The Christian Science Monitor back issues from July 2008:
High court aims low.(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2008 ... As any city mayor might note, murder by firearm is likely to continue apace despite last week's Supreme Court ruling granting a right to keep a handgun in one's home. The decision, it turns out after close reading, scores a legal point while leaving many opportunities for government to ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Can domestic drilling provide US energy independence? Regarding your June 20 editorial, "Yes to offshore oil, but not now": Even if the United States outer continental shelf (OCS) were opened today, the Energy Information Administration expects that oil production could not ...
Mozambique's informal street traders strive to survive.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: STEPHANIE HANES Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor MAPUTO, Mozambique -- The Sunday morning madness outside the Lhanguene cemetery is starting to calm, but Titos Ernesto's eyes are still hawklike as he takes in the trash-strewn parking lot. On the ...
Midwest's postflood risk: toxic basements.(Environment)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Peter N. Spotts Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor The oil, gasoline, fertilizers, and herbicides swept away by floodwaters in June pose an environmental challenge to the rain-soaked Midwest. But some of the most serious pollution problems may not ...
Unorthodox papermaking helps a Thai elephant refuge.(Environment)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Lisa Schroeder Contributor of The Christian Science Monitor Some people look at a pile of elephant dung and see a big waste-disposal problem. Wanchai Asawawibulkij looks at the same pile and sees ... paper. And a way to help elephants in his native Thailand. ...
Snicker you not at this prose.(Books)(Book review)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Marjorie Kehe When editors at The Atlantic Monthly celebrated their magazine's 150th anniversary, they paid homage to the category of a*humorous essaya* with the works of four writers: Mark Twain, James Thurber, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ian Frazier. Company like ...
What a good idea!(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Stephanie Cook Broadhurst A winning way to store fruit For first-place winner Sarah O'Brien, inspiration came from spoiled peaches. She would bring them to school for a snack, but by the time she was ready to eat them, they were soft and bruised. Ethylene gas ...
Proud to talk like a Mainer.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: T. Jewell Collins I was in the local hardware store recently when I heard this question posed by a voice with an unmistakable accent, "Bin ova ta camp lately?" Although it wasn't asked of me, I was tempted to respond, "Yup, ova just t'utha day." I resisted, ...
Prayer response to gang warfare.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 01, 2008 ... A troubling trend in London and other cities in Britain is the increase in gun- and knife-related gang warfare. You can't help being touched and deeply disturbed by the pictures of the grieving parents of children who were innocent victims of violence. Underneath the fear of the ...
Pinned down by Mrs. Partridge.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Clinton W. Trowbridge At first I thought I must have disturbed her nest, but when I retreated to the other end of the woodpile she followed me. If a partridge (the Maine word for a ruffled grouse) can be said to shove, that is what she did. She strutted back and forth in ...
Why South Africa's Mbeki won't rein in Mugabe.(President Thabo Mbeki and President Robert Mugabe)(WORLD)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- - As the world grows more anxious to solve Zimbabwe's political crisis, all eyes focus on one man: South African President Thabo Mbeki. The leader of the region's ...
At $9 per gallon, British driving habits change.(WORLD)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Rice-Oxley Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor LONDON -- Pump nozzle in hand, Lisa Atkins keeps a close eye on the digital display rapidly adding up the pounds. Gone are the days when she'd routinely fill the gas tank to the brim. She now has to be more ...
Iraq opens door to foreign bidding to increase oil output.(WORLD)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Sam Dagher Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD -- Iraq has invited 35 prequalified foreign companies to bid on contracts for the further development of six existing and operational oil fields and two gas fields. The Monday announcement, it says, is a ...
Want democracy in Iraq? Culture matters.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Lawrence E. Harrison Vineyard Haven, Mass. -- Sen. JohN MCCAIN recently suggested that pacification of Iraq and the departure of American forces was feasible by 2013. But pacification of Iraq is not how President Bush defines success. The president recently ...
Vacant homes spread blight in suburb and city alike.(USA)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Patrik Jonsson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ATLANTA -- In Mesa, Ariz., officials are trying to decide what to do about boarded-up McMansions that become party pads, trashed in raucous "raves" where invitations come by text message. In ...
A global war on inflation.(USA)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor With inflation a rising threat, nations around the world are trying to navigate a delicate task: containing that price pressure even as the linchpin US economy reels from the opposite challenge of a credit bust. ...
