Americans

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev 

US Tourists Shed 'Archie Bunker' Rep

French, Chinese, Indians now world's most ill-bred travelers

(Newser) - The pushy American traveler has met his match in the snooty, uncompromising Frenchman. The voyageur français ranks as one of the world’s most tactless tourists, bested only by Chinese and Indian travelers. Judging by their politeness, openness to foreign languages, and adversity to complaining, Japanese tourists were rated...

Afghan Gunmen Kidnap Female US Aid Worker

Woman, 49, was wearing burqa when stopped near Kandahar

(Newser) - An American woman has been kidnapped in Afghanistan along with her driver, the AP reports. The woman, 49, worked for an aid organization and was wearing a burqa when she was stopped near the southern city of Kandahar. Police are searching for the kidnappers, whom a local governor called “...

Porno Biz Unfazed by Neocons
Porno Biz Unfazed by Neocons
Sep 19, 2007 7:28 PM CDT

Porno Biz Unfazed by Neocons

FBI focuses on extreme forms of porn, leaves $13B industry intact

(Newser) - Bush's vow to clamp down on porn has hardly dented the $13 billion industry, Reuters reports. Activists grumble that Bush hasn't followed in Reagan's footsteps and put distributors out of business - but pressing problems, like terrorism, have distracted the White House, and the FBI is prosecuting more extreme forms...

Americans Neglect to Wash Their Hands

Only 77% soap up in public restrooms; Ewwwwww, say experts

(Newser) - Americans are forgetting to wash their hands. A new study shows that only 77% of people wash their hands after using public restrooms—that's down 6% from two years ago. And notably, 92% of Americans SAY they do. Unsurprisingly, men are the big offenders: their number was 66%. "Very...

Big Americans Bust Weight Limits on Cars

Drivers, passengers are often too heavy for tires, say manufacturer safety labels

(Newser) - Americans who supersize their meals may be putting an unsafe burden on their car tires, exceeding weight limits they're rated to carry. Many two-seat sports cars, for instance, can't safely accommodate two 200-pound passengers, USA Today reports. Family cars and minivans also frequently max out when carrying a load of...

America, as Defined by Wal-Mart
America,
as Defined
by Wal-Mart
Sep 13, 2007 4:29 PM CDT

America, as Defined by Wal-Mart

With firm grasp on US consumers, snapshot of giant's sales is a self-portrait

(Newser) - Wal-Mart knows a lot about Americans, courtesy of the 208 million US consumers who shop there every year. ABC News takes a look at the superstore's sales figures and finds a portrait of the nation's changing face and taste. Some highlights: Boxers are tied with briefs; Ohio buys the most...

American Kids' Blood Pressure Creeps Up

Obesity epidemic fallout foreshadows serious health troubles

(Newser) - The ranks of US children with dangerously high blood pressure and hypertension have been growing for 20 years, reversing a decades-long trend, says a new study that tracks the effects of youth obesity. Hypertension, which usually doesn't develop until patients are in their 30s or 40s, is a leading cause...

The Filthy Rich Take Over the Small Screen

America's middle class ousted from sitcoms, relegated to reality TV

(Newser) - Sitcoms, once a window into middle-class America, have been invaded by the uberrich. But the bourgeoisie hasn't disappeared from the small screen entirely: They're fighting each other on reality shows for big bucks or their 15 minutes of fame. And, Salon's Heather Havrilesky notes, it's not a healthy trend.

More US Kids, Young Adults Commiting Suicide

Rate rises most sharply among teen girls

(Newser) - Suicide rates among America's children and young adults surged by 8% between 2003 and 2004, the most significant increase over the past 15 years, a new Centers for Disease Control report shows. The hike coincides with a 22% decrease in antidepressant use, but it could be related to changes in...

We're Still Getting Fatter
We're Still Getting Fatter
Aug 27, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

We're Still Getting Fatter

Obesity epidemic continues to spread

(Newser) - Americans just keep getting fatter. Obesity rates were up in 31 states this year and declined in none, a new study by a health advocacy group finds. That brings the percentage of American adults who are either obese or overweight to 60%, Reuters reports, and the usual suspects are to...

