NEW THINGS

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

@22:18, 6/2/14 Opinion The Right and Misogyny Jun 2nd 2014 Why the cultural right shouldn’t reflexively disagree with the feminnist.t let.ft.

Opinion

Smoke in the Water

By DERB CARTER | Jun 2nd 2014

North Carolina is rapidly gutting its environmental laws.

Water Pollution; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; State Legislatures

A passionate plea for reform.
Ex post facto law is not our way.
The North Carolina government cannot relieve Duke Energy of its debt.

Business Day

Treasury Auctions Set for the Week of June 2

Jun 1st 2014

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

Stocks and Bonds; Credit and Debt; Education (K-12); Income Tax; Government Bonds; Auctions

"At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.04 percent. The rate on the six-month issue was 0.05 percent, and the rate on the four-week issue was 0.04 percent."

One pays for the safety of government bonds.

Business Day

Hospital Charges Surge for Common Ailments, Data Shows

By JULIE CRESWELL, SHERI FINK and SARAH COHEN | Jun 2nd 2014

Hospitals charged more for every single one of 98 common ailments in 2012, and the increase for all but seven exceeded the nation’s 2 percent inflation rate for that year, according to a Times analysis.

Health Insurance and Managed Care; Medicare

What matters most to the hospital is the amount they get paid.
The management has pricing power.

Automobiles

N.H.T.S.A. Investigates Effectiveness of Chrysler Air Bag Recall

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN | Jun 2nd 2014

Chrysler has repaired only 13 percent of the S.U.V.s affected by the 745,000-vehicle recall, which was issued in 2012.

Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Recalls and Bans of Products

An ineffective repair could be expensive for Chrysler.

U.S.

Birds Leave Nest Involuntarily, and Oakland Fumes

By CAROL POGASH | Jun 2nd 2014

The outcry began when the Postal Service decided to prune trees by its parking lot in Oakland and five baby herons fell from their nests, but some people say the situation has descended into absurdity.

Birds; Postal Service and Post Offices; Animals; Homeless Persons

Zero tollerance strikes again.

Negotiate a resolution and move on.
Pay the tree trimmer and let the crazies fume.

Business Day

Amazon Absorbing Price Fight Punches

By DAVID CARR | Jun 1st 2014

By blocking inventory from the Hachette Book Group, Amazon has become the less-than-everything store.

Book Trade and Publishing; BookExpo America; Books and Literature; Writing and Writers; Antitrust Laws and Competition Issues; Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates); Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; E-Books and Readers

I have not understood the problem.
The publishers are getting their payments.
One wants a higher payment and the retailer is refusing to sell that publisher's products.
The publisher is welcome to seek other retailers and direct sales.
Google will find the books though not at Amazon.
We are looking at a problem of lazy customers.

N.Y. / Region

Visitors Fault Sept. 11 Museum’s Portrayal of Islam

By SHARON OTTERMAN | Jun 1st 2014

Some visitors to the National September 11 Memorial Museum described its treatment of Islam and terrorism as “clinical” and “light” and said they thought a Muslim might feel uncomfortable visiting.

Muslims and Islam; Terrorism; September 11 (2001)

Institutions have points of view!
There are other institutions that teach all about Islam.
This one teaches about the destruction of two buildings and the effort to repair the damage to the city that resulted from that destruction.

It carries an emotional burden. Expect it when visiting.

Automobiles

Monday Motorsports: Milestones Fall at Englishtown Drag Races

By JERRY GARRETT | Jun 2nd 2014

Speed records were set at N.H.R.A.’s Summernationals in New Jersey; three were killed and several injured at the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

Automobiles; Automobile Racing; Indianapolis 500 (Auto Race)

I have never paid much attention to the drivers or the races.
I have an interest in the machinery, the shapes and the paint.
The sound is also important.

U.S.

One Party, Two Factions: South’s Republicans Look a Lot Like Its 1970s Democrats

By JONATHAN MARTIN | Jun 2nd 2014

Republicans enjoy near-total political control in the South, but the Tea Party and establishment are struggling for supremacy.

Primaries and Caucuses; Tea Party Movement; Elections, State Legislature

Republican factionalism is something to celebrate.

U.S.

