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Credit...David Banks/Getty ImagesFeb. 8, 2014It began in the fall of 1995 with a few bags of groceries left anonymously at a teammates apartment. Ramogi Huma was a teenager then, a freshman linebacker at U.C.L.A., but he took notice when Donnie Edwards was suspended for accepting the food, a violation of N.C.A.A. rules. At workouts the next summer, Huma learned he was not covered by U.C.L.A.s health insurance because some practices were voluntary. He began to see a pattern.I realized something had to change, Huma said. College athletes needed a voice.Nearly two decades later, Huma is the president of the newly formed College Athletes Players Association, seeking to represent football and basketball players. He turned in a petition seeking recognition for Northwestern football players to a regional office of the National Labor Relations Board last week in Chicago, marking the first attempt by college athletes to form a union.Today, the perception and realities of college sports are strikingly different from when Huma was a student. Television revenue has skyrocketed recent contracts for the five largest conferences and the college football playoff and postseason basketball tournaments will add $1.2 billion each year giving universities and conferences newfound wealth to pay coaches and administrators. Current litigation questions the definition of amateurism and argues that the athletes ought to be compensated. President Obama has spoken about the dangers of concussions and the safety of college football players.Before any of that, Huma started a student group to little fanfare at U.C.L.A. He set out to educate athletes around the country, raise awareness of issues like health care, death benefits, and scholarships that could be revoked because a player sustained an injury.The N.C.A.A. accuses Huma of professionalizing college sports. But David Ridpath, a member of the Drake Group, which seeks educational reform in college athletics, said: Ramogi was rebuffed and laughed off for a long time. Not anymore; he may be the most powerful force in N.C.A.A. reform.It was not long after those summer practices that Huma, the son of a teacher and a state prison worker, first told U.C.L.A. Coach Bob Toledo that he intended to start his student group. He called it the College Athletes Coalition.For the next several years, he focused on schoolwork and football, but by 2001, Huma was pursuing a masters degree in public health. He had read the autobiography of the longtime N.C.A.A. executive director Walter Byers. Byers, who is no longer affiliated with the N.C.A.A., wrote about the perils of amateurism and the professional model of college athletics. Huma signed up 300 U.C.L.A. athletes for the coalition. Unsure of his next step, he sent emails to union leaders, asking for guidance and organizing help.We didnt send very many emails because we didnt know very many unions, he said.The United Steelworkers offered the only response, and even they were not convinced.I thought college athletes had it pretty good, the Steelworkers president, Leo W. Gerard, said. They got to play ball, and they got a free education.But Huma made a compelling case. There were shortfalls in scholarships, leaving athletes without money for necessities; scholarships were renewable at the discretion of coaches; athletes had no voice. Huma began to spread the word of his nascent organization, mostly through friends.Whenever a new call came in, Huma loaded his Toyota Camry and drove to meet with the curious group of players. He went to Arizona, Arizona State and other colleges in the West. Soon, the coalition had chapters at 10 universities. One of the first players intrigued by Humas message was Matt Strohfus, a fullback at Boise State.The first time I spoke to Ramogi, it was a like a light bulb, he said. He was the only one taking action.The strategy then was to slowly expand, add more chapters and increase the groupS membership and influence. But during the summer of 2001, three football players died while working out with their teams: Eraste Autin at Florida, Devaughn Darling at Florida State and Rashidi Wheeler at Northwestern.Huma decided to push the N.C.A.A. publicly for better conditions for players. He was featured on an episode of 60 Minutes. (Strohfus said the Boise State administration made him feel as if he should not participate in the piece.) The N.C.A.A. agreed to meet with Huma but later canceled, citing his affiliation with the Steelworkers. Two years later, though, the N.C.A.A. did increase death benefits, to $25,000 from $10,000.Progress came in fits and starts. Huma spoke with Allen Sack, the founder of the Drake Group. Sack had been the director of the short-lived Center for Athletes Rights and Education, a federally funded group that first broached the notion of collective bargaining for college athletes in the late 1970s and early 80s. Huma workedon studies that documented scholarship shortfalls. Hechanged the name of his group to the National College Players Association.I wanted the name to really show that we were going to represent athletes, Huma said.In 2008, Huma supported a court case that argued scholarships should cover more than tuition, books, housing and meals. An out-of-court settlement with the N.C.A.A. that included a $10 million fund for athletes additional expenses was a bittersweet victory because it did not provide a ruling on whether scholarships violated antitrust law. And the N.C.A.A. still would not meet with him.Two years later, Huma campaigned successfully for a California law that requires universities to post online the fine print of scholarship terms. And in 2012, after Huma delivered a petition signed by U.C.L.A. football players, California passed a student-athlete Bill of Rights that brought increased medical and academic protections for athletes.The boom in television money contracts once worth millions of dollars were suddenly now in the billions helped fuel a debate over some of the issues Huma had been championing. Another key, Huma said, was Taylor Branchs sweeping indictment of the N.C.A.A. in an article published in The Atlantic in 2011 that received national attention.Now there is the OBannon case against the N.C.A.A., brought by the former U.C.L.A. basketball player Ed OBannon, which seeks compensation for using the likenesses of athletes in video games. Huma serves on the board of the Former College Athletes Association, which, if the case is successful, could play a role in distributing money. And when a judge expressed interest last year in expanding the class certification to include current athletes, Huma suggested candidates to OBannons lawyer, Michael Hausfeld.The connections with the student-athletes are there because hes been doing this for so long, said Alex Padilla, a California state senator and the sponsor of the student-athlete Bill of Rights legislation. He has educated the students and built their courage so they can speak.The N.C.A.A. paints a less rosy picture of Huma. His affiliation with the Steelworkers, the N.C.A.A.s chief legal counsel Donald Remy said, is evidence of an agenda to professionalize college sports. For many years, the Steelworkers have held fund-raisers in Cleveland and in Pittsburgh to support the N.C.P.A., which pays Huma around $100,000, according to recent tax filings.Huma said if the N.C.A.A. had been more receptive to his original group, a union for college athletes would never have been needed. After he met with the N.C.A.A.s chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, last year, Huma concluded the N.C.A.A. needed a stronger concussion policy, rather than allowing individual universities to set their own standards. That was the impetus for the union, he said.The N.F.L. and N.F.L. Players Association set a great example, Huma said. Collective bargaining, at that point, was the only way.Remy disagreed. Its been dressed up differently, perhaps, he said. But the agenda that his organizations have been advancing have always focused on compensating athletes, including issues surrounding unionizing.Remy also noted that governance reform was among the key issues at last months N.C.A.A. convention. He mentioned a stipend for athletes that many universities would like to see implemented and said increased input from athletes through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was a priority. Still, one member of the committee recently told the Chronicle of Higher Education that she thought the N.C.A.A. put a muzzle on students.Humas new group faces an uncertain future, particularly at public universities in states that forbid public employees from collective bargaining. And the N.C.A.A. reform movement, with its newfound visibility, will have to navigate its different factions. The Drake Group, for instance, is pushing legislation that includes a limited antitrust exemption for the N.C.A.A., while the OBannon case is predicated upon removing it.Were not there yet, Huma said. But we believed a long time ago that college sports could be changed, and now were seeing it. | Sports |
NASA Plans February Moon Launch With Giant RocketA flight of the Space Launch System and Orion capsule without astronauts aboard is planned for early next year, a first, long-delayed step toward returning astronauts to the moons surface.Credit...Isaac Watson/NASAPublished Oct. 22, 2021Updated Nov. 10, 2021[Follow the latest updates on SpaceXs NASA crew-3 launch mission.]NASA set dates on Friday for its giant rocket to launch a spacecraft to the moon and back, beginning in mid-February next year. No, for real this time.In a news conference, officials from the space agency announced a two-week period beginning Feb. 12 for a flight without astronauts aboard of the Space Launch System, the biggest rocket flown by the agency in decades. It will loft Orion, a capsule for transporting astronauts to deep space, on an uncrewed trip that orbits the moon then returns to Earth.We are on track to fly, and this team will be ready when our flight hardware is ready, said Mike Sarafin, the NASA official who is the missions manager.Whether NASA will proceed with this February timeline depends on the results of testing on the ground leading up to the launch window, including a January dress rehearsal of the launch. The officials also announced more two-week flight periods in March and in April, both without astronauts, which are based on the moons alignment with Earth.The long-delayed flight, called Artemis-1, is aimed at testing the safety of the vehicle. A future flight, Artemis-2, will carry a crew on a similar voyage, which will echo the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. NASA hopes to be able to carry astronauts back to the lunar surface, including the first woman and first person of color, in the coming years.No humans have visited the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. In the years that followed Apollo, NASA turned its attention to the space shuttles and to building a space station in low-Earth orbit. The agency possessed no equipment for venturing farther from the planet.To send people back to the moon, NASA needs a rocket approaching the power of the Saturn V that carried the Apollo astronauts. In 2011, the Obama administration announced the beginning of the Space Launch System, a rocket based on designs from Constellation, an earlier scrapped program.S.L.S. is a monster of a rocket, capable of lofting 70 metric tons to space. A modified version of the rocket that will fly in the future would heft 130 tons even more than the Apollo-era launcher. Flights of the Space Launch System will be expensive, about $2 billion per launch, although Congress has steadily funded the program. NASA has so far spent $10 billion on the rocket, plus another $16 billion on the Orion capsule.But little has gone according to plan with S.L.S. NASA scheduled its first flight for 2017. It failed to meet that goal, and a 2018 audit faulted poor performance by Boeing, the main contractor working on the rockets booster stage, for much of the missed deadlines. As problems persisted, the Covid-19 pandemic added to delays for the program.In January 2021, the rocket was finally ready for its first big test, a sustained firing of the engines that would simulate the stresses of a trip to orbit. The test was supposed to last for eight minutes, but was cut off after only about a minute.During the second attempt in March, the rocket recorded a sustained 499.6-second burn of the giant engines that sent a giant cloud of steam over the massive test stand in Mississippi. Once the test was deemed a success, the agency shipped the massive rocket to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin preparations for flight.This week, the Orion spacecraft was lifted atop the rocket and put into place. Together, they stand 322 feet tall, or higher than the Statue of Liberty and its base.If an assortment of spaceflights stick to their schedules, 2022 could be one of the busiest years the moon has ever seen. In addition to Artemis-1, NASA plans to send a small satellite to orbit the moon and a pair of robotic landers carrying a variety of private cargo to the lunar surface. China, Russia, India and South Korea have all announced plans for lunar orbits or landings in 2022.President Trump committed the United States to returning astronauts to the moon by 2024, a target the Biden administration has not changed. But analysts have been skeptical of reaching that ambitious goal, given that much of the hardware including a spacecraft to actually land astronauts on the lunar surface is not yet built.NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX, the private company founded by Elon Musk, to use its Starship spacecraft as a lunar lander. Starship is still in its prototype stage and has not yet launched to orbit. Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, also filed a lawsuit in federal court over the contract, arguing that NASA awarded it to SpaceX unfairly. Should a judge side with Mr. Bezos company, it could force NASA to start again, further delaying the lunar lander program. | science |
Credit...Burhan Ozbilici/Associated PressNov. 21, 2018ISTANBUL President Recep Tayyip Erdogan didnt get everything he wanted.For weeks, the leader of Turkey has been trying to undermine his regional rival, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, with a skillful drip of intelligence leaks linking the prince to a gruesome crime: the killing of a dissident, Jamal Khashoggi.President Trumps statement on Tuesday made clear that the United States would stick with its Saudi ally, leaving Mr. Erdogans biggest ambition sidelining his rival and realigning American policy in the Middle East unfulfilled.This is not credible, Numan Kurtulmus, the deputy chairman of Mr. Erdogans political party, told reporters on Tuesday, dismissing Mr. Trumps explanation that no one really knew who was responsible for ordering Mr. Khashoggis death as comic.But that does not necessarily mean Mr. Erdogan lost the geopolitical battle over the consequences of the killing.If anything, the Turkish president may now be in a better position than he was when Mr. Khashoggi disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul seven weeks ago.Mr. Erdogan, who has been widely criticized for locking up more than 100,000 people since an attempted coup two years ago, has gained badly needed international stature from the case. He has successfully claimed the moral high ground vacated by the American president, and he has kept up the pressure on Saudi Arabia.He is standing with the overwhelming majority of people in the Arab world, said Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow with the European Council for Foreign Relations. People are outraged, and they do think that Erdogan is on the right side.Across the Arab world, there is real appreciation for what Erdogan stands for, she added. Thats what he cares about and thats what is important to him.ImageCredit...Huseyin Aldemir/ReutersBeyond that, the Khashoggi case has allowed Mr. Erdogan to soften his authoritarian image in the West and potentially build some momentum toward repairing deeply strained relations with the United States.By steadily spooling out grisly details of the killing, Mr. Erdogan has found common cause with American lawmakers outraged by Saudi Arabias brazen tactics. Before that, some American politicians were more focused on castigating Turkey, a fellow NATO member, for backsliding on democracy and purchasing an antimissile defense system from the Russians.The main benefit has been with Erdogan earning political capital in Washington, which will be useful, said Sinan Ulgen, a former diplomat for Turkey and the chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Istanbul.Even if he failed to cause a shift in policy within the Trump administration, Mr. Erdogan is unlikely to let the Khashoggi case go. Turkey has called for a United Nations inquiry into the killing and continues to demand answers, if only to clip the wings of the Saudi prince, whom Mr. Erdogan sees as a threat.At the height of the affair, Turkish officials were calling on Washington to shift its alliances in the Middle East, hoping to nudge the United States away from the powerful monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as from the secular military leadership of Egypt.Turkey has squared off with Saudi Arabia on a number of fronts, including the kingdoms dispute with Qatar. Mr. Erdogans government also opposes American sanctions on Iran, putting it directly at odds with the Saudi crown prince, often known by his initials, MBS, who described Turkey as part of a triangle of evil.It was a far-fetched idea that Trump would drop MBS, said Mr. Ulgen. There will be some disappointment in Ankara, but also realism.In fact, Turkey expected Mr. Trumps position from the start, argued Ms. Aydintasbas.Erdogan is a smart politician and has been around a long time, she said. He can see where Trump is coming from, she added. They seem to agree to disagree.Despite the continuing anti-American sentiment often used by the Turkish government, there are signs that both sides want to repair relations.ImageCredit...Tasneem Alsultan for The New York TimesYou can see a desire in Ankara to normalize relations with the U.S., Ms. Aydintasbas said. There is also a clear desire on the side of Trump to fix relations with Turkey. Erdogan does not want to ruin that.The release last month of an American evangelist pastor, Andrew Brunson, eased Mr. Erdogans relations with the White House and with Congress, allowing them to move forward on other disputes that have brought relations to an all-time low over the past year.Already, Washington has signaled it is doing more to investigate a Pennsylvania-based preacher, Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of instigating the attempted coup in 2016.The two nations have also begun joint patrols in Manbij, in northern Syria, where Turkey and the United States have been at loggerheads. Washington supports Kurdish forces in the region, but Turkey considers them a grave security threat.On Tuesday, Turkeys foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, indicated some acceptance of Mr. Trumps decision to side with Saudi Arabia, without backing away from the Turkish position that whoever ordered the killing should be revealed.Many countries did not want to fall out with Saudi Arabia over the murder, he said. We do not want that either, yet the murder should be brought to light, he said, according to the semiofficial Anadolu news agency.Mr. Cavusoglu was in Washington on Wednesday for scheduled meetings to address several of the outstanding disputes between the two countries. Those include an impending fine on the Turkish state bank, Halkbank, for violating American sanctions on Iran, as well as Turkeys detention of American citizens and three Turkish consular employees on charges of terrorism, which American officials call baseless.Then, there is the important front in Syria.Mr. Erdogan rails constantly against the United States support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, whom he considers an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which Turkey, the United States and Europe have all designated a terrorist organization.While those issues remain between the countries, Mr. Erdogan is unlikely to waste the political capital he has gained through the Khashoggi case, political observers in Turkey said.ImageCredit...Tom Brenner for The New York TimesHe still can threaten to release the audio recordings of the killing, which Turkish officials have said indicate high-level Saudi involvement. But analysts say that is a nuclear option he is unlikely to use, since it would essentially end his leverage.On Wednesday, in a speech at the presidential palace in Ankara, Mr. Erdogan pointedly did not mention the Khashoggi case or Mr. Trumps statement of support for the Saudi crown prince.Instead, the Turkish president was already in full campaign mode for local elections in March, showing that national political concerns still come first as he listed his latest enemies of the state.He slammed the European Court of Human Rights for a decision calling for the release of a Kurdish political leader, Selahattin Demirtas.He denounced an imprisoned philanthropist, Osman Kavala, who has been swept up in his post-coup crackdown.He thundered against wholesalers, whom he accused of raising the price of onions and potatoes.His nationalist stance has to be seen in the light of local politics, Mr. Ulgen said.Turkeys economic difficulties, including a drastic fall in the lira and high inflation, mean Mr. Erdogans Justice and Development Party risks losing some important municipalities in March.The members of the project to make Turkey kneel down, to make our country surrender, are still in solidarity, Mr. Erdogan roared, referring to the supporters of popular protests in Gezi Park and Taksim Square in 2013.Those praising Gezi, werent they the ones who destroyed all the windows, burned everything around? Didnt they burn the buses belonging to the state? Didnt they burn down the artisans shops? Shall we tolerate them? | World |
Feb. 14, 2014WASHINGTON Billie Jean King, who withdrew from the presidential delegation at the opening of the Winter Olympics for family reasons, will represent the United States at the closing ceremony on Feb. 23, the White House announced Friday.In December, President Obama named King to the delegation for the opening ceremony in what was considered a protest of Russias law banning gay propaganda. King, 70, acknowledged that she was a lesbian in 1981. King bowed out of the opening ceremony because of the failing health of her mother, Betty Moffitt, who died in Prescott, Ariz., last week. She was 91.U.S. SPEEDSKATERS CHANGE SUITS The United States speedskating team is dumping the Under Armour race suits that had been called the fastest in the world.The American team has received permission from the International Skating Union to switch back to its previous suits, starting with the mens 1,500 meters Saturday, said Kevin Haley, Under Armours senior vice president for innovation.The United States entered the Games predicting that its new suits, developed with help from the defense contractor Lockheed Martin, would give it a technological edge.But the Americans did not finish higher than seventh in the first six events, leading some athletes to grumble that the new suits were a hindrance. Instead, the team will wear the suits it used previously in World Cup events and at Olympic trials. (AP) ImageCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesSWEDES WIN BUT LOSE CAPTAIN Short-handed Sweden beat Switzerland (1-1), 1-0, in mens hockey, hours after announcing that its captain, Henrik Zetterberg, would miss the rest of the Games. Daniel Alfredsson scored with 7 minutes 21 seconds left, and Henrik Lundqvist had 26 saves.Sweden (2-0), the 2006 Olympic champion, moved into a favorable position to earn a spot in the quarterfinals as the only undefeated team in Group C. With a victory over winless Latvia on Saturday, the Swedes would reach the quarterfinals. (AP)CARTERS HAT TRICK HELPS CANADA Canada improved to 2-0 with a 6-0 victory over Austria (0-2). Jeff Carter scored three consecutive goals in the second period, and Roberto Luongo made 23 saves. (AP)FINNS TROUNCE NORWEGIANS Teemu Selanne returned from a minor injury to score Finlands first goal in a 6-1 rout of Norway (0-2). (AP) JAGR LIFTS CZECHS Jaromir Jagr, on the eve of his 42nd birthday, scored his second goal of the Olympics as the Czech Republic (1-1) defeated Latvia (0-2), 4-2. (AP) WORKER HIT BY BOBSLED HAS SURGERY The Russian maintenance worker who was struck by a bobsled was conscious and in a stable condition after having surgery on his two broken legs, the Olympic organizers said. (AP)VIEIRA STEPS IN FOR COSTAS NBC again dipped into its Today show arsenal to find a substitute for Bob Costas as its prime-time Olympic host. For three days, Matt Lauer, a co-host of Today, filled in for Costas, who is recovering from a viral infection in his eyes. Meredith Vieira, a former co-host of Today, filled in for Costas on Friday and may do so on Saturday as well. RICHARD SANDOMIR | Sports |
Credit...Ricardo Arduengo/Associated PressDec. 29, 2015Running out of both time and money, debt-ridden Puerto Rico appears headed for default on at least some of the roughly $1 billion in bond payments that are due on Jan. 1.It is possible, the islands leaders have suggested in official filings, that enough cash can be found to pay about $330 million due on general obligation bonds those given top priority by Puerto Ricos Constitution but only by diverting cash from other types of bonds. A failure to make payments due on those would leave a mysterious hierarchy of bondholders in a legal quandary over whether to sue now or hope for some payment, even a lower one, down the road.Even the United States Treasury secretary, Jacob Lew, said this week it was inevitable for Puerto Rico to start missing bond payments, although he said the coming defaults would not necessarily all happen Jan. 1.Look, theyre effectively in default already, he said in an appearance on Fox Business Network on Monday. Theyve already been taking money out of pension funds to pay current bills. Theyve been shifting money from one creditor to pay for another creditor. Thats effectively default. You dont have to wait until you miss a coupon payment to say youre in default.Exactly which payments the island will skip remained unclear Tuesday and most likely will not be known until the very last minute but could include certain bond payments by the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority, the Highway and Transportation Authority and the Convention Center District Authority. (Although the deadline is midnight Friday, the island will be given a reprieve until Monday, Jan. 4, because of the New Years Day holiday.)Those agencies and others are subject to a clawback ordered by Gov. Alejandro Garca Padilla, which allows the central government to claw back the money those entities had been intending to use to make their own bond payments; it will be used instead to pay the top-priority general obligation bonds.ImageCredit...Sait Serkan Gurbuz/Associated PressSome of the entities losing their cash to the clawback are still expected to make their Jan. 1 payments, because they had previously set up emergency reserves. Still, credit analysts will probably consider them to be in technical default, because they will have depleted their reserves and the clawback will keep them from setting aside fresh money for the next bond payment.Regulatory filings suggest that at least one entity, the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority, has not set up a debt-service reserve and may have no way to avoid full default. Governor Garca Padilla has already issued warnings that some of the islands bondholders were likely to be left empty-handed, although he did not specify which. Almost 20 different entities on the island issue debt. Besides clawing back money from some of them, the government has been diverting cash from vendors, taxpayers and certain programs in a juggling act that cannot be sustained forever.It is very probable that from here on out, Puerto Rico will not find the mechanisms to make its payments, said Governor Garca Padilla in a news briefing this month at the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington. Cash has run out. There are no more fiscal gymnastics that we can do.The creditors of one major Puerto Rican borrower, the public electric utility, have been concerned enough about a default to agree in advance to accept smaller payments. Earlier this month, a group of creditors of the big utility the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or Prepa said they had agreed to reduce their bond principal by 15 percent and accept a lower interest rate, as part of a plan to keep Prepa from defaulting on its roughly $9 billion of debt.The deal has not yet closed and is not expected to for several months. Only about 70 percent of Prepas creditors are on board; others may be waiting to see if a better offer comes along.Uncertainty is being heightened by the lack of a clear hierarchy of the islands creditors. Much of the islands $72 billion of financial debt in the form of municipal bonds has statutory and constitutional underpinnings that have not been tested in court. In some cases the Spanish-language version can be read differently from the English version.We are, to a large extent, trying to map uncharted territory, said Sergio Marxuach, policy director at the Center for a New Economy, a nonpartisan research group in San Juan.He recently issued a study of Puerto Ricos complicated debt structure, which seeks to explain how the bonds legal provisions work, which have priority over others, how clawbacks might work and what the consequences of defaults could be. He found many unanswered questions. He confirmed that general-obligation bondholders are at the top of the pecking order, for example, but he also found that in Puerto Rico, they lacked the legal tools they would normally have to enforce their claims. Second in line were bonds issued by other government agencies, but covered by the central governments guarantee. Third was a type of bond backed by a dedicated sales tax. Those bonds have been issued by a governmental unit called the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation, known by the Spanish acronym Cofina, since 2006, initially as a way of balancing budgets in what was thought to be a recession. The recession has not ended and is now often likened to the 1930s, and Cofina has some $15 billion of debt outstanding.Mr. Marxuach said Puerto Ricos secretary of justice had issued an opinion that the sales taxes dedicated to Cofina could not be clawed back to make general-obligation bond payments, but whether that opinion would hold up in court had not been tested. He also said the Cofina bonds proceeds had been put to uses that appear to be Constitutionally prohibited.In the absence of a binding court decision, this legal issue remains open to judicial interpretation, he said.Questions like that might be put to rest if Puerto Rico is given access to the federal bankruptcy courts, something that Congress is expected to take up in the coming months. Some members of Congress have been calling for a limited form of Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, which would cover only a handful of the islands public corporations.But in recent months, as the size and legal complexity of Puerto Ricos debt has come into focus, many policy makers have concluded that all of Puerto Ricos debts should be restructured in one place.What I can tell you is, the first quarter of the year is an essential period of time for this to be addressed, said Mr. Lew, referring to Puerto Ricos pleas for access to bankruptcy. And they need restructuring authority that covers all credit. | Business |
Soccer|Arsenal Wins in F.A. Cuphttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/sports/soccer/arsenal-wins-in-fa-cup.htmlSports Briefing | SoccerFeb. 16, 2014Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a goal and set up another Sunday, leading Arsenal over Liverpool, 2-1, and into the F.A. Cup quarterfinals. Arsenal went ahead in the 16th minute after Liverpool failed to clear a free kick. Stephen Gerrard blocked a shot by Yaya Sanogo, who was making his first start for Arsenal, and Oxlade-Chamberlain scored from close range. Lukas Podolski scored with a clean finish from an Oxlade-Chamberlain back pass in the 47th. In quarterfinals on the weekend of March 8-9, Arsenal will host Everton, which beat Swansea, 3-1, on goals by Lacina Traore and Steven Naismith and a penalty kick by Leighton Baines. Manchester City will host the defending champion, Wigan, in a rematch of last years final. Brighton will host Hull or Sunderland, and Sheffield United will host Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton. Chris Porter scored twice in stoppage time as Sheffield United beat Nottingham Forest, 3-1. | Sports |
