Saturday, December 27, 2014

@2:35, 12/26/14

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Sports

New Zealand Entrenched as World Cup Favorites

The All Blacks will once again finish the year as the top-ranked team in the world, and the other top teams all have improvements to make if they want to challenge them next year for the world title.
Rugby
Business Day

E.P.A. Wrestles With Role of Nuclear Plants in Carbon Emission Rules

The agency is trying to complete a regulation governing emissions from power sources, and a formula for how to treat nuclear plants is proving contentious.
Nuclear Energy; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Electric Light and Power; Alternative and Renewable Energy; Environment
World

U.N. Set to Cut Force in Darfur as Fighting Rises

United Nations officials say their forces are routinely attacked by Sudanese forces and their proxies and that it is virtually impossible for their peacekeepers to remain without Sudan’s blessing.
War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity; Refugees and Displaced Persons
World

Pakistani Premier Announces Military Courts for Terrorism Cases

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced plans early Thursday to set up military courts to deal with terrorism cases after a deadly Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar last week.
School Shootings and Armed Attacks; Terrorism
U.S.

Jeb Bush’s Emails as Governor of Florida Show His Agenda and Goals

Emails sent during Jeb Bush’s time in office and obtained through a public records request illustrate, hour by hour, the business of governing one of the country’s most populous states.
E-Mail; Presidential Election of 2016; Government Employees
Opinion

Strong Safety Rules for Taxis and Uber

The new companies cannot claim that they are safer than taxis when they have failed to meet basic safety standards for their drivers.
Editorials; Traffic Accidents and Safety; Sex Crimes; Taxicabs and Taxicab Drivers; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Car Services and Livery Cabs
Business Day

Rise in Loans Linked to Cars Is Hurting Poor

With a crackdown on payday lenders, subprime borrowers are increasingly using auto title loans, whose high interest rates can lead to repossession and financial ruin.
Automobile Financing; Banking and Financial Institutions; Credit and Debt; Credit Scores; Interest Rates; Payday Loans; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Used Cars
U.S.

Law and Order Issues, Once G.O.P.’s Strength, Now Divide the Party

While some Republicans are seeking to overhaul the criminal justice system and reach out to minority voters, others are angered by protests and violence against the police.
Crime and Criminals; Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; Attacks on Police; United States Politics and Government; Blacks; Race and Ethnicity; Minorities
World

After Long Fight, Groups Pry Memo on Migrant Killings From Mexican Government

In a small victory for transparency advocates, Mexico released a document from the attorney general’s office that describes police complicity in the killings of migrants by drug gangs.
Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides; Drug Cartels; Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; Illegal Immigration
Automobiles

Move Over Land Yachts, Compact S.U.V.s Are in Demand

Consumers are flocking to smaller S.U.V.s, fueling a boom in vehicles that handle like a car, get the mileage of a midsize sedan, and yet offer features many drivers want.
Sports Utility Vehicles and Light Trucks; Fuel Efficiency
The Upshot

Going Home From the South, a New Holiday Exodus

A surge of native Californians and Northeasterners who travel home from the South highlights its new role as a place to pursue the American dream.
Population; States (US); Census; Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates); Social Conditions and Trends
Business Day

As Ruble Falters, Russia Forces Exporters to Reduce Foreign Currency

The announcement was the first open acknowledgment that the Kremlin would use its controlling votes on the boards of directors of major companies to force economic policy decisions.
Ruble (Currency); Economic Conditions and Trends; Embargoes and Sanctions
Opinion

Mr. Grimm Should Go Now

Representative Michael Grimm should resign from the House immediately after pleading guilty to tax fraud.
Editorials; Tax Evasion; United States Politics and Government
U.S.

Overdose Cited in Death of Man Who Killed 6 in Pennsylvania

Officials initially believed that Bradley Stone, who they say killed his wife and five members of her family, had died of self-inflicted stab wounds.
Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides; Drug Abuse and Traffic; Suicides and Suicide Attempts; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Veterans
N.Y. / Region

Cuomo and Christie Silent as Deadline for Port Authority Bill Approaches

The legislation would open all of the agency’s meetings, and require its officials to acknowledge that their duty is to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, not to the governor who appointed them.
Ethics and Official Misconduct; Law and Legislation
U.S.

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, Takes Second Chance to Shape Court

Gov. Brown made a series of head-snapping choices for the California Supreme Court, picking nominees who were highly respected but had no judicial experience.
Supreme Courts (State); Appointments and Executive Changes; Legal Profession; Colleges and Universities
Sports

Transcript of Winston Hearing Reveals Accuser’s Words, and Florida State’s Complicity

Jameis Winston was cleared of violating the student code of conduct, but the woman who accused him of raping her spoke powerfully at the university hearing.
Football (College); Sex Crimes
N.Y. / Region

Settlement Talks Over Rikers Island Class-Action Lawsuit Are Planned

The federal prosecutor’s office, lawyers representing inmates and New York City officials will discuss four key issues, including use of force by guards.
Prisons and Prisoners; Suits and Litigation (Civil)
Business Day

Sony Streams ‘The Interview’ on YouTube, Google Play and Xbox

In getting behind “The Interview,” Google and Microsoft joined what had become more a campaign to defend free speech against foreign intimidation than a business initiative.
U.S.

