All From the Editors

Sitting down, breaking bread, and wielding utensils properly are not just pleasant ways to end the day. Families grow closer, kids get smarter, and food tastes better.

Even as many people question the worth -- and cost -- of a bachelor's degree, college remains crucial to civilization. It is how knowledge is transferred from one generation to the next.

The term "nation-building" smacks of colonialism. But when war has broken a country, nation-building is a moral duty -- and the best way to build is with equal parts outside and inside effort.

Altruism in the glue of society, the "social capital" that binds human and financial capital. Communities where people care for one another also have lower unemployment rates and higher quality of life.

This is not Big Important News -- no economic meltdowns or international showdowns. It's just a note about a new generation of backyard chickens trying to fit in.

We jail people when we have despaired of any other way of dealing with their abhorrent behavior. But the vast majority will one day re-enter civilized society. Does prison make it more or less likely they will fit in?

The Monitor's intrepid science writer rode with the storm-chasers who help federal forecasters warn those in twisters' paths.

Like too many Russian leaders, Vladimir Putin's long shadow makes it hard to see the real owners of Russia -- its people.

Three years ago, the Monitor embarked on a bold strategy of Web-first journalism. We are making steady progress toward our goal of becoming self-sustaining.

A new book by Keith Collins examines more than a century of Monitor journalism and asks whether it is living up to its purpose.

Since the oil shocks of the 1970s, the US has been seeking energy independence. Now natural gas is seen as a possible solution. But at best it will probably only give Americans a breather while they look beyond hydrocarbons.

From outside, the workings of a big bureaucracy like the IRS seem mysterious and arbitrary. From the inside, it all makes perfect sense. Actually, you could say that about most workplaces.

From the shot heard round the world to the old West to the spread of modern-day "concealed carry" rights, firearms are embedded in American culture.

It is possible for people to debate one another on the issues that matter, and be 'playfully polite.'

A professional manager may or may not make a good US president. Piloting a superpower through a four-year term is so complex and unpredictable that no one can be fully prepared for the job.

From the 1940s until 1990, the threat of 'mutual assured destruction' terrorized the superpowers into avoiding nuclear war. Would MAD work if Iran gets the Bomb?

Each generation approaches courtship and marriage differently. But even Generation Y, which is reticent about going to the altar, is looking for the same thing: a deep and fulfilling relationship.

First-time wonders deserve our awe and applause. But almost every good thing in life -- from careers to ideas, products to poetry -- is more reinvention than invention.

Wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal seem mostly benign -- in part because they are still a small part of the energy equation. But when green gets big, it can be controversial.

While discipline and practice are crucial in life, we need play time to let creativity bloom, to imagine the impossible, to ask the 'what if' questions.