USA TODAY articles from December 2003

USA TODAY archives from December 2003

Antiwar critics not held accountable.(National Affairs; Iraq War)
December 1, 2003... All of the controversy of the President's case for war has obscured an important truth--that much of what we are learning in Iraq undermines many antiwar arguments, claims Peter D. Feaver, professor of political science and director of the...

UAVs next step to stem terrorism.(Homeland Security; Unmanned aerial vehicles )
December 1, 2003... Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may have been stars in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, but they are not just valuable to military operations overseas. Protecting the U.S. is another mission these unmanned aircraft can perform....

As deaths in Iraq rise, trust in president falls.(Military Operations)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Support for the Bush Administration is waning as the death count rises in Iraq, but the American public is continuing to back the troops, argues Robert Pritchard, a public relations professor at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., and a former...

Can scholars influence foreign policymaking?(Worldview)
December 1, 2003... Does the academic study of international relations matter in the real world of foreign policymaking? Many scholars have made the leap by using their intellectual training to work on gritty real-life issues. "As an academic, you basically do...

$ettling $quabbles between couples.(Marriage)
December 1, 2003... Opposites may frequently attract in marriage, but when it comes to money, major rifts can undermine a couple's financial stability. The key is not to try to eliminate the differences, but to understand and work through them, recommends the...

Online purchases.(Noteworthy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Online purchases reduce holiday Stress since consumers can peruse multiple listings to comparison shop, asserts Barrie Jo Prince, Professor at the College of Human Environment Sciences' Institute for Interactive Technology University of Alabama...

Seasonal affective disorder.(Noteworthy)(winter blues mental disorder)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Seasonal Affective Disorder, otherwise known as 'winter blues," affects approximately six out of every 100 people. Lauren Solotar, chief psychologist at the May Institute, Norwood, Mass., describes it as a biochemical imbalance in the brains...

Cold air.(Noteworthy)(lip care during the winter)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Cold air is not the only danger to lip health during the winter months. Charles Zugerman, associate professor of dermatology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Ill., warns that chronic sun exposure is a risk for cancer. Snow...

Trees damaged.(Noteworthy)(proper pruning can save trees damaged by snowfall)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Trees damaged by heavy snowfalls (bark gouges, broken limbs, etc.) ban be spared, advises the International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, Ill. If large limbs are broken, hire a professional landscaper to remove them. If at least 50% of...

Bachelorette parties.(Noteworthy)(current trend for women before they marry)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Bachelorette parties are coming more into vogue, according to Beth Montemurro, assistant professor of sociology at Pennsylvania State University, Abington. She reports that since sexual roles have evolved, women attend out of curiosity, find...

"Professional" personal trainers.(Noteworthy)(American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association certify trainers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... "Professional" personal trainers may lack formal education, warns Mitch Whaley, an exercise physiologist associated with Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. Individuals seeking to develop overall fitness should use trainers certified by the...

Growing portion sizes.(Noteworthy)(research shows larger food and beverage serving sizes lead to obesity)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Growing portion sizes lead to growing waistlines, posits the American Dietetic Association Chicago, Ill. Researchers from New York University compared marketplace portion sizes to Federal standards and found the former exceeds the latter by as...

New parents need new plan.(Finances)(raising children requires financial planning )(suggestions from Financial Planning Association)
December 1, 2003... Dramatic changes in one's life often require a reassessment of personal finances. Few events have a more profound impact than the arrival of a first child. The estimated cost to raise offspring through age 17 is $127,080 to $254,400 for an...

Giving more important than getting.(Christmas Presents)(gifts and Santa should not be overemphasized to children)(toy safety important)
December 1, 2003... Whether it is trying to please children by buying every toy on their wish list or explaining the role of Santa Claus, a Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., child development expert says it is important to keep the spirit of giving a...

Are soccer moms better parents?(Life In America)(differences in middle class and working class parenting values)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... For most parents, life is a dizzying balancing act of housework, kids' functions, and career. Yet, as Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., sociology professor Annette Lareau discloses in Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life, the...

