Saturday, May 24, 2014

@17:00, 5/23/14

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1
Health

Study Sees Bigger Role for Placenta in Newborns’ Health

By DENISE GRADY | May 21st 2014
Placental bacteria may affect the timing of births and the makeup of an infant’s gut, researchers say, including that of babies born by cesarean.
Pregnancy and Childbirth; Babies and Infants; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Viruses; Fungi

Interesting.
 
2
Opinion

Boosting the Birthrate

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | May 23rd 2014
Japan needs to rethink its social policies so more women will choose to have children.
Birth Control and Family Planning; Families and Family Life

Krugman:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_This_Depression_Now!

A reduced population was the idea when the current policies were set.


"Japan 1998

I’m starting to see another curious myth popping up in comments — namely, that I claimed that Japan’s policy of quantitative easing, which consisted simply of stuffing more reserves into the banks, would work.
So, just for the record, here’s the little wonkish paper (pdf) I wrote back in 1998 — the one that alerted me to the danger of falling into a liquidity trap, so that I was intellectually prepared for the mess we’re in. The whole point of that paper was that when you’re up against the zero lower bound, it doesn’t matter how much money you print — not unless you credibly promise higher inflation.
And of course, now we’re all Japanese."
3
Science

Even Fruit Flies Need a Moment to Think It Over

By DOUGLAS QUENQUA | May 22nd 2014
These tiny insects don’t act entirely on instinct, but ponder difficult choices, as humans do, a study finds.
Fruit Flies; Intelligence and Intelligence Tests (IQ)
4
The Upshot

Did Piketty Get His Math Wrong?

By NEIL IRWIN | May 23rd 2014
A new Financial Times report will be examined and debated by specialists and start an important debate over what we really know about wealth inequality.
Income Inequality; Economics (Theory and Philosophy); Taxation
5
Opinion

Race and the Law

May 19th 2014
A reader compares the viewpoints of Michelle Obama and Justice Clarence Thomas.
Discrimination; Brown v Board of Education (Supreme Court Decision)
6
U.S.

North Carolina: Deal Reached on Cleanup of Utility’s Toxic Spill

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 22nd 2014
The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it had reached an enforceable deal with Duke Energy to clean up its mess from a huge coal ash spill into the Dan River.
Water Pollution; Hazardous and Toxic Substances
7
World

Panicked Workers Fled Fukushima Plant in 2011 Despite Orders, Record Shows

By MARTIN FACKLER | May 20th 2014
A previously undisclosed interview with the plant manager described the panic among workers at the most dire moment of the nuclear disaster.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan); Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011); Nuclear Energy; Deaths (Fatalities); Radiation
8
N.Y. / Region

Celebrating New Pier While Debating Park’s Uses

By VIVIAN YEE | May 21st 2014
Five acres devoted to sports and outdoor activities will be unveiled in Brooklyn amid a season of controversy over the park’s uses.
Parks and Other Recreation Areas; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Affordable Housing; Area Planning and Renewal
9
Technology

Airbnb Will Hand Over Host Data to New York

By DAVID STREITFELD | May 21st 2014
The New York state attorney general will get the information he is seeking about Airbnb hosts in New York City, but it will be stripped of names and addresses.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Renting and Leasing (Real Estate)
10
Magazine

Must the Captain Always Go Down With the Ship?

By CHUCK KLOSTERMAN | May 23rd 2014
Plus: The ethics of ethnicity-bending pen names.
Maritime Accidents and Safety; Writing and Writers; Ethics (Personal); Drownings; Evacuations and Evacuees
11
Opinion

Research on Malaria-Resistant Children in Tanzania Leads to Promising New Vaccine Target

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | May 23rd 2014
A new malaria vaccine strategy emerges from studies of blood in resistant Tanzanian toddlers.
Antibodies; Malaria; Parasites; Research; Vaccination and Immunization
12
N.Y. / Region

One Step Forward, One Back for M.T.A. on Union Contracts

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER | May 21st 2014
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority officially resolved a dispute with its largest transit union, but its conflict with Long Island Rail Road workers appeared as intractable as ever.
Organized Labor; Transit Systems
13
Opinion

Must Conservatism Soak the Poor?