Americans Double Use of Pain Meds
Americans Double Use
of Pain Meds
Aug 20, 2007 9:40 AM CDT

Americans Double Use of Pain Meds

Led by Oxycodone, sales of painkillers soared 90% in 8 years

(Newser) - Retail sales of five major painkillers rose a whopping 90% from 1997 to 2005, a new AP analysis of DEA statistics shows. The increase is driven by Oxycodone, the chemical used in OxyContin, which has seen sales increase nearly 600%. Causes include an aging population, huge new drug marketing campaigns,...

Boy Scouts Reach Out to Latinos
Boy Scouts
Reach Out to Latinos
Aug 13, 2007 12:03 PM CDT

Boy Scouts Reach Out to Latinos

Soccer, Spanish lighting the spark for a new class of scouts

(Newser) - With enrollment down almost 10% in the last 10 years, the Boy Scouts are reaching out to Latinos to fill their ranks. Handbooks, advertisements and bumper stickers are now available in Spanish, and the “be prepared” group has even had permission from ministers to recruit in Hispanic churches, the...

Why Small Government Has Collapsed
Why Small Government
Has Collapsed
Aug 8, 2007 6:08 PM CDT

Why Small Government Has Collapsed

Prospect writer says Dems can drown movement in bathtub

(Newser) - Democrats have never been so well positioned to sell big-government liberalism—as the other side looks pathetically out of step with Americans’ desires to expand health care and bolster infrastructure, says the American Prospect’s Paul Waldman. After the Minnesota bridge collapse, the public is ready for the party that...

Climate Change Deniers Still Impeding Progress

Americans lost in haze of contradictory information

(Newser) - Scientists thought they'd convinced the world it was getting warmer, but a powerful, flush campaign of cynics is still successfully sowing doubt, Newsweek reports—and hobbling efforts to stave off disaster. From its humble beginnings ridiculing any warming, the "denial machine" has picked up funding from big oil and...

Rent-a-Yanks Push Goodwill Abroad
Rent-a-Yanks Push Goodwill Abroad
Jul 27, 2007 10:03 AM CDT

Rent-a-Yanks Push Goodwill Abroad

German schools book young US speakers to combat anti-Americanism

(Newser) - American exchange students in Germany are so bombarded with broadsides against the US government and lifestyle that one university has started a program called "Rent an American." Yanks visit German schools to answer questions about the Bush administration, climate change, and the death penalty, all in an effort...

American Pigs Out on Dogs, Sets Record

Coney Island contest goes against Kobayashi for first time in 6 years

(Newser) - In a glorious tribute to the Founding Fathers, an American shattered the world hot-dog-eating record today, polishing off 66 franks and buns in 12 minutes in the annual Nathan's Famous contest in Coney Island, NY. Joey Chestnut, 23, held off Japanese competitive-eating legend Takeru Kobayashi to upset the six-time defending...

Majority of Alcoholics Are Young Adults

Study splits drinkers into 5 categories; 2 largest are in 20s

(Newser) - More than half of all alcoholics in the United States are young adults, reveals a new study that surveyed 1,484 US adults. The study, reported by CBS, divided problem drinkers into five types. Despite the stereotype of the alcoholic as middle-aged, the average age in the two largest groups—...

Young Americans Swing Left, Favor Dems

Support universal health care

(Newser) - Young Americans are skewing left, with fewer identifying themselves as Republicans and more siding with Democrats on hot-button issues, according to a New York Times/CBS/MTV poll. Those surveyed, aged 17 to 29, are more likely than the general public to favor universal health care, gay marriage and open-door immigration.

Wine Buzz Grows, Beer Flattens
Wine Buzz Grows, Beer Flattens
May 31, 2007 8:00 AM CDT

Wine Buzz Grows, Beer Flattens

The beer class is finally embracing the grape, Slate says

(Newser) - The American middle class has become connoisseurs of everything—coffee, '80s Japanese garage-rock bands, environmentalist toilet paper, and now wine, writes Slate's Field Maloney. Fermented grape juice doubled its audience in the past decade, while consumption of lower-brow beer stagnated. And for the first time in history, Americans pollees prefer...

GOP Moderates Huddle With Bush on Iraq

Blunt conversation reveals deepening fissure between Bush and party over war

(Newser) - Moderate Republicans met with Bush and his closest aides yesterday in a private meeting one participant called "a remarkable, candid conversation" the Washington Post reports. The representatives made clear their frustration with the war in Iraq, and its unpopularity with their constituents, as both parties attempt to hammer out...

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev