The Christian Science Monitor back issues from February 2008:
A housing rescue that would go too far.(EDITORIAL)(mortgage subsidies)
Feb 01, 2008 ... By Valentine's Day, Congress plans to shoot a mix of stimuli into a disheartened economy. But there's one arrow in its quiver that would miss the mark: An increase in government-sponsored credit for home loans. Lawmakers want to subsidize mortgages up to $729,000 - a nifty gift for the ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)
Feb 01, 2008 ... The court system needs a background in science Regarding Cody Corliss's Jan. 30 Opinion piece, "Electing judges - with cash": Mr. Corliss touches on only one aspect of equal justice under law - judicial selection. As a veteran of many court battles, I agree that proper methods ...
Sea captains' logbooks reveal secrets of New England's fishing culture.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Colin Woodard Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Durham, N.H. -- In the hamlets and modest seaports that dot the coastal counties of New England, Bill Leavenworth trolls for the lost bounty of the Gulf of Maine. His prey: the bound, handwritten logs kept by ...
For some Hollywood screenwriters, an unlikely diversion: children's books.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Teresa Mã©®ez Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In the fall, Robert Kurtz approached David N. Weiss - a screenwriter whose credits include "Shrek 2," episodes of the TV series "Rugrats," and both "Rugrats" movies - about writing a children's book. In ...
Noteworthy: New releases by Sheryl Crow and Vampire Weekend.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(Detours)(Sound recording review)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL): Vampire Weekend is something of an anomaly - that rare act that hit it big, suffered the inevitable backlash, and then battled back to the top of the buzz bin again, all on the strength of a three-song EP and a handful of live MP3s. (Only in 2008, ...
Tubegazing: 'Lipstick Jungle'.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(Television program review)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Lipstick Jungle (NBC, Feb. 7, 10 p.m.): In yet another effort to restyle the "Sex and the City" formula as a network blockbuster, "Lipstick Jungle" explores the sex-and-drama-laced lives of three high-powered female executives in Manhattan. One of the trio, played by ...
From golf-cart mode to full throttle, the Highlander is a perfect hybrid.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Clayton Collins A gas-electric SUV can make for a pointed paradox. You can imagine its operator willing the driver behind him to spot the little "hybrid" badge and silently salute: All that girth with low emissions and decent fuel economy too. Toyota's ...
New on DVD: 'Across the Universe' and 'The Assassination of Jesse James'.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)(Movie review)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Across the Universe (PG-13) The characters in Julie Taymor's stunning musical take their names from famous Beatles tunes - there's Lucy (right), Max, Prudence, JoJo, and Mother Superior. But the mood is pure '60s psychedelia. Colors bleed across the screen; in one scene, the ...
Monitor Picks.(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(All the King's Men; Tanner '88; The West Wing)(Movie review)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Ahead of "Super Tuesday," a 24-state contest likely to determine the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, here's a brief list of our favorite campaign-related movies (and two television series). All the King's men <P/> Skip the ineffectual ...
Trend spotter: At the movies, the end is nigh...(FEATURES)(WEEKEND)(films depicting the end of the world)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Apocalypse, now? A spate of science-fiction films has moviegoers practicing the "duck and cover" drill in cinema aisles. After the release of "I Am Legend," in which a pandemic turns the concrete jungle of New York into, well, a jungle, viewers have packed theaters to see the ...
Grace under pressure.(THE HOME FORUM)(calmness in the midst of trials)
Feb 01, 2008 ... It was overtime in the championship football game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. The winner would play in the Super Bowl. Lawrence Tynes, the Giants kicker, had already missed two field goals. As he left the field, his coach "raged at him like a maniacal ...
Going very deep into the weeds.(THE HOME FORUM)(terms used in restaurants)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Ruth Walker "Call me if you get really overwhelmed," I recall one of my editors saying not long ago, as we discussed a project with a tight schedule. "Let me know if you end up 'in the weeds,' as they say." Do they indeed say that? I suppose they do. And now ...
Best-laid schemes gang aft agley.(THE HOME FORUM)(Burns Suppers)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Christopher Andreae Ah well, another of my potential careers appears to have bitten the dust. Admittedly, this was among the less likely ones to take off in a big way. After all, I am English. If I had been born Scottish, I suppose there might have ...
China battles rising prices, snowstorms.(WORLD)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Beijing -- The snowstorms currently sweeping China have wreaked havoc with millions of people's New Year travel plans and caused $3 billion worth of losses, including thousands of acres of winter crops. ...
Kenya vows tougher crackdown.(WORLD)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Rob Crilly and Nicholas Benequista Correspondents of The Christian Science Monitor Nairobi, Kenya; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -- Dressed in their distinctive green, padded body armor they have become a familiar sight at Nairobi's major intersections. The ...
