Wednesday, July 31, 2013

@9:44, 7/31/13

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1
Health

How Exercise Changes Fat and Muscle Cells

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS | Jul 30, 2013
Several striking new studies provide some clarity by showing that exercise seems able to drastically alter how genes operate, perhaps altering the risk for problems like obesity and diabetes.
Diabetes; DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid); Exercise; Genetics and Heredity; Muscles; Obesity; 

Here is a mechanism.  
Mouse studies could demonstrate heritability.
 
2
Health

Tracing Germs Through the Aisles

By SABRINA TAVERNISE | Jul 30, 2013
Overuse of antibiotics has caused growing resistance to drugs, and many scientists say their heavy use on farm animals is a major culprit.
Antibiotics; Factory Farming; Meat; Urinary Tract; E Coli (Bacteria); Bacteria; 

I have thought this was established.
Tobacco has demonstrated that denial is powerful.
Let us have some facts.
 
3
Business Day

Plan Aims to Enliven Paris’s Financial District, Long Called Soulless

By GEORGI KANTCHEV | Jul 31, 2013
La Défense is often seen as sterile and inhospitable, but now at least three office towers are under construction there, spawning hope for a rebound.
Architecture; Area Planning and Renewal; Real Estate (Commercial); 

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Jane%20Jacobs&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20

Exclusive zoning is a profound error.
It kills cities.
 
4
World

Dreams of a Mother

By BETWA SHARMA | Jul 31, 2013
The struggles and ambitions of a domestic help in Delhi.
Domestic Service; Indian Rupee (Currency); Labor and Jobs; Minimum Wage; Vocational Training; Working Hours; 

I will not interfere with that project.
 
5
Business Day

JPMorgan Looks to Pay to Settle U.S. Inquiries

By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG and BEN PROTESS | Jul 30, 2013
The payouts began on Tuesday when JPMorgan struck a $410 million settlement with the nation’s top energy regulator.
Electric Light and Power; Energy and Power; Securities and Commodities Violations; 

The cost of doing business their way.

The public bears the difference.
 
6
U.S.

House Plan on Food Stamps Would Cut 5 Million From Program

By RON NIXON | Jul 31, 2013
A new report finds that a proposal would increase poverty and illness, resulting in billions of dollars in federal and state health care costs.
Food Stamps; Law and Legislation; Poverty; 

There will be no farm bill.
 
7
Opinion

Doing a Better Job of Doing Good

Jul 30, 2013
Readers react to an Op-Ed essay by Peter Buffett criticizing many philanthropic efforts.
Nonprofit Organizations; Philanthropy; 

There is no definition of good.
"It is impossible to do just one thing".
 
8
Job Market

She Turned Her Upspeak Down a Notch

By JESSICA GROSE | Jul 28, 2013
A freelance journalist was tired of sources thinking that she sounded like a little girl on the phone. So she set out to change her voice.
Voice and Speech; Age, Chronological; Freelancing, Self-Employment and Independent Contracting; Careers and Professions;

Just talk.
Sooner is better.
9
U.S.

Maybe Animals Just Need Quality Time With Friends

By CHRISTOPHER KELLY | Jul 28, 2013
At the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary near Fort Worth, a self-trained behaviorist is using a method known as emotional enrichment to improve the lives of animals in captivity.
Animals; Emotions; 

There are not enough friends of big omnivores.  The friends wear out quick.
I don't want to be lunch.
 
10
World

Wave of Car Bombs Kills Dozens in Iraq

By DURAID ADNAN | Jul 30, 2013
A surge of violence in Iraq claimed more victims on Monday, when 15 car bombs killed at least 46 people and injured many more, security officials said.
Iraq War (2003-11); Explosions; Bombs and Explosives; 

On to genocide.

11
Multimedia

A Modernist's Challenge to Instant Gratification

By JONATHAN BLAUSTEIN | Jul 29, 2013
In this age of instant gratification, the work of Modernists like Ray K. Metzker, who is enjoying a sort of late-career comeback, might teach us something about craftsmanship and patient engagement.
Art; Museums; Nineteen Hundred Sixties; Photography; 

Yes.  Choice of moment.
Those blacks are available only with optical and chemical methods.
 
12
Travel

Booted Off the Plane: How Normal Is That?

By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM | Jul 28, 2013
It can be difficult to figure out exactly what can get you thrown off a flight, and how often passengers are removed.
Airlines and Airplanes; Flight Attendants; Consumer Protection; Travel and Vacations; 

Remember sardines.
13
Business Day

Pfizer Settles a Drug Marketing Case for $491 Million

By KATIE THOMAS | Jul 31, 2013
The Justice Department announced that the drug maker would settle criminal and civil charges over illegal marketing of the kidney-transplant drug Rapamune.
Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Suits and Litigation (Civil); Transplants; 

A cost of doing that kind of business.
 
