chemistry, but the two don't mix.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Christopher Andreae Somewhere in a small but mislaid bundle of letters I wrote from school, is one that includes a reminder to my parents. Its tone suggests, I am a little shamefaced to admit, a rather bossy side to my early teenage self. The message, in essence, was ...
Most valued item? A little black book ... of birds.(THE HOME FORUM)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Betsy Wiesendanger I once read in a magazine this trick for figuring out your priorities in life: Pretend that your house is on fire and you can save only two objects. Quick: What are they? It's an interesting exercise because you realize that all the stuff ...
Sadr army owns city's streets; Our reporter follows the Mahdi Army as it patrols Sadr City, home to 1 in 10 Iraqi voters.(WORLD)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Dan Murphy Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor SADR CITY, IRAQ -- Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army rarely engages US forces anymore. Hundreds of his men were killed in clashes with the US in April and by June, the militant Shiite cleric had declared an informal ...
Law enforcement in Mexico goes a bit bionic.(WORLD)
Aug 04, 2004 ... Byline: Monica Campbell Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor MEXICO CITY -- Crime has become such a problem in Mexico that the government has created a fleet of cyborgs to fight it. Call them Mexico's "Robocops." Sure, the transformation of the 170 or so ...