May 22nd 2014
On the alleged futility of reform conservatism.
Conservatism (US Politics); Federal Taxes (US); Income Tax; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; Welfare (US)
14
Science

A Theory on How Flightless Birds Spread Across the World: They Flew There

By CARL ZIMMER | May 22nd 2014
DNA analysis in a new study suggests that the common ancestor of ratites continued to fly even after the supercontinent Gondwana split into pieces.
Birds; Paleontology; Endangered and Extinct Species
15
Automobiles

Safety Agency Investigates Ram Pickups; Suzuki Recalls 184,000 Cars

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN | May 23rd 2014
N.H.T.S.A. received a report of a child who was killed by a Ram pickup; some Suzuki cars may catch fire; BMW recalls 6,400 X5 crossovers.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Sports Utility Vehicles and Light Trucks; Recalls and Bans of Products
16
World

Turkey Arrests Several Executives Over Mining Disaster

By SEBNEM ARSU | May 18th 2014
The initial report about the possible causes of the accident compiled by investigators said that the fire in the mine was not caused by a transformer explosion as originally suggested but by smoldering coal that ignited.
Soma, Turkey, Mining Disaster (2014); Mines and Mining; Explosions (Accidental); Deaths (Fatalities); Accidents and Safety
17
Automobiles

Wheelies: The G.M. Trucks Hiccup Edition

By BENJAMIN PRESTON | May 23rd 2014
General Motors to offer stop-start technology in 2015 Chevrolet Impala; Congress pushes to streamline federal paperwork for dealerships.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects
18
N.Y. / Region

1-Year-Old Boy Falls to Death From Sixth-Floor Window in Brooklyn

By ASHLEY SOUTHALL | May 21st 2014
The baby, whom the police identified as Theodore Nemon, landed on a third-floor balcony in Crown Heights.
Falls; Babies and Infants; Deaths (Fatalities)
19
Business Day

Britain Proposes Easier Access to Tap Shale Rock Energy

By STANLEY REED | May 23rd 2014
The prime minister’s government endorses the right of companies to drill laterally for some wells without seeking the consent of landowners.
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Shale; Natural Gas; Hydraulic Fracturing; Mines and Mining
20
U.S.

$200 Million Could Curb Pension Cuts in Detroit

By MONICA DAVEY | May 22nd 2014
The Michigan State House on Thursday agreed to contribute nearly $200 million in state money for a deal to spare Detroit’s retirees from larger pension cuts.
Pensions and Retirement Plans; Bankruptcies; Government Employees 

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28c0u5zz55awhl11fajuz30l55%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-Article-IX-24
"
STATE CONSTITUTION (EXCERPT)
CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963


§ 24 Public pension plans and retirement systems, obligation. Sec. 24.
The accrued financial benefits of each pension plan and retirement system of the state and its political subdivisions shall be a contractual obligation thereof which shall not be diminished or impaired thereby.
Financial benefits arising on account of service rendered in each fiscal year shall be funded during that year and such funding shall not be used for financing unfunded accrued liabilities.

History: Const. 1963, Art. IX, § 24, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964

© 2009 Legislative Council, State of Michigan"


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

@20:00

1
World

South Korean Leader Dismisses More Aides After Ferry Disaster

By CHOE SANG-HUN | May 22nd 2014
President Park Geun-hye will replace the head of the intelligence agency and her top national security adviser as fallout continues from the ferry sinking.
Maritime Accidents and Safety; Appointments and Executive Changes; Ferries 

"Mr. Min did not clarify why Mr. Nam and Mr. Kim stepped down, but Ms. Park has been under mounting pressure from the political opposition and other critics to overhaul her government and presidential staff for failing to prevent the April 16 ferry disaster and bungling rescue operations."

"Prosecutors looking into the cause of the ferry’s sinking have said that the ship was overloaded and badly unbalanced and was manned by a crew poorly trained in safety measures and seamanship. Yet, it was allowed to set sail by pier-side inspectors who were not properly supervised by government regulators."

