USA TODAY articles from December 2006

USA TODAY archives from December 2006

Internet remains reliable nationwide.(Homeland Security)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... What would happen to Internet reliability in the U.S. if terrorists were able to knock out various physical components of the network? The good news is that it would be very difficult to cause major disruptions across the country, although...

Dickens' "expectations" for celebratory feasts.(Christmas)(food and drink during Christmas in Charles Dickens' books)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Overindulging in food, drink, and celebration during the Christmas season would make Charles Dickens proud, says an English professor from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "Not only did Charles Dickens jam his novels, such as A Christmas...

Most Americans down on Iran.(Survey)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Americans are united in their concern over the threat of Iran, according to a poll taken by The Israel Project, Washington, D.C. In fact, 78% are in favor of the international community placing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran, while...

Military families pulling double duty.(War in Iraq)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... U.S. service members and their families have to do double duty when adjusting to repeated deployments, but researchers from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., are providing information to help the government support the more than...

Sharp-shooting women best Soviet snipers.(The World at War)
December 1, 2006... Soviet military records from World War II contain evidence that women can be as effective front-line soldiers as men, reports Anna Krylova, assistant professor of history at Duke University, Durham, N.C. Krylova has studied the mass...

Despite their graphic violent content and mature ratings--or maybe because of it--a number of video games are likely to be at the top of many Christmas lists this year.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Despite their graphic violent content and mature ratings--or maybe because of it--a number of video games are likely to be at the top of many Christmas lists this year. These games might be mere entertainment to some, but a researcher at the...

Poor preschool children enrolled in high-quality child care centers develop early reading skills faster than those placed in home-based care, accelerating up to six months ahead of their counterparts, reveals a study by Stanford (Calif.) University.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Poor preschool children enrolled in high-quality child care centers develop early reading skills faster than those placed in home-based care, accelerating up to six months ahead of their counterparts, reveals a study by Stanford (Calif.)...

Developing countries rapidly are increasing the number and quality of college graduates, generating a sea change in the relative education advantage that advanced nations have enjoyed over literally hundreds of years, according to an analysis released by The Conference Board, New York, the global research and business membership organization.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Developing countries rapidly are increasing the number and quality of college graduates, generating a sea change in the relative education advantage that advanced nations have enjoyed over literally hundreds of years, according to an analysis...

Books offering advice to parents about teens are less likely to contain injury prevention messages than those concerning smaller children, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Books offering advice to parents about teens are less likely to contain injury prevention messages than those concerning smaller children, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study. Prevention relating to automobile...

A pottery shard found in Israel probably does not refer to the biblical Goliath, but it does lend credence to the story surrounding him, surmises Lawrence Mykytiuk, author of Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200-539 B.C.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A pottery shard found in Israel probably does not refer to the biblical Goliath, but it does lend credence to the story surrounding him, surmises Lawrence Mykytiuk, author of Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of...

Dissolving a marriage is a time of distraction, as emotional and family concerns take center stage.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dissolving a marriage is a time of distraction, as emotional and family concerns take center stage. Yet, divorce is one of the biggest triggers of bankruptcy in a world where bankruptcy has gotten a lot tougher to file. The Financial Planning...

Pets are a $31,000,000,000 industry in the U.S., with $2,400,000,000 of that going toward non-veterinary services, grooming, and boarding, reports the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
December 1, 2006... Pets are a $31,000,000,000 industry in the U.S., with $2,400,000,000 of that going toward non-veterinary services, grooming, and boarding, reports the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association. Pet-owning households will spend an...

Winter wheat crop off to good start.(Agriculture)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... An autumn marked by adequate rainfall across much of the Central Plains states, and no hint of a return to drought conditions in the near future, could lead to an abundant spring 2007 harvest of hard red winter wheat, point out meteorologists...

Warm winter? Don't count on it.(Weather)
December 1, 2006... The current El Nino pattern will be one of the factors that determines the nature of the coming winter, but the government's weather service is overplaying its effects, maintains Joe Bastardi, chief long-range forecaster at AccuWeather.com,...

