Saturday, August 24, 2013

@10:30, 8/23/13

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1
World

Tank Has Leaked Tons of Contaminated Water at Japan Nuclear Site

Workers raced to stop the leakage at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, but its operator said much of the water had seeped into the soil and the source of the leak was unknown.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan); Hazardous and Toxic Substances; Water Pollution; Radiation; 

TEPCO is not going to be able to store all the water that goes through the ruins at Fukushima.

Only water passes through a reverse osmosis system.
Some of the water will have tritium as a component.  The tritium is an alpha emitter, relatively harmless and short lived. Dispose of it at sea.
The "brine" at the end of the process can be shipped to France with the damaged fuel and other core parts.
Ground water can be kept out of the buildings by pumping it around the ruins.
2
Business Day

Japan's Women to the Rescue

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s effort to expand opportunities for women is not simply an exercise in political correctness but an economic necessity driven by demographics, an economist writes.
Child Care; Economic Conditions and Trends; Elderly; Gender; Labor and Jobs; Wages and Salaries; Women and Girls; 

The control of population growth in a democracy is a hard problem.
Japan is succeeding.
3
Science

As Humans Change Landscape, Brains of Some Animals Change, Too

As humans alter the places where animals live, we may be fueling the evolution of bigger brains.
Animals; Evolution (Biology); Research; Mammals; 

We have understood selection pressure since the middle of the nineteenth
century.
This is a footnote.
Advertisement
4
N.Y. / Region

With Ships, Silt and a Giant Straw, a Beach in the Rockaways Is Reborn

Between now and next Memorial Day, a federal project will put 3.5 million cubic yards of sand on the beaches eroded by Hurricane Sandy, at a cost of $37 million.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Parks and Other Recreation Areas; Beaches; 

All beach structures are temporary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_evolution

That a beach is what is left behind by erosion is a new thought to me.
I think I understand barrier islands: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_islands

The author has not thought through the problem.

Both theories are right.

5
Arts

Where Words Mean as Much as Objects

Apache tribes will be happy to take back their artifacts from the American Museum of Natural History. Just call them sacred relics.
Museums; Apache Indians; Native Americans; Arts and Antiquities Looting; Religion and Belief;

A search for deserved honor.

6
Technology

Learning to Read, With the Help of a Tablet

Using sound and animations, apps guide children through the process of recognizing letters, to actually reading.
Tablet Computers; Mobile Applications; Reading and Writing Skills (Education); Children and Childhood;

I remember learning phonics.  It was an unsatisfactory way to read.
Reading must be at least as fast and graceful as speech.
There is music in the words that cannot be found if the words are labored.

7
Opinion

Bias Toward Abuse Victims

Sanctuary for Families says victims of domestic violence should not face eviction.
Domestic Violence; Evictions;

Persistent nonpayment of rent or destruction of rental property  should be the grounds for eviction.
An oversupply of would be tenants is a development problem.

8
Booming

Coffin Shopping for Mom

With Mom in an assisted-living facility, I recently planned and prepaid her funeral, keeping in mind what she chose for my Dad’s 12 years earlier.
Funerals and Memorials; Death and Dying; Baby Boomers; Parenting;

Follow her religion.
The arrangements should be a comfort to her residual mind.
 
9
Style

Circumcision Rates in U.S. Drop Drastically in Western States

While circumcision rates in the United States remained stable elsewhere, they plummeted in the 13 Western states. Why?
Babies and Infants; Circumcision; Parenting; States (US);

Don't know.
 
10
Opinion

Medical Care and the Mentally Ill

Responses from psychiatrists and other doctors to a Sunday Review article, “When Doctors Discriminate.”
Doctors; Mental Health and Disorders; Psychiatry and Psychiatrists; Medicine and Health;

Why doctors should know patients.
Here are a number of useful thoughts.
 
11
World

As Surprisingly Open Trial Begins in China, Fallen Politician Shows Defiance

Bo Xilai, once a rising star in the Communist Party, rejected accusations that he took bribes and called testimony from his wife “laughable” on the first day of his trial.
Corruption (Institutional); Embezzlement; Bribery and Kickbacks;

A "show trial" with perhaps better  production.

12
Style

Why the Nest Isn't So Empty Anymore

Economic troubles aren’t the only thing pulling millennials back home. The emotional bond between them and their parents is simply different from what many of us experienced with our own mothers and fathers.
Baby Boomers; Families and Family Life; Parenting; Youth;

This is why rooms have doors.
 
13
U.S.

Facial Scanning Is Making Gains in Surveillance

The federal government is making progress on developing a surveillance system that would scan crowds and automatically identify people by their faces, raising concerns among some privacy advocates.
Computer Vision; Biometrics; Surveillance of Citizens by Government; Privacy; Identification Devices;

Still dreaming. 
The product will not be admissible and should require a warrant.
 
14
Autos

How Does Tesla's 5-Star Safety Rating Inform Overall Vehicle Safety?

The Tesla Model S just received the government’s highest safety rating. What are the implications for electric vehicles in general?
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Automobiles; Electric and Hybrid Vehicles;

Hucksters do get enthusiastic.
 
15
Autos

The Twists and Turns of Owning a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair is one of the most unique American cars ever built, so what’s it like to own one?
Antique and Classic Cars; Automobiles; Small Cars (Compact, Subcompact and Microcars);

An early automotive adventure of mine was a Triumph Spitfire. 
A car with a swing axle rear end.  It was very educational. 
The swing axle design had the nasty habits it was reputed to have.

16
Health

Looking to Genes for the Secret to Happiness

People whose happiness was based on a sense of higher purpose and service to others had gene markers indicating low levels of inflammation, which has been linked to the development of cancer and heart disease.
Genetics and Heredity; Happiness; Medicine and Health;

Gretchen Reynolds is confusing cause and effect.
 
17
U.S.

70 Are Indicted in Puerto Rico in Social Security Fraud

Prosecutors said three doctors and an ex-Social Security Administration employee were among those who had helped people get disability benefits they did not qualify for.
Social Security (US); Frauds and Swindling; Disabilities;

"Dog whistle" politics.

18
World

German Officers’ Biases Seen as Enabling Neo-Nazis

A parliamentary study found that prejudices played a role in the police’s failure to detect a neo-Nazi cell that carried out a string of attacks on immigrants for more than a decade.
Discrimination; Neo Nazi Groups; Police; Immigration and Emigration; Murders and Attempted Murders; Legislatures and Parliaments; Minorities;

Prejudice reporting prejudice.
 
19
Real Estate

In Denver, Beat Starts to Pick Up in a Once-Thriving Hub for Jazz

Developers are beginning to move into Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, where the jazz age still echoes in the majestic buildings and landmarks.
Real Estate (Commercial); Area Planning and Renewal; Historic Buildings and Sites; Real Estate and Housing (Residential);

Blowing smoke.  Bubbles do not re-inflate.
20
Opinion

A Treaty on Wages

A reader responding to a column by Mark Bittman outlines the benefits of an international minimum wage.
Minimum Wage; International Trade and World Market; Wages and Salaries; Immigration and Emigration;

Pushing on a string.

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