14
Your Money

In Search of Romance, and Maybe a Refund

By DAVID SEGAL | Jul 28, 2013
A reader tells the Haggler about her soured relationship with a matchmaking service.
Dating and Courtship; Customer Relations; Computers and the Internet; 

The romance I can try to supply.
Sooner is better.
 
15
N.Y. / Region

Beauty School Students Left With Broken Promises and Large Debts

By EMILY S. RUEB | Jul 29, 2013
Hundreds of women in New York City have found themselves deep in debt and with little training after attending cosmetology schools that falsified applications for student loans.
Vocational Training; Student Loans; Credit and Debt; For-Profit Schools; 

Good work on a great cause.
 
16
Magazine

Uncovering the Truth Behind a Twisted Anti-Abortion Tale

By ILENA SILVERMAN | Jul 29, 2013
In case you missed it, Emily Bazelon wrote an illuminating column on Slate about the so-called evidence behind Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment.
Abortion; Pregnancy and Childbirth; 

People hear what they want to hear.  
 
17
N.Y. / Region

Bronx Courts Trim Big Backlog, With Outside Judge at the Helm

By RAY RIVERA | Jul 30, 2013
Justice Patricia DiMango has handled 500 cases since January, leading officials to declare a partial victory after years of failed efforts to break the logjam.
Courts and the Judiciary; Crime and Criminals; Series; 

The District Attorney was incompetent.  A weak case gets a better offer.
 
18
World

House Weighs Iran Measure Amid Doubts on Timing

By RICK GLADSTONE | Jul 31, 2013
Legislation to impose the sanctions, up for a vote in the House on Wednesday, could coerce Iran’s customers to find other oil suppliers.
Law and Legislation; Embargoes and Economic Sanctions; United States International Relations; United States Politics and Government; 

The GOP would prefer Iranian surrender.
 
19
World

After the Delhi Rape, Small Victories for Women in India's Popular Culture

By SNIGDHA POONAM | Jul 29, 2013
Seven months after the Delhi rape, India’s popular culture continues to fail the gender test.
Demonstrations, Protests, and Riots; Discrimination; Movies; Sex Crimes; Women and Girls; Women's Rights; 

India has an ancient history.  Women have not been powerful in much of it.
 
20
Technology

Daily Report: Cellphone Tracking Without Warrant Is Upheld

By THE NEW YORK TIMES | Jul 30, 2013
A federal appeals court said that government authorities could extract historical location data directly from telecommunications carriers without a search warrant.
Cellular Telephones; Decisions and Verdicts; Fourth Amendment (US Constitution); Search and Seizure; 

Turn the smart phone off.  
Get a dumb phone if you must be reachable.
Triangulation by the flight time to cell towers is possible but not easy.
Posted by at No comments:

@21:06. 7/30/13

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1
Autos

Wheelies: The Best of St. John's Edition

By BENJAMIN PRESTON | Jul 30, 2013
The auction at the Concours d’Elegance of America in Michigan over the weekend saw several cars sell for several hundred thousand dollars; used-car prices continue to fall.
Auctions; Automobiles; Small Cars (Compact, Subcompact and Microcars); Sports Utility Vehicles and Light Trucks; Used Cars; 

A small truck would be a good idea.
For the moment I am happy with the Focus I am driving.
Electrics are the future of the car but they are not cheap.
 
2
World

Congress Party Supports Creation of Telangana State

By SRIRAM KARRI | Jul 30, 2013
Telangana will be the 29th state of India after it goes through the legislative process.
Agriculture and Farming; Elections, House of Representatives; Indian Rupee (Currency); Law and Legislation; Population; Suicides and Suicide Attempts; 

OK.
Secession it is.
 
3
Autos

Ford Recalls 33,000 C-Max Cars

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN | Jul 30, 2013
Citing concern about potential head injuries from inadequately padded headliners, N.H.T.S.A. directed Ford to recall a number of C-Max hybrids and E.V.s.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Automobiles; Electric and Hybrid Vehicles; Recalls and Bans of Products; 
The recall is trivial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_C-Max
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_Electric
Getting better.
 
4
N.Y. / Region

Plan to Separate Food Waste Will Expand

By MIREYA NAVARRO | Jul 30, 2013
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced an expansion of New York’s pilot program for food waste recycling, looking to cities like San Francisco for lessons.
Waste Materials and Disposal; Recycling of Waste Materials; Food; 

There are problems.   I want to see it work.
 
5
Opinion

Found in Translation

By HAMID DABASHI | Jul 28, 2013
For students of my generation in Iran, translated works opened a wider philosophical imagination, where borders between East and West dissolved.
Arabic Language; Muslims and Islam; Philosophy; Translation and Interpreters; 

Revealed Truth is incompatible with philosophy.
Extreme precision of language greatly aids translation.
Translation enforces precision of meaning.
 
