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1

Health

Heart Disease in Military Shows Steep Drop Since Korean War

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR | Dec 25, 2012

A new study shows that the rate of American service members with signs of coronary artery disease has declined sharply, falling to roughly 1 in 10 military personnel today from from about 8 in 10 during the Korean War.

Afghanistan War (2001- ); Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis; Blood Pressure; Cholesterol; Defense and Military Forces; Draft and Recruitment (Military); Heart; Iraq War (2003-11); Korean War; Obesity; Vietnam War; Youth; 

More statistical detail is called for.

Tobacco use is a possible cause.

 

2

Opinion

Exploring the Roots of an Emerging Planet-Spanning 'Mind'

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | Dec 26, 2012

An exploration of the 21st-century relevance of a 20th-century theologian's ideas about humanity's global consciousness.

Blogs and Blogging (Internet); Computers and the Internet; Evolution; Intelligence and Intelligence Tests (IQ); Paleontology; Philosophy; Religion and Belief; Science and Technology; Sustainable Living; 

This seems to be at the least confused.

I will deal with it if you wish, but not tonight. 

3

Opinion

Immigration and Policing

Dec 26, 2012

The Obama administration promises a stricter focus on deporting serious offenders.

Immigration and Emigration; Illegal Immigrants; Foreign Workers; Deportation; Editorials; 

The presumption of innocence requires that detainers be sent only after conviction.

4

Opinion

Intentional Bias in North Carolina

Dec 26, 2012

When prosecutors went to great lengths to keep blacks off juries, it made for unfair trials.

Blacks; Sentences (Criminal); Jury System; Editorials; Discrimination; 

I do not need to know this.  

North Carolina must take action.

5

Opinion

Stop Subsidizing Obesity

By MARK BITTMAN | Dec 25, 2012

Among poor children, being overweight is a much greater problem than hunger. Food stamps should not be paying for soda.

Children and Childhood; Diet and Nutrition; Food; Food Stamps; Obesity; Soft Drinks; Weight; 

We could start by ending the sugar subsidies.

6

Business Day

This Year in Small Business: Not Impressed!

By GENE MARKS | Dec 26, 2012

A sampling of some of the best small-business writings that we linked to this year.

Crowdfunding (Internet); Entrepreneurship; Small Business; Start-ups; United States Economy; 

Mark Thoma's causal link escapes me.  Capitalism is unfair.  

7

World

Frenzy Over Teaching Test Is Symptom of Italy’s Myriad Woes

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO | Dec 25, 2012

A flood of applicants for examinations to fill teaching positions said as much about Italy’s dim job prospects as it did about the rigidities of its public education system.

Tests and Examinations; Teachers and School Employees; 

The test is not sufficiently selective.

The policy is insane.

8

N.Y. / Region

After Storm, Moving to Update a Mall at the South Street Seaport

By TERRY PRISTIN | Dec 26, 2012

The Dallas-based operators of the Pier 17 shopping mall, which was largely spared by Hurricane Sandy, plan to transform the site into an open, three-story retail and entertainment center.

Real Estate (Commercial); Shopping Centers and Malls; Shopping and Retail; Restoration and Renovation; 

South Street Seaport is primarily a museum.  The shopping center deserves no support.

 

9

Opinion

The Dawning of Domestic Drones

Dec 26, 2012

Without proper controls, the use of unmanned aircraft could threaten privacy.

Drones (Pilotless Planes); Surveillance of Citizens by Government; Privacy; Editorials; 

We do not control the skies now.

Privacy from the air is not a big concern.

Record keeping bothers me.  My actions should not unduly haunt the future. 

10

Business Day

Worried About Taxes, Some Consumers Cut Back

By ANN CARRNS | Dec 26, 2012

About a third of Americans say they are cutting back on personal spending because of the uncertain tax situation for 2013.

Consumer Behavior; Taxation; Unemployment; United States Economy; 

Bull.

I pay almost no taxes now.  

I am far from alone.

ANN CARRNSshould learn to count.  About 90% of the population pays minimal taxes.

