USA TODAY articles from March 2006

USA TODAY archives from March 2006

Does Bill Clinton have Ben Franklin's mystique?(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Benjamin Franklin, whose 300th birthday several weeks ago is prompting exhibits, documentaries and events in Philadelphia and beyond, is such a celebrated national figure because his life was characterized by a quintessentially American...

Washington bans gender discrimination.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In a 25-23 vote, the Washington state senate approved a bill banning discrimination based on gender identity or expression and sexual orientation. The law should go into effect June 7. "Most Americans believe that everyone deserves to be...

America's innovative edge at risk.(YOUR LIFE)
March 1, 2006... The global landscape for science and technology is changing, with increased competition for resources and recognition. That is beginning to look like bad news for the innovative edge the U.S. long has enjoyed. "Will the United States own the...

What the grounding doesn't know.(YOUR LIFE)
March 1, 2006... Forget about the groundhog and his shadow. Scientists have discovered that the interplay between two layers of the atmosphere plays a major role in the arrival of spring--a finding that could lead to improved weather and climate forecasting....

"Customerization" is undermining U.S.(YOUR LIFE; public relations models)
March 1, 2006... Treating groups such as students, patients, and religious followers as "customers" is having a serious negative impact on U.S. schools, hospitals, churches, media, and government, according to James G. Hutton, associate professor of marketing...

Global imbalances hurt economic growth.(YOUR LIFE)
March 1, 2006... The energy shock to economic growth will be felt worldwide through the increasing global imbalance between high investment and low consumer spending, according to an analysis by The Conference Board, New York, a global research and business...

Corporate concern about network security.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Facing an ever-growing array of threats to corporate information systems, technology executives now see enhancing network security as job one, shows a survey developed by Robert Half International, Menlo Park, Calif., a provider of information...

Growing numbers are buying less online.(YOUR LIFE)
March 1, 2006... Online consumers are expressing growing worries about identity theft, and this is not good news for retailers, reports The Conference Board, New York. More than 13% of all Internet users say they or a member of their household already has been...

Trouble ahead for retiring boomers.(YOUR LIFE)
March 1, 2006... Although baby boomers generally are better off than previous generations, the enormous inequalities among their ranks mean many will struggle with declining health, poverty, and a lack of much-needed family networks as they age, maintain...

Eight must-knows about medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.
March 1, 2006... On Jan. 1, Medicare formally launched its first prescription drug coverage, known as Part D. Enrollment began Nov. 15, 2005, for the program, which gives Americans 65 and older access to coverage from dozens of private insurers subsidized by...

Zoonotic diseases pig out on bird flu.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... With national attention focused on the avian flu threat, other infections that could be transmitted from animals to people--known as zoonotic diseases--also are coming under scrutiny. Those with work exposure to pigs, such as farmers,...

Female teens have eye on the prize.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Female teens are drawn to careers that require more education and are more confident than males that they can obtain their ideal job, according to the 2006 Junior Achievement Worldwide Interprise Poll on Kids and Careers. Some 78.2% of...

Can America deal with the 21st century? "Strong and imaginative leadership, coherent policies, and responsible politics and government will sustain our great nation.".(National Affairs)
March 1, 2006... MORE THAN 230 years ago, a group of exceptional individuals set upon a perilous and uncertain course in a land that would become the United States of America. They had a purpose to their lives and a vision of liberty with a life free from...

Oil and blood: Saudi Arabia and Iraq: "Saudi Arabia is the key to containing the terrorist menace, assuring stability in the Gulf, and keeping the oil flowing at a reasonable price.".(Worldview)
March 1, 2006... THE WAR IN IRAQ is not about democracy and never did concern "weapons of mass destruction." It is about U.S. national security interests in the Gulf that revolve around two issues: the free flow of oil from the region at a reasonable price and,...