6
Style

Making Medicine Bottles Even More Child-Resistant

By HOPE REEVES | Jul 30, 2013
If you don’t get the cap all the way back on, most 3- and 4-year olds can drain a bottle of sweetened medicine in minutes. New flow restrictors could help.
Children and Childhood; Medicine and Health; Parenting; Poisoning and Poisons; 

Children climb.
A self closing, self locking cabinet with a push button lock.
 
7
Opinion

Carving Up the Country

By CHARLES M. BLOW | Jul 27, 2013
Our 50 states seem to be united in name only. That has led to disturbing concentrations of power.
States (US); United States Politics and Government; Voting Rights Act (1965); Voter Registration and Requirements; Abortion; 

Mr. Blow is observant.  We will have to vote them out.
8
Science

Science Events: Math Games, Bugs and Cloud Machines

By JASCHA HOFFMAN | Jul 30, 2013
Coming events and reading matter at the intersection of science and culture.
Genetics and Heredity; Genetic Engineering; Insects; 

This looks like a miss this time.
 
9
Business Day

A Spurned Offer on Corporate Taxes

By JARED BERNSTEIN | Jul 30, 2013
The rejection of President Obama’s proposal to trade a corporate tax cut — a goal Republicans have long sought — for a small jobs package shows Washington’s dysfunction, an economist writes.
Corporate Taxes; Labor and Jobs; Law and Legislation; United States Politics and Government; 

The GOP will accept nothing less than victory.
 
10
Business Day

Deciding Whether It Is Time to Revamp a Web Site

By PAUL DOWNS | Jul 30, 2013
Among other issues, an owner wonders how much pricing information to disclose. And how much to worry about mobile?
Computers and the Internet; Search Engines; Small Business; Tables; 

I have much to learn on website design.
This looks to be a standard form with a few bells and whistles.
Get the "For Dummies" book and read it.
I do not see my initial stages following his pattern.
 
11
Opinion

The Psychology of an Irish Meltdown

By TANA FRENCH | Jul 28, 2013
If the Celtic Tiger had simply wandered in, that meant it could wander out again.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Psychology and Psychologists; 

Possibly.
I was informed that the Irish state took on the bank's liabilities to prevent a general collapse.  The debt has taken down the state and the boom.  
There has been no recovery.
12
Opinion

Our Pulchritudinous Priesthood

By FRANK BRUNI | Jul 28, 2013
Personal trainers are becoming a must-have accessory in modern life.
Exercise; Health Clubs; Social Conditions and Trends; 

I will be more active.  It is a question of time.
13
Business Day

China Opts for Only Small Steps to Stimulate Economy

By BILL BISHOP | Jul 29, 2013
Even as new economic reports signal that China’s economy is slowing, Beijing continues to resist a large stimulus package.
Economic Conditions and Trends; Foreign Investments; 

Denial and half measures.
Not much hope.
 
14
Business Day

Chipping Away at the Smartphone Leaders

By ERIC PFANNER | Jul 27, 2013
The competition in high-end cellphones is stirring, and consumers are giving a new look to brands they once ignored, a factor Samsung acknowledged in its latest earnings report.
Smartphones; Cellular Telephones; 

Android is winning as expected.
 
15
Business Day

In Surprise, Tourre Defense Calls No Witnesses

By SUSANNE CRAIG and MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED | Jul 29, 2013
The defense team for Fabrice Tourre, the former Goldman Sachs trader accused of defrauding investors in a mortgage deal six years ago, began its case at about 11:47 a.m. One minute later, it rested.
Mortgage-Backed Securities; Securities and Commodities Violations;

Fabrice Tourre was instructed to sell a trade, his normal business.
He did not know that it was fixed to fail.  There was no fraud on his part.
 
16
Your Money

In Search of Romance, and Maybe a Refund

By DAVID SEGAL | Jul 28, 2013
A reader tells the Haggler about her soured relationship with a matchmaking service.
Dating and Courtship; Customer Relations; Computers and the Internet;

I can attempt to provide the romance.  
We must decide where and when.
Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.
 
17
Opinion

Mr. Putin’s War on Gays

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jul 28, 2013
Will President Vladimir Putin’s crackdown keep people from the Winter Olympics in Sochi next year?
Homosexuality; Discrimination; Olympic Games (2014); Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; 

The Times may be picking a fight.
 
18
N.Y. / Region

Cuomo Signs Law Banning Shark Fin Sales

By JESSE McKINLEY | Jul 27, 2013
The bill signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signals the death knell for a traditional Chinatown delicacy: shark fin soup.
Sharks; Law and Legislation; Restaurants; 

Not a moment too soon.
 
19
Opinion

Daniel Yergin on George Mitchell's Shale Energy Innovations and Concerns

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | Jul 29, 2013
An energy historian considers the legacy of the energy entrepreneur who unlocked shale gas and oil with fracking.
Drilling and Boring; Hydraulic Fracturing; Natural Gas; Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Pulitzer Prizes; Shale; 

It is still fossil carbon.
 
