The Christian Science Monitor back issues from January 2009:
Obama's big oil decision.(Barack Obama)(Editorial)
Jan 02, 2009 ... Byline: The Monitor's Editorial Board Despite his hopes for renewable energy, Barack Obama faces tough choices early in his term on whether to extract more oil within the US. Americans are still years, maybe decades, from kicking the oil habit. One reserve - with at least a ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Jan 02, 2009 ... To help Afghans, US must stabilize Afghanistan Regarding the Dec. 22 Opinion piece, "Why give now?": Those in the greatest need are often those who are the hardest to help. That is because the reason they are in need is because they live in a country with a bad government that ...
Long-forgotten old-time music finds new audience.(Arts & Culture)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Mark Guarino Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Entertainment galas like next month's Grammy Awards are festooned with fresh faces, trim bodies, and the latest couture. Yet in a second ceremony, when the television cameras are off and the shrieking masses have ...
Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff.(Arts & Culture)(Calendar)
Jan 02, 2009 ... epic history of a subcontinent <P/> India has an ancient culture that gave birth to four world religions; now its diverse population is embracing the modern world of computers, invention, science, and industry. This beautifully filmed, six-hour miniseries touches on ...
Playing it safe, television sticks with the tried and true.(Arts & Culture)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Gloria Goodale Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Once upon a time, in the world of network television, January was a big deal, a launching pad for important new shows. Some of TV history's most influential programs debuted in this ...
Review: 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'.(Arts & Culture)(Movie review)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Peter Rainer Film critic of The Christian Science Monitor "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is about a man who ages backward. With a running time of almost three slow-going hours, the movie definitely makes you feel as though you're aging forward. Based ...
Review: 'Valkyrie'.(Arts & Culture)(Movie review)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Peter Rainer Film critic of The Christian Science Monitor The long-delayed release of the much-troubled "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise as the man who would off Hitler, promised a stinker of epic proportions. Sadly, it lacks the classic awfulness that might have lifted ...
Save the date: English nears a milestone.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Ruth Walker Scarcely has the new year begun before the calendar pages start filling up with lunch dates promised in Christmas cards and notes-to-self about next time, seriously, getting an earlier start on holiday gift shopping. But from The Economist comes a ...
Angels: 24/7, year-round.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 02, 2009 ... The Christmas season is so full of angels with all the light and joy that accompany them. It's a wonderful time of year. And then we're past Christmas and on to the new year with all its opportunities and challenges. Maybe the prospects for the new year are kind of grim; the joy of ...
Over the hedge.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 02, 2009 ... When I first moved to Manhattan, I was advised to keep a firm grip on my purse while walking along the streets or boarding a packed bus or subway car to avoid losing it to a pickpocket. One evening on a crowded bus, I noticed a shabbily dressed, unshaven man elbowing his way onboard ....
The Wright house for our family.(THE HOME FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Cindy LaFerle Throughout our 28 years of marriage, my architect-husband and I have usually purchased houses that are older than we are. Our first house, the 1945 brick-and-stone cottage we bought as newlyweds, was the first of two fixer-uppers we owned before ...
Adoptive parents visit Guatemala to give back.(WORLD)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Summer Harlow Contributor PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA -- Tricia Downie started to cry. The day started off right - great, in fact - as she and 10 or so other volunteers doled out Barbie dolls and Star Wars figures to orphans here in western Guatemala. ...
After Sarkozy, a Czech takes EU helm.(WORLD)(Nicolas Sarkozy)(Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Jeff White Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC -- He has called global warming a myth, backed Russia's recent invasion of Georgia, likened bank bailouts to socialism, and refuses to fly the European Union flag over his office in the ...
How Hamas is altering Israeli politics.(WORLD)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Joshua Mitnick Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Tel Aviv -- While war between Israel and Hamas reverberates from Gaza City to southern Israel and to Arab capitals, the fallout will also be felt within the Israeli Knesset. The fighting is already ...
Afghanistan and Pakistan take center stage in 2009.(WORLD)
Jan 02, 2009 ... Byline: Anand Gopal Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Kabul, Afghanistan -- At times in 2008 Afghanistan eclipsed Iraq in levels of violence, and international attention is returning to the country for the first time since 2001. With the Obama administration ...
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)(Brief article)
Jan 02, 2009 ... * Tel Aviv Chatter About Rockets: This week, Hamas militants have demonstrated an ability to fire rockets further from Gaza than ever before. Correspondent Joshua Mitnick, who resides in Tel Aviv, says that has clearly unnerved some residents of the Israeli coastal city 40 miles from the ...