Electoral reform tops concerns as Italy seeks new government.(WORLD)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Erica AlinI Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Rome -- Waning tolerance for chronic instability has thrust a new electoral law to the top of the agenda as a leading Italian politician tries to form an interim government in the wake of Romano Prodi's fall. ...
Slovenia heads EU as Balkan neighbors begin to stir.(WORLD)(European Union)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Ljubljana, Slovenia -- This tiny verdant patch of Europe has been a star pupil among new European Union states. Now, after three years of diligent study, Slovenia took over the EU presidency on Jan. 1, the ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)
Feb 01, 2008 ... * Saved by the Lamb: Staff writer Peter Ford, earning a great deal more than most people in China, says his family grocery budget hasn't been undermined yet by the increase in food prices that the government fears might fuel popular unrest (see story). Even a 50-percent hike ...
Kashmiri mothers hunt for lost sons.(WORLD)(Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Judith Matloff Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Srinagar, Indian Kashmir -- A woman with sad eyes and the bearing of a Roman general leads her bereaved followers up the stone steps of the sacred Makhdoom Sahib shrine to seek blessings for Kashmir's missing ...
The other teen drug problem.(OPINION)(drug addiction)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Sharon Sloane Potomac, MD. -- There's good news to report from the frontlines of the war on drugs: Fewer young Americans are abusing street drugs. But there's a troubling untackled development - and it's the one you find at your local drugstore and in the homes of ...
Silver-tongued vs. eloquent: Do voters know the difference?(OPINION)(presidential candidates' verbal skills)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Bob Katz Lexington, MAss. -- With Super Tuesday upon us, and its blizzard of last-minute candidate speech making, it's time to finally face the question: What importance do voters actually place on a politician's oratorical skill? This essential quality, about which ...
Super Bowl coaches: friendly rivals and sticklers for detail.(USA)(Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Faye Bowers Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Glendale, Ariz. -- They both served as assistants under guru Bill Parcells at the New York Giants. Each left his first head coaching job because he couldn't get along with anyone. Their resumes are so similar, in ...
Campaigns move into rivals' home turf.(USA)(presidential campaigns)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Ariel Sabar Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor A home field advantage is one of the few certainties in politics, and nothing comforts a presidential hopeful quite as much as the knowledge that voters at home have their back. That is why Sen. Barack ...
Fed's main task: Save the banks.(USA)(Federal Reserve)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In moving with unusual speed to cut interest rates, officials at the Federal Reserve are aiming to prevent a nationwide recession, but they're also doing something more targeted: throwing a lifeline directly to ...
How early voting may swing Super Tuesday results.(USA)(primary in Illinois)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Amanda Paulson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Chicago -- Illinois's primary - along with those of 21 other states - is this Tuesday. But Lou Smith and Sam Sirko cast their votes for Sen. Barack Obama a week ago, during a three-week period in which ...
Modernize U.S. Reserve and Guard, federal panel says.(USA)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Gordon Lubold Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- Proposing what it called the first substantive reforms to the National Guard and Reserve in more than 50 years, a panel wants to refashion America's "weekend warriors" into an operational partner ...
Now showing: 'Hillary: The Movie' and election-law gripes.(USA)(political documentary)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor To many supporters of President Bush, Michael Moore's 2004 documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" was a blatant attempt to use factual distortions, conspiracy theories, and irreverent wit to undermine the reelection of a ...
U.S. scraps ambitious clean-coal power plant.(USA)(FutureGen)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Prospects for nearly emissions-free coal power in the United States have dimmed in the wake of the US Department of Energy's decision to pull the plug on a "clean coal" demonstration plant called FutureGen, ...
The world can't ignore the Al Qaeda and Taliban threat in Afghanistan.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Feb 04, 2008 ... A triple alarm sounded on Afghanistan last week. Three reports by reputable, nonpartisan groups in the US concluded that it's a country verging on failure. It needs more troops and aid, the reports said. The international community must step up - and soon. Despite President ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)(Letter to the editor)
Feb 04, 2008 ... Can the gender divide in sports be equalized? Regarding Laura Pappano and Eileen McDonagh's Jan. 31 Opinion piece, "Women and men in sports: Separate is not equal": I am confused by the contradictions I see in the article. The title indicates the article's excellent point for ...
Resume advice for the over-50 crowd.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Marilyn Gardner Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Whenever RobA-ert Skladany conducts workA-A-shops for job seekers over age 50, he hears one word again and again: resumes. Among the men and women in these groups - some unemployed, others ...
Frontier markets lure - and reward - hardy investors.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Margaret Price Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor After violence erupted in Kenya following December's disputed presidential election, the African nation's stock market might have seemed like a risky place to put money. But some clients of Wambia ...