Keeping seniors out of debt.(Retirement)
December 1, 2003... Silver-haired debt is ruining a lot of retirements these days. While staying out or getting out of financial troubles often is more difficult for seniors than for younger age groups, it can be done with some careful planning. According to SRI...

Evergreen spores can aggravate allergies.(Christmas Trees)(mountain cedar pollen's mold spores particularly allergenic)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... An evergreen tree, decorated and fragrant, conjures up Christmas for many people. However, for the estimated one person in 10 who is allergic to mountain-cedar pollen, a live tree can be a harbinger of holiday misery. Evergreen, a member of the...

It's best to roll with the punches.(Holiday Stress)(tips for managing stress during Christmas and other holidays)
December 1, 2003... Instead of focusing on the "ideal" holiday, set realistic expectations--both with time and money--to reduce the amount of stress during the season, says Dee Love, an extension specialist in the School of Consumer and Family Sciences, Purdue...

'Tis the season to be savvy.(Office Parties)(business opportunities created at company social gatherings)
December 1, 2003... Are you planning on attending your office holiday fete? If not, you may be passing on a career opportunity. Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group, Menlo Park, Calif., a specialized staffing service placing creative and...

Companies building "brand communities".(Advertising)
December 1, 2003... Whether their product is an automobile, a soft drink, or laundry detergent, successful companies long have considered the concept of brand loyalty the Holy Grail in the world of consumer marketing. Now, a growing number of firms are taking that...

Interactive toys spur brain-building.(Learning)
December 1, 2003... Parents often search for intellectually stimulating toys for holiday gift giving. However, a child psychologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas maintains that the best toy is one that fosters parent-child...

Certain toys trigger aggression.(Violence)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Be wary of the social-emotional risks of certain toys. Many send a dangerous message that could lead to destructive behavior. Joel Steinberg, professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, warns,...

Do-Not-Call Registry hampers research.(Legislation; market research)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The National Do-Not-Call Registry, designed to prevent unwanted solicitation calls to consumers, could harm legitimate data collection and put a damper on the economy, fears John G. Lynch Jr., marketing professor at the Fuqua School of...

"No-call" law could leave millions jobless.(Telemarketing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The national no-call list will not be the end of telemarketers, but it will force the industry to evolve, contends Jeffrey Hornsby, a management professor at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. The Federal Communications Commission's tighter...

"Unbundled" approach would help poor.(Legal Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The legal profession should change the way it renders personal civil legal counsel to potential clients by broadening the types of services available, particularly for low to moderate income people, suggests a report by the American Bar...

Global warming may harm timber industry.(Climate)(timber growth rates forecasted to be greater in the tropics than in temperate area)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Global warming trends may seriously harm North America's stronghold on the timber production industry, a study from Ohio State University, Columbus, suggests. However, rising temperatures could mean an economic boom for the plantations in...

Life becomes easier with smaller gadgets.(Science & Technology)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Palm-size computers and special-purpose devices will continue to flourish in the near future, forecasts Allen Parrish, associate professor of computer science and director of the CARE Research and Development Laboratory at the University of...

Babar as inspired by the masters.(Museums Today)("Babar's Museum of Art")(interpretation of art by Laurent de Brunhof, writer of children's books)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Laurent de Brunhoff credits his mother Cecile with creating the first Babar tale of a little elephant who seeks solace in the big city after a hunter shoots his parents. She mentioned the story to her husband Jean who used it as inspiration for...

Upgrade revolution is necessary.(The Internet)
December 1, 2003... The Internet needs a revolution--not a mere progression--in its infrastructure. Scaling it up will not be enough to keep pace with growing demand or to accommodate emerging technologies. Major inroads are necessary in the superhighways that...

"Trading Spaces" spurs college enrollment.(Education)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... "My job exists because of "Trading Spaces,'" muses Janet Fick, interior design instructor at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., of the popular cable television program in which neighbors swap homes and decorate a single room in each other's...