Credit...Khue Bui for The New York TimesJune 24, 2017ORANGE, Va. Alice Jacobs, 90, once owned a factory and horses. She has raised four children and buried two husbands.But years in an assisted living center drained her savings, and now she relies on Medicaid to pay for her care at Dogwood Village, a nonprofit, county-owned nursing home here.You think youve got enough money to last all your life, and here I am, Ms. Jacobs said.Medicaid pays for most of the 1.4 million people in nursing homes, like Ms. Jacobs. It covers 20 percent of all Americans and 40 percent of poor adults.On Thursday, Senate Republicans joined their House colleagues in proposing steep cuts to Medicaid, part of the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives hope to roll back what they see as an expanding and costly entitlement. But little has been said about what would happen to older Americans in nursing homes if the cuts took effect.Under federal law, state Medicaid programs are required to cover nursing home care. But state officials decide how much to pay facilities, and states under budgetary pressure could decrease the amount they are willing to pay or restrict eligibility for coverage.The states are going to make it harder to qualify medically for needing nursing home care, predicted Toby S. Edelman, a senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Theyd have to be more disabled before they qualify for Medicaid assistance.States might allow nursing homes to require residents families to pay for a portion of their care, she added. Officials could also limit the types of services and days of nursing home care they pay for, as Medicare already does.The 150 residents of Dogwood Village include former teachers, farmers, doctors, lawyers, stay-at-home parents and health aides a cross section of this rural county a half-hour northeast of Charlottesville. Many entered old age solidly middle class but turned to Medicaid, which was once thought of as a government program exclusively for the poor, after exhausting their insurance and assets.A combination of longer life spans and spiraling health care costs has left an estimated 64 percent of the Americans in nursing homes dependent on Medicaid. In Alaska, Mississippi and West Virginia, Medicaid was the primary payer for three-quarters or more of nursing home residents in 2015, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.People are simply outliving their relatives and their resources, and fortunately, Medicaid has been there, said Mark Parkinson, the president of the American Health Care Association, a national nursing home industry group.With more than 70 million people enrolled in Medicaid, the program certainly faces long-term financial challenges. Federal Medicaid spending is projected to grow 6 percent a year on average, rising to $650 billion in 2027 from $389 billion this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.Even if Congress does not repeal the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid will remain a target for cuts, experts say.The Medicaid pieces of the House bill could be incorporated into other pieces of legislation that are moving this year, said Edwin Park, a vice president at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington nonprofit that focuses on how government budgets affect low-income people. Certainly, nursing homes would be part of those cuts, not only in reimbursement rates but in reductions in eligibility for nursing home care.While most Medicaid enrollees are children, pregnant women and nonelderly adults, long-term services such as nursing homes account for 42 percent of all Medicaid spending even though only 6 percent of Medicaid enrollees use them.ImageCredit...Khue Bui for The New York TimesMoms and kids arent where the money is, said Damon Terzaghi, a senior director at the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities, a group representing state agencies that manage programs for these populations or advocate on their behalf. If youre going to cut that much money out, its going to be coming from older people and people with disabilities.The House health care bill targets nursing home coverage directly by requiring every state to count home equity above $560,000 in determining Medicaid eligibility. That would make eligibility rules tougher in 10 states mostly ones with expensive real estate markets, including California, Massachusetts and New York as well as in the District of Columbia, according to an analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.Dogwood Village receives about half of its $13 million annual operating costs from Medicaid, with rates from $168 to $170 a day. Some residents who come to the nursing home after a hospital stay are initially covered by Medicare, but if they stay longer than 100 days, that benefit ends, and those without savings move to Medicaid.You have patients who have spent their life savings, and they come here, said Kristen Smith, the admissions coordinator. Ms. Smith said patients now are older and sicker than they used to be, frequently arriving directly from a hospital.It used to be hips and knee surgeries, she said. And now a lot of those patients are going home. What were seeing is more complex, sicker patients.With cinder-block walls brightened by pictures of horses that evoke this equestrian county, the nursing home offers crafts, bingo and other activities.Mary Ann Mohrmann is 85, the average age of Dogwood Village residents. An elementary schoolteacher for 25 years, she has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder that has weakened her legs, feet and thumbs and compromised her fine motor skills.ImageCredit...Jeff Poole/Orange County ReviewTwo of her children have it, too, she said. None of them can take care of her at home. Ive been here years, she said. I dont know how many.Medicaid helps pay for care for people with disabilities, like Nancy Huffstickler, 65, who has been here for four years and regards herself as a medical disaster.She listed her ailments: spinal cancer in remission, restless leg syndrome, high blood pressure and multiple ulcers. She has had spinal reconstructive surgery and a hip replacement. She is undergoing physical therapy with the hope that one day she will be able to leave her wheelchair and use a walker.Ms. Huffstickler is fearful of Republicans health care changes. It may save the federal government money, but what about us? she asked.Major Medicaid cuts would compel Dogwood Village to cut staff, supplies and amenities changes that would affect the quality of care for all residents, not just those on Medicaid.If that does not save enough money, the nursing home might have to reduce the number of Medicaid residents, said Vernon Baker, who resigned as administrator in April. Its not like our toilet paper or paper towels are like the Ritz-Carltons, he said.Some residents do not even know they are on government insurance; administrators often complete the paperwork to start Medicaid once other insurance expires. Others are embarrassed that they are dependent on a program that still carries stigma.They should not be, said Jennifer Harper, the assistant director of nursing. Relying on Medicaid for nursing home care has become the new normal.These folks have worked their whole lives, some with pretty strenuous jobs, and paid into the system, she said. But with changes looming, she said, it may be a system that fails them. | science |
Street SceneDec. 17, 2015Philippe Dauman, now 61, has been the president and chief executive of Viacom since September 2006. He has received $336 million in total compensation, as of the end of the companys 2014 fiscal year. Some of that was paid to him in the form of Viacom stock, and his stock holdings are now worth nearly $200 million.Have Viacom shareholders gotten their moneys worth from Mr. Dauman?When he took the helm of the company, its stock was trading around $36. Now, its shares are around $43. That is a respectable gain of 19 percent or so, but during that same time period, the Standard & Poors 500-stock index has risen more than 57 percent.There is also the small matter of its fading luster. Since July 2014, when Viacoms stock reached a peak of $88 a share, it has fallen almost by half. Its incredibly successful Comedy Central network has lost three of its biggest stars: Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. Mr. Colbert has gone to rival CBS, Mr. Oliver to rival HBO and Mr. Stewart to a combination of retirement and HBO.In a recent research report, Benjamin Swinburne, a Morgan Stanley analyst, wondered Can Viacom Grow? Not really, he says. Mr. Swinburne projects that Viacoms revenue and profitability will both decline in the foreseeable future from a combination of shrinking ad revenue as a result of lost viewership at its networks, lower affiliate fees and higher costs of producing original content. Viacom reported around a 3 percent decline in subscribers at its major networks in a recent regulatory filing.Not to say that there isnt some good news at Viacom. Viewership at its Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels has improved in recent months, at the expense of the Disney Channel and Time Warners Cartoon Network. (There remain, however, worrying demographic and content trends, especially at MTV.) After two smallish cable operators dropped Viacoms channels from their lineups in 2014, a bunch of bigger cable and broadband operators, including both Verizon and Charter, renewed their agreements to carry the Viacom channels. DirecTV reached a new agreement with Viacom in October, and Morgan Stanley expects Dish to follow suit early next year. And what business wouldnt want Viacoms 32 percent operating margins?The truth, though, is that during Mr. Daumans tenure at Viacom, there hasnt been much correlation between his compensation, how he has managed the company and how its stock has performed. All that seems to have mattered for Mr. Daumans job security and his compensation from an outside perspective anyway has been how well he has managed Sumner M. Redstone, the 92-year-old chairman of Viacom and the companys largest and controlling shareholder. Mr. Dauman has been masterful at that task.In January, Mr. Redstone extended Mr. Daumans contract through 2018 and said of him, He has been an extraordinary C.E.O. over more than eight years, and his strategic vision and creative leadership have delivered consistently outstanding operational and financial results.The two men go way back. They met in 1986 when Mr. Dauman was an associate at Shearman & Sterling, Mr. Redstones law firm, and was working on a routine regulatory filing for him. That led to an advisory role in Mr. Redstones successful hostile takeover of Viacom in 1987, and then a seat on the Viacom board. In 1993, Mr. Dauman joined Viacom as its general counsel. He has been Mr. Redstones consigliere pretty much ever since. (In 2000, Mr. Redstone pushed Mr. Dauman out of Viacom only to bring him back in 2006 as chief executive.)And that relationship would be fine, I guess, unless you are a stickler for compensating a chief executive in line with company or stock performance. Unfortunately from a corporate governance point of view, there is much more to the relationship between Mr. Redstone and Mr. Dauman that is terribly worrying. Mr. Dauman is also a director of National Amusements, Mr. Redstones privately held movie theater company that controls his multibillion-dollar stakes in both Viacom and CBS. He is also one of seven trustees of Mr. Redstones generation-skipping, irrevocable confidential trust that will take control of Mr. Redstones Viacom and CBS shares when and if dies. (Mr. Redstone has claimed he will live forever.)Mr. Dauman is a walking conflict when it comes to Mr. Redstone. Mr. Dauman not only works for Mr. Redstone, he also will help decide what happens to his fortune, as well as the two companies, Viacom and CBS, that underlie it, when Mr. Redstone dies.And now, Mr. Dauman has a new conflict: He influences whether Mr. Redstone lives or dies. As the sole agent for Mr. Redstones advanced health care directive, Mr. Dauman has the power to act as his health care agent should Mr. Redstones primary physician determine that Mr. Redstone is no longer able to make his own health care decisions, according to an Oct. 20 letter by Amy L. Koch, a lawyer for Mr. Redstone at Loeb & Loeb.By all accounts, Mr. Redstone is not well. In a recent lawsuit questioning his competency, Manuela Herzer, a former girlfriend, referred to him as a living ghost. He has been prone in recent months to random outbursts of crying and his mental acuity has been questioned. On the other hand, he is 92, itself an actuarial accomplishment.Mr. Dauman visited with Mr. Redstone on Nov. 8 and reported that he although he had a substantial speech impediment, they were able to communicate and that he was engaged and attentive. They spoke about business matters, including the upcoming Viacom board meeting. They reminisced about Viacoms history and personal matters. According to Mr. Dauman, they watched a basketball game together and discussed a movie that had recently been screened for Mr. Redstone at his Beverly Hills mansion.(In a legal filing on Dec. 14, Ms. Herzer asserted that Mr. Daumans statement was riddled with falsehoods and that Mr. Redstones signature on a November document had been forged. She has asked the court to allow her lawyers to take Mr. Daumans deposition.)Mario Gabelli, the second-largest shareholder of Viacom with a 10 percent stake, has called for more clarity about the state of Mr. Redstones health. On Dec. 1, Mr. Gabelli posted on Twitter, Give to all shareholders what the board of directors know about executive chair, meaning Mr. Redstone. They have got to say something, Mr. Gabelli told The New York Times. You cant run a public company like this.In response to Mr. Gabellis concern, William Schwartz, a Viacom board member, said in a statement: As has been widely and publicly disclosed, Mr. Redstones physicians have publicly attested that he is mentally capable, and this information is consistent with other medical and other information available to me.But in addition to the issue about Mr. Redstones mental acuity and his ability to still serve as the board chairman of both Viacom and CBS, there is the weighty issue of Mr. Daumans multiple hats and the various conflicts of interest he has by wearing them.On that question, Carl Folta, Viacoms executive vice president for corporate communications, said the company and its board would have no comment. | Business |
March 10, 2017OTTAWA A judge who became known throughout Canada for asking a complainant why she could not just keep her knees together during a sexual assault has resigned from Federal Court. It was the latest in a series of episodes that have prompted questions about the handling of sexual assault cases in Canada.The resignation of the judge, Justice Robin Camp, on Thursday was a rare event in Canadas judicial system and followed the release of a scathing report from the Canadian Judicial Council recommending his firing.The judges misconduct was manifestly serious and reflected a sustained pattern of beliefs of a particularly deplorable kind, the council wrote in its report.The release of that finding and Justice Camps resignation followed an announcement by prosecutors on Tuesday that they would appeal the acquittal of a former taxi driver in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in another sexual assault case. The provincial court judge in that case concluded that the complainant who was found drunk, semi-naked and unconscious by the police in the back of a cab had consented to sexual activity with the driver. Clearly, a drunk can consent, Judge Gregory Lenehan had ruled.A day later, prosecutors in St. Johns, Newfoundland, said they would appeal the acquittal of a police officer who was charged sexually assaulting an intoxicated women who had asked for a ride home in his police cruiser.Next week, an Ontario court will review the conviction in a high-profile sexual assault case in which the judge wrote that the myths of rape should be dispelled once and for all. We cannot perpetuate the belief that niceness cannot coexist with violence, evil or deviance, and consequently the nice guy must not be guilty of the alleged offense.The judge, Marvin Zuker of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, also took the unusual step of ordering the assailant, Mustafa Ururyar, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison, to pay Mandi Gray, the victim, 8,000 Canadian dollars to cover her lawyers fees. That will be challenged in the appeal.Elizabeth Sheehy, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said the highly publicized sexual assault trial of a former radio host and musician had led to increased public awareness of how courts handle such cases in Canada. (The defendant, Jian Ghomeshi, was acquitted last year.)What were seeing is more and more interest in the country and a justice system that is beginning to respond, Professor Sheehy said.Justice Camps career was ended by his behavior while hearing a rape case as a judge with the Alberta Provincial Court in 2014. The council found that he repeatedly referred to the complainant, 19, as the accused and frequently suggested that she had not been vigorous or creative enough in trying to stop the assault. The judge also, the council concluded, expressed his personal disagreement with federal laws on sexual assault and the treatment of vulnerable witnesses.Justice Camp told the complainant that sex and pain sometimes go together, adding thats not necessarily a bad thing. (The defendant was acquitted in both that trial and a second one with a different judge that was ordered because of Justice Camps conduct.)Arguing to keep his job, the judge attributed his remarks to ignorance, not bias, and said he had since undergone training. His resignation from Federal Court, which does not hear criminal cases, took effect on Friday. | World |
Politics|Obama congratulates Warnock (and Abrams).https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/obama-congratulates-warnock-and-abrams.htmlJan. 6, 2021Former President Barack Obama commended the Rev. Raphael Warnock on Wednesday for winning election as the first Black senator from Georgia, casting Mr. Warnocks historic victory as an example of why civic engagement an issue Mr. Obama has long championed matters.My friend John Lewis is surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia this morning, as people across the state carried forward the baton that he and so many others passed down to them, Mr. Obama wrote in a statement, referring to the Democratic congressman and civil rights activist who died in August.That President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Georgia in November and that Democrats are poised to take both of the states Senate seats is a testament to the power of the tireless and often unheralded work of grassroots organizing, Obama wrote, and the resilient, visionary leadership of Stacey Abrams. Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, spent 10 years working to expand the Democratic electorate.Democrats in Georgia and across the country should feel good today, Mr. Obama wrote. But the past four years show us that even outside of election season and outside of races that garner national attention weve got to remain engaged in civic life.And Mr. Obama seemed to indirectly refer to Wednesdays events in Congress, where some Republicans, under the encouragement of President Trump, have objected to certifying Mr. Bidens Electoral College victory.In recent years, our institutions, our democracy, and truth itself have been greatly tested by those whove chosen to prioritize personal gain or political ambition over our democratic principles, Mr. Obama wrote. And even a good election will not eliminate those threats. | Politics |
The fragmented U.S. health care system has hampered efforts to expand coronavirus testing, by making it difficult for hospitals to switch to new labs with ample capacity.Credit...James Tensuan for The New York TimesMay 21, 2020When a stay-at-home order in March all but closed the revered labs of the gene-editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna, her team at the University of California, Berkeley dropped everything and started testing for the coronavirus.They expected their institute to be inundated with samples since it was offering the service for free, with support from philanthropies. But there were few takers.Instead, the scientists learned, many local hospitals and doctors offices continued sending samples to national laboratory companies like LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics even though, early on, patients had to wait a week or more for results. The bureaucratic hurdles of quickly switching to a new lab were just too high.Its still amazing to me, like, how can that be the case, that there is not a more systematic way to address a central need? said Fyodor Urnov, the scientist who oversaw the transformation of the Innovative Genomics Institute into a clinical laboratory.The inability of the United States to provide broad diagnostic testing, widely seen as a pivotal failing in the nations effort to contain the virus, has been traced to the botched rollout by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the tardy response by the Food and Drug Administration, and supply shortages of swabs and masks.Yet one major impediment to testing has been largely overlooked: the fragmented, poorly organized American health care system, which made it difficult for hospitals and other medical providers to quickly overcome obstacles to testing.Despite calls for more than a decade to create a national laboratory system that could oversee a testing response in a public health crisis, there is, in fact, little coordination among public and private health labs, said Scott Becker, the chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, an association of state and local government labs. An effort to create one 10 years ago withered away over time for a lack of funding, he said.We do not have a national laboratory strategic plan, Mr. Becker said. All of these things need to come together in an emergency.In recent days, President Trump has delivered a mixed message on testing, saying on May 11 that in ramping up, we have met the moment and we have prevailed, while a few days later, he suggested that testing was overrated and that the high number of cases in the United States could be traced to more prevalent testing.The picture for testing is slowly improving. The United States is completing more than 300,000 tests a day, double the amount of a month ago, according to the Covid Tracking Project. A new, high-capacity test by the manufacturing company Hologic is being shipped to labs around the country, offering the potential to double testing capacity in many cases. Some states, like California, Rhode Island and Minnesota, have undertaken widespread testing of residents. And the federal government is beginning to distribute $11 billion to support state testing efforts, which was authorized by Congress in April.When the Berkeley Institute didnt get the expected influx of tests, it shifted to work with the city of Berkeley and other local groups to conduct the kind of blanket testing of front-line workers and other at-risk groups that many public health experts believe will be necessary to safely reopen society.And companies like LabCorp and Quest, which were inundated with orders as the pandemic spiked in hot zones, have since cleared their backlogs. They, too, said they could be doing more testing, a mismatch that has complex causes, including an outdated sense by doctors and members of the public that the availability of testing remains scarce.Still, the level of testing in the United States is orders of magnitude less than what many epidemiologists say it should be. The country should be doing at least 900,000 tests a day and as many as 20 million to yield an accurate picture of the outbreak, they say. The need for extensive testing is even more acute as many governors have reopened their states before the epidemic has crested.Most testing is not done by public health authorities whose labs have been chronically underfunded but by hospital laboratories and major for-profit testing companies.Some of the biggest industry players, including LabCorp and Quest, have consolidated their influence for years, buying up smaller competitors and negotiating exclusive deals with insurers and large health systems.In many hospitals and doctors offices, ordering from major testing companies is built into electronic health records, making the request for test results from a leading company nearly as seamless as buying shoes from Amazon.As a result, it is much harder for labs like the one in Berkeley to join the national effort to ramp up testing.ImageCredit...Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York TimesRepresentatives of other laboratories, including at the University of California, San Diego and the for-profit Eurofins Clinical Diagnostics, said they were surprised when they heeded the call to scale up testing in March but were not sent as many samples as they could manage, even as public health experts complained that the country was not testing nearly enough.Theres all this talk about doing more testing, said Ryan Thomas, a co-owner of Centennial State Laboratory in Colorado, which quadrupled its staff in March and bought extra testing machines but has not received nearly as many tests as they have the capacity to process. We are here, and were here to help.Dr. Deborah L. Birx, who is coordinating the White House coronavirus response, has made the issue of unused testing capacity a major talking point. A team from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center recently sent a list of such labs to states. But the directors of several labs said they have not seen an uptick in requests since she highlighted the issue.We are now reaping what we sowed for the last several decades, said Dr. Geoffrey S. Baird, the interim chairman of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which operates one of the biggest academic clinical labs in the country. Its not a six-week solvable problem. Its not, buy more tests, get more swabs, and all of a sudden, were going to have a public health system.In normal times, scientists at the Innovative Genomics Institute at Berkeley spend their time advancing the gene-editing technology called Crispr that the labs founder, Dr. Doudna, is known for.But after the pandemic shut down the institutes research in March, Dr. Doudna called for volunteers to redirect most of the labs work to coronavirus testing. The country was clamoring for more tests, after all, and her lab was full of researchers with the technical skills to make it happen.Unlike many other major research institutions, Berkeley does not have a medical school or run its own hospital. So Dr. Urnov reached out to others in the area, who were still ordering from LabCorp and Quest, despite lengthy delays in processing results at the time.We would come to these entities and say, Hi, we hear you have problems, Dr. Urnov recalled. And they said, Well, you have to basically work with our EHR, the acronym for electronic health records.ImageCredit...Anastasiia Sapon for The New York TimesDr. David T. Pride, the director of the molecular microbiology laboratory at University of California San Diego Health, built a special lab to process the flood of coronavirus tests he expected to receive. But his lab is generally running 800 tests a day when it could do 1,200. He said competing hospitals have been reluctant to use his services or enter into the contracts required between major institutions.When things like this happen, where theres a need to come together, there isnt always the will for people to come together, Dr. Pride said.Eurofins, based in Europe, has 14 clinical labs in the United States. It started offering coronavirus tests to U.S. hospitals and doctors in March, but an executive said the labs were frequently operating at about half their capacity of 10,000 tests a day.Puzzled by the low volume, the executive, Dean Tassone, Eurofins vice president for payer services, said he wrote to a host of state and federal officials, including representatives of the White House coronavirus task force. He said he found it bizarre that so many governors have talked about a lack of available testing.The capacity is there, its simply not being utilized, he said. Theres this economic dysfunction thats occurring. Weeks after the company had reached out to New York officials, Gov. Andrew Cuomos office contacted Eurofins last Friday to assist with testing, the company said. Its labs will now provide testing for nursing homes in five of the states counties.LabCorp and Quest, as well as other large players like BioReference Laboratories and Sonic Healthcare, have competed for years to win the loyalty of doctors and hospitals, and to make ordering a test as frictionless as possible. Large health systems, which often run their own labs, have also gotten into the game, requiring doctors in the practices they have bought to use in-house labs.Theyre all trying to make ordering as easy and as paper-free as they can, said Jondavid Klipp, the publisher of Laboratory Economics, an industry trade publication.The biggest lab companies have also been buying up smaller competitors, and negotiating exclusive arrangements with major insurers like UnitedHealth and Aetna, part of CVS Health.ImageCredit...Rachel Woolf for The New York TimesEven though federal legislation has required that testing for coronavirus be covered, with no out-of-pocket costs to consumers, Mr. Thomas of the Centennial lab said that doctors who order coronavirus tests also often send out for tests of other viruses, like the flu, at the same time. Many insurers require those tests to be done by in-network labs like LabCorp or Quest.Adam H. Schechter, LabCorps chief executive, said in an interview that hospitals and doctors chose his company because were a trusted partner and have been in this country for over 50 years now. We have a lot of longstanding relationships.The large companies say they do accept the overflow from some public health laboratories. And a spokeswoman for Quest says the company is working on a plan to send specimens to smaller, independent labs that could process extra tests.Many of the smaller laboratories have since abandoned efforts to run tests for hospitals and doctors offices. Instead, they are focusing on broad-based testing of high-risk groups of people, like health care workers and nursing home residents, to help officials determine when it will be safe to permit residents to return to some semblance of normalcy.Dr. Bob Kocher, a partner at the venture capital firm Venrock who is on Californias testing task force, said the state is in touch with the labs at Berkeley and San Diego. While the level of testing so far is a little more than half of the states lab capacity, he expects that will change as the state reopens and more people will need to be tested. I think excess capacity today is ethereal and about to be used up, he said.The Centennial lab in Colorado is testing nursing home residents and employees of companies that are planning to reopen their offices. But Mr. Thomas said they could be doing far more.We have staff members willing to work the overnight, graveyard shift, he said. Were here, and we have capacity, and we are available to do the testing. | Health |
Health|The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal masking in schools this fall.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/health/universal-masking-in-schools.htmlThe American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal masking in schools this fall. Credit...Stephanie Keith for The New York TimesJuly 19, 2021The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new Covid-19 guidelines for schools on Monday, recommending that everyone over age 2 wear masks this fall, even if they have been vaccinated. Exceptions may be made for those with medical or developmental conditions that complicate mask wearing, the group said. The universal masking recommendation is a departure from the guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month, which recommends masking in schools only for unvaccinated people over age 2. Those guidelines heavily implied that fully vaccinated children and adults would not need to wear masks in the classroom although they also said that individual schools were free to implement universal mask mandates.In many other ways, however, the two sets of guidelines are similar. The A.A.P., like the C.D.C., emphasized the importance of returning to in-person learning.We need to prioritize getting children back into schools alongside their friends and their teachers and we all play a role in making sure it happens safely, Dr. Sonja OLeary, the chair of the A.A.P. Council on School Health, said in a statement. Like the C.D.C., the A.A.P. recommended a layered approach that combines a variety of measures to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. In addition to universal masking, those measures include vaccination, improved ventilation, virus testing, quarantines, and cleaning and disinfection, the group said. The A.A.P. laid out several reasons for its universal masking recommendation. Many students are too young to be eligible for the vaccines, which are authorized only for those ages 12 and older, the group noted. And universal masking could reduce overall transmission of the virus, helping to protect those who are unvaccinated. The group also cited concerns about more transmissible virus variants and the possibility that vaccination rates could be low in the surrounding community, which could raise the risk of an outbreak at a particular school. The A.A.P. recommended universal masking also because it may be difficult to verify whether individual students or staff members have been vaccinated.Some state and local officials have already announced that they will not require universal masking in the fall, and at least eight states have banned such mandates. The A.A.P. guidance stopped short of outright recommending vaccine mandates, but said that they may ultimately be needed. It may become necessary for schools to collect Covid-19 vaccine information of staff and students and for schools to require Covid-19 vaccination for in-person learning, the guidelines said. | Health |
Paige VanZant Engaged!! To MMA Fighter Austin Vanderford 1/28/2018 Paige VanZant just got engaged to her MMA fighter boyfriend ... and her last name ain't gonna change all that much. The UFC figther posted a photo Sunday of her guy, Austin Vanderford, getting on one knee to propose, with the caption ... "I said yes!!!" Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. The couple's been going out since at least this past summer, when she posted a photo of the two of them together in August with the caption "Mine." Mine, indeed. Congrats to the future VanZant-derfords! | Entertainment |
Business|FedEx Is Hit With Delays After Storms Across Southhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/26/business/fedex-is-hit-with-delays-after-storms-across-south.htmlCredit...Andrew Burton/Getty ImagesDec. 25, 2015Heavy demand and bad storms delayed some holiday deliveries at FedEx, forcing the carrier to add extra staffing on Christmas Day.FedEx Express continues to run limited delivery operations in some markets to deliver shipments that could not be delivered before Christmas due to unforeseen volume and severe weather in some areas of the country, Jim Masilak, a spokesman for the company, based in Memphis, said via email.Weather is frequently a problem around the holidays.United Parcel Service missed Christmas delivery deadlines in 2013 after bad weather and unexpectedly large demand. Walmart and Amazon responded that year by giving gift cards to customers who did not get their packages in time.The carriers performance this year has been mixed.The carriers are generally taking fewer days to deliver packages, according to StellaService, which measures online retail performance. FedEx averaged 2.9 days to deliver a package this holiday season, compared with 3.4 days in 2013 and 2.8 days last year, StellaService said.But during a tough competition for holiday dollars this year, online retailers have offered ever later cutoff dates for Christmas deliveries, straining carriers.In recent days, strong storms have hit FedExs hub in Memphis. The storm system, across the South, has killed at least 14 people.FedEx declined to say which markets were most affected by the delays. But the spokesman said that regional managers were given discretion to continue picking up and delivering packages on Friday as long as they think they are being productive. | Business |
