USA TODAY articles from August 2011

USA TODAY archives from August 2011

Swinging Away: How Cricket and Baseball Connect
August 1, 2011... THE national game of England meets America's National Pastime in an exhibition that explores the roots and relationship between two of the world's most popular sports: 'Swinging Away: How Cricket and Baseball Connect" features game-used...

Fear Factor Frightens Children
August 1, 2011... Do some people still teach kids to swim by throwing them in the water to see if they sink or stay afloat instinctively? "Many parents and even some traumatic swim programs continue to use that ancient and ridiculous method of introducing...

Seniors should not ignore heat alerts.(Summer Weather)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Every year since 1998, more people have died from extreme heat in the U.S. than from floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined. Yet, our senior citizens--one of the most vulnerable groups to high temperatures and humidity--may be ignoring heat...

Biological basis for "sundowning".(The Elderly)(dementia)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Late-day anxiety and agitation sometimes seen in older institutionalized adults, especially those with dementia, have a biological basis in the brain, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The...

Auto Industry Stages Big-Time Comeback
August 1, 2011... The world's automobile industry saw production and sales soar in 2010 following a precipitous plunge in 2008-09, according to the latest Vital Signs study from the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C. The top four auto producers--China,...

Poverty line is not "BEST" indicator.(Economics)(Basic Economic Security Table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Single workers need rnore than $30,000 a year for economic security. Single parents with two children should have at least $57,756 to cover basic expenses and save for emergencies and retirement, while dual-income households with two children...

While 94% of businesses are outsourcing at least one vital function.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... While 94% of businesses are outsourcing at least one vital function, one-third say that the practice is not meeting their company's internal service or quality goals, while less than half think outsourcing has made them more productive,...

American researchers have unveiled a new tool for detecting illegal nuclear explosions.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... American researchers have unveiled a new tool for detecting illegal nuclear explosions--the Earth's global positioning system, better known as GPS, which "is a complement to other methods, such as seismic detectors and chemical sensors, and can...

An estimated 4,700,000 people are bitten by dogs each year.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... An estimated 4,700,000 people are bitten by dogs each year, with children being the most common victims and summer the most common season for these incidents. "It's surprising how many times it occurs, and the majority of dog bites aren't from...

A day on Neptune lasts precisely 15 hours.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... A day on Neptune lasts precisely 15 hours, 57 minutes, and 59 seconds, according to the first accurate measurement of its rotational period made by planetary scientist Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona, Tucson. His result is one of...

People may judge the quality and qualifications of psychotherapists.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... People may judge the quality and qualifications of psychotherapists simply by what their offices look like, suggests a study from Ann Devlin, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, New London. Participants said they would be more...

Chytridiomycosis, a rapidly spreading amphibian disease.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Chytridiomycosis, a rapidly spreading amphibian disease, has reached a site near Panama's Darien region, report scientists from the Smithsonian Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. This was the last area in the entire mountainous neotropics to be...

Statins, widely used to treat elevated cholesterol.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Statins, widely used to treat elevated cholesterol, have been shown to prevent progression of coronary narrowing and to have other beneficial effects on the heart, such as reducing inflammation, that are independent of cholesterol. Now, adding...

Ethically murky tactic may have contributed.(Housing Bubble)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... One ethically murky--and perhaps illegal--tactic used to sell homes during the real estate boom years probably contributed to the housing crash, suggests a study published in American Economic Journal. The tactic was inflating the selling price...

Getting Your Realtor Back on Task
August 1, 2011... In the current real estate market, with home sales slumping like an injured athlete, many sellers are pulling out all the stops to get their homes to sell. One of the most common tactics is to change realtors when the one they are using is...

Now-Shrinking Glaciers Could Re-Expand
August 1, 2011... Large, marine-calving glaciers have the ability not only to shrink rapidly in response to warming trends, but to grow at a remarkable pace during periods of global cooling, according to geologists working in Greenland. The conclusion stems...

Greenland Melting Could Fill Lake Erie
August 1, 2011... A study aimed at refining the way scientists measure ice loss in Greenland is providing a "high-definition picture" of climate-caused changes on the island--and the picture is not pretty. In the last decade, two of the largest three glaciers...

Warm Oceans Melting Ice Sheets Faster
August 1, 2011... Warming of the ocean's subsurface layers will melt underwater portions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets faster than previously thought, according to research led by the University of Arizona, Tucson. Such melting would increase sea...

Feudal Crop System Pervaded in Hawaii
August 1, 2011... A pattern of earthen berms, spread across a northern peninsula of the big island of Hawaii, is providing archaeologists with clues to exactly how residents farmed in paradise long before Europeans arrived at the islands. The findings--reported...

Recession Not Hurting Organic Agriculture
August 1, 2011... Despite the crippling effects of the recent economic slowdown on many industries, the organic agriculture sector not only has sustained itself during this period but is showing signs of growth. "In 2009, organic farming was practiced on...

The Explosion Set to Reach 7,000,000,000
August 1, 2011... As the global population increases, so does the number of mouths to feed. The good news is that, in addison to providing food, innovations in sustainable agriculture can provide a solution to many of the challenges that a growing population...