Financial Q&A: Is it time to shift out of US Savings Bonds?(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Steve Dinnen Q: I own about $2,000 in Series EE Savings Bonds dating from the 1980s and '90s. I'm thinking about cashing these in and investing the proceeds in a Roth IRA. Is this a good idea? Either way, I am earmarking this money for retirement. D.S., via ...
The economic stimulus package: how does spending help?(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: David R. Francis columnist A reader asks: "Could you please explain how a stimulus package (which creates more federal debt but puts cash into the hands of consumers) helps the economy? It is hard to understand how spending more money helps the economy. Isn't this what ...
Corporate political spending comes out in the open - slowly.(Center for Political Accountability)(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Do you know the political slant of your portfolio? Every election cycle, US businesses pour hundreds of millions of dollars into campaigns, parties, and politically affiliated groups. Some of that money is reported, some isn't. Now a movement to get corporations to disclose voluntarily ...
A week's worth: quick takes on the world of work and money.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Ross Atkin * Wall Street shrugged off news that the US economy lost jobs last month and posted big gains. The Dow and S&P 500 rose more than 4 percent for the week - their steepest gain since March 2003. * At home, Americans are reasonably attentive to ...
Building at World Trade Center is a showcase of terrorproof technologies.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Harry Bruinius Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor New York -- When a documentary crew wanted to film the emergency glow-strips that line the expansive stairwells in 7 World Trade Center, Dara McQuillan called down to the security desk and asked them to flick ...
NASA to broadcast The Beatles into deep space.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Beatles 1968 song Across the Universe)(WEB)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Eoin O'Carroll csmonitor.com In astronomical terms, it won't be long: In the year 2439, residents of the Polaris star system, if there are any, will be treated to a transmission of The Beatles 1968 song, "Across the Universe," courtesy of NASA. At 7pm EST on ...
Essay: Need a new password? Here's literary help.(THE HOME FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: G.K. Vemulapalli I have a computer problem every three months. It's because I'm forced to change my password, that collection of letters and symbols you're supposed to keep in your memory and not write down anywhere. If I don't change the password at the end ...
Who's the best?(THE HOME FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
Feb 04, 2008 ... There's so much focus in the media and in individual conversations about who is the most beautiful, most successful, best dressed, or most powerful or influential. Implicit is that there is only one best. It's as if everyone in the world were stacked in a vertical pile, with the best ...
Essay: Mrs. Fix-it finds pleasure in growing a lawn.(THE HOME FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Lois Degler Looking back over the year that I've been on my own, I can see that in a limited way, I've become a Mrs. Fix-it. There have been many house and yard tasks that needed doing, and often they seemed a bit intimidating. But I knew that it was important at least ...
Essay: When your GPS lady gives you wrong directions.(Global Positioning System)(THE HOME FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Lyla Ward A few weeks ago I became the proud owner of a GPS unit. For those of you who are less cool than I, that's short for global positioning system, which means, in effect: Put me and my car down anywhere - Biloxi, Miss., or Trenton, N.J. - give me the street ...
If Chad coup succeeds, Darfur crisis could deepen.(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Johannesburg, South Africa -- With rebels in the heart of Chad's capital, N'Djamena, surrounding the presidential palace, the complex Darfur conflict is set to take a dramatic and unexpected turn. If ...
Cut undersea Internet cables slow India's connectivity.(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Sappenfield Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor New Delhi -- With Internet speed slowing to a crawl across much of India, some of the country's call centers have been forced to close up shop for hours, if not days. One airline has added extra staff to its ...
Facebook used to target Colombia's FARC with global rally.(Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC))(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Sibylla Brodzinsky Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Bogot㡬Colombia -- Hundreds of thousands of Colombians are expected to march throughout the country and in major cities around the world Monday to protest against this nation's oldest and most ...
Market bombings: Baghdad locals want security, not Iraqi police.(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Sam Dagher Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Baghdad -- "We are an independent state; no police or army is allowed to come in," proclaims Khalid Jamal al-Qaisi, deputy leader of the US military-backed and predominantly Sunni Arab militia in charge of ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... * No Spin Doctor: The Chinese leadership's new penchant for good public relations in dealing with a crisis does not appear to have rubbed off on more junior officials, says staff writer Peter Ford. At a press conference in Bejing, a Railroad Ministry official was lobbed a ...
This time, Beijing's disaster response is open, sensitive.(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Beijing -- As southern China enters its third week of freak snowstorms and plunging temperatures, government leaders have been falling over themselves to be seen on the front lines of disaster relief, consoling ...
For Serbs, tennis rules, and it's all about Djokovic.(tennis player Novak Djokovic)(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Belgrade, SERBIA -- Serbia's new keeper of national pride and morale,met cheering throngs at City Hall on the eve of key presidential elections - with a rock band playing "Simply the Best." But ...