Seattle Approves $15 Minimum Wage, Setting a New Standard for Big Cities

By KIRK JOHNSON | Jun 2nd 2014

The City Council’s unanimous vote guarantees workers here the highest big-city minimum wage in the nation, and more than double the federal level.

Minimum Wage; Wages and Salaries; Labor and Jobs; Income Inequality

We will see how this works out.

Fashion & Style

Isabel Toledo’s Beauty and Fitness Regimen

By BEE SHAPRIO | Jun 2nd 2014

The designer’s beauty regimen also includes makeup and fragrance for a bit of fantasy.

Cosmetics and Toiletries; Skin; Hair; Exercise

Your choice.
There is nothing I can contribute.

Opinion

Addressing the Problems at the V.A.

Jun 2nd 2014

Readers react to continuing coverage of the long waits and doctor shortages.

Veterans; Health Insurance and Managed Care

The problems boil down to lack of funds.
That is a congressional problem.
Vote your interest every time.

Business Day

Scots Are Divided Over Independence, and Its Economic Costs

By DANNY HAKIM | Jun 1st 2014

Voices inside and outside Scotland are warning of the implications of leaving the United Kingdom, even as supporters say Scotland would be better off by itself.

Referendums; Economic Conditions and Trends

The problem is best left to the resident Scots.
It is an emotional issue. The economics are against it.

Crosswords/Games

Paulo Ferro's Math Challenges

By GARY ANTONICK | Jun 2nd 2014

Two puzzles by the Portuguese math teacher Paulo Ferro.

Creativity; Mathematics; Puzzles

405 moves one match 108 moves two No others found.

44**=1936 2014-1936 = 78 no pair of perfect squares
43** "
42** 250
enough

Opinion

The Right and Misogyny

Jun 2nd 2014

Why the cultural right shouldn’t reflexively disagree with the feminist left.

Conservatism (US Politics); Men and Boys; Sex Crimes; Women's Rights

We could begin by having Ross Douthat not tell us what we think.
He gets it wrong every time.

Opinion

Sex Crimes That Shouldn't Be

By LAURIE SHRAGE | Jun 2nd 2014

H.I.V. disclosure laws are not just unfair; they no longer serve any practical purpose.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Discrimination; Privacy; Sex

My status is negative.
If your your status becomes important to me I hope you will inform me.

World

Ciro de Quadros, 74, Dies; Leader in Ridding Latin America of Polio

By PAUL VITELLO | Jun 2nd 2014

Dr. de Quadros navigated war zones and reimagined outmoded public health practices to lead a successful immunization campaign in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Poliomyelitis; Deaths (Obituaries); Vaccination and Immunization

A loss for the world.

N.Y. / Region

As Antics Subside, Both Cuomo and the Left Claim the Last Hurrah

By THOMAS KAPLAN and SUSANNE CRAIG | Jun 1st 2014

After a vote by the Working Families Party to support Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, liberals were exulting in what they believed would be the start of a tectonic shift in New York politics.

Endorsements; Elections, State Legislature; Politics and Government; Elections, Governors

Problem resolved to every ones relief.

Opinion

Baiting Bike Thieves

Jun 1st 2014

Katharine Tinto of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law responds to a San Francisco Journal.

Bicycles and Bicycling; Robberies and Thefts; Crime and Criminals; Police

The problem is the police have no half measures.
The bicycle thieves will no end in the equivalent of a good juvenile hall.

Opinion

Navigating a Post-Samsung Era

By YOUNG-HA KIM | Jun 2nd 2014

What would happen to South Korea's economy if its largest conglomerate were to fail?

Corporations

The smart phone industry will not die all at once.
There will be a long transition period as there has been with broadcast television.
The big corporations will again reinvent themselves or they will slowly erode.
Sony is eroding now.
South Korea will not soon be a backwater.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Must pause. @14:00

Business Day

Study Examines Efficacy of Taxes on Sugary Drinks

By STEPHANIE STROM | Jun 2nd 2014

A system that is based on calories rather than size would be fairer to consumers and could curb consumption, according to research financed by an organization that advocates the tax.

Soft Drinks; Sugar; Calories; Weight; Law and Legislation; Research; Diet and Nutrition; Children and Childhood

Selling sugar in all its forms is a big part of the economy.

