Thursday, November 13, 2014

@10:00, 11/13/14

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Troubles are endless.
Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.

1
U.S.

Financial Pressures Ease on Students, Studies Say

It was unclear whether the changes marked the start of a shift toward better news on the economics of higher education or just a temporary pause in more worrisome trends.
Colleges and Universities; Tuition; Student Loans; For-Profit Schools 

"The decline was driven partly by falling enrollment, especially at for-profit colleges."
The decline looks to be an artifact of the method of measurement.

2
N.Y. / Region

New York Plants Curbside Gardens to Soak Up Storm-Water Runoff

The city, as part of a $2.4 billion project to protect waterways, will add thousands of street-side plots in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens in the coming months.
Gardens and Gardening; Rain; Environment; Water Pollution; Waste Materials and Disposal; Floods; Flowers and Plants 

I understand the problem.
The City of New York is on islands in salt water.
Since the early nineteenth century it has imported fresh water.
That water is threatened by sprawl.
New York is not threatened by drought or local pollution as California is.
These gardens are a "stop gap" measure while the political parties fight over the meaning of environmental protection.

3
Health

What Our Sewage Can Teach Us

By analyzing samples from each of the five New York City boroughs, Jane M. Carlton hopes to detect viruses before an outbreak.
Antibiotics; Bacteria; Influenza; Microbiology; Sewers and Sewage 

"We has met the enemy and he is us."   Walt Kelly as Pogo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_%28comic_strip%29

Pogo - Earth Day 1971 poster.jpg
Pogo daily strip from Earth Day, 1971
Author(s) Walt Kelly
.
World

In Shake-Up, Iraqi Premier Replaces 36 Commanders

It was the first public effort by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to put his mark on the security forces battling Islamic State militants.
Corruption (Institutional) 

One corrupt cabal can be replaced with another corrupt cabal.

5
N.Y. / Region

With Persistence and Phone Calls, Defending Against Ebola in New York

The health department is monitoring almost 300 people, including those involved in Dr. Craig Spencer’s care and recent arrivals to New York City from African countries hit hardest by the virus.
Ebola Virus; Quarantines 

The Health Department is doing what it can about Ebola Virus.

6
Business Day

Debts Canceled by Bankruptcy Still Mar Consumer Credit Scores

The practice, under investigation by the Justice Department, affects tens of thousands of Americans, impairing their ability to secure housing and jobs.
Banking and Financial Institutions; Credit Scores; Personal Bankruptcies; Personal Finances 

Banks do not have friends.
Banks are in the debt business.

7
World

Jean-Claude Juncker Breaks Silence Over Luxembourg Tax Issues

The former prime minister of Luxembourg, now the president of the European Commission, denied that his “ambition was to organize tax evasion in Europe.”
Corporate Taxes; Tax Shelters 

Noise.

8
Sports

Problems With Antidoping System Cast a Shadow on Kenyan Runners

The Kenyan marathon runner Rita Jeptoo failed an initial doping screening, raising questions about doping enforcement in that African nation.
Marathon Running; New York City Marathon; Doping (Sports); Running; Tests (Drug Use) 

Competitive running is in trouble.

9
World

Life Imitates Propaganda in Egypt

Talking politics with a foreigner in a cafe in Cairo now strikes some Egyptians as grounds for arrest.
Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- ); Propaganda; Freedom of Speech and Expression; Freedom of the Press 

Egypt has a Pharaoh. 

10
Technology

A Quake Warning, Before It Strikes

The University of California, Berkeley, is working on a smartphone app that would warn users before a quake hits.
Mobile Applications; Smartphones; Security and Warning Systems 

Drowning in data.

What is wanted is quake forecasting with precision.

11
Opinion

A New Model for Affordable Housing

Astoria Cove on the East River in Queens is an example of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s commitment to create or save 200,000 affordable apartments in 10 years.
Editorials; Affordable Housing; Real Estate and Housing (Residential) 

It is a bad project.

12
Business Day

Washington Apples Delayed at West Coast Seaports

The delays are the result of longshoremen and shippers negotiating a new contract after a previous labor deal ended in July.
Apples; Organized Labor; Ships and Shipping; Delays (Transportation) 

Arbitration.

There are almost no apples in my supermarket.

13

Oil does not like the deal.

14
Opinion

Don’t Ask How to Feed the 9 Billion

The solution isn’t to produce more food, it’s to eliminate poverty.
Food; Poverty; Shortages; Agriculture and Farming; Malnutrition; Obesity 

Ending poverty is the goal of  socialism.
Not a bad idea.
The practicalities puzzle me.
Inflationary spirals do happen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus

15
The Upshot

Kansas Announces Big Budget Gap, but True Gap May Be Even Larger

The state is counting on collecting slightly more personal income tax this year than last. But it is not on track to do so.
Income Tax; Budgets and Budgeting; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions 

The Koch brothers bought the state government.  
They bought the liabilities as well as the benefits.  
The bills are coming due.
We will see how the debts are paid.

16
U.S.

Colorado: Sage Grouse Is Given Protected Status

Federal officials granted protection to the Gunnison sage grouse on Wednesday, a move that could bring restrictions on oil and gas drilling and other activity to preserve the bird’s habitat in areas of Colorado and Utah.
Grouse (Bird); Endangered and Extinct Species 

Checkmate.

17
U.S.

Justices Hear Challenge to Alabama Redistricting

Black and Democratic lawmakers in Alabama said the state Legislature relied too heavily on race in 2012 by maintaining high concentrations of black voters in some districts.
Voting Rights Act (1965); Redistricting and Reapportionment; Race and Ethnicity; State Legislatures 

A Gordian knot.   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot

18
Business Day

Bank Audit in Europe Cuts Doubt, Yellen Says

The Federal Reserve chairwoman, speaking in Paris, appeared to disagree with critics who have questioned the rigor of a recent eurozone audit.
Banking and Financial Institutions; Deflation (Economics); Inflation (Economics) 

Janet Yellen is being a polite central banker.

Europe is in deflation and depression.

19
U.S.

A.C.L.U. in $50 Million Push to Reduce Jail Sentences

The funding from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations aims to slash an incarceration rate in the United States that has tripled since 1980.
Prisons and Prisoners; Sentences (Criminal); Grants (Corporate and Foundation); Crime and Criminals; Mandatory Sentencing; Law and Legislation 

A good project.
Criminal justice is not functioning as intended.
Imprisonment is being abused.

20
Opinion

Law and Order in Mexico

Outrage over the presumed grisly slaying of 43 college students is the latest example of a breakdown of law and order in the country.
Editorials; Murders and Attempted Murders; Missing Persons; Drug Abuse and Traffic 

It is constitutional failure.
It may be the start of another Mexican revolution.

Posting will be delayed for a day.

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