Thursday, December 18, 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

This Israeli Election Matters - NYTimes.com

This Israeli Election Matters - NYTimes.com:



"Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has set new elections in Israel for March 17. Israel has had critical elections before, but this could be its most important, because the Israeli right today is no longer dominated by security hawks and free-marketeers like Netanyahu. It is dominated by West Bank settlers and scary religious-nationalist zealots like Naftali Bennett, who, if they run the next government and effectively annex the West Bank, will lead Israel into a dark corner, increasingly alienated from Europe, America and the next generation of American Jews."



'via Blog this'

Slowdown in China Bruises Economy in Latin America - NYTimes.com

Slowdown in China Bruises Economy in Latin America - NYTimes.com:



SANTIAGO, Chile — Few people are as intensely worried about the slowing Chinese economy as Latin Americans."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Thousands March in Washington to Protest Deaths by Police - NYTimes.com

Thousands March in Washington to Protest Deaths by Police - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of Americans marched along the National Mall in Washington on Saturday to protest the deaths of unarmed black men and boys at the hands of the police. The demonstrators — many of them wearing T-shirts that read “Black Lives Matter” and chanting “I can’t breathe” — filed in from the blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue, evoking memories of civil rights marches of past decades as they moved toward the Capitol."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Mad as Hellas - NYTimes.com

Mad as Hellas - NYTimes.com:



"The Greek fiscal crisis erupted five years ago, and its side effects continue to inflict immense damage on Europe and the world. But I’m not talking about the side effects you may have in mind — spillovers from Greece’s Great Depression-level slump, or financial contagion to other debtors. No, the truly disastrous effect of the Greek crisis was the way it distorted economic policy, as supposedly serious people around the world rushed to learn the wrong lessons."



'via Blog this'

C.I.A. Director, Admitting Agency Mistakes, Calls for End to Interrogation Debate - NYTimes.com

C.I.A. Director, Admitting Agency Mistakes, Calls for End to Interrogation Debate - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — John O. Brennan, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, on Thursday acknowledged problems and misstatements during the agency’s former interrogation program as he called for an end to a rancorous debate over brutal interrogation tactics.

"



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

What Mexico’s President Must Do - NYTimes.com

What Mexico’s President Must Do - NYTimes.com:



"MEXICO CITY — President Enrique Peña Nieto has shown remarkable leadership in passing key reforms to reanimate the economy and further the development of Mexico. But now he must act quickly to re-establish his political credibility and limit damage to his moral standing. The present crisis requires it."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Senate Torture Report Condemns C.I.A. Interrogation Program - NYTimes.com

Senate Torture Report Condemns C.I.A. Interrogation Program - NYTimes.com:



 "WASHINGTON — A scathing report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday found that the Central Intelligence Agency routinely misled the White House and Congress about the information it obtained from the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects, and that its methods were more brutal than the C.I.A. acknowledged either to Bush administration officials or to the public."



'via Blog this'

Monday, December 8, 2014

Oil Falls to 5-Year Low, and Companies Start to Retrench - NYTimes.com

Oil Falls to 5-Year Low, and Companies Start to Retrench - NYTimes.com:



"HOUSTON — The price of crude oil continued to collapse on Monday, plunging to a five-year low, as oil giants began to scale back their drilling ambitions and pare the ranks of their workers."



'via Blog this'

Curiosity Rover’s Quest for Clues on Mars - NYTimes.com

Curiosity Rover’s Quest for Clues on Mars - NYTimes.com:



"More than 3.5 billion years ago, a meteor slammed into Mars near its equator, carving a 96-mile depression now known as Gale Crater."



'via Blog this'

Friday, December 5, 2014

Slide in Oil Prices Is Mostly a Blessing - NYTimes.com

Slide in Oil Prices Is Mostly a Blessing - NYTimes.com:



"The plunge in oil prices — to about $66 a barrel from over $107 in late June — has many pundits wringing their hands. They have cited the risks of falling prices and social and political unrest overseas, not to mention the economic threat to the booming mid-American oil basin, running from Texas to North Dakota and Alberta."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Democrats Against Reform - NYTimes.com

Democrats Against Reform - NYTimes.com:



 "It’s easy to understand why Republicans wish health reform had never happened, and are now hoping that the Supreme Court will abandon its principles and undermine the law. But it’s more puzzling — and disturbing — when Democrats like Charles Schumer, senator from New York, declare that the Obama administration’s signature achievement was a mistake."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Iranian Fighter Jets Strike ISIS in Iraq - NYTimes.com

Iranian Fighter Jets Strike ISIS in Iraq - NYTimes.com:



"TEHRAN — Iranian fighter jets conducted bombing raids against Sunni extremists in Iraq last week, hitting targets near a 25-mile buffer zone that Iran has declared along its border, an Iranian politician, American officials and independent analysts have confirmed."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Gift That Keeps Giving - NYTimes.com

The Gift That Keeps Giving - NYTimes.com:



 "Flying into New York the other day, I got my first good look at the Freedom Tower, now known as 1 World Trade Center, the skyscraper that sits atop 9/11’s ground zero. It does, indeed, scrape the sky, topping out at a patriotic 1,776 feet. Thirteen years after 9/11, I appreciate the nationalist pride that, while terrorists can knock down our buildings, we can just build them right back up. Take that, Osama bin Laden."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Tabaré Vázquez Reclaims Presidency in Uruguay Election - NYTimes.com

Tabaré Vázquez Reclaims Presidency in Uruguay Election - NYTimes.com:



 "RIO DE JANEIRO — Uruguayan voters elected Tabaré Vázquez as president on Sunday in a show of support for the leftist coalition that has governed the country over the last decade, presiding over robust economic growth and a pioneering set of socially liberal laws, including a state-controlled marijuana market."



'via Blog this'

Friday, November 28, 2014

New York Agencies Gear Up to Meet Demands of New Immigration Policy - NYTimes.com

New York Agencies Gear Up to Meet Demands of New Immigration Policy - NYTimes.com:



"President Obama’s sweeping executive order on immigration presents daunting logistical challenges across the nation, but especially in New York, which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has called “the gateway for immigrants worldwide.”"



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

After Violent Night in Ferguson, State Asks National Guard for Protection - NYTimes.com

After Violent Night in Ferguson, State Asks National Guard for Protection - NYTimes.com:



"FERGUSON, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri said on Tuesday that he would triple the number of National Guard troops in this suburban St. Louis city and broadly expand their role in keeping the peace, after a night of arson, looting and rampaging demonstrators showed that weeks of preparation for a grand jury decision in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown had failed to prevent violence."



'via Blog this'

Monday, November 24, 2014

Are Some Professions Less Honest Than Others? Bank On It, Researchers Find - NYTimes.com

Are Some Professions Less Honest Than Others? Bank On It, Researchers Find - NYTimes.com:



 "As banking scandals have mounted over the past decade, some critics have suggested that the industry simply harbors a dishonest culture. Now, three economists from the University of Zurich have tested the idea."



