Thursday, January 24, 2013

@21:18, 1/23/13

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1
Science

Why India's Waste-to-Energy Industry Won't Catch Fire

Bureaucracy, turf battles and and demands for bribes make it difficult for a plant to open and stay profitable.
Alternative and Renewable Energy; Electric Light and Power; Factories and Manufacturing; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; International Trade and World Market; Shutdowns (Institutional); 

I agree that this project has no hope of profit.
It is decorative.
 
2
Opinion

Invitation to a Dialogue: Media Violence

An expert on marketing to children discusses the effects of exposure to violent video games, movies and TV. Readers are invited to respond.
Violence (Media and Entertainment); Children and Childhood; Games; Gun Control; Computer and Video Games; 

There are several streams of opinion here. 
I need more exposition to make them a coherent structure.
 
3
Science

Hurdles Remain for Jaguar Habitat

Some experts wonder whether establishing a protected area in Arizona and New Mexico would make much of a difference to the animal's survival. Others are hoping the move will kill a mining project.
Animals; Biodiversity; Endangered and Extinct Species; Forests and Forestry; Jaguars; 

Kill the mine.  
The mineral will be there.  
The animal will not if the mine opens.

The Chinese will sell us the copper when they get hungry.

Advertisement
4
Business Day

K.K.R. Takes 25% Stake in Firm That Invests in Natural Disasters

The investment firm said on Wednesday that it has taken a 24.9 percent stake in Nephila Capital, an $8 billion firm that focuses on reinsurance opportunities tied to catastrophes like hurricanes and earthquakes.
Earthquakes; Hedge Funds; Hurricanes and Tropical Storms; 

A bet on disasters. A sure winner.
The premium structure would be interesting. 
They are calculating the probability of losses and setting the payments to provide payment and profit.
The business is not interesting to me.
 
5
World

Burst of Iraq Violence Amid Political Crisis

A series of attacks that left at least 24 Iraqis dead came as Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Sunni lawmaker last week.
Terrorism; Hostages; Sunni Muslims; Shiite Muslims; Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations; 

The causal chain is not apparent to me.
This is the wheels coming off.

6
N.Y. / Region

Scorn for Unions Threatens Mayor's Educational Legacy

The mayor, who styles himself an education revolutionary, went to war on two fronts last week, and neither was very successful.
Education (K-12); Performance Evaluations (Labor); Teachers and School Employees; 

The evaluators should go and think more.  
The proposed system does not work.
They can try again with another method.

7
Opinion

The Antidote to Fear

A minister writes about the anxiety he sees in his parishioners and neighbors.
Anxiety and Stress; Fear (Emotion); Stalking (Crime); 

"Who will bell the cat?"
Or "Even paranoids have enemies."
 
8
World

Climate Change and Population Growth Meet Along the Brahmaputra River

Assam may be emblematic of the kind of catastrophe soon to hit much of developing Asia.
Floods; Rivers; Weather; 

Still looking.  
No information yet.
Remember that Egypt is dying of flood control.  
It works.  Agriculture does not now.
 
9
Opinion

The School Bus Mess

Mayor Bloomberg needs to hold his ground on the bus strike in order to bring runaway costs under control and genuine competition to the bidding process.
Buses; Organized Labor; Education (K-12); 
No.  
Low bid is not the best bid in this case.
Like health care this is not a market situation.
10
Opinion

When Paying It Forward Pays Us Back

Social programs are often the target of conservative budget cuts, but they often save us money. Investing in the best of them will save even more.
Federal Budget (US); Health Insurance and Managed Care; Nursing and Nurses; Reform and Reorganization; Taxation; 

A much better model for the busing problem.
 
11
Magazine

The Smartphone Have-Nots

Is technology responsible for making some workers irrelevant and others filthy rich?
United States Economy; Income Inequality; Economic Conditions and Trends; Economics (Theory and Philosophy); 

I think this is toxic junk.  
To prove it I would have to carefully parse it.
Mostly technology is irrelevant to this wave of inequality.
The money is being made by abusing financial risk.