Should corn yields depend on fungicides?(Farming)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Unless a corn crop is at risk of developing fungal diseases, a study by Purdue University, West Lafayette. Ind., shows that farmers would be smart to skip fungicide treatments that promise increased yields. Fungicides used in fields where...

Inspired by the Pleasure, Danger and Allure of the Night
August 1, 2011... FOR more than 100 years, photographers have been drawn to the challenge of making images after dark, capturing the aesthetic effects of nighttime rain, early-morning fog, shining street lamps, and dimly lit rooms. Modern camera artists have been...

Taking risks can be a big turn-on.(Infidelity)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Men and women are more likely to report infidelity, or cheating--often a marriage or relationship deal-breaker--when they also experience an increased sensitivity for sexual performance problems and a decreased likeliheod to lose their sexual...

TV Show Spurs Quality Sex Talk
August 1, 2011... "What would Samantha and Miranda do?" That is what viewers of the former series "Sex and the City" may ask themselves when faced with the prospect of uncomfortable discussions about sexual health with partners, friends, and doctors. Researchers...

Viewing models inspires young women.(Mass Media)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... When researchers had college-age women view magazines for five consecutive days that included only images of women with thin, idealized body types, something surprising happened: the readers' own body satisfaction improved. The boost in body...

"Smart" Sunglasses Block Blinding Glare
August 1, 2011... The days of being blinded by the sun--daspite the $300 shades straddling your face--soon may be Inventor and entrepreneur Chris Mullin has teamed up with the University at Buffalo (N.Y) to develop sunglasses that detect bright spots of light and...

Much distress when shows go off the air.(Television Programming)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Even temporary "breakups" can be distressing for some people--at least when it comes to their favorite television programs. A study published in Mass Communication and Society examining how viewers react when new episodes of their favorite shows...

Seeking Satisfaction for the Long Term
August 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cuddling and caressing are important ingredients for long-term relationship satisfaction, according to an international study that looks at relationships and sexual satisfaction throughout committed relationships, but,...

Parasites Get Credit for Our Sex Lives
August 1, 2011... It seems we may have parasites to thank for the existence of sex as we know it. Biologists have found that, although sexual reproduction between two individuals is costly from an evolutionary perspective, it is favored over self-fertilization in...

Violence does not add to kids' enjoyment.(TV Viewing)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Despite growing concern about the effects of media violence on children, violent television shows (especially cartoons) and movies continue to be produced and marketed to them. However, a study published in Media Psychology concludes that...

Obama Finally Pulls the Trigger
August 1, 2011... Pres. Barack Obama finally is using cyberattacks and other computer-based operations as part of routine U.S. espionage against our enemies in other countries. "Much of this policy is likely to remain classified, but at least now we know the U.S....

All liars have viewable "tells".(Interrogation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... Carolyn Hurley, a research scientist for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, has spent a lot of time studying the faces of people lying when in high-stakes situations and has good news for security specialists. A study she was lead...

Who Was the Firt Lady Gaga?
August 1, 2011... Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan--just about every glamorous and scandalous movie star who has made a career by making headlines owes a debt to a woman whose "bad girl" behavior just may leave all of them in the...

New Device Detects Chemicals and Bacteria
August 1, 2011... A miniature mass spectrometer recently was taken grocery shopping to test for traces of chemicals on standard and organic produce by researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. In the technology's first venture out of the lab, it...

NLRB election procedure broken.(Unions)(National Labor Relations Board)(Brief article)
August 1, 2011... The National Labor Relations Board's procedures for conducting union elections are broken and need to be overhauled, a professor in the School of Law at Indiana University, Bloomington, told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce....

Voter Polarization over Risk Inequality
August 1, 2011... A study of political polarization in the U.S. suggests that changes in the labor market since the 1970s has helped create more Republican and Democratic partisans and fewer independents. The growth in partisanship has to do with people's current...

Networking Viruses Gearing Up Again
August 1, 2011... Six influenza A viruses that have particularly close genetic relationships to the H1N1 "swine" flu virus that swept through the U.S. beginning in the spring of 2009 have been identified by scientists using new mathematical and computational...

Stop the Abuse of Habeus Corpus
August 1, 2011... Habeus corpus in the U.S. is being seriously misused and needs to be reformed, insist professors of law Nancy J. King of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., and Joseph L Hoffman of Indiana University, Bloomington, coauthors of Habeus for...

High Levels Found in Pet Dogs
August 1, 2011... Chemical flame retardants have been found in the blood of pet dogs at concentrations five to 10 times higher than in humans, but lower than levels found in a previous study of cats, relates research appearing in Environmental Science &...

Insured Patients Rejected by Doctors
August 1, 2011... As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people soon will be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend...

Should Scientsits Believe in God?
August 1, 2011... Scientists make terrible theologians. That is the opinion of physicist and researcher Scott M. Tyson--the author of The Unobservable Universe: A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe--who thinks colleague Stephen Hawking was...

A Tale of Two Storytellers: Norman Rockwell and Mark Twain Are Woven Together into the Fabric of American Life
August 1, 2011... WHO can forget Norman Rockwell's illustration of Tom demonstrating the joys of fence-painting to the credulous Ben Rogers, the two boys staring intently at the artistry of it all? The images of Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn that Rockwell painted...