Saturday, July 20, 2013

@1:30, 7/18/13

|




1
Opinion

Complicate to Circumvent

By CARLOS PUIG | Jul 17, 2013
In Mexico, campaign-finance reform has just made an existing mess even messier.
Accounting and Accountants; Elections; Elections, House of Representatives; Law and Legislation; Legislatures and Parliaments; 

"Baffle them with bullshit".
 
2
 
U.S.

Credit Reporting Agency Hired to Verify Incomes for Insurance Subsidies

By ROBERT PEAR | Jul 17, 2013
The Obama administration has hired Equifax Workforce Solutions to help verify information provided on subsidy applications under the new health care law.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010); Federal Aid (US); Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; Health Insurance and Managed Care; United States Politics and Government; 

The Obama administration wins another round.
 
3
World

Greece Hit by General Strike to Protest Austerity

By NIKI KITSANTONIS | Jul 17, 2013
The nationwide walkout came as Parliament prepared to debate an array of new economic reforms needed to obtain rescue loans.
Strikes; Organized Labor; Wages and Salaries; European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Unemployment; 

The Greek Parliament is corrupt and will vote for the loan.
 
4
Business Day

Inventive, at Least in Court

By EDWARD WYATT | Jul 17, 2013
The head of Federal Trade Commission is singling out companies that engage in “a variety of aggressive litigation tactics,” like hiding behind shell companies when suing.
Inventions and Patents; New Models, Design and Products; Suits and Litigation (Civil);

http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/%22software+patents%22
http://slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=%22software+patents%22

 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_Invents_Act
 
A software patent has been defined by the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) as being a "patent on any performance of a computer realised by means of a computer program".[1]
Most countries place some limits on the patenting of invention involving software, but there is no legal definition of a software patent. For example, U.S. patent law excludes "abstract ideas", and this has been used to refuse some patents involving software. In Europe, "computer programs as such" are excluded from patentability and European Patent Office policy is consequently that a program for a computer is not patentable if it does not have the potential to cause a "further technical effect" beyond the inherent technical interactions between hardware and software.[2]
There is intense debate over the extent to which software patents should be granted, if at all. Important issues concerning software patents include:
  • Whether software patents should be allowed, and if so, where the boundary between patentable and non-patentable software should lie;[3]
  • Whether the inventive step and non-obviousness requirement is applied too loosely to software;[4] and
  • Whether patents covering software discourage, rather than encourage, innovation.[5]
An old fight.  I am negative on these patents.
 
5
World

China: Four Officials Detained Over Mine Explosions

By EDWARD WONG | Jul 17, 2013
Four local officials are being investigated for “dereliction of duty” in two coal mine blasts that killed 53 people last spring.
Accidents and Safety; Mines and Mining; Coal; 

Public relations.
 
6
Opinion

The Future of Same-Sex Marriage

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jul 15, 2013
In the wake of two important Supreme Court rulings, the fight for equality continues.
Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships; Homosexuality; State Legislatures; Editorials; States (US); 

The justice department may not be interested.
The law will be fixed "with all deliberate speed".
7
U.S.

Senate Reaches Deal to End Fight Over Student Loan Interest Rates

By JEREMY W. PETERS | Jul 18, 2013
A Senate aide said that the new proposal, which had been the subject of tense negotiations since the rates doubled on July 1, would include both a cap on federal Stafford and PLUS loans and a relatively low interest rate pegged to Treasury notes.
Student Loans; Interest Rates; United States Politics and Government; 

A deal but not a good deal.
 
8
N.Y. / Region

Next Steps in Bloomberg’s Obesity Fight: Up the Stairs

By MONA EL-NAGGAR | Jul 18, 2013
Continuing his campaign for healthy living, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is urging New Yorkers to forgo elevators.
Obesity; Executive Orders; Weight; 

Good ideas.
 
9
Science

Skull Surgery Offers Perils and Potential

By KATIE HAFNER | Jul 16, 2013
Partial skull removal, used to relieve life-threatening pressure in the brain after a traumatic injury or severe stroke, raises questions about quantity versus quality of life.
Surgery and Surgeons; Skull (Body Part); Emergency Medical Treatment; Brain; 

It is far better if there is a durable power of attorney  or an informed family
member should the procedure be required.
 
