USA TODAY articles from December 2011

USA TODAY archives from December 2011

Television Enters the Fourth Dimension
December 1, 2011... Thanks to 3-D movies and Dolby surround sound virtual reality is on the march--and how much more realistic would a film or -IV show be if a barbecue actually smelled of grilled meat or if you could get a whiff of a sea breeze when the...

Outlook for 2012: More of the Same
December 1, 2011... National and state economies will expand somewhat more in 2012, but not enough to make much of a dent in unemployment, thus leading to a continued historically weak recovery, according to economists at Indiana University, Bloomington, who expect...

Regulations Stifling Economic Recovery
December 1, 2011... Recent regulatory action, while it may be well-intentioned, is contributing to governance gridlock and increased liability, with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and its whistleblower policy at the forefront,...

Answer Lies in Living Wage Campaign
December 1, 2011... As Americans across the country camp out to protest economic inequality, Richard Troxell, a National Coalition for the Homeless board member and author of Looking Up at the Bottom Line: The Struggle for the Living Wage, offers a rallying cry for...

Reinflating Your Own Housing Bubble
December 1, 2011... If the housing market were human, it would look like it just wrestled a few alligators, after running an obstacle course through a snake pit. The market is beaten and bruised, but still trying to emerge from the recession. Greg Rand, author of...

Due to high fares and a poor economy, U.S. airlines face a two percent decline in passengers this holiday season, suggests the Air Transport Association of America.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Due to high fares and a poor economy, U.S. airlines face a two percent decline in passengers this holiday season, suggests the Air Transport Association of America. However, buses are looking forward to an increase in riders throughout their...

Some 23% of U.S. adults report they will not travel to holiday celebrations this year because they cannot afford it, maintains a CouponCabin.com survey.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Some 23% of U.S. adults report they will not travel to holiday celebrations this year because they cannot afford it, maintains a CouponCabin.com survey. Moreover, 32% say they have missed holidays with friends and family during the Great...

A cardiac condition called atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, can increase an individual's risk of stroke by 500%.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... A cardiac condition called atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, can increase an individual's risk of stroke by 500%. "Atrial fibrillation can cause the heart to beat erratically sometimes as fast as 200 beats per minutes,"...

Only 13% of those surveyed think the U.S. needs more government regulations, declares an IBOPE Zogby International poll.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Only 13% of those surveyed think the U.S. needs more government regulations, declares an IBOPE Zogby International poll. Fifty-five percent state that, in general, the Federal government already has too many regulations while 25% feel there is...

The realization of medically treating different children uniquely may start with one of the deadliest diseases in existence: tuberculosis.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... The realization of medically treating different children uniquely may start with one of the deadliest diseases in existence: tuberculosis. Findings published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy indicate that currently recommended doses are...

In a national television survey by Poll Position, Atlanta, Ga.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... In a national television survey by Poll Position, Atlanta, Ga,. of registered voters concerning whether social media is helpful or harmful to the social development of today's youth, 53% claim it is harmful and 20% helpful, while 17% feel it is...

Adding to the mounting body of evidence that steel wheel weights are the best alternative to lead weights is a study by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Adding to the mounting body of evidence that steel wheel weights are the best alternative to lead weights is a study by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control. Comments Kevin Keefe, director of...

More than 3,000,000 people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C virus infection; it usually is transmitted by blood and settles in the liver, which mounts a chronic immune response in an attempt to clear it.(NOTEWORTHY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... More than 3,000,000 people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C Virus infection; it usually is transmitted by blood and settles in the liver, which mounts a chronic immune response in an attempt to dear it. Treatment to eradicate the virus often...

Hedge Funds Bailed Quickly during Crisis
December 1, 2011... During the financial crisis of 2007-09, hedge funds sold their stocks much more aggressively than mutual funds at the first signs of poor performance, according to a study of stock trading at Ohio State University, Columbus. Hedge fund investors...

New York Photographers Get Radical
December 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The Radical Camera: New York's Photo League, 1936-1951" is a formidable survey of the group's history, artistic significance, and cultural, social, and political milieu. The exhibition showcases nearly 150 vintage...

