USA TODAY articles from April 2003

USA TODAY archives from April 2003

No-no's for retirement planning. .
April 1, 2003... The collapse of Enron, Global Crossing, K-Mart, and other high-profile companies has dramatically highlighted the risk of investing too much in company stock in 401(k) and similar employee-funded retirement plans. However, workers often make...

How to get ahead in an age of change. .(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... Here's a question for all upwardly mobile employees: Do you want to be a contender in the 21st-century workplace? Sure you do! The problem is, you have plenty of competition, all vying for a few scarce jobs and for even scarcer promotions....

Noteworthy. .(Stress.)
April 1, 2003... Americans are more stressed out now than at any time since immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, indicates Jay Segal, a stress and anxiety expert at Temple University, Philadelphia. "There are people who are almost at a panic. But...

Full benefits are now delayed. .(Social Security.)
April 1, 2003... Are you planning to retire at age 65 in 2003 and start collecting full Social Security benefits? Forget it. Ditto if you turn 65 in 2004, or later. Workers turning 65 no later than the end of 2002 will be the last workers eligible to collect...

Bush growth plan aids small businesses. (Taxation).(Growth and Job Plan )
April 1, 2003... Pres. Bush's Growth and Job Plan includes promising tax incentives that will dramatically benefit small business owners, says certified public accountant Diane Kennedy, author of Loopholes of the Rich and co-host of the nationally broadcast...

Going online for a new job rarely pays.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In a national survey of people searching for a job, 61% said they did not use the Internet for their job searches. The generation which came of age with computers (18-34) was less likely to use the Internet than their older peers, aged 35-54...

What you should know before buying a resale. .
April 1, 2003... Despite the slowing economy, the overall outlook for the real estate market in many parts of America remains positive, due to the continuous drop in mortgage rates. Before "losing your conviction" and giving in to the frenzy of this...

Electronic bug dooms termites. .(Pest Control.)
April 1, 2003... It's one bug against another. A termite expert says tests on a new electronic bug are more than 98% accurate in detecting subterranean termites chewing on wood near homes. Nan-Yao Su, professor of entomology with the Institute of Food and...

Making connections can lead to a job.
April 1, 2003... Working a room can uncover hidden job opportunities at the executive level, as long as professionals avoid some common networking errors, which are easy to make, especially for those who are out of practice. "Failing to keep an active network...

Spouses help determine where people work. .(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Some of life's biggest decisions are those associated with work. It may come as no surprise, then, that in a survey developed by Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals, that included...

Blunders aplenty during interviews. .
April 1, 2003... Job seekers typically research what they should do during an interview. However, knowing what not to do is an equally valuable lesson. Executives were asked by OfficeTeam, Menlo Park, Calif., a staffing service specializing in highly skilled...

Family relations hurt by joblessness. .
April 1, 2003... As the number of Americans out of work 27 weeks or longer continues to increase, more one-earner families are abruptly confronted with the stay-at-home spouse suddenly being forced to enter the employment market in the middle of a jobless...

Holographic imaging scans for trouble. .(Security.)
April 1, 2003... A holographic imaging system that is designed to identify rapidly hidden weapons, explosives, and other contraband--even plastic, ceramic, and other nonmetallic weapons--through clothing is the cornerstone of an effort to commercialize the...

Lack of insurance hurts preventive care.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... People with even short breaks in their health insurance coverage are less likely to seek crucial preventive care, according to a study from researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, and Metro-Health...

Teen sex linked to early friendships. .(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The nature of preteen friendships can play a key role in determining whether or not a child will engage in sexual activity early in adolescence, an Ohio State University, Columbus, study suggests. For example, researchers found that boys who...

Men and women are different.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Researchers are discovering that men and women are different in more ways than the obvious physical characteristics. The variations tend to be small, but could eventually trigger new developments in health care, such as sex-specific...