Credit...J. Scott Applewhite/Associated PressJune 8, 2018WASHINGTON President Trump on Friday praised the arrest of a former Senate Intelligence Committee aide who is accused of lying to investigators about his contacts with reporters in an inquiry into leaks of classified information.The president called the former Senate aide, James A. Wolfe, a very important leaker. Mr. Wolfe, the committees former director of security, was arrested Thursday at his home in Ellicott City, Md.As part of its investigation, federal law enforcement officials secretly seized a New York Times reporters phone and email records going back several years.It could be a terrific thing, Mr. Trump said of the arrest, speaking to reporters as he left Washington for the Group of 7 summit meeting in Canada.Im a big, big believer in freedom of the press, Mr. Trump said. But Im also a believer in classified information. It has to remain classified. Mr. Wolfe was not accused of illegally disclosing national security secrets.It was the first known instance during the Trump administration of the Justice Department going after a reporters data.Reporters cant leak. You cannot leak classified information. At the same time, we need freedom of the press. But you cannot leak, Mr. Trump said, speaking to reporters. Previously, Mr. Trump has suggested that reporters should be jailed for publishing classified information.Mr. Wolfe made his first court appearance on Friday in federal court in Baltimore, about 15 miles from his home Ellicott City. Before the proceedings, he quietly reviewed papers with his lawyer, Christian Lassiter, an attorney in the Maryland public defenders office.He did not enter a plea and was released on several conditions, including that he turn in his passport, travel only in Maryland and, for legal proceedings, in the District of Columbia, and that not make unauthorized disclosures of classified information. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia.Mr. Wolfe, a former Army intelligence analyst, stopped performing committee work in December and retired in May.He worked closely with both Democrats and Republicans in a bipartisan fashion for more than 30 years on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the National Security Agency, and their secretive operations.The committees staff follows strict rules for the handling of delicate, and often classified, information for one of the most tightly secured committees in Congress. Mr. Wolfe would have been responsible for enforcing those rules. The committee is also conducting its own investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to the Trump campaign. As part of that, the committee has reviewed reams of classified materials related to the election meddling and met with current and former Trump aides.The investigation of Mr. Wolfe came to light this week after the committee said that it was cooperating with the Justice Department in a pending investigation arising out of the unauthorized disclosure of information.Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy, said Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman. This decision by the Justice Department will endanger reporters ability to promise confidentiality to their sources and, ultimately, undermine the ability of a free press to shine a much-needed light on government actions. That should be a grave concern to anyone who cares about an informed citizenry.Obtaining information a reporters records is considered an extraordinary measure that must be approved by top Justice Department officials, according to the guidelines for federal prosecutors. Per federal statute, agents must make all reasonable attempts to obtain the information from alternative, non-media sources.A Justice Department official who spoke on background because the matter pertains to an ongoing criminal investigation said that all regulations were followed.The Trump administration has been troubled by a flood of embarrassing leaks, and the president has pushed law enforcement officials to seek criminal charges against government officials who make unauthorized disclosures to the news media.Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been responsive. Last year, he said the department was pursuing about three times as many leak investigations as were open at the end of the Obama administration. The Justice Department under President Barack Obama prosecuted more leak cases than all previous administrations combined.Lawyers and journalism experts have argued that the Espionage Act applies to the person who leaks the classified information not to publishers or journalists. But the act is written so broadly that, in theory, it could apply to the news media.Mr. Trump has suggested that the justice system is not balanced in the prosecution of leaks. He reminded reporters on Friday that he thinks the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey is guilty of leaking classified information a contention the president often raises in his diatribes about Mr. Comey, whom he fired last year. Mr. Comey has denied making illegal disclosures. | Politics |
Politics|A federal judge in Atlanta denied a last-minute effort by Trump to decertify Bidens victory in Georgia.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/us/politics/a-federal-judge-in-atlanta-denied-a-last-minute-effort-by-trump-to-decertify-bidens-victory-in-georgia.htmlCredit...Audra Melton for The New York TimesJan. 5, 2021A federal judge in Atlanta on Tuesday denied a last-minute effort by President Trump to decertify Georgias election results, handing the president yet another courtroom loss just one day before Congress is scheduled to bring the presidential race to an official end.The ruling from the bench by Judge Mark H. Cohen denying the emergency petition brought the number of legal defeats that Mr. Trump and his allies have suffered since Election Day to more than 60. The challenges have spanned eight states and dozens of courts, and have become more desperate as the vote in Congress on Wednesday to formally certify the victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has drawn closer.In a complaint filed just hours before the start of the new year, Mr. Trump and his lawyers asked Judge Cohen to toss the verified results of Georgias presidential race, citing a litany of previously debunked fraud allegations. They claimed that officials in Georgia allowed dead people to vote, as well as unregistered voters, convicted felons still serving their sentences, and people who had registered to vote at post office boxes.Mr. Trump raised many of these false accusations on Saturday in an hourlong phone call in which he pressured Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to help him find just enough votes in Georgia to win the election. On Monday, another Georgia state official, Gabriel Sterling, held a news conference rebutting nearly all of Mr. Trumps false claims.Judge Cohen denied the presidents emergency request at a brief hearing on Tuesday morning that journalists were blocked from covering remotely. While reporters have covered most of the hearings related to election challenges from Mr. Trump and his allies by either phone or video, Mr. Trumps lawyers did not consent to allowing public access to the remote livestream of the hearing on Tuesday. | Politics |
April 1, 2016This was a bad week to be a lion in Kenya.On Thursday, a 2-year-old lion known as Lemek was found killed by a spear, the Kenya Wildlife Service said, one day after the services own rangers shot and killed a lion, whom they had hoped to tranquilize and capture, after it lashed out at a crowd that had gathered to gawk at it.The lion killed on Wednesday, a well-known 13-year-old called Mohawk, injured one person when it charged at the crowd and knocked him off a motorcycle, leaving him with bruises and lacerations.Yesterday KWS killed a lion. Today a community killed a lion. Setting a bad precedent goes a long way. We are destroying our future. Sham (@just_sham_it) March 31, 2016 Conservationists said a rail and road project that is cutting through the heart of Nairobi National Park, a nature reserve on the outskirts of the capital, was leading the lions to try to escape in search of quieter hunting grounds, according to Reuters.Both lions were killed south of the park, which has become surrounded by human settlement since it was established in 1946.Before construction started in the park, the lions were not escaping, so there are indications that the noise and blasting is affecting their movements, Robert Ndetei, species conservation manager at the World Wildlife Funds Nairobi office, told Reuters.The killings drew outrage in Kenya and online, and they highlighted the threat posed to wildlife by the loss of their habitat to expanding development.I had not fully appreciated the depth of my feelings about animals and the outdoors until I saw the video of that ranger slaughtering the lion in Isinya on Wednesday, wrote Mutuma Mathiu in a column for The Daily Nation, Kenyas largest newspaper, on Thursday. I felt as if he had, without cause, killed a close relative.Wildlife rangers discovered Lemeks speared body under a large thicket beside a dry riverbed near Old Kitengela township, 12 miles south of Nairobi, the service said in a statement. The area is roughly two miles south of the parks southern tip.Lemeks killing was prohibited by the Wildlife and Conservation Management Act of 2013, the wildlife service said. The assailants had not been identified by Thursday evening, but an investigation was underway.Humans and animals have had increasing contact as the population of Nairobi has grown and spilled over into areas that were once lightly populated. Some animals, like lions, cause concern when they wander off the reserve and into human communities.That was the case on Thursday, the wildlife service said. Earlier in the day it conducted an aerial search for three lions that had been spotted in the area of Oleshei, near the town where Lemeks body was found, it said. Those lions were never found, and it was unclear if Lemek had been among them, the service said.The lion population in Africa has declined by more than 40 percent in the last two decades, according to the African Wildlife Foundation. The park is home to about 35 lions, and about 2,000 lions are left in all of Kenya.That decline has largely been caused by the encroachment of human settlement on lion habitats, a decrease in their natural prey and an increase of conflict between humans and lions. The primary reason for lion killings is retaliation, it said, like when a farmer kills a lion to keep it from attacking livestock.The Wildlife Service said it would hold a public meeting next week to work with communities living near Nairobi National Park to mitigate human-lion conflict. | World |
Credit...Alex Wong/Getty ImagesJune 19, 2018WASHINGTON Lawyers for James A. Wolfe, the Senate intelligence staff member accused of lying about his contacts with reporters, asked a federal judge on Tuesday to order President Trump to stop commenting on the case or risk compromising Mr. Wolfes right to a fair trial.In their motion, filed in Federal District Court in Washington, the lawyers, Benjamin Klubes and Preston Burton, noted that after Mr. Wolfes arrest on June 7 that Mr. Trump told reporters the government had caught a leaker, calling him a very important leaker.The president, who has complained vociferously about leaks to journalists, said the arrest could be a terrific thing. He added: Im a very big believer in freedom of the press, but Im also a believer that you cannot leak classified information.But Mr. Wolfe, the longtime security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, has not been charged with disclosing classified information. He faces three counts of making false statement to F.B.I. agents, by denying that he had spoken to four reporters, including Ali Watkins, a reporter for The New York Times. Mr. Wolfe and Ms. Watkins had a three-year personal relationship that ended last year.Prosecutors said on Tuesday that they did not intend to subpoena reporters or members or staff of the Senate committee in the case. Defense lawyers said it was too early to say whom they might want to call as witnesses.Calling Mr. Wolfe a dedicated public servant and a decorated Army veteran, Mr. Klubes said after a court hearing on Tuesday that the Senate staff members Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury and his presumption of innocence have been jeopardized by President Trumps comments about the merits of this case.He said the defense was asking Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to instruct executive branch officials, up to and including the president of the United States, to refrain from further prejudicing the case with public comments.The rules for federal criminal court say a judge may issue a special order governing such matters as extrajudicial statements by parties, witnesses and attorneys likely to interfere with the rights of the accused.The party seeking to convict Mr. Wolfe of a crime here is the United States of America, Mr. Wolfes lawyers wrote in their motion. President Trump and senior Department of Justice officials, while not appearing as lawyers in this court, are unquestionably senior representatives of that party.Judge Jackson appeared initially skeptical of the request, saying she wondered whether the court rules would apply to people beyond lawyers and other officials directly involved in Mr. Wolfes prosecution. But she said she would consider it.The issue underscored Mr. Trumps freewheeling approach to the legal system. He has offered unrestrained opinions on the guilt of many people who have not even been charged with a crime, including Hillary Clinton, whom he defeated for the presidency in 2016, and James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, whom he fired.But he is not the only president to be accused of prejudicing a defendants rights. In 2011, President Barack Obama said publicly that Chelsea Manning, then accused of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks, broke the law.Supporters of the Army private, then known as Bradley Manning, argued that the presidents remark amounted to unlawful command influence on the case, since Mr. Obama was commander in chief and thus Ms. Mannings military superior. Ultimately, Ms. Manning was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in military prison, but Mr. Obama commuted her sentence after she had served about seven years. | Politics |
Credit...Department of Homeland SecurityJune 16, 2018WASHINGTON Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director and acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has picked a deputy at the budget office, Kathy Kraninger, to succeed him at the consumer watchdog agency, a White House spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday.The choice of Ms. Kraninger, who oversees the preparation of the budgets for cabinet departments, generated immediate opposition, with critics pointing to her inexperience in consumer and financial services issues and her association with Mr. Mulvaney. She was selected over the objection of some White House officials, who argued that her nomination could founder.The president intends to nominate Kathy Kraninger as the new head of the consumer bureau, which was created under the Obama administration to curb abuses by banks, the payday lending industry and other financial services companies, Lindsay Walters, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. Word of Ms. Kraningers likely appointment was first reported on Friday.On Saturday, White House officials played down the fact that she has never held a job as a regulator or worked in the financial services industry. She will bring a fresh perspective and much-needed management experience to the agency, Ms. Walters said, which has been plagued by excessive spending, dysfunctional operations, and politicized agendas. The Trump administration has criticized the consumer bureaus aggressive regulatory posture under its Obama-appointed director, Richard Cordray.The appointment of Ms. Kraninger, 43, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Marquette University and Georgetown Law School, prompted strong resistance from consumer advocates. Mr. Mulvaney has sought to drastically scale back the bureaus investigations and enforcement actions against lenders, especially in the payday industry.This looks like nothing more than a desperate attempt by Mick Mulvaney to maintain his grip on the C.F.P.B. so he can continue undermining its important consumer protection mission on behalf of the powerful Wall Street special interests and predatory lenders that have bankrolled his career, said Karl Frisch, the executive director of Allied Progress, a consumer group that has been critical of Mr. Mulvaney.Kraninger has absolutely no relevant experience that indicates she is qualified to be Americas chief consumer advocate, he added.Ms. Kraninger is also facing criticism from the right. J.W. Verret, a professor at George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School and a former top aide to the House Financial Services Committee, compared her nomination to the ill-fated confirmation process for Harriet Miers, the Supreme Court nominee chosen by President George W. Bush who was rejected by fellow Republicans as unqualified.This job is too important for word-of-mouth recommendation alone, he said.A senior administration official involved in the decision to pick Ms. Kraninger said her selection was intended to turn down the temperature at the bureau, and contrasted her low-key style with Mr. Mulvaneys confrontational approach.Still, the official described Ms. Kraninger as an enthusiastic supporter of free markets and could not cite any policy positions with which she will differ substantively from Mr. Mulvaneys deregulatory agenda.Ms. Kraninger specialized in homeland security matters before joining Mr. Mulvaneys staff at the Office of Management and Budget in March 2017.Last week, Mr. Mulvaney told reporters that he was not participating in the selection process for his new deputy. White House officials disputed that account and said Ms. Kraninger was his clear preference.Ms. Kraninger surmounted a key hurdle last week when a member of the National Economic Council staff, Andrew Olmem, signed off on her nomination, people close to the situation said.President Trump tapped Mr. Mulvaney to oversee the consumer bureau late last year, giving the brash former South Carolina lawmaker a mandate to dismantle the agency, which was created in the wake of the financial crisis.Ms. Kraninger has spent much of her career on Capitol Hill, including serving as the clerk for the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security and working with the House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.Another administration official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said Mr. Mulvaney had picked Ms. Kraninger because she was seen as more palatable, particularly to Democrats, than another candidate, Todd J. Zywicki, a conservative professor at George Mason.Mr. Trump intends to officially nominate Ms. Kraninger this coming week and hopes that she will be promptly confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Walters said. | Politics |
Credit...Du Yu/Xinhua, via Associated PressNov. 18, 2018DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Interpol gathered police chiefs from around the world in Dubai on Sunday to select a new president, months after the global crime-fighting agencys former leader was abruptly arrested by China on corruption charges.The agency is holding its first general assembly since its president, Meng Hongwei, who was also Chinas vice minister of public security, went missing in September while on a trip to China.After Interpol officials demanded answers from Beijing, and after Mr. Mengs wife, Grace Meng, revealed he had sent her an emoji of a knife to signify danger, it emerged that Mr. Meng, a Chinese citizen, had been secretly detained.The arrest of an official with decades of experience in Beijings security apparatus, who was at the head of an international organization, was a bold move even by the standards of the increasingly authoritarian system under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. China eventually said Mr. Meng was being investigated on charges of taking bribes and other crimes, as part of a sweeping anticorruption campaign under President Xi Jinping.Ms. Meng told The Associated Press from France, where she lives and where Interpol has its headquarters, that the bribery accusation was an excuse for a lengthy detention and that her husband was being persecuted for political reasons.In Dubai on Sunday, the acting Interpol president, Kim Jong-yang of South Korea, helped open the ceremony for the general assembly meeting, which runs until Wednesday, when the vote on the next president was to take place.A report from The Sunday Times in London said that British officials expected Alexander Prokopchuk, 56, a veteran of Russias Interior Ministry, to become the next Interpol president. It could not be independently confirmed by The New York Times.As more than 1,000 delegates from 192 member states began filling the main hall, the Interpol secretary general, Jurgen Stock, explained to reporters that the agencys rules did not allow for Mr. Meng to continue acting as president. Mr. Meng began serving as president in November 2016, and his term was due to end in 2020.ImageCredit...Kamran Jebreili/Associated PressMr. Stock said that Interpol received Mr. Mengs resignation letter from China on Oct. 7 and that the Chinese authorities had notified Interpol that Mr. Meng was no longer a delegate to the agency.It sounds a little technical, but again that automatically leads to the fact, according to our rules, that he is not the president anymore, Mr. Stock said. We had to take the measures to ensure the functioning of the organization.Mr. Mengs representatives say that Interpol accepted an unsigned resignation letter without any resistance and without evidence of his consent.Just over a week ago, Mr. Stock told reporters in France that there was no reason for him to suspect that anything about Mr. Mengs resignation was forced or wrong.He said that he had encouraged the Chinese authorities to provide information about Mr. Mengs location and legal status but that he could do no more because Interpols role is not to govern over member states.In addition to selecting a new president, Interpol member states are to decide whether to accept Kosovo as a full member, which would allow officials there to file red notices for Serbian officials that Kosovo considers war criminals.The red notices are alerts circulated to all member countries that identify a person wanted for arrest by another country. Interpol says there are 57,289 active red notices around the world.Interpol acts as a clearinghouse for national police services that want to find suspects outside their borders. The body, however, has faced criticism that governments from countries like Russia have abused the red notice system to go after political enemies and dissidents, even though its charter explicitly proclaims its neutrality and prohibits the use of police notices for political reasons.Two years ago, Interpol introduced new measures aimed at strengthening the legal framework around the red notice system. As part of the changes, an international team of lawyers and experts checks a notices compliance with Interpol rules before it goes out. Interpol also introduced an appeals body for those targeted with red notices. | World |
Middle East|Irans Top Leader Appears to Rebuke President as Election Nearshttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/world/middleeast/iran-economic-growth-khamenei-rouhani.htmlCredit...Arash Khamooshi for The New York TimesMarch 9, 2017Irans top leader criticized the pace of national economic growth on Thursday in what appeared to be a rebuke of the president, who had forecast prosperous times after the 2015 accord that lifted international sanctions in exchange for nuclear limits.The critical comments by the leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came two months before elections in which President Hassan Rouhani is expected to seek a second term. The comments suggested some tension between them as the vote draws nearer.We receive complaints from people, Ayatollah Khamenei said in the remarks reported on state television, as translated by Reuters. People should feel improvements regarding creation of jobs and manufacturing. It is not the case now.It is not yet clear who may run against Mr. Rouhani, a moderate cleric. While he is said to enjoy a longstanding relationship with Ayatollah Khamenei, the president is not well liked by some other hard-line conservative elements of Irans political hierarchy.In the 2013 elections, Mr. Rouhani won against a field of comparatively conservative rivals, partly on his pledge to negotiate an end to the international sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear activities, which had left the country economically weakened and isolated.An agreement between Iran and major world powers, most notably the United States, ended many of those sanctions in January 2016 in return for Irans verifiable commitments to peaceful nuclear work.ImageCredit...Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesYet while Mr. Rouhani has received credit for that achievement, Irans economy has not flourished as hoped. Moreover, foreign investment in the country remains muted and tenuous, leaving Mr. Rouhani potentially vulnerable to conservative critics who say he compromised Irans nuclear autonomy without any clear benefit.Mr. Rouhani and his associates have countered that Iran has improved economically compared with the era of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They also say many foreign companies remain reluctant to invest in Iran because of non-nuclear related sanctions by the United States, part of the long history of animosity between the two countries.Economists also have partly attributed Irans persistent economic weakness to reliance on sales of oil its most important export in a heavily glutted market that has left prices depressed.Punctuating that point, the benchmark grade of crude oil in the American market dropped below $50 a barrel Thursday to its weakest level since December.Ayatollah Khamenei appeared to express frustration on Thursday over what he described as the governments failure to achieve a resistance economy, a reference to self-sufficiency and less reliance on imports.He acknowledged there had been some economic improvements under Mr. Rouhani but also said that if the resistance economy had been implemented fully and widely, we could witness a tangible difference.While Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed the nuclear agreement, he also has expressed wariness about any step toward reconciliation with the United States, describing the Americans as duplicitous and malevolent.President Trumps election, his publicly stated contempt for the nuclear agreement and his hostility toward Iran appeared to reinforce the suspicions of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reacting to Mr. Trumps order last month suspending visas to a group of mostly Muslim countries including Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei sarcastically ridiculed Mr. Trump, thanking him for revealing Americas true face. | World |
Europe|Boaty McBoatface, From Internet Joke to Polar Explorerhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-mission-antarctica.htmlCredit...National Oceanography CenterMarch 13, 2017LONDON Boaty McBoatface is back, but this time its serious.The high-tech remotely operated yellow submarine, bearing a name that began as a joke, will begin its first mission this week through a deep current that starts in Antarctica and goes through the Southern Ocean.Boaty will navigate through underwater waterfalls and rapids on a two-month mission, collecting data to help scientists understand how global warming affects oceans. It will depart on Friday aboard the James Clark Ross, a British polar research ship, from Punta Arenas, Chile, and will head to the Southern Ocean.The scientists involved can only hope that Boaty McBoatface will find something that draws as much attention to climate change as the odd story of how the vessel got its name.That story started a year ago, when the Natural Environment Research Council, a British government agency, opened a public campaign to name a ship to replace the James Clark Ross.That plan backfired in spectacular fashion, with voters overwhelmingly supporting a name that failed to capture the grandeur that officials were probably looking for: Boaty McBoatface.To the dismay of many, the Science Ministry ignored the results of the poll and announced that the ship would be named after the naturalist David Attenborough.In an attempt to soothe hurt feelings, British officials acknowledged the Boaty McBoatface phenomenon by bestowing the name on a remotely operated submarine that would accompany the David Attenborough in collecting data and samples.Enthusiasm for Boaty McBoatface continued to run high on Monday, even though, as one Twitter user noted, its not a boat, and it doesnt have a face.The robot submarines missions can last for several months and include traveling thousands of miles under ice while reaching depths of about three and a half miles to measure seabed properties on an oceanic scale. The submarine can then rise to the surface to transmit data to oceanographers via a radio link.The British National Oceanography Center says it hopes Boaty will be able to make the first under-ice crossing of the Arctic Ocean.Construction of the David Attenborough, a project expected to cost 200 million pounds, or about $240 million, continues at a shipyard in Liverpool, in northern England. The vessel is expected to become operational in 2019. | World |
He shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries of forces that can distort the shape of an atomic nucleus, with implications for human-made nuclear fission.Credit...via Niels Bohr InstitutePublished May 19, 2022Updated May 20, 2022Ben Roy Mottelson, an American-Danish theoretical physicist who shared a Nobel Prize for revealing how the motion of protons and neutrons could distort the shape of the nuclei of atoms, died on Friday. He was 95.The Nobel Foundation confirmed his death. No other details were available.Dr. Mottelson was awarded the Nobel in physics in 1975 along with James Rainwater, a Columbia University physicist, and Aage Bohr, a Danish scientist whose father, Niels Bohr, was awarded the Nobel in physics in 1922.The three scientists discoveries about the nuclei of atoms had an impact on the development of human-made nuclear fusion, which generates energy by combining hydrogen atoms.Their research concerned a fundamental topic: the forces that shape the nucleus. Before their work, there were two prevailing theories. One said that the nucleus was like a liquid drop that it was essentially spherical and that the protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus behaved like cohesive molecules in a drop of water. The second theory was that the nucleus was ordered somewhat like the electrons that orbited it, with protons and neutrons similarly arranged in shells within the nucleus.Both theories had shortcomings: Neither was able to adequately explain the data arising out of experiments on atomic nuclei. For example, the liquid-drop model could not explain why nuclei sometimes had nonspherical charges.Dr. Rainwater had worked out some of the theory about the structure and forces in the nucleus in a paper published in 1950. Dr. Mottelson, working in collaboration with Dr. Bohr, developed a theory that the structure could be explained only by simultaneously accounting for the individual and collective rotations of the protons and neutrons a superimposition of forces.Their theory, which they published in three papers in 1952 and 1953, perfectly matched experimental data. It showed that the nucleus was not necessarily spherical and could be distorted that it can become football-shaped or plate-shaped, Philip W. Anderson, an American physicist and a 1977 Nobel laureate, wrote in Science magazine in 1972.Dr. Mottelson and Dr. Bohr later expanded their work, publishing two encyclopedic books, Nuclear Structure: Single Particle Motion (1969) and Nuclear Structure: Nuclear Deformations (1975). The books remain standard references.In awarding the Nobel to Drs. Mottelson, Bohr and Rainwater, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited their discovery of the connection between collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei and the development of the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus based on this connection.Ben Roy Mottelson was born on July 9, 1926, in Chicago, the second of three children of Goodman and Georgia (Blum) Mottelson. His father was an engineer. The family home was a place of lively conversation about scientific, political and moral issues, Dr. Mottelson recalled in an autobiographical sketch for the Nobel Foundation.He graduated from Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Ill., during World War II and, after joining the Navy, was sent to Purdue University for officers training. After graduating with a bachelors degree in 1947, he entered Harvard University for postgraduate studies in nuclear physics. There he studied under Julian Schwinger, the theoretical physicist who was awarded the Nobel in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics. With Dr. Schwinger as his thesis adviser, Dr. Mottelson obtained his Ph.D. in 1950.Receiving a one-year Sheldon Traveling Fellowship from Harvard, he decided to spend the time at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen (later renamed for Niels Bohr, its founder). Dr. Bohr was still working there, as was his son Aage. It was at this time that the collaboration between Dr. Mottelson and the younger Dr. Bohr began. (In a twist of science, the liquid drop model that was eventually made obsolete by the work of Drs. Mottelson, Rainwater and Aage Bohr had been proposed by Niels Bohr.)When the Sheldon fellowship ended, Dr. Mottelson received a two-year fellowship from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, which allowed him to stay in Copenhagen. He was then hired by the recently formed European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, which had been started in Copenhagen before it moved to Geneva.When the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Atomic Physics was founded in Copenhagen in 1957, Dr. Mottelson was hired there as a professor. He stayed there the rest of his professional life, with only a brief stint at the University of California, Berkeley, in spring 1959. (The institute, now called the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, moved to Stockholm in 2007.)He became a naturalized Danish citizen in 1971.The theory established by Dr. Mottelson and his colleagues on the shape of atomic nuclei came to be universally accepted. But, as often happens in science, it was initially met with some resistance.In his Nobel lecture, Dr. Mottelson recalled: I remember vividly the many lively discussions in these years reflecting the feeling of unease, not to say total disbelief, of many of our colleagues concerning the simultaneous use of both collective and single-particle coordinates to describe a system that we all agreed was ultimately built out of the neutrons and protons themselves.He married Nancy Jane Reno in 1948 and had three children with her, Malcolm, Daniel and Martha. She died in 1975. He married Britta Marger Siegumfeldt in 1983; she died in 2014. Information on survivors was not immediately available. | science |