In the beginning: bibles before the year 1000.(The World Yesterday)
December 1, 2006... The Christian Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It has been produced in numerous editions, from the book form popularized more than 1,600 years ago, to tape recordings, CDs, and now on the Internet. However, few people know the...

New dipstick tests for caffeine.(Stimulants)
December 1, 2006... If you ever have wondered whether your favorite coffee, tea, or soda contains caffeine--despite its decaf label or the absence of caffeine on the ingredients list--then you soon may be able to test the beverage yourself. Chemists at Washington...

Do land trusts hurt biodiversity?(Real Estate)
December 1, 2006... Land trusts that focus on biodiversity should consider the impact of real estate market forces when acquiring land, according to a study by Stanford (Calif.) University. Without good data and an understanding of the laws of supply and demand,...

Traditional cook stoves recipe for pollution.(Environmentalism)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... New measurements of soot produced by traditional cook stoves used in developing countries suggest that these units emit more harmful smoke particles and could have a much greater impact on glob al climate change than previously thought,...

Municipal bonds add fuel to the fire.(Government Debt)
December 1, 2006... It is well-known that the Federal government is amassing large amounts of debt, but state and local governments are piling it up as well. State and local debt soared from 1.19 trillion dollars in 2000 to 1.85 trillion dollars in 2005. About 39%...

C[O.sub.2]-enhanced trees weather ice storms.(Global Warming)
December 1, 2006... The increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere predicted for later this century may reduce the damage that future ice storms will cause to commercially important loblolly pine trees, according to a study by Duke University, Durham,...

How not to spend 2.8 trillion dollars.(Federal Budget)
December 1, 2006... The Federal budget--2.8 trillion dollars in 2006--includes a vast array of programs within hundreds of agencies. When boiled down, however, government spending consists of five basic activities, according to Chris Edwards, director of Tax...

Do's and don'ts for holiday mingling.(Parties)
December 1, 2006... If you are dreading the holiday office party or attending one more open house, and small talk does not come naturally to you, consider creating your own "Do's and Don'ts" cheat sheet, suggests Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk:...

The gift that ... keeps them guessing.(Corporate America)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... We all have received quirky gifts from friends and family--but they are not the only ones who get creative in their giving. Some companies have presented premium items to current and prospective customers that are innovative, if not downright...

"Technoism" strikes when buying presents.(Science & Technology)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Although the newest electronics and technological gadgets are among the most popular holiday gifts each year, they may not be the best presents, maintains Beverly J. Davis, an associate professor of organizational leadership and supervision at...

Kids stressed out by the season.(Psychology)(child behavior)
December 1, 2006... With the extra shopping, errands, school activities, travel, parties, family gatherings, and the inevitable missed naps, children's behavior can become "basically unmanageable" over the holidays, warns Maria Schmidt, an assistant professor in...

How to avoid unpleasant surprises.(buying video games)
December 1, 2006... Adults who are not familiar with video and computer games should be cautious about what they buy children this holiday season, says a video game specialist from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "in a perfect world, video games would be...

'Tis the season to be distracted.(surveys on the productivity of employees)(Survey)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Between the eggnog lattes and gift exchanges, the distractions at work tend to multiply with the holiday season. It is no surprise then that 44% of executives polled by Accountemps, Menlo Park, Calif., a staffing service for temporary...

Divorced parents shouldn't compete.(Gift Giving)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Competition and unrealistic expectations ramp up stress around the holidays, cautions Robert Billingham, an associate professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. "The holidays are about...

As children age injury risk heightens.(Automobile Accidents)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... As children age, their risk of injury or death in a motor vehicle crash increases significantly due to improper child restraint use, according to a joint report issued by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance,...

How to placate the disgruntled.(Customer Relations)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Sometimes less is more when it comes to placating disgruntled customers, maintain Tulane University researchers in the A.B. Freeman School of Business, New Orleans, and it all depends on whether the customer is an optimist or pessimist. ...

Violent crime's effect on retailers.(Life in America)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... When violent crime surges in low-crime areas, retail businesses there seem to suffer more than their counterparts in areas with normally high crime rates, according to research from Ohio State University, Columbus. A study of business...