Adoption more open for gays and lesbians. .
April 1, 2003... Discrimination based on sexual orientation still exists, but many adoption agencies are open to placing children with gay and lesbian parents, according to "Adoption Agency Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Prospective Parents: A National Study."...

Gilded age sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. .
April 1, 2003... Heroism and nobility, sophistication and superb craftsmanship, the height of elegance and the end of an era--these are the elements of the traveling exhibition "Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age," which features...

Exotic pets need annual checkups, too. .
April 1, 2003... Pet owners have lots of love for their animals, no matter if they have scales, fur, beaks, or pouches. Frequently, though, people who own nontraditional pets, including exotics, don't plan for regular wellness visits as do cat and dog owners,...

Cloning endangers animals' genome. .(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Study results from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research confirm that the cloning process jeopardizes the integrity of an animal's entire genome. This implies that cloning for...

Given the facts, Americans trust science. Bioengineering.
April 1, 2003... The ongoing debate concerning the safety and environmental impact of genetically modified foods is complex and multifaceted, but research shows that American consumers are able to separate the wheat from the chaff when presented with...

Ozone can clean fruits and vegetables. .
April 1, 2003... Ozone, the gas that protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, may soon give U.S. food shoppers better protection from harmful bacteria. Retailers could sanitize fruits and vegetables by exposing them to ozone before they go on sale,...

Fruits and vegetables--tasty as well as healthful. .(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... What do nutritionists pack in their lunch bags and put on the dinner table? The Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers a sampling: * Broccoli. Contains a phytochemical that may prevent growth of cancer tumors and lutein, a powerful...

Current Internet model is a recipe for disaster. .
April 1, 2003... A terrorist attack or other disaster that destroys key telecommunications equipment in major cities would disrupt the Internet much like severe storms at airline hubs tie up the nation's air traffic, suggests an Ohio State University, Columbus,...

Margaret Bourke-White's early works. .
April 1, 2003... Margaret Bourke-White's early development led to her emergence as one of the 20th century's best-known female photographers. She strode brazenly into a field dominated by men to become not only a famous photojournalist, but a celebrity...

More consolidation is order of the day. .(Mass media.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The consolidation of ownership will continue to drive the media industry in 2003, predicts Loy Singleton, professor and chair of the Telecommunication and Film Department at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. "If innovation and diversity...

Say goodbye to department stores. .
April 1, 2003... "Department stores as we have known them are on their way out," predicts Robert Robicheaux, the Bruno Professor of Retail Marketing and director of the Hess Institute for Retailing Development at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. "Those...

Is global coffee glut "sustainable"? .
April 1, 2003... About 15,500,000,000 pounds of coffee are produced worldwide each year. Yet, consumers drink only 12,000,000,000 pounds. "There's a whole lot of misery between those two numbers," indicates Sue Mecklenburg, vice president for corporate social...

Infants grasp grammar early. .
April 1, 2003... Infants appear to understand much more than they are given credit for. They seem "to learn words and grammar simultaneously," according to George Hollich, director of the Infant Language Lab and assistant professor of psychological sciences,...

Cultivating friendships through diversity. .
April 1, 2003... A racially diverse student body in American high schools may not result in more friendships among students of different races, according to a study by James Moody, assistant professor of sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus. Results...

Saving Venice from the marauding sea.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Venice, Italy's historic city of canals and gondoliers, is planning to defend itself in the 21st century by building massive, swinging gates. The idea may conjure images of medieval drawbridges, but these high-tech gates won't protect citizens...

International housing boom hurting nature. .
April 1, 2003... A study co-authored by Stanford (Calif.) University associate professor of biological sciences Gretchen Daily concludes that the average household is shrinking--a global trend that is fueling an international housing boom which threatens the...

Water wisely during a drouqht. .
April 1, 2003... With various areas of the nation suffering from drought recently, responsible use of water on landscapes is a must. Landscape experts with Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Ft. Collins, and the Green Industries of Colorado...