11

Business Day

Dressing Up for Success

By AMY ZIPKIN | Dec 25, 2012

Some hotels are adding luxuries like fancier sheets or nicer bathrooms as they change management companies and update properties.

Hotels and Travel Lodgings; Travel and Vacations; Recession and Depression; 

You are the important part to me.  The frame can and will change.

12

Opinion

The Gypsies' Dance

By JONATHAN BLITZER | Dec 26, 2012

A daring flamenco performance in Madrid exposes the Gypsies' suffering under the Nazis - and their enduring woes today.

Concentration Camps; Dancing; Discrimination; Flamenco (Dance); Holocaust and the Nazi Era; Immigration and Emigration; Romani People; War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity; World War II (1939-45); 

I am somewhat aware of the period.  

I can never read as much as this from a performance.

This much content deserves a story.  A dance will not carry the load.

13

Booming

Dance the Smartphone Tango Without Me

By ROZ WARREN | Dec 26, 2012

Should a middle-aged librarian carry a cellphone around every day on the off chance that something awful might happen?

Baby Boomers; Telephones and Telecommunications; 

We do not need to "tango".

We do need to communicate.\

I need to know when and where.  We have decisions to make.

14

Health

Fudging the Facts, for Peace of Mind

By HARLEY A. ROTBART, M.D. | Dec 24, 2012

Sometimes it's best to tell white lies and omit certain truths with our elderly parents and grandparents, a doctor argues.

Anxiety and Stress; Elder Care; Elderly; Mental Health and Disorders; 

So far I have not had to actively lie.  I have not spoken of my intentions.

15

World

Gaza Cease-Fire Helps Fishermen, but Risks Remain

By STEVEN ERLANGER and FARES AKRAM | Dec 25, 2012

The deal that halted fighting between Israel and Hamas allows fishermen to go six nautical miles out to sea, instead of three, but arrests by Israeli patrols are still possible.

Palestinians; Fishing, Commercial; Defense and Military Forces; 

There is no potential state of Palestine.  Let the negotiations, if any, start there.

16

World

Buy, Sell, Adopt: Child Trafficking in China

By MARK MCDONALD | Dec 26, 2012

Sensational announcements of the police breaking up child-trafficking rings in China seem to come with distressing regularity now. The latest sting operation, proclaimed on Christmas Eve, led to the rescue of 89 missing children and 355 arrests. But the trafficking continues.

Adoptions; Babies and Infants; Human Trafficking; Kidnapping; Orphans and Orphanages; Rescues; 

This is not a trade I want to encourage.  Let us find alternatives.

17

Opinion

Why, God?

By MAUREEN DOWD | Dec 26, 2012

Death takes no holiday. Why doesn’t God stop such heartbreaking evils?

Christmas; Death and Dying; Religion and Belief; Murders and Attempted Murders; Fires and Firefighters; 

A professor of philosophy put "Why?"as the question on his course final exam.

The answer he gave the "A" was:"Why not?"

The world is random and chaotic.  

I give love in the forms and actions I find I can.  Often love is\all I can give.

18

Science

From Bang to Whimper: A Heart Drug’s Story

By ABIGAIL ZUGER, M.D. | Dec 25, 2012

American medicine managed to take a small step forward and a giant step backward at precisely the same time with BiDil, a drug designed to treat heart failure in blacks.

Bidil (Drug); Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Race and Ethnicity; 

Race does not sell.

19

U.S.

Oregon: Longshoreman Reject Contract

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Dec 25, 2012

Longshoremen at a half-dozen Pacific Northwest grain terminals have overwhelmingly rejected what owners describe as their “last, best and final” contract offer.

Grain; International Trade and World Market; Organized Labor; 

The workers want payment for the technologically unemployed.  

The shippers will fight.

20

Sunday Review

Wounded Warrior Pose

By WILLIAM J. BROAD | Dec 23, 2012

Yoga can be dangerous for men, who have more muscle and less flexibility than women.

Yoga; Sports Injuries;

I am cautioned.
I may yet take up the practice.















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