USA TODAY articles from December 2009

USA TODAY archives from December 2009

Expect Another Grinch-Like Christmas
December 1, 2009... Unfortunately for retailers, the Grinch will be pushing the shopping cart again this holiday season, says Arun Jain, professor of marketing research at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) School of Management. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "This...

Fate of Local Soldiers Shapes War Opinion
December 1, 2009... Americans think locally when they consider whether the loss of U.S. military personnel overseas warrants troop withdrawals, suggests a study from Ohio State University, Columbus. Researchers found that people are more likely to support bringing...

Recession hurts poor most in long term.(Life in America)
December 1, 2009... The Great Recession may be having some longer-term effects on low-income families and children, including poorer test scores and more single-parent homes, posits Christina Davis, assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at Duke...

Recession's over! Says Who?
December 1, 2009... The U.S.'s gross domestic product rose 3.5% in the third quarter--representing the largest three-month gain in two years and ending four consecutive negative quarters--so, by the technical definition, the recession officially is over. However,...

Embracing Today's Off-Kilter Existence
December 1, 2009... Millions of Americans live their life off-balance, lurching from one event to the next, but that may not be as bad as it seems. According to a study by the Families and Work Institute, New York, one-third of U.S. employees chronically are...

"Silver Spoon" Effect in Ancient Societies
December 1, 2009... The so-called "silver spoon" effect--in which wealth is passed down from one generation to another--is well established in some of the world's most ancient economies, according to an international study coordinated by Monique Mulder, professor...

Psychology studies have shown that some women may try to lure a man away from his current partner.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... Psychology studies have shown that some women may try to lure a man away from his current partner, a phenomenon known as "mate poaching," but a study by social psychologists Melissa Burkley and Jessica Parker of Oklahoma State University,...

Golf long has been the unofficial sport of choice of American tycoons and presidents, with every modern U.S. commander in chief except Jimmy Carter being a golfer - but the decision of the International Olympic Committee to include it in the 2016 Summer Games suggests that the sport has outstripped its stereotypes.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... Golf long has been the unofficial sport of choice of American tycoons and presidents, with every modern U.S. commander in chief except Jimmy Carter being a golfer--but the decision of the International Olympic Committee to include it in the 2016...

Stress related to school pressure and family finances has a greater impact on young people than parents believe, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., which builds on past research indicating that stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between ninth and 12th grade.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... Stress related to school pressure and family finances has a greater impact on young people than parents believe, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., which builds on past research indicating that...

The U.S. is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... The U.S. is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control, maintains a report from the University at Buffalo (N.Y.), which points out that one-fifth of American adults still smoke and prevalence is especially high...

"If you're fat, it's not your fault.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... "If you're fat, ifs not your fault. The problem lies with America's continual subsidizing of com and soybean production that has resulted in an oversupply of cheap refined carbohydrates and cheap vegetable oils that, when combined, give rise to...

The combination of food and economic crises have pushed the number of the world's hungry to historic levels, claim the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... The combination of food and economic crises have pushed the number of the world's hungry to historic levels, claim the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme. More than 1,000,000,000 people are undernourished....

Student Rewards Often Ineffective
December 1, 2009... It seems so natural to many teachers and parents: give children rewards for doing well in school and that will motivate them to achieve more. Not so fast, suggest the authors of Classroom Motivation. Research indicates that rewards actually can...

Big-Time College Sports Getting Bigger
December 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That a majority of college presidents say they feel powerless to contain the escalating costs of big-time college athletics "should comes as no surprise," notes Charles Clotfelter, professor of public policy, economics,...

Go Green and Save Money
December 1, 2009... Holiday travelers can save money and reduce their contribution to global warming at the same time, thanks to a handy green travel guide from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, D.C., in which researchers have calculated the amount of...

Get Christmas Buzzing with Electronic Gifts
December 1, 2009... Does the mere thought of holiday gift shopping leave you feeling more frazzled than festive? From the crowds in the stores to the (lack of) cash in your pocket, it is no wonder that shopping is stressful. For smoother sailing in the quest for...

Be Sure All's Secure on the Home Front
December 1, 2009... Some 63,900,000 U.S. residents traveled last year during the winter holidays, according to the American Automobile Association. This translates into a lot of homes that will be left unoccupied during Christmas, New Year's, etc. for opportunistic...

Mull over Calories before Toasting
December 1, 2009... While some people are conscious of the calories from snacking on holiday cookies and hors d'oeuvres, many partygoers may not be counting the calories in their alcoholic beverages. "The over consumption syndrome in this country is not only about...