The Slow Process of Removing Rick Perry’s Footprint from Texas

It sounds a little crazy, but the governor is not usually the real power player in state government in Texas. Or was not, before Rick Perry.
Appointments and Executive Changes


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@11:00

World

Oil’s Swift Fall Raises Fortunes of U.S. Abroad

A plunge in oil prices has sent tremors through the global political and economic order, helping the United States but pushing several big oil-exporting nations to the brink of financial crisis.
OIL (PETROLEUM) AND GASOLINE
World

Saudi to Dig Into Reserves for 2015 Budget

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet on Thursday endorsed a 2015 budget that projects a slight increase in spending and a significant drop in revenues due to sliding oil prices, resulting in a nearly $39 billion deficit.
U.S.

Driver Wanted for Obama Motorcade. Novice Welcome.

People with no special training are a link in the middle of the fastest, and most high-profile, chain of vehicles in the country.
UNITED STATES POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT; TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND SAFETY; VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE; PRESIDENTS AND PRESIDENCY (US)
Opinion

Religion Without God

Even atheists find that ritual helps them make sense of the world.
RELIGION AND BELIEF; ATHEISM; CHRISTMAS; ANTHROPOLOGY 

I am troubled by the process of damnation and salvation.
It looks like bribery and threats. 
I prefer the Unitarians to the amalgamation.
Magazine

The Lives They Lived

Remembering some of those we lost this year.

We are getting old.
Business Day

Rise in Loans Linked to Cars Is Hurting Poor

With a crackdown on payday lenders, subprime borrowers are increasingly using auto title loans, whose high interest rates can lead to repossession and financial ruin.
AUTOMOBILE FINANCING; BANKING AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS; CREDIT AND DEBT; CREDIT SCORES; INTEREST RATES; PAYDAY LOANS; REGULATION AND DEREGULATION OF INDUSTRY; USED CARS 

Loans are a bad idea.  Always.
Magazine

Forty Portraits in Forty Years

The Brown sisters have been photographed every year since 1975. The latest image in the series is published here for the first time.
PHOTOGRAPHY 

Forty years is a long time.   About half a life.
Movies

On, Then Off, Now On Again

“The Interview” mainly extends the bro-com, as practiced by James Franco and Seth Rogen, into new geopolitical markets.
MOVIES 

A trivial movie draws trivial noise.
Opinion

Tidings of Comfort

You surely haven’t heard this in the news, but 2014 was a year in which the federal government showed that it can do some important things very well.
CHRISTMAS; EBOLA VIRUS; UNITED STATES ECONOMY; PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (2010); HEALTH INSURANCE AND MANAGED CARE; UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

Yes.

The federal government is doing well.
The world may be doing much less well.
World

In Naples, Gift of Coffee to Strangers Never Seen

The Neapolitan tradition of “suspended coffee” — paying for two, drinking one and leaving the receipt for the other for a stranger — has spread around the world.
COFFEE 

I like the idea.
Opinion

An Atheist’s Christmas Dream

A season to celebrate the golden rule and the possibility of peace.
CHRISTMAS; RELIGION AND BELIEF; WORLD WAR I (1914-18); ATHEISM 

I will celebrate the return of light. 
Movies

Surviving the Sea, and the Cruelties Beyond

Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken,” adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s best seller, recounts Louis Zamperini’s harrowing World War II experiences.
MOVIES 

I do not feel much need of this movie.
Technology

Retina 5K iMac: Powerful Proof of the PC Renaissance

Defying predictions of their demise, personal computers are making a comeback, enticing a niche audience of professional users with power and beauty, and an Apple machine stands out.
DESKTOP COMPUTERS 

It is better to build than buy if the Apple operating system is not required.
Really good systems can be assembled for less than a thousand dollars.
Sunday Review

The Year in Pictures, 2014

From Ukraine to Ferguson, from the Ebola epidemic to the chaos in Syria, the year’s most gripping photographs.
PHOTOGRAPHY; TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN 

A busy year.
U.S.

Jeb Bush’s Emails as Governor of Florida Show His Agenda and Goals

Emails sent during Jeb Bush’s time in office and obtained through a public records request illustrate, hour by hour, the business of governing one of the country’s most populous states.
E-MAIL 

The campaign begins.
Not without an explicit invitation.
Technology

New Study Adds to Skepticism Among Security Experts That North Korea Was Behind Sony Hack

Security researchers are increasingly voicing doubts about the United States government assertions that North Korea was behind the attack on Sony’s computer network. A new linguistic study is likely to fuel the debate.
CYBERATTACKS AND HACKERS; CYBERWARFARE 

Yes,  there must be better evidence.
Travel

Indian Chains in New York, Worthy of Their Flagships

It is possible to experience Indian food in its unadulterated form at four New York outposts of popular Indian restaurants.
RESTAURANTS 

I am not a fussy eater.   I will let natives of the subcontinent guide me to Indian restaurants.
N.Y. / Region

After Killing of Police Officers, Protest Movement Is at a Crossroads

Some factions want to keep pressing for police reform, as two slain officers are mourned in New York City. Others say that might alienate the public.
DEMONSTRATIONS, PROTESTS AND RIOTS 

Crazed actions do not change cultures. 
Let us have reform.
Business Day

Crowds Gather as ‘The Interview’ Begins Screening in 331 Theaters

The film had improbably become a symbol of free speech over the last week as hackers managed to get it withdrawn from theaters and then watched it open after all.
MOVIES; CYBERWARFARE 

I do not need to see this film.
U.S.

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, Takes Second Chance to

 

 Shape Court

Gov. Brown made a series of head-snapping choices for the California Supreme Court, picking nominees who were highly respected but had no judicial experience.
SUPREME COURTS (STATE); APPOINTMENTS AND EXECUTIVE CHANGES; LEGAL PROFESSION 

Jerry Brown  has appointed legal scholars.  

It is a good idea. 
Knowing the law is the qualification for judge.


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