10
Style

Who Will Screen for Postpartum Depression?

By SARAH GONSER | Jul 17, 2013
My obstetrician ignored my symptoms of postpartum depression, and told me to take more ‘me’ time. Just like that, I slipped through the cracks, and I’m not alone. There’s no universal screening for depression in women after giving birth.
Babies and Infants; Mental Health and Disorders; Parenting; Pregnancy and Childbirth; Women and Girls; 

Someone sees to the health of the new mother.   Some practice in recognizing depression is not a burden on ob-gyn practitioners.
Treating depression is a job for specialists.  Recognizing it is part of perinatal care.  The condition has been known for centuries.
  
11
Health

In Europe, Dementia Rates May Be Falling

By PAULA SPAN | Jul 17, 2013
New studies from Denmark and Britain find that older people are getting healthier and experiencing less dementia.
Dementia; Elder Care; Longevity; 

I am much more interested in the rate of decline of the elderly.
Stimulation delays dementia and effective health care extends life.
Do the old taper off or do they collapse suddenly?  Anecdotally 
There is a plateau in old age that goes on for years.
 
12
Opinion

Better Teachers and Better Tests

Jul 17, 2013
Sampling the many responses to an editorial, “The Trouble With Testing Mania.”
Education (K-12); Teachers and School Employees; Tests and Examinations; 

Special pleading all around.
We should not confuse training with learning.  
We need to do both and do a bad job of both.  
Training makes learning much easier.

13
N.Y. / Region

Citi Field’s Neighbors to Protest Evictions Before All-Star Game

By CHARLES V. BAGLI | Jul 16, 2013
A group of business owners unhappy at being displaced in Willets Point, Queens, are expected to air their frustrations near the stadium.
Demonstrations, Protests, and Riots; Evictions; Area Planning and Renewal; Baseball; All Star Games; Affordable Housing; Small Business; 

The redevelopment of Willets is a bribe to the realestate interests.
Now that Bloomberg is leaving office the project should be canceled.


14
Travel

In Santa Fe, a New Botanical Garden

By ELAINE GLUSAC | Jul 17, 2013
The Santa Fe Botanical Garden, which includes a fruit orchard and natural meadows, is scheduled to open on Sunday.
Flowers and Plants; Gardens and Gardening; Museums; 

I am fond of the car I am driving 
but cars in general are incompatible with cities.

15
Business Day

Glaxo Used Travel Firms for Bribery, China Says

By DAVID BARBOZA | Jul 16, 2013
Fictitious conferences and sham expense receipts provided the money to pay off doctors, hospitals and government officials, the authorities said.
Bribery and Kickbacks; Money Laundering; Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Travel Agencies and Agents;

"Perfidious Albion".  They may be better at the game than we.
 
16
World

Celebrating the Elderly With a Nervous Eye on Italy’s Future

By RACHEL DONADIO | Jul 18, 2013
With older people in the Mediterranean living longer and longer lives, experts warn that Europe’s debt crisis is exacerbating a growing demographic crisis.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Retirement; Elderly; 

End the euro and restart the economy.
The resources are there, all that is required is some money.
 
17
Opinion

Has the G.O.P. Gone Off the Deep End?

By THOMAS B. EDSALL | Jul 17, 2013
Disaffected conservatives are increasingly anxious about the ideological intransigence of Republican legislators.
Conservatism (US Politics); Immigration and Emigration; Presidential Elections (US); Tea Party Movement; United States Politics and Government;

There is a group of pragmatists who have seen the GOP as a road to power.
This group is frightened of the future.
The risk to their present power is great and growing.
 
18
Business Day

JPMorgan in Talks to Settle Energy Manipulation Case for $500 Million

By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG and BEN PROTESS | Jul 17, 2013
JPMorgan Chase is aiming to settle accusations by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it devised “manipulative schemes” that transformed “money-losing power plants into powerful profit centers.
Energy and Power; Fines (Penalties); Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; 

Another cost of doing business.
J.P.Morgan-Chase was more careful once.
 
19
N.Y. / Region

Burdened Estate Bears Monumental Price Tag, and Many Mortgages

By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS | Jul 16, 2013
Copper Beech Farm in Greenwich, on the market for $190 million, has been yoked, through its loans and through its owner, to a tale of the American West.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Mortgages; Forests and Forestry; 

A broken business plan.
 
