Opinion - The Christian Science Monitor

Boston - Nearly 46 million Americans today are without health insurance. Premiums have doubled in this decade alone. At the same time, the cost of hospitalization and pharmaceuticals has escalated dramatically. So, sadly, many businesses and individuals now find themselves priced out of the market. People who desperately want health insurance often can't pay for it and see coverage as a luxury only the rich can afford.

The world's most comprehensive study of mammals in the wild reveals that at least a quarter of species risk extinction. A staggering 79 percent of apes and monkeys in regions of Asia, for instance, face such danger. But while this study may be alarming, it need not come across like an alarmist.

Financial crisis will dominate next presidency Regarding the Oct. 9 article, "America as superpower: shaken, not deposed:" This article's thesis is confirmed in several contemporary books relating to America's decline.

Palm Springs, Calif. - "Is my money safe?" That's question No. 1 for many Americans today. And it goes to the moral heart of the global financial crisis: lack of trust.

brussels - At the height of the bloody suppression by the Burma (Myanmar) regime of protesting monks last year, the heated question was whether the international community should intervene. In response, a well-known Chinese professor told an American newspaper "China has used tanks to kill people on Tiananmen Square. It is Myanmar's sovereign right to kill their own people, too."

The McCain campaign may want to be careful with its charge that Barack Obama was once "pals" with a 1960s American terrorist. Whoever is the next president faces a difficult choice in the Afghanistan war: Should the US support possible talks with the Taliban, pals of Al Qaeda?

Macon, Ga. - At the time, it was perhaps the biggest bailout in US history. Today, one month later, the federal takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been all but forgotten in the drama of the global credit crunch.

Atlanta - Bringing an end to the decades-old US-Cuba embargo is no longer just a noble but hopeless idea. Conditions have changed to the point where restoring normal economic ties would make for smart policy – and savvy politics.

Thanks Allen, Ingrid, and Teresa. Your questions at Tuesday's presidential debate identified a central tension in the campaign. Two of you wanted to know how government can help in tough times – help seniors and help the environment. But Teresa, you wanted to know whether you could even trust either candidate with your money.

Tskhinvali, South Ossetia - In a speech before the United Nations last month, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili implored world leaders to set up an international investigation to find out the truth about the war in South Ossetia.

Charlottesville, Va. - Seven hundred billion – sound familiar? Yes, that's the cost of the financial-services industry bailout, but it's also about the amount of money America is wasting every year on unnecessary healthcare expenses.

The world's finance officials will huddle this weekend in Washington to deal with the worst financial crisis since the Depression. Many leaders have already decided that the source of global fears lies in the US economic model. But which part of that "model" really needs fixing?

Cambridge, Mass. - We use e-mail for everything from business negotiations to quick I-love-yous. Because e-mail resembles a telephone conversation, we too often assume it's private.

Riverdale, N.Y. - While America's foreign-policy debate centers on the Middle East and Russia, unrest is mounting in South America. Bolivia is teetering on the brink of conflict, threatening to destabilize a region much closer to home and further damage our troubled economy.

On Sept. 27, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution recognizing The Christian Science Monitor on its centennial. The measure was sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (R) of Texas who once served on the Monitor staff. It was cosponsored by 40 other members of Congress.

It takes chutzpah for Michael Bloomberg to try to throw out New York City's term limits and seek a third stint as mayor. But with Wall Street in danger of becoming Skid Row, the popular mayor says he wants one more opportunity to lead. He should get it, but not because he, and only he, can save Gotham.

Washington; and Mahmoudiya, Iraq - Mahmoudiya, a town south of Baghdad, was part of the area long known as the "Triangle of Death" because of the extraordinary number of Sunni insurgent attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians it suffered – often half a dozen daily in 2006. Today, with violence down to only a few ineffective attacks in any given week, it has earned the moniker "Triangle of Love."

Washington - To drill or not to drill is the wrong question.

Fast Internet access is becoming as essential as a phone. In fact, a high-quality connection can even provide a substitute for phone lines. Happily, both presidential candidates call for government to expand high-speed Web access, as many other countries have done to advance their economies.

Paris and Boston - There is too much at stake for the United States to allow millions worldwide to continue living in extreme poverty.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Like so many Americans, I feel as though I am holding my breath.

Again this election cycle, citizens will decide whether to introduce or expand casino-style gambling in their states. Casino resorts in Maine and Ohio? Slot machines – 15,000 of them – in Maryland? Round-the-clock gambling in Colorado? Backers promise a painless revenue stream for states. It's anything but.

Bronxville, N.Y. - We don't normally think of college students and scavenger hunts together. Like capture the flag, scavenger hunts seem more suited for preteens. But in recent years scavenger hunts have become part of fall orientation for schools such as Amherst and Oberlin.

Provo, Utah - In 2010, South Africa will use the World Cup soccer games to "come out" and showcase itself, as did China recently with the Olympic Games.

Buried under the avalanche of coverage of Wall Street woes is a sobering news item: The world is pumping out climate-changing greenhouse gases even faster than predicted. But while Washington waits, enterprising US states are taking action.

Anchorage, Alaska - When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full.

Gig Harbor, Wash. - "Elitist." What more powerful epithet can one politician fling at another?

The House lawmakers who sank the financial rescue package Monday said their phones and e-mails burned with protests that Main Street has to bail out Wall Street. But it's not helpful, or even accurate, to view this crisis as scrappy alley cats vs. fat cats. In truth, the whole neighborhood is at stake. We cats are all in this together.