Thursday, September 26, 2013

@12:50, 9/25/13

|



1
Business Day

Fiat Chief Rolls Dice on Market and Chrysler Merger

Sergio Marchionne of Fiat hopes the open market will set a price for Chrysler shares that will return the U.A.W. trust to the table.
Automobiles; Organized Labor; Initial Public Offerings; 

The U.A.W. has no confidence in the survival of Chrysler.
The trust is responsible for the current retirees income.
 
2
U.S.

I.R.S. Official Linked to Tea Party Scandal Retires

Lois Lerner, an official at the center of the Internal Revenue Service’s scrutiny of the Tea Party, is retiring, the agency said Monday.
Retirement; Internal Revenue Service Political Profiling; Tea Party Movement; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; 

Lois Lerner has no need to defend herself against witch hunters.

The scandal is imagined.
 
3
 
N.Y. / Region

Hundreds of Storm Evacuees in Hotels Face Evictions

Lawyers for New York City are trying to transition about 350 people uprooted by the storm into shelters, saying FEMA was ending reimbursements for the program.
Hurricane Sandy (2012); Evacuations and Evacuees; Hotels and Travel Lodgings; Evictions; Federal Aid (US); Suits and Litigation (Civil); 

The places they lived at the prices they paid are gone.
 
4
Business Day

An Escape From Slavery, Now a Movie, Has Long Intrigued Historians

Solomon Northup told a story of escaping from slavery in 1853, and for decades scholars have been trying to untangle the truth of his account.
Slavery; Books and Literature; Movies; 

I will see the film on DVD.
 
5
World

Black Market for Water Expands in Delhi

The failure of the Delhi government to provide piped water to more than 4 million residents has created a burgeoning black market for water.
Black Markets; Indian Rupee (Currency); Shortages; Water; 

"What the traffic will bear"
It is the prime rule of unregulated capitalism.

6
World

Israel Plans to Ease Gaza Blockade

Israel plans to allow building materials meant for private projects into the Gaza Strip for the first time in six years, an Israeli defense official said Tuesday.
Embargoes and Economic Sanctions; Palestinians; 

This is half a story.  Israel has bought something with this easing.
 
7
 
World

In a Faded Literary Capital, Efforts at a Revival

In a city long famous as a big market for Arabic writers, there is growing worry that the collapse of book culture is a direct mirror of Sudan’s overall decline.
Books and Literature; Book Trade and Publishing; 

Literacy will bloom again as orthodoxy self destructs.
 
8
World

Authorities Say No Radiation Leaked in Russian Sub Fire

Two nuclear reactors were aboard a submarine when it caught fire in Russia’s Far East early Monday, but they had been shut down before the fire started.
Submarines and Submersibles; Nuclear Energy; Maritime Accidents and Safety; 

Ugly but no great danger.
 
9
Science

Not Even a Window Seat Can Get You This View

A view of a galaxy cluster, in new detail.
Stars and Galaxies; Hubble Space Telescope; 

Those streaks are direct evidence of a super massive object.  A black hole.
 
10
Technology

When Tech Turns Nouns Into Verbs

It started with smartphones that downloaded new operating systems, or became maps or cameras. Now cars, actual cameras, thermostats and computers are changing their look and functionality on a near-constant basis. We’re making a world where all objects change to create the experience of the moment.
Chrome (Operating System); Cloud Computing; Computers and the Internet; Software; 

Yuck.  
I am not continuously  involved with my tools.  
When I return to them their behavior should be as it was.
I am not interested in being distracted while I am trying to work.
 
11
Great Homes and Destinations

A Vacation Hideaway in Portugal's Golden Triangle

For Humberto Sousa, life in the resort area of Vilamoura means there are only two items on his to-do list: choose a beach for the day and select a restaurant for the night.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Golf; 

Hard on the liver.
 
12
Business Day

Atomic Goal: 800 Years of Power From Waste

TerraPower, a start-up led by Bill Gates, is at work on a new kind of reactor that would be fueled by today’s nuclear waste.
Nuclear Wastes; Nuclear Energy; Electric Light and Power; Uranium; New Models, Design and Products; 

A nice con.
The device is called a breeder reactor.
Most of the bombs in the arsenals are plutonium weapons.
The gains on fusion bombs are plutonium.
 
13
T:Style

Market Report | World-Class Watches for International Travelers

These stylish timepieces for men and women, which can keep track of up to 24 time zones, cater to the world’s most serious journeyers.
Fashion and Apparel; Watches and Clocks; 

Lovely jewels.
If the local time is desired use a G.P.S. engine.
 
14
 
Booming

Advice About Sleep Deficiency in Midlife, Part 1

Orfeu Marcello Buxton, a neuroscientist, addresses questions about “normal sleep” in midlife, sleep apnea and other aspects of sleep deficiency.
Sleep; Insomnia; Apnea (Sleep Disorder); Snoring; Baby Boomers; Parasomnias (Sleep Disorders); Anxiety and Stress; 

Not applicable to me.
 
15
Science

ScienceTake: A Thresher's Deadly Tail

The tail of the thresher shark is not just for show -- it's for hunting.
Science and Technology; Sharks; 

Nice pictures.
 
16
Science

ScienceTake: Tiny Bat, Long Tongue

How does Pallas's long-tongued bat collect nectar midflight? By using a long, barb-lined tongue, of course.
Science and Technology; Bats; Tongue; 

More nice pictures.
 
17
Science

ScienceTake: How a Dragonfly Hunts

Marveling at the efficiency of the dragonfly, a stone-cold killer in the skies.
Science and Technology; Dragonflies; 


18
Opinion

That Chicken in Your Soup

Lawmakers are right to question the recent Agriculture Department’s decision to allow chicken processed in China to be sold in America.
Chickens; Food Contamination and Poisoning; Poultry; Editorials; 

More race to the bottom on costs.
 
