Tuesday, September 10, 2013

@10:20, 9/9/13

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1
Business Day

Popular Demand

The topic showing the biggest gain in search during the week ending Aug. 31 was the performance by Miley Cyrus at the Video Music Awards, but results also showed an increase in search for information on Syria.
Search Engines; Music; 

I am not part of the popular culture.
 
2
U.S.

Inquiry Finds Inadequate Staffing at Mississippi Veterans Hospital

Problems at a Jackson, Miss., unit will be among the topics discussed at a special field hearing of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Hospitals; Whistle-Blowers; Veterans; Nursing and Nurses; 

Mississippi is still fighting the Civil War.
 
3
Sports

Positive Drug Tests Confirmed for Jamaican Athletes

The backup doping tests have come back positive for the former 100-meter world-record holder Asafa Powell, his teammate Sherone Simpson and three other Jamaican athletes.
Doping (Sports); Tests (Drug Use); Track and Field; 

An English rather than a French or Spanish sugar island. 
Culture makes differences.
 
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4
N.Y. / Region

Voting Information for Primary Day

How to find polling locations, what to do if you encounter problems and other tips for voters.
Primaries and Caucuses; Elections, Mayors; 

There is no real fight here.  
5
Opinion

Federal Oversight on Public Defense

The right to a lawyer gets a boost from the Justice Department.
Public Defenders and Court-Appointed Lawyers (Criminal); 

Miranda gets a defendant a lawyer.  
The present court would like that to be an unfunded mandate.
To forgo the argument, funding the appointed defense is an easy way.
Generous funding would make defending the indigent a privilege rather than an onerous  duty.
Such is perhaps the most direct way of changing the court house culture.
  
6
N.Y. / Region

The Mayoral Candidates on the Police

The New York Times asked the leading candidates in contested mayoral primaries three questions about crime. The description of their positions is drawn from their responses and previous statements.
Search and Seizure; 

There seems to be a general incomprehension of what the police are as opposed to what they should be.
Imagine Irish neighborhoods patrolled by all black or Hispanic precincts. 
 
7
Business Day

Greek Prime Minister Says Positive Economic Data Points to Austerity Easing

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said the Greek economy had the smallest contraction since 2010 and the improvement was largely due to a strong rebound in tourism.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Economic Conditions and Trends; Euro (Currency); Labor and Jobs; Immigration and Emigration; Politics and Government; 

No.
The Greek banks are empty.
The economy of Greece is pushing on a different zero bound.
Tourism is the strongest thing going but it is about a quarter of peak and less than half priced.  A fire sale will get people to attend.
 
8
World

Rebel Brutality in Syria Posing Dilemma in the West

In more than two years of civil war, many Syrian rebels have adopted some of the chillingly ruthless tactics of the government, raising the prospect that a military strike could strengthen extremists and criminals.
Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- ); 

Think civil war, 1862.
9
Health

A Cool Classic, Sliced and Diced

Five ways to enjoy cucumbers — a perfect food for hot end-of-summer days — inspired by cuisines around the globe.
Cooking and Cookbooks; Cucumbers; Recipes; Vegetables;
10
Opinion

Banning a Pseudo-Therapy

The old idea that homosexuality is an illness that can be “cured” may at last be headed for the trash heap.
Therapy and Rehabilitation; Homosexuality; Law and Legislation; Decisions and Verdicts; 

Good.
 
11
U.S.

Ohio: Kidnapper Told Police They Missed Chances

Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man sentenced to life in prison for holding three women captive, said he called the mother of one of them, according to interrogation videotapes.
Kidnapping; 

This is called teasing your captors. 
By doing what damage he can he gets some revenge.

12
Business Day

A New Divestment Focus on Campus: Fossil Fuels

Concern over global warming has spurred students to dust off investment choice as a weapon in their campaign. But whether it will be as effective this time is another matter.
Colleges and Universities; Endowments; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; 

The endowments have been shifted to business management in the last thirty years.
Other peoples money is a wonderful toy.
The management will keep it.
 
13
World

Urban, but Left Behind

In China, the timeline of the massive migration of 250 million rural residents into cities by 2025 is so rapid and far-reaching, there are concerns that some people will be left behind.
Urban Areas; Land Use Policies; Rural Areas; 

The GOP calls it structural unemployment.
Run light rail to an area of future parkland. 
Give each former farmer a fifty by one hundred foot allotment with water as a lifetime benefit.  
The new city will eat better and the complaints will be far less urgent.

14
Health

Lasker Awards Go to Five Scientists and Gateses

Honors for developers of cochlear implants, neuroscientists studying neural transmissions, and Bill and Melinda Gates, for their work in promoting global health.
Awards, Decorations and Honors; Research; 

A quarter million is much less than it was sixty years ago.
 
15
U.S.

Michigan: State Ready to Expand Medicaid

In a bipartisan 75-to-32 vote, the State House gave final approval to a measure that would make almost a half-million more low-income adults eligible for Medicaid.
Medicaid; Law and Legislation; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010); United States Politics and Government; Health Insurance and Managed Care; 

The red state front begins to crack.
 
16
Science

STEM Doesn’t Mean Flowers

An excerpt from a 2010 essay by Natalie Angier that objected to “the odious and increasingly pervasive term ‘STEM education.’”
Space and Astronomy; Science and Technology; Education; Mathematics; 

It is called training.
It is what trade schools do.
Good trade schools are a wonder but they do not induce wonder.
There is nothing in calculating a building about great architecture.
Metallurgy does not do jewelry.
The calculus of variation will tell one of the shape of a soap bubble but not the wonder of the polychrome transparency.
Electrical engineering can design a telephone system but cannot motivate a long distance call.
We need both the noetic and the poetic.
 
