@ 2/20/14

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1

Opinion

Banning Ivory Sales in America

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Feb 17th 2014

  

Yes

2

World

A Former Tech Titan Sets His Sights on a New Venture -- Politics

By MARK BERGEN | Feb 20th 2014

Nandan Nilekani, who is best known for building a global technology company, will soon test his standing in gritty local politics.

Campaign Finance; Corruption (Institutional); Elections; Elections, House of Representatives; Language and Languages; Legislatures and Parliaments; Lobbying and Lobbyists; Polls and Public Opinion; Speeches and Statements; Volunteers and Community Service; Voting and Voters

3

Opinion

L.B.J. and the Shadow of Vietnam

| Feb 19th 2014

Readers discuss the war and other aspects of the Johnson presidency.

Vietnam War; Veterans; Medicare; Nineteen Hundred Sixties 

Nothing new.

8

Science

Seeking a Break in a 252 Million-Year-Old Mass Killing

By CARL ZIMMER | Feb 20th 2014

An M.I.T. geologist wants to understand how an estimated 96 percent of all species on Earth became extinct at the end of the Permian Period 252 million years ago.

Endangered and Extinct Species; Biodiversity; Geology; Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

"Dr. Bowring hopes that getting an even more precise chronology of the late Permian will help scientists find the trigger. “I think we’re on the road to really having to rethink what we think about mass extinctions,” he predicted.

Anthony D. Barnosky, a paleontologist at the University of California, Berkeley, sees some ominous signs in the research of scientists like Dr. Bowring. “There are definite warnings in these deep-time studies of mass extinction,” he said, noting that we humans are now releasing greenhouse gases at a colossal rate. “To really understand how fast mass extinctions can happen, we may be getting a firsthand lesson in the present.”"

9

Sports

Blue Devils Win at Home

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Feb 17th 2014

• Doug Mills/The New York Times

  ● Canada

  ● United States

  ● United States

  USA 1, with Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams, led the women’s bobsled competition after three runs but was overtaken by a team from Canada and settled for the silver medal. The American also took bronze in the event. Williams would have been the first woman to win gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games if the Americans had hung on.
  

  • Silver Is the Winter Color for a Summer Gold Medalist

• Russia Men’s Hockey Team Eliminated in Quarterfinals

  

  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

  The team that was put forward as the host country’s most important entry in the Winter Games took a surprising early exit, losing to Finland.
  

  • In Hockey Loss, Russian Pride Yields to Gloom

• Ligety Captures Giant Slalom

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Ted Ligety recovered from some early disappointments in Sochi to give the United States its first gold medal in Alpine events by winning the giant slalom. Ligety also became the first American to win the event at an Olympic Games. Steve Missillier of France took silver, and Alexis Pinturault of France won the bronze.
  

  • Ted Ligety Extends Reign With Giant Slalom Win

• American David Wise Wins Ski Halfpipe Gold

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  Sloppy conditions kept the competitors from performing their usual mix of acrobatics, but David Wise, or Reno, Nev., scored high enough on his first run to withstand a hard crash onto the top of the pipe on his second and win the gold medal.
  

  • In a World of Free Spirits, the Undude Is Best

• Slovenian Wins Women's Giant Slalom for Second Gold

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Rain, snow, sleet and fog during Tuesday’s women’s giant slalom runs could not prevent Tina Maze of Slovenia from capturing her second gold of the Games. She beat the silver medalist Anna Fenninger of Austria, and  Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany. The American Mikaela Shiffrin finished fifth.
  

  • Savvy Victory for Maze; Solid Finish for Shiffrin

• A First for the Americans in Ice Dancing

  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

  Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the gold medal in ice dancing at the Sochi Olympics, a first for the Americans.
  

  • Meryl Davis and Charlie White Give U.S. First Olympic Gold in Ice Dancing

• First Two-Man Bobsled Medal in 62 Years for Americans

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  Steven Holcomb and Steven Langton of the United States celebrated the bobsled run that earned them a bronze medal. They finished behind Russia and Switzerland.
  

  • Holcomb Skilled at Ending 62-Year Slumps

• Dutch Speedskaters Sweep the Podium in Women's 1,500

  Hannibal Hanschke/European Pressphoto Agency

  Dutch speedskaters swept the podium in the women’s 1,500-meters. Jorien ter Mors, the first woman to compete in both short- and long-track speedskating at an Olympics, won gold.  She was followed by Ireen Wust (silver) and Lotte van Beek (bronze). Another Dutch woman, Marrit Leenstra, was fourth.
  