Credit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesBy fathering hundreds, a giant tortoise in the Galpagos Islands reversed the threat of extinction. Another, earning the name Lonesome George, was unable to do the same.Diego the giant tortoise has fathered hundreds of progeny welcome news for his species, which nearly went extinct in the 1970s.Credit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesMarch 11, 2017CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION, Galpagos Of all the giant tortoises on these islands, where the theory of evolution was born, only a few have received names that stuck.There was Popeye, adopted by sailors at an Ecuadorean naval base. There was Lonesome George, last of his line, who spent years shunning the females with whom he shared a pen.And there is Diego, an ancient male who is quite the opposite of George.Diego has fathered hundreds of progeny 350 by conservative counts, some 800 by more imaginative estimates. Whatever the figure, it is welcome news for his species, Chelonoidis hoodensis, which was stumbling toward extinction in the 1970s. Barely more than a dozen of his kin were left then, most of them female.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesThen came Diego, returned to the Galpagos in 1977 from the San Diego Zoo.Hell keep reproducing until death, said Freddy Villalva, who watches over Diego and many of his descendants at a breeding center at this research facility, situated on a rocky volcanic shoreline. The tortoises typically live more than 100 years.The tales of Diego and George demonstrate just how much the Galpagos a province of Ecuador have served as the worlds laboratory of evolution. So often here, the fate of an entire species, evolved over millions of years, can hinge on whether just one or two individual animals survive from one day to the next.Diego, and his offspring, are part of one of the most high-profile efforts to keep Galpagos tortoise populations thriving. The tortoise, estimated to be perhaps a century old, is one of the main drivers of a remarkable recovery of the hoodensis species now more than 1,000 strong on their native island of Espaola, one of the dozen Galpagos islands.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesHis story stands in contrast to Lonesome George, who was perhaps the most famous Galpagos resident when he died in 2012, at about 100 years old. His species, Chelonoidis abingdonii, now lives only on T-shirts and postcards because George, found in 1971 by a snail biologist on the island of Pinta, never produced any offspring in captivity.An estimated 11 of about 115 known animal species have gone extinct since scientists began keeping records on the Galpagos. But the establishment of a national park, and the efforts of scientists, mean that extinctions are now a rarity. Which is why the death of George was such a blow.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesScientists did all they could to coax more abingdonii out of George and his mates. Only when George had died did an autopsy reveal it wasnt lack of potency that impeded his reproduction, but a more anatomical ailment affecting his reproductive organ.We dont like to talk about it, said James P. Gibbs, a professor of vertebrate conservation biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, and one of the worlds experts on the tortoises, only half joking.Dr. Gibbs had returned to the Galpagos that week from upstate New York to bring the stuffed remains of George and several expensive air-conditioning units and UV filters that would preserve the reptile in perpetuity in a mausoleum of sorts on one of the islands.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesBoth George and Diego had shells much smaller than many other species, and long necks to reach the few cactuses growing on their wind-swept island. In a way, those small shells were a curse on both their houses: Abingdonii and hoodensis were easy prey for the buccaneers and whalers who poured onto their islands in previous centuries and saw only defenseless, slow-moving meals that could easily be carted away.Nor did it help that the giant tortoises of the Galpagos can survive for up to a year in the hull of a ship, meaning they provided a near-endless supply of fresh meat as they were stacked below decks by the hundreds. They were even tossed overboard when a ship needed to lose ballast for a quick getaway.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesAmong those who dined on giant tortoise flesh: Charles Darwin.We lived entirely on tortoise meat, the breastplate roasted with flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup, Darwin wrote in 1839, near the peak of the tortoise plunder in which some 200,000 were killed or carried away from the islands.In the end, finches led him to the theory of evolution, not tortoises.He may have eaten his best specimens, Dr. Gibbs said.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesThe recovery of Diegos hoodensis species also brings up a quandary, one that perplexed Darwin during his adventures in the Galpagos more than a century ago, when he studied the fauna.As Diego produces more offspring, and as those he has produced reproduce with one another, the entire hoodensis species could begin to look like Diego.Evolutionary scientists call this process the bottleneck effect when survivors genes come to dominate the gene pool as populations rebound. Its particularly true on islands like Espaola, where tortoises from other lines will not breed with Diegos kin.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesTortoise experts were divided on what risk that presents for hoodensis on a recent afternoon. Dr. Gibbs called it a dangerous zone, where little genetic diversity could mean susceptibility to a dangerous disease or changes in habitat because of climate change.But Linda Cayot of the Galpagos Conservancy dissented, saying island species on the Galpagos have a long history of being decimated to just a few survivors that rebounded without incident like a population of giant tortoises that chose to live in the caldera of a volcano. After the volcano exploded 100,000 years ago, the tortoises bounced back and returned to the caldera.Every species came from a bottleneck, Dr. Cayot said. Its what happens in the Galpagos.Dr. Gibbs noted that another male of Diegos species, in captivity, is adding his own progeny to the gene pool, possibly even beyond the numbers of Diego. He has not been given as much credit, though, perhaps because he does not have a name. (He goes only by Male No. 3.)ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesTwo days later, the scientists attention was back on George, whose embalmed body was being revealed for the first time on the Galpagos.A kind of memorial ceremony was underway around dusk at the Charles Darwin center, attended by national park guards, air force officers and police officers. A government official stood to declare the tortoises body cultural patrimony of the people.Someone presented a death mask of George, made shortly after he had died.It is a great honor to receive this relic, said Fausto Llerena, Georges longtime caretaker, who spoke below a sign that read: Lonesome George: A legacy, a future, a hope.ImageCredit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesBut maybe the real hope was elsewhere at the Darwin center.Diego lounged in his pen with the females. His face was an old yellow color after four decades in the breeding pen, his shell looking like a house that could use a new coat of paint. He craned his neck to look around him.If you give him the chance, he bites you, warned Mr. Villalva, the breeding center manager.Before long, Diego had found a female. The act did not look easy, like one boulder trying to roll over another. January to June is the mating season, Mr. Villalva explained.But not that afternoon. The female backed off into the bushes, and Diego landed with a thud that sent dust flying. After a moment, he scooted away. | World |
Credit...Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesMarch 25, 2016BRUSSELS From his home in Tennessee, Levi Sutton has spent three days trying to figure out what happened to his half brother and sister-in-law, Justin and Stephanie Shults, who were at the Brussels international airport when the bombs went off.On Wednesday, the State Department told Mr. Suttons family that the couple had been found, without saying if they were alive or dead. Hours later, a Belgian social worker called to say that the information was wrong and that the Shultses whereabouts were unknown. Frustrated by the confusing and contradictory information, Mr. Sutton, a college student, has been posting pleas for help via Twitter.We tried calling the embassy, the Red Cross, hospitals, he said in a telephone interview. Were unable to get any information, he added. No one is telling us anything. All we can do is pray.More than 72 hours after the deadly attacks at the Brussels airport and a busy subway station, the Belgian authorities still had not published a list of the victims. Families across Brussels and around the world were left waiting for word, prolonging the agony of those already suffering and teetering between hope, despair and grief.Some official confirmations did come out on Friday but only a trickle.The 31 people killed in Brussels included Americans, Secretary of State John Kerry announced at a morning news conference here in the Belgian capital, though many hours later the State Department still had not released their names.Three Dutch citizens were killed, too, came the word from the Foreign Ministry in the Netherlands.The German police announced by the afternoon that a young woman from Aachen who was at an airport checkout counter when the terror attacks erupted there on Tuesday morning had not survived, though her husband did, and was being treated at a Brussels hospital. Around midnight in China, the state-run news agency named another victim: Deng Jingquan, a businessman who was known as Frank.By Friday, about a third of those killed had been publicly identified, mostly by relatives, workplaces or universities, and often through social media. The Belgian authorities said the process was slow because of the mutilation of many bodies, particularly at the subway, where the bombs did more damage because of the enclosed space.We need to have 100 percent certainty in the identification of the victim before we can identify someone, said Michael Jonniaux, a spokesman for the Belgian federal police, who are overseeing the gruesome task.Though some have questioned whether Belgiums fragmented and linguistically divided bureaucracy could be slowing things down, Mr. Jonniaux flatly rejected that idea. He cautioned against comparisons with other attacks, including the Nov. 13 massacre in Paris, saying identifying people killed in explosions is much more difficult than those killed by gunfire.After a plane crash, he noted, investigators begin with a manifest of who was onboard, but no such list exists for a subway. The fact that the victims, including at least 300 wounded, are believed to be from at least 40 countries, only complicates the notification process.I dont think we are taking longer than other countries like Spain or Britain, said Mr. Jonniaux, whose Victim Identification Team helped investigators after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine in July 2014 and after the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. The state of the victim is much different.The Belgian governments crisis center issued a statement responding to the families frustration, saying: It is imperative not to make a mistake.Mr. Jonniaux said his seven-member team had added 23 people after Tuesdays attacks.As rescue crews began sorting through the rubble after the morning blasts, victims from the airport were sent to a university hospital in the town of Leuven, while those from the Maelbeek subway station went to the military hospital in Neder-over-Heembeek in northern Brussels, which is also serving as a coordination point for relatives. The injured have since been scattered to 48 hospitals across Belgium, and some were sent to France.At the military hospital, a blocky concrete structure, the relatives of the missing must pass through two security checkpoints guarded by armed soldiers and police officers, and show identification. They are greeted by members of the Red Cross and officials from Mr. Jonniauxs identification team, as well as a psychologist to help shepherd them through the process.Relatives can help identify possessions found at the scene, such as eyeglasses, clothing or computers, though to call the body a match, the team requires DNA evidence, dental records, X-rays or digital fingerprints.We pick up everything that can be used as evidence, Mr. Jonniaux said. Anything that can provide a clue, such as a piece of jewelry or a valise.As of Friday afternoon, the list of confirmed dead included: Olivier Delespesse, 45, a Belgian civil servant killed in the subway. David Dixon, 51, a British software developer. Lopold Hecht, a 20-year-old law student and actor from Belgium. Loubna Lafquiri, a gym teacher at a Muslim school in Brussels. Bart Migom, 21, a Belgian student. Alexander Pinczowski, 26, and Sascha Pinczowski, 29, who were brother and sister of Dutch origin and on their way to New York. Adelma Tapia Ruiz, 36, a Peruvian mother of 3-year-old twin girls. Jennifer Scintu-Waetzmann, 30, a German newlywed leaving for her honeymoon in New York. Elita Borbor Weah, 41, a single mother who was a refugee from Liberia living in the Netherlands.On Facebook, the search continued as well. Have you seen this young woman? begins one anguished post, accompanied by a photograph of a smiling woman with long brown hair. Her name in Aline Bastin, Belgian nationality, 29 years old. She was very probably in the subway during the explosion. We are desperately looking for her if you have seen her, please contact us!Chandrasekar Ganesan enlisted a Facebook group for Indian expatriates in Belgium for help in finding his brother Raghavendran Ganesan, a software engineer, who rode the Brussels Metro daily to work. I have talked with people from the Indian Embassy, Brussels, and they told me that they are searching for him. They have also looked into many hospitals it seems ... but still there is no word of him as of yet, Mr. Ganesan wrote. Still there is no information. | World |
Sports of The TimesCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesFeb. 7, 2014SOCHI, Russia The party that is the Winter Olympics officially began on Friday night inside a new stadium on the shores of the Black Sea.The Russians brought out their best entertainment: top ballet dancers, dramatic re-enactments of Russian history, an opera singer whose voice was so strong it seemed to shake the Olympic stadium. It was so entrancing, and ran so smoothly, that it was tempting to forget what was behind the pageantry and sparkle. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, was hoping for that to happen. He said earlier Friday that he was longing for the Games to begin. And its no wonder. This week Sochi was like a party host whose guests had shown up way too early: just out of the shower, hair in curlers, no makeup, dirty dishes in the sink. Finishing touches, including some important ones, like bathrooms, were still being applied. Some housing was not ready. Some of it was less funny. One colleague witnessed city workers enticing stray dogs which are all over this city, though in rapidly decreasing numbers over the past week with meat, a meal that could very well have been their last.But all that should not overshadow the bigger issues of these Games, including Russias oppressive antigay law and its suffocating restrictions on freedom of speech. Those two issues cannot be lost amid the chaos surrounding these Games, and even the competitions about to begin.It is a certainty that at the same time athletes are celebrated for winning medals, some Russian citizens will be treated far less well cruelly in fact for speaking their mind or for being gay. Dmitry Chernyshenko, the head of the Sochi organizing committee, even tried to stifle athletes from speaking their minds about politics in official interview areas in the Olympic Park. But Bach, at his first Olympics as president of the I.O.C., quickly overruled him.That was not the first time Bach, who is from Germany, took a stand at these Games. He took a bold one on Friday, with the world watching.At the opening ceremony, during which he sat next to Russias president, Vladimir V. Putin, Bach gave a strong speech to kick off the Olympics. He made points that sounded like sharp digs at Putin and the law he signed that banned the distribution of so-called gay propaganda to children in Russia. In the most refreshing speech by an I.O.C. president in decades, Bach did not kowtow to the host country. He said the Olympics should set an example for human diversity and great unity. To the athletes, you have come here with your Olympic dream, he said. You are welcome, no matter where you come from or your background. Yes, its possible even as competitors to live together and to live in harmony with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason.ImageCredit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesHe did not have to come out and say it, but many people who heard him knew exactly what he meant. Most of the spectators were from Russia, some in parkas with their countrys name on the back in Cyrillic letters, others wrapped in the white, blue and red of their nations flag.As those people and others filed into the Olympic Park, I could not find a single person wearing Team USA gear. That was not a surprise, since the State Department had issued a travel warning for Americans coming to Sochi because of fears of terrorism. But I did track down four British men in Team GB coats, all of whom had been involved in the London Games two years ago.When I came into the airport, the woman who checked me in was miserable, and people dont seem very happy here, said Robin Money, a consultant and former director of sports marketing for Adidas in Britain and Ireland. But the opening ceremony is an important trigger. We learned that in London. After this, maybe theyll actually smile.He was partly right. By the end of the night, some Russians were beaming. Outside the stadium, as athletes from all nations marched into the opening ceremony, volunteers formed a cordon on either side of them. As each countrys delegation passed by, the volunteers cheered. Swe-den! Swe-den! Or Jap-an! Jap-an! And, yes, even U-S-A! U-S-A!Of course, they cheered loudest for Russias athletes. As they applauded, a stray dog was sprawled out behind them, chewing on a Sochi 2014 glove someone had dropped. | Sports |
Credit...Susan Merle, Oregon State University, CIMRSScientists set sail on a perilous expedition to create the first internal 3D images of Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano deep in the Pacific Ocean.The caldera and rift zones of the Axial Seamount off the coast of Oregon, depicted as a computer generated 3D oblique view using seafloor bathymetry. The red zone is the shallowest area, and the blues and purples are as much as 2 miles deep.Credit...Susan Merle, Oregon State University, CIMRSDec. 3, 2019This summer, the 235-foot research vessel Marcus G. Langseth set out into the ocean off the Pacific Northwest. Trailing the ship were four electronic serpents, each five miles in length. These cables were adorned with scientific instruments able to peer into the beating heart of a monster a mile below the waves: Axial Seamount, a volcanic mountain.The ships crew had one overriding imperative: Do not let the cables get tangled.If they did, its game over, said Sam Mitchell, a submarine volcanologist who joined the voyage.The ship belongs to the National Science Foundation, and is operated by Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Scientists aboard spent 33 days in July and August hoping to create 3D maps of the magmatic ponds and pathways in an individual, active submarine volcano for the very first time. If the researchers succeeded, they would provide a view of a hyperactive volcano that had never been seen. Charting Axials internal anatomy also would improve scientists understanding of underwater volcanoes all over the world, most of which still lie waiting to be discovered in the gloomy depths.The ship had to be steered carefully and couldnt be stopped abruptly, or else those cables could settle, drift and become entangled, like earphones getting twisted in your pocket, only with profoundly expensive consequences.ImageCredit...Sam MitchellToward the end of the Langseths month at sea, what seemed like a nightmare began when one of the cables broke. Scientists deep within the hull of the ship, in a room full of screens that recorded the data streaming in, saw several monitors turn black. The cables GPS data indicated it was definitely not where it was supposed to be.For all the scientists knew, it could be lost at sea, gone forever.Compared to expeditions to volcanoes on land, those like the Marcus G. Langseths take years to prepare and have several more zeros added to their price tags, said Dr. Mitchell. Losing an entire family of probes and sensors to the Pacific would have been a stressful and costly accident.You get one shot to do these expeditions, he said.All eyes on AxialThe Axial Seamount sits 300 miles off the coast of Oregon. Scientists have long had hints of its vast scale, but following sonar work by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the early 1980s, the light bulb went off: wow, theres a big volcano out here, said Bill Chadwick, a seafloor geologist at Oregon State Universitys Hatfield Marine Science Center, who was not involved with the expedition. It is far from the worlds largest volcano, but the walls of the horseshoe-shaped caldron at Axials peak are as high as the pillars of the Golden Gate Bridge. The volcanos main magma reservoir is two-thirds of the length of Manhattan, the same width, and taller than any building in the city.Axial is also, volcanologically speaking, no shrinking violet.Over geological time, a stationary mantle plume below the shifting Pacific tectonic plate has created a 1,120-mile-long line of submarine volcanoes, known as the Cobb-Eickelberg seamount chain. Axial, the youngest member of the chain, is currently sitting atop that hot spot.The volcano also sits astride the mid-ocean ridge separating the Pacific plate to the west and the Juan de Fuca plate to the east. These plates are moving apart. Ridges like this are the birthplace of oceanic crust; molten rock rises from deep within the Earth to the seafloor, creating profuse volcanic activity.ImageCredit...Sam MitchellThis dual power of the plume and the moving ridge helps make Axial the most active submarine volcano in the region. It was erupting long before humans spotted it. So far, three eruptions in 1998, 2011 and 2015 have been documented as they occurred.Axial is remote and deep enough that it is vanishingly unlikely to ever cause anyone harm, said Ken Rubin, a volcanologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. But a better comprehension of Axial will help blunt hazards at other volcanoes that do pose risks. These include Hawaiis Kilauea volcano, a veritable lava factory near plenty of people, and Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, which has shown how volcanoes growing out of the sea can trigger deadly mega-tsunamis.Axials hyperactivity and proximity to the mainland make it one of the most comprehensively researched and monitored submarine volcanoes in the world. It has been stared at by ships, visited up close by humans in submersibles and autonomous robot divers, and since late 2014, continuously monitored by an underwater observatory network known as the Cabled Array.The devils in the detailsAxials surface has been thoroughly studied, but what lies beneath remains far more ambiguous, said Annie Kell, a seismologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, who was part of the research effort.The only way to make sense of what happens when a volcano erupts is to peer inside. Earlier seismic scanning and listening to geological tremors have produced 2D cross-sections of parts of Axial, pinpointing key features like its faults, conduits, and primary and smaller magma reservoirs.Like physicians, volcanologists would be better placed to understand Axial if all of its volcanic organs, magmatic veins and geological bones could be precisely imaged and placed in true 3D which is easier said than done.ImageCredit...Steffen SaustrupGiving a land volcano a geological CT scan these days is relatively routine. Not so for underwater volcanoes. Their inaccessibility means that only part of the East Pacific Rise, a section of another mid-ocean ridge, has been subjected to the type of seismic scrutiny that Axials insides are getting, said Dr. Rubin.Key to the mission was a collection of pneumatic air guns, whose barrages of pressurized air created acoustic pulses. These pulses bounced around inside Axial before coming back to one of the many receivers on those cables, each of them drifting far from the ships own noise so as to obtain accurate readings.Those waves migrate through the subsurface differently depending on the properties of the rock they encounter. This behavior allows scientists to work out what is present within Axial, as well as how molten or solid each of its magmatic organs are. And with the Marcus G. Langseths more expansive and heavily equipped array of sensors, scientists would get their 3D view into an active submarine seamount for the first time.Praying to PoseidonAs the vessel orbited above Axial, 50 scientists, students, technicians and crew members made sure everything was going according to plan. Its a small city, in a way, said Dr. Arnulf.Data streamed in, but scientists had to take shifts watching the screens to make sure that it continued uninterrupted. It was a bit like a less thrilling version of watching the screens of green code in The Matrix.You barely see the sun, because youre often in the hull of the boat, said Dr. Arnulf. Spacing out was to be expected from time to time.Everyone played their parts, but luck wasnt always on their side. That snapped cable, perhaps caused by the tremendous physical strain it and the other components of the ships sensors were often under, provided an unwelcome dose of jeopardy.That was a very, very tense day, Dr. Mitchell added.ImageCredit...Sam MitchellFortunately, the cable was found clinging on, somehow still attached to the ship. Because it could not be repaired at sea, the team had to finish the mission with just three cables.At another point, the engine decided to throw a fit, requiring the team to power down the entire ship and spend the next 18 hours or so carefully reeling the four 55-ton cables back onto the vessel. The engine was fixed within an hour, but unspooling the lines again required another day. That stole two days from the cruise.Dr. Kell, choosing to stay back on land with her children, gave mission support to the Langseth and shared the crews moments of technological peril. With these sorts of expeditions, so much is on the line that, she said, you have to channel an inner peace, even though your nerves are like, oh my gosh, this is all about to go out the window!Dr. Arnulf was more nonchalant. I dont think Ive ever been on a cruise where everything goes smoothly, he said. Youre always losing instruments.For most of the students, it was the first time at sea, so it was important to keep them entertained, said Dr. Mitchell.Plenty of bets were wagered on ludicrous things, like how many eggs were brought on board (2,880) or how many springs were in a single air gun (24). Between shifts, people completed theses, wrote papers, read books. Dr. Arnulf, training for extreme sporting events on land, spent a fair amount of time in the gym.Curiosity killed the cruiseTechnical hitches werent all the team had to worry about. Local wildlife, such as fin whales, dolphins, sharks and sunfish had the potential to scupper the expedition.Officers on deck kept an eye out for aquatic interlopers while using hydrophones to listen underwater. Marine mammals are dependent on acoustic communications, so if any got within 3,300 feet of the ship, the booming seismic equipment had to be shut down. You are basically creating a sound in the ocean every 15 seconds, and its a big sound, said Dr. Mitchell.Younger critters triggered a shutdown of all the equipment if they were seen at any distance. To an infant blue whale, the pulses made by the ships array would be like screams in its ear.Those officers, understandably, had a lot of science-stopping power. Many things could jeopardize the mission, but Dr. Mitchell said it was surreal to think that half a decade of preparation could be nixed by a persistently curious baby whale refusing to leave the ships side.Stitching together a masterpieceVideoAn early 3D view of Axial and its magma reservoirs.Despite a few moments of chaos, the voyage achieved its objective. With the expedition concluded, scientists are now digging into all of the Langseths seismic slices and stitching all the data together to form a proper 3D view of Axials guts.It is already clear that the Langseths data has game-changing potential.The roofs of the primary and secondary magma chambers can be clearly seen in three dimensions. Their complexities are becoming clear: multiple horizontal wafers of magma, known as sills, streak through the subsurface. A previously discovered field of hydrothermal vents, some as high as buildings, has been found sitting above a newly identified third magma cache.As they learn more about what the crew of the Langseth found, scientists stand to better understand other volcanoes, particularly those hidden beneath the sea. A significant fraction of Earths volcanism happens at places like Axial, said Dr. Rubin, referring to the mid-ocean ridges, which collectively represent a spine of volcanism stretching about 40,000 miles around the world.But it wont be a breeze to finish this work. Years of processing and analysis lies ahead.There really is both a science and an art to processing and interpreting seismic data, said Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and volcanologist at Western Washington University. Compared to 2D profiles, 3D seismic data is an order of magnitude more challenging.The missions data might also help scientists better understand why Axial seems to be breathing.When magma is rising to the surface, volcanoes tend to inflate, and Axial is no exception. Using a special arrangement of pressure sensors beneath the waves, Dr. Chadwick and his colleagues found that if Axials not erupting, its reinflating.VideoThe sensor cables extended at sea.CreditCredit...By Sam MitchellRight after one eruption ends, the volcano immediately begins refueling for the next one, getting to roughly the same level each time before it blows its top.This rhythm allowed these scientists to predict the timing of its two most recent eruptions with ever-increasing precision. It seems fairly well behaved, at least so far, said Dr. Chadwick. The next eruption is predicted to be in 2020 or 2021. Whether or not scientists achieve this forecasting hat trick, these cycles of inflation and eruption will make more sense as Axials magma caches come into focus.Surface deformation is one of the main ways in which volcanoes of all kinds are monitored, from Washington States explosive Mount St. Helens to Hawaiis effusive Mauna Loa. With a more holistic model of Axial and its balloon-like behavior, scientists may better understand or identify the precursors of eruptions at these volcanoes, too.Dr. Arnulf said that members of the public can ask how an expedition to a volcano far from anyone benefits society in terms of financial gain or hazard mitigation. But, he said, anyone raising these questions might as well ask why astronomers bother studying the stars.For him and his colleagues, gazing into the Hadean labyrinths of a restless underwater volcano holds another, more visceral appeal.Its freaking awesome, he said. | science |
