@12:00, 4/22/15

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1

Opinion

The Gulf, Still at Risk

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Apr 22nd 2015

The penalties BP will have to pay in restoration may finally give the Gulf of Mexico’s fragile ecosystem the long-term care it needs.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010); Editorials; Offshore Drilling and Exploration; Oil Spills 

"Another benefit, requiring follow-through, is that the penalties BP will have to pay in restoration money may finally give the gulf’s fragile ecosystem the long-term care it needs, especially its wetlands and barrier islands. Over the years, oil and gas companies have sliced and diced Louisiana’s forests, coastal marshes and mangrove swamps with more than 10,000 miles of canals. This, combined with years of misguided flood control along the Mississippi River, has already cost Louisiana 2,300 square miles of wetlands, with more erosion every day."

I am troubled calling the care the delta needs "replenishment of the shoreline".

That is the desired ultimate result.  

The method must be indirect.

The delta must grow.

2

Opinion

Obamacare, Hands Off My Medicare

By THOMAS B. EDSALL | Apr 22nd 2015

What lies behind the increasing resistance to economic redistribution?

Elderly; Health Insurance and Managed Care; Social Security (US); Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) 

Edsall is wrong in his premise.  

The rich are not being soaked.

The commons is being maintained.

The money to do the maintenance is collected from those able to contribute.

The external costs of industrial production must be paid if life is to persist

Social Security is an old age insurance program for the population as a whole.

Medicare is designed as single payer medical insurance for the old. 

It is prepaid by the population as a whole.

It is not an individual account.

Risk is limited as life is limited.

3

Opinion

Rules to Make Retirement Investing Safer

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Apr 17th 2015

The proposal from the Labor Department offers strong protections and deserves praise.

Financial Brokers; Editorials; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Individual Retirement Accounts; 401(k), 403(b) and 457 Plans; Stocks and Bonds; Personal Finances; Retirement 

good.

4

Science

Dark Matter’s Deep Reach

By GEORGE JOHNSON | Apr 20th 2015

Theorists suggest surprising connections between earthly hazards and the hypothetical particles that hold together the galaxies.

Dark Matter (Astronomy); Earth; Space and Astronomy; Cancer; Dinosaurs; Stars and Galaxies; Gravitation and Gravity; Light 

Dark matter is not new.  

The risks to people are unchanged.

5

World

Eritrea and North Korea Are World’s Most Censored Countries, Advocacy Group Says

By RICK GLADSTONE | Apr 21st 2015

The list by the Committee to Protect Journalists also counts Azerbaijan, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar and Vietnam as among the top jailers of journalists.

Censorship; Freedom of the Press; News and News Media 

OK,  write about them after leaving.
These are sovereign nations.

6

Technology

Changing Tactics, Apple Promotes Watch as a Luxury Item

By BRIAN X. CHEN | Apr 19th 2015

The Apple Watch will be sold in just nine countries and only through its own channels, entering the world in a different manner from that of the iPhone.

Watches and Clocks; Wearable Computing; Shopping and Retail; Luxury Goods and Services 

Look at the price points.

There is no change in  apple marketing.

7

N.Y. / Region

Vienna Convention Is Part of Criminal Court Routine in Immigrant-Rich Queens

By TANZINA VEGA | Apr 19th 2015

Only in a borough that is home to 1.1 million immigrants would a 1963 treaty designed to protect foreign nationals figure in the most mundane of legal proceedings.

Crime and Criminals; Immigration and Emigration; Courts and the Judiciary; Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates; United States International Relations; Legal Profession 

Consular notice is a right like Miranda.

The police must step carefully.

8

Business Day

European Central Bank Squeezes Greek Banks, Tightening Access to Loans

By LANDON THOMAS Jr. | Apr 21st 2015

The central bank is demanding that the value of the collateral that Greek banks post to secure emergency loans be reduced by as much as 50 percent.

Government Bonds; Banking and Financial Institutions 

Negotiations continue.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/

Grexit?

Mythology that blocks progress in Greece Martin Wolf, FT
Greek deal could take weeks: Dijsselbloem The Australian
Gazprom CEO Visits Athens and Guarantees Gas Transit Through Greece Greek Reporter
Why a Greece-Russia gas deal would be more geopolitical than economical Business Insider
Greece’s Tsipras to meet Merkel in Brussels as cash squeeze tightens Reuters. This coming Thursday.
On Greece, Europe Bluffs Itself WSJ
Why the Real Deadline for Greece Is July 20 Bloomberg
Golden Dawn leaders snub court as criminal trial begins Ekathimerini. They fail to show. Trial adjourned.