  • The Dutch Speedskaters Are Thrilled, the Americans Baffled

• Americans Claim Two Medals in Men's Super-G

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud, left, won gold in the super-G, his second medal of the Games. The Americans finally found some success in the alpine events as Andrew Weibrecht was the surprise silver medalist, and Bode Miller finished in a tie for bronze.
  

  • Always Room at the Inn for Another Medal

• United States Beats Russia in a Shootout

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  After a five-minute overtime failed to produce a winner, the United States defeated Russia, 3-2, in a shootout, when T.J. Oshie scored four times, including the game-winner.
  

  • Drama, if Not Miracle, as U.S. Beats Russia

• Fenninger Finds Top of Podium in Women's Super G

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  Anna Fenninger, who had not shown her best at these Games, won the women’s super G, handling a twisty, difficult course that bedeviled many of her opponents. Maria Hoefl-Riesch, left, of Germany won the silver and Nicole Hosp of Austria took the bronze.
  

  • As Austrians Prevail, American Skiers Falter

• Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan Wins Men’s Figure Skating Gold

  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

  Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan had a sloppy long program but still hung on for the gold in men’s figuring skating when Patrick Chan of Canada was equally sloppy. It was the first gold ever for Japan in men’s figuring skating.  Denis Ten of Kazakhstan took the bronze.
  

  • Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan Wins Men’s Figure Skating Gold

• Viletta of Switzerland Outduels Kostelic in Super Combined

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Sandro Viletta of Switzerland outperformed the Croatian Ivica Kostelic, a slalom expert, in that discipline to win the gold in the men’s super combined. The Americans Bode Miller and Ted Ligety finished off the podium.
  

  • A Surprise Swiss Skiing Victory as U.S. Stars Are Shut Out

• American Men Sweep the Ski Slopestyle Medals

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  Joss Christensen soared over the nesting doll and everyone else to win the gold medal in ski slopestyle. Gus Kenworthy, a friend of Christensen’s since childhood, won silver, while Nick Goepper, the winner of the slopestyle event at the X Games the last two years, took the bronze.
  

  • A Sweep for U.S. Men in Slopestyle Skiing

• Farrington Surprises With Gold in Women's Halfpipe

  James Hill for The New York Times

  Kaitlyn Farrington, center, upset the long-established order atop snowboarding by winning the gold in the halfpipe over the silver medalist Torah Bright, left, and the bronze medalist Kelly Clark.
  

  • Upstart Ends Gold Medal Run by the Big 3 in Women’s Halfpipe

• A Tie for Gold in the Women's Downhill

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Tina Maze, left, of Slovenia and Dominique Gisin of Switzerland recorded identical fastest times in the women’s downhill and each earned a gold medla. Lara Gut of Switzerland took the bronze.
  

  • First Tie for Alpine Gold, Though Not Precisely

• White’s Run Ends With a Thud Instead of a Gold

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  It was Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland — I-Pod to his friends — who won the gold medal by doing a trick and a run that White and the others could not match.
  

  • Shaun White’s Run Ends With a Thud Instead of a Gold

• Frozen Slopes Serve as Incubator for a Rivalry

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Maria Höfl-Riesch of Germany won the women’s super combined Monday, as expected, and Julia Mancuso, the American with a surprise up her sleeve at every Olympics since 2006, barged into another awards ceremony with a bronze medal.
  

  • Frozen Slopes Serve as Incubator for a Rivalry

• Figure Skating Gold Is Russia’s First

  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

  Yulia Lipnitskaya, 15, of Russia, won the short and long programs in the women’s team event and became the youngest gold medalist since Tara Lipinksi of the United States won the women’s individual competition at 15 at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
  

  • Figure Skating Gold Is Russia’s First

• Anderson Helps U.S. to Sweep of Slopestyle Gold

  Paul Gilham/Getty Images

  Jamie Anderson of the United States took the gold in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Sage Kotsenburg of Park City, Utah, won the men’s event a day earlier.
  

  • Jamie Anderson, Slopestyle’s Star, Is on Top Again

• Austrian Is Surprise Winner in Men's Downhill

  Josh Haner/The New York Times

  Matthias Mayer of Austria, flanked by the second-place finisher Christof Innerhofer (left) of Italy and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, the bronze-medal winner, whooped it up after taking the gold in the men’s downhill.
  