It was too late to prevent the accident when the ferry left the dock.
The Coastguard is responsible.  The rest is hardball politics.

2
U.S.

North Carolina: Deal Reached on Cleanup of Utility’s Toxic Spill

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 22nd 2014
The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it had reached an enforceable deal with Duke Energy to clean up its mess from a huge coal ash spill into the Dan River.
Water Pollution; Hazardous and Toxic Substances 

Duke Energy will probably give up coal as a fuel as part of the deal.
That and the cleanup should put them in chapter 11.
Their negotiating position was the threat of chapter 7, liquidation.
The current assets of Duke Energy are not sufficient to pay for the supervised cleanup.  The plants must continue to operate, the corporation will live.  The bond holders will be wiped out and the management will be dismissed. 
 
3
The Upshot

Did Piketty Get His Math Wrong?

By NEIL IRWIN | May 23rd 2014
A Financial Times report is casting doubt on the data behind Thomas Piketty’s popular book. An important debate will begin anew.
Income Inequality; Economics (Theory and Philosophy); Taxation 

I expect Piketty got his numbers right enough.
There may be some problems with the footnotes.
There were several editors in the process of publication.
This is six hundred pages of technical writing built on numerous academic papers.

The Financial Times is behind a pay wall.  
They would like to find errors and sell subscriptions.
The story is thin and speculative.

4
Magazine

Must the Captain Always Go Down With the Ship?

By CHUCK KLOSTERMAN | May 23rd 2014
Plus: The ethics of ethnicity-bending pen names.
Maritime Accidents and Safety; Writing and Writers; Ethics (Personal); Drownings; Evacuations and Evacuees 

The courts will decide the fate of the Korean captain.

The Korean Coastguards will suffer parliamentarian Furies. 
If the owner bribed them He, his designer and they will die in prison.

J.K. Rowling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Calling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad
5
Opinion

Boosting the Birthrate

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | May 23rd 2014
Japan needs to rethink its social policies so more women will choose to have children.
Birth Control and Family Planning; Families and Family Life 

Japan's Abe is doing the right thing.  More would be better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_This_Depression_Now!

6
Science

Even Fruit Flies Need a Moment to Think It Over

By DOUGLAS QUENQUA | May 22nd 2014
These tiny insects don’t act entirely on instinct, but ponder difficult choices, as humans do, a study finds.
Fruit Flies; Intelligence and Intelligence Tests (IQ) 

Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.
7
Opinion

Must Conservatism Soak the Poor?

May 22nd 2014
On the alleged futility of reform conservatism.
Conservatism (US Politics); Federal Taxes (US); Income Tax; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; Welfare (US) 

Yes, Conservatism will reduce wages to the starvation level.

The necessary reforms are the closed shop and the right to organize and 
strike.
Conservatism will fight a ballance of power in the workplace.

8
Science

A Theory on How Flightless Birds Spread Across the World: They Flew There

By CARL ZIMMER | May 22nd 2014
DNA analysis in a new study suggests that the common ancestor of ratites continued to fly even after the supercontinent Gondwana split into pieces.
Birds; Paleontology; Endangered and Extinct Species 

Penguins swim and are flightless as was the Great Auk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flightless_bird
Swimmers. 

9
 
 

In Our Pages: May 24

By INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE | May 23rd 2014
Highlights from the International Herald Tribune archives: Queen Mary’s limousine is hit by a truck in 1939; A Samoan ritual dance goes wrong in 1964.
Accidents and Safety; Fires and Firefighters; Religion and Belief; Roads and Traffic 
You have the records.
I did my best to hide my memories of the period from myself some years later.  Regents week was ahead of us.  World's Fair? not quite.

10
World

Panicked Workers Fled Fukushima Plant in 2011 Despite Orders, Record Shows

By MARTIN FACKLER | May 20th 2014
A previously undisclosed interview with the plant manager described the panic among workers at the most dire moment of the nuclear disaster.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan); Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011); Nuclear Energy; Deaths (Fatalities); Radiation 

Panic is always messy.
 