'via Blog this'

As Booth Brothers Held Forth, 1864 Confederate Plot Against New York Fizzled - NYTimes.com

As Booth Brothers Held Forth, 1864 Confederate Plot Against New York Fizzled - NYTimes.com:



One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago!



 "On Nov. 25, 1864, at some point in the middle of Act II, after Brutus and his co-conspirators decide to assassinate Julius Caesar, the capacity crowd of 2,000 that had filled the Winter Garden Theater on lower Broadway was startled by the sudden clanging of fire-bells, coming from every direction."



'via Blog this'

What Cloud Computing Means to Your Job - NYTimes.com

What Cloud Computing Means to Your Job - NYTimes.com:



"Technology has been accused of making many a job disappear, like the production line or the accounting office. And it is not done yet."



'via Blog this'

Workers in Silicon Valley Weigh In on Obama’s Immigration Order - NYTimes.com

Workers in Silicon Valley Weigh In on Obama’s Immigration Order - NYTimes.com:



 "SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley’s constant stream of new apps and services depends on hundreds of thousands of foreign-born engineers to help create them. So the technology industry has been pushing for changes to the nation’s immigration policy for more than a decade to allow more skilled workers into the country."



'via Blog this'

Gabriel García Márquez’s Archive Goes to University of Texas - NYTimes.com

Gabriel García Márquez’s Archive Goes to University of Texas - NYTimes.com:



"Gabriel García Márquez, who died in April at 87, was a strong critic of American imperialism who was banned from entry to the United States for decades, even after “One Hundred Years of Solitude” vaulted him to international celebrity and, in 1982, the Nobel Prize in Literature."



'via Blog this'

Hagel Submits Resignation as Defense Chief Under Pressure - NYTimes.com

Hagel Submits Resignation as Defense Chief Under Pressure - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel handed in his resignation on Monday, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and the struggles of his national security team to respond to an onslaught of global crises."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

At Long Last, Immigration Action - NYTimes.com

At Long Last, Immigration Action - NYTimes.com:



"President Obama says he will speak to the nation on Thursday night about making major changes to immigration policy, including shielding several million unauthorized immigrants from deportation. He intends to do this under executive authority, because he has given up waiting for Congress to act."



'via Blog this'

Wife of Mexican President to Sell Mansion - NYTimes.com

Wife of Mexican President to Sell Mansion - NYTimes.com:



"MEXICO CITY — The wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico said on Tuesday that she would give up her opulent new home in one of the city’s most expensive neighborhoods."



'via Blog this'

Monday, November 17, 2014

Disgusted by Smoking, Outraged by a Plan to Ban Tobacco - NYTimes.com

Disgusted by Smoking, Outraged by a Plan to Ban Tobacco - NYTimes.com:



 "WESTMINSTER, Mass. — The fury — and make no mistake, it is white-hot fury — went way beyond the ordinary wrath of offended citizenry. A plan here to ban the sale of tobacco has ignited a call to arms."



'via Blog this'

By Using Executive Order on Immigration, Obama Would Reverse Long-Held Stance - NYTimes.com

By Using Executive Order on Immigration, Obama Would Reverse Long-Held Stance - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — President Obama is poised to ignore stark warnings that executive action on immigration would amount to “violating our laws” and would be “very difficult to defend legally.”"



'via Blog this'

One Mealworm, Two Mealworms: More Evidence Birds Can Count - NYTimes.com

One Mealworm, Two Mealworms: More Evidence Birds Can Count - NYTimes.com:



"Evidence has been mounting for a while that birds and other animals can count, particularly when the things being counted are items of food. But most of the research is done under controlled conditions."



'via Blog this'

Oil Dispute Takes a Page From Congo’s Bloody Past - NYTimes.com

Oil Dispute Takes a Page From Congo’s Bloody Past - NYTimes.com:



"VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, Democratic Republic of Congo — The trouble started when a British company suddenly appeared in this iconic and spectacularly beautiful national park, prospecting for oil."



'via Blog this'

In Colorado, Calls to Change a Restaurant’s Name From ‘Illegal Pete’s’ - NYTimes.com

In Colorado, Calls to Change a Restaurant’s Name From ‘Illegal Pete’s’ - NYTimes.com:



 "FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The national debate over the use of the term “illegal immigrant,” which has become anathema to people who support relaxed immigration rules, has fixed on an unlikely lightning rod: the liberal-minded, pro-immigrant owner of a Mexican restaurant chain."



'via Blog this'

Health Law Turns Obama and Insurers Into Allies - NYTimes.com

Health Law Turns Obama and Insurers Into Allies - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — With the health insurance marketplace now open for a second year, President Obama will be depending more than ever on the insurance companies that five years ago he accused of padding profits and canceling coverage for the sick."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Iran Nuclear Pact Faces an Array of Opposing Forces - NYTimes.com

Iran Nuclear Pact Faces an Array of Opposing Forces - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — When President Obama wrote last month to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging him to overcome a decade of mistrust and negotiate a deal limiting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, it was perhaps the president’s last effort to reach a reconciliation with Iran that could remake the Middle East."



'via Blog this'

Friday, November 14, 2014

U.S. Men Make Employment Gains - NYTimes.com

U.S. Men Make Employment Gains - NYTimes.com:



"THE men are finding work."



'via Blog this'

Jane Byrne, Only Woman to Lead Chicago, Dies at 81 - NYTimes.com

Jane Byrne, Only Woman to Lead Chicago, Dies at 81 - NYTimes.com:



"Jane M. Byrne, who stunned Chicago’s Democratic machine in 1979 when she was elected mayor after sharply criticizing the incumbent for his handling of a devastating winter — a victory that made her the city’s first female mayor, though her tenure lasted just one term — died on Friday in Chicago. She was 81."



'via Blog this'

The Big Money Behind the Push for an Immigration Overhaul - NYTimes.com

The Big Money Behind the Push for an Immigration Overhaul - NYTimes.com:



The calls started shortly after President Obama’s news conference on the day after the midterm elections. He had said he would go ahead with action on immigration before year’s end, in spite of warnings from Republicans that he could wreck relations with the new Congress they will control. White House officials were calling immigrant advocates to talk strategy and shore up their support."



'via Blog this'

Spurred by Midterm Losses, Liberal and Moderate Democrats Square Off Over Strategy - NYTimes.com

Spurred by Midterm Losses, Liberal and Moderate Democrats Square Off Over Strategy - NYTimes.com:



 "WASHINGTON — The Democrats’ widespread losses last week have revived a debate inside the party about its fundamental identity, a long-running feud between center and left that has taken on new urgency in the aftermath of a disastrous election and in a time of deeply felt economic anxiety."



'via Blog this'

First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com

First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com:



"Less than 24 hours after ascending to a leadership post in the Senate Democratic caucus, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is flexing her populist, anti-Wall Street muscle and opposing a high-profile Obama administration nominee."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Law and Order in Mexico - NYTimes.com

Law and Order in Mexico - NYTimes.com:



"The disappearance, and presumed murder, of 43 college students six weeks ago has brought parts of Mexico to a tense point. On Monday, thousands of protesters blocked access to the airport in Acapulco, and last week tens of thousands more filled the streets of Mexico City."