Tracking Benefits Your Responsibility
December 1, 2011... The Pension Protection Act turned five years old in September. As companies rush to shore up pension--or cancel underfunded--plans, individuals need to protect themselves from common mistakes, cautions Rick Rodgers, author of The New...

Low prices have killed brand loyalty.(Retailing)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... The marketplace is not encouraging for some of America's oldest brands, according to Darlene Quinn. a former senior executive with the Bullocks Wilshire department store chain, who understands the inner workings of the fashion retail industry as...

Two dying giants fight for survival.(Sears, Roebuck and Co., Kmart Holding Corp.)(Market Share)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores that was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century. As Wal-Mart became the dominant department store during the...

Women spur greater social responsibility.(Corporate Culture)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... What is good for women is good for business and society as a whole, suggests a study by Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Mass., and Catalyst, New York. Companies with more women at the top may be better practitioners of corporate social...

"New Evangelicals" have no presidential candidate.(Election Day 2012)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... An unexpected bloc of voters has emerged heading into the 2012 election season, New York University's Marcia Pally concludes in The New Evangelicals: Expanding #be Vision of the Common Good. This segment has moved away from religious...

Lack of Jobs Could Lead to More Crime
December 1, 2011... As the market continues to labor under a tax and regulatory burden that stifles all attempts at growth, the unemployment figures promise to remain at unacceptably high levels. While the media focuses on the number of unemployed, there is another...

Ways to help beyond sending care packages.(Military Families)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... In addition to sending care packages and greeting cards to military troops overseas, people should reach out to the wives, husbands, and children who remain at home, recommends the director of Indiana's Military Family Research Institute. "Some...

Take your own family photos.(Christmas Cards)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Renowned shutterbug Jennifer Chaney has teamed up with MyPublisher.com to offer tips for taking your best photos for those personalized Christmas cards--without hiring a professional photographer: Pick the right time of day. Early mornings...

Naughty-and-Nice List for Windows
December 1, 2011... Santa Claus is not the only one with a naughty-and-nice list this year. The folks at Simonton Windows, Parkersburg, W. Va., have provided a list of dos and don'ts for decorating vinyl windows during the holidays. "Vinyl windows are carefully...

'Tis the Season to Stop Wasting Food
December 1, 2011... The holiday season is a lime for gifts, decorations, and lots and lots of food. As a result, it also is a lime of spectacular amounts of waste. In the U.S, we generate an extra 5,000,000 tons of household garbage each year between Thanksgiving...

The Fine Art of Resisting Temptation
December 1, 2011... It seems to happen every year--no matter what we budget, many of us get caught up in the holiday spirit and end up spending more money than we really can afford to, relates Pamela Yellen, author of Bank on Yourself: The Life-Changing Secret to...

They continue to be a New Year's tradition.(Resolutions)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Only 32% of American adults claim they will not be making any New Year's resolutions, according to a Zogby International interactive poll. People vow that they will exercise more (41%), lose weight (36%), and save money (350%). Young people...

Snowed under by Christmas packages.(busiest day for U.S. Postal Service)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, the U.S. Postal Service will deliver approximately 15,800,000,000 cards, letters, and packages across the country and around the world. "The holiday season isn't just the busiest time of the...

Losses Can Extend beyond Loved Ones
December 1, 2011... Loss of a loved one, job, or health can dampen the holiday spirit for many people and isolate or separate them from what used to bring happiness, indicates Cynthia Keith, clinical associate professor of nursing at Purdue University, West...

Underage drinking reaches new highs.(New Year's Celebrations)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking increase more than 250% on New Years Day, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Washington, D.C. There are an estimated 1,980...

Avoid Tangling with Debbie Downer
December 1, 2011... For those of us from families built on Debbie Downer DNA, there is only one direction a mood can go during holiday get-togethers. Sure, the running negative commentary, bubble-bursting barbs, and rampant self-pity were funny coming from...

Disrupted Winter Sleep for Crop-Eating Pests
December 1, 2011... The creation of compounds that disrupt a worldwide pest's winter sleep hints at the potential to develop natural and targeted controls against crop-eating insects, suggests research from Ohio State University, Columbus. Scientists have designed...