The case for David.(WORLD WATCHER; U.S foreign policy)
March 1, 2006... THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PURSUES the "Goliath" agenda without restraint. It is changing the nature of the U.S. from a nation that aspires to be evenly prosperous, from top to bottom, to one where the elite have far more money than they need and...

The new (old) way of war: "we are not fighting a regular army in Iraq. The regular Iraqi armed forces dissolved rather quickly. What our troops now face are guerrillas.".(American Thought)
March 1, 2006... IN 1991, THE U.S., leading several other nations, put on an overwhelming display of military power when it defeated the Iraqi army in 100 hours of ground fighting. In 2001, it was even more convincing when it used a handful of Special Forces...

Measuring economic growth.(ECONOMIC OBSERVER)
March 1, 2006... THE YEAR 2004 WAS A MILESTONE for the world economy, which grew by 5.1%--the fastest in nearly three decades. Output of goods and services increased from seven trillion dollars in 1950 to $56 trillion in 2004, while annual income per person...

Memorializing tragedy: taking the pathway of the prisoner: "a memorial site exists to document a specific period of history, but it also uses the power of authenticity and location to help its visitors form an emotional connection to that history.".(The World Yesterday)
March 1, 2006... ALMOST 61 YEARS AGO, at 5:28 p.m. on April 29, 1945, the main gate of the Nazi concentration camp Dachau--with the haunting German phrase scripted in wrought iron: Arbeit macht frei (Work sets you free)--opened slowly. Cautious American G.I.s...

Are we at war or what?(STATE OF THE NATION)
March 1, 2006... IF THE NEW YORK TIMES HAD DISCLOSED in 1943 that Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt had authorized the FBI to tap all overseas calls, can you imagine the outrage--not at the President, but at the press? It is highly unlikely, however, that, in 1943,...

The Auschwitz album: story of a death factory: Hitler's "final solution of the Jewish question" sent millions to extermination in this installation's gas chambers and crematoriums.(Focus on the Holocaust)
March 1, 2006... ON THE DAY U.S. forces liberated Dora-Mittlebau concentration camp, a prisoner named Lili Jacob--ill with typhus and searching for some warm clothes--came upon a photo album hidden in an SS barracks cupboard. When she opened it, she discovered...

Save-the-world conferences are on the rise: "for the global needy, the fact that these conferences and similar ones are taking place shows that there is a new sense of worldwide caring.".(The World Today)
March 1, 2006... IN SEPTEMBER 2005, New York was the site a trio of of save-the-world meetings: the United Nations' World Summit, former Pres. Bill Clinton's Global Initiative, and my own Global Goals confab. All were seeking innovative solutions to such...

A centennial celebration of Cezanne: the innovative pioneer, renowned in his lifetime as "The Master of Aix," died 100 years ago "on the eve of a revolution in art that his work had firmly set in motion.".(Museums Today)
March 1, 2006... PROVENCE NURTURED the life and art of Paul Cezanne like no other place. In the distinctive countryside around his native Aix-en-Provence. he found the motifs--rich in natural beauty but also in emotive associations--that have since become...

Disney princesses dazzle on ice: seven timeless fairy tales unfold in all their glory during this unforgettable royal skating extravaganza.(Entertainment; 'Disney on Ice Presents Princess Classics)
March 1, 2006... These shows work best when the audience is into it--really into it! That certainly was the case at Feld Entertainment's 'Disney on Ice Presents Princess Classics" as Snow White unwittingly was about to take a bite of the Evil Queen's poison...

A last gasp for jungles? "I may be part of the last generation of photographers to be able to show wildlife in all its glory. The next generation may have better technology, but what wildlife will be left? Wherever I go, I see whole ecosystems unraveling.".(Ecology)
March 1, 2006... FEATURING NEARLY 50 digital images taken by photographer Frans Lanting over the course of 20 years, "Jungles" reveals the vibrant and dynamic wildlife that inhavits what he describes as the Earth's "forgotten Edens." Spanning Asia, Africa, and...