19
 
Dining & Wine

Panzanella With Chicken and Capers

Toss roasted chicken into this Tuscan tomato salad, and spend an extra few minutes crisping up the skin first.
Cooking and Cookbooks; Salads; Bread; 

We are almost done with real tomatoes.
An easy meal.
 
20
Business Day

Wintour’s Reign Extends Beyond Vogue

Anna Wintour has always been a big deal, but her influence within Condé Nast is now on the march in ways that are not just reshaping the magazines but the organization.

Fashion is a political "game"
Condé Nast needs to recognize they can and do serve different constituencies.

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

@19:51

1
Science

ScienceTake: How Dolphins Know Who’s Who

We all know that dolphins are smart animals, but scientists have found that these creatures create their own names and respond when they are called.
Dolphins and Porpoises; Science and Technology; 

They make announcements.
As far as anyone could tell they are just not very smart.
 
2
Science

Decoy Protein Boosts Bone Growth

Mice with dwarfism characteristics, caused by a gene mutation, resumed normal bone growth after injection of a decoy protein.
Mice; Dwarfism; Bones; Research; 

A progress announcement.
3
Opinion

It’s Quinoa’s World. We Just Live in It.

After establishing that quinoa is comfortable, instruct onions, carrots and squash that they are not to disturb quinoa before cooking begins.
Quinoa; 

Humor.  It is another grain.
 
4
U.S.

Budget Office Warns That Deficits Will Rise Again Because Cuts Are Misdirected

The nonpartisan office says that lawmakers are focused on the wrong kind of spending and that annual deficits will begin rising in 2016 as baby boomers age.
Federal Budget (US); United States Politics and Government; National Debt (US); 

As long as expenditures exceed income deficits will rise.
Interest rates are against the zero lower bound.
Deficits do not matter for the moment.
When the economy recovers more we can pay down debt.

Krugman:
"September 24, 2013, 11:48 am

The Depressed Economy Is All About Austerity

Right now the official unemployment rate is 7.3 percent. That’s bad, and many people — myself included — think it understates the true badness of the situation. On the other hand, there are some reasonable people (like Bob Gordon) arguing that at this point, possibly thanks to long-run damage from the Great Recession, “full employment” is now a number north of 6 percent. So there’s considerable uncertainty about just how depressed we are relative to potential.
But we’re clearly still well below potential. And we’ve also had exactly the wrong fiscal policy given that reality plus the zero lower bound on interest rates, with unprecedented austerity. So, how much of our depressed economy can be explained by the bad fiscal policy?
To a first approximation, all of it. By that I mean that to have something that would arguably look like full employment, at this point we wouldn’t need a continuation of actual stimulus; all we’d need is for government spending to have grown normally, instead of shrinking.
Here’s a comparison of two series. One is actual government purchases of goods and services since the Great Recession began (this is at all levels; most of the fall has been state and local, but the Federal government could have prevented that with revenue sharing). The other is what would have happened if those purchases had grown as fast as they did starting in the first quarter of 2001, i.e., in the Bush years.
As you can see, the gap is large and has been growing rapidly; it’s currently at about 400 billion 2009 dollars, or more than 2 1/2 percent of GDP. Given reasonable multipliers, this suggests that real GDP is somewhere between 3 and 3.75 percent lower than it would have been without the austerity. And given the usual Okun’s Law rule of half a point of unemployment per point of GDP, this in turn says that without the austerity we’d have an unemployment rate well under 6 percent, maybe even under 5.5 percent.
I don’t want to pretend to spurious precision here. Instead, I just want to make the point that given what we know and have learned about macro these past five years — and given the modest recovery that has taken place — we’re now at a point where, to repeat, to a first approximation the depressed state of the economy is entirely due to destructive fiscal policy.
The austerians have a lot to answer for."
 
5
World

Authorities Say No Radiation Leaked in Russian Sub Fire


Distraction.

6
Science

Not Even a Window Seat Can Get You This View


Black hole.
7
Technology

When Tech Turns Nouns Into Verbs

 
 
8
Business Day

Atomic Goal: 800 Years of Power From Waste

Breeder reactor.

9
Booming

Advice About Sleep Deficiency in Midlife, Part 1

10

Jewels.

12
Science

ScienceTake: Tiny Bat, Long Tongue

13
Science

ScienceTake: How a Dragonfly Hunts

14
Science

Research May Point to Treatment for Cold Sores

Insight about a mutated gene in people who got cold sores suggests a possible research route for both cold sores and other infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 1.
Herpes Viruses; Viruses; Research; Genetics and Heredity; 

Progress.
 
15
Opinion

That Chicken in Your Soup

16
Dining & Wine

Panzanella With Chicken and Capers

17
Business Day

Wintour’s Reign Extends Beyond Vogue


18
Business Day

A Tool Kit for Future Euro Crises

Member countries, and the European Central Bank, need to be able to use policy to prevent future bubbles and to build up surpluses during good times and allow deficits during bad times.
European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Interest Rates; 

Europe needs a central bank lender of last resort and more inflation.

19
N.Y. / Region

3 Queens E.M.T.’s Are Held in Theft

Three board members of the Corona Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps were accused of stealing more than $325,000 from the Queens squad.
Robberies and Thefts; Emergency Medical Treatment; 

Prosecution now.
 
20
Great Homes and Destinations

A Vacation Hideaway in Portugal's Golden Triangle

For Humberto Sousa, life in the resort area of Vilamoura means there are only two items on his to-do list: choose a beach for the day and select a restaurant for the night.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Golf; 

Not the way I choose to live.





No comments:

Post a Comment