'via Blog this'

Monday, November 10, 2014

Slavery’s Shadow on Switzerland - NYTimes.com

Slavery’s Shadow on Switzerland - NYTimes.com:



 "Two months ago, I discovered that my grandmother, Ida, had been a verdingkind, or “contract child,” in Switzerland in the 1890s."



'via Blog this'

2 Endangered California Condors Sent to Mexico Zoo - NYTimes.com

2 Endangered California Condors Sent to Mexico Zoo - NYTimes.com:



"MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government has donated two endangered female California condors to Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo for a new breeding-in-captivity program."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Makers and Breakers - NYTimes.com

Makers and Breakers - NYTimes.com:



 "CLEVELAND — FLIP through any newspaper and go from the foreign news to the business pages and what you’ll see is the “other” great geopolitical struggle in the world today. It’s not the traditional one between nation states on land. It’s the struggle between “makers” and “breakers” on the Internet."



'via Blog this'

Friday, November 7, 2014

Judge Approves Detroit’s Plan to Exit Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com

Judge Approves Detroit’s Plan to Exit Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com:



 "DETROIT — Less than 16 months after Detroit became the largest city in the United States to file for bankruptcy, a federal judge on Friday approved a plan intended to help it escape years of financial ruin and begin the hard work of becoming viable again."



'via Blog this'

‘Dark’ Network of Illegal Websites Targeted by U.S. and European Police - NYTimes.com

‘Dark’ Network of Illegal Websites Targeted by U.S. and European Police - NYTimes.com:



"PARIS — An international task force of investigators pressed a series of raids and arrests on Friday in 16 countries aimed at shutting down a secret network of websites that matched anonymous sellers and buyers in a thriving black market."



'via Blog this'

Mr. Obama’s Moment on Immigration - NYTimes.com

Mr. Obama’s Moment on Immigration - NYTimes.com:



"President Obama said on Wednesday that he would act on his own by the end of the year to “improve” the immigration system, presumably by giving many — perhaps millions — of the country’s unauthorized immigrants temporary protection from deportation and permission to work. He has said this before, only to back off in deference to election-year politics."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Mitch McConnell Promises Cooperation and Compromise - NYTimes.com

Mitch McConnell Promises Cooperation and Compromise - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday said he had heard the message voters sent on Election Day and was ready to work with Republicans who dealt his party devastating losses. Even so, he promised to go forward with unilateral action on immigration despite strong Republican opposition."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Sex and Drug Claims at Investment Bank Jefferies Draw Risky Retort - NYTimes.com

Sex and Drug Claims at Investment Bank Jefferies Draw Risky Retort - NYTimes.com:



"“We went to our partners in health care investment banking yesterday afternoon and said, ‘The two of us are going to go take a drug test, and do you want to join us?’ ”"



'via Blog this'

Sunday, November 2, 2014

A Prisoner Swap With Cuba - NYTimes.com

A Prisoner Swap With Cuba - NYTimes.com:



"Nearly five years ago, authorities in Cuba arrested an American government subcontractor, Alan Gross, who was working on a secretive program to expand Internet access on the island. At a time when a growing number of officials in Washington and Havana are eager to start normalizing relations, Mr. Gross’s continued imprisonment has become the chief obstacle to a diplomatic breakthrough."



'via Blog this'

Keeping Mexico’s Revolutionary Fires Alive - NYTimes.com

Keeping Mexico’s Revolutionary Fires Alive - NYTimes.com:



 "AYOTZINAPA, Mexico — In their first week of school, the new students eat and drink nothing but beans and cold coffee, and spend sleepless days cleaning up the buildings and planting crops."



'via Blog this'

Argentine Judge Seeks to Put Franco Officials on Trial - NYTimes.com

Argentine Judge Seeks to Put Franco Officials on Trial - NYTimes.com:



"MADRID — Spain, whose judges have aggressively pursued human rights abuse cases far beyond its borders, finds itself on the receiving end of such an inquest, as an Argentine judge seeks to extradite and try Spanish police officials accused of torturing opponents of the regime under Francisco Franco, the dictator who died in 1975."



'via Blog this'

Argentine Judge Seeks to Put Franco Officials on Trial - NYTimes.com

Argentine Judge Seeks to Put Franco Officials on Trial - NYTimes.com:



"MADRID — Spain, whose judges have aggressively pursued human rights abuse cases far beyond its borders, finds itself on the receiving end of such an inquest, as an Argentine judge seeks to extradite and try Spanish police officials accused of torturing opponents of the regime under Francisco Franco, the dictator who died in 1975."



'via Blog this'

Braced for a Shift in Congress, Obama Is Setting a New Agenda - NYTimes.com

Braced for a Shift in Congress, Obama Is Setting a New Agenda - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Whipsawed by events and facing another midterm electoral defeat, President Obama has directed his team to forge a policy agenda to regain momentum for his final two years in office even as some advisers urge that he rethink the way he governs."



'via Blog this'

Friday, October 31, 2014

Maine Judge Rejects Ebola Quarantine for Nurse - NYTimes.com

Maine Judge Rejects Ebola Quarantine for Nurse - NYTimes.com:



"FORT KENT, Me. — Less than a day after restricting the movements of a nurse who treated Ebola victims in West Africa, a judge in Maine has lifted the measures, rejecting arguments by the State of Maine that a quarantine was necessary to protect the public."



'via Blog this'

Bank of Japan Unexpectedly Moves to Stimulate Economy - NYTimes.com

Bank of Japan Unexpectedly Moves to Stimulate Economy - NYTimes.com:



"TOKYO — After insisting for more than a year that its aggressive monetary policy was sufficient to revive Japan’s economy and end deflation, the Bank of Japan on Friday unexpectedly announced that it would increase the amount of money it pumped into the country’s financial markets by buying larger quantities of government debt."



'via Blog this'

New Russian Boldness Revives a Cold War Tradition: Testing the Other Side - NYTimes.com

New Russian Boldness Revives a Cold War Tradition: Testing the Other Side - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — When the White House discovered in recent weeks that its unclassified computer systems had been breached, intelligence officials examined the digital evidence and focused on a prime suspect: Russia, which they believe is using its highly sophisticated cyber capabilities to test American defenses. But its tracks were well covered, and officials say they may never know for sure."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Provocateur’s Death Haunts the Dutch - NYTimes.com

Provocateur’s Death Haunts the Dutch - NYTimes.com:



"AMSTERDAM — Nothing marks the spot on an unremarkable street in east Amsterdam where on Nov. 2, 2004, Mohammed Bouyeri, a 26-year-old Moroccan Dutchman — saying he was acting to defend the name of Allah — shot dead, then slashed the throat of the Dutch filmmaker, television host and provocateur Theo van Gogh. Few events have been planned to mark the 10th anniversary, and many here are weary of the national soul searching the killing prompted. But the day is still seared in people’s minds."



