Editorial
Our real friends
After enduring wide-ranging criticism in Germany from politicians, protesters and the press, President Bush was visibly relieved to head to Moscow, where he received a royal welcome from his new buddy Vladimir Putin, and the Russian press and public remained reliably muzzled. The president deserves great credit for having worked so quickly to establish a constructive working relationship with Putin. The new agreements reached with Russia will make the world safer, and they set the foundation for broader cooperation.

Editorial
The pull of historic housing
If you wait long enough, a liability can become an asset. Such is the case in St. Petersburg, where its dated housing stock became the raw material for thriving neighborhoods interested in historic preservation. The effort has been so successful that if the North Shore neighborhood (recently renamed Historic Old Northeast) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it would become the second largest district of its kind in Florida, with 3,200 conforming structures.

Letters
Censorship is a two-edged sword
Re: Community standards: not a shield but a sword, by Robyn E. Blumner, May 19.

Martin Dyckman
Legislators have little to fear
TALLAHASSEE -- By the way Florida legislators voted this year, one could think they didn't care about coming back. In fact, most do. The truth is that they thought they had nothing to fear.

Philip Gailey
Old Sourpuss fancies himself as a watchdog
I hate to admit this, but I think I am developing a soft spot for cats, of all things. I have been a dog person all my life, which I guess is a male thing. I grew up with bird dogs, beagles and other hunting dogs that fit into the macho culture of my youth in rural Georgia.

Robyn E. Blumner
Single-sex education won't help students in the real world
Separate but equal is making a comeback.

Don Addis
Readers suggest what's in Queen's clutch
When last we met, class, we raised the question of what's in Queen Elizabeth's purse. Thank you for your participation, dear readers, in guessing along with me.