We know that money is more important than others lives.

Cutting back on sugar is cutting income for people of power.

They will not tolerate the loss.

Cutting sugar consumption with a special tax will not happen.

Magazine

Life in the Valley of Death

By SCOTT ANDERSON | May 29th 2014

In Srebrenica, the remains of those killed in the genocide keep turning up, unsettling the reconciliation between Muslims and Serbs.

War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity; Civilian Casualties; Funerals and Memorials; Muslims and Islam

Quiet, lonely . . . He has dogs, goats and visitors.

Memory is a distraction.

PTSD is a constellation of behavior.

Yes, Berlin was the center of another ethnic cleansing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Browning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Browning#Ordinary_Men

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goldhagen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Willing_Executioners

You are observing the experiment.

A progress report would be appreciated.

Business Day

Treasury Auctions Set for the Week of June 2

Jun 1st 2014

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

Stocks and Bonds; Credit and Debt; Education (K-12); Income Tax; Government Bonds; Auctions

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/for-bonds-this-time-is-different/

"Jun 2 5:30 am 16

For Bonds, This Time is Different

Bloomberg has an interesting piece on how high bond prices and low yields have been shocking investors who relied on old models. Some of this, I suspect, is because many people still — after all these years — haven’t wrapped their minds around the implications of a zero-lower=bound economy and the risks of a low-inflation trap.

But it’s also true that structural change is happening fast — just not the kind of structural change people like to talk about. Never mind the stuff about skill mismatches and all that. What’s really happening fast is the demographic transition, with Europe very quickly turning Japanese:

And the US, although growing faster, also turning down sharply.

Add to this the fact that what we thought was normal actually depended on ever-growing household debt, and it becomes clear that historical expectations about normal interest rates are likely to be way off. You don’t have to believe in secular stagnation (although you should take it very seriously) to accept that low rates are very likely the new normal."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-01/the-unstoppable-100-trillion-bond-market-renders-models-useless.html

Running to safety.

World

With New Palestinian Government Come Many Questions, and Some Answers

By JODI RUDOREN | Jun 1st 2014

What is in it for Hamas? What might Israel do? Jodi Rudoren, the Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times, provides some answers.

Palestinians

No net change.

Zionism is in stasis.

Opinion

Encouragement (Sort of) About Press Freedom

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | Jun 1st 2014

Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. may have suggested that he wouldn’t send reporters to jail for doing their jobs, but he did not rule out steep fines or inflicting other damages.

News Sources, Confidential Status of; Freedom of the Press; Editorials; News and News Media

The administration is not a single entity under the close control of one

mind.

We should not assume that it is.

I expect that the prosecutors will be called to heel.

Opinion

The Arms Struggle in Chicago

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | May 29th 2014

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s sensible proposals are rooted in proven reforms that Congress should be considering nationally.

Gun Control; United States Politics and Government; Editorials

We are suffering from crazies in office.

Chicago should get its gun laws.

U.S.

Clinton Takes Responsibility for Benghazi

By AMY CHOZICK | May 30th 2014

Hillary Rodham Clinton also pushed back against accusations that she tried to hinder a Republican-led investigation into the deadly assault.

Benghazi Attack (2012); Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates

Amy Chozick really should learn to understand what she reads.

Clinton states clearly that she was in charge of the state department.

She followed the suggestions of the man on the spot.

She knows she has never been omniscient.

Back late.
|

@2:21, 6/1/14

U.S.

N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

By JAMES RISEN and LAURA POITRAS | May 31st 2014

They will do it.

U.S.

More Emergency Centers Are Gearing Up to Receive 911 Texts

By CATHALEEN QIAO CHEN | May 30th 2014

Pointless.

Magazine

Life in the Valley of Death

By SCOTT ANDERSON | May 29th 2014

Sports

Power Wins First in Detroit Doubleheader

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Jun 1st 2014

U.S.

On Win Streak, Mainline G.O.P. Takes Tougher Stance Toward Tea Party

By JONATHAN MARTIN | May 31st 2014

World

An Island Marred by a Ferry Disaster and Sustained by Dogs

By CHOE SANG-HUN | May 29th 2014

Before a deadly ferry sinking in April, the South Korean island of Jindo was known largely for one thing: its dogs, famous for their loyalty and homing instinct.