12
Opinion

The Last Calendar

A shared online calendar gave my brother and me a record of our father’s decline.
Elderly; Death and Dying; Elder Care; Medicine and Health; 

I see the decline.  It is not steady as yet.  
I want to pass the problems off.
I want not to have to watch the dive into extinction.
I do not want to do what I am doing.
My running will not stop her fall.
We all get old.
 
13
World

Report on India's Sexual Assault Laws Mixes Scathing Criticism With Proposed Changes

Broaden definition of sexual offenses and rape, punish police who fail to register cases, report by Justice Verma says.
Assaults; Hate Crimes; Sentences (Criminal); Sex Crimes;

This is the revelation of a long term project.
I am more than a little suspicious of the motivation of such projects.
The authorities should proceed deliberately with the implementation.

14
N.Y. / Region

Sanctuary From Storm Is a School Again as Displaced Students Return

St. Francis de Sales School in Belle Harbor, Queens, which was flooded but hosted a relief effort after Hurricane Sandy, welcomed back its students Tuesday.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Private and Sectarian Schools; Humanitarian Aid; 

The community will fight change.  
It is a lost cause.
 
15
Business Day

The Fed Drives Best at Higher Speeds

The Federal Reserve’s new, more aggressive monetary policy has opponents within the central bank, but they don’t have history on their side.
United States Economy; Quantitative Easing; Interest Rates; Unemployment; 

These are half measures.  
Fiscal stimulus is against the zero bound.
More will not be better, there is no more.
What is required are jobs for the unemployed leading to more spending.
This requires expanding government debt.

16
Business

InterMedia Forms Media Group Focusing on Puerto Rican Viewers

InterMedia Partners, the private equity firm that owns the Puerto Rican broadcast network WAPA Television and the cable channels WAPA America and Cine Latino, announced on Wednesday that it would merge its Spanish language properties to form a new Hispanic media company called the Hemisphere Media Group.
Cable Television; Hispanic-Americans; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Private Equity; Puerto Ricans; Spanish Language; Television; 

We did this. It did not work.  
So they try it again and again until they go broke.
Advertise to the culture.  
The ones they want to reach want the words in English and the sell in pictures.

17
Real Estate

Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers, Now a Public Attraction

The city’s success in clearing and cleaning its waterfront has renewed a debate on how to expand public access to the shorelines of its three rivers.
Area Planning and Renewal; Rivers; Mixed-Use Developments; Real Estate (Commercial);

Pittsburgh has been suicidal for half a century.
This is not a change.

18
N.Y. / Region

New Yorkers Shiver as Frigid Air Hits the City

After a couple of very mild winters, New Yorkers may have forgotten how quickly a truly cold day can chill right to the bone, but for the next few days, they will get a reminder.
Temperature; Weather; 

I have noticed.
 
19
Business Day

A Farewell to ‘Nudity’ at Airport Checkpoints

The T.S.A. is taking some scanners out of service but, having spent $45 million on them, it has been vague on where they might be redeployed.
Airport Security; Airports; Privacy; X-Rays; 

We can wave the machines goodbye.
I hope the "Security theater" thinking that bought them follows them out.
 
20
Opinion

Ironclad Fever

After the Battle of the Monitor and the Virginia, both sides set off on an armored-ship building spree.
Civil War (US) (1861-65); Ships and Shipping; 

There is much more to this story.  This is a simplified outline.




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1
World

A Veteran's Plea to President Obama

As President Obama begins his second term, a retired Marine sergeant outlines issues plaguing veterans, including suicide and traumatic brain injury.
Afghanistan War (2001- ); Iraq War (2003-11); Mental Health and Disorders; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Suicides and Suicide Attempts; Traumatic Brain Injury; United States Defense and Military Forces; Veterans;
2
Opinion

Invitation to a Dialogue: Media Violence

An expert on marketing to children discusses the effects of exposure to violent video games, movies and TV. Readers are invited to respond.
Violence (Media and Entertainment); Children and Childhood; Games; Gun Control; Computer and Video Games;
3
Business Day

S.B.A. Signs Its First Venture Capital Fund to New Investment Program

The question hanging over the program is whether it will attract enough interest from other venture capitalists and their investors to be fully subscribed.
Crowdfunding (Internet); Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Small Business; Start-ups; Venture Capital;
Advertisement
4
World

