Sunday, August 25, 2013

@2:22, 8/24/13

|


1
Booming

Starting Out ‘Us Against the World,’ but Still Together

When they first met, he thought she was white and she thought he was black, and they were both wrong. But 45 years later, they know they’ve gotten a lot right.
Marriages; Baby Boomers; Race and Ethnicity; Blacks; Italian-Americans; Dating and Courtship; Parenting; Love (Emotion); Writing and Writers; Depression (Mental); 

My world does not begin with the word, the sentence or the paragraph.
Language is a learned thing.
 
2
Your Money

A Guessing Game on Taxes Owed

With the next estimated tax payment around the corner, here are some tips to avoid overpaying your taxes.
Federal Taxes (US); Rebates and Refunds; Accounting and Accountants; Alternative Minimum Tax; Personal Finances; High Net Worth Individuals; 

Hire an expert.
 
3
Opinion

The New Nuclear Craze

Fears of climate change are no reason to revive a doomed energy source.
Alternative and Renewable Energy; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011); Nuclear Energy; Solar Energy; Wind Power;

"Before we all become pro-nuclear greens, however, you’ve got to ask three questions: Is nuclear power safe and clean? Is it economical? And are there better alternatives?"

Yes, not while it is bitterly opposed and sadly no.

Emotional arguments will not win.
 
Advertisement
4
Opinion

The Next Hurricane, and the Next...

Seeing Sandy as a sign of calamities that await, a presidential task force wants federal money directed to preparing for the worst.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Area Planning and Renewal; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Federal Aid (US); Global Warming; Floods; 

Poverty does not get special treatment.
(Both the rich and the poor can sleep under bridges.)
It is easy to take the position that hurricanes are an acceptable risk if the climate is not changing.  The insurance industry does not find the risk of hurricanes acceptable.  A homeowner has three choices.  Sell.  Accept the risk and repair.  Reconstruct to insurance company standards.  There is a fourth that is much less likely: repair and pay the increased and unsubsidized premium.

5
World

Nuclear Operator Raises Alarm on Crisis

Tepco, the operator, said there were more than 200,000 tons of radioactive water in makeshift tanks vulnerable to leaks, adding to a long list of mishaps.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan); Water Pollution; Hazardous and Toxic Substances; Radiation; 

Political power play.
 
6
 
Business Day

Wain Kellum of Vocalocity on Winning Over Employees

The chief of an Internet-based phone service says human beings want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Executives and Management (Theory); Hiring and Promotion; 

I am good at figuring things out.
I am bad at keeping written records.
Most of what I know I have learned for my pleasure.  
Work has come after learning.

7
Technology

To Build a Better Lego Robot

Lego updated its Mindstorms robotics platform with a kit that includes features like Bluetooth compatibility and a remote control app.
Robots and Robotics; Toys; 

I have found canned Lego projects to be very closed ended.
 
8
Opinion

The Unending Struggle to Find Affordable Child Care

Readers respond to an article about how even middle-class families are daunted by day care costs.
Child Care; Day Care Centers; Parenting; Children and Childhood; 

As I recall Project Head Start was very quickly murdered.
The racist powers of the South had the active cooperation of Black Power in the destruction.  The problem they had was Head Start threatened to empower the poor by destroying the class system.
 
9
Opinion

From the Fire Hose: Obama's Bus Stop in Gas Country, Al Gore's 'Category 6,' an Unplugging Climate Blogger

A roundup of developments on the fracking fight, Arctic ice, and the perils of climate overstatement.
Global Warming; Hurricanes and Tropical Storms; Hydraulic Fracturing; Natural Gas; 

Natural gas will cause pain.
 
10
Sports

Study Revealing Doping in Track Strikes Hurdle

The World Anti-Doping Agency prevented researchers from publishing a study that indicated many track and field athletes were doping.
Doping (Sports); Track and Field; Research; Tests (Drug Use); 

"Pound said in a telephone interview Thursday: “There’s this psychological aspect about it: nobody wants to catch anybody. There’s no incentive. Countries are embarrassed if their nationals are caught. And sports are embarrassed if someone from their sport is caught.”"