'via Blog this'

U.S. Economy Grew at 3.5% Annual Pace in Third Quarter - NYTimes.com

U.S. Economy Grew at 3.5% Annual Pace in Third Quarter - NYTimes.com:



"The government reported on Thursday that the nation’s economic output rose at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, offering a strong sign that the economy’s plodding growth may be picking up speed."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

ISIS and Vietnam - NYTimes.com

ISIS and Vietnam - NYTimes.com:



 "In May, I visited Vietnam and met with university students. After a week of being love-bombed by Vietnamese, who told me how much they admire America, want to work or study there and have friends and family living there, I couldn’t help but ask myself: “How did we get this country so wrong? How did we end up in a war with Vietnam that cost so many lives and drove them into the arms of their most hated enemy, China?”"



'via Blog this'

‘Goodbye to Language,’ the Latest From Jean-Luc Godard - NYTimes.com

‘Goodbye to Language,’ the Latest From Jean-Luc Godard - NYTimes.com:



"Jean-Luc Godard, who will soon celebrate his 84th birthday, holds a special place in the pantheon of modern cinema. He is an imp who is venerated as a deity, a Rorschach test, a lightning rod, a fighting word. His name seems to divide the world into skeptics and worshipers, with not much middle ground. Analogous figures can be found in other zones of 20th-century art: Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Ezra Pound. They have their singularity in common. They also tend to confound easy distinctions between genius and trickery, and to marshal armies of exegetes in what may be the futile enterprise of figuring out what they mean."



'via Blog this'

Russian Government Linked to More Cybersecurity Breaches - NYTimes.com

Russian Government Linked to More Cybersecurity Breaches - NYTimes.com:



"SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in four months, researchers at a computer security company are connecting the Russian government to electronic espionage efforts around the world."



'via Blog this'

Iranians Hope for Nuclear Deal With West to Kick-Start Economy - NYTimes.com

Iranians Hope for Nuclear Deal With West to Kick-Start Economy - NYTimes.com:



"TEHRAN — Mohammad Heydarian, an Iranian contractor, still has work finishing off a single-family home. But things look bleak after that, he said. He has already fired his workers, and is struggling to make ends meet, providing for his wife and two teenage children."



'via Blog this'

Monday, October 27, 2014

D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’s Counterculture Archive - NYTimes.com

D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’s Counterculture Archive - NYTimes.com:



"“Johnny’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine,” and a young Bob Dylan, lean of body and scruffy of hair, flips cue cards along to his lyrics as the poet Allen Ginsberg stands off to the side, chatting. This landmark video, for “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” opened the 1967 documentary “Dont Look Back,” which became a rock doc classic and also earned the man behind the camera, D. A. Pennebaker, a place in film history."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Brazilians Re-elect Dilma Rousseff as President - NYTimes.com

Brazilians Re-elect Dilma Rousseff as President - NYTimes.com:



 "RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian voters re-elected Dilma Rousseff as president on Sunday, endorsing a leftist leader who has achieved important gains in reducing poverty and keeping unemployment low over a centrist challenger who castigated her government over a simmering bribery scandal and a sluggish economy."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 23, 2014

‘Citizenfour,’ a Documentary About Edward J. Snowden - NYTimes.com

‘Citizenfour,’ a Documentary About Edward J. Snowden - NYTimes.com:



"There are two ways to look at “Citizenfour,” Laura Poitras’s documentary about Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor whose revelations of widespread surveillance launched a hundred Op-Ed columns a year ago. The first and most obvious is as a piece of advocacy journalism, a goad to further argument about how security and transparency should be balanced in a democracy, about how governments abuse technology, about how official secrets are kept and exposed. The second is as a movie, an elegant and intelligent contribution to the flourishing genre of dystopian allegory."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Cuba’s Impressive Role on Ebola - NYTimes.com

Cuba’s Impressive Role on Ebola - NYTimes.com:



"Cuba is an impoverished island that remains largely cut off from the world and lies about 4,500 miles from the West African nations where Ebola is spreading at an alarming rate. Yet, having pledged to deploy hundreds of medical professionals to the front lines of the pandemic, Cuba stands to play the most robust role among the nations seeking to contain the virus."



'via Blog this'

Volatility Unlikely to Alter Fed’s Policy Course - NYTimes.com

Volatility Unlikely to Alter Fed’s Policy Course - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is watching carefully as financial markets bounce around, but the likely course of monetary policy remains the same, officials have said in recent public comments and interviews."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Jorge R. Gutierrez Talks About His Film ‘The Book of Life’ - NYTimes.com

Jorge R. Gutierrez Talks About His Film ‘The Book of Life’ - NYTimes.com:



 "From Mexican folk art to Sergio Leone to Radiohead, the director Jorge R. Gutierrez reached far and wide for inspiration in making “The Book of Life,” his first 3-D animated feature. The story of a woman and the two men who pine for her in a small Mexican village is at the heart of this mythic adventure, which has tinges of spaghetti westerns and makes room for magic, bullfighting and pop music."



'via Blog this'

Mexico Finds Many Corpses, but Not Lost 43 - NYTimes.com

Mexico Finds Many Corpses, but Not Lost 43 - NYTimes.com:



"IGUALA, Mexico — With borrowed shovels and pick axes, the farmers drove their battered pickup trucks to a series of suspicious clearings in the countryside, jumped out and started digging."



'via Blog this'

The Rebirth of Tijuana - NYTimes.com

The Rebirth of Tijuana - NYTimes.com:



"Tijuana, Mexico — IN Tijuana the other day, I met a waitress named Mari."



'via Blog this'

Friday, October 17, 2014

Janet Yellen Warns of Inequality Threat - NYTimes.com

Janet Yellen Warns of Inequality Threat - NYTimes.com:



"BOSTON — Janet L. Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairwoman, used her bully pulpit on Friday to sound the alarm about rising economic inequality."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Apple Introduces iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 - NYTimes.com

Apple Introduces iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 - NYTimes.com:



"CUPERTINO, Calif. — In reaction to declining sales of tablet computing devices, Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, recently remarked that tablets had hit a “speed bump” that was nothing to be concerned about."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

CME

CME Layoffs Hit Technology Group Hardest

CME Group's restructuring will eliminate 5% of the workforce.
A majority of the layoffs due to the CME Group’s recently announced restructuring will come from the technology group, according to the exchange operator.
CME Group is reducing its global workforce by about 150, or roughly 5%, according to the company. Most layoffs will come from technology, with the remainder coming from corporate and administrative functions.
"Our industry has transformed significantly over the past five years, with the advent of OTC Clearing and other changes. As difficult as this decision is, the efficiencies we have built are allowing us to make this change to our structure," said CME Group executive chairman and president Terry Duffy, in a statement. "These staffing changes and other expense control measures we have taken internally will result in decreased costs and reduced management layers, and will help ensure the company's long-term continued growth."
CME Group employees who are affected will be informed this week. The company is offering severance packages, as well as outplacement services through BPI Group, according to CME.
Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology. View Full Bio

Wall Street and Technology

Monday, October 13, 2014

Building a Bamboo Bulwark Against the Hong Kong Police - NYTimes.com

Building a Bamboo Bulwark Against the Hong Kong Police - NYTimes.com:



"HONG KONG — Eric Wu, a 37-year-old construction worker, has spent his entire adult life building and climbing bamboo scaffolding as high as 50 floors above the ground."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Bolivia Seen Likely to Re-elect Morales as President - NYTimes.com

Bolivia Seen Likely to Re-elect Morales as President - NYTimes.com:



 "LIMA, Peru — Bolivians went to the polls on Sunday in an election that seemed likely to hand a third consecutive term to President Evo Morales, who has been propelled by a buoyant economy and a sustained drop in poverty in what remains one of the poorest countries in Latin America."



'via Blog this'

How Righteousness Killed the World Economy - NYTimes.com

How Righteousness Killed the World Economy - NYTimes.com:



"Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The world economy appears to be stumbling. For a while, things seemed to be looking up, and there was talk about green shoots of recovery. But now growth is stalling, and the specter of deflation looms."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Immigrants from Central America Need Legal Support - NYTimes.com

Immigrants from Central America Need Legal Support - NYTimes.com:



"The vast influx of young Central American migrants that overwhelmed southern Texas this summer has receded, and so has the panic at the border. But the emergency has not gone away; it has just moved on, out of view."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Mexico’s Deadly Narco-Politics - NYTimes.com

Mexico’s Deadly Narco-Politics - NYTimes.com:



"IGUALA, Mexico — STUDENT protesters in rural Mexico have long dealt with heavy-handed police officers. But on the black night of Sept. 26, students who attended a rural teachers’ college realized they were facing a far worse menace in this southern city. Not only were police officers shooting haphazardly at them, killing three students and several passers-by; shady gunmen were also firing from the sidelines."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Deficit Is Down, and Nobody Knows or Cares - NYTimes.com

The Deficit Is Down, and Nobody Knows or Cares - NYTimes.com:



"The CBO tells us that the federal deficit is way down — under 3 percent of GDP. And Jared Bernstein notes that Obama seems to get no credit."



'via Blog this'

In the U.S., a Turning Point in the Flow of Oil - NYTimes.com

In the U.S., a Turning Point in the Flow of Oil - NYTimes.com:



"HOUSTON — The Singapore-flagged tanker BW Zambesi set sail with little fanfare from the port of Galveston, Tex., on July 30, loaded with crude oil destined for South Korea. But though it left inauspiciously, the ship’s launch was another critical turning point in what has been a half-decade of tectonic change for the American oil industry."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Secret Service and the Political Class - NYTimes.com

The Secret Service and the Political Class - NYTimes.com:



 "I’m sure there are many technical explanations for the recent breakdowns in Secret Service protection that allowed an armed intruder to run right through the front door of the White House and an armed felon to ride on an elevator with President Obama. But I’d also put some blame on the nation’s political class."



'via Blog this'

Monday, October 6, 2014

Slaughter Is Feared as ISIS Nears Turkish Border - NYTimes.com

Slaughter Is Feared as ISIS Nears Turkish Border - NYTimes.com:



"ISTANBUL — Islamic State militants pushed on Monday into the eastern edge of the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani on the Turkish border, after sustained shelling that drove back the Kurdish fighters and Syrian insurgents fighting alongside them, killing 16 and raising fears of a massacre of civilians, Kurdish fighters and activists said."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, October 5, 2014

A Smuggled Girl’s Odyssey of False Promises and Fear - NYTimes.com

A Smuggled Girl’s Odyssey of False Promises and Fear - NYTimes.com:



 "EL PARAÍSO, Guatemala — The smugglers advertised on the radio as spring bloomed into summer: “Do you want to live better? Come with me.”"



'via Blog this'

Mexico Prosecutor Says Mass Grave Held 28 Bodies - NYTimes.com

Mexico Prosecutor Says Mass Grave Held 28 Bodies - NYTimes.com:



"IGUALA, Mexico — The chief prosecutor of Mexico's Guerrero state says authorities have found 28 bodies in a clandestine grave discovered on the outskirts of a city where police engaged in a deadly clash with student protesters a week ago."



'via Blog this'

Hewlett-Packard Is Said to Be Planning a Reorganization - NYTimes.com

Hewlett-Packard Is Said to Be Planning a Reorganization - NYTimes.com:



"Seeking greater agility in the face of substantial industry changes, Hewlett-Packard is on the eve of a sweeping reorganization, according to people familiar with the matter."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Edward Baptist’s New Book Follows the Money on Slavery - NYTimes.com

Edward Baptist’s New Book Follows the Money on Slavery - NYTimes.com:



"“Have you been happier in slavery or free?” a young Works Project Administration interviewer in 1937 asked Lorenzo Ivy, a former slave, in Danville, Va. Ivy responded with a memory of seeing chained African-Americans marching farther South to be sold."



'via Blog this'

Friday, October 3, 2014

Colorado School Board Retreats on Curriculum-Review Plan After Uproar - NYTimes.com

Colorado School Board Retreats on Curriculum-Review Plan After Uproar - NYTimes.com:



"GOLDEN, Colo. — A battle over teaching American history that stirred student protests and kindled a debate about censorship in schools reached an emotional climax on Thursday night, as hundreds of parents and students here in suburban Denver sparred with a conservative school board majority over a proposal to create a curriculum-review panel."



'via Blog this'

Some Blacks See Secret Service as Flawed Shield for the President - NYTimes.com

Some Blacks See Secret Service as Flawed Shield for the President - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland was at the grocery store the other day when he ran into an elderly black woman who expressed growing concern about President Obama’s safety. Why, she asked, wasn’t he being better protected by his Secret Service agents?"



'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 2, 2014

In Illinois Speech, Obama Trumpets Economic Success as Midterm Vote Nears - NYTimes.com

In Illinois Speech, Obama Trumpets Economic Success as Midterm Vote Nears - NYTimes.com:



"EVANSTON, Ill. — President Obama, outlining a campaign message for his party a month before the midterm elections, used a visit to his home state on Thursday to highlight the country’s economic growth and to make his case on a handful of issues that are important to Democrats in November."



'via Blog this'

A Perilous Dependence on Contractors - NYTimes.com

A Perilous Dependence on Contractors - NYTimes.com:



"THE director of the Secret Service has resigned after, among other problems, the revelation that, in a visit to Atlanta on Sept. 16, President Obama rode in an elevator with a private security contractor who was carrying a gun and had an arrest record. The episode raises a crucial question: How thoroughly does the government vet the private security contractors that an increasing number of agencies employ?"



'via Blog this'

Hong Kong Leader Willing to Hold Limited Talks With Protesters - NYTimes.com

Hong Kong Leader Willing to Hold Limited Talks With Protesters - NYTimes.com:



"HONG KONG — As demonstrators massed outside his offices Thursday night, Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive rejected demands that he resign and attempted to ease public anger by assigning his deputy to meet with student protesters to discuss their calls for democratic reform."



'via Blog this'

Knaves, Fools, and Quantitative Easing - NYTimes.com

Knaves, Fools, and Quantitative Easing - NYTimes.com:



 "When the going gets tough, the people losing the argument start whining about civility. I often find myself attacked as someone who believes that anyone with a different opinion is a fool or a knave; as I’ve tried to explain, however, that’s mainly selection bias. I don’t spend much time on areas where reasonable people can disagree, because there are so many important issues where one side really is completely unreasonable."



'via Blog this'

Mexico: Leader of Cartel Is Captured - NYTimes.com

Mexico: Leader of Cartel Is Captured - NYTimes.com:



"The leader of one of Mexico’s largest cartels, Héctor Beltrán-Leyva of the Beltrán-Leyva gang, has been captured, the authorities said Wednesday night, giving President Enrique Peña Nieto another high-profile victory against organized crime."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Pimco Perplex - NYTimes.com

The Pimco Perplex - NYTimes.com:



"It’s fairly clear that the events of 2011 are a large part of the story of Bill Gross’s abrupt departure from Pimco; as Neil Irwin says,

A disastrous bet he made against United States Treasury bonds in 2011 led to three years of underperformance and billions in withdrawals."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Order vs. Disorder, Part 4 - NYTimes.com

Order vs. Disorder, Part 4 - NYTimes.com:



"I’ve been arguing for a while now that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to the wider East-West clash of civilizations what Off Broadway is to Broadway. It’s where you can see many trends at a smaller scale first. That is why I study it closely. Whether it is airline-hijacking, suicide-bombing or trying to do nation-building with the other — Israelis called it “Lebanon invasion” and “Oslo”; we called it “Iraq” and “Afghanistan” — what happens there often moves to the larger stage. So, as I have asked before: What’s playing Off Broadway now?"



'via Blog this'

Monday, September 29, 2014

China’s Crackdown in Hong Kong - NYTimes.com

China’s Crackdown in Hong Kong - NYTimes.com:



"If China had honored the political commitments it made before taking control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, it is likely there would be no protests in the city streets and no crackdown over the weekend by riot police using tear gas, pepper spray and batons against pro-democracy demonstrators."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Obama Says U.S. Underestimated the Rise of ISIS - NYTimes.com

Obama Says U.S. Underestimated the Rise of ISIS - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — President Obama acknowledges in an interview to be broadcast Sunday night that the United States underestimated the rise of the Islamic State militant group while placing too much trust in the Iraqi military, allowing the region to become “ground zero for jihadists around the world.”"



'via Blog this'

Saturday, September 27, 2014

U.S., Defending Kurds in Syria, Expands Airstrikes Against Islamic State Militants - NYTimes.com

U.S., Defending Kurds in Syria, Expands Airstrikes Against Islamic State Militants - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said on Saturday that it had conducted its first strikes against Islamic State targets in a besieged Kurdish area of Syria along the Turkish border, destroying two armored vehicles in an area that has been the subject of a weeklong onslaught by the Islamic State."



'via Blog this'

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Emirates’ First Female Fighter Pilot Led Mission in Syria - NYTimes.com

Emirates’ First Female Fighter Pilot Led Mission in Syria - NYTimes.com:



 "When fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates took part in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria on Monday night, the mission was led by a woman, the country’s ambassador to the United States said Thursday morning."



'via Blog this'

2014 September 25 - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com

2014 September 25 - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com:



 "The announcement Thursday of the resignation of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. touched off questions about his replacement and the timing of any Senate confirmation, given the possibility of a Republican takeover of the Senate in January."



'via Blog this'

Iran’s President Says West’s Blunders Helped ISIS Rise - NYTimes.com

Iran’s President Says West’s Blunders Helped ISIS Rise - NYTimes.com:



 "UNITED NATIONS — President Hassan Rouhani of Iran delivered a searing indictment of Western and Arab states on Thursday in his annual speech to the United Nations, blaming them for sowing the seeds of extremism in the Middle East with “strategic blunders” that have given rise to the Islamic State and other violent jihadist groups."



'via Blog this'

Ferguson Police Chief Offers Apology to Michael Brown’s Family - NYTimes.com

Ferguson Police Chief Offers Apology to Michael Brown’s Family - NYTimes.com:



 "CHICAGO — The police chief of Ferguson, Mo., issued a rare public apology on Thursday, for the death of Michael Brown, addressing the Brown family directly in a short video posted online."



'via Blog this'

Eric Holder Resigning as Attorney General - NYTimes.com

Eric Holder Resigning as Attorney General - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. will resign his post, the Justice Department said Thursday. Mr. Holder will remain in office until a successor is nominated and confirmed."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Charles Plosser and Richard Fisher, Both Dissenters, to Retire From Fed - NYTimes.com

Charles Plosser and Richard Fisher, Both Dissenters, to Retire From Fed - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Two Federal Reserve officials who have warned loudly and persistently that the Fed is overreaching in its economic stimulus campaign plan to retire next year after completing terms on the Fed’s policy-making committee."



'via Blog this'

G.O.P. Error Reveals Donors and the Price of Access - NYTimes.com

G.O.P. Error Reveals Donors and the Price of Access - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — In politics, it is sometimes better to be lucky than good. Republicans and Democrats, and groups sympathetic to each, spend millions on sophisticated technology to gain an advantage."



'via Blog this'

The Benefits of Easing Climate Change - NYTimes.com

The Benefits of Easing Climate Change - NYTimes.com:



 "You’re forgiven if you hold your applause. World leaders have been trying without success to cut such a deal for almost two decades, crashing time and again into the fear that slowing the emissions of carbon that are inexorably changing the climate carries an economic cost that few are willing to bear."



'via Blog this'

Europe’s Anti-Semitism Comes Out of the Shadows - NYTimes.com

Europe’s Anti-Semitism Comes Out of the Shadows - NYTimes.com:



"SARCELLES, France — From the immigrant enclaves of the Parisian suburbs to the drizzly bureaucratic city of Brussels to the industrial heartland of Germany, Europe’s old demon returned this summer. “Death to the Jews!” shouted protesters at pro-Palestinian rallies in Belgium and France. “Gas the Jews!” yelled marchers at a similar protest in Germany."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

ISIS Crisis - NYTimes.com

ISIS Crisis - NYTimes.com:



"There is a tension at the heart of President Obama’s strategy to confront the Islamic State, and it explains a lot about why he has so much trouble articulating and implementing his strategy. Quite simply, it is the tension between two vital goals — promoting the “soul-searching” that ISIS’s emergence has triggered in the Arab-Muslim world and “searching and destroying” ISIS in its strongholds in Syria and Iraq."



'via Blog this'

Monday, September 22, 2014

Climate Change Protesters Tangle With Police at Wall St. - NYTimes.com

Climate Change Protesters Tangle With Police at Wall St. - NYTimes.com:



"About 100 climate change protesters were arrested on Monday as hundreds marched through the streets of Lower Manhattan, at one point clashing with the police as they tried to push through barricades sealing off Wall Street."