Victims of Sexual Trauma Harness the Calming Power of Horses

A free horse program, near Twin Cities, offers women veterans a space to heal outside the company of men.
Horses; Persian Gulf War; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Sexual Harassment; Therapy and Rehabilitation; Veterans; Women and Girls;
5
World

Burst of Iraq Violence Amid Political Crisis

A series of attacks that left at least 24 Iraqis dead came as Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Sunni lawmaker last week.
Terrorism; Hostages; Sunni Muslims; Shiite Muslims; Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations;
6
Opinion

The Antidote to Fear

A minister writes about the anxiety he sees in his parishioners and neighbors.
Anxiety and Stress; Fear (Emotion); Stalking (Crime);
7
World

Climate Change and Population Growth Meet Along the Brahmaputra River

Assam may be emblematic of the kind of catastrophe soon to hit much of developing Asia.
Floods; Rivers; Weather;
8
Opinion

The School Bus Mess

Mayor Bloomberg needs to hold his ground on the bus strike in order to bring runaway costs under control and genuine competition to the bidding process.
Buses; Organized Labor; Education (K-12);
9
Opinion

When Paying It Forward Pays Us Back

Social programs are often the target of conservative budget cuts, but they often save us money. Investing in the best of them will save even more.
Federal Budget (US); Health Insurance and Managed Care; Nursing and Nurses; Reform and Reorganization; Taxation;
10
Science

Nebraska Governor Approves Keystone XL Route

Gov. Dave Heineman said a revised route for the pipeline project avoided sensitive aquifers and lands, and his action puts final approval in the hands of the Obama administration.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Keystone Pipeline System; Oil Sands;
11
Business Day

The Appeal of Investments That Cost More and Return Less

Wealthy people are still putting their money in hedge funds, even though they're expensive and don't often offer big returns.
Hedge Funds; Mutual Funds; Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates); Stocks and Bonds;
12
Magazine

The Smartphone Have-Nots

Is technology responsible for making some workers irrelevant and others filthy rich?
United States Economy; Income Inequality; Economic Conditions and Trends; Economics (Theory and Philosophy);
13
Opinion

The Last Calendar

A shared online calendar gave my brother and me a record of our father’s decline.
Elderly; Death and Dying; Elder Care; Medicine and Health;
14
World

Report on India's Sexual Assault Laws Mixes Scathing Criticism With Proposed Changes

Broaden definition of sexual offenses and rape, punish police who fail to register cases, report by Justice Verma says.
Assaults; Hate Crimes; Sentences (Criminal); Sex Crimes;
15
N.Y. / Region

Sanctuary From Storm Is a School Again as Displaced Students Return

St. Francis de Sales School in Belle Harbor, Queens, which was flooded but hosted a relief effort after Hurricane Sandy, welcomed back its students Tuesday.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Private and Sectarian Schools; Humanitarian Aid;
16
Business Day

The Fed Drives Best at Higher Speeds

The Federal Reserve’s new, more aggressive monetary policy has opponents within the central bank, but they don’t have history on their side.
United States Economy; Quantitative Easing; Interest Rates; Unemployment;
17
Real Estate

Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers, Now a Public Attraction

The city’s success in clearing and cleaning its waterfront has renewed a debate on how to expand public access to the shorelines of its three rivers.
Area Planning and Renewal; Rivers; Mixed-Use Developments; Real Estate (Commercial);
18
N.Y. / Region

New Yorkers Shiver as Frigid Air Hits the City

After a couple of very mild winters, New Yorkers may have forgotten how quickly a truly cold day can chill right to the bone, but for the next few days, they will get a reminder.
Temperature; Weather;
19
Business Day

A Farewell to ‘Nudity’ at Airport Checkpoints

The T.S.A. is taking some scanners out of service but, having spent $45 million on them, it has been vague on where they might be redeployed.
Airport Security; Airports; Privacy; X-Rays;
20
U.S.

Ohio: Girl Killed as Dozens of Cars Crash on Highway

A 12-year-old girl was killed and at least 20 people were injured on Monday in a highway crash near the Cincinnati suburb of Colerain Township.
Traffic Accidents and Safety; Roads and Traffic; 

There was much more snow later.





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