  • Misstep Costs Bode Miller a Medal as Austrian Wins Downhill

• Norwegian Biathlete Sets Medal Record

  Clive Mason/Getty Images

  Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway tied the record for most medals won at the Winter Olympics when he took gold in the men’s biathlon 10-kilometer sprint.
  

• American Snowboarder Earns First Gold of Games

  Doug Mills/The New York Times

  Sage Kotsenburg of Park City, Utah, was a surprise winner in snowboard slopestyle, as the event made its Olympic debut. The favorite, Mark McMorris of Canada, fell on his first run and finished third.
  

  • American Snowboarder Wins First Gold of Games
• • Olympics Opening Ceremony Offers Fanfare for a Reinvented Russia

  After seven years of building to the opening of the Winter Olympics, the message of Friday’s over-the-top ceremony was simply this: In a big way, Russia is back.

---

Medal Leaders See All Results »

United States	7	5	11	23
Russia	6	9	7	22
Netherlands	6	7	9	22
Norway	10	4	7	21
Canada	6	9	4	19
Germany	8	4	4	16
France	4	3	7	14
Sweden	2	6	4	12
Switzerland	6	3	2	11
Austria	2	6	2	10

13

World

A Constant Battle Against the Sale of Bodies in Bihar

By GLORIA STEINEM | Feb 16th 2014

In this installment of their India tour diary, Gloria Steinem and Ruchira Gupta meet activists from tribal groups trapped in intergenerational prostitution in one of India’s poorest states.

Agriculture and Farming; Buddhism; Corruption (Institutional); Human Trafficking; Men and Boys; Police; Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; Prostitution; Women and Girls; Women's Rights; Youth 

India is a cast locked culture.

 

15

Sports

Well-Conditioned St. John’s Runs Georgetown Out of the Garden

By ZACH SCHONBRUN | Feb 17th 2014

16

Business Day

A Website Offers Help Finding a Hotel Where You Can Light Up

By JOE SHARKEY | Feb 17th 2014

A new website, Smoketel.com, books only smoking rooms at hotels around the world.

Smoking and Tobacco; Hotels and Travel Lodgings; Business Travel 

I am not one of theirs.

 

17

World

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian at Gaza Border

By FARES AKRAM | Feb 13th 2014

18

World

F.D.A. Commissioner Pledges More Coordination with Indian Regulators

By NEHA THIRANI BAGRI | Feb 19th 2014

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said that American agency would work more closely with its counterparts in India by holding seminars and training sessions.

Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Factories and Manufacturing; Indian-Americans; International Trade and World Market; Recalls and Bans of Products; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Vocational Training 

Whining and complaining does not help.

The costs of compliance with the F.D.A. are the same for all participants.

19

N.Y. / Region

At Lunar New Year, a Big, Red Target for Pickpockets

By SARAH MASLIN NIR | Feb 19th 2014

Though many Chinese residents see an increased risk of theft year round, crime rates often spike during the Lunar New Year, when elders traditionally give cash gifts to younger relatives.

Lunar New Year; Chinese-Americans; Crime and Criminals; New Year; Robberies and Thefts 

Yes.

 

20

Sunday Review

Social Media, a Trove of Clues and Confessions

By Ian Urbina | Feb 15th 2014

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and MySpace are creating new challenges for the legal system.

Social Media; Confessions; Courts and the Judiciary; Legal Profession 

The judge knows the law.

Errors of law are the job of the appeals court.

The jury is supposed to judge the facts.

The facts are not available on line.

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@11:30

1

Opinion

Banning Ivory Sales in America

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Feb 17th 2014

It might work.

2

World

A Former Tech Titan Sets His Sights on a New Venture -- Politics

By MARK BERGEN | Feb 20th 2014

Nandan Nilekani, who is best known for building a global technology company, will soon test his standing in gritty local politics.

Campaign Finance; Corruption (Institutional); Elections; Elections, House of Representatives; Language and Languages; Legislatures and Parliaments; Lobbying and Lobbyists; Polls and Public Opinion; Speeches and Statements; Volunteers and Community Service; Voting and Voters 

A government is not a business.

The objective is to benefit the entire population.

There are no other stake holders.

 

6

U.S.

Ice Tops 88 Percent of Great Lakes

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Feb 14th 2014

It has been so bitterly cold for so long that the Great Lakes are almost completely covered with ice for the first time in 20 years.

Weather; Lakes 

It has been a moderately cold winter.

 

8

Science

Seeking a Break in a 252 Million-Year-Old Mass Killing

By CARL ZIMMER | Feb 20th 2014

10

U.S.