20
World

Six Decades Later, a Second Rescue Attempt

By JANE PERLEZ | Jul 30, 2013
Harsh weather in North Korea prevented a Navy pilot from retrieving the remains of a fellow airman killed 62 years ago in one of the fiercest battle of the Korean War.
Korean War; Pilots; Race and Ethnicity; Missing in Action; 

Some commitments do not fade away.

I must sleep.
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

@9:27, 7/30/13

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1
Science

A New Shrew and Mice Memory

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR | Jul 30, 2013
Recent developments in health and science news. Also this week: cheetahs’ body temperatures while hunting and the effect of pesticides on honeybees.
Science and Technology; Research; Bees; Mice; Cheetahs; Pesticides; International Space Station; 

Fungicides are poisoning the bees!
 
2
Health

A Kennedy Baby’s Life and Death

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D. | Jul 30, 2013
The battle to save Patrick Bouvier Kennedy would almost certainly have had a different outcome today.
Babies and Infants; Premature Babies; Doctors; Medicine and Health; 

Much has been learned. 
 
3
Science

When Clean Was a New Concept in the Operating Room

By KATIE HILER | Jul 30, 2013
The words “surgery” and “sterile” were not always bedfellows. A short history of advances in the hospital.
Hospitals; Surgery and Surgeons; Poliomyelitis; Antibiotics; Bacteria; 

Low in content
 
Advertisement
4
Autos

Ford Recalls 33,000 C-Max Cars

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN | Jul 30, 2013
Citing concern about potential head injuries from inadequately padded headliners, N.H.T.S.A. directed Ford to recall a number of C-Max hybrids and E.V.s.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Automobiles; Electric and Hybrid Vehicles; Recalls and Bans of Products; 

Oops.
 
5
World

Bribery Charges Withdrawn in Czech Corruption Case

By DAN BILEFSKY | Jul 27, 2013
The prosecutor annulled charges against three former members of Parliament after the Supreme Court ruled they were protected by parliamentary immunity.
Corruption (Institutional); Legislatures and Parliaments; 

This looks like political infighting.
 
6
Business Day

Wendi Murdoch Hires a New Lawyer, Suggesting a Divorce May Turn Messy

By PETER LATTMAN and AMY CHOZICK | Jul 30, 2013
A month after Rupert Murdoch surprised his wife with divorce papers, Wendi Murdoch has hired a lawyer with a track record of representing women separating from powerful men.
Divorce, Separations and Annulments; Child Custody and Support; 

Rupert Murdoch is a sleaze. 
Wendi Murdoch is wise to get the best advice.
 
7
N.Y. / Region

Invoking Zimmerman, Thompson Seizes New York Frisking as Campaign Issue

By MICHAEL BARBARO and NATE SCHWEBER | Jul 29, 2013
William C. Thompson Jr., a Democratic candidate for mayor, made his most forceful remarks of the campaign on stop-and-frisk tactics.
Police; Elections, Mayors; Race and Ethnicity; Search and Seizure; Blacks; 

That and mom & apple pie.
 
8
Science

Smart, Social and Erratic in Captivity

By JAMES GORMAN | Jul 30, 2013
A film, a book and a trainer’s death have renewed debate among scientists and animal advocates on the wisdom and morality of keeping killer whales in marine parks.
Whales and Whaling; Oceans and Seas; Amusement and Theme Parks; Animals; 

Captive or not, they are a joy to visit.  
Capture should stop.
 
9
N.Y. / Region

Plan to Separate Food Waste Will Expand

By MIREYA NAVARRO | Jul 30, 2013
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced an expansion of New York’s pilot program for food waste recycling, looking to cities like San Francisco for lessons.
Waste Materials and Disposal; Recycling of Waste Materials; Food; 

I worry.
 
10
Arts

Clashing Titans for Sale

By GRAHAM BOWLEY | Jul 30, 2013
Two skeletons found in Montana by commercial fossil hunters are to be auctioned in New York, where they could bring an estimated $7 million to $9 million.
Dinosaurs; Fossils; Museums; Auctions; Paleontology; 

Whining.
 
11
Opinion

Lawyers’ Business Model

By JOE NOCERA | Jul 30, 2013
Why is this columnist supporting BP in Louisiana? Because two wrongs don’t make a right.
Suits and Litigation (Civil); Legal Profession; Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010);

All BP had to do to avoid it's situation was follow the rules and good engineering practice.  BP did not do so.
Destruction by lawyers fees looks appropriate to me.

12
World

German Magazine Accused Over Historical Views

By JACK EWING | Jul 29, 2013
A Jewish group’s complaint against the magazine Der Landser has added to the debate over the balance between free speech and efforts in Germany to eradicate the neo-Nazi movement.
Holocaust and the Nazi Era; World War II (1939-45); Magazines; Neo Nazi Groups; 

The faithful do not learn.
Banning fantasy does not help.
 
