USA TODAY articles from August 2002

USA TODAY archives from August 2002

Traditional perception is obsolete. (Retirement).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... A study sponsored by AIG Sun-America, which specializes in retirement savings and investment products and services, shatters many long-standing, traditional perceptions of retirement in the U.S. and provides an in-depth look at the "four faces...

Are baby boomers conceding to age? (Generations).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Baby boomers are donning things they swore they absolutely would never wear, according to the 2002 Varilux Boomer Watch survey. Although they said they would never be seen dead in them, 52% are wearing bifocals and other items from the past,...

Noteworthy. (Newsview).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Today's busy manager is likely to feel there aren't enough minutes in the day, according to a survey by Robert Half International Inc., a worldwide staffing service specializing in the accounting, finance, and information technology fields....

Two hemispheres better than one for seniors. (Brain).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Older adults use different regions of the brain than younger ones to perform the same memory and information processing tasks, according to University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, research. Conducted by cognitive neuroscientist Patricia...

Tips for older drivers with vision problems. (Aging).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The ability to drive and get around independently is essential for millions of Americans. While driving safely is a key concern of anyone traveling in a car, changes in the aging eye make it especially vital for older people. Everyone...

Adults lack accurate information about kids. (Child Development).(report by Civitas, Zero to Three and BRIO Corporation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Results of a landmark survey raise questions concerning what Americans know about raising emotionally, intellectually, and socially happy children. "This lack of accurate child development information among adults has very real implications for...

What are your kids watching? A back-to-school TV quiz for parents. (Television).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... America's kids are heading back to school, but year round they devote more time to watching television than they spend in class. As children across the country get ready for a new academic year, Jerold M. Starr, professor of sociology, West...

Beware public diaper-changing areas. (Health).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... "Never put your child's bare bottom on a public diaper changing area unless you are able to disinfect the area yourself. You might be exposing your child to the Streptococcus faecalis bacteria, which causes urinary tract infections, E coli, or...

Welfare reforms endanger kids' coverage. (Health Insurance).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Parents moving off welfare and into the workforce put their children at greater risk of not having health care coverage, according to a study by University of Texas at Austin researchers. These youngsters were less likely to be insured if they...

Unequal treatment of kids may not be harmful. (Families).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Many parents try hard to treat their children fairly and equally. Yet, due to the fact that each youngster has different needs, it is not always possible or practical to treat them the same. However, Amanda Kowal, assistant professor of human...

Teacher deficit is double dilemma. (Schools).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... With schools across the country scrambling to fill teaching slots, the focus has been on recruiting teachers quickly. Jeff Gorrell, dean of the George Mason University Graduate School of Education, Fairfax, Va., says the teacher shortage is a...

Parents advised not to hold children back. (Education).(delayed school entry detrimental)
August 1, 2002... Redshirting, or delaying children's entry into kindergarten or first grade for a year, doesn't help their future school performance and can actually be detrimental to their motivation, self-esteem, and attitudes about school, cautions professor...

Compromise is the key to roommate harmony. (Colleges).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Millions of incoming freshmen carrying computers, sheets, and pillowcases--and even the occasional teddy bear--will soon leave their homes to spend their first semester at college. More important than anything they can put in a box or cart on a...

Check youngsters' feet before school starts. (Child Care).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... During the annual rite of preparing for the new school year, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons recommends that parents take five minutes at home to check for signs of possible foot disorders that could prevent children from...

Presidents' success when appointing justices. (Supreme Court).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When a president names a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, he hopes that appointee will support his policies long into the future. However, a study of Supreme Court justices appointed by presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Bill...

Review coverage for college students. (Insurance).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Students heading off to college, especially for the first time, face many insurance issues they or their parents may not have considered, the Financial Planning Association, Denver, Colo., cautions: Renter's insurance is probably the...

Women lawyers still face equity obstacles. (Attorneys).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Despite sweeping changes in the legal profession during the last two decades, women do not have equal access to positions of leadership and power, maintains Deborah Rhode, Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law, Stanford (Calif.) University....

John Held, Jr. and the Jazz Age. (Newsview).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... If ever an artist's work defined a particular era, it was that of Roaring Twenties illustrator John Held, Jr., whose creations set the standard for--and gently ribbed--a generation. More than any other artist of his time, Held expressed in his...

Boosting consumer satisfaction. (E-commerce).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... How does your website's customer service measure up against the competition? With consumers purchasing more than $66,000,000,000 worth of online goods each year, this might be a good thing to know, say marketing professors Swinder Janda, Philip...

