USA TODAY articles from July 2009

USA TODAY archives from July 2009

Multitaskers should hang up and save gas.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... In our fast-paced society, the pressure keeps mounting to accomplish more in less time. People are looking for ways to combine activities, and one of the most common is to multitask while driving. However, there may be a hidden cost beyond...

New mileage standards to cut oil consumption.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... More oil will be saved through Pres. Barack Obama's new mileage and emissions standards than would be produced if both the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the currently restricted parts of the outer continental shelf were opened for...

Obama administration refuses to E-Verify.(YOUR LIFE)(Barack Obama)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... For the fourth time this year, implementation of an executive order requiring that all Federal contractors use the E-Verify system to check workers' eligibility has been postponed. With no rule in place, Federal contractors will be accessing...

Which state affords most individual freedom?(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... The freest states in the country are New Hampshire, Colorado, and South Dakota--all in a virtual tie for first place--according to political scientists from the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) and Texas State University, San Marcos, who have...

Swine Flu Is Only the Beginning
July 1, 2009... As health officials scramble to develop a vaccine for the H1 N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, there is reason to believe that the current swell merely is a sign of the larger pandemic to come. We should regard the current outbreak of...

Cities Begin Printing Their Own Money
July 1, 2009... In Michigan, locally printed currency is called "Detroit Cheers"; in North Carolina, "Plenty"; in New York, "Ithaca Hours"; and, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "BerkShares." People are able to trade in 95 cents in U.S. currency for one...

Weak economy forces people to cut back.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... The nation's current economic conditions have caused many Americans to rethink their spending habits, with 70% saying they have cut back on entertainment, recreation, and eating out at restaurants in the past year, a Zogby Interactive poll...

Noninsured teens not seeking depression help.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Some 8.2% (2,000,000) of American youths aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year; 38.9% of these adolescents received treatment during this period, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and...

Texting women more expressive.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... The book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus and its gender stereotypes on how the sexes communicate remains fodder for debate. Two researchers from Indiana Universe, Bloomington, however, have confirmed one thing: When men and women talk...

"Sexting" the Result of Porno-Drenched Society
July 1, 2009... Who could have predicted that the future danger of cell phones would be what kids are able to do and send with them visually? Many are transmitting pictures and videos of almost anything through them. Robert Peters, president of Morality in...

Millions find work from staffing firms.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Despite escalating unemployment reports, more than 11,000,000 people are finding work as contract-based employees. Unlike their counterparts who work directly for--and are getting laid off by--companies that hire permanent staff, contract-based...

If You're Happy and You Know It
July 1, 2009... Happiness can be measured--but not bought. That observation was made by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., as they studied well-being from a scientific perspective--sociological, biological, genetic, and psychological. Age,...

It's okay to catch a nap--just keep it short.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Here is permission from a Mayo Clinic sleep specialist: it is okay to take a nap. A short nap--10 to 20 minutes is just right for most people--can be restorative, reveals Michael Silber, codirector of the Center for Sleep Medicine, Rochester,...

Overweight whites feel sting of discrimination.(Your Life)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Discrimination is a stress factor that is related to obesity but, surprisingly, this is most true among ethnic white groups and not blacks or Hispanics, maintains a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, N.J. "We wanted to...

Be Up-Front with Kids concerning Disasters
July 1, 2009... Children will be better prepared mentally and emotionally for a natural or man-made disaster if parents speak with them in advance about the threats in a realistic but calm manner, suggests a child development specialist from Purdue University,...

A Prescription for American Health Care
July 1, 2009... LET US START with the bad news--when we get through the economic tough times that we are mired in right now, we are going to be confronted with an even bigger problem. The first of the baby boomers started signing up for early retirement under...

Whither the Republican Party?
July 1, 2009... REPUBLICANS ARE at their lowest point since the Watergate scandal of 35 years ago. It happened in a flash. Early in the presidential campaign, John McCain was running neck and neck with Barack Obama. Then, the financial roof fell in and...

Obamacare: Seven Bad Ideas for Health Care Reform
July 1, 2009... PRES. BARACK OBAMA has made lit clear that reforming the American health care system will be one of his top priorities. In response, congressional leaders have promised to introduce legislation before summer's end, and they hope for an initial...