13
World

Bihar School Deaths Highlight India's Struggle With Pesticides

By MEERA SUBRAMANIAN | Jul 29, 2013
India continues to widely use toxic pesticides banned in the United States.
Agriculture and Farming; Fertilizer; Food; Grain; Hazardous and Toxic Substances; Organic Foods and Products; Pesticides; 

Perhaps enough is understood to make organic agriculture work.
 
14
Business Day

The Question of Taxing Employer-Provided Health Insurance

By BRUCE BARTLETT | Jul 29, 2013
There’s little likelihood that Congress will consider eliminating the highly popular tax exemption for employer-provided health benefits, even though that would be good policy, an economist writes.
Employee Fringe Benefits; Health Insurance and Managed Care; Income Tax; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; 

The question is moot.
 
15
Health

Task Force Urges Scans for Smokers at High Risk

By SABRINA TAVERNISE | Jul 30, 2013
A shift to CT scans from chest X-rays has the potential to save 20,000 lives a year, experts say.
Tests (Medical); Lung Cancer; Smoking and Tobacco; Preventive Medicine; Health Insurance and Managed Care; 

"Dr. Harold E. Varmus, the director of the National Cancer Institute, said the recommendation would “change the way people think about lung cancer.”
But he added that screening should not give smokers a false sense of security. “The main message is unchanged,” he said. “Don’t smoke.” Smoking is the culprit in about 85 percent of all lung cancer deaths." 

Ten years a smoker  Thirty six years tobacco free.  Low risk.

16
Opinion

Found in Translation

By HAMID DABASHI | Jul 28, 2013
17
 
Public Editor

A Blow for the Press, and for Democracy

By MARGARET SULLIVAN | Jul 28, 2013
Jailing reporters makes it harder to keep the government honest.
News Sources, Confidential Status of; Classified Information and State Secrets; Freedom of the Press; First Amendment (US Constitution); News and News Media; 

The heritage of the shrub and his cronies will haunt us.
National security needs no special privileges. 

18
Opinion

Old, and Sharing

Jul 29, 2013
A reader discusses why living apart together works well for older people.
Elderly; Marriages; 

All the arguments for gay marriage also apply.
I will take "living alone together" over living alone.
It is not my preference.
I want my studio and I want to leave it every day.
 
19
World

A Cash Lure Cast From the Temple

By ALAN COWELL | Jul 30, 2013
The archbishop of Canterbury is waging war on Wonga, one of the biggest high-interest lenders, with the aim to drive the company out of business.
Protestant Churches; Payday Loans; Religion and Belief; 

Getting rid of the loan-sharks is good for all.
 
20
Sports

The Yankees’ Recurring Injury Issue at Third Base

By TYLER KEPNER | Jul 28, 2013
An off-season injury sustained by Aaron Boone in January 2004 set the wheels in motion for the Yankees to acquire Alex Rodriguez.
Sports Injuries; Trades (Sports); Baseball; Steroids; Doping (Sports); 

The Yankees do not look good this year.
Posted by at No comments:

@10:50, 7/29/13

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1
Opinion

A Straphangers’ Campaign

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jul 29, 2013
The New York City mayoral candidates need to build on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s transit improvements, in every borough.
Transit Systems; Elections, Mayors; Subways; Buses; Roads and Traffic; 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/opinion/krugman-stranded-by-sprawl.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"Detroit is a symbol of the old economy’s decline. It’s not just the derelict center; the metropolitan area as a whole lost population between 2000 and 2010, the worst performance among major cities. Atlanta, by contrast, epitomizes the rise of the Sun Belt; it gained more than a million people over the same period, roughly matching the performance of Dallas and Houston without the extra boost from oil. Yet in one important respect booming Atlanta looks just like Detroit gone bust: both are places where the American dream seems to be dying, where the children of the poor have great difficulty climbing the economic ladder. In fact, upward social mobility — the extent to which children manage to achieve a higher socioeconomic status than their parents — is even lower in Atlanta than it is in Detroit. And it’s far lower in both cities than it is in, say, Boston or San Francisco, even though these cities have much slower growth than Atlanta.
So what’s the matter with Atlanta? A new study suggests that the city may just be too spread out, so that job opportunities are literally out of reach for people stranded in the wrong neighborhoods. Sprawl may be killing Horatio Alger.
The new study comes from the Equality of Opportunity Project, which is led by economists at Harvard and Berkeley. There have been many comparisons of social mobility across countries; all such studies find that these days America, which still thinks of itself as the land of opportunity, actually has more of an inherited class system than other advanced nations. The new project asks how social mobility varies across U.S. cities, and finds that it varies a lot. In San Francisco a child born into the bottom fifth of the income distribution has an 11 percent chance of making it into the top fifth, but in Atlanta the corresponding number is only 4 percent.
When the researchers looked for factors that correlate with low or high social mobility, they found, perhaps surprisingly, little direct role for race, one obvious candidate. They did find a significant correlation with the existing level of inequality: “areas with a smaller middle class had lower rates of upward mobility.” This matches what we find in international comparisons, where relatively equal societies like Sweden have much higher mobility than highly unequal America. But they also found a significant negative correlation between residential segregation — different social classes living far apart — and the ability of the poor to rise.
And in Atlanta poor and rich neighborhoods are far apart because, basically, everything is far apart; Atlanta is the Sultan of Sprawl, even more spread out than other major Sun Belt cities. This would make an effective public transportation system nearly impossible to operate even if politicians were willing to pay for it, which they aren’t. As a result, disadvantaged workers often find themselves stranded; there may be jobs available somewhere, but they literally can’t get there.
The apparent inverse relationship between sprawl and social mobility obviously reinforces the case for “smart growth” urban strategies, which try to promote compact centers with access to public transit. But it also bears on a larger debate about what is happening to American society. I know I’m not the only person who read the Times article on the new study and immediately thought, “William Julius Wilson.”
A quarter-century ago Mr. Wilson, a distinguished sociologist, famously argued that the postwar movement of employment out of city centers to the suburbs dealt African-American families, concentrated in those city centers, a heavy blow, removing economic opportunity just as the civil rights movement was finally ending explicit discrimination. And he further argued that social phenomena such as the prevalence of single mothers, often cited as causes of lagging black performance, were actually effects — that is, the family was being undermined by the absence of good jobs.
These days, you hear less than you used to about alleged African-American social dysfunction, because traditional families have become much weaker among working-class whites, too. Why? Well, rising inequality and the general hollowing out of the job market are probably the main culprits. But the new research on social mobility suggests that sprawl — not just the movement of jobs out of the city, but their movement out of reach of many less-affluent residents of the suburbs, too — is also playing a role.
As I said, this observation clearly reinforces the case for policies that help families function without multiple cars. But you should also see it in the larger context of a nation that has lost its way, that preaches equality of opportunity while offering less and less opportunity to those who need it most."

2
N.Y. / Region

Outrage as Homeowners Prepare for Substantially Higher Flood Insurance Rates

By JENNY ANDERSON | Jul 29, 2013
Changes in the federal flood insurance program last year and the impact of Hurricane Sandy are helping to drive up rates in the New York region by many thousands of dollars.
Floods; Insurance; Hurricane Sandy (2012); 

Only the banks require flood insurance.  
If owners are willing to accept the risk they can. 

3
Health

More on Preventing Hospital Readmissions

By JUDITH GRAHAM | Jul 26, 2013
Experts offer suggestions for ensuring that discharged patients stay out of the hospital.
Elder Care; Hospitals; Medicare; 

Getting primary care from the medical system is the problem.
 
4
Opinion

Young, Black and Poor in Brazil

By JULIANA BARBASSA | Jul 29, 2013
Brazil has made tremendous progress over the past 20 years, except for those at the bottom of the social pyramid.
Blacks; Murders and Attempted Murders; Poverty; Social Conditions and Trends; Youth; 

Decedents of an enslaved group do not have easy lives.
 
5
Business Day

Treasury Auctions Set for the Week of July 29

Jul 29, 2013
The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week.
Stocks and Bonds; Credit and Debt; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; States (US); 

"At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.02 percent. The rate on the six-month issue was 0.06 percent, and the rate on the four-week issue was 0.02 percent."

There is no expectation of inflation this year.
 
6
Business Day

E-Commerce Company Learns to Sell Directly on Facebook

By MELINDA F. EMERSON | Jul 26, 2013
For one owner, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to accept payments.
Computers and the Internet; E-Commerce; Shopping and Retail; Small Business; Social Media; 

I will have to hire a business person when the time comes.
 
7
Business Day

This Week in Small Business: Pay Cash

By GENE MARKS | Jul 29, 2013
Chief financial officers are more optimistic. A report says small businesses are particularly vulnerable to climate change. But for one fishmonger, business still stinks. Do you pay your interns?
Entrepreneurship; Small Business; Social Media; Start-ups; United States Economy; 

8
Booming

Reinvented in His 60s, After 26 Jobless Months

By MICHAEL WINERIP | Jul 29, 2013
Michael Blattman knows what it’s like to be unemployed for months, but always believing in happy endings, he now has one.
Unemployment; Baby Boomers; Recession and Depression; Labor and Jobs; Hiring and Promotion; Colleges and Universities; 

Such things happen.
 