China favors jobs at home over freer trade.(WORLD)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: JONATHAN ADAMS Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor BEIJING -- In recent years, China scrapped many of its export-friendly policies - a turn welcomed by foreign competitors as a step toward freer, fairer trade. In typical style, Beijing did so ...
Israel's 'victories' in Gaza come at a steep price.(OPINION)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Sara Roy Cambridge, Mass. -- I hear the voices of my friends in Gaza as clearly as if we were still on the phone; their agony echoes inside me. They weep and moan over the death of their children, some, little girls like mine, taken, their bodies burned and destroyed so ...
The meaning of the 'Oval' Office.(OPINION)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: David Arzouman Kirkland, Wash. -- The precedent for oval rooms in American affairs of state can be traced to George Washington. He modified chambers in the President's House in Philadelphia with bowed ends so that guests at formal receptions could all stand equidistant ...
Will stimulus plans go global?(USA)
Jan 02, 2009; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan is expected to reach historic proportions, but what the world could really use right now is something even bigger: similarly ambitious plans from the rest of the world. ...
Israel's Gaza surge.(on the Gaza conflict)(Editorial)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: The Monitor's Editorial Board Israel's land offensive - or is it a "land defensive"? - that began Saturday against the rocket-launching Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip brings an intensity of war not seen between Palestinians and Israelis in decades. As in the Middle East ...
Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Has Israel overreacted to attacks from Gaza? Regarding the Jan. 2 Opinion piece, "Israel's 'victories' in Gaza come at a steep price": In the mainstream American media, I rarely see articles that explain how Palestinians suffer under Israeli oppression. I think most Americans ...
Is it time to get back into the market?(Money & Values)(investing)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Thomas Watterson Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor It may be hard to believe, but the stock market has actually staged a decent recovery from its low of just over a month ago. On Nov. 20, the Dow Jones Industrials closed at 7552 while the S&P 500 ended the ...
Charities borrow for-profit strategies to do good.(Money & Values)(social entrepreneurism)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Gregory M. Lamb Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Industree Crafts helps rural artisans in India get out of poverty by selling their colorful handiwork to customers around the world. But it also wants to make a profit that it can plow right back into the ...
Financial Q&A: Callable CDs promise higher returns but carry more risk.(Money & Values)(callable leveraged spread certificate of deposit)
Jan 05, 2009 ... Q: What is a callable leveraged spread CD? Is it a safe investment? J.H., via e-mail A: Callable CDs are a variation on the traditional certificate of deposit theme. At their onset, they typically pay a considerably higher interest rate than traditional CDs, but they ...
Websites that help you budget better.(Money & Values)(Mint, Quicken Online, Geezeo, Buxfer, Justthrive on personal finance management)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Dan Fritz Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor First, it happened to word processing and photo editing. Now, personal finance management has entered the nebula of "cloud computing," where Web-based applications slowly replace software installed on a computer hard ...
Obama likely to retool Bush's faith-based initiative.(national)(Barack Obama may deviate from George W. Bush's policy)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jane Lampman Staff writer President-elect Obama has promised to build on the faith-based initiative of President Bush and, by adding key reforms, to make it a*the foundation of a new project of American renewal.a* But to do that, his administration will need to resolve ...
Congress returns to an intense' opening.(national)(United States Congress)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Gail Russell Chaddock Staff writer With more robust majorities in both houses of Congress and a deepening global financial crisis, Democrats aim for a quick start to the 111th Congress, including swift passage of an economic recovery plan expected to cost between $850 ...
Tired of all that clutter? This may be the year to get organized.(THE HOME FORUM)(reducing the mess in your house)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Yvonne Zipp Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor If you're one of the many Americans who can't park your car in your garage because of the mounds of stuff lurking inside, fear not. Cherie Turner of Tallahassee, Fla., can relate. After she started ...
An equine longing that's finally fulfilled.(THE HOME FORUM)(buying a horse)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Nancy Humphrey Case Some hopes never change. When I was 13, I outgrew my beloved pony but not my love of horses. I longed for a horse all the way into my mid-30s, when I finally did get a lovely chestnut Arabian. For seven years she carried me on wings of joy, adventure, ...
More than learning from mistakes.(THE HOME FORUM)(beyond defining life by the errors you made)
Jan 05, 2009 ... The economic crisis in the US has been attributed in part to a series of missteps resulting from greed and corruption - both on the individual and the corporate level. It seems no one is immune to making mistakes. One terribly wrong misstep, and the repercussions, it would seem, stain - ...
The wonders of a cardboard box.(THE HOME FORUM)(remembering childhood through a cardboard box)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Sue Wunder As our puppy, Omaha, blissfully ripped and gnawed apart the cardboard tube that had held my new socks, I reflected on how often in my own childhood cardboard - most often a box - had provided soul-satisfying amusement. Time and again, large packing cartons had ...