11
Opinion

Pope Francis: 'We Are Custodians of Creation'

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | May 22nd 2014
Pope Francis lays out a religious and scientific argument for caring for the planet.
Earth; Encyclicals; Environment; Ethics (Personal); Sustainable Living 

Pope Francis has some conflicts to deal with.
I will not discourage his attempt.
I would like it to be workable.
The world will be saved by works.  
 
12
Arts

Video: This Weekend | The 9/11 Memorial Museum

Christian Roman | May 22nd 2014
This weekend you can visit the new Sept. 11 museum, see art that was made by ordinary people at the American Folk Art Museum or check out the Carpeaux exhibit at the Met before it ends.
Art

I can miss the Carpeaux and 9/11.  The folk art may be worth the trip.
The Beaux Arts may be returning with the Gilded culture.
Getting it right is needlessly difficult.
There is more to learn without the formal Iconography.
 
13
N.Y. / Region

Celebrating New Pier While Debating Park’s Uses

By VIVIAN YEE | May 21st 2014
Five acres devoted to sports and outdoor activities will be unveiled in Brooklyn amid a season of controversy over the park’s uses.
Parks and Other Recreation Areas; Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Affordable Housing; Area Planning and Renewal 

Real estate wins again.
A backyard for bedrooms.
 
14
The Upshot

A New Critique of Piketty Has Its Own Shortcomings

By JUSTIN WOLFERS | May 23rd 2014
A look at The Financial Times’s re-analysis of data used in “Capital in the 21st Century” suggests there may be less to it than meets the eye.
Income Inequality 

Yes.
 
15
Technology

Airbnb Will Hand Over Host Data to New York

By DAVID STREITFELD | May 21st 2014
The New York state attorney general will get the information he is seeking about Airbnb hosts in New York City, but it will be stripped of names and addresses.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Renting and Leasing (Real Estate) 

Sport fishing.
 
16
Automobiles

Safety Agency Investigates Ram Pickups; Suzuki Recalls 184,000 Cars

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN | May 23rd 2014
N.H.T.S.A. received a report of a child who was killed by a Ram pickup; some Suzuki cars may catch fire; BMW recalls 6,400 X5 crossovers.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Sports Utility Vehicles and Light Trucks; Recalls and Bans of Products 

The usual noise.
 
17
Business Day

China’s Global Search for Energy

By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and KEITH BRADSHER | May 21st 2014
China has an insatiable appetite for energy and it has made deals with nations like Russia, Iraq, Nigeria, Ecuador and Venezuela to keep its people warm and the lights on.
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; International Trade and World Market; Offshore Drilling and Exploration; Natural Gas 

No news here.
 
18
Opinion

Research on Malaria-Resistant Children in Tanzania Leads to Promising New Vaccine Target

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | May 23rd 2014
A new malaria vaccine strategy emerges from studies of blood in resistant Tanzanian toddlers.
Antibodies; Malaria; Parasites; Research; Vaccination and Immunization 

PfSEA-1 will help people live longer.  Fewer dead children will help.
Direct action on population is not tolerated.
 
19
Travel

A New Restaurant for Campobello

By DIANE DANIEL | May 22nd 2014
Roosevelt Campobello International Park, celebrating its 50th anniversary, will have a new restaurant this year, and a new reservation system for its “Tea With Eleanor” history series.
Documentary Films and Programs; Restaurants; Restoration and Renovation; Travel and Vacations 

The country could use another Roosevelt.  
Conditions are still not bad enough to get one elected.
 
20
N.Y. / Region

A Journey Around Manhattan, on the Water

By WILLIAM SHANNON | May 20th 2014
A kayaker contends with boat traffic and ever-changing water conditions while circumnavigating the island of Manhattan.
Boats and Boating; Rivers; Water 

Good trip.

Sails help.   

Get the Inwood ship canal right.  The creek is long filled.


I will run into Manhattan.  Back late this evening  ~~21:00




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