Tuesday, July 23, 2013

@1:00, 7/22/13

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1
Technology

Apple Buys 2 Mapping Companies

By NICK BILTON | Jul 19, 2013
Apple confirmed on Friday that it had bought the mapping start-ups HopStop and Locationary, giving Apple more expertise in an area where it has struggled.
Maps; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Mobile Applications; Software; 

Apple is not my favorite company.
I will get you what you want.
 
2
Business Day

New Jobless Claims Drop, Partly for Seasonal Reasons

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 19, 2013
Unemployment benefit applications were at the lowest level in 10 weeks, the Labor Department said.
Labor and Jobs; Layoffs and Job Reductions; Unemployment Insurance; United States Economy; 

The New York Times
Jobless claims look flat to me.
If we were recovering they would be falling.
 
3
 
Books

Through Enemy Lines

By BEN MACINTYRE | Jul 21, 2013
A biography of Christine Granville, one of Britain’s most daring and highly decorated World War II special agents.
Books and Literature; World War II (1939-45); Espionage and Intelligence Services; 

This is not my choice of a way end.
 
Advertisement
4
Arts

Newark Revival Wears Orange Along the River

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN | Jul 21, 2013
A quiet upheaval is turning the Passaic River, polluted as it may be, into a front line of reclamation.
Area Planning and Renewal; Water Pollution; 

A hope rather than a functioning park.
Newark is still a disaster.
 
5
U.S.

California Republicans, All but Endangered, See Hope in Local Race

By NORIMITSU ONISHI | Jul 20, 2013
The strong performance of a Republican in a district where Hispanics make up the majority and registered Republicans trail Democrats by 22 percentage points is seen as a road map to a turnaround.
Elections, State Legislature; Hispanic-Americans; 

The Republican project to "Blame Democrats" has almost worked.

6
World

Death of Watermelon Vendor Sets Off Outcry in China

By ANDREW JACOBS | Jul 21, 2013
An unusually loud outcry followed the vendor’s death in a squabble with urban management agents, who for many Chinese are the most visible face of the authoritarian impulses of the government.
Urban Areas; Deaths (Fatalities); Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; 

The World is having difficulty with policing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police

Contents


We don't like it.  We do need some policing.
 
7
Technology

Finding Just the Right Word in Two Tongues

By KIT EATON | Jul 18, 2013
Bilingual dictionary apps for iOS and Android smartphones can ease language navigation.
Mobile Applications; Dictionaries; Smartphones; Language and Languages; Translation and Interpreters; 

Poesy does not translate easily.

It is hard to get emotional from a dictionary.

Android for choice.
 
8
Style

Dear Parents: Please Ignore the Latest Research

By NICOLAS DAY | Jul 19, 2013
No matter how earth-shattering that new research study looks, it probably doesn’t have much to do with being a parent.
Babies and Infants; Children and Childhood; Parenting; Research; 

"Science works in small, boring ways. Findings have to accumulate, and they take their time to do so. They rarely arrive in a baby-manual-ready bundle, already replicated, with a massive data set backing up the conclusions. Unless you are a scientist doing infancy research yourself, a single study means very little. It has meaning inside the discipline; it has far less meaning inside the home."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian

Bayesian refers to methods in probability and statistics named after Thomas Bayes (c. 1702–61), in particular methods related to statistical inference:
These methods include:
Bayesian also refers to the application of this probability theory to the functioning of the brain
I keep running into the term.  
We can work through the subject as a sleep aid.  
It looks to be the current orthodoxy on statistics.

9
Business Day

Detroit Gap Reveals Industry Dispute on Pension Math

By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH | Jul 19, 2013
For several years, the actuarial profession has been fighting over how to calculate the value, in today’s dollars, of future pension payments.
Accounting and Accountants; Bankruptcies; Pensions and Retirement Plans; 

"Seemingly out of nowhere, a $3.5 billion hole appeared in Detroit’s pension system, courtesy of calculations by a firm hired by the city’s emergency manager."
Future cost is not the same as present value.

Jeremy Gold is at the bottom of this.
The doctoral thesis is here: 
http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI9976428/
The paper appears to be about minimizing the risk and cost of pensions to management.
This was not the deal the workers struck.

10
Opinion

Women With Fistula

Jul 18, 2013
A reader objects to how Nicholas D. Kristof portrays these women.
Fistulas; Women and Girls; Third World and Developing Countries; 

Nicholas D. Kristof is not addressing Africa on this question.
He is addressing the readers of the New York Times. 
Most of those readers are American.
The problem he is addressing is support for the hospital.
The victims of African culture will not see the Times.
The factual description will have no effect on the victims.

11
Magazine

I Jumped In to Save the Child. But Who Would Rescue Me?

By LESLIE CAMHI | Jul 21, 2013
A haunting summer afternoon in Central Park.
Water; Children and Childhood; Rescues; 

Personal survival was not a consideration.
 