Charting the Business of Think Tanks
July 1, 2009... CORPORATIONS and foundations affiliated with companies are important providers of funds for think tanks--and many other organizations. (Think tanks are nonprofit, private institutes researching public policy.) The relationship between business...

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
July 1, 2009... SOME MONTHS AGO, there was a debate going on in this country over whether the U.S. economy really was in a recession. Polls showed sagging public confidence, especially in regards to the financial sector. Then the discussion turned to how long...

Will World Population Implode?
July 1, 2009... THE GLOBE will have 7,000,000,000 inhabitants early in 2012, up from the current 6,800,000,000, and surpass 9,000,000,000 by 2050, according to the United Nations World Population Prospect. That last number is subject to considerable uncertainty...

How Christianity Shaped the West
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN RECENT YEARS, there has arisen a new atheism that represents a direct attack on Western Christianity. Books such as Richard Dawkins The God Delusion, Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great, and Sam Harris' The End of...

Pirate Plunder
July 1, 2009... THE RECENT SPATE OF ATTACKS off the coast of Somalia has served to do some good things in the world of sea piracy observation and control. The first is that it has brought the world's attention to a problem that has endured for decades and yet...

A Depressing Outlook of Teenagers
July 1, 2009... MENTAL HEALTH interests--namely the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, convened by the Federal government's Public Health Service--wish to establish a national "depression test" that would screen all adolescents (ages 12-18) for major...

Stars of Summer Descend on St. Louis: Can the National League's Mid-Summer Night's Dream Team Finally Prevail in the All-Star Game?
July 1, 2009... THE 2006 ST. LOUIS Cardinals were the first team since the 1912 Boston Red Sox (in Fenway Park) to christen their new ballpark with a World Series championship at home, but the task ahead for Busch Stadium Ill may be even more daunting--will it...

Skies Alive
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOOD, WATER, protective cover, and a sheltered place to nest and breed are basic to a bird's survival. Nature, however, oftentimes only supplies riving creatures with a suitable habitat for part of the year, as the...

Picturing America
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "PICTURING AMERICA" tells the story of the U.S. through its art. This nation is united by our devotion to shared ideals. Great American art can help us ensure these ideals are studied, passed on, and remembered. The...

What Did You Say?
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I HAVE TONGUE and will travel, so I run around the country speaking to groups of teachers, students, librarians, women's clubbers, guild professionals, and corporate clients. These good people go to all the trouble of...

The Internet Rumor Mill
July 1, 2009... THESE ARE PRECARIOUS TIMES when it comes to getting accurate and fair news and information. Surveys show that nearly half the population, and 55% among 18-to 29-year-olds, claim the Internet as their chief source of news and information--and...

Warmer World, Savage Storms
July 1, 2009... ELEVATED GLOBAL TEMPERATURES bring a number of threats, including rising seas and more crop-withering heat waves. Higher surface water temperatures in the tropical oceans also provide more energy to drive tropical storm systems, leading to...

To the End-Or at Least Top-Of the Earth
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHO WAS THE FIRST person to stand at the North Pole? There are various theories, but nobody knows for sure. Some believe it was Commander Robert E. Peary, who, along with the African-American Matthew Henson. four Inuit...

An ET Visitors' Guide to Earth
July 1, 2009... ORSON WELLES ONCE OBSERVED, "If I had to save only one film in the world, it would be 'Grande Illusion.'" In Welles' later years, Jean Renoir, the director of this 1937 antiwar classic, had become his favorite filmmaker. Still, given the fact...

The Universe Does Not Revolve around You-Or Does It?
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THERE IS A STEADY stream of articles exhorting daily meditation in the magazines that cross my desk, as my profession requires that I keep up, at least to some extent, with the varieties of information and nonsense in...

Preparing for the New School Year: Success Begins at Home
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMERICAN TAXPAYERS invest heavily in the country's school system. Last year, spending on public K-12 education--and this is pre-Pres. Barack Obama's stimulus bill--totaled around $560,000,000,000, about four percent of...

The favor.(Literary Scene)(Short story)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN YOU ARE at a social function and you tell someone you sell burial plots for a living, their faces fall a certain way. The conversation, no matter how intriguing, dies shortly afterward. I never really go to social...

Grand Adventures in the Family Pool
July 1, 2009... When you have youngsters around, your pool transforms from a place to relax and cool off (our personal preference) to one of endless games and amusement (the kids' first choice). What better source to turn to for a host of exciting water-related...