In Kosovo, Serbs vote in pivotal presidential election.(WORLD)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Andrew Wander Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Mitrovica, Kosovo -- Kosovo's Serbs turned out to vote in Sunday's crucial presidential election in the shadow of a widely expected declaration of independence from the Albanian leaders of the breakaway province ....
Flip-flopper or 'agent of change'.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Eileen Cook Vancouver, Canada -- Flip-flopping. A presidential candidate would almost rather be accused of strange foot tapping under a bathroom-stall door, than of daring to change their views. By the way the term is slung about - look to Mitt Romney and ...
Will Huckabee's campaign encourage evangelicals to vote for a Democrat?(former Governor Mike Huckabee)(OPINION)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Brett Grainger Cambridge, Mass. -- By far, the most significant story of the 2008 Republican primaries has been the unlikely candidacy of Mike Huckabee and his single-handed resuscitation of Christian conservatives as a force to be reckoned with in the Republican Party ....
How to untangle the politics of Super Tuesday primaries.(USA)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Linda Feldmann Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- For the past year, a large field of presidential candidates has lavished attention on just a few early primary and caucus states. Suddenly, on the eve of the biggest primary day in United States ...
U.S. job losses raise recession worries.(USA)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In a worrisome sign, America's job market may be freezing up even in areas far removed from housing or mortgage loans. In January, stagnation in the economy's giant service sector helped cause the ...
Latino vote critical for Clinton on Super Tuesday.(Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton)(USA)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Ben Arnoldy Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Salinas, Calif. -- Their script isn't necessary. Alberto Murillo sees the red and black shirts and the blue signs and knows they are United Farm Workers members canvassing for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. In ...
Writers' strike means rough going for TV networks.(USA)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Alison Tully and Gloria Goodale Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor LOS ANGELES -- With the Hollywood writers' strike at the three-months mark, TV networks are scrambling to fill the void of new programming, ...
South's ill-timed drought may further crimp U.S. economy.(USA)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Byline: Patrik Jonsson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Atlanta -- Johnny Whitt, a soft-spoken skateboarder, grinned just thinking about his summertime ritual of going to the pool with his friend, Rowan O'Halloran, to hang out and cool off. But when informed that ...
The 'women's vote' and Clinton.(Senator Hillary Clinton)(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Feb 05, 2008 ... If Hillary Clinton wins any of the primaries on Super Tuesday, exit polls will reveal how much her victories relied on voter preferences for a woman. And if that electoral edge among women then puts her in the White House, America will stand in a new era of affirmative action by ballot - ...
Abraham Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)(Book review)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: Chuck Leddy It's February, the month in which we celebrate President's Day, and so once again the stores are full of books about Abraham Lincoln. Among this year's crop are a pair with disarmingly similar titles - Douglass and Lincoln and Lincoln and Douglas. ...
Another Beatles book? Yes, maybe the best ever.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)(Book review)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: John Kehe If there's one thing the world certainly does not need, it's another book about the Beatles. Except this one. While Christmas shopping a few months ago, I walked right past a brand-new Beatles book ... a first for me, for I am all about ...
In 'Song Yet Sung,' the pursuit of a higher form of freedom.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)(Book review)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: Kendra Nordin Dreams are sometimes what people retreat to when the reality before their eyes is too horrible to accept as the truth. It's no wonder, then, that a dreamer is at the heart of James McBride's spellbinding new novel Song Yet Sung. This is a story ...
'Beginner's Greek': Guy gets girl, then loses phone number...(FEATURES)(BOOKS)(Book review)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: Yvonne Zipp Beginner's Greek Author: James Collins Somebody call Amy Adams. The "Enchanted" princess would be perfect as Holly, the lovely strawberry blonde at the heart of James Collins's first novel Beginner's Greek. Readers will find themselves ...
Seneca Falls: The story of the women who changed the world.(FEATURES)(BOOKS)(Book review)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: Marjorie Kehe "Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing never can bring about reform," observed women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony. Anthony knew whereof she spoke. She and her peers - the first ...
Urbanization threatens Namibia's traditional Himba culture.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Feb 05, 2008; ... Byline: Stephanie Hanes Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Opuwo, Namibia -- As the sun drops behind the dusty main street here, the crowd at the informal market behind the OK Grocer gets bigger. Twenty-somethings in Western clothes slap hands in greeting, older men ...
More ubiquitous than politics?(THE HOME FORUM)
Feb 05, 2008 ... We've been thinking a lot about the word "ubiquitous" in the days before the Super Tuesday contest in the nomination process for US president. Republican and Democratic candidates for president are facing off in the largest number of state primaries and caucuses of the year. Political ...