How Israel, Hamas define victory in Gaza.(WORLD)(Gaza conflict)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Joshua Mitnick Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Tel Aviv -- Escalating a week-long assault against Hamas, Israel invaded Gaza over the weekend to stop the Islamist militants who continue to launch cross-border rocket attacks. But what victory ...
France's tireless Sarkozy strides into Middle East.(WORLD)(Nicolas Sarkozy on the Gaza conflict)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor PARIS -- - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is no longer head of the European Union. But that has not stopped the peripatetic dynamo from a ceaseless search for a Middle East cease-fire. Mr ....
Egyptian activist takes fight for freedom online.(WORLD)(Nora Younis)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Liam Stack Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Cairo -- Few members of Egypt's street protest movement for political reform are as recognizable as Nora Younis. Since Egypt's troubled period of political opening began in 2004, she has made her mark both online ...
Great expectations for Obama abroad.(WORLD)(Barack Obama)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Robert Marquand Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor The Promise of Change was central to Barack Obama's presidential election. It also played well abroad to a global populace that was largely critical of US policy in Iraq and its handling of suspected ...
Religious Kurds become key vote in Turkey.(WORLD)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Yigal Schleifer Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY -- In an office on the outskirts of this city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, a group of gray-bearded men - all retired clerics - gather for a nightly meeting. The ...
Public diplomacy begins with you.(OPINION)(restoring confidence in America)(Editorial)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Sherry L. Mueller Washington -- President-elect Obama's intent to help "reboot" America's image in the world is most welcome But as the US retools its efforts to reach out beyond governments to foreign audiences, not all is what it seems. In recent years, ...
Stop picking on Jimmy Carter.(OPINION)(Editorial)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Walter Rodgers Oakton, Va. -- In this season of new resolutions, Americans would do well to rethink their perceptions of Jimmy Carter. President Carter has suffered the misfortune of having his legacy almost entirely shaped by his political enemies rather than by ...
To boost recruits, US Army relaxes weight rules.(USA)(United States Army on body weight)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Gordon Lubold Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- The waistlines of America's youth are expanding, shrinking the pool of those eligible to join the US military. But an Army program is giving overweight enlistees a second chance - and helping the ...
History as Obama's imperfect guide.(President-elect Barack Obama)(Editorial)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: The Monitor's Editorial Board The new millennium may have begun in 2000, but in the US at least, 2009 looks like an historic threshold: An African-American becomes president in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and during a long war on ...
Letters to the Editor.(EDITORIAL)(Letter to the editor)
Jan 06, 2009 ... Hamas and Israel: problems in comparing their actions Regarding the Dec. 31 Opinion piece, "Israel, Hamas, and moral idiocy": It seems to me that the distinction drawn in author Alan Dershowitz's commentary between the deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas rockets and the ...
Evangelists for local food.(LIVING)(Jenny and Mark Sabo)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Corinne Garcia Contributor Bozeman, Mont. Driving onto the Sabo ranch, I go back and forth between marveling at the backdrop of white-capped mountains and veering to miss the wandering chickens and the dog that's trailing my car. When I pull up, Mark Sabo is ...
Richardson withdrawal jars transition.(national)(Bill Richardson)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Peter Grier Staff writer President-elect Obama's smooth assembly of his cabinet has hit a jarring pothole with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's decision to withdraw his name from consideration as the next secretary of Commerce. Governor Richardson announced ...
A World of Trouble.(Books)(Book review)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Rayyan Al-Shawaf In A World of Trouble, New York Times chief correspondent Patrick Tyler distills 25 years of journalistic experience and a mountain of declassified government documents into an erudite, unusually eloquent analysis of a half century of United States ...
American road trip.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Jim Winnerman Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor St. Louis -- Soulsby's Shell station in tiny Mt. Olive, Ill., seems like an unlikely attraction for international tourists. The gasoline pumps, which first started dispensing fuel in 1926, have been dry since ...
For kids: Return to the great outdoors.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Bridget Heos Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor A long time ago, the kinds of animals we now have as pets were once untamed creatures. But did you know that some pets have gone back to the wild? These once-domesticated animals escaped from ...
Work to live or live to work?(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 06, 2009 ... A young woman had just lost her job and was living at home with her parents. She was, by all accounts, pretty miserable. Having to start over again, dust off the resume, redefine herself, refine old skills or learn new ones seemed overwhelming. She felt frustrated, hopeless, and pretty ...
Baby on board.(THE HOME FORUM)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Beverly Lessard Last weekend, my daughter, her husband, and our 8-month-old grandson came to visit. Because this is their first baby, under state law, they are required to bring everything that their baby might need ... ever. So we were not surprised when a 24-foot ...
