USA TODAY articles from May 2006

USA TODAY archives from May 2006

Foreign governments meddling in U.S. affairs.(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... A recent full-page ad in America's leading daily newspapers, paid for by the government of Mexico, deliberately timed to influence a congressional debate about U.S. immigration policy, brazenly declares the exercise of U.S. sovereignty must be...

Will U.S. population reach one billion?(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... Sometime later this year, the 300 millionth American is projected to be born. If the current effort by Pres. George W. Bush and leaders of Congress to adopt a massive increase in immigration is successful, that 300 millionth individual could...

Rural roads in south most deadly by far.(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... Rural two-lane highways are the largest single class of roads in the U.S.--and they are the deadliest, especially in the Southeast. Almost one-third of the nation's traffic fatalities occurred in just eight southeast states in a five-year...

Russian on the rise among students.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Russian language studies are rebounding even as current events attract more students to Arabic and Spanish, says a language professor at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "Learning languages, especially Russian, is often motivated by...

Can our Empire of Debt continue?(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... If Pres. George W. Bush's new 11-pound, 2,400-page budget--one that will saddle this country with a record $423,000,000,000 deficit--failed to send chills up your spine, you must be asleep. Indeed, asleep seems to be the new awake, maintains...

Almost 1,000,000 teens think suicide.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Almost 1,000,000 adolescents had made a plan to commit suicide during their worst or most recent episode of major depression, and 712,000 attempted suicide during such episodes, contends a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...

Guarding against mad cow disease.(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... In the wake of the Department of Agriculture's announcement confirming a third case of mad cow disease in the U.S., Farm Aid, Somerville, Mass., a family farm organization, has released tips to help consumers make decisions when purchasing beef...

Is America facing another Dust Bowl?(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... Oceanic conditions similar to those that triggered the ruinous "Dust Bowl" drought during the Great Depression of the 1930s appear to be in place, warn meteorologists at AccuWeather.com, State College, Pa. The exceptionally warm waters of the...

Cutting it too close for comfort.(YOUR LIFE)(safety while using power saws)
May 1, 2006... Whether remodeling a basement, fixing a porch, or building a deck, chances are you will use a power saw. Be careful: Contact with saw blades spinning at 5,000 revolutions per minute sends more than 91,000 people a year to the emergency room....

Don't be shocked by extension cords.(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... Extension cords let you go to great lengths for spring maintenance chores in and around the home. However, they also require you to go the distance on safety to avoid electrical shocks and fires when using power tools and garden equipment. ...

Business trips: the road less traveled.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The bleary-eyed business traveler is becoming a less frequent sight in airports and hotels across the country, suggests a survey developed by Robert Half Management Resources, Menlo Park, Calif., a provider of senior-level accounting and...

Job satisfaction hinges on boss.(YOUR LIFE)
May 1, 2006... Getting along with the boss is more important than pay or benefits when it comes to happiness at work, suggests a survey by Accountemps, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping...

"Drinkers" could use beverage guidelines.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... American adults consume about 21% of their daily calories from beverages--twice as much as is recommended by the World Health Organization. In response, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has developed the first set of Healthy...

Women falling prey to lung cancer.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The recent death of Dana Reeve, actress, singer, mother, and wife of late actor Christopher Reeve "highlights the fact that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S., claiming 30,000 more lives annually than breast...

"That's not fair!" is children's battle cry.(YOUR LIFE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Most parents of multiple children have, at some point, heard their offspring utter the phrase, "That's not fair," in response to punishment or preferential treatment for a sibling. While parents have their own views on when it is fair to treat...

Resisting temptation.(STATE OF THE NATION)
May 1, 2006... THE FORTUNES OF PRES. George W. Bush and the Republican Party have continued to dim since the 2004 election. The ongoing struggles in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina disaster, Abramhoff scandals, and Dubai Port controversy have piled on top of one...