Deadly germs, Lost CuresThis sacred river offers clues to the spread of one of the worlds most daunting health problems: germs impervious to common medicines.Deepak K. Prasad, left, collected a water sample, while Rishabh Shukla, right, checked the temperature of the Ganges at Byasi, India, in the Himalayas.Credit...Published Dec. 23, 2019Updated Dec. 30, 2019GANGOTRI, India High in the Himalayas, its easy to see why the Ganges River is considered sacred.According to Hindu legend, the Milky Way became this earthly body of water to wash away humanitys sins. As it drains out of a glacier here, rock silt dyes the ice-cold torrent an opaque gray, but biologically, the river is pristine free of bacteria.Then, long before it flows past any big cities, hospitals, factories or farms, its purity degrades. It becomes filled with a virulent type of bacteria, resistant to common antibiotics.The Ganges is living proof that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are almost everywhere. The river offers powerful insight into the prevalence and spread of drug-resistant infections, one of the worlds most pressing public health problems. Its waters provide clues to how these pathogens find their way into our ecosystem.Winding over 1,500 miles to the Bay of Bengal, Ma Ganga Mother Ganges eventually becomes one of the planets most polluted rivers, a mlange of urban sewage, animal waste, pesticides, fertilizers, industrial metals and rivulets of ashes from cremated bodies.But annual tests by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology show that antibiotic-resistant bacteria appear while the river is still flowing through the narrow gorges of the Himalayan foothills, hundreds of miles before it encounters any of the usual suspects that would pollute its waters with resistant germs.The bacterial levels are astronomically high, said Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad, a professor of biochemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology. The only possible source is humans, specifically the throngs of ritual bathers who come to wash away their sins and immerse themselves in the waters.ImageIndias resistance problemBeyond the Ganges, India has some of the highest antibiotic-resistance rates in the world, according to a 2017 report from the governments Ministry of Science and Technology. Tests showed that about 70 percent of four bacteria species commonly found in hospital patients were resistant to typical first-line antibiotics. Between 12 percent and 71 percent depending on the species tested were also resistant to carbapenems, a class of antibiotics once considered the last line of defense.Other studies confirm the danger. An article in Lancet Infectious Diseases found that about 57 percent of infections in India with Klebsiella pneumoniae, a common bacterium, were carbapenem-resistant.But where exactly do these armies of drug-resistant germs come from? Are they already everywhere in the soil beneath our feet, for example? Do they emerge in hospitals, where antibiotics are heavily used?Are they bred in the intestines of livestock on factory farms? Do they arise in the fish, plants or plankton living in lakes downstream from pharmaceutical factories?Or are the germs just sitting inside the patients themselves, waiting for their hosts to weaken enough for them to take over?Research now being done in India and elsewhere suggests an answer to these questions: Yes, all of the above.But how drug-resistant bacteria jump from one human to another outside of a hospital setting is the least-understood part of the process, and that is why the findings from the Ganges are so valuable. Origins of drug-resistant germsAntibiotic-resistance genes are not new. They are nearly as old as life itself.On a planet that is about 4.5 billion years old, bacteria appeared about 3.8 billion years ago. As they fed on one other and later on molds, fungi, plants and animals their victims evolved genes to make bacteria-killing proteins or toxins, natures antibiotics. (Penicillin, for example, was discovered growing in mold.) The bacteria, in turn, evolved defenses to negate those antibiotics. What modern medicine has done, scientists say, is put constant Darwinian pressure on bacteria. Outside the body, they face sunlight, soap, heat, bleach, alcohol and iodine. Inside, they face multiple rounds of antibiotics. Only the ones that can evolve drug-resistance genes or grab them from a nearby species, which some bacteria can do will survive. The result is a global bout of sudden-death elimination at a microscopic level. Bacteria once susceptible to all families of antibiotics have become resistant to penicillins, then tetracyclines, then cephalosporins, then fluoroquinolones and so on, until nearly nothing works against them.When bacteria are stressed, they turn on their S.O.S. system, said David W. Graham, a professor of ecosystems engineering at Newcastle University in Britain and a pioneer in antibiotic-resistance testing. It accelerates the rate at which they rearrange their genes and pick up new ones.Eight years ago, Dr. Ahammad, a former student of Dr. Graham, suggested testing Indian waters.Until then, Dr. Graham said, I had avoided India because I thought it was one huge polluted mess. With antibiotic-resistant bacteria so ubiquitous, it would be hard to design a good experiment one with a control, someplace relatively bacteria-free.We needed to find some place with clear differences between polluted and unpolluted areas, Dr. Graham said.That turned out to be the Ganges.Healthy pilgrims, dangerous germsAlthough it is officially sacred, the Ganges is also a vital, working river. Its numerous watersheds in the mountains, across the Deccan Plateau and its vast delta serve 400 million people a third of Indias population as a source of drinking water for humans and animals, essential for crop irrigation, travel and fishing.Twice a year, two of Dr. Ahammads doctoral students, Deepak K. Prasad and Rishabh Shukla, take samples along the whole river, from Gangotri to the sea, and test them for organisms with drug-resistance genes.The high levels discovered in the rivers lower stretches were no surprise. But the researchers found bacteria with resistance genes even in the rivers first 100 miles, after it leaves Gangotri and flows past the next cities downstream: Uttarkashi, Rishikesh and Haridwar.More important, the researchers found that the levels were consistently low in winter and then surged during the pilgrimage season, May and June.Tiny Gangotri is so high in the mountains that it closes in winter, made impassable by the snow. But in summer, the areas population swells with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.Because the district is sacred, no alcohol or meat may be sold there. Devout Hindus are often vegetarian and abstemious.The riverside cities have wide flights of steps, called ghats, leading into the water, often with netting or guardrails. They help pilgrims safely immerse themselves and drink a ritual that is supposed to wash away sins and hasten entry into paradise.Souvenir stands sell plastic jugs so pilgrims can take Ganges water home to share.The most famous of the Upper Ganges pilgrimage cities is Rishikesh. Its streets are lined with hotels with names like Holy River and Aloha on the Ganges. Besides pilgrims, Westerners pour in for the towns annual yoga festival or to study in its many ashrams and ayurvedic medicine institutes.In 1968, the Beatles studied Transcendental Meditation there with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In his pre-Apple days, Steve Jobs pursued enlightenment there. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles have visited.Adventure tourists also travel there. Rishikesh offers river-rafting, mountain trekking, zip lines and paintball tournaments.The population is about 100,000 in winter, but in the pilgrimage-vacation season it can swell to 500,000. The citys sewage treatment plant can handle the waste of only 78,000 people, Dr. Ahammad said. The government deploys many portable toilets, but the slightest rainstorm can send sewage cascading into the river. In 2014, Dr. Graham and Dr. Ahammad found the clean-versus-dirty line in the Ganges to be at its starkest at Rishikesh.Upstream, the water was fairly clean both summer and winter, but downstream in summer, the levels of bacteria with drug-resistance genes were astounding. The levels of NDM-1 a drug-resistance gene that was first discovered in India and whose first two initials stand for New Delhi were 20 times higher.That finding has led the researchers to several conclusions. The resistant bacteria in the water had to have come from people specifically, from their intestines.Perhaps more intriguing, those people were fairly healthy most were hale and hearty enough to be pilgrims, yoga students or river-rafters. Presumably, Dr. Ahammad and Dr. Graham explained, the healthy travelers bad gut flora were held in check by their good flora. At least 1,000 bacterial species have been found colonizing human intestines. A healthy individual has at least 150 species, all competing with one another for space and food.People can shed the bacteria they carry into the Ganges, Dr. Ahammads and Dr. Grahams research shows. Then, if someone else picks them up, then falls ill and is given antibiotics, the persons good bacteria can be killed and the bad ones have an opportunity to take over.Pilgrimage areas, Dr. Ahammad and Dr. Graham wrote, are potential hot spots for antibiotic-resistance transmission at large scales.We are not telling people to stop rituals theyve done for thousands of years, Dr. Ahammad said. But the government should do more to control the pollution and protect them.What will be required, he said, is an Indian equivalent of the Clean Water Act, which provided billions of federal dollars to build hundreds of sewage treatment plants across the United States.And even that, he explained, would not be enough. While tertiary sewage treatment can kill or remove resistant bacteria, it doesnt destroy free-floating DNA.That technology hasnt been invented yet, said Mr. Shukla, who is working to invent it.A continuing riskIn the meantime, pilgrims will continue to be at risk, trusting in the gods to protect them.Ganga is our mother drinking her water is our fate, said Jairam Bhai, a large, jovial 65-year-old food vendor who held two small jugs as he waited to descend into the water in Gangotri. If you have faith, you are safe.We dont follow bacteria, we dont think about it, added Jagdish Vaishnav, a 30-year-old English teacher who said he swam and drank the water in Rishikesh, Haridwar and even in Varanasi, where torrents of raw sewage can be seen flowing into the river. Devout Hindus go there to die so that they can be cremated on the ghats or on floating rafts and have their ashes strewn on the water to free them from the cycle of death and rebirth. Up high in Gangotri, the priests on the banks say they are well aware of the dangers downstream.Below Haridwar, I believe there are chances of disease, said Basudev Semwal, 50. Thats why we publicize that people should come here because its cleaner.His companion, Suraj Semwal, 44, said the government should do more. If all Hindu religious figures could get together, they might be able to demand a cleanup, he said. But the many Hindu religious orders are not hierarchical like those of Roman Catholicism, which has a pope.Everyone has their own voice, so they cant speak together, he said.In Canada, he said he had heard, There is a river where you can get fined if you even touch it and its just a river, not holy at all. Here we have a holy river, and its very dirty and nothing is being done. | Health |
He pioneered a new branch of emergency medicine when emergency rooms are nowhere to be found and helped compile the definitive textbook on health care in the wild.Credit...Sue CoppaJuly 19, 2021Dr. Paul Auerbach, an emergency care physician who pioneered the field of wilderness medicine in the 1980s and then taught ways to heal people injured by the unpredictable, died on June 23 at his home in Los Altos, Calif. He was 70.His wife, Sherry Auerbach, said the cause was brain cancer.Out in the wild, knowing how to treat a venomous snake bite or a gangrenous infection can mean the difference between life and death. In the 1970s, however, the specialized field of health care known as wilderness medicine was still in its infancy. Then Dr. Auerbach showed up.A medical student at Duke University at the time, he went to work in 1975 with the Indian Health Service on a Native American reservation in Montana, and the experience was revelatory.We saw all kinds of cases that I would have never seen at Duke or frankly anywhere else except on the reservation, Dr. Auerbach said in a recent interview given to Stanford University, where he worked for many years. Snakebites. Drowning. Lightning strike.And I just thoroughly enjoyed it, he continued. Taking care of people with very limited resources.Back at Duke he tried to learn more about outdoor medicine, but he struggled to find resource material.I kept going back to literature to read, but there was no literature, he said. If I wanted to read about snake bites, I was all over the place. If I wanted to read about heat illness, I was all over the place. So I thought, Huh, maybe Ill do a book on wilderness medicine.Dr. Auerbach started researching material for the book in 1978, when he began his medical residency at U.C.L.A., finding the time to do so despite grueling 12-hour hospital shifts. He collected information about how to treat burn wounds, hypothermia, frostbite and lightning injuries. He interviewed hikers, skiers and divers. And he assigned chapters to doctors who were passionate about the outdoors.The resulting book, Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies, which he edited with a colleague, Edward Geehr, was published in 1983 and is widely considered the definitive textbook in the field, with sections like Protection From Blood-Feeding Arthropods and Aerospace Medicine: The Vertical Frontier. Updated by Dr. Auerbach over 30 years, it is in its seventh edition and now titled Auerbachs Wilderness Medicine.Paul literally conceived of this subspecialty of medicine, said Dr. Andra Blomkalns, chair of emergency medicine at Stanford. At the time, there wasnt a recognition that things happen when youre out doing things. He developed this notion of, Things happen to people all the time. Which is now a big part of our identity in emergency medicine.In the early 1980s, hearing from doctors and nurses with similar interests in outdoor medicine, Dr. Auerbach founded the Wilderness Medical Society with Dr. Geehr and Dr. Ken Kizer. The group is now the largest membership organization in its field and has hosted events like a trek to a Mount Everest base camp and a trip to a station in the Utah desert that simulates life on Mars.Dr. Auerbach joined Stanford as chief of its emergency medicine division in 1991. He left the university four years later to work in the private health care sector before returning to the university in 2005 and remaining there until his retirement earlier this year.He became an elder statesman in his field. He spoke at conferences around the world, in one case describing how the erectile-dysfunction pill Viagra can be used to treat high altitude pulmonary edema because it reduces artery pressure.At Stanford, Dr. Auerbach encouraged his students, foremost, to respect the outdoors.When house staff and residents and young doctors say, How do I learn wilderness medicine? My very first answer to them always is, Learn the wilderness first, he said in the Stanford interview. Because you cant help anybody if youre just scrambling to keep yourself alive.ImageCredit...Chuck Liddy/The News & ObserverIn 2010, when an earthquake devastated Haiti, Dr. Auerbach traveled to the country with a team of emergency medical workers, and despite his years of experience, he found the trip harrowing. A few years later, when an earthquake hit Nepal, he went there to assist with emergency care and later helped establish a hospital there.Dr. Auerbach said it was imperative never to get too comfortable when dealing with the whims of nature. You have to be afraid when you go into work, he said. You have to stay humble.Paul Stuart Auerbach was born on Jan. 4, 1951, in Plainfield, N.J. His father, Victor, was a patents manager for Union Carbide. His mother, Leona (Fishkin) Auerbach, was a teacher. Paul was on his high school wrestling team and grew up spending summers on the Jersey Shore.He graduated from Duke in 1973 with a bachelors degree in religion and then enrolled in Dukes medical school. He met Sherry Steindorf at U.C.L.A., and they were married in 1982. (In the 1980s he worked part-time as a sportswear model.) Dr. Auerbach studied at Stanfords business school shortly before joining the universitys medical faculty in 1991.In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Brian and Daniel; a daughter, Lauren Auerbach Dixon; his mother; a brother, Burt; and a sister, Jan Sherman.As he grew older, Dr. Auerbach became increasingly devoted to expanding the field of wilderness medicine to account for the uncertainties of a new world. In revising his textbook, he added sections about handling environmental disasters, and, with Jay Lemery, he wrote Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health, published in 2017.Last year, shortly before he received his cancer diagnosis, the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold, and Dr. Auerbach decided to act.The minute it all first happened, he started working on disaster response, his wife said. Hospitals were running out of PPE. He was calling this person and that person to learn as much as he could. He wanted to find out how to design better masks and better ventilators. He never stopped. | Health |
Credit...Franck Robichon/European Pressphoto AgencyDec. 18, 2015TOKYO Japans central bank announced a small but perhaps symbolically significant change to its stimulus efforts on Friday, earmarking 300 billion yen a year, or $2.4 billion, to buy shares in companies that expand the economy by investing in their factories or by raising workers pay.Coming just two days after the United States Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since the financial crisis, the move emphasized the growing divergence between tighter monetary policy in the United States and the ultra-accommodative stance of Japan. The banks governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, said the timing of the two decisions was merely coincidental.Mr. Kuroda said the move did not amount to an expansion of monetary policy the banks basic formula for managing the money supply and influencing growth and prices. The central bank, the Bank of Japan, did not change the overall scale of an asset-purchasing program that is its mainstay monetary policy tool.Instead, Mr. Kuroda said, the bank wants to refine its existing program, which analysts say has beaten back but not yet defeated the deflation that has haunted Japan for two decades.The business environment is favorable, but there are still differences in the way companies have responded, Mr. Kuroda said. The B.O.J. is doing what it can to support capital spending and investment in human resources.By focusing on companies that invest in production and workers, Mr. Kuroda was addressing a stubborn obstacle to his efforts to promote consumption and stoke inflation: Many businesses are defensively hoarding cash rather than injecting it back into the economy. That has kept a lid on wages and prices, forcing the bank to postpone a goal of achieving around 2 percent inflation.The B.O.J. is sending the message through the market: Please cooperate, said Masamichi Adachi, a former central bank official who is now an analyst at JPMorgan Chase.The central bank also on Friday extended the average maturity of the government bonds it buys from a range of seven to 10 years to seven to 12 years, in what Mr. Kuroda called a technical adjustment.Investors seemed unsure what to make of Fridays moves, which were less assertive than others made by Mr. Kuroda since he took over as central bank chief in early 2013. His mandate was to overturn the banks previously cautious approach and take it into a new dimension of aggressive monetary expansion.The Nikkei 225 average jumped immediately after the announcement on Friday and the yen fell against the dollar, but both moves were soon reversed. Japanese stocks closed nearly 2 percent lower on the day.The Bank of Japan already buys 3 trillion of equities a year under its existing asset-purchasing program, as well as tens of trillions of yen of government bonds and other financial instruments. That is many times more than it set aside with the new stock-buying program that it announced on Friday and said would begin in April.And unless the bank raises its target for overall monetary expansion by the time the additional buying starts, it will have to reduce its accumulation of other assets to make room, weakening the effect on financial markets.The substance is pretty small, really just fine-tuning, said Ayako Sera, a strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. The bank calls its policy qualitative and quantitative easing, and this time the impression is there was a small alteration on the qualitative side.Nonetheless, it came as a surprise, Ms. Sera added, because few investors had expected the bank to take any action at all.The bank has left its policy settings unchanged for months, despite softening prices, to the disappointment of some analysts and investors. Its last major monetary expansion occurred more than a year ago, in October 2014.Mr. Adachi, of JPMorgan, said that if nothing else, the bank had sent a message that it was still actively looking for new ways to support the economy.The B.O.J. doesnt want markets to conclude that its never going to ease again, he said.Mr. Kuroda seemed to concede that point at a news conference after the policy announcement. Referring to a view expressed by some critics that the bank had effectively run out of ammunition in its stimulus drive it is now buying up a majority of the bonds that the government puts on the market he said, I dont believe that qualitative and quantitative easing will reach a limit anytime soon.In its announcement, the bank said the new stock-buying initiative would target index funds composed of stocks issued by firms that are proactively making investment in physical and human capital.The program, it said, would start by buying funds that track the JPX-Nikkei Index 400, a relatively new index made up of Japanese companies that are judged to meet high standards of governance and profitability. | Business |
TrilobitesCredit...Emmanuel Coupe-KalomirisMarch 8, 2016What looks like a page ripped from an aliens dream journal is actually a frozen lake containing methane bubbles trapped in icy cells in Alberta, Canada. In January and February when the lake has frozen over and abrasive winter winds have polished the ice, visitors can peer through a window into one of Earths most mesmerizing natural prisons.Over the past couple of months visits with these gaseous captives at Abraham Lake and a number of other locations have left photographers spellbound, scattering mementos of their otherworldly encounters all over the Internet.Some years the bubbles are few and hard to find, but this year they covered the lake, making it look like something from fiction, wrote one of these photographers, Rachel Jones Ross, of her experience at Abraham Lake. I had heard about them before and seen pictures online, but nothing would have prepared me for how surreal it feels to walk across this frozen lake.Curious commenters on the photos that have appeared on Instagram under tags such as #methanebubbles or less scientifically, #lovely, have asked how this can be real. Its far from the first time this question has emerged it seems that at some point, every winter for the past few years, a photo or video of the phenomenon begins to spiral its way across the Internet. This year, one of the standouts was an image taken by Ms. Ross, who figured out how to illuminate the lake from below at night.ImageCredit...Rachel Jones RossThe answer to the how and why of this and this begins with bacteria in the mud at the bottom of the lake munching on dead plants and other organic matter. This releases methane gas. As the methane attempts to escape, it bubbles toward the frozen surface of the lake and gets trapped beneath the ice.Although the winds which keep the surface of man-made Abraham Lake clear have made it a particularly good spot to see the bubbles, thousands of other lakes support this phenomenon according to Katey M. Walter Anthony, a scientist at The University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has identified similar patterns at natural and man-made lakes in Minnesota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, Russia, Greenland and beyond. In Canada, Vermillion Lakes and Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park bubble beautifully too.Dr. Walter Anthony studies these bubbles, not because of their striking aesthetics, but the because methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Warming in the Arctic is causing the once-frozen ground there, known as permafrost, to thaw across millions of acres. An immense amount of organic material is trapped in the permafrost, and after it thaws, bacteria can break it down, releasing methane or carbon dioxide, depending on how wet the area is. Dr. Walter Anthony is trying to determine how much the release of these gases will intensify global warming.She first happened across the bubbles by accident in Siberia when the lake she was studying in warmer weather froze over. She told New York Times reporter Justin Gillis in 2011:ImageCredit...Rachel Jones RossI went out on the ice, this black ice, and it looked like the starry night sky. You could see these bubble clusters everywhere. I realized aha! this is where all the methane is. (View a slide show of her at work setting bubble traps.)The increasing rapidity at which these photos spread through social media has meant that a wide array of people across the globe are learning about them and finding their own potentially precarious ways to get up close to the bubbles.Its an eerie experience because the lake is so clear that you can see down to the bottom; if there are no cracks or bubbles to use as a reference you cant tell how thick the ice is, and it feels as though you could fall through at any moment, wrote Ms. Ross, who is a Ph.D candidate in experimental psychology at the University of Calgary. She said she wore spikes on her shoes so as not to be swept away by wind when capturing her image of her feet.Falling through is actually a real concern.January is probably the safest, said Madeleine Ernst, who is the proprietor of the nearby Aurum Lodge, which offers tours of the lake. In mid-February the ice begins to thaw, meaning it gets more dangerous. Mr. Ernst said Thursday, that as it has now warmed to the point that she no longer could spot any bubbles.Visitors often wonder of another danger: flammability. When methane finally reaches the air and mixes with oxygen, it can ignite with the spark of a match as you can see in this video, shot at a lake in Norway in 2014. Rune Pettersen, a YouTube experimenter, punctured the ice to release methane into the air before lighting it with a match.Eventually around 3:39 he heats a coffee kettle on a boiling lake.Although it may be too windy on Lake Abraham to ignite broken bubble pockets with a flame, it is possible elsewhere. However, if case youre curious, Dr. Walter Anthony wrote in an email that It is not possible to blow up a whole frozen lake. (She can also be spotted on YouTube lighting bubbles on fire.) | science |
Credit...Mark Peters/Extraordinary Chambers in The Courts of Cambodia, via Associated PressNov. 16, 2018PHNOM PENH, Cambodia They were neighbors, two elderly retirees tending their gardens and playing with their grandchildren, hoping that the world would let bygones be bygones and forget they had been leaders of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime.But their retirement did not last. Eleven years after their arrest, and after a long and expensive trial, they stand as the only surviving members of a tight-knit Communist leadership to be held responsible for the killing of at least 1.7 million of their countrymen from 1975 to 1979. On Friday, a tribunal found them guilty of genocide.One of them, Khieu Samphan, 87, was once an admired, incorruptible schoolteacher and member of Cambodias Parliament, who fled arrest for his leftist views in the 1960s and joined the young insurgent movement in the countryside. Suave and multilingual, he later became the international face of the Khmer Rouge as its nominal head of state.The other, Nuon Chea, 92, the movements ideologue, was perhaps the truest believer in its attempt to turn Cambodia into an agrarian utopia, killing off its educated people and reorganizing the country into what amounted to a nationwide labor camp. Known as Brother No. 2 to the late Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, Mr. Nuon Chea had command responsibility over a wave of murderous purges. He later assured an interviewer that we only killed the bad people, not the good.After the Khmer Rouge were ousted by a Vietnamese invasion, they retreated to the jungles, where they became once again an insurgent army in a civil war. Their leadership collapsed in 1998 after a series of defections to the government.When Mr. Nuon Chea and Mr. Khieu Samphan defected that year, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who himself had been a lower-ranking Khmer Rouge cadre, greeted them with handshakes and counseled his countrymen, in an unfortunate phrase, to dig a hole and bury the past.They were billeted in a luxury hotel, where the comforts included fruit baskets. But before they could absorb this warm welcome, they were besieged by a gantlet of jostling, shouting reporters outside the hotel.Theyre going to start a riot! exclaimed Mr. Nuon Chea, a frail, bent man who walked with a cane and peered at the world through large dark glasses.Mr. Khieu Samphan, ready to embark on a fresh new life, had dyed his white hair a rich chestnut brown, as if hoping to reclaim the respectability he had known as the Khmer Rouges chief diplomat.At a noisy news conference, which I was covering for The New York Times, he presented his formula for the post-Khmer Rouge years. Let bygones be bygones, he said.To say who is wrong and who is right and who is doing this and who is doing that, et cetera he added, his sentence trailing off. Please dont stir things up.Claiming only now to have learned of the atrocities committed under his command, Mr. Khieu Samphan said, It is normal that those who have lost their families, that they what to say feel some resentment.Pressed by reporters, he mumbled a reluctant apology: Sorry, very sorry.Asked whether he, too, had an apology, Mr. Nuon Chea offered what seemed a glimpse into a very strange mind-set, saying: We are very sorry not only for the lives of the people of Cambodia, but even the lives of all animals that suffered because of the war.Their humiliation only increased when Mr. Hun Sen, still treating them as honored guests, sent them on a trip to the beach, where they spent a dreary New Years Eve cowering in their hotel rooms to avoid the besieging reporters.Please have some sympathy with me, Mr. Khieu Samphan said forlornly. I need to have some rest.They retreated to their refuge in the remote border town of Pailin, where most residents were also former Khmer Rouge, until their arrest in 2007. Since then they have remained neighbors, in side-by-side holding cells.They were tried alongside two other surviving members of the top leadership, both of whom died during the trial, as well as the prison commander Kaing Guek Eav, or Duch, who was convicted and is serving a life sentence.While Mr. Khieu Samphan clung to his defense that he was not aware of the heinous acts committed by other leaders, Mr. Nuon Chea remained defiant and contemptuous to the end.In his final statement to the court, he pointed to his 500-page closing brief, including 4,000 footnotes, which his lawyer, Victor Koppe, said presented the real history of the Khmer Rouge, and not some quote-unquote fake history. | World |
A study says the DART missions collision with an asteroid near Earth may liberate enough debris to reach Earths atmosphere.Credit...NASA/JHUAPL May 13, 2020If all goes to plan, in September 2022 a NASA spacecraft, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission or DART, will slam into a space rock with the equivalent energy of three tons of TNT. The goal is to nudge the orbit of its target object ever-so-slightly, a practice run to see if we could divert an asteroid from a catastrophic impact with our planet in the future.The impact on that asteroid could produce the first meteor shower ever to result from human activities in space, according to a paper published earlier this year in The Planetary Science Journal. Observing the shower could let scientists on Earth study the composition of near-Earth asteroids. But this cloud of debris would also mark a small irony for a space mission that has a goal of helping to protect our planet.If this small shower of space rocks reaches our planet, it will create a minuscule amount of peril for orbiting satellites. Although the risk is tiny, the studys author says, anticipating the effects of the spacecrafts operations could establish a template for future space missions to minimize their impacts on Earth and the commons of space through which it travels.VideoA simulation showing debris from an impact with the asteroid system Didymos crossing Earths path. Animation by Paul WiegertNASA plans to launch the 1,100-pound DART spacecraft in 2021. Its target is Didymos, a pair of near-Earth asteroids that travel around the sun together. DART is aiming for the smaller of the two, affectionately named Didymoon, which measures about 535 feet across and orbits the larger asteroid. The force of the impact is expected to change Didymoons 11.92-hour orbit by about 4 minutes, a big enough change for telescopes on Earth to detect. If it succeeds, the mission might help confirm that humanitys best defense against a rogue asteroid is to bump it into another orbit away from Earth.Didymos makes regular passes of our planet at a minimum of 4 million miles or 16 times the Earth-moon distance approximately every 20 years. Its next close pass is scheduled for Oct. 4, 2022, at a distance of about 6.6 million miles, just after DART is scheduled to impact on Sept. 30, making observations from Earth easier.The impact is expected to produce between 22,000 and 220,000 pounds of centimeter-sized debris.Theres a fair amount of material that will be ejected, said Paul Wiegert, the papers author and an astronomy professor at the University of Western Ontario.Most of the wreckage should be ejected at less than about 2,000 miles per hour and will follow the orbit of the asteroid, with no chance of reaching Earth for thousands of years. If some of the debris reaches more than about 13,000 miles per hour, which will depend on the structure of the asteroid and the angle of impact, it could make the relatively short jump to Earth, in as little as 15-30 days.The amount of material that could reach Earth is modest; Dr. Wiegert estimates perhaps a few grams, resulting in only a few to ten meteors visible in our night sky over a few days. But that could be enough to learn more about the composition of the asteroid as the meteors disintegrate.When they burn out, they emit some light, said Audrey Bouvier, a planetary scientist from the University of Bayreuth in Germany. And by analyzing the spectrum of that light, Dr. Bouvier says it is possible to establish which elements were present.The prospect that any of this debris will damage Earth orbiting satellites is negligible. Tom Statler, the program scientist for DART at NASA, says the teams own analysis shows there is no significant debris hazard.But however remote the risks from the DART mission, Dr. Wiegert and other astronomers suggest that it will set an important precedent.Aaron Boley, a planetary astronomer at the University of British Columbia, notes this would be the first time human activity on an asteroid ejects debris that reaches Earth.Space is big, but what we do in space can affect us, he said.Future human activities in space, such as near-Earth asteroid mining and further planetary defense testing, could shed more material that arrives in Earths orbit. That means the DART mission might be an opportunity to consider how human activities in deep space affect life on and around Earth.Theres an opportunity here for a clear demonstration of astro-environmental stewardship, Dr. Boley said.Dr. Boley suggests that changes to the DART mission could avert debris reaching Earth in that 15- to 30-day time frame and set a precedent for future asteroid activities. According to Dr. Wiegerts calculations, if the impact occurs outside of a window one week before or after the asteroids closest approach with Earth on Oct. 4, no material would cross the planets path this quickly.If its the case that launching it two weeks later or earlier does not have any additional operational effect on the mission, then it would be worth it to set the precedent, Dr. Boley said.Dr. Statler, however, says the timing of the impact is dictated by orbital dynamics and communication with Earth, and the planned impact date also allows for optimal viewing by ground-based observatories, so it would not be feasible to reschedule it.While DART poses no meaningful risk, Dr. Wiegert says future asteroid missions should take the debris issue into account, just as missions closer to Earth need to better plan for space junk they leave in orbit. Its the first of a possibly large number of meteoroid streams we might create in the solar system that could become a hazard, he said. | science |
