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Discusses the nursing shortage in the United States and how nurses are being recruited. Focus on the Methodist Health Care System, which pressures agency and temporary nurses to accept full-time staff positions; Experience of registered nurse Layne Behrmann at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas; Problem of high vacancy rates for nursing positions and the higher cost for outside nurses; Benefits of maintaining an adequate level of staff nurses; The demand for nurses nationally; Reasons for the chronic nursing shortage; Example of how Methodist Hospital is making nursing positions more appealing; Research concerning staff-to-patient ratios. INSET: THE CLUES TO QUALITY CARE.

Evaluates several hotels and fitness clubs for frequent business travelers. Indication that Sheraton and Westin are upgrading their facilities; View that luxury hotels and spas, such as the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, have the most fitness options; Mention of fitness chains, including Gold's Gym International and 24 Hour Fitness, and other options. INSET: Five ways to keep travel from ruining your diet.

Discusses how professional employees who have been laid off may find employment in different fields. Consideration of the success of the healthcare industry; Demand for educators; Growth of jobs in the service sector; Need for technology professionals in the fields of healthcare, defense, and government agencies; Opportunities in the fields of mortgage banking and residential home construction.

Offers advice on how to financially prepare for retirement. Advice on how to maintain a diversified investment portfolio; Discussion of whether bonds are a better choice than stocks for retirees; Advice on choosing a mutual fund; Discussion of options for using a home to generate income; Discussion of the advantages of working past retirement age; Advice on how to turn a hobby into a money-making venture.

Examines Title IX of the Amendment to the Higher Education Act, which requires equal access to education, including athletics, for women. The debate over gender equity in athletics in the United States; The issue of proportionality, a key requirement of Title IX, which ensures that the percentage of women in a school's athlete population matches the percentage of women in the overall student body; How many schools add women's teams, but cut men's teams. INSET: How they stack up.

Presents an introduction to a series of articles about the best- and worst-college sport programs. The examination of the quality of Division I athletic programs in the United States; The 20 schools with the best overall rankings across four categories of achievement; How many schools offer over 20 varsity sports and full or partial athletic scholarships; View that most schools win by ensuring that their athletes get high-quality educations; Usefulness of the information for prospective student-athletes.

Offers a look at U.S. Republican Congressman Richard Baker. Report that he is the leading congressional advocate for tougher regulation of mutual funds; Introduction of legislation seeking greater disclosure of mutual fund fees; Benefits of passing pro-investor legislation in an election year.

Discusses the tragedy of losing a spouse. Methods for coping with a spouse's death; Finding that women are living longer, healthier lives, and tend to outlive their husbands; Life expectancy of men and women; Depression that sets in when people lose a spouse; Importance of exercise.

Comments on a revision on the menu in the cafeterias at the United States House of Representatives. Reason that Ohio Republican Bob Ney wanted the word 'French' expunged from the menus; Reference to anti-German sentiment during World War I.

Focuses on the planet called HD209458b, which is 150 light years away from Earth. Indication that the gaseous planet is shrinking, according to astronomers; Study of its hydrogen atmosphere through the Hubble telescope.

Offers advice about job searching during a poor economy in the United States. Suggestion that job seekers should consider their career as a long-term investment; Importance of education and networking; How new graduates should polish their interviewing skills; Role of job training centers.

Discusses the future enforcement of Title IX, the section of federal law requiring equal access to education--including athletics--for women. Proportionality has come under fire from conservatives, who charge that it results in a new "quota system," handing women athletic opportunities at the expense of men. Conservatives favor other tests for determining whether women have athletic opportunities, such as expanding women's athletics or documenting that a school meets the interest of women in a sport. Terry Crawford, head track and field coach of men's and women's teams at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, who is also president of the U.S. Track Coaches Association, views proportionality as a double-edged sword, which has led to the unforeseen loss of opportunities for men but has become "the enforcer" of women's involvement in sports.

Reports on alternative medicine, including acupuncture, massage, and herbs, in medical settings. Growth in the use of these treatments at hospitals; Description of alternative medicine at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois and at the affiliated Center for Complementary Medicine; Benefits of alternative treatments, including an improved sense of well-being; Issue of resistance to making alternative medicine part of inpatient hospital care by mainstream physicians and the hospital bureaucracy.