20
Business Day

Antidrug Campaign, Lacking Federal Funds, Turns to Social Media

By STUART ELLIOTT | Jul 16, 2013
Above the Influence lost millions of dollars in appropriations, but executives of the partnership at Drugfree.org have decided to try to keep the campaign going.
Advertising and Marketing; Teenagers and Adolescence; Alcohol Abuse; Drug Abuse and Traffic; 

Putting a bright side on the sequester.

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

@23:50

1
Opinion

A River Runs Over With It

By JULIANA BARBASSA | Jul 18, 2013
Don’t let Rio’s picture-perfection foul you: Its waters are foul.
Infrastructure (Public Works); Population; Rain; Rivers; Sewers and Sewage; Waste Materials and Disposal; Water; 

Brazil has primitive land law.  
The nation has never dealt with their squatters.  
Squatters build without the investments in infrastructure that are public health.  
Cholera and typhus and the black death will visit.
 
2
Opinion

A U.S. Battery Recycler Says We Should Keep the Lead In

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | Jul 18, 2013
The head of a lead smelting company calls for an industry cleanup but also an end to policies that send lead-containing batteries, and related pollution problems, to poorer nations.
Air Pollution; Automobiles; Batteries; Hazardous and Toxic Substances; International Trade and World Market; Lead; Mexico; Recycling of Waste Materials; 

90% is not good enough.
The rest is pious noise.
3
Opinion

Love in the Time of Hookups

By ROSS DOUTHAT | Jul 18, 2013
In the relationship-vs-career dilemma, what young people seek first is what they’ll tend to find.
Dating and Courtship; Love (Emotion); Marriages; Sex; Women and Girls; 

Ross Douthat has a point of view.  It is not mine.

Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.

I got it right the first time.
 
4
Science

Changing View on Viruses: Not So Small After All

By CARL ZIMMER | Jul 18, 2013
A newly discovered pandoravirus is 1,000 times the size of the flu virus and has nearly 200 times as many genes. And giant viruses turn out to be everywhere.
Viruses; Science and Technology; Genetics and Heredity; 

Much more work to be done.
 
5
Business Day

In Tourre Trial, S.E.C. Wages Battle Against Its Own Witness

By SUSANNE CRAIG and MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED | Jul 17, 2013
The S.E.C.’s plan in its lawsuit against a former Goldman Sachs trader was thrown into disarray in several hours of combative testimony on Wednesday.
Hedge Funds; Mortgage-Backed Securities; Mortgages; Securities and Commodities Violations; 

There was no conspiracy.  
There was a concatenation of errors.
One of the errors was a failure of communication.

6
World

Electoral War Over Electricity Bills in Delhi

By SAI MANISH | Jul 18, 2013
A new Indian political party is running an electoral campaign over electricity bills.
Corruption (Institutional); Elections; Electric Light and Power; Law and Legislation; Power Outages and Blackouts; 

Electricity in  Delhi is a monopoly without effective regulation.

7
Business Day

Widow of Sept. 11 Pilot Seeks More Cockpit Security

By RON NIXON | Jul 17, 2013
Ellen Saracini wants airlines to have to install a second security door to the cockpit, but the airline industry says that isn’t necessary.
September 11 (2001); Airlines and Airplanes; Security and Warning Systems; Pilots; Aviation Accidents and Safety; 

She can speak. 
There has not been an incident.
We must take the airlines word.
 
8
Health

Dementia Rate Is Found to Drop Sharply, as Forecast

By GINA KOLATA | Jul 17, 2013
Two new studies out of Europe have confirmed what researchers had long suspected: rates would fall and mental acuity improve as populations grew healthier and better educated.
Dementia; Alzheimer's Disease; Research; Elderly; 

The Causality is in question.   
Mental engagement appears important.
9
Opinion

Has the G.O.P. Gone Off the Deep End?

By THOMAS B. EDSALL | Jul 17, 2013
Disaffected conservatives are increasingly anxious about the ideological intransigence of Republican legislators.
Conservatism (US Politics); Immigration and Emigration; Presidential Elections (US); Tea Party Movement; United States Politics and Government; 

Yes.  Richard Nixon did them in with help from FDR.
10
Business Day

JPMorgan in Talks to Settle Energy Manipulation Case for $500 Million

By BEN PROTESS and JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG | Jul 17, 2013
11
Business Day

Antidrug Campaign, Lacking Federal Funds, Turns to Social Media

By STUART ELLIOTT | Jul 16, 2013
 
Sequestration!
 
12
Travel

Four Seasons Opens in St. Petersburg After Remodeling

By ELAINE GLUSAC | Jul 18, 2013
The Four Seasons Lion Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, once a luxury apartment house, opened this month.
Historic Buildings and Sites; Restoration and Renovation; Travel and Vacations; 

I would worry about the giardia lamblia and the radioactives in the water

13
Autos

Go East, Old Man: Talking To Myself

By BENJAMIN PRESTON | Jul 16, 2013
In part two of his journey, Dexter Ford drives his tiny motorcycle through Utah and into Wyoming.
Automobiles; Camps and Camping; Motorcycles, Motor Bikes and Motorscooters; Parks and Other Recreation Areas; 

A fine adventure
14
Autos

This Citroën DS Is a Real Transformer

By BENJAMIN PRESTON | Jul 17, 2013
Commissioned by Citroën to adorn the company’s Paris showroom, Totemobile starts as a car and transforms into a 60-foot-tall robot sculpture.
Automobiles; Robots and Robotics; Sculpture; 

The timing is wrong for me to do this in the city.
I am also not fond of the aesthetic presented.
 
15
 
Real Estate

Glassboro, N.J., Gambles on a University Partnership

By RONDA KAYSEN | Jul 17, 2013
The struggling borough has tied its fortunes to Rowan University and a $300 million downtown revitalization.
Area Planning and Renewal; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Real Estate (Commercial); Colleges and Universities; Renting and Leasing (Real Estate); 

A big bet that I suspect will not end well.
Student housing does run high.  It is not as bad as city rent.
16
World

A Small Town Near Gurgaon Wrestles With Change

By ASGAR QADRI | Jul 15, 2013
As Gurgaon swells, a farming village morphs into a small town.
Agriculture and Farming; Automobiles; Labor and Jobs; Land Use Policies; Shopping Centers and Malls; Temporary Employment; 

Change is not easy for a society or for individuals.
 
17
World

Iraq: Attacks Kill 9 People

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 16, 2013
Attacks across Iraq killed nine people on Monday, including a 10-year-old boy, the latest in a surge of violence rocking Iraq during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Terrorism; Ramadan; Bombs and Explosives; 

Iraq is still tribal.
So are other places.
 
18
N.Y. / Region

State Questions Charities on Flow of Hurricane Aid

By PATRICK McGEEHAN | Jul 17, 2013
Charities had not disbursed almost $240 million of the $575 million in contributions they had received to help victims of the storm, according to a survey conducted at the end of March.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Philanthropy; Humanitarian Aid; 

This looks to be a pattern for the Red Cross and other charities.
A solid chunk is set aside to start dealing with the next disaster.
 
19
 
N.Y. / Region

Jailed Often Because of His Transit Obsession, Man May Get Help

By VIVIAN YEE | Jul 18, 2013
Darius McCollum, who has Asperger syndrome and a habit of taking buses and subways for joy rides, may have another chance at help, if he wants it.
Transit Systems; Sentences (Criminal); Asperger's Syndrome; 

“We’re at the end of the process,” Ms. Butler said. “We’re crawling to the finish line.”  ?
20
Opinion

What the Court Didn’t Say

By ALBERTO R. GONZALES and DAVID N. STRANGE | Jul 18, 2013
The Supreme Court’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act is silent on whether immigration benefits must be extended to same-sex spouses of American citizens.
Immigration and Emigration; Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships; Law and Legislation; Defense of Marriage Act (1996); Decisions and Verdicts; 

This opinion is invalid.  
DOMA has been struck down.  
Case law dependent on DOMA is canceled.  
Congress can make rules about marriage but cannot distinguish homosexual from heterosexual unions.
Marriage is a proper ground for immigration.
State law does not apply.
Any federal judge should toss this argument.
The Court did not need to speak on the matter.
The GOP must let the matter go.



|

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)