Be like Santa, follow the wise men.(Christmas Shopping)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... With holiday shopping season ready to go into last-minute mode, those who still have gifts to get may be feeling the pressure. The Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, Fairfax, Va., encourages consumers not to panic....

Real Ones Can Make You Sneeze
December 1, 2009... It is a scene right out of an old movie--heading off into the hills with the kids in tow to cut down a Christmas tree for home display. Doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, though, say if you choose the wrong...

Frosty Paws Can Ruin Pets' Winter Fun
December 1, 2009... While the holidays and chilly temperatures make for a festive and cozy winter, the advent of Christmas trees, holiday treats, and fluffy white snow present an entirely different scenario for pet owners whose four-legged companions easily can get...

Make It a Memorable Do-It-Yourself Affair
December 1, 2009... Think outside the gift box and tap into your family's creativity to deck the halls this year. It never is too early to start thinking about holiday decorating. Here are some decor ideas that will help revelers discover some new and beautiful...

Keeping Teens Tip-Top in the New Year
December 1, 2009... With Baby New Year 2010 soon replacing Old Man 2009, teens may find themselves facing more pressures than ever before. The advent of new the pitfalls of social networking sites, an economy that has many parents taking ex-jobs (if they can find...

For fodder, let's talk turkey.(Festive Food)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... It is holiday time, and the eating is good. So, let us get in a "fowl" mood, courtesy of IBISWorld, the Los Angeles, Calif.-based market research organization: * Thanksgiving and Christmas account for 30% of turkey consumption--a decline from...

Get a Plan and Stick with It
December 1, 2009... For many, 2009 will be remembered as the year when they drastically reset their spending priorities due to job and investment woes, or the fear of more economic troubles ahead. That is not a particularly bad starting point for a spending season...

It Is Possible with the Heart of a Champion
December 1, 2009... We all have good intentions this time of year. "I would like to lose 30 pounds; get back into a size 4 dress; increase my sales; be nicer to my family; stop worrying; and play tennis again." Across America, this list goes on and on: New Year's...

Celebrating the Life of a Princess
December 1, 2009... Since the beginning of American history, our nation has had a complicated relationship with British royalty, and an unending fascination with the government we overthrew in the Revolution. Known to many as "The People's Princess," Princess Diana...

Depressed pregnant women at higher risk.(Swine Flu)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... Pregnant women with significant symptoms of depression tend to have a stronger biological reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine than do those with lower depression levels, according to a study from Ohio State University, Columbus. The finding pro...

TV Crime Dramas Skew Perception of System
December 1, 2009... People who watch forensic and crime dramas on television are more likely than nonviewers to have a distorted perception of the U.S. criminal justice system, maintain researchers from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "These kinds of...

Ways to rescue "watchdog" media.(Mass Media)(Brief article)
December 1, 2009... The emerging field of computational journalism offers hope for preserving the "watchdog" role of the media, an essential element in the healthy functioning of democracy, declares a report released by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and...

What Might Have Been (and Could Be) at the Met
December 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Pablo Bronstein at the met" is a presentation of new work by the London-based artist, addressing the history and future of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Several large ink drawings suggest a mythical history of the...

California Goes Nuts over Declining Winters
December 1, 2009... Winter chill, a vital climatic trigger for many tree crops, is likely to decrease by more than 50% during this century as global climate warms, making California no longer suitable for growing many fruit and nut crops, maintain researchers from...

Biofuel Corn Contaminates Water
December 1, 2009... More of the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow corn would find their way into nearby water sources if ethanol demands lead to planting more acres of the crop, according to research by Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. A study of...

Global Changes Threaten Millions
December 1, 2009... Changes to the Earth's land cover, climate, and ecosystems are endangering the health of hundreds of millions of people worldwide and now represent the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century. The scale of these global changes...

Tips for Keeping a Healthy System
December 1, 2009... Whether part of a small business, a multinational, or just trying to find a recipe online at home, we sometimes seem to spend just as much time fixing "issues" and "conflicts" on our computers as we do working on them. For the home user, this...

Does Urban Sprawl Affect the Weather?
December 1, 2009... Previously rare big city storms--like the Aug. 19 tornado that downed trees and ripped off roofs in downtown Minneapolis and the powerful thunderstorms that destroyed scores of shade tress in New York City's Central Park a day earlier---may not...

Complications in Cyberspace: "The Problem Is That What Makes Sense for Liability in Criminal Law Does Not Necessarily Make Sense in the World of Intellectual Property"
December 1, 2009... The struggle of American courts to control the explosion of intellectual property rights violations on soma of the most traveled highways of cyberspace poses a legal challenge to the judicial system with implications that could threaten the...