@8:20, 1/8/15

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1

U.S.

New Research Links Scores of Earthquakes to Fracking Wells Near a Fault in Ohio

By MICHAEL WINES | Jan 7th 2015

The study indicates that fracking built up subterranean pressures that repeatedly caused slippage in an existing fault as close as a half-mile beneath wells in Ohio.

Earthquakes; Hydraulic Fracturing; Natural Gas; Research 

Water is an excellent lubricant.

2 

World

Reports of Civilian Deaths Prompt Inquiry Into Strikes Against ISIS

By HELENE COOPER | Jan 6th 2015

The United States military has begun looking into two instances in which coalition airstrikes against the Sunni militancy known as the Islamic State may have inadvertently hit civilians.

Civilian Casualties; United States Defense and Military Forces 

Collateral damage is expected.

The coverup attempt is the news.

It is winter in Syria.

3

U.S.

To Gov. Jerry Brown, a Legacy Project; to Critics, a Runaway Train

By ADAM NAGOURNEY | Jan 6th 2015

The California governor attended a decidedly ceremonial groundbreaking for his high-speed train, a defiant and defining act for Mr. Brown as he enters his final term.

High-Speed Rail Projects; Railroads 

Apparently the wrong contractor has been employed and the wrong rout chosen.

The Republicans are not getting paid as they think they deserve.

4

Opinion

How to Raise Wages in New York

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jan 7th 2015

Gov. Andrew Cuomo does not need the State Legislature to act in order to increase the minimum wage.

Minimum Wage; Wages and Salaries; State Legislatures; Labor and Jobs

The first thing needed is the desire to raise the minimum wage.

5

Opinion

Florida Joins the Wave on Same-Sex Marriage

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jan 6th 2015

Now that more than 70 percent of Americans live in places that have legalized marriage equality, the Supreme Court needs to decide whether to make it legal nationally.

Editorials; Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships

"Meanwhile, the Supreme Court appears to be inching closer to deciding whether to extend marriage equality nationally before its term ends in June. At the court’s private Friday conference, the justices are expected to consider petitions for review from five states where federal district judges, departing from the national trend, upheld same-sex marriage bans. The spread of marriage equality in the states should help persuade the justices to use one of these cases as a vehicle to end a grievous injustice."

6

Your Money

Tax Returns Complicated by Health Care Law and I.R.S. Staff Cuts

By ANN CARRNS | Jan 7th 2015

The Affordable Care Act adds a major twist for some tax filers, and budget cuts might mean long wait times when phoning the Internal Revenue Service.

Personal Finances; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; Federal Taxes (US); Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)

Yes, I am going to have to file. 
I intend to get the forms and follow the instructions. 
My situation should not be complicated.

7

Business Day

Advocacy Group’s Video of Hens Raises Questions, but Not Just for Farms

By STEPHANIE STROM and SABRINA TAVERNISE | Jan 8th 2015

An animal rights group says that a farm that supplies eggs to Whole Foods, among others, treated hens inhumanely. But such videos are raising other concerns.

Animal Abuse, Rights and Welfare; Organic Foods and Products; Agriculture and Farming; Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming

It is always possible to pick a fight.

This fight will go forward without me.

8

World

A Young Private, Killed in World War II, Still Leaps Off the Page

By KILEY BENSE | Jan 7th 2015

Pvt. Richard Halvey’s death in North Africa in 1943 was a loss his family never got over, but his great-niece, Kiley Bense, has sought him out through family stories and a scrapbook containing some ephemera of his short life, including his letters home.

Cemeteries; Deaths (Obituaries); Families and Family Life; Funerals and Memorials; Grandparents; United States Defense and Military Forces; Veterans; World War II (1939-45)

A report from his driver might add to the story.
Casualties are a cost of war.  Arlington can sometimes help.
The past is unchanging. 
We live in the present and change our future.

9

World

Tail of Missing AirAsia Plane Is Found, Indonesian Official Says

By TOM MCCAWLEY | Jan 7th 2015

The development announced Wednesday could be significant because Flight 8501’s so-called black boxes were contained in the tail.

AirAsia Flight 8501; Aviation Accidents, Safety and Disasters

"Though conditions were good enough Wednesday morning to allow divers to investigate the newly discovered wreckage, by afternoon the weather had worsened and stalled the search again. It also put on hold plans to retrieve the tail using cranes."

10

false

Annalee Newitz on the Future: ‘I Want People to Be Able to Have Cultural Debates Without Having War’

By ANNA NORTH | Jan 7th 2015

What the Sony hack and GamerGate say about our next five years, according to the author and io9 editor Annalee Newitz.