Technology use could generate larger profits.(Airline Industry; Nawal Taneja analysis)
December 1, 2003... The world's airlines should take a cue from the banking and retail sectors to survive the current fiscal crisis, according to Nawal Taneja, chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Aviation, Ohio State University, Columbus, and...

Turn bogus room into bonus room.(Recreation)
December 1, 2003... Take a deep breath and open the door to that unused bedroom, cluttered playroom, or banished basement, but do not enter alone. If you have decided to create a recreation room, the first step is simple: Gather up the family and tackle this...

Imperfect designs, perfect products.(Innovation)
December 1, 2003... What do paper cups, toothbrushes, grocery bags, kitchen faucets, doorknobs, and automobile cup holders have in common? They all are the imperfect products of designers seeking to come up with something better for consumers. Henry Petroski,...

Employee loyalty not always rewarded.(Business Trends)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... An increase in the number of employees staying with their first and only employer undoubtedly has been vital in helping companies recover following the recession. However, a recent survey shows that in a slow economy, not even loyalty to a...

Making tea & coffee pots an art form.(Modern Design;Alessi Tea & Coffee Towers exhibition)
December 1, 2003... Sipping tea and coffee has become an art form, thanks to a provocative collection of upscale sets by some of the superstars of the architectural world Alessi, the Italian manufacturer renowned for transforming everyday household objects into...

References influence interview outcomes.(Job Market)
December 1, 2003... Applicants take note: Executives today are looking for a few good words when making hiring decisions, according to a survey by Accountemps, Menlo Park, Calif., a temporary staffing service for temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping...

"Jobless" expansion favors older workers.(Employment)
December 1, 2003... In the battle for jobs during this jobless expansion, workplace veterans over 50 have caught up to and may soon surpass their younger rivals when it comes to finding new positions in the shortest amount of time. The median search time for...

E-mail preferred to in-person meetings.(Business & Finance)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In today's fast-paced corporate world, who has time to convene in person when you can hit "send"? A clear majority of executives polled by Accountemps, a Menlo Park, Calif., temporary staffing service of accounting, finance, and bookkeeping...

No more lunch at lunch hour.(Workplace)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Will the lunch hour soon go the way of outmoded carbon paper and the obsolete typewriter? It is possible, suggests a survey of executives with the nation's 1 ,000 largest companies. The poll, developed by OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.,...

Pot smoking hurts fertility.(Drug Abuse)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Men who smoke marijuana frequently have significantly less seminal fluid, a lower total sperm count, and sperm that behave abnormally, all of which may affect fertility adversely, a study in reproductive physiology at the University of Buffalo...

Spirituality contributes to longer life.(Aging)
December 1, 2003... Better medicine, an emphasis on clean living, and spirituality are all contributing to making older Americans the healthiest humans at their age in the history of the world, argue University of California, Davis, human-development scholars...

Overweight kids likely to be fat adults.(Adolescent Obesity)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... More than 2,000,000 adolescents become obese and 1,500,000 remain so as they grow into adulthood, concludes a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study. "This research highlights the critical nature of the adolescent and young adult...

"Boomeritis" sweeping the nation.(Athletic Arena; Baby Boom sports injuries)
December 1, 2003... Sports-related mishaps among baby boomers have increased about 33% since the early 1990s, rising from 276,000 to 365,000 hospital emergency room-treated cases. This jump, which resulted from 16 popular sports activities, is due to the fact that...

William Howard Taft likely apnea victim.(Medicine & Health)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Nearly a century after Pres. William Howard Taft took office, citizens remain fascinated by the 300-plus-pound president who once got stuck in the White House bathtub. What the public does not know is that Taft's obesity contributed to a...

Faith influences wealth accumulation.(Religion)
December 1, 2003... A national study reveals that religious affiliation plays a powerful role in how much wealth Americans accumulate, with Jewish people amassing the most and conservative Protestants the least. Mainline Protestants and Catholics fall in between...