12
Sports

Bill Warner, Who Set Speed Record on Motorcycle, Dies at 44

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK | Jul 18, 2013
Mr. Warner set a world land speed record, 311.945 miles per hour in 1.5 miles, in 2011.
Records and Achievements; Motorcycles, Motor Bikes and Motorscooters; Deaths (Obituaries); Accidents and Safety; 

I am curious as to what broke.  It reads to have been a sudden failure in the power train.
 
13
World

Hong Kong Seizes Smuggled Elephant Tusks

By BETTINA WASSENER | Jul 20, 2013
The seizure of 1,148 tusks underscored the challenges facing Africa’s dwindling elephant populations as rising prosperity in Asia leads to greater demand for ivory.
Poaching (Wildlife); Ivory; Search and Seizure; 

Leopold II would be jealous.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Leopold_II

More dead elephants.
 
14
N.Y. / Region

A Transit Hub in the Making May Prove to Be the Grandest

By DAVID W. DUNLAP | Jul 18, 2013
The expansive main hall at the World Trade Center complex could become a destination in its own right.
World Trade Center (Manhattan, NY); Stations and Terminals (Passenger); Architecture; 

This is not why we pay the fares and the taxes.
We need the freight tunnel.
 
15
Sports

Origins of Failed Tests May Lie in Inner Circles

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 21, 2013
The sprinters Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay claim that trusting people they did not know led to their failed drug tests.
Doping (Sports); Tests (Drug Use); Track and Field; 

The athletes are ultimately responsible.  It is they who get banned.
Their opposition did not administer the chemicals.
 
16
World

In Pakistan, Police See Political Revenge Behind Poisoning Deaths

By SALMAN MASOOD | Jul 20, 2013
The police say that Arsal Khan Khichi turned a charity feast deadly, killing 20 people in a plot against a cousin who beat him in a local election.
Poisoning and Poisons; Deaths (Fatalities); Politics and Government; 

I expect an assassination.
 
17
Real Estate

Refinancing, Despite a Rate Rise

By LISA PREVOST | Jul 21, 2013
A rise in mortgage rates by “better than a point” since early May has effectively killed off a lot of the refinancing business.
Mortgages; Interest Rates; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); 

The rates are still low.  
I expect them to fall again.
Happy talk works some.
 
18
World

Attacks Have Immigrants Worried Again in South Africa

By RICK LYMAN | Jul 18, 2013
A wave of violence aimed at immigrants in poor black communities outside Cape Town has raised fears among residents, shopkeepers and advocates.
Immigration and Emigration; Poverty; Discrimination; 

Thus there are police.
The boulevards of Paris were cut for crowd control.
The method was nine pounder field guns loaded with canister.
19
World

5 Convicted in 2012 Italian Cruise Wreck

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 21, 2013
An Italian court accepted plea bargains in connection with the wreck of the Costa Concordia that killed 32 people.
Cruises; Maritime Accidents and Safety; Sentences (Criminal); Deaths (Fatalities); 

I have no argument.
 
20
World

Despite Education Advances, a Host of Afghan School Woes

By ROD NORDLAND | Jul 21, 2013
It is widely accepted that demand among Afghans for better schooling — and the actual opportunity to attend, particularly for girls — is at its highest point in decades.
Education (K-12); Teachers and School Employees; Women and Girls; 

Much better than it was.  
It is still far from good and further from good enough.
 

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

@10:10

1
Business Day

Files Suggest a Graft Case in China May Expand

By DAVID BARBOZA | Jul 22, 2013
Newly revealed documents suggest that GlaxoSmithKline will not be the only global drug company to come under scrutiny as China widens its investigation.
Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Corruption (Institutional); Embezzlement; Frauds and Swindling; Travel Agencies and Agents; 

A replay the opium war.
 
2
World

Promising ‘Real Revolution,’ Israeli Jolts Race for Chief Rabbi

By JODI RUDOREN | Jul 22, 2013
Rabbi David Stav has set off the most bitter battle in Israel’s history to lead the rabbinate.
Jews and Judaism; Rabbis; Religion-State Relations; 

I am not allowed an opinion.   
The differences seem trivial from the outside.

3
Business Day

Treasury Auctions for the Week of July 22

Jul 22, 2013
The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week.
Stocks and Bonds; Credit and Debt; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; States (US); 

I cannot guess.  
I think cash or cash equivalents. 
Watch the FDIC deposit limit and keep below it with multiple accounts in multiple banks.
Treasuries are good.  Stay short term and hold to maturity. 
You get your funds plus 2%.

4
Technology

A.M.D. Sees Higher Revenue in Move Into Game Market

By REUTERS | Jul 19, 2013
Advanced Micro Devices is rushing to refocus as consumers buy fewer laptops and more tablets and smartphones.
Company Reports; Computer Chips; Computer and Video Games; 

AMD lost the cpu fight with Intel.  I am glad to see that they will survive.
 