9
N.Y. / Region

Body Found in Hudson Believed to Be 2nd Boat Crash Victim

Jul 29, 2013
The police said the body was most likely that of a man who had been missing since an accident on Friday that also killed a bride-to-be.
Maritime Accidents and Safety; Boats and Boating; Tappan Zee Bridge; Missing Persons; 

If it bleeds, it leads.
 
10
World

A Reunion for War Survivors Who Escaped to India

By NARESH FERNANDES | Jul 29, 2013
How thousands of Poles survived the Nazis and the Russians during the World War II and found refuge in India.
Children and Childhood; Defense and Military Forces; Holocaust and the Nazi Era; Immigration and Emigration; Refugees and Displaced Persons; World War II (1939-45); 

Wow.
 
11
Business Day

Aberdeen, a City With One Foot on the Seafloor

By STANLEY REED | Jul 29, 2013
Since the early 1970s, Aberdeen, Scotland, has evolved from a gritty fishing town into the world's center of innovation in technology for the offshore energy industry.
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Natural Gas; Offshore Drilling and Exploration; Labor and Jobs; 

Boom towns and times can be very pleasant.
 
12
Business Day

Seeking Support, Biotech Food Companies Pledge Transparency

By ANDREW POLLACK | Jul 29, 2013
The centerpiece of the effort is a Web site that will answer questions that consumers have about genetically engineered crops.
Biotechnology; Genetic Engineering; Agriculture and Farming; Food; 

My objection to G.M.O. is the encouragement it gives to monoculture.
When the system breaks it will be broken.  People will be hungry.
 
13
Opinion

Beijing's Play for Porn

By CLARISSA SEBAG-MONTEFIORE | Jul 26, 2013
The Chinese government has announced yet another anti-pornography campaign in the name of good morals — so that only its media outlets can sell smut.
Censorship; Computers and the Internet; Ethics (Personal); Freedom of the Press; Magazines; Pornography; 

Porn grabs eyes.  
Campaigning against all other porn seems unfair.
China is not fair.  It never has been fair.
 
14
Technology

PC Industry Fights to Adapt as Tablets Muscle In

By NICK WINGFIELD | Jul 29, 2013
While sales of PCs to businesses remain steady, demand among consumers has plunged, largely because people are instead buying iPads, Kindle Fires and other tablets.
Tablet Computers; Laptop Computers; Consumer Behavior; Desktop Computers; 

The game is changing.
 
15
Opinion

Profiling Obama

By BILL KELLER | Jul 29, 2013
Why is it his job to confront America’s racism?
Race and Ethnicity; Blacks; Minorities; United States Politics and Government; Discrimination; 

It is time for this perception.
 
16
World

Delivering a Jolt to India's Teacher Training

By GAYATRI RANGACHARI SHAH | Jul 29, 2013
A Mumbai group seeks to address a shortage of affordable quality teaching by recruiting mostly poorer local women and turning them into educators.
Education; Education (K-12); Teachers and School Employees; 

This seems a practical and effective solution.

17
Opinion

Gangplank to a Warm Future

By ANTHONY R. INGRAFFEA | Jul 29, 2013
Because of methane leaks, shale gas is not a “bridge” to a renewable energy future — it’s a gangplank to more warming and away from truly clean energy investments.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Shale; Hydraulic Fracturing; Alternative and Renewable Energy; Methane; Natural Gas; 

All good points.
 
18
Opinion

Found in Translation

By HAMID DABASHI | Jul 28, 2013
For students of my generation in Iran, translated works opened a wider philosophical imagination, where borders between East and West dissolved.
Arabic Language; Muslims and Islam; Philosophy; Translation and Interpreters; 

I cannot comment.
 
19
Business Day

How to Gauge SAC on the Richter Scale

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON | Jul 28, 2013
SAC Capital Advisors, the hedge fund facing insider trading charges, has $14 billion under management, but $51 billion in total market exposure. If it unwinds, will that sum roil the stock market?
Hedge Funds; Banking and Financial Institutions; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010); 

There is no desire to crash the markets.
 
20
Magazine

My Fictional Grandparents

By LAILA LALAMI | Jul 28, 2013
Could I now learn who they really were?
Families and Family Life; Genetics and Heredity; 

DNA tells some but only some. 
The stories tell more.  They tell what was done.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

@ 20:56


1
Opinion

Another View on Gas Drilling in the Context of Climate Change

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | Jul 29, 2013
Cornell researchers come to different conclusions about the climate impact of fracking.
Air Pollution; Carbon Dioxide; Coal; Earth; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Methane; Shale;

Better than coal is still not good.
 
2
U.S.

White House Ties Immigration Overhaul to Farms

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR | Jul 29, 2013
Immigration reform includes a pathway to citizenship and a guest-worker program would shore up the farm labor supply, a White House report argues.
Agriculture and Farming; Foreign Workers; Illegal Immigration; Immigration and Emigration; United States Politics and Government; 

Exploitation is a guest worker program.
Deportation is a club.  It robs the workers of their pay.
 