Credit...Alexander Klein/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesFeb. 4, 2014Although the Olympics sometimes crown established stars, they are just as often a coming-out party for athletes who emerge as national heroes with unexpected performances. And the title of breakthrough star of the Games is often judged through a nationalistic lens. In 2002, Americans were thrilled by Sarah Hughess unexpected figure skating gold medal; Croatians were stunned by Janica Kostelics three Alpine golds; and China celebrated its first Winter Games gold, by the short-track speedskater Yang Yang. Here are some of the candidates to emerge as the darlings of their nations in Sochi, Russia.SWITZERLAND | Lara Gut, SkiingExpected to challenge Lindsey Vonn for downhill supremacy at the 2010 Olympics, Gut missed the chance when she dislocated her right hip in training months before the Vancouver Games. Now, with Vonn sidelined after knee surgery, the 22-year-old Gut is poised to be among the favorites in three events: downhill, super-G and giant slalom.She has won a World Cup race in each of those disciplines this season. Whether or not Gut earns a medal in Sochi, she will be heard from. Fluent in five languages, she is not shy about expressing herself and has occasionally clashed with her coaches. But the purity of her technique has never been questioned, and she is respected for her fearlessness in the speed events and her versatility as a giant slalom racer. Gut carries herself like a veteran: She won her first world championship medals at 17.Asked in December if her World Cup downhill victory in Colorado near Vonns home was diminished by Vonns absence in the race, Gut replied: 'Nobody asked Lindsey if it was different that I wasnt at the Olympics. If you win, nobody cares who was there and who was not. BILL PENNINGTONKAZAKHSTAN | Denis Ten, Figure SkatingImageCredit...Atsushi Tomura/Getty ImagesTen gives Kazakhstan a chance at its first medal in figure skating and poses a serious threat to the favored Patrick Chan of Canada for the gold.At the world championships last year, Chans win over Ten was controversial enough to spark online petitions and an outcry from fans. His underdog status going into Sochi could make him a hit with fans beyond his Central Asian homeland.Born in Kazakhstans commercial hub, Almaty, the 20-year-old Ten is part of the Korean minority of the population there and moved to Moscow in 2004 to train. Six years later, he moved to California to train under the renowned coach Frank Carroll.His win at the 2008-9 International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix in Belarus made him the first athlete from his country to win an official I.S.U. competition, and he finished 11th at the 2010 Games.Ten has skated to everything from Michael Jacksons You Are Not Alone to Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima to Per Te by Josh Groban.This season has been a difficult one for Ten. He has battled an array of injuries and withdrew from the 2013 Skate America because of an infection.Take care and always believe in yourself! Ten told his fans on Facebook. Remember that you can always go beyond expectations. MARY PILONCZECH REPUBLIC | David Krejci, HockeyImageCredit...Mark Zaleski/Associated PressIn Boston, where he is a forward for the Bruins, they call Krejci the Matrix. It is a tribute to his uncanny ability to see plays unfolding a second or two before anyone else a skill that, in the moment, can look like the opposite of foresight.My favorite thing about him is that he often appears completely lost on the ice, said Cornelius Hardenbergh, a blogger for a Bruins fan site, Stanley Cup of Chowder. You watch and think, What is he doing? What hes doing is calculating where everyone else is on the ice and how to appropriately make a play.Those calculations have made Krejci (pronounced CRAY-chee) an essential piece of the Bruins offense, particularly in 2011, when the team won its first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Krejci racked up a league-leading 23 points in the playoffs, including 12 goals, four of them game-winners.Krejci will be making his second appearance with the Czech Republics Olympic hockey team, which finished seventh at Vancouver in 2010. Bruins fans often lament that he is not sufficiently respected, but Krejci cannot be called underrated in his country of birth. Last year, he was awarded the Golden Hockey Stick, given to the top Czech hockey player in the world. DAVID SEGALLATVIA | Ralfs Freibergs, HockeyImageCredit...Martin Rose/Bongarts, via Getty ImagesFreibergs was playing the video game Call of Duty in his dormitory room at Bowling Green after classes were canceled because of heavy snowfall when he got the call to duty from Latvia for the Sochi Games.Freibergss teammates on the squad, considered the longest of shots for a medal, include the 41-year-old Sandis Ozolinsh, who was a seven-time N.H.L. All-Star, a Stanley Cup champion and a Norris Trophy finalist.Freibergs, 22, is poised to become the first collegian to compete in mens hockey in the Olympics since 2002. His journey to Sochi has included stops in the North American Hockey League, with the Texas Tornado, and the United States Hockey League, with the Stars in Lincoln, Neb.On his way to the Olympics, Freibergs also had to negotiate a sizable roadblock placed in his path by the N.C.A.A., which suspended him for the first 33 games of his freshman season because in 2009 and 2010 he played on the Latvian world junior team, which prepared for tournaments by competing in the Latvian professional league.His Bowling Green teammates will gather to watch Latvias games on television and look forward to seeing Freibergs, whose deft passing skills make him a candidate for power-play duty.We have Canadians and Americans on the team, Bowling Green Coach Chris Bergeron said, but well be cheering on Team Latvia because of Ralfs. KAREN CROUSESWEDEN | Gabriel Landeskog, HockeyImageCredit...Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesAt the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, a 23-year-old rookie goalie for the Rangers named Henrik Lundqvist led Sweden to the gold medal.After a disappointing fifth-place finish in Vancouver, Sweden is back in the gold medal conversation in Sochi with a roster loaded with Olympic veterans, Stanley Cup winners, established stars and budding ones.Who among the new crop of Swedish Olympians will emerge with a Lundqvist-like, star-making turn? The Tre Kronor are not short on contenders, and the youngest of them all is Landeskog, a 21-year-old Colorado Avalanche wing. But age has never been much of a limitation for him.At 16, Landeskog became the youngest player for Djurgarden of the Swedish Elitserien. At 17, he became the first European captain (and one of the youngest captains) for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League.At 18, he reached the N.H.L. after being the No. 2 pick in the 2011 draft. At 19, he was Colorados leader in goals and was anointed the team captain, the youngest in N.H.L. history, of course.This season, Landeskog was the Avalanches second-leading scorer through Monday, with 16 goals and 28 assists, and he is a first-time Olympian.I dont get caught up in those things having to do with first, he said after he was named captain. I dont want to look too far ahead or too far back. NAILA-JEAN MEYERSFRANCE | Martin Fourcade, BiathlonImageCredit...Kay Nietfeld/European Pressphoto AgencyFour years ago, Fourcade was a 21-year-old upstart who had never won a big competition, the younger brother of Simon Fourcade, a fellow biathlete with more experience and confidence.But in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Martin Fourcade won a silver medal in the 15-kilometer mass start, a finish that came as a surprise to just about everyone, including him.That was just the beginning. Since then, he has more than 20 World Cup victories and has topped a host of other international competitions, emerging as perhaps the top biathlete in the world and the favorite to win several gold medals in Sochi.I am a totally different biathlete from Vancouver, he said. Ive become stronger and improved my shooting.NBC Sports predicted that Fourcade could sweep the individual Olympic events in Sochi.Fourcade grew up in the eastern region of the Pyrenees and trained with his brother, who was four years older and bigger and stronger. The 2010 results put a serious strain on the family.Its a strange relationship, Martin said. We had a bad time after Vancouver because we didnt manage to find the good balance between brothers and rivals. But then we worked on it, and now our relations are really good as brothers, and we are just rivals during the course. SAM DOLNICKRUSSIA | Slava Voynov, HockeyImageCredit...Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressWith Russias roster featuring the N.H.L. stars Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, and the best of the Kontinental Hockey League, it is tempting to overlook Voynov, a young, offensive-minded defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings.But there may be no player more crucial to Russias gold medal hopes than Voynov, a standout talent on the teams otherwise thin defense.A pesky agitator with keen offensive awareness, Voynov, who turned 24 in January, is already in the midst of his ninth professional season.The Kings drafted Voynov with the 32nd pick of the 2008 N.H.L. draft, and he wasted little time establishing himself at one of the better defensemen in the American Hockey League at 18.After ascending the minor league ranks, Voynov helped the Kings capture the Stanley Cup in 2012 and broke out in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, scoring 25 points in 48 games and adding six goals and seven assists in 18 playoff games. He was rewarded with a six-year, $25 million contract with the Kings after he turned down offers to play in the K.H.L.Voynov has struggled with the Kings this season, but his track record suggests star potential, just in time for Russias pursuit of its first hockey gold since its Unified team won in 1992. JUSTIN SABLICHUNITED STATES | Jamie Anderson, SnowboardingImageCredit...Harry How/Getty ImagesFor most of a decade, Anderson has dominated the slopestyle event and built a following. Her exposure could grow exponentially in Sochi with the events Olympic debut.Anderson, 23, arrives as the favorite, a rider of grace and style and a four-time Winter X Games champion. She first earned an invitation to the Winter X Games at 13, in boardercross (which her older sister Joanie won several times), and won a slopestyle bronze at 15. She captured gold the next year and has been the face of her sport since earning a 2012 ESPY award for Best Female Action Sport Athlete.Beyond an Olympic victory, what might endear her to the broader American public is an intangible quality of charisma. Anderson is one of eight children raised and home-schooled in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., the Sierra Nevada serving as a backyard. Her family usually creates its own cheering section at the bottom of the slopestyle run.Blond and easygoing, Anderson has the looks and spunk of American female snowboarders who have thrived in the sister event of the halfpipe like Gretchen Bleiler and Hannah Teter. Andersons name and face soon may be as recognized, too. JOHN BRANCHBRITAIN | Eve Muirhead, CurlingImageCredit...Isaac Brekken for The New York TimesThere has been something of a renaissance for curlers lately, largely because of the sweeping skills and charisma of skips like Muirhead.Muirhead, a 23-year-old from Scotland, has become a star for Team Britain, on and off the ice. Muirhead, who won the 2013 World Womens Curling Championship as skip for the Scotland team, has garnered a lot of news media attention back home and in international curling. An accomplished bagpiper, Muirhead has modeled in fashion shows, appeared in a Women of Curling calendar and posed with teammates in local papers in heels under the headline The Golden Curls.Muirhead won junior world titles in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 and was named BBC Scotlands Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2009. She shrugged off golf scholarship offers at American universities to pursue dreams of curling full time. Muirhead hails from a curling dynasty, and at 19, she skipped the womens team to seventh place at the Vancouver Games in 2010. MARY PILONNORWAY | Stale Sandbech, Slopestyle SnowboardingImageCredit...Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesHe is not Shaun White. He is not Mark McMorris. But Sandbech is Norwegian, the best of the bunch, which makes him a star in Norway and a medal favorite in Russia.Norway is a heavyweight power at the Winter Games, and no country is as stacked with talent in snowboardings slopestyle event, making its Olympic debut in Sochi. As with the Americans in the halfpipe (men and women), the toughest battle for Norwegians in slopestyle might have been making the team.Sandbech, a baby-faced 20-year-old, will try to lead the Norwegians past the North American favorites, led by McMorris, a young Canadian, and White, a famed American. It is possible. In the United States Grand Prix slopestyle event in December, Sandbech and his teammate Torstein Horgmo finished 1-2 in front of White.Sandbech was 16 when he competed in the halfpipe competition at the 2010 Vancouver Games. He did not make it out of the first round and has since devoted himself to becoming the latest young star of slopestyle. At the 2013 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., he fell in both runs and failed to reach the final of the slopestyle contest. But he took home a bronze medal in the prestigious Big Air competition, showing he is not afraid of lofty places. JOHN BRANCHJAPAN | Sara Takanashi, Ski JumpImageCredit...Jiji Press/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesIn the buildup to the Olympic debut of the womens ski jump at the Sochi Games, the debate about who might win focused on Sarah Hendrickson of the United States and on Takanashi; the two have battled neck-and-neck on the slopes.But after Hendrickson hurt her knee in August, Takanashi became the favorite. Takanashi has won almost all of the World Cup events she has competed in this winter and has blown past Hendricksons record of 13 World Cup victories.Her dominance and skiing pedigree have given her a rock-star following and made her one of Japans best chances at a gold medal. Takanashi, 17, is barely 5 feet and is known as much for her girlish looks as her steely determination.Her father and brother are ski jumpers, and in the Japanese athletic tradition, she comes across as serious, disciplined and, at times, one-dimensional.Yet what matters most is her compact frame, low center of gravity and catapulting jumps, which have led some ski jump coaches to call her a bullet.Barring a surprise, she is likely to catapult onto the medal podium. KEN BELSONCANADA | Dara Howell, Slopestyle SkiingImageCredit...Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty ImagesDara Howell could become the face of slopestyle skiing, not just in Canada, but around the world, if a few jumps go her way in Sochi.Howell, 19, has quickly emerged as one of the worlds best in the sport, in which athletes ski down a slope tricked out with rails and ramps and then soar into the sky like spinning tops on skis.Slopestyle will make its Olympic debut in Sochi. The American team is favored to dominate, but Howell is an underdog with some momentum. She won two medals in Park City, Utah, earlier this season and is ranked second in the world.She was a competitive figure skater until 15, when she switched to skis. Two years later, she was the youngest female competitor at the X Games, where she won a bronze in slopestyle. She has only improved since then.Howell may have passed her teammate Kaya Turski, who has long been the best Canadian slopestyle skier. Turski has won a mantel full of X Games medals and was on track to compete for the chance to add an Olympic medal to her collection, but she tore an anterior cruciate ligament for the third time last summer.Turski had surgery and will be competing in Sochi. But Howell may well be the one waving the Canadian flag from the podium. SAM DOLNICK | Sports |
The TradeJesse Eisinger Pro PublicaDec. 3, 2015Mark Zuckerberg did not donate $45 billion to charity. You may have heard that, but that was wrong.Heres what happened instead: Mr. Zuckerberg created an investment vehicle.Sorry for the slightly less sexy headline.Mr. Zuckerberg is a co-founder of Facebook and a youthful megabillionaire. In announcing the birth of his daughter, he and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, declared they would donate 99 percent of their worth, the vast majority of which is tied up in Facebook stock valued at $45 billion today.In doing so, Mr. Zuckerberg and Dr. Chan did not set up a charitable foundation, which has nonprofit status. He created a limited liability company, one that has already reaped enormous benefits as public relations coup for himself. His P.R. return-on-investment dwarfs that of his Facebook stock. Mr. Zuckerberg was depicted in breathless, glowing terms for having, in essence, moved money from one pocket to the other.An L.L.C. can invest in for-profit companies (perhaps these will be characterized as societally responsible companies, but lots of companies claim the mantle of societal responsibility). An L.L.C. can make political donations. It can lobby for changes in the law. He remains completely free to do as he wishes with his money. Thats what America is all about. But as a society, we dont generally call these types of activities charity.VideotranscripttranscriptZuckerberg on Donating Facebook SharesIn a video released by Facebook, the companys chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, explained why they have decided to devote nearly all their wealth to charity.FACEBOOK HANDOUT - AP CLIENTS ONLY Palo Alto, California - Recent SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Facebook: Having this child has made us think about all of the things that should be improved in the world for her whole generation. // SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Priscilla Chan, Wife of Mark Zuckerberg: We need to make sure that there are investments and programs that ensure that the future isnt going to be like today. The future is going to be better than today. 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Facebook: What does it take to make it so that people dont get sick anymore? Can we build more inclusive and welcoming communities? Can people in the next generation learn and experience a hundred times more things than we can? I think the answer to that is yes, and I just think that means that we have a basic moral responsibility to tilt our investments somewhat more as a society and as individuals. ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED WITH B-ROLL++ 7. Globe on desk 8. Photo of Chan and Zuckerberg 9. Globe and wood carving of the letter z on table ++SOUNDBITE BEGINS ON PREVIOUS SHOT++ 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Priscilla Chan, Wife of Mark Zuckerberg: Starting our work now in investing in the future is an easy decision for us. 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Facebook: You know, its hard to move these things in the short-term, right? These are big, complex systems. Like doing anything that you want to well in the world, that just takes practice. And youre not going to be perfect at it the first time. And, in the projects that were going to try and do in education and science and health and community building, we will learn lessons over time and hopefully get better and better. ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED WITH B-ROLL++ 12. Various of mobile of solar system 13. Stroller in doorway 14. Ultrasound photo ++SOUNDBITE BEGINS ON PREVIOUS SHOTS++ 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Priscilla Chan, Wife of Mark Zuckerberg: Were expecting our little girl any day now, and we want her to have the benefits of an entire generation that is able to take advantage of all that were able to create. 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Facebook: You know, she and everyone in her generation really should be able to live much better lives than we can in all these ways. And I hope that, not just our child, but everyone in our community, has an opportunity to go on and have an even bigger impact in the world. I think shell get there. STORYLINE:In a video released by Facebook, the companys chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, explained why they have decided to devote nearly all their wealth to charity.CreditCredit...FacebookWhats more, a charitable foundation is subject to rules and oversight. It has to allocate a certain percentage of its assets every year. The new Zuckerberg L.L.C. wont be subject to those rules and wont have any transparency requirements.In covering the event, many commentators praised the size and percentage of the gift and pointed out that Mr. Zuckerberg is relatively young to be planning to give his wealth away. Mark Zuckerberg Philanthropy Pledge Sets New Giving Standard, Bloomberg glowed. The New York Times ran an article on the front page. Few news outlets initially considered the tax implications of Mr. Zuckerbergs plan. A Wall Street Journal article didnt mention taxes at all.Nor did they grapple with the societal implications of the would-be donations.So what are the tax implications? They are quite generous to Mr. Zuckerberg. I asked Victor Fleischer, a law professor and tax specialist at the University of San Diego School of Law, as well as a contributor to DealBook. He explained that if the L.L.C. sold stock, Mr. Zuckerberg would pay a hefty capital gains tax, particularly if Facebook stock kept climbing.If the L.L.C. donated to a charity, he would get a deduction just like anyone else. Thats a nice little bonus. But the L.L.C. probably wont do that because it can do better. The savvier move, Professor Fleischer explained, would be to have the L.L.C. donate the appreciated shares to charity, which would generate a deduction at fair market value of the stock without triggering any tax.Mr. Zuckerberg didnt create these tax laws and cannot be criticized for minimizing his tax bills. If he had created a foundation, he would have accrued similar tax benefits. But what this means is that he amassed one of the greatest fortunes in the world and is likely never to pay any taxes on it. Anytime a superwealthy plutocrat makes a charitable donation, the public ought to be reminded that this is how our tax system works. The superwealthy buy great public relations and adulation for donations that minimize their taxes.Instead of lavishing praise on Mr. Zuckerberg for having issued a news release with a promise, this should be an occasion to mull what kind of society we want to live in. Who should fund our general societal needs and how? Charities rarely fund quotidian yet vital needs. What would $40 billion mean for job creation or infrastructure spending? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a budget of about $7 billion. Maybe more should go to that. Society, through its elected members, taxes its members. Then the elected officials decide what to do with sums of money.In this case, it is different. One person will be making these decisions.Of course, nobody thinks our government representatives do a good job of allocating resources. Politicians a bunch of bums! Maybe Mr. Zuckerberg will make wonderful decisions, ones I would personally be happy with. Maybe not. He blew his $100 million donation to the Newark school system, as Dale Russakoff detailed in her recent book, The Prize: Whos in Charge of Americas Schools? Mr. Zuckerberg has said he has learned from his mistakes. We dont know whether thats true because he hasnt made any decisions with the money he plans to put into his investment vehicle.But I think I might do a good job allocating $45 billion. Maybe even better than Mr. Zuckerberg. I am self-aware enough to realize many people would disagree with my choices. Those who like how Mr. Zuckerberg is lavishing his funds might not like how the Koch brothers do so. Or George Soros.Mega-donations, assuming Mr. Zuckerberg makes good on his pledge, are explicit acknowledgments that the money should be plowed back into society. They are tacit acknowledgments that no one could ever possibly spend $45 billion on himself or his family, and that the money isnt really his, in a fundamental sense. Because that is the case, society cant rely on the beneficence and enlightenment of the superwealthy to realize this individually. We need to take a portion uniformly some kind of tax on wealth.The point is that we are turning into a society of oligarchs. And I am not as excited as some to welcome the new Silicon Valley overlords. | Business |
Credit...Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesJune 30, 2017WASHINGTON The Senate leaderships efforts to salvage the Republican health care bill have focused in part on adding $45 billion for states to spend on opioid addiction treatment.That is a big pot of money. But addiction specialists said it was drastically short of what would be needed to make up for the legislations deep cuts to Medicaid, which has provided treatment for hundreds of thousands of people caught up in a national epidemic of opioid abuse.The new money would most likely flow to states in the form of grants over 10 years, averaging out to $4.5 billion per year. With hundreds of people dying every week from overdoses of heroin, fentanyl and opioid painkillers, some specialists say a fixed amount of grant money is simply inadequate compared with the open-ended funding stream that Medicaid provides to treat all who qualify for the coverage.When it comes to other illnesses like breast cancer or heart disease, wed never rely solely on grants for treatment because we know that grants are not substitutes for health coverage, said Linda Rosenberg, president and chief executive of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which represents treatment providers. Addiction is no different.The Affordable Care Act vastly expanded access to addiction treatment by designating those services as essential benefits. That means they had to be covered through both an expansion of Medicaid to far more low-income adults and the marketplaces set up under the law for people to buy private plans. Both the House and Senate health bills would effectively end the expansion and cap federal Medicaid spending, resulting in the loss of coverage for millions of people, according to the Congressional Budget Office.According to the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, there were roughly 1.35 million low-income Americans in 2015 with an opioid use disorder. Only 25 percent of those people get treated in a year, although the Affordable Care Acts expansion of health insurance coverage has provided more resources for closing the treatment gap.Richard G. Frank, a health economics professor at Harvard Medical School, has estimated that last year, people who enrolled in expanded Medicaid incurred about $4.5 billion in costs for mental health and addiction treatment. But in an updated analysis this month, Mr. Frank, who worked for the Obama administration during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, calculated it would cost $14 billion in the first year and more than $183 billion over a decade to treat addiction and related illnesses in low-income people who would lose coverage under the Republican plan.Medicaid spending contracts and expands based on need as well as new treatment options, Mr. Frank wrote in his analysis. That means that funding is there for people and states when they need it the most. For example, the opioid epidemic will likely continue to morph and require different interventions of care should new synthetic drugs cause different health problems.Public health experts are concerned that grants aimed at treatment and recovery would not address a multitude of other physical health problems associated with addiction. One glaring example is hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus endemic among people who use needles to inject illicit drugs. Treatment is extremely expensive, but Medicaid has expanded access to it in many states. Many addicts also suffer from diabetes and other chronic conditions, or get endocarditis, a serious heart infection connected to intravenous drug use.ImageCredit...Al Drago/The New York TimesAs far as the absolute dollars go its woefully, woefully short, said Gary Mendell, the founder and chief executive of Shatterproof, an anti-addiction advocacy group. What you need is funding flowing into the health care system, so that patients are treated by primary care doctors, by behavioral therapists, get medication-assisted treatment.The current version of the Senate bill provides only $2 billion to support substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services for individuals with mental or substance use disorders, and only in the 2018 fiscal year. Adding more money for addiction treatment is aimed at winning crucial votes from a handful of moderate Republicans whose states have been particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis. Foremost among them are the Republican Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, whose states have some of the nations highest overdose death rates.But Ms. Capito and Mr. Portman, who have also expressed concern about the bills substantial reductions in overall Medicaid funding, have suggested they would not be swayed by the promise of extra opioid money alone.Senator Maggie Hassan, a Democrat of New Hampshire, another opioid-ravaged state, dismissed $45 billion as a drop in the bucket that would not come close to making up for the damage that would be inflicted by the broader cuts to federal Medicaid spending in the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimated would amount to $772 billion by 2026.Bertha K. Madras, a Harvard Medical School professor whom President Trump appointed to his new commission on the opioid crisis, said it was difficult to calculate how much would be needed to combat the epidemic. But she laid out a number of spending priorities that go beyond just treatment, including prevention efforts, support for children and families of the addicted and better analytics to figure out what is working and what is not. Like other experts, she emphasized the importance of combining addiction treatment with broader medical care.In the short term, the grants suggested in the Senate plan would be most helpful in the 19 states that opted not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In those states, many poor people addicted to opioids still have little or no access to treatment. Additional federal grants for treatment would be better than nothing at all. In the 31 states that expanded Medicaid, the extra federal funding that paid for almost all of it would not begin phasing out until 2021.The grant money would also provide a significant lift to the 21st Century Cures Act, which was enacted with bipartisan support last year and signed by President Obama. That law is dividing $1 billion in treatment funds to all 50 states over the next two years, but experts say it is far short of whats needed. Ohio alone spent nearly $1 billion on addressing the opioid epidemic last year.In a new study released on Wednesday, the Urban Institute found that Medicaid spending on several medications that treat opioid addiction and overdoses soared to nearly $1 billion last year. Treatment costs grew by 136 percent from 2011 to 2016, to $929.9 million from $394.2 million, with most of the growth taking place after states began expanding Medicaid in 2014, the study found.The authors noted, however, that the current levels of treatment are not meeting demand, even in Medicaid expansion states. Some addiction treatment experts and advocates say the Medicaid expansion has only just begun increasing access to treatment by providing a steady funding stream to providers who might otherwise not move into the field.One of biggest reasons for the gap in treatment is there arent enough trained doctors to deliver the medicine, trained therapists to deliver the therapy, said Mr. Mendell, who was invited to testify at the first meeting of President Trumps commission on the opioid crisis this month. Whos going to enter the work force knowing the funding is going to run out in 10 years? | Health |
It was not clear whether the scientists had found infectious virus or inert fragments, so sexual transmission of the virus still seems very unlikely.Credit...Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesMay 7, 2020Scientists across the world are trying to piece together a perplexing puzzle: how exactly coronavirus affects the body, and how it spreads from person to person.In recent months, they have learned that the virus can live on some surfaces for three days and that it can stay suspended in tiny aerosolized droplets for about 30 minutes. The virus has been detected in saliva, urine and feces.Now researchers in China have found that the coronavirus, or bits of it, may linger in semen. But the paper, published Thursday in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal, does not prove that the virus can be sexually transmitted.The doctors tested semen from 38 patients at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan Province in central China. All the subjects, who ranged in age from 15 to 59, had previously tested positive for the coronavirus.Researchers detected genetic material from the coronavirus in the semen of six patients, around 16 percent. Four patients with positive semen samples were at the acute stage of infection, wrote Dr. Weiguo Zhao of the Eighth Medical Center of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing and Dr. Shixi Zhang of the Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan.Two were recovering, which is particularly noteworthy, they added. It had been 16 days since one of the men had first shown symptoms, according to a chart featured in the study.Dr. Zhao and Dr. Zhang could not immediately be reached for comment.From the early days of the outbreak, public health experts have been saying that though the coronavirus could be transmitted through kissing, they did not believe it could be sexually transmitted.The new finding does not contradict this. If semen tests positive for the coronavirus, that does not mean that infectious virus is present, said Dr. Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology, immunology and pediatrics at the University of Iowa, who was not involved in the study.This is an interesting finding, but it must be confirmed that there is infectious virus not just a virus product in the semen, he said. The semen tests may have detected only fragments of viral RNA, he added.Dr. Perlman pointed out that unlike Zika, which is carried in the blood, the coronavirus primarily infects people via an oral or a nasal pathway.At the moment, there still is no evidence that a person could be infected by sexual contact or an intrauterine insemination procedure with infected sperm. Transmission during sex is far more likely by the usual means: infectious respiratory droplets.Still, some doctors are eager for more research into the coronavirus and semen for other reasons. If scientists were to find infectious virus present in semen, there may be implications for the safety of oral sex and the handling of semen.Across the world, many fertility clinics have stopped accepting new patients not only to reduce patient traffic, but also because of concerns that donor sperm might infect women trying to get pregnant.Theres an urgent need for more studies, noted Dr. Amir Kashi of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran in a paper titled, Covid-19 and Semen: An Unanswered Area of Research. | science |
