Reporters on the Job

• Welcome in Pakistan : Correspondent David Montero, like the Americans he interviewed for today's story, was a little apprehensive when he went to work in the quake-devastated area of Kashmir. "I wondered how I'd be received in a part of Pakistan noted for Islamic militants and considered very unfriendly toward foreigners."

Apparently, even his Pakistani interpreter shared the same qualms. "He told me recently that his heart jumps [with fear] every time I identify myself as an American," says David.

But he found those fears allayed as soon as he started reporting. "The first thing people ask you is where you are from. When I say, 'America,' they express appreciation." If that wasn't enough, apparently, being a journalist carries no negative connotations. "When they hear I'm a journalist, they are even happier. It's interpreted that Americans care about what's happening in Pakistan."

• Seasonal Scourge: Swarms of flies have returned to Baghdad, and staff writer Scott Peterson says the Monitor Bureau is no sanctuary. He can't find fly paper in the markets. So, Scott has employed a fly-swatter and renewed his childhood skill of shooting them with rubber bands. But the flies are winning.

He had hoped his sojourn with US Marines at Camp Fallujah would mean that he could buy fly paper at the PX, where Gatorade, Pringles, and ballistic goggles can be purchased. But alas, no fly paper. Scott requests: Will the next correspondent on assignment in Iraq please pack some fly paper?

Editor's note: The sticky stuff is on its way.

David Clark Scott
World editor