The USC Libraries subscribe to Newsbank, which provides focused information about current events and research topics in everything from sports and people to the arts and humanities, social sciences, and sciences. You can access NewsBank from the USC Libraries' databases page.
CURRENT EVENTS RESEARCH TOPICS
ECONOMICS: New Home Sales Drop
TOPIC: After rising for 5 months, new home sales dropped in September. What is the primary reason given for this unexpected drop? How is the information to track this trend gathered?
SEARCH TERMS: home sales AND Commerce Department
SPORTS: Yankees Make Their 40th World Series Appearance
TOPIC: The New York Yankees will be making their 40th appearance in this year's World Series. What have been some of the most exciting Series games that they have participated in? Who are some of the most famous players in the history of the team, and what are their claims to fame? What is significant about the team that they are playing against?
SEARCH TERMS: Yankees AND World Series
Civics, Government and Politics: Taliban Attacks
TOPIC: An armed assault on a guesthouse used by the UN and other international organizations left five UN workers and three Afghan civilians dead. It was later followed by rocket attacks on a hotel used by foreigners. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks. Do attacks within the capital city indicate weakness on the part of the government? Is the fact they are aimed at outsiders important? Are these attacks aimed at influencing the upcoming presidential runoff election?
SEARCH TERMS: Afghanistan AND attacks AND Taliban
CRIME AND LAW: NASA Launches New Rocket
TOPIC: NASA has launched its new experimental test rocket the Ares I-X. What is the purpose of this prototype rocket? What are the difficulties that NASA originally had with the launch of this rocket?
SEARCH TERMS: NASA AND Ares IX
CRIME AND LAW: Distracted Pilots
TOPIC: Two Northwest Airlines pilots have had their licenses revoked for spending time on laptop computers rather than paying attention to their instrument panels. What was the result of their distracted flying? What are some other examples of pilot distraction that could put a flight at risk?
SEARCH TERMS: pilot AND Northwest Airlines
SOCIAL STUDIES RESEARCH TOPICS
Civics, Government and Politics: Political Endorsements
TOPIC: President Obama will be appearing with Virginia gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds, and Sarah Palin is endorsing New York's Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman for Congress. What is at risk when a national politician endorses a candidate? What are some of the specific factors in these races that make the endorsements so interesting to political analysts?
SEARCH TERMS: political AND endorsements
Civics, Government and Politics: Political Violence in Iraq
TOPIC: Political violence has picked up in advance of upcoming elections in Iraq with multiple car bombings occurring. Who is responsible for the bombings? What are their aims?
SEARCH TERMS: Iraq AND bombings OR elections
Civics, Government and Politics: Elections in Africa
TOPIC: Mozambicans went to the polls to choose members of Parliament and a President. Armando Guebuza, the current President, was re-elected. His party, Frelimo, has held power for the past 34 years. How did it first come to power? How has it retained popularity? How effective has it been as a governing power?
SEARCH TERMS: Mozambique AND elections
Civics, Government and Politics: Elections in Afghanistan
TOPIC: A runoff election has been announced in Afghanistan, after a U.N. commission determined that widespread voter fraud lead to Hamid Karzai's re-election as president. How did they determine this? How difficult is it to have an election in Afghanistan?
SEARCH TERMS: Afghanistan AND runoff election
CRIME AND LAW: FBI and Translators
TOPIC: The FBI has lost translators resulting in a growing backlog of audio intelligence documents that could involve terror plots. What are some factors that make it difficult to hire new translators? What action is being taken to help with this problem?
SEARCH TERMS: FBI AND translators
CRIME AND LAW: Radovan Karadzic
TOPIC: Radovan Karadzic is representing himself against charges of war crimes, but he refuses to attend the trial claiming a lack of time to prepare for his defense.
What are the charges against him? How should the judge react to his absence?
SEARCH TERMS: Radovan Karadzic AND trial
ECONOMICS: Recession in the United Kingdom
TOPIC: Figures released after the third quarter of 2009 show that the United Kingdom remains in recession. It has been in recession for six quarters in a row. What were analysts expecting the numbers to be? How does Britain's performance compare with other European economies?
SEARCH TERMS: United Kingdom AND recession
ECONOMICS: Dow Jones Surpasses 10,000
TOPIC: For the first time in a year the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 10,000. What has been the impact of this on investors? Why is this number significant?
SEARCH TERMS: Dow Jones AND 10,000
EDUCATION: Greater Accountability in Medical Education
TOPIC: The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education is investigating classes and companies that violate rules against commercial bias. What pattern has spurred this investigation? What are the current medical education requirements for a doctor to keep their accreditation?