9

N.Y. / Region

Jury in Etan Patz Case Focuses on Confession and Video

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. | Apr 17th 2015

Jurors also want to review the testimony of the prosecutor who decided not to record the interrogation of Pedro Hernandez, the man charged with killing the boy.

Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides; Confessions 

Bored.  

10

Business Day

Financial Crisis Cases Sputter to an End

By PETER J. HENNING | Apr 20th 2015

Prosecutions for conduct related to the financial crisis produced no real finding of wrongdoing, but they may have refocused the government.

Subprime Mortgage Crisis; Securities and Commodities Violations 

Things will continue to cook.

11

Business Day

British Regulator Fines Merrill Lynch $19.8 Million for Reporting Failures

By CHAD BRAY | Apr 22nd 2015

The Financial Conduct Authority of Britain said that Merrill Lynch International incorrectly reported details of client transactions.

Fines (Penalties); Regulation and Deregulation of Industry 

A cost of doing business.

12

Business Day

Video: E.U. on Antitrust Case Against Gazprom

AP | Apr 22nd 2015

Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s commissioner for competition, said in Brussels on Wednesday that Gazprom was abusing its market dominance in central and eastern European member states.

Natural Gas; Antitrust Laws and Competition Issues

The European nations can pay or do without.

13

Science

Silicon Valley’s Water Conservation Conundrum

By JOHN MARKOFF | Apr 20th 2015

Entrepreneurs, daunted by the long development cycle of clean tech, seem more interested in new markets than in solving existing problems.

Water; Drought; Conservation of Resources; Venture Capital; Innovation; Start-ups

The water problems are political.
Financial solutions have legal sanctions.
People go to prison for bribery.

14

U.S.

New Cards for Medicare Recipients Will Omit Social Security Numbers

By ROBERT PEAR | Apr 20th 2015

After years of warnings about the risk of theft, a new way to identify beneficiaries will be devised under a broader measure signed last week.

Medicare; Social Security (US); Identity Theft; Law and Legislation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_document
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_relief
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_state
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage

The problem is unresolved.

15

Business Day

Insurers Take On More Risk in Search of Returns, Study Says

By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON | Apr 21st 2015

A survey by Goldman Sachs shows that insurance companies are shifting investments into private equity firms, real estate deals and hedge funds.

Insurance; Banking and Financial Institutions; Life Insurance; Private Equity; Hedge Funds

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation
"A corporation is a company or group of people authorized to act as a single entity (legally a person) and recognized as such in law. Early incorporated entities were established by charter (i.e. by an ad hoc act granted by a monarch or passed by a parliament or legislature). Most jurisdictions now allow the creation of new corporations through registration. Registered corporations have legal personality and are owned by shareholders^[1][2] whose liability is limited to their investment. Shareholders do not typically actively manage a corporation; shareholders instead elect or appoint a board of directors to control the corporation in a fiduciary capacity."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiduciary

16

Opinion

The Iranian Foreign Minister’s Call for a Nuclear Deal

Apr 22nd 2015

Readers react to an Op-Ed essay by Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who urged cooperation from the United States.

Nuclear Weapons; Sunni Muslims; Shiite Muslims; United States International Relations; International Relations

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/john_kerry/index.html

John Kerry is competent.

17

U.S.

Judge Denies Transgender Inmate’s Request for Transfer

By DEBORAH SONTAG | Apr 20th 2015

A federal judge said Ashley Diamond had not proved prison authorities’ “deliberate indifference” to her fear of sexual assault and harassment.

Prisons and Prisoners; Transgender and Transsexuals

Her case belongs before a different Supreme Court.
Justice has not been done.

18

Real Estate

Target’s Hasty Exit From Canada Leaves Anger Behind

By IAN AUSTEN | Apr 21st 2015

The American retailer has stirred resentment among landlords, in part for its use of bankruptcy law in shutting down Canadian operations.

Real Estate (Commercial); Renting and Leasing (Real Estate); Shopping Centers and Malls; Shopping and Retail; Landlords; Bankruptcies

See "fiduciary"
Target is incorporated in the United States.
The financial depression continues.

19

Business Day

Treasury Auctions Set for the Week of April 20

Apr 19th 2015

The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week.

Municipal Bonds; Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions; Credit and Debt

"At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.02 percent. The six-month rate was 0.08 percent. The four-week rate was 0.03 percent."

20

Real Estate

$1.35 Million Homes in Montana, Houston and Virginia Beach

By MIKE POWELL | Apr 22nd 2015

A log house in Montana, a contemporary in Houston and a waterfront modern in Virginia Beach.

Real Estate and Housing (Residential)

The choice is yours.
I would like to participate.

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