All Commentary
A GED safety net for high school dropoutsPrograms like mine can help high school dropouts earn the equivalent of a high school diploma by passing the GED exam. As a GED teacher, I find success means helping these students clear hurdles outside of class, and giving them a safe, nonjudgmental place to learn in class.
OpinionAfter 20 years of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, time for a rethinkTwenty years ago, the Ms. Foundation started Take Our Daughters to Work Day to demystify the workplace for girls. That mission is accomplished. What girls need now is encouragement to become leaders. It's time to take them to the C-suite, where the corporate chiefs work.
OpinionAnn Romney flap highlights two clichés about womenThe Ann Romney-Hillary Rosen flap over working moms points to two clichés about women that are worth exploring in the presidential campaign. One is that most moms have no choice but to work full time. The other is the pay gap between women and men. Both are not what they seem.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveStability during the housing crisis
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewInnocence abroad for Wal-Mart, Apple, and all AmericansA federal probe of alleged bribery in Mexico by Wal-Mart, along with Apple's lax workplace standards in China, indicate a need for Americans to take their ethical standards with them when operating overseas.
OpinionHow a glacier could thaw dangerous India and Pakistan freezeFollowing a deadly avalanche in the disputed Siachen Glacier area, India and Pakistan have signaled openness to talks. A priority must be to demilitarize 'the world's highest battle ground' at Siachen, which incurs substantial economic and human costs for these two nuclear rivals.
OpinionAn 'interview' with a K Street master of campaign clichésHe likes to keep a low profile, so I will refer to him only as the cliché master, a spin control and sound bite specialist. He's the sort of consultant the Mitt Romney and Barack Obama campaigns prize. In a recent 'interview,' I tried to get at the nature of his business.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveInfertility and the power of prayer
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewUS must focus on Afghanistan heroin tradeWith so many Americans trying heroin each year, Congress and Obama must fund long-term efforts to curb poppy growing and the opium trade in Afghanistan, even after the US ends its combat role. This will also curb opium profits funding the Taliban.
OpinionThe case for military intervention in SyriaFormer US ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker argues that the West should not wait for a single mass atrocity before it intervenes in Syria, as it did in Bosnia. What is the magic number of deaths that will prompt the international community to act? We've already passed 9,000.
OpinionThe coming rise of Chinese brandsUS take heed: China has its sights set on something beyond manufacturing – building Chinese-owned global brands – where the true economic power lies. And though Chinese brands don't currently have a stellar international reputation, history shows they could soon.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveWhen comfort seems scarce
A Christian Science perspective: Attending a funeral and offering comfort to a friend who may be grieving can be difficult. How can you be the most helpful?
The Monitor's ViewSyria? Iran? Kony? Let's face down atrocities before they occur.Obama sets a model for the world with an alert system to prevent potential mass atrocities. But will it also prevent foreign military intervention in trouble spots?
- Readers RespondReaders Write: Religion should 'render unto Ceasar'; Obamacare debate misses mark
Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of April 23, 2012: Several readers argue that protecting religious freedom can't threaten individual rights. Another says the debate over Obamacare ignores the real issue with US health-care – skyrocketing costs.
OpinionNumber of long-term unemployed older workers quintupled. The help hasn't.Older jobless workers have a higher rate of long-term unemployment than any other group. And employer policies end up discriminating against them. Yet workers age 50 and up comprise nearly a third of the US workforce. Policymakers must help this key demographic find good jobs.
OpinionIran nuclear talks: To keep global support, US must seize diplomatic opportunitiesTalks between Iran and the P5+1 in Istanbul April 14 show that negotiations aimed at addressing Tehran's nuclear ambitions appear to be on track. Diplomatic momentum should quell loose talk about the 'military option.' The top priority now must be to halt Iran's uranium enrichment.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveFor the love of the game and all humanity
A Christian Science perspective: College baseball fans find common ground despite political differences. Can the same spirit permeate the contentious political landscape?
The Monitor's ViewWhy Earth Day needs a regreeningEarth Day 2012 finds public support for the environment sagging. Yet an eminent British thinker finds hope in the moral constraints of a love for one's local community.
OpinionBeyond Kony 2012, child soldiers are used in most civil warsKony 2012 campaign calls for plastering posters everywhere tonight. But the use of child soldiers goes far beyond warlord Kony and his LRA. It is the norm in most civil wars. Governments, too, use children to fight. One way to stop it: Deny military aid to these governments.
OpinionThis Earth Day, let's focus on peopleEnvironmentalists go on about the loss of endangered species and degraded coral reefs. But we barely mention people – nature's biggest beneficiaries. This Earth Day, let’s put human well-being at the center of things, and make explicit the value of nature to our everyday lives.
