USA TODAY articles from December 2005

USA TODAY archives from December 2005

Big brother is on the move.(National Affairs)(identification act)
December 1, 2005... Thousands of people went missing in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Weeks later, government officials, family members, friends, and a shocked and grief-stricken world still had not counted the dead or located the displaced and...

Northeast expecting severe winter.(Weather)
December 1, 2005... Long-range forecasters warn that the winter of 2005-06 will be an especially cold one for the northeastern U.S., a region that depends heavily on heating oil. An early start to the cold weather will create additional demand for oil. ...

Recommendations to curb ID theft.(Security Systems)
December 1, 2005... "Identification Security: Technology and Policy Issues" published by the Foundation for State Legislatures provides a synopsis of key technology, privacy, security, access, and related identification security issues while offering advice to...

Salting highways contaminates water.(Ecology)
December 1, 2005... Staggering hurricane-related problems have commanded a bulk of the news coverage in recent months, but the northeastern U.S. faces a major--although far more subtle--ecological threat of its own, concludes a study by the University of North...

IBM's new policy.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... IBM's new policy barring employment discrimination based on genetic information highlights major shortcomings in the U.S. medical records system, states Kevin Schulman, professor of business administration and medicine at Duke University,...

Although bark beetles (which thrive on water-stressed trees) delivered the knockout punch.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Although bark beetles (which thrive on water-stressed trees) delivered the knockout punch, the high heat that accompanied last summer's drought was the underlying cause of death for millions of pinyon pines throughout the Southwest, points out...

A shift in teens' attitudes on ethics has emerged in a poll released by Junior Achievement Worldwide.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... A shift in teens' attitudes on ethics has emerged in a poll released by Junior Achievement Worldwide. The number who say they would act unethically to get ahead if there was no chance of getting caught has dropped to 22%, down from 33% in 2003....

Americans, tired of being told that they are not saving enough, say they are doing just fine, given the resources they have, reports Allstate Insurance's fifth annual "Retirement Reality Check" survey.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Americans, tired of being told that they are not saving enough, say they are doing just fine, given the resources they have, reports Allstate Insurance's fifth annual "Retirement Reality Check" survey. Respondents made it clear that, if they...

Nearly 56% of parents are concerned that their children view only age-appropriate content when logging on from the classroom, indicates research by The Conference Board, New York.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Nearly 56% of parents are concerned that their children view only age-appropriate content when logging on from the classroom, indicates research by The Conference Board, New York. Their second-biggest worry--voiced by hall of all parents--is...

In a remarkable reversal of long-held employer attitudes, job seekers 55 and older--who historically have had the toughest time getting hired--suddenly are enjoying the most robust employment growth among every age group.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... In a remarkable reversal of long-held employer attitudes, job seekers 55 and older--who historically have had the toughest time getting hired--suddenly are enjoying the most robust employment growth among every age group. "This is the era of...

Campus information technology officials identify "network and data security" as the "single most important IT issue affecting their institutions over the next two-three years," reports the annual Campus Computing Survey.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Campus information technology officials identify "network and data security" as the "single most important IT issue affecting their institutions over the next two-three years," reports the annual Campus Computing Survey. A new item on the...

Dramatic changes in next 100 years.(Climate)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The most comprehensive climate model to date of the continental U.S. predicts more extreme temperatures throughout the country and greater precipitation along the Gulf Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and east of the Mississippi River. The...

Deromanticizing the West: the portraits of Richard Avedon.(Focus on America)
December 1, 2005... Assertive, controversial, and graphically striking, the portraits on view in the exhibition, "In the American West: Photographs by Richard Avedon," have generated extensive and, at times, heated discussion about the nature of portraiture,...

New nickel has new Jefferson.(Money Supply)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The nation's circulating coins have featured the profiles of presidents for nearly a century. The United States Mint has announced that, for the first time in history, the image of Pres. Thomas Jefferson will face forward on the 2006-dated...

Year-end tips could prove profitable.(Income Tax)
December 1, 2005... The Nassau County Chapter of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants recommends these year-end tax tips for consumers: Be energy conscious. If planning to build an energy-efficient home in the next two years, you can...

How America won independence at sea.(USA Yesterday)
December 1, 2005... Americans are mistaken if they think the colonists' fight for independence was won solely by defeating the British, argues Frank Lambert, professor of American history at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and author of The Barbary Wars:...

Good writing skills bolster SAT success.(Education)
December 1, 2005... Writing counts. The ability to compose a clear, concise, proper sentence signals your intelligence and gives you an edge in business. Moreover, for high school students, it now plays an even bigger role in shaping the academic future. The new...

Gas deductions provide relief.(Tax Returns)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... One way businesses can mitigate the impacts of high gas prices is to make sure they do all the right things to take the maximum allowable deductions on their 2005 tax returns. According to the Internal Revenue Code, if you use your...

