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MANILA (Reuters) - Escalating violence in South Asia has been putting more journalists at risk, a New York-based media watchdog said on Monday, although the most dangerous places for the profession remained Iraq, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

Small businesses face big struggles, we take a world economic tour, and some summer jobs draw interest from older applicants.

In a phenomenon occurring just twice a century, tens of millions of rats decimate fields and forests in northeast India and parts of Burma and Bangladesh. The cause: bamboo.

Today, we go global for world headlines, emphasize the importance of wearing a helmet, and report on recession aid for pet owners.

Small businesses face big struggles, we take a world economic tour, and some summer jobs draw interest from older applicants.

Fr. Jerry Lowney, Ph.D., sociology professor at Carroll College (Helena, Mont.), has published a third book, "Stoned, Drunk, or Sober? Understanding Alcohol and Drug Use Through Qualitative, Quantitative, and Longitudinal Research," published by University Press of America, Inc. (Aug. 2008). Fr. Lowney's book is the culmination of Lowney's thirty-eight years of intensive non-participant observation of seventy-two surfers in Southern California. This research began in 1970, with Lowney befriending members of the "Wall Gang," a group of drug and alcohol users in the San Diego, Calif., area. In his book, Lowney utilizes basic quantitative statistical data to complement and verify his qualitative findings, thereby providing a deeper understanding than if only one or the other had been used.

A book signing with the author will be hosted by the Montana Book Company (331 N. Last Chance Gulch) in Helena on Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Because it spans so many years, this longitudinal research offers readers an opportunity to fully grasp the various factors that contribute to substance abuse, the various paths used to overcome the severe consequences of addiction, and the histories of those who did not use drugs, those who did, and those who are now free and sober," Lowney says.

In his current book, Lowney adds to his research of the Wall Gang by also describing an interview with a recovering alcoholic who is active in Alcoholics Anonymous. He includes a chapter describing his research in a juvenile facility in which many of the staff as well as the inmates used a variety of drugs.

"Lowney's research encourages us all to dig deeper when it comes to interpreting the outcomes of statistical surveys. The qualitative methods explored by Lowney's research help us learn the meaning of the data from the offender's own point of view and make this volume a "must read" for students of qualitative methodology, as well as those studying the nature and causes of alcoholism and drug addition," writes Robert W. Winslow, Ph.D., professor emeritus at San Diego State University.

"For the social scientist, Lowney demonstrated the skillful melding of qualitative and quantitative methods in longitudinal research as well as the varied long-range impact of early drug use on later life experiences. For the general reader the book provides some readable and fascinating human life stories," writes Robert Straus, professor emeritus of behavioral science at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. "All readers will agree that it was written by a remarkable, skillful, and dedicated man."

Lowney holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky and earned his Master of Divinity from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He earned his bachelor's in social sciences and master's in sociology from San Diego State University. In addition to teaching criminology, medical sociology and alcoholism and drug abuse courses at Carroll College, he has taught at San Diego State University, the University of Richmond, Spring Hill College, the Catholic University of America and the University of Kentucky. In 1981, he coauthored the second edition of "Deviant Reality: Alternative World Views" with Robert W. Winslow and Virginia Winslow. In 2001, he published, "What Were Your Parents Doing Back Then? Youth and Drugs in a Southern California Beach Community from 1970 into the 21^st Century" (University Press of America).

Lowney is a certified chemical dependency counselor in the state of Montana. In 1997, he received the God and Youth award from the Catholic Youth Conference for his efforts on behalf of young people in the Diocese of Helena, Montana. In 1995, he was honored at the White House for his leadership in an effort to enact the first child labor law in the history of Montana and for his work raising funds for poor youth. In 2002, he was named an international scholar by the University of Physicians and Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland, and served as a guest lecturer at Trinity College and the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. In the following year, he presented his research on youth drug culture at Oxford University in Oxford, England. In promoting youth activities and social justice, he has served on the Governor's Youth Justice Council for the state of Montana. In past years, he has led Carroll College study abroad courses to expose students to the justice system in Ireland. He is a member of the American Sociological Association and is a member of the National Council of Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society and AKD representative for Region XIII.