Obama officials knew direct contact to persuade pastor Terry Jones to call off his planned Quran burning could inspire copycats. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates went forward out of concern for US troops' safety.
Volcano ash 15,000 feet high is well below jets on international routes, which fly at 35,000 feet. Pavlof Volcano sits beneath the flight corridor between the US and Asia.
Doing Good
What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change...
Scott Budnick works in the dining room as customers arrive for a free meal at the Mathewson Street Friendship Breakfast in Providence, R.I.
Scott Budnick serves breakfast – with a side order of respect – to the homeless
Sunday breakfast at a Providence, R.I., church is more than a free meal. Half the volunteers are homeless themselves: 'It's their [own] breakfast that they're putting on.'
Become part of the Monitor community