Empty skies.(EYE ON ECOLOGY)
March 1, 2006... EVEN BEFORE CANARIES were brought into coal mines to alert workers to the presence of poisonous gas, birds were giving us early warning calls signaling the Earth's deteriorating environmental health. Worldwide, some 1,212 of 9,775 bird species...

AIDS treatment goes global: the primary focus has shifted "from end-of-life hospice care to outpatient clinical care, as HIV-positive patients on new drug regimes [sustain] longer, healthier lives.".(Medicine & Health; AIDS Healthcare Foundation )
March 1, 2006... ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, a small group of friends, outraged over seeing peers with AIDS dying in the streets of Los Angeles, banded together to "fight for the living and care for the dying." With a coffee can and a clipboard, this group, led by New...

Portraits in courage: AfricAlive exhibition puts the spotlight on the successes--and shortcomings--of the worldwide fight against the HIV virus.(Medicine & Health)
March 1, 2006... At age 49, Nasiimbwa Teopista of Uganda has survived most of her friends and many family members who have died from AIDS. She currently is accessing anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment and urges others to get tested and obtain life-saving therapy....

Embracing new technology.(WORD & IMAGES)
March 1, 2006... MOST OF THE AMAZING pieces of technology of the last several decades have had Achilles' heels. We all are more or less dependent on computers, but along with the revolutionary technology of the Internet, e-mail, and other electronic...

Color Counts: "... it is evident that differing color holds considerable importance within the black community and is measurably influencing self-esteem, prestige, and marital status.".(Life in America)
March 1, 2006... IN GENERAL, AMERICANS no longer pay much attention to the fact that some of us have light skin while others are somewhat darker. Most observers agree that we have made considerable progress in this regard since the 1960s. However, even though...

Chaplin's "Lights" still shines.(REEL WORLD)
March 1, 2006... THIS YEAR IS THE 75TH anniversary of Charlie Chaplin's celebrated "City Lights" (1931), the film with possibly cinema's most memorable concluding scene. Film critic James Agee would accord the segment just that honor in his 1949 Life essay,...

The K-12 establishment is pulling America's industrial leadership at risk; We need the K-12 teaching community to "take responsibility for the poor results they are achieving ... increase the number of instructors qualified to teach math and science ... and stop promoting unprepared students to the next grade level.".(REEL WORLD)
March 1, 2006... THERE ARE SOME very worrisome trends in the U.S. with respect to our global share of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics expertise. Simply put, it is decreasing significantly, both at the bachelor's and Ph.D. levels. The National...

Avoiding the Black Hole of Business Start-ups: "even when the person has done all the homework, is an expert in the field, has researched the marketplace, and understands the strengths and weaknesses, the resources required--in time and money--almost always are much greater than first imagined.".(Business & Finance)
March 1, 2006... IT IS THE GREAT AMERICAN DREAM to start your own business and become your own boss. It is not that complicated, either. Simply invest everything you own and as much as you can borrow, paint a rosy picture of how successful your product or...

Bikini bottom supplements?(NUTRITIONAL KNOW-HOW)
March 1, 2006... THE ADS SCREAM about miraculous transformations, dozens of pounds lost, and renewed energy; many even feature the obligatory babe in a bikini or the guy with the rippling muscles as a preview of how their product will make you look. Yet, when...

My life in baseball: the forgotten manuscript of a big league legend who preceded Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth as the National Pastime's first 20th-century superstar gives a fascinating glimpse of what life was like around the grand old game during its early years.(Athletic Arena; 'Honus Wagner: On His Life & Baseball')(Excerpt)
March 1, 2006... On Dec. 13, 1923, the man many still consider to be the best all-around player ever to grace the diamond set out to write his autobiography. Through January 1924, he told his story in the form of articles published in the Los Angeles Times and...

Chisox revisit Bosox.(SPORTS SCENE)
March 1, 2006... A FEW DAYS AFTER BOSTON CAPTURED its first championship in 86 years, the New York Post ran an illustration of two men walking down a city street with dozens of pigs flying overhead. One guy turns to the other and says, "I see the Red Sox won...