TrilobitesThe froghopper has amazing powers of suction, scientists found. It also produces astonishing amounts of urine.Credit...Philip G. D. MatthewsPublished July 13, 2021Updated July 15, 2021A meadow froghopper urinates so much that it could drown itself. Luckily, the insect Philaenus spumarius, which is approximately the size of a Tic Tac, has a butt catapult that regularly flicks its globules of liquid waste into the air and safely away from its body.At this tiny, tiny scale, ballistics become really complicated, said Philip G. D. Matthews, an associate professor of comparative physiology in the zoology department at the University of British Columbia. But they can flick it away pretty far, he said, clarifying that pretty far here means two to four inches.Among entomologists, the froghoppers urinary powers are well understood. But the insects suction abilities, which long confounded scientists, have turned out to be much more impressive, according to a paper on the meadow froghoppers feeding mechanisms published on Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Froghoppers are common in Europe and North America and are known to spread certain bacterial diseases among plants. They urinate almost constantly because the insects feed on pure xylem sap, a liquid that is so bereft of nutrients one must sip and sip and sip, sometimes up to 24 hours straight.Most sap-drinking insects drink phloem, a sugary liquid in plant vessels that is easy to get because it is driven by positive pressure, meaning it gushes forth from a plant stem once pierced by mouthparts. In contrast, xylem is driven by negative pressure its vessels actually pull inward which makes the watery liquid excruciatingly difficult to suck out. Such negative pressures exist inside the unbroken columns of xylem vessels where water is pulled up from the roots into the leaves to evaporate into the atmosphere, Dr. Matthews said.To show the power of the froghoppers suction, Dr. Matthews, Elisabeth Bergman, a masters student he advised, and Emma Green, an undergraduate volunteer, examined the insects morphology and tested their metabolic abilities in 2019. Their test subjects hailed from the weeds near their lab.The researchers took Micro-CT scans of the heads of adult froghoppers and analyzed the morphology of their cibarial pump, a structure in their head that allows them to pull the xylem sap into their face. Like a plunger inside a syringe, a diaphragm is pulled by muscles to increase the volume of the chamber and draw in xylem sap. As froghoppers must rhythmically pull on this diaphragm to suck, the nose-like structure between their eyes, called a post-clypeus, is terrifically strong to accommodate all of that muscle.Its like a huge bicep on their head, Dr. Matthews said.Using the dimensions of the froghoppers cibarial pumps, the researchers calculated how much negative pressure the insects might be able to generate inside their head. Their calculations suggested froghoppers might be able to generate up to 1.6 megapascals, a pressure greater than the tension inside many xylem vessels.This showed the froghoppers were capable of sucking much more than anyone previously believed. If the insects were on the top of the Statue of Libertys torch, they could have a straw going all the way down to the ground going into a glass of water, and if the straw itself was already filled with water they could be quite happily sucking it up, Dr. Matthews said, adding that the froghoppers would still be fine even yards above the torch.After calculating the insects powerful suction, the researchers wanted to confirm the action didnt use more energy than it gained. To test this, they placed froghoppers and a length of pea plant in airtight acrylic chambers to measure how much carbon dioxide the insect produced after 30 minutes of slurping sap.Although the insects appeared still to the human eye, magnified videos of the froghoppers faces revealed just how much their face muscles move during feeding.All of a sudden, a bug sitting there doing nothing looks like its nose is jiggling around like crazy, Dr. Matthews said, referring to the froghoppers post-clypeus.The pea plant was grown hydroponically, bare roots dangling into a solution of nutrients. This made it easy to swap out the solution for polyethylene glycol, a fluid with even stronger negative pressure than the nutrient solution. Dr. Matthews compared drinking the polyethylene glycol to a cyclist biking up a hill instead of on flat ground. The researchers reasoned the froghoppers would slow down when faced with the even more resistant fluid. But the froghoppers managed to keep up their same sucking velocity, albeit with a rocketing metabolic rate.Alberto Fereres, an entomologist in Madrid, said the study helped to explain how P. spumarius could feed on plants with very negative tensions, such as rain-fed olives and grapevines.The metabolic measurements demonstrated the insects could gain more energy than they expended even while sucking xylem sap at full throttle. Thats their existence, Dr. Matthews said. Drinking and filtering and peeing and pumping.Though this process is extreme on the side of a froghopper, a single sucking bug would most likely be imperceptible to any plant. Unless, of course, there is an infestation, in which case its copious gobs of butt-flung liquid waste can even resemble rain. | science |
Credit...Koji Sasahara/Associated PressFeb. 4, 2014There was a pitcher in Japan in the 1950s and 60s named Kazuhisa Inao who was so good that the popular saying at the time was God, Buddha, Inao, in deference to the pitchers almost otherworldly talent. Inao retired in 1969, and the saying stood for decades, until last year, when it was resurrected and modified in honor of a pitcher who had a perfect season. Now it is God, Buddha, Inao and Tanaka.Not even Daisuke Matsuzaka or Yu Darvish, two celebrated Japanese pitchers who preceded Masahiro Tanaka to the major leagues, could stake that claim. But Tanaka, like Buddha, never lost a regular-season game last year. He went 24-0 with a 1.27 earned run average for the Rakuten Eagles, and so warranted the rephrasing.And with exalted status will now come Olympian news media coverage in the United States. The Yankees signed Tanaka, 25, to a $155 million, seven-year contract last month, and Tanaka-sama (sama is a designation of great respect) will now be joining a Yankees team that already has two revered Japanese players on its roster in Ichiro Suzuki and Hiroki Kuroda. Other major league teams have had as many as three Japanese players on the roster at the same time, and one the Boston Red Sox even briefly had four. But none have had the prestigious group the Yankees now has. As a result, the entourage of Japanese news media trailing the Yankees in 2014 could be a record-setter.When Darvish joined the Texas Rangers in 2012, he was met at their spring training facility by about 150 reporters, the overwhelming majority of them from Japan, according to John Blake, the Rangers executive vice president for communications. And when Darvish arrived, the Rangers already had Koji Uehara and Yoshinori Tateyama on their roster. But only Darvish was a star.ImageCredit...Barton Silverman/The New York TimesThe Yankees, in contrast, were already attracting a great deal of attention from the Japanese news media because Suzuki and Kuroda are such prominent players, with Suzuki almost surely headed to the Hall of Fame. Adding to the Japanese interest in the Yankees is the simple fact they are the most famous baseball team in the world and that Hideki Matsui played in the Bronx from 2003 to 2009.When Matsui, who had previously been a renowned slugger with the immensely popular Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo, showed up for his first spring training with the Yankees, the Japanese news medias attention was epic. Numerous television stations and reporters were on hand, and photographers lined up along the foul line from the right-field foul pole all the way to home plate and then up the left side of the field to the third-base dugout.I had never seen anything like it, and Im not sure I ever will again, said Jason Zillo, the Yankees executive director for media relations. So, weve been down this road before. Weve seen it with our own eyes, and we have an idea what to expect. Its something to look forward to.In all, five major league teams have had three Japanese players at one time, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, including the 2012 Rangers, the Seattle Mariners from 2002 to 2005, the 2003 Los Angeles Dodgers and the 2005 Mets, whose roster included Kazuhisa Ishii, Shingo Takatsu and Kazuo Matsui. According to Elias, the only time a major league team has had four Japanese players on its roster at the same time came in September 2009, when the Red Sox, for a few days, had Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Junichi Tazawa on their pitching staff.In addition to Tanaka, Suzuki and Kuroda, the Yankees have also invited Tateyama, a former Ranger, to spring training with a chance to make the 25-man roster as a right-handed reliever. If he does make the team, and if Suzuki is not traded and Kuroda and Tanaka remain healthy, the Yankees could become the first team to have four players from Japan on its opening-day roster.Weve had players from Japan before, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said. Weve had many players from the Dominican Republic at one time, or from Venezuela. So we are used to it. Once they put on the pinstripe jersey, they are all from the same place. They are Yankees.More specifically, they are outstanding players. Suzuki has the most major league hits of any Japanese-born player (2,742) and has a shot at reaching 3,000; Kuroda has a career earned run average of 3.40, the lowest of any Japanese pitcher with at least 100 starts in the major leagues; and Tanaka, is, well, Tanaka.ImageCredit...Barton Silverman/The New York TimesJeff Nelson, a former Yankees and Seattle reliever, was on the Mariners when they had Suzuki, Kazuhiro Sasaki and Shigetoshi Hasegawa playing together. It can be a zoo, he said of the coverage that resulted. Ichiro was the Elvis of Japan, and there were tons of reporters around. But I came from the Yankees and I was used to a lot of media. So for me, it wasnt a big deal at all. I enjoyed it.Nelson said he rarely saw the three Japanese players interacting among themselves, and said they almost never went out together. Hasegawa, who retired in 2006 and still lives in California, was intent on learning English and would socialize with the English-speaking members of the bullpen.Actually, the way Japanese players interact on a major league team is something that fascinated Mike Peters, the interpreter for Ryota Igarashi on the 2010 and 2011 Mets. Igarashi actually formed a Japanese bullpen tandem on the Mets in 2010, although Hisanori Takahashi thrived while Igarashi struggled.Peters said that the traditional Japanese mentoring relationship of senpai-kohai with senpai representing the higher-ranking or longer-serving player and kohai the newcomer was paramount, and that he expected Tanaka to be the kohai to Kurodas senpai.I think having Kuroda there will help Tanaka quite a bit, Peters said by telephone from Japan. Kuroda has been through it all. He has made the adjustment to the major leagues, and Tanaka can learn from him. That doesnt necessarily mean they will be friends, but they will have the senpai-kohai relationship, which is important.Part of what Kuroda, a six-year major league veteran who turns 39 next week, can do to help Tanaka is to show him how to navigate the continual attention. According to Zillo, 30 Japanese news media members have requested credentials for spring training, with dozens more expected to apply not counting those who are members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, who do not need to make specific requests. Zillo said he expected there would be at least 100 members of the news media with credentials when Yankee pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14.Im eager for it, Zillo said. Its exciting; its exciting for everyone involved. | Sports |
Credit...VisualDXJune 21, 2017Dr. Lawrence L. Weed, who introduced a system for organizing patient data in the 1950s that is now used in hospitals all over the world, and who led the way in developing a computerized method for aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, died on June 3 at his home in Underhill, Vt. He was 93.His son Lincoln confirmed the death.In the early 1950s, Dr. Weed was a professor of medicine and pharmacology at Yale, where he spent most of his time doing research on microbial genetics. On occasion, though, he would accompany students on their hospital rounds and watch as they struggled to interpret the often chaotic patient notes left by doctors.It was a sobering experience. I realized then and it was very upsetting that they werent getting any of the discipline of scientific training on those wards, Dr. Weed told The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association in 2014. When I pick up a chart that is a bunch of scribbles, I say: Thats not art. It certainly isnt science. Now, God knows what it is.He responded by creating the problem-oriented medical record, or POMR, a way of recording and monitoring patient information. Two of its features have become nearly universal in health care: the compiling of problem lists and the SOAP system for writing out notes in a patient chart. SOAP stands for subjective, objective, assessment and plan, reflecting the steps that doctors and other health care providers should follow as they move from an initial patient encounter to tests, diagnosis and treatment.Dr. Weed presented his new method in a two-part article in The New England Journal of Medicine, Medical Records That Guide and Teach. Published in 1968, it is one of the most frequently cited articles in the field of medical informatics.Saying that POMR was revolutionary almost understates it, Dr. Charles Safran, the chief of the division of clinical informatics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, told The Economist in 2005. Theres probably no one who has more fundamentally affected the way we organize our work than Larry Weed. He fundamentally changed American medicine.With a grant from the Department of Health Education and Welfare (now Health and Human Services), Dr. Weed developed a computerized version of POMR that came to be known as Promis the Problem-Oriented Medical Information System.This led him, in the 1980s, to another innovation: knowledge coupling software linked to a database of medical knowledge derived from thousands of journal articles. Doctors could input the information gathered in the POMR process and then receive a list of possible diagnoses and treatment options, with arguments for and against each option.Many doctors took a dim view of Dr. Weeds innovation, regarding it as a challenge to their professional expertise. Dr. Weed saw it as a solution to an intractable problem the unrealistic expectation that one brain, no matter how well trained, can store and apply the medical knowledge required to make proper decisions.For every complaint, for chest pain or abdominal pain, there can be 50 or 60 causes, and the doctor cannot remember all of them, he told The Boston Globe in 1987. In an interview with The Permanente Journal in 2009, he said, An epidemic of errors and waste is occurring as we persist in trying to do the impossible.Lawrence Leonard Weed was born on Dec. 26, 1923, in Troy, N.Y. His father, Ralph, was a salesman. His mother, the former Bertha Krause, was a homemaker.Lawrence, known as Larry, was a gifted pianist with a fine baritone voice, but an interest in science led him to earn a chemistry degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., in 1945.After receiving a medical degree from Columbia University in 1947, he took mixed internships in medicine, chest medicine, surgery and clinical pathology at University Hospital in Cleveland and Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.Before completing a residency at Johns Hopkins University, he did basic research in biochemistry and microbial genetics at Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania and Walter Reed Army Medical Center (now the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) in Washington. He then accepted a double appointment at Yale in pharmacology and medicine.In 1952 he married Laura Brooks, a fellow intern in Cleveland with a medical degree from Yale. She died in 1997. In addition to his son Lincoln, he is survived by two other sons, Christopher and Jonathan; two daughters, Dinny Adamson and Becky Weed; a sister, Nancy Weed; two granddaughters; and two stepgranddaughters.Dr. Weeds eagerness to bring scientific rigor to medical record keeping led him in 1956 from Yale to Bangor, Me., where he accepted an offer to direct the new medical internship and residency program at Eastern Maine General Hospital. There he worked out the concepts of POMR.After four years he became an assistant professor of microbiology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where, beginning in 1964, he also directed the outpatient clinic of Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. In his spare time, he sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus under Robert Shaw.It was in Cleveland that he began working with computers to develop the Promis system, which he took to the University of Vermont in 1969, where he became professor of community medicine. In the early 1980s he left to start the Problem-Knowledge Coupler Corporation, which developed knowledge-coupling software as well as a PC-based version of the POMR. He left the company in 2006. It was acquired in 2012 by the Atlanta-based company Sharecare, whose AskMD app uses Dr. Weeds coupling software.Dr. Weed could be a prickly ambassador for his ideas. He was not shy about criticizing American medical education he proposed that traditional medical schools be radically restructured and went a few steps beyond tough love in telling doctors about their limitations.At one medical conference, as he argued for the superiority of his computer programs over traditional medical expertise, an unhappy surgeon rose to protest. Surely, the surgeon said, experience and intuition counted for something. Dr. Weed met him halfway.Well, Im not saying you dont have intuitive feelings, he recalled answering in The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. What Im suggesting is that they may be worthless.Dr. Weed was the author of Medical Records, Medical Education, and Patient Care: The Problem-Oriented Record as a Basic Tool (1969); Your Health Care and How to Manage It: Your Health, Your Problems, Your Plans, Your Progress (1975); Knowledge Coupling: New Premises and New Tools for Medical Care and Education (1991); and Managing Medicine (1993).His last book, the polemical Medicine in Denial (2011), written with his son Lincoln, outlined his plan for an overhaul of medical practice, with education aimed at fostering skills rather than knowledge.He was impatient to see changes. People have been saying to me since the 1960s, Youre ahead of your time, he told the journal Modern Healthcare in 2012. I say, My God, you want me to live until 160? How long are you going to take? | science |
Bob Arum Shocked By Floyd Sr. Allegations ... 'He's a Nice Guy' 1/24/2018 TMZSports.com TMZ Sports broke the news to Bob Arum about the warrant out for Floyd Mayweather Sr.'s arrest -- and the boxing Hall of Famer could hardly believe it ... insisting Floyd's a really nice guy. As we previously reported, Mayweather is facing battery charges in Vegas after he allegedly punched a woman in the leg following the GGG vs. Canelo fight back in Sept. Arum -- who was Manny Pacquiao's promoter for the big Mayweather fight -- said he could barely believe it, "He's a nice guy. That's terrible." "We don't know if it's true or not, but Floyd Sr. is a terrific guy and I've never known him to be violent." | Entertainment |
Olympic RoundupCredit...Josh Haner/The New York TimesFeb. 10, 2014KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia For the Canadian ski team, success seems to come in twos.First, the Dufour-Lapointe sisters won gold and silver for Canada in the womens moguls competition.Then, two days later, another pair of Canadians picked up the top two medals in the mens moguls, wrapping up a dominant run that firmly established the Canadians as the worlds best mogul team.Alex Bilodeau, 26, won his second straight gold medal Monday, followed by Mikael Kingsbury, 21, who won silver. Alexandr Smyshlyaev of Russia won bronze to the delight of a crowd that cheered itself hoarse for each of his runs.The Washington state native Patrick Deneen whom the announcer insisted on calling Deneen the Machine finished in sixth place. He seemed to get a boost from the Beastie Boys song that played on the loudspeakers while he flew down the mountain, but (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) wasnt enough.If the Canadian winners on Monday were not quite the siblings like the Dufour-Lapointes, they were far from strangers. Bilodeau and Kingsbury, the top two mogul skiers in the world, grew up skiing on the same mountain, Mont Saint-Saveur in Quebec. They skied in the same clubs and had the same coaches.Their families have cottages on the mountain that are practically next door to each other.Christian Dufour, an executive at the ski resort who has known both athletes for years said: You do sense that these guys, its their job, its what theyre paid to do. And one of them is going to win, and one of them will finish second.On Monday night, it looked for a moment as if Kingsbury might topple Bilodeau, the defending gold medalist once again. Bilodeau stumbled after an early jump in the finals and fell to eighth place going into the second round.He regained his composure in the next round and finished with the best run of the night, a virtuoso tear down the mountain that ended with a helicopter swirl that inspired a wave of Oooooooohs from the crowd.Bilodeau pumped his fist and screamed even before the scores confirmed what he already knew: He had won another gold medal.ImageCredit...Martin Rose/Getty ImagesAfter the race, Bilodeau said he had skied his last Olympic competition. He passed the torch to Kingsbury, his rival and tormentor.That guy that finished second, he is going to win everything after Im gone, Bilodeau said.TWINS SPUR DUTCH SWEEP The Dutch are not just hoarding most of the speedskating medals. Now, they are keeping it in the family.Michel Mulder led another sweep by the Netherlands at Adler Arena, edging his teammate Jan Smeekens by 12-thousanths of a second. Mulders identical twin brother, Ronald, got the bronze.It was the first gold medal ever in the mens 500 for the Netherlands, which has won seven of the nine speedskating medals awarded in Sochi so far. (AP)U.S. WOMEN GLIDE IN HOCKEY Amanda Kessel scored two goals in the United States 9-0 victory over Switzerland in womens hockey. The United States has a 2-0 record and is virtually assured of a spot in the semifinals even before playing Canada on Wednesday in a North American grudge match. Canada is also unbeaten after two games, though it needed almost 50 minutes to break a scoreless tie against Finland before prevailing, 3-0. (AP)SWITZERLAND SURPRISES CANADA IN CURLING The Norwegian men, curlings fashion kings, defeated the United States, 7-4. But the surprise of opening day was Switzerlands 5-4 upset of two-time defending champion Canada.On the womens side, Sweden defeated Britain, 6-4, in a matchup of two favorites for the gold medal. On Tuesday, the British team faces the United States, which lost to Switzerland, 7-4. (AP)INJURY KEEPS GENERAL MANAGER HOME David Poile, the general manager of the United States hockey team, will not be in the stands to see if the team he helped build will have success. Poile, the Nashville Predators general manager, was hit in the face by a puck at an N.H.L. rink last week. He is recovering from surgery and will watch the Games from home. Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero will take over as acting general manager in Sochi. (AP)CRACKDOWN ON TRIBUTES The International Olympic Committee is reprimanding athletes for wearing items commemorating the dead. The I.O.C. spokesman Mark Adams said the Olympic body sent a letter to the Norwegian Olympic Committee after its female cross-country skiers wore black armbands Saturday in honor of a teammates brother, who died on the eve of the Sochi Games.The I.O.C. also barred helmet stickers in tribute to the Canadian halfpipe skier Sarah Burke, who died after a crash in training two years ago. Adams said athletes should find a better place to express their grief. The Australian snowboarder Torah Bright said in an Instagram post Friday that the I.O.C. considered the stickers to be a political protest. (AP) | Sports |
Credit...Johannes Eisele/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesNov. 14, 2018WASHINGTON Lawmakers in Washington are trying to compel the Trump administration to take strong measures against Chinese officials for their mass repression of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in China.Legislators introduced companion bills on Wednesday in the House and Senate following months of discussions on how to punish China for its treatment of the Uighurs, including sanctioning specific officials and limiting sales of products from American companies to certain Chinese state agencies. The push comes as Chinas treatment of the Uighurs has come under increasing scrutiny by Western news organizations and international agencies.The bills would put more pressure on the Trump administration to take action on what international officials and scholars say is Chinas worst collective human rights abuse in decades. In Washington, administration officials are already starting to take a much harder line on China, including on trade, human rights and its military buildup in the Pacific.Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, say Chinese officials are holding hundreds of thousands and perhaps more than one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims in internment camps across the northwest Central Asian border region of Xinjiang. Reports have emerged of torture, starvation and death in the camps, with officials forcing detainees to renounce standard Islamic practices and swear fealty to the Communist Party.China has also set up a complex surveillance system using cameras, biometric data and phone apps in towns and cities across Xinjiang. And officials have mobilized more than one million Chinese civilians to occupy the homes of Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang to indoctrinate and monitor them. Most of the civilians are ethnic Han, the dominant group in China.Furthermore, Chinese officials are effectively holding hostage relatives of Uighurs who are abroad to force them to return to China to be detained or silence them about the human rights abuses.But some Uighurs, including those in the United States, have been speaking out about the crisis. Uighurs in the Washington area with detained family members, including Rushan Abbas, a business consultant and former Defense Department interpreter, have met with officials and legislators and are pushing for the United States to take action.The bills in Congress propose a wide range of measures and enjoy bipartisan support, increasing the likelihood that some form of the legislation could become law.The legislation introduced Wednesday calls for the secretary of state to consider invoking the Global Magnitsky Act to impose economic sanctions on Chinese officials, including Chen Quanguo, the party chief in Xinjiang, engaged in the abuse. Officials in the White House and departments of State and Treasury have already been discussing this punishment.The bills also ask the commerce secretary to consider prohibiting the sale or provision of any American-made goods or services to state agencies in Xinjiang. This measure is intended to prevent the sale of technology that might end up being used in the surveillance system or in the camps.The bills would compel the director of national intelligence to report on the regional security threat resulting from the crackdown and on whether Central Asian and Southeast Asian nations are forcibly returning Turkic Muslim refugees and asylum seekers to China. And it asks the F.B.I. to report on Chinese state harassment of United States citizens, permanent residents and ethnic Uighurs or other Chinese nationals studying or working in the United States.The president needs to have a clear and consistent approach to China, and not turn a blind eye as a million Muslims are unjustly imprisoned and forced into labor camps by an autocratic regime, said Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.In the Senate, Mr. Menendez introduced the bill with Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida who is chair of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Fifteen senators signed the bill seven Republicans, seven Democrats and one independent. Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey and a commission chairman, introduced the House version of the bill.Mr. Rubio has been the most outspoken legislator on the Uighur issue. In July, the commission listened to testimony on the repression and heard from Gulchehra Hoja, a Uighur-American journalist for Radio Free Asia who said two dozen of her family members in Xinjiang have gone missing. Ms. Abbas and other Uighurs have also spoken to aides or members of the commission.Adding to the pressure, 15 ambassadors in Beijing from Western nations sent a letter to Xinjiangs Communist Party leader, Chen Quanguo, to have him explain alleged rights abuses against ethnic Uighurs, Reuters reported Thursday. Canadas ambassador is leading the effort, which also includes envoys from Britain, Germany and Scandinavian countries, but not from the United States.Chinese officials say the internment camps are set up for vocational training or for the eradication of Islamic extremism. On Monday, United Nations human rights officials sent a letter to China condemning recent regulations that justified the establishment of the camps, saying those violated international law.Last Friday, Mr. Pompeo said he had raised the issue of religious repression including specifically the mass detention of Muslims with top Chinese officials at a meeting in Washington. | World |
Politics|The F.B.I. arrests two men who had carried plastic restraints into the Capitol.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/politics/capitol-zip-ties-arrest.htmlThe F.B.I. arrests two men who had carried plastic restraints into the Capitol.Credit...Win Mcnamee/Getty ImagesJan. 10, 2021The F.B.I. arrested two men on Sunday who were photographed in the Senate chamber clad in military-style clothing and holding zip ties, according to a statement issued by the Justice Department.One of the men, Eric Gavelek Munchel, 30, was taken into custody in Nashville on one count of unlawfully entering a restricted building and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the department said. One of the officials involved in the case said authorities also recovered several weapons at the time of his arrest.The department also said that photographs of a person who appeared to be Mr. Munchel showed him carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cell phone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day.Efforts to reach Mr. Munchel before his arrest were unsuccessful.The other man, Larry Rendell Brock, was arrested in Texas on the same charges after he was allegedly identified as one of the people who broke into the Capitol. The department said in its statement that images of a person who appeared to be him showed Mr. Brock clad in a green helmet, green tactical vest with patches, black and camo jacket, and beige pants holding a white flex cuff, which is used by law enforcement to restrain and/or detain subjects.Mr. Brocks ex-wife contacted the F.B.I. on Friday to say that she recognized him in a photograph taken inside the Capitol building during the riot, according to an F.B.I. affidavit.When I saw this was happening, I was afraid he would be there, she told investigators, according to the affidavit. It is such a good picture of him and I recognize his patch.A second witness who identified Mr. Brock in photographs taken inside the building noted that the suspect had pilot wings on his chest in the picture, and that Mr. Brock was an Air Force pilot, the affidavit said. The witness also said that Mr. Brock worked at L3 Technologies, a defense contractor, and that his contacts at the company knew he was flying to Washington, D.C., the witness told investigators.The two men are among the more than a dozen people charged by federal authorities in connection with the attack on Congress. Internet researchers pieced together what was thought to be their identities in the days after the siege. Investigators in Washington, Tennessee and Texas are working on the cases; and the cases will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington and the counterterrorism section of the Justice Departments National Security Division.Mr. Munchel traveled to Washington with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, and the pair said in an interview with The Times of London that they broke into the Capitol to observe the action, and that they left after rioters talked about stealing electronics and government papers.But Mr. Munchel also said that he and his mother wanted to show that were willing to rise up, band together and fight if necessary, and he compared himself and his mother to the Founding Fathers.Id rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression, Ms. Eisenhart told The Times of London. Id rather die and would rather fight. | Politics |
TrilobitesCredit...Thomas ShahanMarch 10, 2017Despite being just the size of a rice grain, robber flies, which live all over the world, are champion predators. In field experiments, they can detect targets the size of sand grains from nearly two feet away 100 times the flys body length and intercept them in under half a second. Whats more, they never miss their mark.A team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge has started to unveil the secrets to the robber flys prowess. In a study published Thursday in Current Biology, the team outlined the mechanics of the flys pursuit, from its impressive eye anatomy to how it makes a successful catch every time.Notably, the researchers observed a behavior never before described in a flying animal: About 30 centimeters from its prey, the insect slows, turns slightly and brings itself in for a close catch.This lock-on phase and change in behavior during a flight is quite remarkable, said Sam Fabian, a graduate student at Cambridge and an author of the study. We would actually expect them to do something very simple just accelerate and hit the target.ImageCredit...Sam Fabian/Cambridge Advanced Imaging CenterThe scientists surveyed robber flies in the field using a fly teaser, which consisted of beads on a rapidly moving fishing line controlled by a motor. As the flies charged at the bait, the researchers captured their movements using high-speed cameras.At the start of the robber flys conquest, it sits on a perch and scans the sky for passing prey. When it glimpses a potential meal, it takes flight, maintaining a steady angle between itself and its target.This proactive strategy, using a constant bearing angle, is also employed by fish, bats and sailors, Mr. Fabian said.Maintaining a constant bearing angle gets the robber fly in the ballpark of its prey. Then, at the 30-centimeter mark (how the fly judges this distance is still unclear), it subtly changes course so as to approach its target from behind.We think this second proactive phase allows the animal a higher probability of catching its prey, said Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido, a lecturer at Cambridge and another author of the study. In the same way that its easier to pass a baton by running to someone from behind versus head-on, looping around makes it easier for the fly to align itself with its kill.Next, the scientists wanted to understand the robber flys startling visual capabilities. Whereas we have a single lens in each eye, the robber fly has several thousand lenses per eye, which range in size. In the center of each eye, the researchers found, is a concentration of large, forward-pointing lenses.This central area, called the fovea, is extremely high resolution and is what allows the flies to see their prey from a distance equivalent to more than one and a half soccer fields for humans.They basically have permanent binoculars, said Trevor Wardill, a research fellow at Cambridge and an author of the paper.Rob de Ruyter, a professor of biophysics at Indiana University, who was not involved in the study, said, The extent to which this fovea is specialized is unusual.Other flies, like the house fly, have localized areas of high resolution in their eyes called love spots, but these are not nearly as exaggerated as the robber flys fovea. Dragonflies also have impressive foveae, but their bodies are 10 times larger and can more easily accommodate many large lenses in their eyes.These adaptations that make the tiny robber fly a well-oiled hunting machine are an example of how insects must develop highly specialized strategies to survive in this world, Dr. de Ruyter said.Insects die at such high rates, and have such short generation times, he said. As a result, they try out new evolutionary solutions much faster than we can. | science |