Dogs; Ferries; Maritime Accidents and Safety

ok

World

U.S. Strategy to Fight Terrorism Increasingly Uses Proxies

By ERIC SCHMITT | May 29th 2014

Even before President Obama’s speech on a shift in antiterrorism strategy, the military began relying more on allied or indigenous troops to combat Al Qaeda and its affiliates.

Terrorism; United States Defense and Military Forces; Colleges and Universities

No new money.

World

Patient Is Held After Fire at South Korea Hospital Kills 21

By CHOE SANG-HUN | May 28th 2014

Most of the victims were patients in their 70s and 80s, many of whom had been hospitalized for dementia or stroke complications.

Fires and Firefighters; Arson; Hospitals; Dementia

Junk news.

N.Y. / Region

Celebrity in Albany: A Wounded Bear

By JESSE McKINLEY | May 28th 2014

A black bear cub trapped up a tree captivated legislators and onlookers alike for two days before meeting with a sad ending.

Bears

sad.

Technology

Google Releases Employee Data, Illustrating Tech's Diversity Challenge

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER | May 29th 2014

Google on Wednesday released statistics on the makeup of its work force, providing numbers that offer a stark glance at how Silicon Valley remains a white man’s world.

Computers and the Internet; Hiring and Promotion; Minorities; Women and Girls

Apply.

Education

Common Core School Standards Face a New Wave of Opposition

By MOTOKO RICH | May 29th 2014

The governors of Oklahoma and South Carolina are considering signing bills to replace the Common Core standards with locally written versions, and Missouri is considering a related measure.

State Legislatures; Education (K-12); Teachers and School Employees; States (US)

The standards are bad. They are not imposed.
This opposition is for the wrong reasons.

Sports

American Solo Sailor May Change a Culture

By CHRIS MUSELER | May 31st 2014

Ryan Breymaier has been training for the Imoca Ocean Masters New York to Barcelona race, in which he will sail across the Atlantic against four other teams starting Sunday.

Sailboats and Sailing; Vendee Globe Challenge; Boats and Boating

I am not so ambitious.
I am a recreational sailor.

Sports

Cities That Once Lined Up for Olympics Are Having Second Thoughts

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 31st 2014

The International Olympic Committee has a new crisis on its hands: finding cities willing to host the games.

Olympic Games; Olympic Games (2022)

They should.

U.S.

Bob Bailey, Entertainer Who Helped Integrate Las Vegas, Dies at 87

By WILLIAM YARDLEY | May 31st 2014

Mr. Bailey worked at the Moulin Rouge, the first integrated hotel and casino in Las Vegas, and was named the first chairman of the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.

Segregation and Desegregation; Deaths (Obituaries); Race and Ethnicity

N.Y. / Region

Video: Turning Sturgeon Into High-Tech Sensors

Stephen Farrell | May 29th 2014

World

Chemical Weapons Inspectors Escape Attack in Syria

By BEN HUBBARD | May 27th 2014

An international team aborted its mission to reach a village where numerous attacks using chlorine gas have been reported.

Biological and Chemical Warfare; Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- )

World

Pope Francis to Meet Victims of Sexual Abuse

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO | May 27th 2014

The pope discussed his plans during an impromptu news conference with reporters aboard his plane. He also answered questions on papal retirement and priestly celibacy.

Sex Crimes; Priests

No change.

Business Day

New Tax Aside, Inflation Rises in Japan

By REUTERS | May 30th 2014

Consumer prices showed that inflation picked up in April, excluding the sales tax increase that started at the beginning of the month.

That was the plan.

Economic Conditions and Trends; Taxation

A desired result.

World

As Ties With China Unravel, U.S. Companies Head to Mexico

By DAMIEN CAVE | May 31st 2014

Multimedia/Photos

Video: Retiring a Four-Wheeled Combat Survivor

Jodi Rudoren | May 27th 2014

Just too costly

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

@9:30

Opinion

Secrecy That Kills

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | May 31st 2014

Too often, companies hide dangers from regulators by reaching legal settlements that are conditioned on silence.

Suits and Litigation (Civil); Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Law and Legislation; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Defective Products; Deaths (Fatalities); Liability for Products

It is a tougher problem than that.