Corn Substitutes Remain Too Expensive
December 1, 2011... The production of ethanol from lignocellulose-rich materials such as wood residues, waste paper, used cardboard, and straw cannot yet be achieved at the same efficiency and cost as from corn starch. A cost comparison has concluded that using...

Solyndra and Beacon Aside, Alternatives Exist
December 1, 2011... First Solyndra, then Beacon Power Corp.--both alternative energy companies declared bankruptcy this year after receiving millions in Federal job stimulus dollars. It is just what the U.S. does not need right now, says nuclear scientist Michael...

Peter Pan still soaring higher than ever.(Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan national tour)(Entertainment)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... The legend you thought you knew is now the adventure you never dreamed possible. Former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby once again is taking flight as the boy who will not grow up. "Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan" has begun a two-year national tour that...

Tanning Bed Talk: Advice for Parents
December 1, 2011... With winter just about here, many teens soon will look to tanning beds to reignite their summer tans. Pediatric oncologists urge parents to have "the tanning bed talk" with their kids, and they offer advice on initialing this conversation. ...

The addictive nature of constant bronzing.(TANNING BEDS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... People who use tanning beds frequently may be spurred by an addictive neurological reward-and-reinforcement trigger, researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, have found in a pilot study. This could explain why...

Youngsters Will Show Signs of Victimization
December 1, 2011... Understanding tile line between harmless teasing and persistent bullying can mean the difference between interfering parents and those who help their offspring overcome painful child abuse, according to the newly appointed director of the Center...

Book Banning Reaching Fever Pitch
December 1, 2011... Is the freedom to read in jeopardy in the U.S.? This year alone, individuals in more than 26 states were forced to fight for their right to choose reading materials for themselves and their families, as attempts were made to ban books--including...

Global Warming Could Be Null and Void
December 1, 2011... The debate largely may be drawn along political lines, but the human role in climate change remains one of the most controversial questions in 21st century science. Writing in WIREs Climate Change, Kevin Trenberth, from the National Center...

Science and Religion Are a Good Mix
December 1, 2011... Throughout history, science and religion have appeared as being in perpetual conflict, but a study by Rice University, Houston, Texas, suggests that only a minority of scientists at major research universities see religion and science as...

Females prefer romance to math homework.(Science & Techonology)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... Why do women, who have made tremendous progress in education and the workplace over the past few decades, continue to be underrepresented at the highest levels of science, technology, engineering, and math? A series of studies by researchers at...

Hypersexualized Women Say "Come Hither"
December 1, 2011... The portrayal of women in the popular media over the last several decades has become increasingly sexualized, even "pornified," a study by University at Buffalo (N.Y.) sociologists contends. The same is not true of men. These findings may be...

Is the Economy Killing Fatherhood?
December 1, 2011... "It used to sting me when I was working hard at building my business and I'd hear my kids talking about me. One would ask the other to see if I had time to play with them, and the other would tell him not to bother, because he knew I'd be too...

Religious struggles fan confusion.(Worldview)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... In the global struggle for political harmony, economic viability, and cultural happiness, religion has become the weapon of choice. However, if the pursuit of happiness and prosperity is the goal, then using religion as a means to achieve that...

American settlers had North-South orientation.(Anthropology)(Report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2011... In an intriguing original look at the history of the first Americans, a study finds evidence that the north-south orientation of the continents slowed the spread of populations and technology, compared to the east-west axis of Eurasia. The...

Bad Batches More Likely from Offshore
December 1, 2011... Drugs produced in offshore manufacturing plants--even those run by American manufacturers--pose a greater quality risk than those prepared in tile mainland U.S.. suggests a study at Ohio State University. Columbus. Researchers found that drugs...

Curious George Saves the Day - and His Creators
December 1, 2011... The impish monkey protagonist of many adventures, Curious George may never have seen the light of day were it not for the determination and courage of his creators: illustrator H.A. Rey (1898-1977) and his wife, author and artist Margret Rey...