SEARCH TERMS: health care AND accountability
HISTORY: New Brazilian Commission
TOPIC: Brazil seems ready to appoint a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate what happened to opponents of its military government in the 1960s and 1970s. What do commissions like this do? What other countries have used this way of researching the past? Has the process worked in those countries?
SEARCH TERMS: Brazil AND Truth and Reconciliation Commission
HISTORY: John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
TOPIC: It has been 150 years since John Brown raided Harper's Ferry in protest of slavery. What is the background of John Brown? What were some of his previous acts against slavery?
SEARCH TERMS: John Brown
SOCIAL ISSUES: President Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize
TOPIC: President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What was the response to President Obama and others to this choice? What was the reason behind the choice, and how does it compare to past recipients?
SEARCH TERMS: Nobel AND Obama AND Peace
SCIENCE AND HEALTH RESEARCH TOPICS
ENVIRONMENT: Climate Plan and Rust Belt
TOPIC: The upper Midwest, which has been hit especially hard by the recession, is concerned about President Obama's climate plan. What aspects of the plan are this region most concerned about, and why? What industries would be most impacted, and how?
SEARCH TERMS: climate plan AND rust belt
ENVIRONMENT: Earthquake in Indonesia
TOPIC: Indonesia suffered from another earthquake. It measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, but it did not set off a tsunami. What is the Richter scale? What does it measure? Who devised it? What other events are measured in similar fashion?
SEARCH TERMS: earthquakes AND Richter scale
HEALTH: Women's Health Needs
TOPIC: Women in the rural developing world die in childbirth in inordinate numbers. Lowering this number was one of the Millennium Development Goals. What are the conditions that drive this statistic? What can be done to improve pregnancy outcomes for these regions?
SEARCH TERMS: women AND childbirth AND death
HEALTH: Medical Marijuana
TOPIC: The federal government has decided it will no longer prosecute medical marijuana users and providers that follow state laws. What is the impact on the states with this decision? What have been some of the federal/state relations on this issue in the past?
SEARCH TERMS: medical marijuana
HEALTH: Nobel Prize for Medicine
TOPIC: Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak have won the 2009 Nobel Prize for medicine. This year marks the first year that two women have shared a Nobel Prize for science. What medical research earned these winners their prize? What are some of the specifics of the science in this research?
SEARCH TERMS: Nobel Prize AND medicine
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Pliosaur Discovered
TOPIC: The eight-foot-long skull of a pliosaur was found off the coast of England. The size of the head leads to estimates that the creature would have been more than 50 feet long. What were pliosaurs? When did they live?
SEARCH TERMS: Pliosaurs
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Scientific Fraud
TOPIC: Hwang Woo-suk was found guilty of scientific fraud over his claims to have grown human embryonic stem cells. These cells could have been of great importance in treating various diseases. Why are stem cells important? What sort of diseases could be treated with them? What did Hwang do that was important, and what did he do that was wrong?
SEARCH TERMS: Hwang Woo-suk AND stem cells
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Bombing the Moon
TOPIC: In what was frequently mislabeled a bombing, two spacecrafts have crashed into the moon in an effort to find possible water supplies. Why was the crash mistaken as a bombing? What evidence was there to suggest water may exist below the surface of the moon?
SEARCH TERMS: bomb AND moon
SPORTS RESEARCH TOPICS
SPORTS: World Cup in South Africa
TOPIC: South Africa, host of the 2010 World Cup, looks to improve its chances by bringing back Carlos Alberto Parreira as the coach of its national soccer team. Who is Carlos Parreira, and what are his ties with the South African national side? Who is he replacing, and why is he replacing him?
SEARCH TERMS: South Africa AND Carlos Parreira
SPORTS: Brawn and Button Are Champions
TOPIC: Jenson Button and his Brawn team have won the Formula One championship driver and team awards. What is remarkable about the Brawn team's victory? How does Formula One racing differ from NASCAR and Indy Car racing?
SEARCH TERMS: Jenson Button AND Formula One
SPORTS: Golf Added to the 2016 Olympics
TOPIC: Golf has been added to the Olympics for the 2016 Summer Games. Rugby sevens is the other new sport added. Will Olympic exposure broaden the appeal of the Games? How will the golfers who will compete be chosen? What is Rugby sevens?
