USA TODAY articles from April 2012

USA TODAY archives from April 2012

Increased Stress Puts More at Risk
April 1, 2012... Adolescence is difficult in the best of times. It is doubly stressful for kids today; they are experiencing the same worries and insecurities as adults in this troubled economy--and with far fewer coping skills. From families struggling with...

Broadway to Campaign Trail: Mormon Is the Buzz
April 1, 2012... For a religion many Americans still describe as "cultish" and "secretive," the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gained a lot of mainstream clout in the past couple of years. On Broadway, the irreverent musical satire, "The Book...

To the Victors Go the Spoils
April 1, 2012... In this world, there are winners and losers--and, for your own safety, it is best to fear the winners. A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science finds that winners--those who outperformed others on a competitive task--act...

Put Your Grocery Bill on a Diet
April 1, 2012... This year, we are paying--and will continue to pay--more than ever for dinner. Food prices jumped five percent in 2011 and likely will continue to rise, suggests the Department of Agriculture. However, you can have your chocolate cake and eat...

"Extreme" Tactics Defeat Proposed Laws
April 1, 2012... Support for a generally liked policy can be lowered significantly simply by associating with a group seen as "radical" or "extreme" The findings show why attacking political opponents as "extremists" is so popular--and so effective, notes Thomas...

Driven by surging consumption in the U.S. and Asia, natural gas' share of total energy consumption rose to 23.8%, reports the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
April 1, 2012... Driven by surging consumption in the U.S. and Asia, natural gas' share of total energy consumption rose to 23.8%, reports the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C. The world uses about 112 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year. The U.S....

Interactive applications for mobile phones may be some of the mast powerful forms of advertising yet developed, maintains Robert Potter, director of the Institute for Communication Research at Indiana University, Bloomington.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
April 1, 2012... Interactive applications for mobile phones may be some of the mast powerful forms of advertising yet developed, maintains Robert Potter, director of the Institute for Communication Research at Indiana University, Bloomington. Branded apps...

Privacy Rights Violated Again
April 1, 2012... The Obama Administration's call for a "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" is a noble effort, but one that likely will fail because it puts the power of consent into the hands of a public that, for the most part, does not know what to do with if...

Three in Five Workers Yell at Their Computer
April 1, 2012... Three in five U.S. workers who are not information technology professionals or corporate-level executives admit yelling at their computer screen be cause of frustration with the software they use. Additionally, despite the difficult job market,...

Power-Law Distribution Usurps Bell Curve
April 1, 2012... The dreaded bell curve that has haunted generations of students with seemingly preordained grades also has migrated into business as the standard for assessing employee performance, but it now turns out--revealed in a study by Indiana...

Buying and Selling Stand-Alone Brands
April 1, 2012... These findings from Indiana University, Bloomington, indicate that investors have a deeper understanding of marketing's impact and financial value than previously believed. They also set a road map for how companies strategically can select...

Obama's Fiscal Suicide: Proposed Budget Would Be a Kiss of Death for the Poor-And Everyone Else
April 1, 2012... When the economy is in the doldrums, those on the lowest rung of the economic ladder suffer the most. The solution is not a promise of government programs to train a small subset of them or employ an even smaller subset in temporary make-work...

What It Costs to Have Your Taxes Done
April 1, 2012... What can you buy for $233? How about this: the services of a professional tax preparer or accountant who can complete your tax return, relieving you of endless hours of hassle trying to decipher the ever-changing Federal tax code (as well as...

Use That Needed Refund Wisely
April 1, 2012... Tax season is nearly over, and millions of Americans will receive checks in the mail in the coming weeks from the Internal Revenue Service. Tax refunds can help you reach your financial goals and build a cushion against future expenses. The...

Tax Season Is the Perfect Time to Get Organized
April 1, 2012... Gone are the days of saving your financial documents in a box and shoving it into the attic. Technology advances have made organizing your personal finances easier with minimal cost. Make 2012 the year you get organized by moving your finances...

Afghans Fleeing War Find Misery in Urban Slums
April 1, 2012... Some 500,000 Afghans who fled fighting have been abandoned to starvation and death as they subsist in makeshift shelters. They have been let down by their government and international donors, according to a report by Amnesty International,...

The Unlikely Earth Day Hero
April 1, 2012... Rising temperatures, erratic weather, population growth, and scarce water resources--along with growing civil unrest and skyrocketing food prices--are putting unprecedented stress on people and the planet. For more than 40 years, Earth Day has...

Homegrown Terrorism Actually Declining
April 1, 2012... Concerns of counterterrorism officials about a potential wave of homegrown violent extremism have not materialized over the past two years, a study released by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security documents. The study reports...

Going Green for the Good of All
April 1, 2012... "Going green saves money, creates jobs, and supports local communities. Green is the new red, white, and blue," enthuses Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Green America, Washington, D.C. "One thing everyone can do to help the environment on...

The Boss Comes Back to the "Streets of Philadelphia"
April 1, 2012... "'From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen' offers a II unique perspective on our First Amendment freedoms, the meaning of the American dream and the role of artists in politics and protest," says National...

Birds Winging Their Way North
April 1, 2012... In much of the U.S., May is peak migration month. Birds of every kind--songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds--will be flying from their winter homes in the south to their summer breeding grounds in places as far north as the Arctic. Along the way,...

Tips for Flying the Friendly Skies
April 1, 2012... As we all know, traveling with others on a plane can be a challenge. So, do you need to brush up on your airplane etiquette for this spring travel season? Roshini Rajikumar, communication coach and founder of Roshini Performance Group,...

Poor Dogs Are Victims, Too
April 1, 2012... Among the biggest victims of the economic recession are the once beloved family pets surrendered to shelters as their owners deal with extended joblessness. The Humane Society estimates 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 dogs and cats enter shelters each...

People See Themselves as Caretakers
April 1, 2012... Are you a pet owner or the caretaker for your companion animals? A cultural sociologist from Indiana University, South Bend, says the Humane Society has played a significant role in helping Americans see themselves as the latter. Other animal...

U.S. Remains Woefully Unprepared
April 1, 2012... One year after the Fukushima reactor crisis in Japan, no meaningful progress has been achieved in improving the ability of first responders and medical professionals to react to a disaster on a similar scale in the U.S., according to a report...

How to Overthrow the Status Quo
April 1, 2012... The disenfranchised Occupy Wail Street protesters and the citizens of Main Street have united in untold numbers. Across the nation, people have taken to the streets to overthrow the greed and politics they say have hijacked the American dream....

This Is Where the Jobs Are
April 1, 2012... There is a bright spot in the U.S. employment picture: the health care industry. Health care employers have been adding an average 27,000 jobs a month since December 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. "Finding work in health care...

Baseball Cards Also Break Color Barrier
April 1, 2012... A selection of 60 baseball cards celebrating many of the athletes who broke the color barrier in major league baseball is on view through June 17 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The cards trace the integration of baseball from...

Could Ohio Shootings Have Been Prevented?
April 1, 2012... The individual who opened fire at Chardon (Ohio) High School, killing three classmates and wounding two others, has been described by fellow students as "an outcast who had been bullied" The incident appears to be the latest in a string of...

Bullies Are More Likely to Partake
April 1, 2012... Middle- and high-school students who bully their classmates are more likely than others to use substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, finds a study published in Addictive Behaviors. Researchers have found that bullies and...