Why not really splurge this season?(Dining)
December 1, 2005... When families get together for the holidays, they tend to eat foods high in calories and fat, but a Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., foods and nutrition specialist contends that is not necessarily a bad thing. "If people look...

Home 4 the holidays adoption drive surging.(Pets)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Bringing a new pet home is one of life's great pleasures--whether it is watching a puppy or kitten cautiously explore its new surroundings or seeing an older dog or cat excitedly eat from a shiny, new food bowl. Play out those scenes more than...

There's nothing trivial about it.(Toasting)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... There are lots of little things in life that make a big difference, toasting being one of them, declares Greg Davis, master distiller for Ridgemont Reserve 1792 small-batch Kentucky bourbon, who urges revelers to impress family and friends with...

Companies generous with holiday respites.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Today's companies are not grinches when it comes to giving staff days off, suggests a survey by OfficeTeam, Menlo Park, Calif. Fifty-nine percent of employees polled say they are very satisfied with the amount of vacation time their employers...

Staying healthy on holiday trips.(Travel)
December 1, 2005... With the heavy travel season underway, Michael Marks, owner and director of Somerset Chiropractic Center in Boca Raton, Fla., offers advice on staying healthy during the holidays. "People are so busy that they often neglect their own...

Celebrating "foreign" holidays at school.(Traditions)
December 1, 2005... Traditional stereotypes of the holiday season limit it to a time to deck the halls and put up a Christmas tree, but the words actually can encompass much more. With a variety of cultures in elementary schools, certain holidays should not be...

Making the season bright for children.(Parties)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Agonizing over the color of those custom invitations? Deciding whether or not to serve gourmet appetizers? Stop right there! When it comes to great children's holiday parties, kids remember the exciting activities--not the green and red plates...

Students "poisoned" by whole language.(Literacy)
December 1, 2005... "Balancing phonics and whole language reading instruction is like balancing food and poison," declares Onkar Ghate, a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute, Irvine, Calif. In a recent episode that is becoming commonplace across the nation, an...

Rebuilding "big easy" will not be easy.(Post-Katrina)(New Orleans)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The rebuilding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina provides an unprecedented chance to create new city neighborhoods that are economically and racially diverse, says Meghan Cope, associate professor of geography, University at...

Teen labels provide insight.(Substance Abuse)
December 1, 2005... The labels that teenagers use to describe themselves and their peers provide insight into their drug and alcohol use, according to a study from the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). "Headbangers," for...

Myths and realities of car insurance.(Life in America)
December 1, 2005... The color of an automobile influences how much it costs to insure it. Comprehensive coverage protects drivers in all situations because, after all, it is "comprehensive." Car insurance companies can charge whatever they want. Have you ever...

Back to basics necessitated by law.(Accounting)
December 1, 2005... Recent corporate governance mandates and an emphasis on ethics and accurate financial reporting have led to heightened scrutiny and a back-to-basics approach in the accounting profession. Accountants increasingly have become prominent...

Contaminated Katrina cars being resold.(Life in America)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Hurricane Katrina has presented yet another twist to unsuspecting consumers. In the hardest hit sections of New Orleans, cars were sitting in water contaminated with e-coli and fuel for up to four weeks before insurance companies could get in...

The drawings of Van Gogh.(Museums Today)
December 1, 2005... The first major U.S. exhibition ever to focus on Vincent van Gogh's extraordinary drawings--comprising 113 works--will reveal the range and brilliance of the artist's draftsmanship as it evolved over the course of his decade-long career. ...

Public opinion at "tipping point" on Iraq.(Foreign Policy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The U.S. is split in two along religious and party lines, according to the Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index. Across this chasm, however, significant majorities are starting to come together based on discontent with the war...

DNA vaccine may stem spread.(Avian Flu)
December 1, 2005... Researchers scrambling to combat a virulent form of bird flu that could mutate into a strain easily spread among humans should consider developing vaccines based on DNA, suggest British biochemical engineers. DNA vaccines, they say, can be...

Do scandals endanger natural resources?(Business & Finance)
December 1, 2005... The convictions of former Westar Energy executives David Wittig and Douglas Lake for looting the utility of millions of dollars should cause members of society to rethink the role of business and the kind of corporate leaders they want to be in...

Will "bird flu" strike North America?(Medicine & Health)
December 1, 2005... A virulent strain of avian influenza (H5N1), deemed by the World Health Organization to be "the most serious known health threat facing the world," could be heading to North America. "Bird flu" already has killed at least 60 people of 115...

USDA looks to stem H5N1.(United States. Department of Agriculture)
December 1, 2005... Worldwide, there are many strains of avian influenza (AI) virus, which can cause varying degrees of illness in poultry. Al viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, quail, ducks, geese, pheasants, and guinea fowl as well as a wide variety of other...

Avian influenza virus could kill millions.(Pandemics)
December 1, 2005... A harmless virus used as a delivery vehicle may help set a roadblock for a potentially catastrophic outbreak of bird flu in humans, assert researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and the Centers for Disease Control and...