SEARCH TERMS: Olympic Games AND (golf OR Rugby sevens)
SPORTS: Cardinals Hire Mark McGuire as Hitting Coach
TOPIC: Mark McGuire is the new hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. What are some high and low points in his career? What teams has he played for?
SEARCH TERMS: Mark McGuire AND hitting coach
SPORTS: Bill, The Big Whistle, Chadwick
TOPIC: Bill, The Big Whistle, Chadwick was a legendary hockey referee. What distinguished him as a referee immediately upon hire by the NHL? What handicap did he have to overcome to do his job?
SEARCH TERMS: Bill Chadwick
ARTS AND LITERATURE RESEARCH TOPICS
FILM AND TELEVISION: NCIS
TOPIC: NCIS has been topping the broadcast ratings for the fifth straight week. What has been praised as the reasons this show is so popular? What is the show about? From what series is this show a spin-off?
SEARCH TERMS: NCIS AND rating
FILM AND TELEVISION: Pusan International Film Festival
TOPIC: Asian films are featured at South Korea's Pusan Film Festival. Among other films were two set during the 1937 Rape of Nanking. What was that event and why are films about it controversial? What other films were on view at PIFF?
SEARCH TERMS: Pusan International Film Festival
FILM AND TELEVISION: New Michael Jackson Film
TOPIC: Footage taken before Michael Jackson's death of rehearsals for his planned 50 concert tour is being released in a film called Michael Jackson's This Is It. The film includes the posthumously released song of the same name. Who co-wrote this song with Michael Jackson? What is the reaction to this film from Michael Jackson's family, and why? What do you think the producers of this film wanted to accomplish in the making of this documentary?
SEARCH TERMS: Michael Jackson AND "This is It"
FINE ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE: Egypt and the Louvre Museum
TOPIC: Egypt briefly severed official ties with the Louvre Museum claiming it has refused to return stolen artifacts. It has also demanded back the bust of Nefertiti from the newly re-opened Neues Museum in Berlin. What are the reasons Egypt wants these artifacts returned? What other artifacts is it pursuing? What convention covers these museum pieces?
SEARCH TERMS: Louvre AND Egypt AND artifacts
FINE ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE: Irving Penn
TOPIC: Irving Penn was a famous photographer. What kind of photography made him famous? What is the subject of some of his most famous photographs?
SEARCH TERMS: Irving Penn
LITERATURE: The Lost Symbol
TOPIC: Dan Brown's latest book is The Lost Symbol. What themes in this thriller are consistent with the author's other work? What controversial group is central to the plot of this book?
SEARCH TERMS: Dan Brown AND Lost Symbol
LITERATURE: Nobel Prize for Literature
TOPIC: Herta Mueller, a Romanian writer, has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature. What sort of fiction does she write? What events in her life have influenced her work?
SEARCH TERMS: Herta Mueller
PERFORMING ARTS: Mercedes Sosa
TOPIC: Mercedes Sosa was an Argentinean folk singer. Why was her music a touchstone for the generation that lived through the repressive military government? What were some of her best-known songs?
SEARCH TERMS: Mercedes Sosa
PEOPLE RESEARCH TOPICS
PEOPLE: Anthony D. Marshall
TOPIC: The theatrical producer and only child of the late philanthropist Brooke Astor was arrested for the illegal handling of his mother's will and financial affairs. What are the details of his crimes? What other crime was Mr. Marshall accused of, and how did that case end?
SEARCH TERMS: Marshall AND Astor AND estate
PEOPLE: Soupy Sales
TOPIC: Soupy Sales was an early TV personality best known as host and sketch comedian on the children's show Lunch with Soupy Sales. What other programs was he known for? How did Mr. Sales begin his career?
SEARCH TERMS: Soupy Sales
PEOPLE: Juanita Castro
TOPIC: Juanita Castro claims to have begun working with the CIA against her brother Fidel in 1961 and continued to do so until she fled into exile in 1964. Why did she do so? How did she contact the CIA? What was life in exile like for her?
SEARCH TERMS: Juanita Castro
PEOPLE: Reinhard Mohn
TOPIC: Reinhard Mohn made the German publishing firm Bertelsmann one of the largest in the world. What were his innovations in employee relations? How did he transform his small family firm into a world-wide powerhouse?
SEARCH TERMS: Reinhard Mohn AND Bertelsmann
PEOPLE: Elinor Ostrom
TOPIC: Elinor Ostrom has won this year's Nobel Prize for Economics. What was the research that won her the prize? What are the design principals that she has proposed?
SEARCH TERMS: Elinor Ostrom