Credit...Alana Paterson for The New York TimesNov. 7, 2018MONTREAL Canada is running low on legal pot three weeks after sales of recreational marijuana were authorized, a shortage that is sending some frustrated consumers back to the black market.At least three provinces Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are facing a dearth of legal marijuana and two of them have seen outlets selling cannabis temporarily shut down for lack of supply.We need more weed! said Trevor Tobin, who teamed up with his mother to open a marijuana retailer called High North in Labrador City, Newfoundland, a small mining town near the Quebec border. He said his suppliers did not grow enough plants and dont have enough packaging equipment.It is the law of supply and demand, Mr. Tobin said.The shortage threatens to undermine a major aim of legalization: to tame an illegal marijuana trade estimated at about 5.3 billion Canadian dollars annually. Angry consumers across the country say they are returning to their illegal dealers. In Montreal, several pot smokers said their illegal dealers were taking advantage of the shortage by hawking home delivery services and lowering prices.Retailers, consumers and the producers themselves say they are exasperated by the shortage, which is being blamed at least partly on the unexpected explosion of demand for government-approved marijuana and the slow pace at which the federal government has licensed cannabis producers.Of the 132 producers approved by the government to supply marijuana to retailers, 78 have received sales licenses, according to Health Canada, the government department responsible for public health.We are building a new legal industry that wasnt there three weeks ago, and we knew there would be problems, said Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for Quebecs cannabis agency. He said demand had outstripped supply, while licensed producers had overestimated their capacity.ImageCredit...Alana Paterson for The New York TimesProducers can add more people to try and meet demand, Mr. Gaudreault said. But that wont make the plants grow any faster.On Monday, New Brunswick became the latest province to confront a shortage as Cannabis NB, the provincial government agency charged with selling marijuana, temporarily closed half of its 20 stores, citing a production bottleneck. After about 20 percent of its first order was delivered, it said it was waiting for more marijuana deliveries to help plug the gap.That followed the decision by Quebecs provincial cannabis agency to shutter its 12 cannabis outlets three days a week until the supply can be replenished.[Want more Canadian coverage in your inbox? Subscribe to our weekly Canada Letter newsletter.]In Ontario, some frustrated pot smokers say they have returned to their illegal dealers. The Ontario Cannabis Store, the government retailer, received 150,000 orders in its first week of business and has been struggling to keep up with soaring demand. The problems have been exacerbated by a postal strike.The government is just feeding the black market and our customers are going there, said Mr. Tobin, the shopkeeper. We are called High North. But legal weed is in such short supply that no one is getting high on it.Mr. Tobin said that after opening the store on Oct. 17, the day of legalization, his entire marijuana supply sold out in four hours. Among the items flying off the shelves were a potent sativa strain that gives people a creative and social buzz, and pre-rolled joints, he said.After waiting two weeks to get a new cannabis shipment, he said he had been forced to shutter the store for a week. He said he and his mother had invested about 100,000 Canadian dollars in the shop and were struggling to pay their bills.His suppliers, who are licensed by the provincial government, had told him that they had underestimated demand. The store, which has now reopened, is trying to scrape by with the sales of paraphernalia like bongs and rolling papers. But Mr. Tobin said it was not enough for the business to be profitable.His mother, Brenda Tobin, added that demand for government cannabis had surpassed expectations, in part because of the novelty but also because consumers were drawn by government marijuana being strictly regulated and free from contaminants found in some street marijuana.ImageCredit...Alana Paterson for The New York TimesPeople know what they are getting, and they like that, she said.Andr Gagnon, a spokesman for Health Canada, which is regulating the industry, said that Oct. 17 marked the end of nearly a century of criminal prohibition of cannabis and the launch of an entirely new regulated industry in our country.As with any new industry where there is considerable consumer demand, we expect there may be periods where inventories of some products run low or, in some cases, run out, he said in a statement.Given that marijuana had been illegal for so long, he added, the government didnt have a reliable benchmark to know which products would be in high demand or to be able to estimate the demand level.Producers, for their part, say that mastering a new industry invariably means a steep learning curve.In the run-up to legalization, Aphria, a cannabis producer in Ontario, said it had been forced to dispose of 13,642 plants after a lack of qualified local labor hobbled its harvesting. Vic Neufeld, the companys chief executive, predicted in October that there would be shortages and that the problem would improve when consumer demand was better understood.Its like trying to merge a five-lane highway into a one-lane country road, he said. Its tough to get everything through the bottleneck on a timely basis.Mandesh Dosanjh, chief executive of Pure Sunfarms, a licensed cannabis producer based in British Columbia, said that shortages were not surprising given that producers were grappling with challenges such as mastering the growing of cannabis on a large scale, creating new supply chains across different provinces and allowing for rigorous and time-consuming inspections by Health Canada inspectors.Its early days, he said. Its hard to find know-how in an industry that was prohibited.Adam Greenblatt, a spokesman for Canopy Growth, one of the largest cannabis producers in the country, said the company was still building greenhouses in British Columbia, as it sought to accommodate a burgeoning market. Small things such as running out of the glue for the excise tax stamps required on every package of cannabis were causing some producers to have bottlenecks.Everyone is doing their best to meet demand, he said. Who wouldve thought that weed would be this popular? | World |
TrilobitesNew research suggests that in as little as 40 generations, elephants could have become dwarf size on the island off Italys boot.Credit...Gemmellaro Geological MuseumPublished July 1, 2021Updated Oct. 21, 2021Elephants today are confined to the African and Asian continents. But their extinct relatives once roamed far and wide across the planet. When they settled onto islands, some species evolutionary course changed direction in a dramatic fashion.In a paper published earlier this month, scientists found clues to just how much island living can rapidly alter the evolution of these animals.Evolution on islands is a quite intriguing field of science, since it can be seen as an experiment of nature or evolution in action, said Sina Baleka, the papers lead author and a paleogeneticist at McMaster University in Canada. She and her co-authors hope their findings can offer insights into how species living today are affected by geographic isolation on islands and in other habitats.Evidence of smaller versions of extinct elephants has been found worldwide. Fossils of elephant species on islands off California and Siberia as well as in the Mediterranean and Indonesia show that these giants became much, much smaller. In some cases, these dwarves evolved down to the size of a large horse.But much remains to be learned about how many millenniums of evolution it may take for mammals as massive as elephants to shrink to a horse-like size. To make sense of this mystery, the scientists focused on fossils of a species of dwarf elephant from Sicily, the large island off the toe of Italys boot. The fossils were excavated in the late 19th century from the Puntali Cave, not far from the city of Palermo, and are believed to be 50,000 to 175,000 years old.This work wasnt easy. Its not as though Sicilian fossils neatly represented every single ancient elephant species at every phase of its size reduction, Dr. Baleka said. So she and her colleagues used a variety of techniques to study the rate at which the species ancestors became dwarves, including paleogenetics, paleontology, geochronology and different dating methods.ImageCredit...Karla Fritze/University of PotsdamImageCredit...Gemmellaro Geological MuseumWe were able to define the dwarfing rate with much more accuracy than any source of evidence in isolation, said Johanna L.A. Paijmans, a co-author and paleogenomics fellow at the University of Cambridge.At the higher end, that rate was less than 352,000 years. But it might have occurred within 1,300 years, which equates to about 40 generations of elephants, said Victoria Herridge, a co-author and evolutionary biologist at the Natural History Museum, London.Ancient DNA from the Puntali elephants fossilized petrous bone indicated it descended from a mainland counterpart, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, around 400,000 years ago. Those beasts weighed an estimated 10 tons each and were about 12 feet tall.Sicily has never been terribly distant from the rest of Italy, and there could have been a land bridge connecting the two in prehistory. Whether it was there or not, the ancient elephants could have swum to the island if they were anything like todays elephants.Descendants of the large elephants that colonized Sicily were almost 6.5 feet smaller, and almost 8 tons lighter. That change is comparable, the authors wrote, to a human becoming the size of a Rhesus monkey.The evolutionary rate they estimated the elephants to shrink (adapt) is remarkable, wrote Mirte Bosse, a conservation genomics researcher at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, who was not involved in the research. We know that evolution can be rapid, but this is a striking example.While much work remains to pin down how long it took for the elephants to shrink, obtaining the DNA at all is a substantial accomplishment. Dr. Baleka made numerous attempts before she successfully pulled DNA from the petrous bone within the elephants skull. The difficulty resulted in part because ancient DNA begins to degrade from the moment of death, and survives best in frozen climates, but not in the heat of the Mediterranean.That this team was not only able to extract viable DNA, but enough to sequence the genome offers the exciting possibility that this method might be replicated to study more fossils from similar climates. Dr. Bosse noted it was very promising because we are now capable of making this travel through time much further back than previously anticipated. | science |
The finding upends conventional wisdom regarding coughing, long thought to be the main route of transmission.Credit...Joao Silva/The New York TimesOct. 19, 2021Upending centuries of medical dogma, a team of South African researchers has found that breathing may be a bigger contributor to the spread of tuberculosis than coughing, the signature symptom.As much as 90 percent of TB bacteria released from an infected person may be carried in tiny droplets, called aerosols, that are expelled when a person exhales deeply, the researchers estimated. The findings were presented on Tuesday at a scientific conference held online.The report echoes an important finding of the Covid pandemic: The coronavirus, too, spreads in aerosols carried aloft, particularly in indoor spaces a route of transmission that was widely underappreciated as the pandemic began to unfold.TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attacks the lungs. It is the worlds deadliest infectious disease after Covid-19, claiming more than 1.5 million lives last year the first increase in a decade, according to a report published last week by the World Health Organization.As the Covid pandemic disrupted access to health care and supply chains around the globe, 5.8 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2020. But the W.H.O. estimates that about 10 million people were infected. Many may unwittingly be spreading the disease to others.Our model would suggest that, actually, aerosol generation and TB generation can happen independent of symptoms, said Ryan Dinkele, a graduate student at the University of Cape Town who presented the results.The finding helps explain why tightly packed indoor spaces, like prisons, often are breeding grounds for TB, as they are for Covid. And the research suggests that some of the methods used to limit coronavirus transmission masks, open windows or doors, and being outdoors as much as possible are important in curtailing TB.Those of us who are TB people look at Covid and say, Wow, its just a sped up version of TB, said Dr. Robert Horsburgh, an epidemiologist at Boston University who was not involved in the work.Researchers previously believed that most TB transmission occurred when an infected person coughed, spraying droplets containing the bacteria into the air. Some bacteria were thought to be released when a person breathed, but much less than by coughing.The new finding does not change that understanding: A single cough can expel more bacteria than a single breath. But if an infected person breathes 22,000 times per day while coughing up to 500 times, then coughing accounts for as little as 7 percent of the total bacteria emitted by an infected patient, Mr. Dinkele said.On a crowded bus or at school or work, where people sit in confined spaces for hours, just simply breathing would contribute more infectious aerosols than coughing would, Mr. Dinkele said.In so-called tidal breathing, inhalation opens up tiny air sacs in the lungs, and then exhalation carries the bacteria from the lungs via aerosols. Because of their smaller size, aerosols released by tidal breathing can stay afloat in the air for longer and travel further than droplets emitted by a cough.As with Covid, some TB patients spread the disease to many people and may release a lot of bacteria while others infect few people around them. But even if 90 percent of the bacteria expelled by an infected person were carried in aerosols, this route of transmission wouldnt necessarily account for 90 percent of new cases, cautioned Dr. Silvia S. Chiang, who studies the disease at Brown University.Still, experts said, the finding does suggest that physicians shouldnt wait for TB patients to arrive at clinics with a severe cough and weight loss, the telltale symptoms.We just need to screen the entire population, just like you would do if youre looking for a lot of Covid, Dr. Horsburgh said.The discovery came about in large part because of technology developed by Dr. Robin Wood, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The apparatus can collect aerosols from infected people and identify bacteria within them.Diagnosis and treatment of TB has changed very little in decades. It was time to start using modern, state-of-the-art technology to approach an old disease, Dr. Wood said. With some tweaks, the system could also be used to study other diseases, including Covid, he added.TB has been around for millenniums, and its cause known for nearly 150 years.And yet, were still finding out new things about such a fundamental part of its biology, Mr. Dinkele said. Its humbling to realize that we need to be so careful when it comes to a dogmatic approach in a field. | Health |
Politics|Mulvaney Is Said to Want Deputy to Succeed Him at C.F.P.B.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/politics/mulvaney-cfbp-kraninger.htmlCredit...Jacquelyn Martin/Associated PressJune 15, 2018Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director and acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has picked a deputy at the budget office, Kathy Kraninger, to succeed him at the consumer watchdog agency, according to two people familiar with the situation.Ms. Kraninger, who oversees the preparation of the budgets for several cabinet departments, was selected over the objection of some officials inside the White House, who argued that her relative inexperience and association with Mr. Mulvaney could scuttle her nomination.The appointment is likely but not yet final, the officials said. Ms. Kraninger, a graduate of Marquette University and Georgetown Law School, specialized in homeland security matters before joining Mr. Mulvaneys staff at the Office and Management and Budget in March 2017.She surmounted a key hurdle last week when a member of the National Economic Council staff, Andrew Olmem, signed off on her nomination, people close to the situation said.President Trump tapped Mr. Mulvaney to oversee the consumer bureau late last year, giving the brash former South Carolina lawmaker a mandate to dismantle the agency, which was created in the wake of the financial crisis to help protect consumers against financial company abuse.Ms. Kraninger, 43, has spent much of her career on Capitol Hill, including serving as the clerk for the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security and working with the House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.Since his appointment, Mr. Mulvaney has tried to weaken the bureaus enforcement and investigative activities, including its policing of payday lending, student lending and consumer finance.Critics said the selection of a protg was a way for Mr. Mulvaney to keep his grip on the consumer agency.This looks like nothing more than a desperate attempt by Mick Mulvaney to maintain his grip on the C.F.P.B. so he can continue undermining its important consumer protection mission on behalf of the powerful Wall Street special interests and predatory lenders that have bankrolled his career, said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress, a consumer group that has been critical of Mr. Mulvaney.One administration official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said Mr. Mulvaney had picked Ms. Kraninger because she was seen as more palatable, particularly to Democrats, than another candidate, Todd J. Zywicki, a conservative professor at George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School.Ms. Kraningers possible appointment was reported earlier on Friday by Bloomberg News.A call to Mr. Mulvaneys spokesman was not immediately returned. | Politics |
Christina Aguilera Walk 270 Feet?? That's Why I Got This Fancy Ride!! 1/25/2018 TMZ.com Christina Aguilera can't be bothered to use her 2 feet when she has 4 perfectly good wheels to get her around ... even if she's only going just 200 feet or so. Christina made the rounds in WeHo Wednesday night, hitting up at least 3 places with her entourage. The last 2 were The Roger Room and The Nice Guy ... hot spots that are practically next door to each other. Well, the 'Voice' coach took a pass on strutting the 272 feet between the establishments ... 'cause that's what normies do. Instead, Christina made the journey in Christina-Freaking-Aguilera style. Diva's gotta diva. Also ... sweet beret! | Entertainment |
Canada|Barred From Canadian Embassy Parties: Cardboard Trudeauhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/world/canada/canada-justin-trudeau-cardboard-cutout.htmlCredit...Sam Hodgson for The New York TimesMarch 21, 2017He was the consummate politician: tall, dapper and always willing to be trotted out for public appearances, even when someone licked his face. The only problem? Hes made of corrugated paper.Despite the social media appeal of posing for selfies with a life-size cardboard cutout of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or perhaps because of it Canadian diplomats in the United States have been ordered to no longer set up the 6-foot-2 cardboard replica of Mr. Trudeau at promotional events, after researchers from the opposition Conservative Party raised the issue on Monday.Before they were quietly retired, the sultry, if flat, cardboard cutouts of Mr. Trudeau popped up across the United States, from a Canadian consular event in Atlanta and a Canada Day celebration at the nations Embassy in Washington last year, to the South by Southwest arts festival in Austin, Tex., where the two-dimensional Trudeau, garbed in black suit and brown loafers, was surrounded by revelers with cocktails.There will be no future invitations. We are aware of instances where our missions in the United States had decided to purchase and use these cutouts, the Global Affairs Canada spokesman, Michael OShaughnessy, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday. The missions have been asked to no longer use these for their events.The abrupt retirement of the cutouts may reflect a tension in Canadian politics, between the understated reserve thats a legacy of British colonial rule and the desire for American-style star power.Highly sensitive to accusations that Mr. Trudeau lacks the gravitas of a world leader, the governing Liberal Party has long sought to balance his brand as celebrity and statesman. Last week, he attracted a great deal of media attention just by attending a performance of the Broadway musical Come From Away.The prime ministers office is incredibly aware of the power of his celebrity and want nothing to affect that, said Ian Capstick, a media consultant in Ottawa. By having countless cutouts out there the government really starts to lose control of that image.While Global Affairs did not respond to emails and telephone calls asking about the reason for the decision, the demise of the Trudeau stand-ins comes at an awkward moment for the real-life prime minister, who is under fire for a family vacation to a Caribbean island owned by the Aga Khan, which cost Canadian taxpayers more than $95,000.Conservative activists discovered that the Canadian Embassy last June paid $147.79 for a rush order on a Trudeau cutout from HistoricalCutouts.com, a Pennsylvania company.Emails obtained by the Conservative researchers reveal a quiet debate over the cutout, with one describing the replica as a hoot that would spark some serious selfie action. But not all bureaucrats were supportive. It just doesnt seem very prime ministerial, one said.Conservatives have seized on the cutouts as a partisan waste of taxpayer money and an insult to Canadian political tradition.Its undignified and unbecoming, John Brassard, the Conservative Party spokesman and a member of Parliament, said in an interview, during which he argued the cutout was an accurate metaphor for Mr. Trudeau: Our prime minister is all about style with very little substance. | World |
N.B.A.|N.B.A. Game of the Week: The Stars Come Back Outhttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/sports/basketball/nba-game-of-the-week-the-stars-come-back-out.htmlFeb. 17, 2014Every week, The New York Times chooses one essential game to watch, highlighting hot teams, winning and losing streaks, and statistical intrigue in the N.B.A.Miami at Oklahoma City, Thursday, 8 p.m. The Heat are in second place in the Eastern Conference, but a recent loss to the Utah Jazz, as well as Miamis aging roster, have some observers skeptical of the Heats chances to win a third straight championship. Miami opens the second half of the season Tuesday by traveling to Dallas to face the Mavericks, who have leapt to sixth place from ninth in the Western Conference over the last two weeks. An intriguing meeting to be sure, but fireworks seem guaranteed later in the week when LeBron James and the Heat visit Kevin Durant and the Thunder on Thursday. As much as team-first purists might scoff at prioritizing star power, it is difficult to turn down a matchup between the N.B.A.s two biggest names. It is particularly impossible to ignore the Heat-Thunder matchup given the recent performances of Durant and James. Each has been missing a full-strength sidekick the Thunders Russell Westbrook has been out with knee problems, and the Heats Dwyane Wade is struggling with a foot injury and that void has cleared the way for spectacular performances, putting the playmaking onus on the two superstars.It is Durant who has responded most magnificently. He is unstoppable these days, averaging 35.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in his last 15 games. Even though Durant now controls more possessions than any other player in the league, he remains the most efficient. It is difficult not to speak hyperbolically when the highest usage rate corresponds with the highest player efficiency rating: In short, it means something like future Hall of Famer.There are few players in N.B.A. history who have played at the level that Durant is displaying these days. But no one has forgotten about James particularly not fans of the Golden State Warriors, who saw him beat their team with a last-second 3-pointer last Wednesday to cap a performance in which he had 36 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. Bleacher Reports Adam Fromal pointed out that M.V.P. votes are often won by performances down the stretch rather than in the first half of the season. If James continues to play the way he has of late, and Durants play is diminished by the return of Westbrook (the only player with a higher usage rate than Durant), it is plausible that James could snatch another M.V.P. trophy.How Durant adjusts his game, and how the Thunder alter their bench play, when Westbrook returns will be of interest. For example, Reggie Jackson has been a surprisingly able substitute for Westbrook, and Oklahoma City Coach Scott Brooks will have to decide how best to use Jackson when Westbrook returns. But if that return does not happen this week, the Heat-Thunder matchup still has two marquee names, which equates to a regular-season pairing fit for star-crazy fans. | Sports |
Errol Spence I Hate 'Rocky" ... The Movie Kinda Sucks 1/28/2018 TMZSports.com WARNING: THIS POST IS FULL OF BLASPHEMY. IBF Welterweight Errol Spence -- one of the most feared boxers on Earth -- is about to do what no fighter has ever done before ... straight HATE on the best movie of all time, "Rocky." Most people think Spence is up next to be the Floyd Mayweather-type, huge deal boxing star, so when we got him out in NYC, we wanted to get to know the slugger a little better. We asked Spence what he thought the worst boxing movie of all time was, and he opted to let films like "Grudge Match," and "Play It To The Bone" off the hook and indict the holy grail of sports films. "I didn't like Rocky, it was too fake. The dude got hit like a million times in one round and he's still going. It was just fake to me, I didn't really like it." Whatever dude, keep your hands up in your next fight. We'd hate for someone to clock you right on the chin. | Entertainment |
Credit...Patrick Semansky/Associated PressJune 15, 2018WASHINGTON Election law experts from across the political spectrum largely agreed that the New York attorney general made a compelling case this week that President Trumps campaign and his charitable foundation violated federal campaign finance laws during the 2016 election.What they could not agree on, though, was whether any federal investigators will pick up the case.The allegations were detailed in filings released Thursday by the attorney general, Barbara D. Underwood, as part of a lawsuit her office brought in state court accusing Mr. Trump and his three oldest children of using the Donald J. Trump Foundation for political and business purposes. That constituted a violation of New York State laws governing charities, as well as federal tax and election laws, the lawsuit charged.But Ms. Underwoods office lacks the authority to prosecute federal matters. So, when she filed the lawsuit, she simultaneously sent letters to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission asking those agencies to investigate the alleged violations of federal tax laws and campaign finance laws, respectively.And, for good measure, on the letter to the F.E.C., she copied two top officials from the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section, which is charged with investigating and prosecuting criminal violations of election laws.The copying of the letter to the Justice Department attracted wide notice in Washingtons close-knit election-law bar, as did the claim in the lawsuit that the use of the Trump Foundation to benefit the Trump campaign was willful and knowing.That phrase, combined with the cc, appears to be an effort to set the stage for a criminal election-law prosecution. That would be handled by the Justice Department rather than the F.E.C., which can only levy civil penalties and fines.The evidence collected by the attorney general is so compelling that she was able to make a case that the Trump Foundation knowingly and willfully violated the source prohibitions and dollar limits of the Federal Election Campaign Act, said Brett Kappel, an election lawyer with the firm Akerman who has represented clients on both sides of the aisle, including the former Texas congressman Ron Pauls 2012 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.The referral to the Justice Department cheered advocates for more aggressive enforcement of election laws, who have bemoaned what they see as the F.E.C.s plunge in recent years into a state of near-constant deadlock and almost complete toothlessness. The agency, which by statute is composed of six members evenly split between appointees from both parties, has two vacant seats, leaving it with only four commissioners. Thats the number required to advance a complaint or referral for formal investigation, meaning that the two Republican appointees would have to join the two Democratic counterparts to proceed with an investigation of a sitting Republican president a highly unlikely outcome.There are certainly grounds to open an investigation on the merits, said Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at the campaign finance advocacy group Common Cause. But the F.E.C. has been dismissing complaints that I think are much stronger slam dunks than this.ImageCredit...Hans Pennink/Associated PressThe Justice Department, on the other hand, has ramped up its prosecutions of election law violations in recent years, pursuing high-profile cases against operatives for misleading fund-raising and misappropriating political committee funds.Violations related to campaign finance laws are among the charges brought by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, against 13 Russians and three companies that tried to boost Mr. Trumps campaign.And the Justice Department is currently investigating Mr. Trumps longtime attorney, Michael S. Cohen, for possible violations of campaign finance laws related to payments to two women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump.While the F.E.C. mostly directs enforcement actions at campaigns and their treasurers, the Justice Department can bring criminal charges that can carry jail time against anyone involved in a campaign finance violation.If the Justice Department takes up the referral from the New York attorney general, Democrats and government watchdog groups can be expected to call for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself as he did from the investigation of Russian meddling because of his involvement in the Trump campaign.The campaign finance violations alleged by the New York attorney general primarily center on a fund-raiser for veterans groups held by the foundation in Iowa ahead of the states pivotal caucuses, which fell on Feb. 1, 2016. The fund-raiser which had many trappings of a campaign rally, including a speech by Mr. Trump skewering his opponents and celebrating his own accomplishments raised more than $2.8 million for the foundation for distribution to other charities benefiting veterans.But records the attorney general obtained show that officials for Mr. Trumps campaign, including the digital operative Brad Parscale, who is now the manager of Mr. Trumps re-election bid, were involved in planning the fund-raiser and raising money for it. Other officials, including the campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, were involved in directing how and when the money was disseminated to the veterans groups, according to emails obtained by the attorney general.In one email, Mr. Lewandowski wrote to a foundation official, I think we should get the total collected and then put out a news release that we distributed the $$ to each of the groups. He later sent a list of veterans groups, and asked that some of the disbursements be made in Iowa in the days before that states presidential nominating caucuses, which mark the kickoff of the primary calendar.The activity around the fund-raiser ran afoul of campaign finance laws on two main fronts, Ms. Underwoods office charges. The $2.8 million raised for the foundation amounted to illegal and undisclosed in-kind donations that exceeded the federal contribution limit of $5,400 per election cycle per person. And Ms. Underwoods lawsuit says that the communication between the campaign and the foundation represented a violation of rules barring campaigns from coordinating with nonprofit groups or other entities in the spending of funds. The referral to the F.E.C. also asks it to investigate a $25,000 donation made by the foundation in 2013 to a nonprofit that was devoted to helping the political prospects of an ally of Mr. