Friday, March 3, 2017

@15:47, 3/3/17

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1
N.Y. / Region

Former Port Authority Chairman Seeks to Avoid Prison in Bribery Case

A brief filed for David Samson asked that he receive probation in connection with his guilty plea to pressing United Airlines to restart a money-losing flight.

No special treatment.

2
Real Estate

House Hunting in … Sydney

With up to 75 percent growth over the last few years, Sydney is not just the strongest property market in Australia. It is also the priciest.

Australians come here for cities.
I would go there for the spaces between.


U.S.

Trump Likely to Steer Clear of Specifics in Policy Speech to Congress

President Trump’s address to lawmakers is expected to be laden with the populist themes that powered his campaign, but lack details.

He did.

4
World

Fox News and Swedish Guest Spar Over ‘National Security Adviser’ Title

The O’Reilly Factor guest, Nils Bildt, says the network gave him a false title for a segment on immigrant crime in his country. Fox denies this.

Fox News cannot win this argument.
"Honesty necessary"

5
U.S.

Health Care Is Front and Center in Democrats’ Response to Trump Address

Democratic leaders are determined to make health care the centerpiece of their attacks against Republicans leading into next year’s midterm elections

It is a place to start.

6
Travel

A Wild and Winding Stairway to a Portuguese River


Worth a few hours in another trip.

7
U.S.

Was Texas Voter ID Law Biased? Justice Dept. Stays Out of Argument

A previously scheduled hearing over the law had an awkward tone, one day after the Justice Department changed its position on a key issue.

The bias is obvious.

8
The Learning Network

Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View?

In what ways does the silencing of views and opinions within places of education take a toll on learning?

Conservative views oppose learning by their conservatism.

9
U.S.

In Joint Sessions of Congress, Capturing Moments of American Public Life

President Trump’s first address to the House and Senate continues an annual rite of modern presidents. A few, though, have managed to stand apart.

None of these.

10
Arts

Stephen Colbert Goes Live to Dissect Trump’s Address

Mr. Colbert ran through the key moments of the speech, offering some caustic commentary.

"Moving right along . . . "

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@3:32, 2/21/17

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  1. Shared

    A Balm When You’re Expecting: Sometimes Pot Does the Trick 

    Do what works. 


  2. Congolese Soldiers Reportedly Fire on Unarmed Civilians

  3. White Collar Watch

    Signs of a Step Back in Financial Regulatory Enforcement

  4. Contradicting Trump on Russia: Russian Officials

  5. On Washington

    Gorsuch, Like Previous Supreme Court Nominees, Keeps Views Hidden

  6. Global Health

    H.I.V. Stalks Prostitutes and Their Children in Cambodia

  7. Judge John Hodgman on the Boyfriend Who Thinks Cheetos and Funyuns Are Chips

  8. ‘The Fact That You Exist Means Something Must Die’

  9. Op-Art

    New Yalta 

    Photoshop is for fiction.  Truth can look fake.

  10. Once Again, the Estate Tax May Die









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@10:30, 3/3/17

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1
Arts

George W. Bush Isn’t Mad at Will Ferrell, His TV Counterpart

On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the 43rd president set himself apart from the 45th in one conspicuous way: He laughed at himself.

All I can say for George W. Bush: he is not Donald Trump. 

2
World

Trump Win Probably Didn’t Cause Canadian Immigration Website’s Crash

The malfunction on election night was linked on social media to despondent Americans hoping to emigrate. It was more likely an unrelated travel program deadline.

Everyone likes a story.

3
World

State Dept. Official Praises Mexican Efforts in War on Drugs

The endorsement, from an Obama administration appointee, comes as the Trump administration is taking a hard look at all aid to Mexico.

Mexico has followed instructions.
The instructions did not solve the problem.

Trump will not solve the drugs problem.

4
N.Y. / Region

Anti-Black Slur in Stamford Is Painted Over After Two Months

As mysteriously as the word appeared spray-painted on a garage door at the home of an interracial couple, it was covered up.

The problem in Stamford remains and grows.
Connecticut is not tolerant.

5
N.Y. / Region

MS-13 Gang Members Arrested in 2 Girls’ Killings on Long Island

The suspects were arrested in a federal sweep that the authorities said captured 13 members of the Salvadoran-linked gang.

OK

6
Travel

A Wild and Winding Stairway to a Portuguese River

The Paiva Walkways offer a stunning excursion into nature, and the photographer Daniel Rodrigues was there to capture the beauty.

Worth a pause.

7
U.S.

Ben Carson Is Confirmed as HUD Secretary


Ben Carson will follow orders.

8
U.S.

Under Trump, an Already Depleted I.R.S. Could Face Deep Cuts

The Trump administration is proposing a 14 percent decline in spending for the tax agency, which is bleeding staff, auditing fewer returns and making taxpayers wait longer for help.

Yes.

9
U.S.

Jeff Sessions Has Stepped Aside on Russia. Here’s Who Could Step In.

The attorney general’s recusal after the disclosure of conversations between him and the Russian ambassador to the United States has sharpened a host of legal questions.

Another distraction.

10
Business Day

AB InBev Finds Complexity Is a Drag on Savings

Anheuser-Busch InBev raised expectations for cutting costs in its deal for SABMiller, but it is getting harder to squeeze out more.

This is more an indicator of the size of these high production brewers.
The beers sell with narrow profit margins.

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@2:40, 3/3/17

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1
U.S.

Mike Pence Used Private Email as Governor, News Report Says

The practice, reported by The Indianapolis Star, was legal but raised questions about the security of the communications, some of which addressed sensitive topics.

Party affiliation matters.
E-mails!

2
U.S.

Melania Trump Reads Dr. Seuss to Children in First Solo Outing as First Lady

To celebrate National Read Across America Day, Mrs. Trump visited a hospital pediatric wing and read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

When the shrub did it people were surprised.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss_bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_and_the_Oobleck

3
U.S.

Jeff Sessions Has Stepped Aside on Russia. Here’s Who Could Step In.

The attorney general’s recusal after the disclosure of conversations between him and the Russian ambassador to the United States has sharpened a host of legal questions.

Much of congress want scalps.
They will find a way to get them.

4
Business Day

Forensic Files, Veterinary Version

When it comes to animal cruelty, neglect and abuse, Robert Reisman at the A.S.P.C.A. is on the case.

All vets have pets.
Other people's dogs satisfy my need.

5
N.Y. / Region

At This Staten Island Restaurant, a Kitchen Run by Grandmas

A rotating roster of women from diverse backgrounds share their culinary heritages at Enoteca Maria in the St. George neighborhood.

Food is good.
Different food is better.

6
U.S.

Senate Confirms Rick Perry as Energy Secretary

Mr. Perry, a former Texas governor, will lead an agency he had once pledged as a presidential candidate to eliminate.

Cabinet secretaries follow orders.


U.S.

Ben Carson Is Confirmed as HUD Secretary

Mr. Carson, who has no experience running a large federal bureaucracy, will head an agency charged with helping struggling homeowners and renters and fighting urban blight.

Cabinet secretaries follow orders.

8
N.Y. / Region

New Jersey Area Rising Around Transit Hub Lacks One Thing: Its Hub

In North Brunswick, new townhouses, restaurants and stores are being built along the nation’s busiest rail corridor. But no ground has been broken on the community’s promised train station.

Chris Christie is owned by the oil business.

9
U.S.

Under Trump, an Already Depleted I.R.S. Could Face Deep Cuts

The Trump administration is proposing a 14 percent decline in spending for the tax agency, which is bleeding staff, auditing fewer returns and making taxpayers wait longer for help.

Taxation is not loved by anyone.
It is absolutely necessary and a graduated income tax is the fairest one yet found.

10
U.S.

McMaster Rebuked in 2015 Over Handling of 2 Officers Accused of Sexual Assault

An Army report found that Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, now President Trump’s national security adviser, violated regulations in a case involving two junior officers.

This investigation probably has no future.
That would be error by the inspector general.

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@20:27, 3/2/17

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1
U.S.

California Today: Hefty Paychecks for Police Officers and Firefighters

Thursday: Big pay for public safety employees, Snap is valued at $24 billion, and a plea for help from a battered Big Sur.

Pension benefits are an accounting problem.
I will ignore Snap until they have a business model.
People could walk across the gap.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixby_Creek_Bridge
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bixby+Creek+Bridge,+CA-1,+Monterey,+CA+93940/@36.3714635,-121.9042686,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808d94a0aea9511b:0xadfeac07efb3a389!8m2!3d36.371434!4d-121.9017074
Or drive around.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bixby+Creek+Bridge,+CA-1,+Monterey,+CA+93940/@36.3714635,-121.9042686,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x808d94a0aea9511b:0xadfeac07efb3a389!8m2!3d36.371434!4d-121.9017074


Opinion

Russia’s Attack, an Alternate History

Lamenting Obama’s low-key response to Russia’s attack obviously depends on 20/20 hindsight.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trump-putin-and-the-new-cold-war

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say/2017/03/01/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html

The Trump administration should be at an effective end.

3
Well

Doctors No Longer Rush to Cut the Umbilical Cord

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is the newest group to recommend that doctors wait to clamp and cut the cord of newborns.

It appears to be a good idea.
It is another thing for grandmothers to know.

4
World

Airstrikes Are Said to Target Al Qaeda in Yemen

The United States military was said to have attacked Qaeda militants in three Yemeni provinces, the first strikes since an ill-fated raid in January.

Remember that the U.S. campaign must be one of psychological warfare.

5
U.S.

A Young Immigrant Spoke Out About Her Deportation Fears. Then She Was Detained.

Daniela Vargas, 22, had applied to renew her status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Her lawyer said she has been told she will be sent back to Argentina.

ICE are nasty people.

6
U.S.

Republicans Confront Widening Split Over How to Handle Sessions

Amid revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with the Russian ambassador last year, some Republicans seemed ready to relent in their staunch protection of the president.

Pence first.
Getting rid of Trump would not please me as much as disempoweriing him and leaving him in a "green room" situation.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/green_room

7
World

Devices Seized in Yemen Raid Offer Some Clues to Qaeda Tactics

The information provides insight into hidden explosives the group is making and new training tactics, but it is unclear how much it advances the military’s knowledge.

Saying and being are different.

8
Opinion

However Much Trump Spends on Arms, We Can’t Bomb Ebola

A bigger military isn’t a substitute for diplomacy, foreign aid and good will.

Genocide is rarely effective.

9
Health

Birth Defects Rise Twentyfold in Mothers With Zika, C.D.C. Says

The agency estimated that 60 of every 1,000 births involved some type of severe defect caused by infections from the mosquito-borne virus.

If six percent of births remove parents from the population the working population is reduced by about twelve percent.
That is a depression.

10
Fashion & Style

Agreeing to Go Steady Before You Are Ready

Plus: the current politics of asking people where they’re from, an older partner and an H.R. puzzle.

All important considerations.

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







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U.S.

Trump’s Conciliatory Speech Was an Attempt to Smooth Hard Edges

The president’s speech was a recognition that a softer sales tactic was needed to sell the hard-edge populist agenda he campaigned on.

Nevermind the edges. 
The thing itself is the problem.

2
Health

Birth Defects Rise Twentyfold in Mothers With Zika, C.D.C. Says

The agency estimated that 60 of every 1,000 births involved some type of severe defect caused by infections from the mosquito-borne virus.

A"lost generation".

3
Well

Stress Can Make the Pounds Accumulate

By measuring cortisol levels in hair, scientists confirmed a link between long-term stress and obesity.

Fructose?

4
U.S.

Ever a Showman, Donald Trump Keeps Washington Guessing

On the day of his first speech to Congress, a new president rips up the script and opens the door to an unexpected compromise on immigration policy.

Watch his actions.

5
U.S.

What to Watch: Trump to Speak to a Joint Session of Congress


The speech was made.

6
U.S.

A Debate: Should the Justice Department Police the Police?

Two law enforcement leaders discuss the wisdom of the Trump administration’s initial retreat from an aggressive stance on civil rights.

Jeff Sessions is wrong.

7
Food

Looking for a Trump Doctrine in the White House Kitchen

The Obamas put food front and center, but the Trumps have yet to signal just how they will eat, entertain or set an example.

Martha Stewart is toxic.

8
U.S.

Trump Likely to Steer Clear of Specifics in Policy Speech to Congress


https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000004953687/president-addresses-lawmakers.html

9
U.S.

‘Today, He Acted Like a Politician’: Voters’ Reactions to Trump’s Speech

The New York Times spoke with a few voters who were watching the president’s speech ton Congress from either side of the partisan divide.

By his words he will make his will known.

10
U.S.

Republicans Confront Widening Split Over How to Handle Sessions

Amid revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with the Russian ambassador last year, some Republicans seemed ready to relent in their staunch protection of the president.

Sessions will shortly step down.
The attempt to stop an inquiry into the administrations actions will fail.


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