'via Blog this'

A Future as Clouded as Their Past - NYTimes.com

A Future as Clouded as Their Past - NYTimes.com:



 "We won’t ever know what the Anasazi were thinking on the eve of the 13th century when they abandoned the cities they had worked so long to build on the Colorado Plateau. The reasons had something to do with climate — a great drought and, perhaps on top of that, a mini ice age. If that wasn’t enough to defeat a thriving culture, there was the turmoil that came from just not knowing. Why were the sky and earth behaving so strangely? Why wasn’t the old magic working anymore?"



'via Blog this'

On Warmer Planet, Range of Soil Microbes May Change - NYTimes.com

On Warmer Planet, Range of Soil Microbes May Change - NYTimes.com:



"TEMPE, Ariz. — Even the microbes, it seems, may be on the move."



'via Blog this'

Carbon Dioxide, Building Block of Life, Best in Moderation - NYTimes.com

Carbon Dioxide, Building Block of Life, Best in Moderation - NYTimes.com:



 "Every year, Americans dispose of about 1,000 pounds of garbage apiece — the coffee grounds, takeout containers, candy wrappers, used Huggies, empty syringes and old sock monkey puppets we entrust to our local sanitation workers and never think about again."



'via Blog this'

Biden to Hispanics: Obama Will Act on Immigration - NYTimes.com

Biden to Hispanics: Obama Will Act on Immigration - NYTimes.com:



 "WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden told frustrated Hispanic leaders Monday President Barack Obama is "absolutely committed to moving forward" on comprehensive immigration reforms "and he's going to do an awful lot.""



'via Blog this'

Portland Man Hides in Church to Avoid Deportation - NYTimes.com

Portland Man Hides in Church to Avoid Deportation - NYTimes.com:



"PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland community activist originally from El Salvador has spent the weekend hidden in a church after immigration authorities tried to detain him last week."



'via Blog this'

Missing Afghan Soldiers Are Found at Canadian Border - NYTimes.com

Missing Afghan Soldiers Are Found at Canadian Border - NYTimes.com:



 "Three Afghan soldiers in the United States on a training exercise were located Monday at a Canadian border crossing near Niagara Falls, two days after disappearing from a Massachusetts shopping mall, officials said Monday."



'via Blog this'

Mexico's Pena Nieto Says Hopes U.S. Immigration Reform Will Pass Soon - NYTimes.com

Mexico's Pena Nieto Says Hopes U.S. Immigration Reform Will Pass Soon - NYTimes.com:



 "NEW YORK — Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Monday he hopes the U.S. Congress will soon pass immigration reform, a move that would ease tensions on both sides of the border."



'via Blog this'

Kurdistan Workers' Party - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kurdistan Workers' Party - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:



"The Kurdistan Workers' Party,[nb 1][nb 2] commonly referred to by its Kurdish acronym, PKK,[18] is a Kurdish political and military organization which from 1984 to 2013 fought an armed struggle against the Turkish state for cultural and political rights and self-determination for the Kurds in Turkey,[12] who comprise between 10% and 25% of the population and have been subjected to official repression for decades. The group was founded in 1978 in the village of Fis (near Lice) by a group of radical Kurdish students led by Abdullah Öcalan.[19] The PKK's ideology was originally a fusion of revolutionary socialism and Kurdish nationalism, seeking the foundation of an independent, Marxist–Leninist state in the region known as Kurdistan."



'via Blog this'

Over 130,000 Flee Syria for Turkey in Wake of ISIS Raids - NYTimes.com

Over 130,000 Flee Syria for Turkey in Wake of ISIS Raids - NYTimes.com:



"ANKARA, Turkey — More than 130,000 refugees have flooded into Turkey from Syria in recent days, fleeing attacks by Islamic State militants on their villages, Turkey’s deputy prime minister said on Monday, though local officials in Syria said that Kurdish militias had blunted the militants’ advance there."



'via Blog this'

Despite Airstrikes, ISIS Appears to Hold Its Ground in Iraq - NYTimes.com

Despite Airstrikes, ISIS Appears to Hold Its Ground in Iraq - NYTimes.com:



"BAGHDAD — After six weeks of American airstrikes, the Iraqi government’s forces have scarcely budged Sunni extremists of the Islamic State from their hold on more than a quarter of the country, in part because many critical Sunni tribes remain on the sidelines."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Mexico Makes Route Tougher for Migrants - NYTimes.com

Mexico Makes Route Tougher for Migrants - NYTimes.com:



 "TIERRA BLANCA, Mexico — Soon after crossing from Guatemala into Mexico last week, the group of Honduran migrants spotted the police swarming the freight train known as “The Beast” that has dangerously but reliably ferried tens of thousands of people north, clumped atop and hanging off box cars."



'via Blog this'

Michael Moore Out as Michigan Film Board Member - NYTimes.com

Michael Moore Out as Michigan Film Board Member - NYTimes.com:



"LANSING, Mich. — Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore no longer will serve on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Pope Sets Tone in U.S. by Naming Inclusive Prelate as Chicago Archbishop - NYTimes.com

Pope Sets Tone in U.S. by Naming Inclusive Prelate as Chicago Archbishop - NYTimes.com:



"In his first major appointment in the United States, Pope Francis named Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Wash., on Saturday to be the next archbishop of Chicago, replacing a combative conservative with a prelate whose pastoral approach to upholding church doctrine is more in keeping with the pope’s inclusive tone."



'via Blog this'

Three Cheers for Pluralism Over Separatism - NYTimes.com

Three Cheers for Pluralism Over Separatism - NYTimes.com:



"MADRID — THIS was an interesting week to visit Britain and Spain — first to watch the Scottish separatists push for independence and then to watch Basque and Catalan separatists watching (with disappointment) the outcome of the vote. One reaction: I’m glad a majority of Scots rejected independence. Had they not, it would have clipped the wing of America’s most important wingman in the world: Britain. Another reaction: God bless America. We have many sources of strength, but today our greatest asset is our pluralism — our “E pluribus unum” — that out of many we’ve made one nation, with all the benefits that come from mixing cultures and all the strengths that come from being able to act together."



'via Blog this'

Friday, September 19, 2014

Roaming Through Woody Guthrie’s New York - NYTimes.com

Roaming Through Woody Guthrie’s New York - NYTimes.com:



 "YOU say you want to have a close encounter with Woody Guthrie, to follow his footsteps to greatness, to lay eyes on the places where American music history was made: where Woody first met Pete Seeger; where Bob Dylan first showed up on Woody’s doorstep; where Woody strummed and plucked with Lead Belly, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee; where he wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” “Vigilante Man,” “The Sinking of the Reuben James” and many, many hundreds of other songs; where he painted “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar; where he raised his kids, more or less; and where his short, hard, full life ended."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Pennsylvania Ambush Suspect Is Member of War Re-enactment Group: Police - NYTimes.com

Pennsylvania Ambush Suspect Is Member of War Re-enactment Group: Police - NYTimes.com:



"BLOOMING GROVE Pa. (Reuters) - A survivalist suspected of an ambush attack last week on two Pennsylvania troopers, killing one and seriously wounding the other, is a member of an Eastern European Cold War re-enactment group, state police said on Wednesday."