17
Opinion

Empty Barn-Rafters

The swallows have moved on yet again. How did they know it was time to leave?
Birds; Animal Migration; Editorials; 

Follow the bugs.  Eating is important. 
"

A Diamond Or A Coal?

A diamond or a coal?
A diamond, if you please:
Who cares about a clumsy coal
Beneath the summer trees?
A diamond or a coal?
A coal, sir, if you please:
One comes to care about the coal
What time the waters freeze."



18
Business Day

Taxing Homeowners as if They Were Landlords

The tax code would be fairer if homeowners were taxed as landlords on their own property, which would equalize the tax treatment of all investments, including in one’s own home, an economist writes.
Income Tax; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); 

A moment.  
This assumes that the imputed rent is taxable income.
As far as I can tell from the 1040 it is not.

19
Technology

Apple Is Set to Announce Two iPhones

One iPhone will feature a faster processor, and the other will be a less expensive model in a variety of colors aimed at markets like China and India.
iPhone; Smartphones; 

Yes.

Do not forget:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/business/global/chipping-away-at-the-smartphone-leaders.html
"Some of the companies that are chipping away at the leaders are familiar names trying comebacks, like Sony, Nokia and HTC. Others are relative newcomers, like LG of South Korea and Lenovo, ZTE and Huawei of China."
 
20
Business Day

Harder Edge From Vanity Fair Chafes Some Big Hollywood Stars

The magazine has sharpened its celebrity coverage and that has angered some in Hollywood.
Celebrities; Movies; 

Big egos are easily chafed.

Big money is always interesting and important.  
I will look at it after I do things.


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@19:30

1
Business Day

S.&P.'s Counterattack on the Government

In its defense against a Justice Department lawsuit, Standard & Poor’s argues that it was improperly targeted because it lowered the credit rating on federal debt two years ago. How far it will get with that argument is an open question.
Collateralized Debt Obligations; Credit Ratings and Credit Rating Agencies; Freedom of Speech and Expression; Mortgage-Backed Securities; National Debt (US); Subprime Mortgage Crisis; Suits and Litigation (Civil); 

Desperation.
The defense is speculative at best.
2
Science

A Shark Prowling the Ocean Floor

Scientists in Indonesia have discovered a new species of walking shark that lives on the ocean floor and uses its fins to shuffle around.
Sharks; Fish and Other Marine Life; Oceans and Seas; 

Whale falls will feed it.
 
3
Science

Global Warming’s Impact and Germs That Induce Thinness

Recent developments in health and science news. This week: NASA’s latest moon mission and games that could help older adults.
Global Warming; Space and Astronomy; Moon; Bacteria; Computer and Video Games; 

Early reports.
I wish SpaceX success.
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4
Style

Time to Get the Flu Shots

At the first available opportunity, the members of my family will be rolling up our sleeves.
Children and Childhood; Influenza; Parenting; Vaccination and Immunization; 

OK.
5
Health

Life's Hard Lessons

A new book by the psychiatrist Norman E. Rosenthal, “The Gift of Adversity,” offers life-changing lessons and insight in how to deal with setbacks.
Medicine and Health; Mental Health and Disorders; Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); Unemployment; 

All of it good things to think about.
 
7
Business Day

Airline in Norway Says It Briefly Grounded Dreamliners

Norwegian Air Shuttle, a budget airline, said it returned both new Boeing 787 jets to service over the past week.
Airlines and Airplanes; 

They claim it is nothing to worry about.  
It would be a PR disaster if they lied.
8
N.Y. / Region

Debating a Fix for Hospitals in Dire Straits

While the Democratic candidates for mayor seem to agree on saving the city’s hospitals, the Cuomo administration is not throwing the struggling facilities a lifeline.
Elections, Mayors; Hospitals; Shutdowns (Institutional); 

Get through the next few months.
Conditions will improve.
 
9
World

Rebel Brutality in Syria Posing Dilemma in the West

10
U.S.

Ohio: Kidnapper Told Police They Missed Chances

11
Business Day

A New Divestment Focus on Campus: Fossil Fuels

12
Your Money

Trying to Outguess the Unpredictable

People subscribe to investing newsletters because they want some certainty about their financial decisions. But no one knows which way the markets will turn.
Newsletters; Personal Finances; 

Always.

There are things that can be known. 
They narrow the field of possibilities.
Mostly it is betting.  
Poker is not my favorite kind of game.

13
World

Urban, but Left Behind

14
Health

Lasker Awards Go to Five Scientists and Gateses

And a hearty hand clasp.

15
U.S.

Michigan: State Ready to Expand Medicaid

16
Opinion

Empty Barn-Rafters

17
 
World

Obama Calls Russia Offer on Syria Possible ‘Breakthrough’

President Obama called a Russian proposal to have Syria surrender its chemical weapons stockpiles “potentially positive,” but said he would keep up the threat of military action.
Biological and Chemical Warfare; Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- ); United States International Relations; 

Best escape yet.
 
18
Technology

Apple Is Set to Announce Two iPhones

19
Arts

A van Gogh’s Trip From the Attic to the Museum

The work, titled “Sunset at Montmajour,” was painted in Arles in 1888. For decades, it was considered a fake and consigned to an attic.
Art; 

The color selection is very typical.  
I am quite happy with the authentication.
 
20
Business Day

Harder Edge From Vanity Fair Chafes Some Big Hollywood Stars

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