3
Health

Concerns About Dementia Screening

By RONI CARYN RABIN | Jul 29, 2013
A push for early detection and treatment, even in the absence of cognitive symptoms, of the amyloid plaques that indicate a risk for Alzheimer’s and other dementias has some researchers worried.
Alzheimer's Disease; Brain; Dementia; Elderly; Health Insurance and Managed Care; 

She knows she is slipping.  Much of it is sleep and hearing problems.
We can pretend that there is hope of recovery.
I will not destroy that hope.

Advertisement
4
Health

Report Suggests Sweeping Changes to Cancer Detection and Treatment

By TARA PARKER-POPE | Jul 29, 2013
The recommendations include changes in the very definition of cancer and eliminating the word entirely from some common diagnoses.
Breast Cancer; Cancer; Medicine and Health; 

Now do the research and discover when to treat.
 
5
World

Delivering a Jolt to India's Teacher Training

By GAYATRI RANGACHARI SHAH | Jul 29, 2013
6
Opinion

Found in Translation

By HAMID DABASHI | Jul 28, 2013
7
Business Day

How to Gauge SAC on the Richter Scale

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON | Jul 28, 2013
8
Opinion

Religion and Doubt

Jul 27, 2013
Rabbi Harold Kushner explains how Jews often deal with biblical tales that defy belief.
Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints); Religion and Belief; Jews and Judaism; 

I will treat such books as fiction.


9
Magazine

My Fictional Grandparents

By LAILA LALAMI | Jul 28, 2013
Could I now learn who they really were?

No.

Families and Family Life; Genetics and Heredity;
10
Business Day

Few Suitors to Build a New Marine One

By CHRISTOPHER DREW | Jul 29, 2013
The bidding for the helicopter, as well as other recent contract troubles, suggests that the goal of creating sharper competition with government contracts is hard to achieve.
Marine One (Helicopter); Defense Contracts; Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates); 

I am not going to worry.  
 
11
U.S.

Facing a Recall After Supporting Stronger Gun Laws in Colorado

By JACK HEALY | Jul 29, 2013
A recall election in Colorado serves as a national test of whether politicians can survive the fallout of passing strict gun-control measures.
Gun Control; Elections, State Legislature;

Panic over window dressing.  The laws in question do little.

12
Your Money

In Search of Romance, and Maybe a Refund

By DAVID SEGAL | Jul 28, 2013

You have no competition.

13
Opinion

I Want to Be a Mayor

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN | Jul 28, 2013
Crucial economic growth is being generated in cities and metropolitan areas across the country.
Urban Areas; Local Government; Mayors; United States Politics and Government; United States Economy; 

Another straw man.
 
14
Sports

Delle Donne Will Miss W.N.B.A. All-Star Game

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 27, 2013
Elena Delle Donne, the first rookie to lead the W.N.B.A.’s All-Star voting, will miss the All-Star Game on Saturday while recovering from a concussion.
Basketball; All Star Games; Sports Injuries; 

This is not a gender problem.
 
15
Opinion

Gangplank to a Warm Future

By ANTHONY R. INGRAFFEA | Jul 29, 2013
16
Opinion

Why Smokers Still Smoke

By EYAL ERT and ELDAD YECHIAM | Jul 28, 2013
The personality trait that distinguishes smokers from nonsmokers: poor self-control.
Smoking and Tobacco; Psychology and Psychologists; 

I question the study.  
Addiction is important in smoking.
The personality trait may be a result rather than a cause.
 
17
World

A Continent Mired in Crisis Coins a Language of Economic Pain

By RAPHAEL MINDER | Jul 26, 2013
In country after country in Europe, the economic crisis has spawned its own language, brought exotic financial terms into popular use, and generated a darkly humorous slang.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Language and Languages; Slang; 

There is more than enough pain.
 
18
Magazine

Bankrolling the Botnets

By CHUCK KLOSTERMAN | Jul 28, 2013
What’s it worth to understand spam?
Ethics (Personal); Ethicist, The (Times Column); 

There is a duty to publish that is not mentioned here.
 
19
N.Y. / Region

Bill Would Alter FEMA Policy to Assist Co-ops and Condos

By MIREYA NAVARRO | Jul 29, 2013
Representative Steve Israel of New York said the bill would amend a law that treats condos and coops as businesses and bars most home relief.
Cooperatives; Condominiums; Disasters and Emergencies; Hurricane Sandy (2012);

I need more information on the reasoning behind the Stafford act.
Why are businesses not qualified for disaster aid?
 
20
N.Y. / Region

For Beach Scavengers, Storm Washed Away Their Treasure

By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ | Jul 27, 2013
The folks who comb Jones Beach with metal detectors say their bounty has suffered because of Hurricane Sandy.
Beaches; Hurricane Sandy (2012);

Fluff.   I could do an essay on metal detectors.




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