5
 
Opinion

Our Coming Food Crisis

By GARY PAUL NABHAN | Jul 22, 2013
Farmers must adapt to the new reality of scorching summers.
Agriculture and Farming; Weather; Food; Farm Bill (US); 

All good points.  I still hold little hope on this front.
       We have no farm bill extension for next year. 
The farmers must change or leave the business.
 
6
U.S.

Republicans in Arizona Are at Odds on Medicaid

By FERNANDA SANTOS | Jul 22, 2013
Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision to push a Medicaid expansion through the Arizona Legislature has caused deep splits within her state’s Republican party.
Medicaid; State Legislatures; 

There is hope.  Hope they will not heal.
7
Opinion

Down Comes Another Dam

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jul 22, 2013
The water will soon flow more freely on the Penobscot River, another step in the nationwide movement to restore native ecosystems.
Levees and Dams; Fish and Other Marine Life; Rivers; 

Good.  Wild Atlantic salmon are a good thing.  More fish will help.
 
8
U.S.

California Republicans, All but Endangered, See Hope in Local Race

By NORIMITSU ONISHI | Jul 20, 2013
The strong performance of a Republican in a district where Hispanics make up the majority and registered Republicans trail Democrats by 22 percentage points is seen as a road map to a turnaround.
Elections, State Legislature; Hispanic-Americans; 

Hope perhaps but not triumph.
 
9
 
Sports

Origins of Failed Tests May Lie in Inner Circles

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jul 21, 2013
10
Technology

Encryption Flaw Makes Phones Possible Accomplices in Theft

By KEVIN J. O’BRIEN | Jul 22, 2013
A German mobile security expert says he has found a flaw in the encryption technology used in some SIM cards that could enable cyber criminals to take control of a person’s phone.
Cellular Telephones; Cyberattacks and Hackers; Mobile Applications; Computer Security; 

I am not worried.  You may be.  This is a problem for the manufacturers.
11
Opinion

You (and Your Cellphone) on Candid Camera

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jul 19, 2013
Retailers must give shoppers a chance to opt out of being tracked in physical stores.
Privacy; Shopping and Retail; Cellular Telephones; Consumer Protection; Editorials; 

Just turn the phone off.
 
12
Opinion

Marriage and Immigration

Jul 20, 2013
The attorney who prevailed in the recent gay marriage case responds to an Op-Ed article.
Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships; Defense of Marriage Act (1996); Marriages; Immigration and Emigration; 

Nicely written.
 
13
Opinion

New York Is Not Detroit. But ...

By BILL KELLER | Jul 22, 2013
This city, too, has made promises that will be hard to keep.
Pensions and Retirement Plans; Organized Labor; Taxation; Economic Conditions and Trends; Labor and Jobs; 

Worry to no purpose.
 
14
Multimedia

Wresting the Narrative From the West

By JAMES ESTRIN | Jul 19, 2013
An initiative started in Bangladesh aims to put people around the world in charge of their own storytelling, and challenge the often-shallow portrayals by Western media.
Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; Photography; Social Media; Third World and Developing Countries; 

Fiction no matter what the source.
 
15
Automobiles

Fossil-Fuel Mileage Champ

By LAWRENCE ULRICH | Jul 21, 2013
With the highly efficient 2014 Cruze Turbo Diesel, General Motors is leaving its Hummer legacy behind and establishing itself as a green automaker.
Automobiles; Small Cars (Compact, Subcompact and Microcars); Fuel Efficiency; 

Give them a few years to shake out.
 
16
Opinion

The Dating World of Tomorrow

By ROSS DOUTHAT | Jul 19, 2013
All the non-college, non-internet ways to meet a mate are in decline.
Colleges and Universities; Computers and the Internet; Love (Emotion); Marriages; 

Fluff.
 
17
Business Day

Judge Rules Against BP Attempt to Suspend Payments

By REUTERS | Jul 20, 2013
A federal judge said BP could not suspend payments for damages related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill while an investigator looks into possible misconduct in the payout process.
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010); Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Offshore Drilling and Exploration; Accidents and Safety; 

BP is not broke.
 
18
Your Money

Program Links Loans to Future Earnings

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD | Jul 20, 2013
Several companies are connecting students and entrepreneurs with private investors willing to lend them money that is later repaid as a percentage of the borrower’s annual salary.
Student Loans; Entrepreneurship; 

No.
 
19
Arts

Newark Revival Wears Orange Along the River

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN | Jul 21, 2013
20
N.Y. / Region

High Line’s Best-Kept Secret: It’s a Fast Commute

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER | Jul 22, 2013
With no traffic lights, cars or bikes and few tourists during the morning rush, the elevated stretch of Manhattan has attracted people just seeking to walk to work.
High Line (NYC); Commuting; Walking; 

Not a big enough percentage of the trip for most.

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