Part of Kentucky Marriage Law Overturned

By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS | Feb 12th 2014

A federal judge in Kentucky ruled that the state must recognize same-sex marriages that have been performed legally in other states.

Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships; Homosexuality; Decisions and Verdicts 

"Habit is habit and not to be thrown out the window by any man

but rather to be dragged gently down the stairs, one step at a time."

      Mark Twain

 

13

World

A Constant Battle Against the Sale of Bodies in Bihar

By GLORIA STEINEM | Feb 16th 2014

India has not been a good culture for women.

14

Health

A Funeral Fraud

AOL has decided to behave better.

16

Business Day

A Website Offers Help Finding a Hotel Where You Can Light Up

By JOE SHARKEY | Feb 17th 2014

A new website, Smoketel.com, books only smoking rooms at hotels around the world.

Smoking and Tobacco; Hotels and Travel Lodgings; Business Travel 

I am not smoke tolerant.

17

World

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian at Gaza Border

By FARES AKRAM | Feb 13th 2014

Israeli forces stationed along the border with Gaza fatally shot one Palestinian man and wounded another on Thursday, according to a Palestinian official.

Palestinians 

Business as usual.

 

20

Sunday Review

Social Media, a Trove of Clues and Confessions

Juries decide the facts.  The facts are not posted.

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1

World

A Former Tech Titan Sets His Sights on a New Venture -- Politics

By MARK BERGEN | Feb 20th 2014

A bad choice.

2

Opinion

Banning Ivory Sales in America

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Feb 17th 2014

3

Business Day

Satya Nadella, Chief of Microsoft, on His New Role

By ADAM BRYANT | Feb 20th 2014

Satya Nadella, newly named as Microsoft’s chief executive, talks about leadership, the future and Bill Gates.

Executives and Management (Theory) 

Microsoft must give up the windows architecture.

It is vulnerable.

9

Sports

Well-Conditioned St. John’s Runs Georgetown Out of the Garden

By ZACH SCHONBRUN | Feb 17th 2014

The Red Storm continued on the roll they began after an 0-5 start to their Big East schedule, turning in a convincing victory over the Hoyas at Madison Square Garden.

Basketball (College) 

The Huskies are not playing tonight.

 

14

N.Y. / Region

After Decades at a Walk-Up, Tenants Fear Losing a Home

By MICHAEL POWELL | Feb 17th 2014

A father and son landlord team, Victor and Harry Einhorn, unofficially acknowledge they plan to build a condominium tower at 78 St. Marks Place in Park Slope.

Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Evictions; Demolition; Gentrification; Affordable Housing; Hispanic-Americans 

Properly so.

 

15

World

Nationalistic Remarks From Japan Lead to Warnings of Chill With U.S.

By MARTIN FACKLER | Feb 19th 2014

Comments criticizing the United States by associates of Japan’s prime minister have furthered concerns that a rift is growing between the two governments.

World War II (1939-45); United States International Relations; Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates 

This is the State Departments area.  Let them work.

17

Opinion

Start-Up America: Our Best Hope

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN | Feb 15th 2014

The contrast between the vibe in Silicon Valley and the obstruction in Washington is quite telling.

United States Politics and Government; United States Economy; Start-ups; Computers and the Internet

Silicon Valley is corporate.  They cannot be a government.

 

18

World

Ex-U.S. Lawmaker Charged With Pornography Possession in Zimbabwe

By CHRISTINE HAUSER | Feb 18th 2014

The arrest is the latest legal entanglement for former Representative Mel Reynolds of Illinois.

United States Politics and Government; Pornography 

A change of circumstances does not make a change of culture.

 

19

U.S.

Brownback Leads Kansas in Sharp Right Turn

By JOHN ELIGON | Feb 13th 2014

Sam Brownback, the Republican governor of Kansas who this year faces an election challenge, has pursued a bullishly conservative agenda while working to oust moderates.

Elections, Governors; Series 

Disasters are slow to arrive.  

The Brownback policies are a disaster in the making.

It will take more than a year to bite.

 

20

Health

Caring for the Alzheimer's Caregiver

By JANE E. BRODY | Feb 17th 2014

Watching over loved ones with dementia frequently presents new challenges, and a new book focuses on caregivers and the stressful situations they face.

Alzheimer's Disease; Elderly; Memory 

There is no end. 

Much is teasing.  Much is contact.

Some is hearing.  Some is memory.

Change is creeping year by year.

 

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