Consider Silicone implants and vaccine preservative.

An obvious solution is to bring in an agency of government.

Such an agency exists, the E.P.A tries to do it for industry.

There seems to be a reporting problem.

Reports from the public are not seen.

Product safety suits should be reported by the courts.

The companies have no interest in reporting themselves.

The injured often would rather have the cash.

The attorneys are often in it for the money.

If the existence of the suit were reported the company would fight to win.

The possible problem would be handled.

The injured would not be denied the possibility of recovering an award.

The G.O.P. would hate it.

U.S.

On Win Streak, Mainline G.O.P. Takes Tougher Stance Toward Tea Party

By JONATHAN MARTIN | May 31st 2014

After the party’s establishment wing won a series of primaries this year, its leaders are considering tough tactics to head off further attacks from the Tea Party.

Tea Party Movement; United States Politics and Government; Elections, State Legislature; Presidential Election of 2016

Splits in the Republican party are reasons for celebration.

World

As Ties With China Unravel, U.S. Companies Head to Mexico

By DAMIEN CAVE | May 31st 2014

With costs rising rapidly in China, American manufacturers are looking to Mexico with an eagerness not seen since the early years of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Economic Conditions and Trends; International Trade and World Market; Labor and Jobs; North American Free Trade Agreement; Foreign Investments

Costs have a quality all their own.

This is not good news for anyone.

Costs without adding externalities are closing in on flat across borders.

Wages do not look sufficient to get economic takeoff locally anywhere.

Offshore it is low wages. Here it is insufficient mid level jobs.

Rent will continue to exceed growth.

The world economy will be depressed.

U.S.

N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

By JAMES RISEN and LAURA POITRAS | May 31st 2014

The National Security Agency’s reliance on facial recognition technology has grown as it has used new software to exploit images in emails, text messages, social media, videoconferences and other communications.

Surveillance of Citizens by Government; Computers and the Internet; Face; Identification Devices; Computer Vision

The headline is not scary enough.

The facial recognition software exists.

Picture archives exist.

Surveillance cameras exist and are constantly improved.

I can see no way to limit or end the archive and the use of the archive without destroying the agencies and their budgets.

It does not matter how I feel about such destruction.

There is and will be enough of a constituency to maintain support as a practical matter.

We have built down the military several times. No portion has been totally eliminated. West Point trains cavalry officers. Annapolis teaches sailing.

All branches teach close order drill.

Opinion

Tracking Obama's Climate Rules for Power Plants

By ANDREW C. REVKIN | Jun 1st 2014

Keeping track of President Obama’s power plant carbon dioxide rules.

Carbon Dioxide; Coal; Electric Light and Power; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gas Emissions

There is no content as yet.

U.S.

After 5 Months of Sales, Colorado Sees the Downside of a Legal High

By JACK HEALY | May 31st 2014

Adult deaths and children’s emergency room visits in Colorado are being linked to newly legal marijuana, often in its edible form, and opponents of legalization are warning other states to pay heed.

Drug Abuse and Traffic; Marijuana; Law and Legislation; Medical Marijuana

There does not seem to be a big effect.

"Despite such anecdotes, there is scant hard data. Because of the lag in reporting many health statistics, it may take years to know legal marijuana’s effect — if any — on teenage drug use, school expulsions or the number of fatal car crashes."

Opinion

Dealing With Boko Haram

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | May 30th 2014

The militants have been wreaking havoc for years. It is time for Nigeria to take responsibility for the well-being of its citizens.

Kidnapping; United States Defense and Military Forces

Boko Haram will be dealt with on the kidnapping.

They will persist and be a constant irritation.

If Nigeria does not reform it will self destruct.

Sports

With Sale Pending, N.B.A. Cancels Its Vote on Sterling

By KEN BELSON | May 30th 2014

The N.B.A. will not decide whether to take the Clippers away from Donald Sterling, the current owner.

Basketball

OK.

World

China Accuses U.S. and Japan of Incitement

By HELENE COOPER | May 31st 2014

A senior Chinese military official’s remarks followed speeches by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Japan’s prime minister faulting China for maritime disputes with its neighbors.

Defense and Military Forces; United States International Relations

China is insane.