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15 hidden meanings of popular food phrases

Discover the hidden meanings of some of your favorite food phrases.
Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
4 mysteries with great locations, finely detailed plots

From 18th-century Sweden to contemporary Japan, these thrillers take readers around the globe.
How the world is reacting to Obama's reelection

From China to Iran, President Obama's reelection elicited everything from celebration to doubt about his second-term agenda. Here are 11 responses:
For these four nations, 2012 is worse than the Great Recession

The Great Recession of 2008/09 delivered the worst blow to the global economy since the 1930s. But in a few nations, 2012 is turning out to be worse than 2009 in terms of economic growth. Europe's debt crisis, the general slowing of the world economy, and domestic political troubles have played a role in undercutting 2012 growth for one or more of these four nations. Can you guess who they are?

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Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide.

Officials in Greece, N.Y., set up a system for prayers before town meetings. The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether the practice violates the First Amendment's separation of church and state.
EU austerity hawks shrug off criticism of flawed academic paper

Despite a new paper detailing flaws in the Rogoff-Reinhart study that has been used to argue in favor of austerity policies, Europe's austerity advocates are holding course.
Stefan Karlsson Germany's declining population gets sudden immigration boost

Immigration to low unemployment Germany surged to 369,000 last year, with the influx from southern European nations on the rise.
Portugal adds an hour to public employees workday as part of budget cuts

In order to meet its bailout targets, Portugal will raise the retirement age by one year to 66 and increase the workday for public employees by an extra hour. The measures will save roughly 4.8 billion euros.
15 hidden meanings of popular food phrases

Discover the hidden meanings of some of your favorite food phrases.
Global News Blog May Day protests: From Bangladesh to Europe, angry workers rally in the tens of thousands (+video)

But this year's May Day demonstrations come on the heels of the tragic Bangladesh factory collapse, a potent symbol for many of the importance of workers' rights.
Focus With no jobs in the city, country life is coming back to Spain

After decades of population loss to cities, rural areas in Spain – and across Europe – have been gaining allure as havens from the ongoing recession.
Qatar: Nude statues returned to Greece

Qatar: Nude statues lent by Greece, didn't go on display as part of a history of the Olympics. Greece took the male nude statues back.
Greece starts firing civil servants for first time in a century

The Greek government began its first mass-firing of public-sector workers in more than 100 years this week, part of an effort to lay off 180,000 by 2015 under Europe-imposed austerity.
Madrid ups taxes, punts on pension reform. Will Europe be satisfied?

The Spanish government hopes that its measures will be enough to convince Europe to okay a two-year extension on its deficit-reduction goals.
Global News Blog Switzerland shuts the door on EU migrants: A new 'us vs. them' in Europe?

News that Switzerland is capping residence permits for Western Europeans reached the Monitor's Europe bureau chief as she was having her own intolerable immigration experience.
Southern Europe digs in against further austerity, as IMF calls for relief

But the EU has little room to give, as Europe waits for signals from September elections in Germany – the ultimate decider of Europe's economic direction.
Auf wiedersehen, euro? New anti-euro party forms in Germany

The small protest party 'Alternative für Deutschland' could shake the political establishment by tapping into German resentment over its perceived propping up of Europe's south.
Energy Voices Why peak oil demand is already a major problem

Oil demand has to do with how much oil we can afford, Tverberg writes, and many of the developed nations are not able to outbid the developing nations when it comes to the world’s limited oil supply.
Europe indicates it's sticking with austerity. But is that working?

Herman Van Rompuy said on Monday that Europe would hold the course on austerity, but experts say there has been too little focus on growth and a lack of actual reforms.
Entitlement reform takes step toward reality in new Obama budget

President Obama will unveil a budget Wednesday that includes reforms to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. The budget probably won't pass, but it points to a shift in the debate.
Report points to worldwide rise in anti-Semitic incidents

A report by Tel Aviv University and the European Jewish Congress found a 30 percent jump in anti-Semetic violence and vandalism in 2012. Researchers saw a correlation between extreme right-wing parties and high levels of anti-Semitic incidents in certain countries.
Opinion: What poetry could teach a divided America

A good poem reminds us not only of who we are, but what it’s like to be someone else. Such exercises in empathy can strengthen our capacity for compromise. America would be better off if more of us read poetry this National Poetry Month – and throughout the rest of the year.
Tax VOX Stockton to enter bankruptcy. What happens next?

Stockton, Calif., will be the largest US municipality to enter bankruptcy. The question, Gordon writes, is: Who will be left holding the bag?
Lollapalooza performers announced: Who made the cut?

Lollapalooza's headliners this summer include The Cure, in their very first Lollapalooza appearance, plus Mumford and Sons, The Killers, and Nine Inch Nails.
Stefan Karlsson Euro countries take deficit limits with grain of salt

When governments pledge to meet certain deficit limits, it is worth nothing if the people who enforce the rules are the politicians themselves, Karlsson writes.
Energy Voices How high oil prices lead to financial collapse

Financial collapse is related to high oil prices, Tverberg writes, and also to higher costs for other resources as we approach their limits.
The Monitor's View: Euro crisis: Why a Cyprus bailout must be seen as 'fair'

As Europe tackles its latest euro crisis, a Cyprus bailout deal must follow the path of being perceived as 'fair.' A tax on small-time savers isn't seen that way.
The Vote Donald Trump CPAC speech: Is he a Democratic secret agent? (+video)

Donald Trump, speaking at CPAC Friday, envisioned a GOP turnaround that involves either repudiating basic Republican beliefs or doubling down on stuff that’s getting the party in trouble.
Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.