Super cycling for youngsters.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... True, Jeep Consumer Products, a registered trademark of Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, has expanded its boundaries impressively in recent years. Its rugged outdoor gear--from divers watches to backpacks to duffel bags to DigiPouches to...

Daredevil video makers can do with helmet cam.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Sports enthusiasts from skateboarders to cyclists to snowboarders now have the ability to make their own sports videos as exciting as anything seen on TV. With the help of the Tony Hawk Helmet Cam from Digital Blue, Atlanta, Ga., athletes can...

New and improved Swiss Army knife.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... For the first time in more than a century, Wenger, Orangeburg, N.Y., maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife, has changed its design. With a new look and feel, this most valuable tool is now even easier to use. With the Evo Series comes a...

Handcrafted goods from Novica Nation.(WHAT'S NEW?)
March 1, 2006... There is a village of carvers in Bali; a farmer in the Andes who hand-weaves alpaca sweaters; a family of ceramists in Brazil who have handed down their craft from generation to generation. The world is your market, from Accra to Chiangmai to...

Headsets, headphones woven in headbands.(WHAT'S NEW? Steffi Thomas Swapset)
March 1, 2006... Women don't need to be told that headsets are inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unattractive. Designed by an impractical, style-challenged electronics industry, many feature bulbous headphones or uncomfortable earbuds that pop out at the most...

A revolution on the links.(WHAT'S NEW?)
March 1, 2006... The man makes the uniform; the uniform doesn't make the man" is one of the long-held truisms of sports. The same cannot be said of athletic equipment. Over the last 20 years especially, there's been a major revolution taking place in which...

Wine preserves keep it smooth.(WHAT'S NEW? argon gas preservatives)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Connoisseurs of fine wines long have been faced with the dilemma of how to preserve the remainder of an open bottle. Even if finished the next day, the off-taste can be apparent. In fact, as soon as wine is uncorked, air comes in contact with...

Reining in your Wayward Toddler.(What's New? Walk-O-Long )
March 1, 2006... Taking a toddler to a shopping mall can be very challenging, to say the least. It becomes every parent's headache--as well as those around them--when the child gets restless and starts to fuss and there still are gifts or other necessities to...

If it's round (and rolls) like a ball ...(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... How do you improve on the design of a ball? The toy company Bill & Bud, Alameda, Calif., set out to answer just that question. Consider this: It's round and it rolls, you can throw it and catch it, and that's pretty much it. Yet, the problem...

Invisible card games provide visible fun.(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... For a twist on classic card games, Kikkerland Design Inc., New York, N.Y., has revamped the characters in Old Maid, Go Fish, and Crazy 8's. Winning an AIGA Design Award for the redesign of these games, Adam and Gabrielle Lewin have made the...

Next food fight--shoot marshmallows.(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... Whether in hot cocoa, s'mores, or even Fluffernutter, kids love marshmallows. Surely, we've all witnessed youngsters get into a good natured marshmallow fight. It starts with one innocent toss and, the next thing you know, the treats are flying...

Tarantula--the big and hairy kind--on the loose.(What's New?)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Just the thought of a large, hairy tarantula can give some of us the creeps. Did you know that, in addition to eight legs, these meat-eating creatures have eight eyes, as well as the fact that there are more than 300 species, some of which can...

Creating new toys over and over again.(What's New)
March 1, 2006... Kids who love to work with their hands will enjoy making real toys with Colorforms Toy Creator Real Toy Maker ($12.98). In minutes, children can fashion small toys such as trucks, tops, balls, and boats that really work. Toy Creator is a...

This year's fridgeplay may never end.(What's New)
March 1, 2006... Do you love to play but can't seem to carve out the time to sit down and engage? Check out the offerings from Fridgeplay, London, England, the makers of the original "put it on the fridge and play" games. A line of magnetic games designed for...