'via Blog this'

U.S. Army Soldier Accused of Smuggling Undocumented Immigrants - NYTimes.com

U.S. Army Soldier Accused of Smuggling Undocumented Immigrants - NYTimes.com:



 "(Reuters) - A U.S. Army soldier has been accused of smuggling two undocumented immigrants across the Texas-Mexico border while in uniform, according to a federal criminal complaint."



'via Blog this'

Desperate Gazans Flee to Europe in Risky Sea Trips - NYTimes.com

Desperate Gazans Flee to Europe in Risky Sea Trips - NYTimes.com:



 "ABASSAN, Gaza Strip — The university student was desperate to flee Gaza after suffering through years of border closures and three wars."



'via Blog this'

Terrance Paul, Developer of Teaching Software, Dies at 67 - NYTimes.com

Terrance Paul, Developer of Teaching Software, Dies at 67 - NYTimes.com:



"Terrance Paul, an entrepreneur who, with his wife, created computerized teaching programs like Accelerated Reader that were widely adopted in American schools over the last 25 years as educators turned to spreadsheet-ready data for evaluating student achievement, died Sept. 5 at his home in Boulder, Colo. He was 67."



'via Blog this'

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Is U.S. Policy on Fighting ISIS Already Changing? - NYTimes.com

Is U.S. Policy on Fighting ISIS Already Changing? - NYTimes.com:



"A week ago, President Obama stood before the American people and promised that the expanding fight against the Islamic State — a vicious Sunni militant group known as ISIS or ISIL that is terrorizing parts of Iraq and Syria — would not mean a commitment of American ground troops. “As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission,” he said."



'via Blog this'

Guatemala Government Responds to News Story Before It Is Published - NYTimes.com

Guatemala Government Responds to News Story Before It Is Published - NYTimes.com:



"GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala's government posted an online response to a newspaper article about the country's vice president before it was published, provoking criticism the government was spying on the country's media."



'via Blog this'

Syrian Plane Shot Down as Attacks by Groups Intensify - NYTimes.com

Syrian Plane Shot Down as Attacks by Groups Intensify - NYTimes.com:



"BEIRUT, Lebanon — The warring parties in Syria have launched newly assertive attacks on several fronts in recent days, seeking to gain ground and psychological advantage ahead of an intensified United States campaign against extremist Islamic State militants that could include the first American airstrikes inside Syria."



'via Blog this'

ISIS and the Arab World - NYTimes.com

ISIS and the Arab World - NYTimes.com:



 "LONDON — An existential struggle is taking place in the Arab world today. But is it ours or is it theirs? Before we step up military action in Iraq and Syria, that’s the question that needs answering."



'via Blog this'

French Premier Prevails in Confidence Vote - NYTimes.com

French Premier Prevails in Confidence Vote - NYTimes.com:



"PARIS — France’s embattled Socialist government survived a parliamentary vote of confidence on Tuesday aimed at shoring up support for tough economic policy changes at a time when the economy is flat and President François Hollande’s popularity is the lowest of any French president in decades."



'via Blog this'

U.S. General Backs Limited Ground Operations Against ISIS if Needed - NYTimes.com

U.S. General Backs Limited Ground Operations Against ISIS if Needed - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress on Tuesday that he would recommend deploying United States combat forces against Islamic extremists in specific operations if the current strategy of airstrikes was not successful, raising the possibility of the kind of escalation that President Obama has flatly ruled out."



'via Blog this'

French Premier’s Push Toward Center Opens Rift on the Left - NYTimes.com

French Premier’s Push Toward Center Opens Rift on the Left - NYTimes.com:



 "PARIS — Hours after President François Hollande purged leftist members of his government last month for opposing his economic policies, Manuel Valls, France’s combative prime minister, climbed a stage before hundreds of cheering French executives and called for a new relationship with business to lift France from its malaise."



'via Blog this'

Monday, September 15, 2014

U.S. Pushes Back Against Warnings That ISIS Plans to Enter From Mexico - NYTimes.com

U.S. Pushes Back Against Warnings That ISIS Plans to Enter From Mexico - NYTimes.com:



"WASHINGTON — Militants for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have traveled to Mexico and are just miles from the United States. They plan to cross over the porous border and will “imminently” launch car bomb attacks. And the threat is so real that federal law enforcement officers have been placed at a heightened state of alert, and an American military base near the border has increased its security."



'via Blog this'

Mining for Antibiotics, Right Under Our Noses - NYTimes.com

Mining for Antibiotics, Right Under Our Noses - NYTimes.co:



 "“Microorganisms are the best chemists on the planet,” declared Michael A. Fischbach, a chemist himself at the University of California, San Francisco."



'via Blog this'

Sunday, September 14, 2014

How to Get It Wrong - NYTimes.com

How to Get It Wrong - NYTimes.com:



"Last week I participated in a conference organized by Rethinking Economics, a student-run group hoping to promote, you guessed it, a rethinking of economics. And Mammon knows that economics needs rethinking in the wake of a disastrous crisis, a crisis that was neither predicted nor prevented."



'via Blog this'

Arab Nations Offer to Conduct Airstrikes Against ISIS, U.S. Officials Say - NYTimes.com

Arab Nations Offer to Conduct Airstrikes Against ISIS, U.S. Officials Say - NYTimes.com:



 "PARIS — Several Arab countries have offered to carry out airstrikes against militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, senior State Department officials said on Sunday."



'via Blog this'

Sun and Wind Alter German Landscape, Leaving Utilities Behind - NYTimes.com

Sun and Wind Alter German Landscape, Leaving Utilities Behind - NYTimes.com:



 "HELIGOLAND, Germany — Of all the developed nations, few have pushed harder than Germany to find a solution to global warming. And towering symbols of that drive are appearing in the middle of the North Sea."



'via Blog this'

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Los Angeles Sees Raids Over Ties to Cartels - NYTimes.com

Los Angeles Sees Raids Over Ties to Cartels - NYTimes.com:



"LOS ANGELES — Federal agents conducted a series of raids on Wednesday morning across this city’s fashion district, sweeping more than 70 locations, arresting nine people, and seizing at least $65 million in cash and assets from organizations with ties to Mexican cartels, law enforcement officials said."



'via Blog this'

The Inflation Cult - NYTimes.com

The Inflation Cult - NYTimes.com:



 "Wish I’d said that! Earlier this week, Jesse Eisinger of ProPublica, writing on The Times’s DealBook blog, compared people who keep predicting runaway inflation to “true believers whose faith in a predicted apocalypse persists even after it fails to materialize.” Indeed."



'via Blog this'

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

It Takes a Mentor - NYTimes.com

It Takes a Mentor - NYTimes.com:



 "With millions of students returning to school — both K-12 and college — this is a good time to review the intriguing results of some research that Gallup did over the past year, exploring the linkages between education and long-term success in the workplace. That is: What are the things that happen at a college or technical school that, more than anything else, produce “engaged” employees on a fulfilling career track? According to Brandon Busteed, the executive director of Gallup’s education division, two things stand out. Successful students had one or more teachers who were mentors and took a real interest in their aspirations, and they had an internship related to what they were learning in school."



'via Blog this'