High hopes abroad for a new U.S. president.(Editorial)
Jul 02, 2008 ... The rest of the world can't vote for the next American president, but many certainly follow the US campaign as if they could. They also hold high hopes that a new leader - no matter who wins - will change Washington's foreign policy. They may well be disappointed. Despite a ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Jul 02, 2008 ... Lower world oil prices by balancing the US budget In response to the June 26 article, "To lower oil price, boost the buck?": This is an important contribution to the journalistic work on this critical issue. Since the founding of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting ...
Prison baseball team gives inmates a focus beyond their cells.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Kosa Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor San Quentin, Calif. -- As a baseball manager, Kent Philpott has to navigate many of the usual challenges on the diamond: player egos, varied skills at the plate, and uneven levels of motivation. But he also ...
America America': when politicians were still our heroes.(Books)(Book review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Yvonne Zipp Is there a more gooily satisfying read for a political junky than an insider tell-all? What could be more enticing than an opportunity to read the stains on the dirty laundry like tea leaves for validation of a pet theory? If former White House ...
Planes, trains, and automobiles - the Internet hits the road.(Innovation)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Tom Regan Columnist for The Christian Science Monitor Back in prehistoric times (as my children like to call it), say 1992, when the Internet was basically unknown to most people outside academia and government, I got my first Internet connection from Canada's only ...
Free sharing' sites expand on Internet.(Environment)(freecycle.org)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Gregory M. Lamb Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor A few years back, Deron Beal worked for a recycling organization in Tucson, Ariz. He'd drive an old pickup truck around to other nonprofit groups, and say, a*I found this old desk or this computer. Can you ...
Barefoot suppers.(THE HOME FORUM)(Recipe)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Jennifer Wolcott Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Ah, summertime. It's any nervous party host's favorite season: A more easygoing attitude toward entertaining accompanies the barefoot, balmy days of summer, allowing party planners to toss aside notions of ...
My favorite cookbook.(THE HOME FORUM)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2008 ... Growing up in Florida and Georgia caused me to appreciate the local and regional food and recipes. However, growing up male when and where and how I did precluded me from ever having to select, prepare, or cook those foods and dishes. The women did that. Along came the women's movement and ...
The promise of blackberries.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Mary Jo Shannon My husband considers me a bit "loony." Why, when the temperature is in the 90s, would anyone in her right mind choose to bundle up in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, spend the day fighting brambles, gnats, and possibly snakes, and then return home ...
Going the extra mile.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 02, 2008 ... A segment that recently aired on National Public Radio's "StoryCorps" warmed listeners' hearts, at least in part because it provided such rich evidence that good alone is powerful enough to bring solutions from which all parties benefit. It brings to mind the Apostle Paul's advice to "be ...
Store-bought blackberries just aren't the same.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Skila Brown We buy ours in the grocery store. The warehouse-bulk grocery store clear across town to be exact. And that pains me every time I place them in the cart. But, oh, do my children love blackberries! The sweet ones and tart ones. Juicy ones and dry ...
Christianity in a Chinese workplace? For some.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Carol Huang Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Beijing -- A spiffy corporate campus in China isn't exactly where you'd expect to find a four-foot-tall wooden cross, let alone a church filled with Chinese singing hymns. But that's what's happening on ...
If the first lady is a pop star, French media melt like Boursin.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Paris -- Some sticklers in the French press have a problem: How much attention is appropriate when the president's wife is about to release the country's first first lady album? Since Carla Bruni married ...
Abkhazia's tourism fights to regain fabled legacy.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Fred Weir Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Sukhumi, Abkhazia -- Abkhazia's richest man, Beslan Butba, is an incurable optimist. Although the tiny breakaway republic of Abkhazia is blockaded by much of the world, its people live under constant ...
Reporters on the job.(challenges in international reporting)(WORLD)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2008; ... * A Church and State Blessing: In reporting today's story about corporate-sponsored churches in China, staff writer Carol Huang was told that such state-approved churches differ from unregistered ones mainly in how much they cooperate with the government. She caught a glimpse ...
Trouble brews in two Asian democracies.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Simon Montlake Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Bangkok, Thailand -- Seizing on rising fuel prices and coalition-party stresses, political opponents are pushing to unseat the leaders of two Southeast Asian democracies, only months into their elected terms, ...