Towels fit for a Roman emperor.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Wearable Towel )(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Whether at the beach, spa, or poolside, a comfortable towel is a must. However, if you want to get up and walk around while still being covered, towels sometimes can pose a challenge. The Wearable Towel from 20/20 Vision Management, Fisher...

Winning the U.S. Open of Shuffleboard
July 1, 2009... For those of you not familiar with the area, Long Island, N.Y., is well known for its ocean beaches. When we were growing up here, no matter where you lived--the island is about 120 miles long--summers were not complete unless they included a...

Mosquito Mister Thwarts Backyard Bloodsuckers
July 1, 2009... Backyard barbecues will never be the same--and that's a good thing, as Universal Pest Solutions, LP, Dallas, Tex., has introduced the AllClear Mosquito Mister, a device that, in a mere three minutes, controls mosquitoes and other nuisance...

Finding relief with liquid shade.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Portable Mister cooling system)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... While our kids continue to stay active all summer, they're always quick to jump in the pool to cool off and take a break from the intense heat. With organized sports leagues, however, that's just not practical. We worry about them when they...

A labor of love made easier.(WHAT'S NEW?)(garden equipment)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Sure, everyone loves a beautiful garden, and we here in suburbia certainly expend a lot of effort getting our landscaping exactly like we want it. The upkeep can be endless if we don't take steps to prevent pesky weeds from popping up where...

Perfect Your Parking Zone
July 1, 2009... Are you one of the 55% of Americans who has to park at least one car outside because your garage is so full of clutter? Perhaps all you need is a little more storage space for the seemingly endless array of tools, sports equipment, and seasonal...

Summer slumber has its limits.(What's New?)(iHome iP9 digital clock radio)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... For school kids, summertime is synonymous with vacation time. For the rest of us, we can't necessarily pack away our alarm clocks for the next two months. Getting up, however, has gotten a little more pleasant with the iHome iP9 from SDI...

Enjoying Our Time in Margaritaville
July 1, 2009... Now that our summer of fun finally has arrived, we are prepared to barbecue anytime and anyplace with the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill. Designed to mount to the back of any vehicle with a standard two-inch hitch receiver, the grill is always...

A sweet ending makes for a perfect meal.(What's New?)(Daphne Tarts )(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... We have to admit that we rarely consider any meal complete without something sweet to cap off the experience. Whether we're throwing together a quick weeknight supper, entertaining friends, or enjoying a romantic picnic, nothing compares to a...

Carry-Alls That Can Hold Baby's Many, Many Needs
July 1, 2009... There's no way around it: when you have an infant, leaving the house for even a short outing requires you to bring a lot of stuff. Chances are, if you've ever tried to run a quick errand with a young child in tow, you invariably regretted not...

Having Yourself a Sherry Good Time
July 1, 2009... When we set out to find some fresh and exciting cocktails for the summer, we increasingly were drawn to the uniqueness of sherry---a fortified wine from the Jerez region in southwestern Spain. It's a versatile choice, as it not only can stand on...

Cookbooks that create barbecue masterpieces.(What's New?)(Emeril at the Grill: A Cookbook for All Seasons / 300 Big and Bold Barbecue and Grilling Rec)(Book review)
July 1, 2009... Though we know that people in many parts of the country barbecue year-round, here in the Northeast, it just doesn't seem feasible. Sure, some of our neighbors get all bundled up to throw on some steaks in the dead of winter but, for us, nothing...

The Yankee Years.(Book review)
July 1, 2009... THE YANKEE YEARS BY JOE TORRE AND TOM VERDUCCI DOUBLEDAY, NEW YORK 2009, 502 PAGES, $26.95 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Having grown up in New Jersey where the New York Yankees were baseball---sorry, Mets and Phillies, the latter's 2008...

A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media.(Book review)
July 1, 2009... A SLOBBERING LOVE AFFAIR: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media BY BERNARD GOLDBERG REGNERY PUBLISHING, INC., WASHINGTON, D.C. 2009, 173 PAGES, $25.95 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Read It and Weep
July 1, 2009... THE LOVE OF READING was found critically injured early this morning, the gruesome victim of an apparent attempted murder via drawing and quartering. The victim, who tended only to appear with upper class males in previous centuries, had...