11
Business Day

At a Fed Conference, Views Differ Sharply on Stimulus’s Effect

At the annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo., global policy makers expressed concern over the Federal Reserve’s stimulus campaign and the possible consequences when it ends.
United States Economy; Quantitative Easing; Mortgage-Backed Securities; Stocks and Bonds; Economics (Theory and Philosophy); 

"

The Macroeconomics of Sisyphus

Simon Wren-Lewis is deeply annoyed at the IMF, and understandably so. How can you publish a paper about fiscal adjustment that explicitly takes no account of monetary policy, and claim that it has any relevance to current problems?
In general, trying to do policy-relevant macroeconomics these past 5 years has felt like the curse of Sisyphus: you labor mightily to get some simple but essential point across, you think that maybe, finally, you’re getting through. Then along comes some famous economist or report from an influential agency that rolls the level of the discussion right back down to the bottom.
The central fact of macro policy in these times isn’t subtle:
In normal times, the central bank can offset fiscal contraction by cutting interest rates. Since late 2008, however, the interest rates the Fed can control have been limited by the zero lower bound. This means that there is no offset to the negative effects of fiscal consolidation — which means that this is not the time to be doing such consolidation, which should wait until we emerge from this condition. We’re in a St. Augustine economy: Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.
This isn’t complicated, and it isn’t new — it’s what we’ve been saying for almost 5 years. There are arguments one can make on the other side, although the two main ones — expansionary austerity and the supposed existence of a red line on debt at 90 percent of GDP — have imploded. Still, I guess a paper offering a new argument for front-loaded austerity might be worth reading.
But to put out a paper in 2013 that simply ignores the whole issue bespeaks a level of, well, denseness that leaves one breathless."

Stimulus will continue until the interest rate goes up.

12
 
Business Day

New Rules Would Cut Silica Dust Exposure

The proposal to limit crystalline silica, which causes the irreversible respiratory disease silicosis, would strengthen exposure limits adopted four decades ago.
Silica; Respiratory Diseases; Silicosis; Organized Labor; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Hydraulic Fracturing; 

We will see if this works.  It reads as a good idea.
 
13
Health

Life, Interrupted: A Test of Faith

It had never occurred to me that, with all of the progress that has been made in cancer research, none of the standard treatments would work for me. That’s when I learned about something called a clinical trial.
Cancer; Clinical Trials; Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Medicine and Health; 

I have no satisfying answer for individual differences.
 
14
Autos

Go East Old Man: Off The Reservation

In the penultimate installation of his tiny motorcycle travel tale, Dexter Ford crosses through Indian country.
Automobiles; Motorcycles, Motor Bikes and Motorscooters; States (US); 

A very long stretch.  
That piece of Ontario is the Canadian riviera. 
Tomatoes get ripe before the frost most years.

15
Opinion

A Treaty on Wages

16
World

Remembering Iraq on an Indian Reservation

Nathan S. Webster asks why Lance Marottek, 25, returned to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana after five years in the Army.
Iraq War (2003-11); Labor and Jobs; Veterans; 

Boom camps are as they were.
 
17
Business Day

Airline Presses Court to Back Restructuring Plan

American Airlines and its creditors’ committee urged a bankruptcy judge to approve the airline’s restructuring plan despite an antitrust challenge from the Justice Department.
Airlines and Airplanes; Antitrust Laws and Competition Issues; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; 

The Justice Department has a good argument.
 
18
World

Thai Officials Play Down Effects of Oil Spill

In Thailand's third-largest oil spill, the government was quick to try to declare the affected areas safe for tourists, with one official going as far to swim in one of the worst-contaminated areas.
Environment; Oil Spills; Eco-Tourism; 

Most conditions are relative.
Toxic does not mean instant death.
 
19
Health

At the Chiropractor, Well-Adjusted Pets

Chiropractic is gaining popularity among pet owners, as a way to treat animals suffering from arthritis, sprains, joint pain and other ailments.
Alternative and Complementary Medicine; Animals; Cats; Chiropractors; Dogs; Pets; Veterinary Medicine; 

I am not going to worry about what makes the pet feel better.
 
20

More Details About the Georgia School Gunman's Siege

No one was killed or injured in the armed invasion of the school in Decatur, Ga., but the gunman, Michael Brandon Hill, held one or two school employees captive in an office, then opened fire about half a dozen times at the police before surrendering.
Firearms; Newtown, Conn, Shooting (2012); School Shootings; 

Just noise.


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

@10:15

1
Opinion

The New Nuclear Craze

2
Opinion

The Next Hurricane, and the Next

3
U.S.

U.S. Is Suing in Texas Cases Over Voting by Minorities

The Justice Department said it would become a co-plaintiff in a case against a Texas redistricting plan, and would sue the state over a law requiring voters to show photo identification.
Voter Registration and Requirements; Redistricting and Reapportionment; Voting Rights Act (1965); 

“We will not allow the Supreme Court’s recent decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights,” Mr. Holder said, adding: “We will keep fighting aggressively to prevent voter disenfranchisement.” 

Advertisement
4
 
N.Y. / Region

Out of Enclaves, a Pressure to Accommodate Traditions

The rise in the population and the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews in New York has provoked repeated conflicts with the city over revered practices.
Jews and Judaism; Hasidism; Freedom of Religion; Religion-State Relations; 

Let them whine.  
They can build their own pool and hire lifeguards of their choice.  
The same with other things.  Build your own.
The city need not provide. 
 
5
Business Day

A Closely Watched Gauge Suggests Stronger Growth

Solid gains last month in an index from the Conference Board suggested that economic growth was picking up after a weak start.
United States Economy; Unemployment; Stocks and Bonds; Economic Conditions and Trends; Unemployment Insurance; 

No demand for money.
 
6
U.S.

Median Income Rises, but Is Still 6% Below Level at Start of Recession in ’07

A study issued on Wednesday suggests why many Americans remain glum even though the economy is growing and unemployment has declined.
Income; Recession and Depression; United States Economy; Consumer Confidence (Economic Indicator); 

The top 1% is doing very well.
 
7
World

Nuclear Operator Raises Alarm on Crisis

8
Business Day

Wain Kellum of Vocalocity on Winning Over Employees

9
Technology

To Build a Better Lego Robot

11
N.Y. / Region

Trailing in Polls, Stringer Woos Black Voters

Scott M. Stringer’s opponent in the primary for comptroller, Eliot Spitzer, is viewed as the front-runner primarily because of strong support among black voters.
Blacks; Primaries and Caucuses; Elections, Comptrollers; Polls and Public Opinion; 

Not my problem.
 
13
Sports

Antidoping Agency Delays Publication of Research

14
Business Day

At a Fed Conference, Views Differ Sharply on Stimulus’s Effect

15
Business Day

New Rules Would Cut Silica Dust Exposure

16
World

Myanmar: Mob Swarms Car of U.N. Rights Envoy


An internal affair.

17
Health

Life, Interrupted: A Test of Faith

18
Autos

Go East Old Man: Off The Reservation

19
World

Remembering Iraq on an Indian Reservation

20
Business Day

Airline Presses Court to Back Restructuring Plan


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

@16:32

1
U.S.

U.S. Is Suing in Texas Cases Over Voting by Minorities

2
N.Y. / Region

Out of Enclaves, a Pressure to Accommodate Traditions

3
Business Day

A Closely Watched Gauge Suggests Stronger Growth

Advertisement
5
Technology

To Build a Better Lego Robot

7
N.Y. / Region

Trailing in Polls, Stringer Woos Black Voters

9
Sports

Antidoping Agency Delays Publication of Research

10
Business Day

At a Fed Conference, Views Differ Sharply on Stimulus’s Effect

11
Business Day

New Rules Would Cut Silica Dust Exposure

12
World

Myanmar: Mob Swarms Car of U.N. Rights Envoy

13
Autos

Go East Old Man: Off The Reservation

14
World

Remembering Iraq on an Indian Reservation

15
World

Thai Officials Play Down Effects of Oil Spill

16

More Details About the Georgia School Gunman's Siege

17
N.Y. / Region

A Troubled Teenager at Odds With Life in the Bronx

Shaaliver Douse had two gun-related arrests before being killed by an officer. Family and friends said he was not a hardened criminal but an impressionable youth.
Gangs; Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; Teenagers and Adolescence; 

An exit, feet first.
 
18
Health

At the Chiropractor, Well-Adjusted Pets

19
U.S.

Pennsylvania: Mistaken Identity at Funeral

A Philadelphia woman has turned up alive nearly two weeks after her family held a funeral and burial for her.
Funerals and Memorials; Death and Dying; 

Not yet.
 
20
N.Y. / Region

Bloomberg Shares a Few Secrets of His Success: Be Early, Stay Late and Hold It In

A round of jokes followed an off-the-cuff remark by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on efficiency.
Bathrooms and Toilets; Workplace Environment;

Just ignore the noise.





|

No comments:

Post a Comment