The alternative to an Israeli attack on Iran.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Shlomo Ben-Ami and Trita Parsi Washington and Jerusalem -- Is war between Israel and Iran inevitable? To listen to Iran's radical President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or Israel's Iranian-born transportation minister Shaul Mofaz, or even recent reports that Israel carried out a ...
Reality check on Middle East talks.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Rayyan Al Shawaf Beirut, Lebanon -- Optimism is taking wing in the Middle East: The Israelis and Syrians have been negotiating and Israel and Hamas are two weeks into a cease-fire. But is the Arab-Israeli conflict moving toward a resolution? A closer look at the ...
After this flood, FEMA earns praise.(Federal Emergency Management Agency)(USA)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Amanda Paulson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Wapello, Iowa -- When the prospect of major flooding in Iowa loomed more than three weeks ago, the state's emergency management office got busy. Local officials were alerted, sandbags were sent out, ...
Big trouble for Big Three automakers.(USA)(Financial report)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor America's automobile industry may be facing the biggest turnaround challenge in its history, a problem punctuated Tuesday as the carmakers released monthly sales results. Times were tough enough in ...
Could North Korea still build nukes?(USA)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Peter Grier Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- North Korea's destruction last week of the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear facility was a spectacular piece of geopolitical theater. But as the concrete crumbled, did Pyongyang's ability to ...
Will the U.S. open an office in Iran?(USA)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Howard LaFranchi Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON -- With President Bush trying to burnish his diplomatic credentials on a series of fronts, the State Department is pushing the envelope by suggesting it may be time to open a permanent American ...
German bunker tour offers return to cold war.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Naomi Kresge Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Prenden, Germany -- At a forlorn bus stop 45 minutes outside Berlin, a faded schedule lists service to the suburbs. Voices drifting out of a workshop are the only signs of life in this 500-person town. ...
In Jordan, aid for Iraqi refugees is often redirected.(WORLD)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Nicholas Seeley Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Amman, Jordan -- Forbidden to work, Iraqi war refugees here are poor and getting poorer. Waiting lists for food and cash assistance have grown into the thousands. But while the United Nations High ...
Troubled economy hits women hard.(USA)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Byline: Alexandra Marks Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor New York -- This economic downturn is taking a particularly hard toll on women, according to some experts. The reasons: Much of the downturn is focused on the real estate market, where a ...
Private patriotism.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Jul 03, 2008 ... It's as easy as grilling hot dogs to revel in Fourth of July rituals. Fireworks, parades, flags, and picnics help bind Americans. But the holiday is also a time for each person to recall the good in the nation's past - and renew faith in the good still to come. That private patriotism is ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Jul 03, 2008 ... The need for lasting solutions in flood plains In response to the June 18 article, "Why flooding worsens": If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we divert water to areas where they need it? We have the Alaskan oil pipeline, surely we could create temporary diversions before ...
'Dukes of Hazzard' devotees gather to celebrate the hit 1980s TV show.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Patrik Jonsson Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Hampton, Ga. -- Stuck in what he calls "the Northeast corridor," Billy Shaffer can't turn his back on the three generations of family who have lived in New Jersey. His life is, and will remain, in the North, ...
Rome 1960: birth of a new era.(Books)(Book review)
Jul 03, 2008 ... Byline: Erik Spanberg It was an American election year marked by a presidential candidacy defined by change and breaking barriers. It was also an Olympic year that came during a time when it seemed clear one era was dying and another was being born. ...
Study abroad through Second Life.(Innovation)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Tom A. Peter Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor When a group at Ohio University in Athens created a video tour of the school's virtual Second Life campus, Christopher Keesey expected that it would be, by and large, for the OU community. Yet while browsing ...
Game-changer in the Everglades.(Environment)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Peter N. Spotts Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Going back to the drawing board can seem like an exercise in frustration. But people working to restore Florida's legendary Everglades - by many accounts one of the most ambitious ecological ...
In Olympian swimsuits, threads of history.(Innovation)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Jay Weiner Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor All the talk is technology. NASA was consulted. Records are falling like so much ticker tape at a gold medalist's victory parade. Then there's the lawsuit - which is not to be confused with the swimsuit. ...
The art of the summertime tomato sandwich.(THE HOME FORUM)(Recipe)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Carolyn Magner Mason When you marry someone, you not only marry their family and traditions; you marry their salad dressing choices. That, I tell you, can be a burden and one that newlyweds ought to discuss instead of the less-life-altering details of floral arrangements ...
