New York Times Upfront articles from January 2008

New York Times Upfront archives from January 2008

Anti-crime outfit.(NEWS & TRENDS)(Aya Tsukioka)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] ANTI-CRIME OUTFIT: Aya Tsukioka, a 29-year-old fashion designer in Tokyo, shows how a woman walking alone might protect herself from pursuers--by pulling up her skirt and disguising herself as a vending machine....

A flying palace.(SAUDI ARABIA)(Prince Walid bin Talal's A380 plane)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] He may be only the world's 13th-richest man, but Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia will soon be able to claim bragging rights to the world's largest private jet. The Saudi billionaire has ordered an A380...

Marauding monkeys.(INDIA)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thousands of aggressive monkeys are running wild in New Delhi, India's capital. The invasion is a side effect of India's rapid urbanization: As cities expand, monkey habitats are shrinking. In New Delhi, uprooted...

Breaking the Neanderthal Stereotype.(ANTHROPOLOGY)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... By analyzing DNA from ancient bones, scientists have found evidence that some Neanderthals may have been fair-skinned and redheaded. These human ancestors lived in Europe and Asia about 200,000 years ago. Although their bones indicate that they...

School menus go on a diet.(LUNCH)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Have greasy french fries and sugary drinks disappeared from your school cafeteria this year? If so, you're not alone. New federal guidelines have prompted school districts across the country to cut fat and sugar from...

Lather, rinse, donate.(Giving)(Locks of Love, Wigs for Kids, or Pantene Beautiful Lengths)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... A popular way for young people to help others is to donate their hair for wigs for people with cancer. But before you start cutting yours off for Locks of Love, Wigs for Kids, or Pantene Beautiful Lengths--some of the organizations involved in...

Boys vs. bulls.(MEXICO)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some of Mexico's most popular bullfighters are not much taller than the bulls they confront. But boy matadors, some as young as 9, are all the rage. Although they fight smaller bulls, they are exposed to real danger...

Numbers in the news.(NEWS & TRENDS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 200 NUMBER OF TIMES per day that the average American is caught on tape by video surveillance cameras--in stores, at school, on the street, at fast-food counters, at the ATM, in fitting rooms and public restrooms, etc. SOURCE:...

* Arctic Meltdown: the polar ice cap may be shrinking much faster than scientist thought.(ENVIRONMENT)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists have known for several years that the Arctic ice cap is shrinking. The sea ice retreats every summer as the weather warms, but this past summer, it shrank 1 million square miles more than the average since...

16 candles and a ballot?: Almost 40 years after the U.S. lowered the voting age to 18, there's talk of letting 16- and 17-year-old go to the polls.(NATIONAL)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Britten Shelson, a high school senior in Saginaw, Mich., feels very strongly about the importance of casting her first ballot in Michigan's presidential primary this month. "It's one of the things I was most...

'Old enough to fight, old enough to vote': the 26th amendment.(Table)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An unpopular war in Vietnam and a decade-long youth movement led to 18-year-olds getting the vote in 1971 It was one of the rallying cries of the 1960s: "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote." Between...

The new citizenship test: could you pass?: the test for becoming an American is about to get a lot harder.(NATIONAL)
January 14, 2008... While the debate over illegal immigration grows louder, more than 700,000 people quietly take the necessary steps to become American citizens every year. It's never been easy: Would be citizens must pass a test of English proficiency and a...

Do you have a right to "bear arms"?: in the more than 200 years since the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court has never ruled on what the Second Amendment really means. But that may be about to change.(NATIONAL)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For the first time since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the Constitution gives individuals the right to keep guns in their homes for private use. The case...

Democracy: if Vladimir Putin gives up the presidency but holds on to power, is Russia really a democracy?.(Cover story)
January 14, 2008... In two months, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin is leaving office, and no one is sure who will be running the country--the world's largest--after that. Under Russian law, Putin cannot run for another term as President. While he's said...

The Middle East: can the U.S. deliver peace? with a push from President Bush, Israel and the Palestinians have committed to finalizing a peace treaty this year.(INTERNATIONAL)
January 14, 2008... I'M ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY," PRESIDENT George W. Bush told the Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a November peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, at which they set the ambitious goal of negotiating a Middle East m peace treaty by the...

Cash for graduates: should students--and adults--get paid just to do the right thing? New York City is giving the idea a try.(NATIONAL)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Should cash be used to spur students to do better on reading and math tests? Suzanne Windland, a parent in Queens, N.Y., doesn't think so. Windland's daughter, Alexandra, did well in school last year, but she doesn't...

FDR: how he changed America--and still affects your life today: no President has had as great an impact on everyday rife in America today as , who took office 75 years ago this spring.(TIMES PAST)(Franklin D. Roosevelt)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At your after-school job, you probably earn at least the minimum wage of $5.85 an hour. Your grandfather may get a Social Security check every month. And if your room works late, there's a good chance she s paid...

Should the U.S. bring back the draft? Two Congressmen, both veterans, on whether a volunteer military or conscription makes more sense.(DEBATE)
January 14, 2008... YES In 2002, I called for national service and a renewal of the military draft as a way to ensure that the burden of war was fairly shared. Five disastrous years of war in Iraq has not softened my stance. Joining the military is a patriotic...

Keeping America competitive: why the U.S. needs to attract and keep the world's first-round intellectual draft choices.(OPINION)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First I had to laugh. Then I had to cry. I recently took part in commencement at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.--one of America's great science and engineering schools. One by one, the announcer read...

Hitting the campaign trail: Iowa state freshman Logan Pals spent much of the fall volunteering for Mitt Romney's campaign in Iowa.(VOICES)
January 14, 2008... On January 3, the Iowa caucuses kicked off the 2008 presidential nominating process. Growing up in Iowa, I've watched every four years as presidential candidates flood the state. But this year was different: Not only was it the first time I...

Cartoons.(Cartoon)
January 14, 2008... THE NEW STEROID WING. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MIKE KEEFE * The Denver Post * CAGLE CARTOONS LADIES AND GENTLEMENT!! OIL AT $3500!! NOW!! OIL AT $7000!! NOW!! OIL AT $9900!! LADIES AND GENTLEMENT!! NOW!! OIL OVER...