All The Monitor's View
Romney, Obama must call a truce on nasty campaigningAs mudslinging escalates, voters will use new digital tools to avoid campaign ads. Romney and Obama can agree to keep negativity in check.
Put a light on Europe's shadow economyThe euro crisis stems in part from countries like Greece not collecting taxes on a sizeable 'shadow' economy. These off-the-book activities need to be brought into the light of legal, taxable commerce.
Egypt's Morsi puts military on right side of historyThe elected president, Mohamed Morsi, purged the top brass that had constrained his authority. With civilian rule asserted, Morsi's own Muslim Brotherhood must now also bend to popular will and not use the state to hold onto power.
How Paul Ryan pick by Romney can alter campaignPaul Ryan was picked by Romney in part for his bold reform plan for Medicare. The plan's key element is more choice in health care 鈥� a useful debating point for the presidential campaign.
After Sikh temple shooting, a healing actWhen hundreds of Americans showed up for a memorial service after the Sikh temple shooting, it affirmed the need for freedom of religion.
Africa as muse, not messUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a two-week tour of Africa, raises the idea that the continent's progress on many fronts might offer solutions for some world problems. Is she right?
US-Vietnam Agent Orange clean-up sets a modelOn Thursday, the US and Vietnam start cleaning up dioxin from Agent Orange. This reconciliation, 37 years after the war, may set a precedent in the ethics of dealing with the aftereffects of war.
Wisconsin shooting: A call to counter extremist fearThe Wisconsin shootings at a Sikh temple were driven by the fears of Wade Michael Page 鈥� and designed to evoke fear. Society's answer to such extremist violence should not be more fear.
Prepare for what Mars rover Curiosity and other 'big science' may revealThe rover Curiosity could soon beam back evidence of past (or current) life on Mars. Like other recent news in basic science, humans must know how to absorb such challenges to understanding.
Whispers of peace in SyriaWith the resignation of Kofi Annan as UN peace envoy, Syrians must now find their own solution. Reports show a 'silent majority' quietly turning against Assad 鈥� and toward peace.
India blackout flips a switchA two-day blackout for half of India was caused in large part by a massive theft of electricity. Many countries have yet to break the link between wholesale corruption and the stealing of power. Such widespread dishonesty can slow a country's growth.
Create jobs 鈥� or create more graduates for existing jobs?On the presidential campaign trail, Obama and Romney debate job creation when the easier path is tooling up graduates of higher education for jobs that already exist. But a political divide deters even that solution.
When half of India loses electricity, time for lessons on going localIndia's electricity grid went out for 600 million people Tuesday. The historic blackout shows how nations must reconsider big, complex infrastructure like centralized electric utilities.
An opening for gun control after Colorado shooting and charges on James HolmesEven as Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes faces 24 murder charges, a conservative Supreme Court justice speaks out on gun control and legal limits on gun rights.
False choice between Affordable Care Act and religious libertyA federal judge temporarily rules that the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") infringes on the religious freedom of a company's owners who oppose paying for the birth control of their workers. Such suits would disappear if Congress simply provided universal health care in noncoercive ways.
One event to watch in 2012 Summer Olympics in London: online gamblingA global explosion of Internet gaming on sports has organizers of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London worried 鈥� to the point of tracking any unusual betting patterns on the Games. US states eager for online betting should heed these concerns.
Moral mantle for action in Syria slips from UN to ObamaThe Obama administration has all but given up on the UN acting on Syria. It's beefing up aid to rebels taking other steps. But China and Russia can still save the UN's moral leadership by backing tougher sanctions on Assad.
Will the 2012 campaign be a record for lies 鈥� and charges of lying?The Romney and Obama campaigns have lately traded charges of lying 鈥� and lying about lying. Big money will add to the high number of false campaign ads. Is there a rub-off on Americans who might see lying as justified?
NCAA sanctions on Penn State football: Why only penalties?Coming just after the removal of the Joe Paterno statue, the NCAA sanctions on Penn State will help the university make a cultural shift away from placing football first. But the NCAA itself also needs to reward schools already doing this.
How to react to Colorado shooting (hint: no dark knight rises)The Colorado shooting during a screening of the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises' will evoke calls for ways to prevent more mass killings. But such tragedies only point to Americans having to learn how best to react personally.