3-D Devices and Effects; Alternative and Renewable Energy; Books and Literature; Computer and Video Games; Computer Security; Computers and the Internet; Cyberattacks and Hackers; Energy and Power; Epidemics; Famine; Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides; Science Fiction; Social Media; Synthetic Biology

I doubt that the attempt to impose a culture will ever be peaceful.
Engineered tissue will impose no unwelcome changes on persons.
The fate of society depends on the next six years.
If we go into deflation which includes lowflation we will be in depression for the foreseeable future.
The .1% think that a good thing.

11

World

Weather Makes Bad Situation Worse for Syrian Refugees

By BEN HUBBARD | Jan 7th 2015

A fierce winter storm has compounded the misery of the millions of Syrians displaced by their country’s civil war and left the organizations that seek to help them scrambling to keep up.

Weather; Refugees and Displaced Persons

Yes.

12

Opinion

Tensions Between Mayor and the Police

Jan 7th 2015

Readers react to the work slowdown by police officers in New York City.

Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings

The city of New York may need to hire a new department.

 13

U.S.

Missouri: Tear Gas Restictions Extended

By ELI YOKLEY | Jan 6th 2015

A judge in St. Louis granted a 45-day extension to an order barring the police from using tear gas unless they provide a warning, give peaceful demonstrators time to leave and try to minimize the impact of the tear gas.

Tear Gas; Demonstrations, Protests and Riots

Ferguson needs a black chief of police and a black force.
The present group can transfer out if they can find places.

14

N.Y. / Region

Bringing Home a Cactus

By DANIELLE PAGE | Jan 7th 2015

Metropolitan Diary: It was a mediocre cactus at best, but the woman on the N train was cradling it so tenderly that it seemed like the ideal present.

Flowers and Plants; Gifts; Subways

Succulents are tricky to grow well.
They need drainage and almost no water.


15

U.S.

Colorado: Explosive Set Off Near N.A.A.C.P. Building

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jan 6th 2015

The authorities are looking for a man who may have information about an explosion set off near the Colorado Springs chapter of the N.A.A.C.P.

Bombs and Explosives

A.T.F. and the F.B.I. are skilled at investigating these things.
This design failure reads like a novice.
It is probably a kid.  Pull him in before he learns how.

16

Opinion

Who Should Apologize in Police Conflict?

By CHARLES M. BLOW | Jan 7th 2015

Both sides will have to give a little, a matter of politics more than principle. Everyone will have to swallow as much contrition as they can stomach.

Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings; Racial Profiling; Search and Seizure; Apologies; Minorities; Discrimination; Demonstrations, Protests and Riots

Charles M. Blow has a proper view of the politics.

17

Opinion

An Aging Europe in Decline

By ARTHUR C. BROOKS | Jan 6th 2015

If it doesn’t invest in newcomers, family and work, it’s doomed.

Population; Immigration and Emigration; Social Conditions and Trends; Labor and Jobs; Economic Conditions and Trends

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/panic-fast-and-slow/

Dependents do not marry.
The banks are helpless at the zero lower bound. 
The state must spend fiat money to start the economy.
What people need are jobs that pay money that they can spend.

18

World

German Government Websites Return Online After Cyberattack

By MELISSA EDDY | Jan 8th 2015

Hackers opposed to Berlin’s support of the government in Ukraine claimed responsibility for shutting down sites for several hours on Wednesday.

Economic Conditions and Trends; Cyberwarfare; Computer Security

A denial of services attack is cheap and easy. 
Much nastier things can be done.

19

N.Y. / Region

Under New York City Rule, It’s the Packaging, Not the Food, That’s to Go

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER | Jan 7th 2015

The de Blasio administration is expected to announce on Thursday that a ban on the plastic foam used to make many food containers will take effect on July 1.

Foam; Street Vendors (Non-Food); Waste Materials and Disposal

Acetone is a good solvent for polystyrene.  The product is a dirty syrupy mess.
It the containers can be washed before they are dissolved. The solution can be filtered.
The market is not obvious. The solvent can be distilled off.  The styrene could go into asphalt.

20

U.S.

In G.O.P., a Divide of Ideology and Age

By JONATHAN MARTIN | Jan 7th 2015

As Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush consider seeking the Republican nomination for president, they face challenges in their party over their past departures from conservative orthodoxy.

Presidential Election of 2016; United States Politics and Government; Conservatism (US Politics)

I want a Democrat for president.

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