The bald eagle's wings of freedom.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Nick Thomas People have always admired the eagle. The ancient Sumerians, the Romans, and Napoleon all borrowed the awe-inspiring bird as a symbol of their own greatness. So it is not difficult to see why, some 230 years ago, the bald eagle was adopted as an official ...
Demonyms and our fluid sense of place.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Ruth Walker No day is a complete bust if I make the acquaintance of a new word. So it was the other day when I ran across the term for the residents of Beijing - Beijingers. Can that be? I was skeptical until a colleague whipped out a reference to confirm it ....
Ice on Mars - what's in it for us?(THE HOME FORUM)
Jul 03, 2008 ... The recent discovery of ice on Mars by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration probe Phoenix offers interesting possibilities for future research and discovery. The presence of water suggests life, although the form, quantity, and history of that life are open to speculation. ...
A 'surge' unit sees change, but questions its permanence.(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Sam Dagher Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Baghdad -- After almost 15 months of its longest, deadliest, and most unconventional deployment, the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment of the US Army is packing up to leave Iraq. When it goes home to ...
From a U.S. hostage in the Colombian jungle, a marriage proposal.(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Bristow Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Bogot㡬Colombia -- Patricia Medina was nearly five months pregnant when her boyfriend, former US Marine Keith Stansell, left on a reconnaissance flight over a Colombian coca-growing region. ...
McCain visits a skeptical Latin America.(Sen. John McCain)(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Sara Miller Llana and Sibylla Brodzinsky Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Mexico City; and BogotA Colombia -- On a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is ...
Protests in Kashmir herald poll tensions.(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Mian Ridge Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Srinagar, India -- Jubilant Kashmiris lit bonfires and set off fireworks in the streets on Wednesday to celebrate a rare triumph in their struggle against Indian rule. For nine days, Muslim leaders have staged the ...
Reporters on the job.(challenges in international reporting)(WORLD)(Brief article)
Jul 03, 2008; ... * Not Quite Club Med: For today's story, correspondent Sam Dagher spent a night with members of the 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment (1-64) in an old Baghdad shopping center now used as a US combat outpost. "When they moved in last year, they said that rats roamed freely ...
Colombia frees Betancourt and U.S. hostages in commando raid.(former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt)(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Sibylla Brodzinsky Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Bogot㡬Colombia -- Colombia's military on Wednesday rescued 15 top-level hostages including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans in a risky bait-and-switch operation ...
African Union calls for unity government in Zimbabwe.(WORLD)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- In its most strongly worded statement on Zimbabwe thus far, the African Union (AU) called on President Robert Mugabe to form a government of national unity - a power-sharing ...
Fitness beyond dodgeball.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Gay Buttenheim Maxwell Brattleboro, VT. -- My daughter Charlotte recently informed me that gym teachers still make kids play dodgeball. It's a game that evokes memories of maniacal man-boys hurling leather missiles at my head. I wore a glasses guard in those ...
Freedom is self-correcting.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Gary Watts Springfield, ILL. -- Is freedom a virtue or a vice? That question goes to the heart of some of the past century's most violent conflicts. And it seems to be driving much of the criticism against the US today. But as it's described in the quintessential work on ...
New drive to ban race preferences.(USA)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Stacy Teicher Khadaroo Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Tensions are running high in the latest affirmative-action battlegrounds. In Arizona, Nebraska, and Colorado, supporters of ballot initiatives that would ban "preferential treatment" are counting up ...
Afghanistan death toll pressures U.S., allies.(USA)(Statistical data)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Gordon Lubold Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- The rate of American fatalities in Afghanistan last month, the highest since US forces entered the country in 2001, is putting new pressure on the US and its allies to do more to counter insurgents ...
Guantanamo detainees: shorter wait?(USA)
Jul 03, 2008; ... Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- The Bush administration is facing a long, hot summer of fierce litigation over who is, and who isn't, an enemy combatant in the war on terror. Judges at the federal courthouse in ...
Help workers lower gas costs.(Editorial)
Jul 07, 2008 ... At last, high gas prices are forcing more creative solutions. Take the city of Birmingham in Alabama. Squeezed by fuel costs and unable to grant raises, it has offered employees a four-day workweek. Why are workers jumping at it? They, too, save - in gasoline for commuting. ...