Discusses aerobic exercise. How aerobics grew out of the pioneering research of physician Kenneth Cooper; Emphasis of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas; Comments of Cooper; How Cooper has revised some of his lessons. INSET: Cardio kids.

Focuses on the popularity of Henderson, Nevada as a retirement destination. Features which attract retirees to the community, including pleasant climate and scenery, low cost of living, and proximity to the casinos of Las Vegas; How many retirees move there from California; Description of Sun City Anthem, an active-adult community in Henderson owned by Del Webb Corp.

States that drug manufacturer Schering-Plough is involved in a business scandal in the United States. Civil action to be brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission; Allegation of improper disclosures before an earnings report in September 2002.

Reports that concrete security barriers will be removed from the street in front of the White House. What will replace the barriers to please residents and tourism officials; Reason that this part of Pennsylvania Avenue was closed to traffic.

Comments on faux pas, or errors, in the political career of United States Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). Antisemetic remark he made before an antiwar forum in March 2003; Effort of Jewish Democratic representatives to keep him from re-election.

Mentions that the number of unmarried couples living together rose by over 2 million since the 1990 census, according to the 2000 United States census. Where unmarried partners tend to live; Percentage of unmarried households that include children.

Comments on the sniper-shooting death of Zoran Djindjic, prime minister of Serbia. Background on Djindjic's political career; Alleged role of Zemun Clan in the assassination; Rumor of business dealings between Djindjic and the organized crime group.

The way to get the best deal on airfares is by using online Web sites. Essentially, the airlines, which are governed by the principle of putting as many rears in seats as possible on each flight, use their computer systems to constantly reduce or raise fares based on bookings.At different times of the day customers should call several airlines and check prices on the airlines' Web sites and online travel sites.Travelers should book their flights quickly before the low price vanishes.

Love and fortune may be fleeting, but Excalibur, the maker of the Forever Flashlight ($40), promises its product will come through when you need it. It's an LED flashlight that runs on a charge stored up by a magnetic coil that induces voltage when it is shaken. No batteries or replacement bulbs required. The trick is that you must vigorously shake the oddly shaped flashlight for at least 30 seconds for the light to turn on. Our 8- and 10-year-old science-crazed testers thought this was fun, but they were less impressed by the flashlight's fairly dim glow.

Discusses the number of people in the United States aged 100 years, and life expectancy trends in the U.S. Role of lifestyle and genes in longevity; Attitudes of aged people; Outlook for life expectancy.

Discusses how 'U.S. News and World Report' ranked intercollegiate National Collegiate Athletic Associations Division 1 varsity sports programs in the United States. Data collected, including sanctions, gender equity, win/loss information, number of sports offered, and graduation rate.

Reviews the Oster In2itive blender/food processor. Features; Drawbacks; Cost.

Discusses how experts consulted by 'U.S. News' to forecast investment trends were more often than not correct about which stocks would be profitable. Some predictions they made including the financial gains of small company stocks; Predictions of gains in natural resource funds.

Introduces a series of reviews of electronic devices that perform more than one function.

Despite its current woes, the mutual fund industry has enjoyed explosive growth in the United States. That has greatly benefited shareholders of State Street Corp. The firm trades at a reasonable 18 times this year's earnings and continues to grab market share from competitors. In 2001, State Street recorded more than $1.6 billion in service fees. Such stocks can be corporations such as Wal-Mart or niche players like drug company Forest Laboratories. Discount pricing is the source of the success experienced by Southwest Airlines'. It is the only profitable major U.S. airline carrier.

Presents news briefs related to United States politics as of June 17, 2002. Outlook for the retirement of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan; Outlook for a vice presidential campaign of Nita Lowey; Efforts of Vice President Dick Cheney to improve his health; Others.

Mentions restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area frequented by United States politicians. Popularity of restaurants such as the Palm, Capital Grille and Po Siam; Preference of Brian Lamb for Thai food.

Discusses a case in which Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch is accused of not paying a bill for Internet services provided by Gen-X Strategies Inc. Role of Gen-X president Jeff Frederick in the case; Outlook.