The never-ending dilemma over Medicare and Social Security: this pair of political hot potatoes has generated lots of debate, but no viable solutions, as a basic question continues to remain unanswered: How long will the working population agree that a rising share of its taxes should go to the people no longer working?(National Affairs)
May 1, 2006... THERE IS A BASIC mismatch in the national debate on health care. On one hand, the actuaries tell us that the Medicare program will mn into very serious financial problems in the years ahead. On the other, the public concern is focusing on the...

Enriching America's heartland: trade is just one of the many pieces of a very large and complex portfolio that comprises American farm policy.(Economics)
May 1, 2006... THERE ARE FEWER people contributing to the rural economy than when I grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa. There was a day when five families lived on one section and agricultural producers really built the economy of the rural communities. Now, it...

Pirates: scourge of the modern seas: crews have been kidnapped and murdered, passengers robbed and raped, and oil shipments stolen for resale on the black market, but the real danger may be the possibility of suicide bombers destroying one of the world's major port cities.(The World Today)(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO: Pirates come alongside a natural gas-carrying cargo ship in the Strait of Malacca in the middle of the night. They are carrying various small arms including AK-47s. They throw a hook up over the railing and crawl up the...

Patriot games.(WORLD WATCHER)(Dubai Ports World takeover deal)
May 1, 2006... MOHAMMED SHARAF, chief executive of Dubai Ports World, says that the virulent reaction to DP World's takeover of a previously British-owned service contract came as "a real shock." It shouldn't have. Like the Bush Administration that had...

Can Iran's nuclear activities be thwarted?(Worldview)
May 1, 2006... "Preventing nuclear war arguably is the most important arena in which universal compliance is needed. This standard must apply not only to Iran, but to the U.S. and other nations." IRAN'S NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES are worrisome and pose a...

There will be no farewell to arms: vigorous opposition to unnecessary intervention in "crises" around the world has fallen on deaf ears, as each Administration since World War II has managed to blunder U.S. foreign policy at the needless expense of American lives and the country's reputation abroad.(International Affairs)
May 1, 2006... EVERY WAR IS BAD and, in the end, no one is wiser. Nearly 100,000 U.S. soldiers have died in armed conflicts since World War II. None of these military actions was vital to the national interest. Many were unsuccessful and undesirable,...

A spike in bikes.(ECONOMIC OBSERVER)
May 1, 2006... IN 2003, GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF BICYCLES hit 105,000,000--two-and-a-half times the record 42,000,000 cars produced. During the 1950s and 1960s, bicycle and automobile production were nearly equal. In the decades following, however, bike output...

Dinotopia: lost island and forgotten civilization: an extraordinary place where humans and dinosaurs live in harmony comes to life in this enchanting exhibition of one of the country's foremost fantasy illustrators.(Museums Today)
May 1, 2006... FROM THE SOOTHING, restorative environment of Waterfall City to the hidden wonders of Chandara, acclaimed author and illustrator James Gurney's magical Dinotopian world comes to life in an enchanting exhibition that features 44 original oil...

Goya's portraits.(Museums Today)
May 1, 2006... FRANCISCO DE GOYA (1746-1828) is one of the most multifaceted artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His oeuvre, replete with such opposing ideas as comfort and turmoil, friend and toe, anguish and celebration, and health and...

The art of exploration: National Geographic's illustrators "serve as trusted interpreters of complex information with images that astound and delight, allowing readers to see things that never actually could be observed without an artist's intervention.".(Museums Today)
May 1, 2006... FROM A MICROCOSM of life existing in ordinary backyard soil to visions of the most distant reaches of the cosmos, the vibrant illustrations in National Geographic magazine have taken readers on expeditions of discovery for more than a century....

Enjoy four seasons of fun at storybook land: let your little ones loose in a wonderful world where make-believe characters and fun-filled rides are the order of the day.(Going Places)
May 1, 2006... EVEN AS A CHILD, I knew time was accelerating. Now that I'm all grown up with kids of my own, I'm more convinced of it than ever, especially around the holidays. Each year, the standard joke on this subject occurs in our house about a week...

Truly, the greatest story ever told: the exhibition "Darwin" thoroughly examines the renowned naturalist's groundbreaking and controversial work, The Origin of Species, which ultimately helped the world of science understand that "nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution.".(Science & Technology)
May 1, 2006... A NEW EXHIBITION on Charles Darwin (1809-82) features the broadest and most complete collection ever assembled of specimens, artifacts, original manuscripts, and memorabilia related to the history-making scientist and his theory of evolution by...

A shell of their former selves.(EYE ON ECOLOGY)(American lobster)
May 1, 2006... THE AMERICAN LOBSTER long has been a vital commodity for the coastal communities of New England and the provinces of Canada. Valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, the lobster fishery is one of the few remaining viable, traditional, natural...

Soccer once again commands the world stage.(Athletic Arena)
May 1, 2006... IT OFTEN HAS occurred to me--with some consternation--that the most popular sporting event in the world continues to be largely misunderstood in this country. Like most of our nation's 250,000,000 or so inhabitants, I grew up with baseball,...

Not wild about the wild card.(SPORTS SCENE)
May 1, 2006... "THE BEST TEAM ALWAYS WINS; just look at the scoreboard" is a long held, if arguable, sports axiom. Yet, how can the best team win (a championship or, in this case, the pennant and World Series) if it is not even on the field in the first...

Of what value are public opinion polls?(American Thought)
May 1, 2006... THERE IS A SPECTER haunting America--it is the never-ending proliferation of public opinion polls. From the contracts that polling organizations have with major and minor news organizations to candidates' and others' private polling, the...

Dramas best news on issues.(WORDS IMAGES)
May 1, 2006... IT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY, but if you want to understand some of the key issues facing the country today, do not waste your time watching nonfiction television. TV news shows, documentaries, newsmagazine programs, and morning talk...

Indecent exposure: Congress, the FCC, cable TV, and satellite radio look to be headed for a big showdown as indecency is among the top issues on the agenda of the new Federal Communications Commission chairman.(Mass Media)
May 1, 2006... AS WRITERS OF CABLE and satellite programs have "pushed the envelope" to see how far they can go with obscenity and indecency, critics have termed programs everything from "tacky" and "in bad taste" to "raunchy" and "suffocating sewage." The...

Honky-Tonk: country music the way it used be; here's a look at a bygone era, an affectionate glimpse of fans, performers, and the places where they mingled.(USA Yesterday)
May 1, 2006... IN 1972, HENRY HORENSTEIN. a young history-trained photographer and country music fan began recording the country music scene as he experienced it from Reeds Ferry, N.H., to Mamou, La. Taking the advice of his professor, the sage and...

She done us right; comedic movie star Mae West was addressing such then-provocative material as intercourse, homosexuality, drag queens and prostitution in the 1920s.(REEL WORLD)
May 1, 2006... IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT FCC campaign to crack down on TV indecency, one cannot help but wonder what Chairman Kevin Martin would have made of the incomparable Mae West, the film legend whose comically sexy axioms ("When women go wrong, men go...

Who said gardening is hard work?(WHAT'S NEW?)(Easy Gardener Products Ltd.)
May 1, 2006... Although we don't mind toiling in the topsoil while tending to our flowerbeds, vegetables, shrubs, and lawn, there's nothing easy about it, so forgive us if our skepticism was raised by a company named Easy Gardener, which claimed its products...

Fix your garden the union way.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... If you want top-quality tools, you go to Union-Tools, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. But what if you need top-quality gardening tools? Same place, as UnionTools has launched its Gardener's Pride line just in time for the spring planting season. These...

Care to catch a Bob Feller fastball?(WHAT'S NEW?)(baseball gloves, Hoboken Collection from Akadema Inc.)
May 1, 2006... We've made a number of trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and believe us when we say that the ooohs and ahhs from visitors are not the result of seeing the actual Hall (with its mounted plaques of the game's all-time...

Be guided by insight when you travel.(Insight Guides from American Map-Langenscheidt Publishing Group)
May 1, 2006... Most guidebooks give travelers the sights: where to eat; where the museums are and when they open; where to stay; and the best places to relax. Insight Guides from American Map-Langenscheidt Publishing Group, Long Island City, N.Y., provide...

Travel organizers to keep the peace.(WHAT'S NEW?)(L.C. Industries)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... It seems simple enough: you carefully plan your itinerary, neatly pack the car, load the kids in, and off you go. Incredibly, within minutes, it all seems to unravel. "I'm hungry"; "I'm thirsty"; "I dropped my game"; "Can I unbuckle for just a...

Stave puzzles: let the tortuous fun begin.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2006... Jigsaw puzzle aficionados take note: You haven't mastered the skill until you've conquered a Stave puzzle. Equal parts excitement and frustration, each hand-cut, wooden design is intended to confound you. We got an inkling of what was in store...

Warm weather calls for warming spirits.(WHAT'S NEW?)
May 1, 2006... Now that the weather has warmed a bit, the evenings are perfect for cocktail parties. So, step out onto the deck, light the fire bowl for ambience--and possibly a little heat--enjoy the company of good friends and, of course, some enticing...

Hitting the links in style.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Women see spring as a chance to buy--and wear--the newest styles in clothing; men, too, treat the season as a coming-out party of sorts, but they're more interested in showing off their new sports equipment. (As a member of the latter group, we...

Didn't you wear that on "American Idol"?(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... As the style-making contestants of "American Idol" have shown--lest we forget Ace Young's beanie or Taylor Hicks' toboggan--knit caps are in, especially for those looking to tame a full head of hair (yes, we qualify) and look cool doing it....

Spring cleaning the Caldrea way.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... As soon as the warm weather hits, we just can't help ourselves. It's time to open the windows and clear out the cobwebs and dust bunnies that somehow have accumulated in the strangest of places. Are we just lazy in the winter or does it take...

Museum memo.(WHAT'S NEW?)
May 1, 2006... What's new in museums around the country? Among the more interesting exhibitions on view are: Amorous Intrigues and Painterly Refinement: The Art of Frans Mieris, National Gallery of Art; Washington, D.C., through May 21. Andy Warhol's...

Get energized by Black & Decker.(WHAT'S NEW?)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... When you're packing for your vacationer even local trips in the neighborhood--make sure you include the Electromate 400 AC/DC Portable Power Supply, Jump Starter/Inflator from Black & Decker, Towson, Md. Designed for life on the go and...

Little Tikes has got it just right.(WHAT'S NEW?)(toys and playground equipment)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... This time of year, it doesn't take much to entice the kids to go out and play, especially when the yard is full of Little Tikes swings and things. Backyard play gyms hold universal appeal and it never ceases to amaze us how our young ones never...

Preserving Western History.(Book review)
May 1, 2006... Preserving Western History EDITED BY ANDREW GULLIFORD UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS 2005, 414 PAGES, $34.95 This book essentially is a reader in which various scholars who bemoan the lack of awareness of "public" history try to rectify...

The Cherokee Nation A History.(Book review)
May 1, 2006... The Cherokee Nation A History BY ROBERT J. CONLEY UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS 2005, 265 PAGES, $24.95 Ordinarily, one does not think of the U.S. as having within its borders a number of other nations. Yet, the fact is, it does, and these...

By any other name: idiosyncratic spelling of monikers, feminists hyphenating their married names, and countries with new appellations are all part of today's name game.(PARTING THOUGHTS)
May 1, 2006... AS A KID, OR PERHAPS AS YOU got older, did you ever think about whether your first name was right for you? Did you ever wish your parents would have given you a name more virile if you were a boy or more romantic if you were a girl? As an...