Media falling down on crime coverage.(Alcohol Abuse)
December 1, 2006... The news media seriously underreports the role alcohol plays in violent crimes, injuries, and traffic accidents, contends a study by Ohio State University, Columbus. While alcohol is believed to play a role in about one-third of homicides and...

CEOs given raises for implementing layoffs.(Business & Finance)
December 1, 2006... Governing boards reward chief executive officers for the decision to let employees go. Specifically, for the year after a layoff occurs, CEOs of the 229 firms studied received 22.8% more in total pay than CEOs of firms that did not have...

Why do Americans idolize serial killers?(Law & Justice)
December 1, 2006... If you log on to eBay, you will find a variety of "murderabilia" on sale for anywhere from five dollars (for a lock of Charles Manson's hair) to $10,000 (for one of John Wayne Gacy's clown paintings). If you are broke but still stuck on Gacy,...

What makes her want you?(Sexual Relations)
December 1, 2006... The first validated measure for assessing cues associated with sexual desire in females has been developed by researchers at the University of Texas, Austin. This tool could be beneficial for use in therapy for women diagnosed with hypoactive...

What it means to sleep together.(sleeping together increases the intimacy between the couple)
December 1, 2006... Snoring, spooning, stealing the sheets, and sleeping in the nude--for the millions of people who share a bed with a partner, there are a number of challenges and benefits to "sleeping together." "Sharing a bed is a complicated, changing,...

France's rebellious romantic.(Museums Today - Girodet's art showcased in new exhibition)
December 1, 2006... A first-hand witness of the disruptions caused by the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise to power, Anne-Louis Girodet (1767-1824), an important painter of the French School, is considered one of the pillars of Romanticism's early period,...

Who benefits from Pension Protection Act?(Retirement)
December 1, 2006... The U.S. faces a pension crisis of epic proportions. Some 30,000 "defined benefit plans" are underfunded to the tune of $450,000,000,000, and a number of financial specialists believe the law Congress passed recently-the Pension Protection Act...

Many Americans are "unretiring".(working after retirement and its benefits)
December 1, 2006... There once was a time when retirement meant leaving the workforce for good. However, a survey by Zogby International and the MetLife Mature Market Institute found that about 11% of retirees ages 55-59, 16% between 60-65, and 19% between 66-70...

Color-blind yuletide survival guide.(color blindness is found more in men )
December 1, 2006... You may observe Christmas, Winter Solstice, or Kwanzaa, but everything looks a bit like a Hanukkah celebration to eight percent of the male population. For people with red-green color blindness--an estimated one in 12 men--only blues and...

Poor credit rating hampers consumers.(Debt)
December 1, 2006... It is estimated that 30,000,000 Americans have "poor" credit scores, making them the victim of exorbitant interest rates, denials for financing, desperate for a way to buy the things they need, and trapped in a bad credit cycle that leaves them...

Stop asking retailers to celebrate Christmas.(Religion)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... "How on Earth did we ever get the notion that we have a right to pressure commercial retailers into celebrating Christmas?" asks Bill Keller, the Internet Evangelist with more than 2,000,000 daily subscribers to his eVotions. "In today's...

Workers rue not taking more days.(Vacations)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Employees planning personal travel this holiday season may want to tack on a few extra days, suggests a survey developed by OfficeTeam, Menlo Park, Calif., a staffing service specializing in skilled administrative professionals. Forty-three...

After "Black Friday" comes "CyberMonday".(Shopping Season)
December 1, 2006... With gas prices moderating and three in four homes nationwide connected to the Internet, in-store and online holiday sales will ring up significant increases this year, predicts retail specialist Richard Feinberg of the Institute and Center for...

Stop the holiday spending carousel.(Lifestyles)
December 1, 2006... In our wistful imaginations, the holiday season is a simple, joyful time of snowfall, sparkling trees, and soft candlelight. However, in 21st century reality, it is a carousel of stress and spending. Think about it: You put off shopping until...