Desire, not necessity, drives spending. (Consumerism).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Ever since the government began tracking statistics, the U.S. economy has been a consumer one. Every year since 1929 until the present, with a few exceptions, consumer spending has accounted for between 60 and 70% of the total economy. Out of...

American firms rushing to build in China. (World Trade).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... China is on the brink of becoming a major economic power. Economic reforms and open-door programs have provided a powerful impetus for development, explains Chu-yuan Cheng, a business professor specializing in the economic trends of Pacific Rim...

Teaching children to manage money. (Finance).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Communicating with one's children is difficult for many parents, and talking about money is no exception. Furthermore, many parents are reluctant to talk about finances with their offspring because they hold the widespread view that personal...

Ins and outs of job hunting. (Employment).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Searching for work in today's competitive market requires considerably more effort than in recent years, notes Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing firm placing creative, advertising,...

Birth order may affect career interests. (Psychology).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A child's place in the family birth order may play a rote in the type of occupations that will interest him or her as an adult. In two related studies, researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, found that only children--and, to a certain...

Wage growth better for naturalized citizens. (Economics).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... America has long held a mystique for immigrants as the land of opportunity. This is especially true for young male immigrants who take the step of becoming U.S. citizens. Research by economics professors James Ragan and Bernt Bratsberg, Kansas...

Tips on surviving ragweed season. (Allergies).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... School bells begin ringing across the land this month, and for students with allergies that means "the three Rs"--ragweed, runny noses, and rhinitis--warns Richard Mabry, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at The University of...

Helping students to breathe easier. (Asthma).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... For youngsters with chronic diseases, returning to school can disrupt management of their condition. Parents can avert potential problems by learning in-school medication rules and creating an action plan for care of their children in school,...

Testing animal stress caused by ecotourism. (Wildlife).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher is using an unusual method to measure stress levels on elephants caused by growing ecotourism in South Africa's national parks. The same research can be applied to protecting wildlife in heavily...

Controlling ozone levels within cities. (Air Pollution).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The most critical factor affecting ozone concentrations in U.S. cities is beyond the control of local regulators. It is the amount of ozone that drifts into a city from outside its boundaries, according to an Ohio State University, Columbus,...

Overlooking senior dogs' health concerns. (Pets).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... For many Americans, dogs are part of the family--almost like kids in some instances. However, although owners want to provide their dogs with the best possible care, a number of them inadvertently fail to recognize signs that indicate health...

Dual-mode may solve transportation problems. (Traffic).(automobile guideways)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The future solution to traffic jams will likely be a dual-mode system with automobiles traveling on special guideways at speeds up to 200 miles per hour, predicts engineer and inventor Francis D. Reynolds. "For trips of more than several miles,...

Wax may make electric cars a reality. (Automotives).(battery heat control)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... With more than 250,000,000 polluting cars on the road, fuel prices soaring, and global warming concerns, the idea of a zero-emissions battery-powered car is certainly desirable. Hybrid cars that use both batteries and gas are available...

Anatomy of a gamble. (Risk).(neurological reactions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Within about a quarter of a second after we see the outcome of a gamble, our brains have processed whether we've won or lost, according to a University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, study. Moreover, choices about the next wager made a few seconds...

Supplement industry is full of quacks. (Dieting).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The U.S. diet industry attracts large numbers of quacks and other pseudoscientists because consumers are so gullible, according to Katherine Beals, a Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., nutritionist. Scam artists seek a piece of the...

Forecasts for a tasty future. (Food).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... New technologies and shifts in cultures and values are driving a revolution in the way we eat, food expert Art Siemering told the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md. He predicted that "massfoods" will soon arrive in force. Think of them as the...

Milk provides more bang for your buck. (Nutrition).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Milk provides more calcium and protein per penny compared to any other foods served on school lunch menus, according to the National Dairy Council. Researchers at Kansas State University, Manhattan, examined the nutrient contributions of five...

Should modified foods be labeled? (Worldview).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Although studies have found that 80-90% of Europeans say they do not want genetically modified foods, manufacturers who market both genetically modified and conventional products have noticed that the two versions sell about the same. This...

Meeting kids' bedroom needs. (Youth).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A study by the American Furniture Manufacturers Association reveals that, while children spend a lot of time in their rooms, boys and girls are busy doing different things. Accordingly, what sort of furniture works best for them? Carrie is...

Refeathering the empty nest. (Life in America).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Basements become workshops, while children's rooms become libraries. These are just a couple of the housing and home-decorating trends demonstrated by the nation's more than 80,000,000 baby boomers entering their empty nest years. Often far...

New color palettes set a mood. (Home Furnishings).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, "Color is the essential key to self-expression in the home. Consumers in the 21st century understand how important color is for setting a mood and creating a...