Imagine, create, connect with Hexabits.(What's New)
March 1, 2006... Looking for an exceptional product to inspire a creative kid? Search no further than Hexabits--colorful, flexible building tiles that combine the creativity of crafting, the simple pleasure of puzzles, and the challenge of construction toys....

If you're picking pick pixel blocks.(What's New)
March 1, 2006... Talk about must-have... but can't get! We first heard about Pixel-Blocks a couple of months before Christmas--in 2004. It was tough trying to find them, though, as it seemed everyone was sold out. If we thought bribing Santa, or even the...

Clean, clean, clean oh, what a feeling.(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... When the house is clean--we mean really clean!--it's a wonderfully satisfying feeling. And nothing quite gives us that feeling the way Black & Decker home products do. Watch out dirt and grime; we're bringing out the big guns: Sweep & Collect...

Sweet dreams with Patsy.(DVD; Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still, The Anthology)
March 1, 2006... It's funny; we always maintain in the strongest terms that we are no fan of country music, yet, if ever given the chance to go back in time to see and hear (in person) any performer, there really is only one choice--country crooner Patsy Cline....

Museum memo.(What's New?)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... What's new in museums around the country? Among the more interesting exhibitions on view are: Honky Tonk: Country Music Photographs by Henry Horenstein, 1972-1981, National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., through Sept. 4. ...

From bench to desk to picnic table.(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... Looking for a comfortable, eye-catching bench to use in the backyard or a picnic table with bench seating? How about an outdoor desk? It's all there with the unique new Multi-Bench, the latest addition to the Presido line of vinyl garden...

Artexpo New York: new art, new look in the Big Apple.(What's New?)
March 1, 2006... Artexpo New York, the world's largest premier fine and popular art fair, will hold its 28th annual exposition ("Big Art. Big Apple") March 2-6 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Work for all tastes, budgets, and styles will be exhibited...

Taking Heat: The President, the Press, and My Years in the White House.(Book review)
March 1, 2006... TAKING HEAT: The President, the Press, and My Years in the White House BY ARI FLEISCHER WILLIAM MORROW, HARPER COLLINS 2005, 370 PAGES, $26.95 In the middle of the afternoon on Election Day 2000, George W. Bush confidently asked Ari...

1776.(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... 1776 BY DAVID MCCULLOUGH SIMON AND SCHUSTER 2005, 386 PAGES, $32.00 Two-time Pulitzer prize winner David McCullough has produced a book that should be read and digested by every American. It recalls the early struggles that the...

A Matter of Opinion.(Book review)
March 1, 2006... A MATTER OF OPINION BY VICTOR S. NAVASKY FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX 2005, 458 PAGES, $27.00 The circulation figures for all the journals of opinion published in the U.S. combined would not equal the readership of People magazine. Yet,...

The Oatman Massacre.(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... THE OATMAN MASSACRE BY BRIAN McGINTY UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS 2005, 258 PAGES, $27.95 There have been many massacres in the history of the American West, but few have captured the imagination of the public as that of the one that...

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... AMERICAN PROMETHEUS The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer BY KAI BIRD AND MARTIN J. SHERWIN ALFRED A. KNOPF 2005, 720 PAGES, $35 What a book! This tome is revealing, readable, and riveting. A biography of "the father of the...

100 People who are screwing up America:.(And AI Franken Is #37)(Book review)
March 1, 2006... BY BERNARD GOLDBERG HARPER COLLINS 2005, 305 PAGES, $25.95 Former senior correspondent for CBS News Bernard Goldberg received six Emmy Awards for his reporting on "48 Hours" and recently acquired another one for Outstanding Sports...

What is philosophy, anyway?(PARTING THOUGHTS)
March 1, 2006... THE LAYMAN'S VIEW OF PHILOSOPHY is hazy at best and proves to be the greatest conversation stopper at a party. Many think it has something to do with the clergy or religion. They are not quite sure of what it is, but they are certain that it is...