In an increasingly wired China, rehab for Internet addicts.(WORLD)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Jonathan Adams Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Beijing -- A 6 a.m. wake-up call. Afternoon drills in military bearing and formations. And a grueling regime of push-ups and leg lifts before the 9:30 p.m. lights-out. Welcome to rehab for Internet ...
Europe begins to feel gas pipeline pinch.(WORLD)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Fred Weir Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Moscow -- Thermometers are plunging across Europe, and so is the pressure in the natural-gas pipelines connecting the continent with its key supplier, Russia. But no one is pushing the panic button yet ....
Reporters on the Job.(WORLD)(Brief article)
Jan 06, 2009 ... * Dodging the Chinese Army: When he signed on for a two-week reporting trip to Beijing, correspondent Jonathan Adams never expected to find himself sneaking around a People's Liberation Army base. But that just goes with the territory when reporting on today's China and its ...
A Palestinian family huddles together in Gaza City.(WORLD)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Safwat al-Kahlout The Israeli drones are driving me crazy. I go outside only to buy food, water, and medicine, or to recharge my cellphone at a nearby mosque that is powered by generators. Inside my Gaza City apartment, electricity and phone lines are out. Heat is a ...
Piracy raises pressure for new international tack on Somalia.(WORLD)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Scott Baldauf Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Johannesburg -- With Islamist militias in control of much of the country, pirates using Somali coasts to attack commercial ships with ease, and mounting hunger among civilians, Somalia is a failed state begging ...
US opens world's largest foreign mission in Iraq.(WORLD)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Tom A. Peter Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Baghdad -- Just inside the gateway of the new United States Embassy in Baghdad, a US Army lieutenant colonel acted as the diplomatic equivalent of a Wal-Mart greeter, welcoming guests Monday afternoon to the ...
Extremist group in Greece attacks police.(WORLD)(Revolutionary Struggle in street violence)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Nicole Itano Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor ATHENS -- The shooting of a Greek policeman Monday escalates a simmering conflict between police and leftist groups - and raises new concern over a resurgence of the militant left in a country with a long ...
After Gaza, how Obama can pick up the pieces.(OPINION)(Barack Obama)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: George Moffett St. Paul, Minn. -- If the crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip is a reminder of the durability of Arab-Israeli antagonisms, it is also, in its troubling and costly way, a potential blessing to the incoming administration of Barack Obama. By ...
A stimulus that won't sink the US.(OPINION)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Brad Sherman Washington -- These days, a modern depression seems almost within the realm of possibility. To avert this, we need an enormous, immediate stimulus. But unless it's well designed, it may not pass Congress; it may not achieve its objectives; or worse, it may ...
It's boom and bust again for Montana mining town.(USA)(mining industry of Livingston, Montana)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Ben Arnoldy Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Livingston, Mont. -- It was the kind of town where the men who built the West - the railroad workers, ranch hands, and miners - had started to fade, replaced by service workers and fly-fishing operators. ...
A rush to broker peace in Gaza.(USA)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Howard LaFranchi Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington -- With the Bush administration signaling a green light to Israeli military action in Gaza and President-elect Obama holding to a "one president at a time" silence, other powers are vying to fill ...
Credit crunch shows little sign of easing.(USA)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In the aftermath of a historic lending boom, a key challenge for America in 2009 is to find the right footing on debt - allowing the credit bubble to deflate while not depriving the economy of needed fuel. ...
The 'McMansion' trend in housing is slowing.(USA)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Patrik Jonsson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Atlanta -- Complete with an Oval Office and Lincoln Bedroom, the Atlanta White House became a symbol of developers reshaping the urban landscape by tearing down modest ranches and bungalows and plopping ...
US auto sales fall for many firms beyond Big Three.(USA)
Jan 06, 2009; ... Byline: Mark Trumbull Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor The auto industry's downturn is not a Detroit problem, it's affecting companies around the world. As the automotive industry closed out the 2008 calendar year, brands like Toyota, Honda, and BMW ...
Obama's kitchen-sink economics.(Barack Obama)(Editorial)
Jan 07, 2009; ... Byline: The Monitor's Editorial Board What the US economy needs first is to be "stabilized," the president-elect told Congress this week as he re-entered a Washington used to ideological warfare. You name the economic approach - Keynesian, supply-side, monetary - and Barack ...
Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
Jan 07, 2009 ... Green energy cannot include oil shale and tar sands Regarding the Jan. 2 editorial, "Obama's big oil decision": President-elect Obama has shown he is serious about climate change and building a globally competitive green economy. He therefore would be wise to pass on developing ...