Wednesday, October 2, 2013

@1:22, 9/30/13

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1
N.Y. / Region

2 Senators Call for Inquiry Into Metro-North Disruption

The pressure from Charles E. Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut came as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said disruptions would go into this week.
Power Outages and Blackouts; 

Just a tantrum.
 
2
Opinion

Psychotherapy’s Image Problem

The profession needs to promote its empirically supported methods.
Therapy and Rehabilitation; Mental Health and Disorders; Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Psychology and Psychologists; 

Gaudiano is correct. 
He also hectors.  
He may well cause a split in psychotherapy.

3
Business Day

Intel and Sony Ambitions for Internet TV Services Meet Skepticism

Intel’s goal of introducing its OnCue service by the end of the year has been scrapped, and Sony, like Intel, has yet to announce deals to carry any channels.
Cable Television; 

I do not see a business model here.
The content providers have the advertising revenue.
Broadcast satellite and cable have the present new content under contract.
Netflicks  and its competitors have rebroadcast and narrowcast.
One of the few things they could offer is unbundled programing.

4
Multimedia/Photos

Trailer: Hers to Lose

Christine C. Quinn, the longtime front-runner in the New York City mayoral race, lost in the 2013 Democratic primary. This behind-the-scenes documentary captures the final month of her campaign.
Mayors; News and News Media; Politics and Government; Political Advertising; Demonstrations, Protests, and Riots; Primaries and Caucuses; Women's Rights; Homosexuality; Race and Ethnicity; Animal Abuse, Rights and Welfare; 

Christine Quinn is now a "lame duck".
She is not ready for retirement.
She is not ready for national office.
She will not be content with private practice.
 
5
Dining & Wine

Marcella Hazan on Writing

The Times’s Mark Bittman visited the Italian chef and author in her home and asked her to tell the story of how she first started to write cookbooks.
Italian-Americans; Cooking and Cookbooks; 

I will read her.  I happen to like garlic but use it sparingly.
 
6
Opinion

Birth Control and a Boss’s Religious Views

There are no legal grounds to exempt private businesses from the contraception mandate in the health care law.
Birth Control and Family Planning; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010); Health Insurance and Managed Care; 

Your religious belief does not restrict my action.
 
7
N.Y. / Region

19 Are Charged in a Plot to Cheat on Commercial Driver’s License Tests

Would-be commercial drivers tapped into a network of cheaters who used secret codes to provide answers to test-takers in exam rooms.
Cheating; Drivers Licenses; 

I am glad the scheme fell apart.
 
8
Great Homes and Destinations

Creating a Sanctuary for Spiritual Energy

The Dan family of Trinidad decided to follow Hindu architectural principals in building their home.
Hinduism; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); 

As much as you will pay for.
 
9
Opinion

Federal Contractors, Low Wages

Workers who serve food and sell mementos in federal buildings want better pay. They deserve it.
Strikes; Wages and Salaries; 

Pay the workers.
 
10
Technology

The iPhone 5s's Fingerprint Scanner Was Hacked, but I'm Not Worried

Yes, Apple’s Touch ID can be fooled — by a determined attacker with the time and resources to do it.
Computer Security; iPhone; Smartphones; 

Nothing to worry about.  I agree with Pogue.
You may need a smart phone.  
The project is to keep it inessential and so disposable.
Keeping working records "in the cloud" is probably a good idea.

I have had to change my cell number:  1 917 753 2139

11
Technology

A Surge in Growth for a New Kind of Online Course

Three major sites have emerged in the last couple of years to offer massive open online courses, greatly expanding the opportunity to take college classes.
E-Learning; 

Life is more demanding.
Bookmarked.
 
12
Home & Garden

What’s the Best Way to Give Our Shower a High-End Look?

Advice for repairing or redecorating a home before selling it.
Bathrooms and Toilets; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Brick and Tile; Restoration and Renovation; 

I intend to leave these projects to my siblings.
 
13
Opinion

Where Are You, Ban Ki-Moon?

If the U.N.’s member states really want more effective leadership, they should hire someone actually able to provide it.

Various groups tried very hard to neuter the United Nations.
The wonder is that it works at all.

14
Health

Easing a Difficult Passage

‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ examines the struggles in caring for an aging parent, and facing a medical system that favors a reflexive postponing of death, no matter quality of life.
Longevity; Books and Literature; 

Hospice is very good about providing comfort without the attempt to cure.

15
Health

Global Spending to Fight AIDS Has Grown Slowly, Report Finds

Global financing to fight AIDS has remained essentially flat since the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new report.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; 

Either the culture will change or the population will die.
Treatment will save enough of the population to save the children.
 
16
Technology

Gaming With Chrome, and Bypassing Windows 8

Fans of the game Minecraft may be able to get it to play on a Google Chrome notebook, and how to go directly from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1
Computers and the Internet; Chrome (Operating System); Windows (Operating System); 

Linux is the system of choice for gaming.
I have no desire to go beyond XP in the Microsoft estate.  
I will have to get some more modern hardware eventually.
Until then FireFox is behaving itself.

17
Technology

Google Alters Search to Handle More Complex Queries

Google made one of the biggest-ever changes in its search engine, as part of a shift away from matching keywords on Web pages to understanding the meaning of search queries.
Computers and the Internet; Search Engines; 

I will try to remember to make my searches complex.

18
Magazine

Correcting the Crackpot Next Door

Candid; branded.
Advertising and Marketing; Ethics (Personal); Ethicist, The (Times Column); 

The Tines does not have the right to get things wrong outside of humor.
It may have to report on the madness in the world without further comment.

17
Business Day

Breaking Up With ‘Breaking Bad’ Is Hard for Albuquerque

The popular series, which showcased Albuquerque’s grit and high-desert beauty, has helped the city become a star in its own right and given rise to an entire “Breaking Bad” economy.
Travel and Vacations; Television; 

A celebrity of speed.
 
18
U.S.

Senate Action on Health Law Moves to Brink of Shutdown

The Senate is expected to reject decisively a House bill that would delay the full effect of President Obama’s health care law as a condition for keeping the government running.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010); Federal Budget (US); 

I have seen no mention of the reduced burn rate extending the time to the borrowing cap.
 
19
U.S.

Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll

Children shot accidentally — usually by other children — are collateral casualties of the accessibility of guns in America, their deaths at once heart-rending and eminently preventable.
Gun Control; Firearms; Children and Childhood; Accidents and Safety; Law and Legislation; 

I can read.  
The faithful do not learn.

These are some very light triggers.

20
Sunday Review

How 5 Countries Could Become 14

Slowly, the map of the Middle East could be redrawn. An analysis by Robin Wright.
International Relations; 

 Imperial Turks.

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

@21:41

1
World

Congo: Fighting Increases Number of Refugees

A United Nations report says the number of refugees fleeing the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo swelled by more than 350,000 in the past few months.
Refugees and Displaced Persons; War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity; 

Yes.
 
2
Opinion

Psychotherapy’s Image Problem

3
Science

Hitting Pay Dirt on Mars

The first rock examined by Curiosity last year turns out to be an uncommon alkaline rock, with a tiny amount of water.
Mars (Planet); Curiosity (Mars Rover); Space and Astronomy; Chemistry; Rock and Stone; Microbiology; 

Perchlorates  are very interesting.  Their formation is endothermic.
They require a strongly oxidizing environment to form.
How they got there is a mystery.  
One possible source is rocket fuel.
4
Health

Unequal Pain Relief in the Emergency Room

Black and Hispanic children who go to an E.R. with stomach pain are less likely than white children to receive pain medication and more likely to spend long hours in the emergency room, a new study reports.
Blacks; Children and Childhood; Emergency Medical Treatment; Hispanic-Americans; Hospitals; Minorities; Pain-Relieving Drugs; Race and Ethnicity; 

A good reason to look more thoroughly.

5
Science

Astronaut and a Writer at the Movies

Watching the new film “Gravity” with the astronaut Michael J. Massimino, who flew missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope, gives insight into the film’s fidelities, and its flaws.
Space and Astronomy; Hubble Space Telescope; Movies; 

Getting the physics right has been the point of the story often.
Movie producers regularly miss getting the physics right.

Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smoke_Ring_%28novel%29
There is an earlier tale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Integral_Trees

These stories have carefully worked out orbital mechanics.  
They will explain low energy transfer orbits.
 
6
Business Day

Boeing 787 Forced to Land Because of a Faulty System

The latest problem with the 787, run by LOT Polish Airlines, came a day after the Norwegian Air Shuttle grounded one of its 787s because of a hydraulic pump failure.
Airlines and Airplanes; Aviation Accidents and Safety; 

More teething troubles.
 
7
World

Portuguese Voters Punish Leader’s Party for Austerity Policies

The Social Democratic Party, the main party in Portugal’s center-right coalition, suffered a heavy defeat in municipal elections over the weekend.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Elections; 

People do not like austerity.  It hurts and does not solve the problem.
 
8
World

Norway: New Coalition Tilts Right

The leader of Norway’s Conservative Party, Erna Solberg, said Monday that she was forming a right-wing minority government with the anti-immigration Progress Party.

More pressure on the E.U.

9
Business Day

An Ex-Trader, Now a Sociologist, Looks at the Changes in Goldman

“What Happened to Goldman Sachs” examines the bank’s evolution from an elite private partnership to a vast public corporation – and the effects of that transformation on its culture.
Sociology; 

From "our money" to money that is not ours yet.
 
10
Business Day

Former Xstrata Chief in New Mining Venture

The trading house Noble Group and the American private equity firm TPG Capital will each invest $500 million in a private mining venture led by Mick Davis, the former Xstrata chief executive who lost out in the Glencore takeover.
Metals and Minerals; Mines and Mining; 

Planning ahead and betting on disaster.

11
12
Great Homes and Destinations

Creating a Sanctuary for Spiritual Energy

13
Opinion

Federal Contractors, Low Wages

Workers who serve food and sell mementos in federal buildings want better pay. They deserve it.
Strikes; Wages and Salaries; 

No wages at the moment.
 
14
Technology

A Surge in Growth for a New Kind of Online Course

15
Health

Easing a Difficult Passage

16
Health

Global Spending to Fight AIDS Has Grown Slowly, Report Finds

17
U.S.

Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence

The disclosure in August of a terrorist plot by Al Qaeda has caused more damage to American counterterrorism efforts than the vast trove of data from Edward Snowden, the former N.S.A. consultant, analysts said.
Classified Information and State Secrets; United States Defense and Military Forces; Terrorism; Espionage and Intelligence Services; 

At a guess these systems have been quickly cracked.
 
18
Arts

A Clear Ending to a Mysterious Beginning

After so many lugubrious turns, “Breaking Bad” came to an end on Sunday on an almost uplifting note. But perhaps the best thing about it was the series actually ended.
Television; 

A show with sophisticated writers.
 
19
U.S.

Government Near Broad Shutdown in Budget Impasse

The federal government teetered on the brink of its first shutdown in nearly two decades after last-minute moves by the House and Senate failed to break a bitter budget standoff over President Obama’s health care law.
Federal Budget (US); 

The national government is as shut down as they can make it.
The situation looks to be durable.
I would not be surprised if the closure lasts to the end of next year.
I expect emergency action from Obama to end the seizure.

20
 
U.S.

Senate Action on Health Law Moves to Brink of Shutdown


Over the brink.



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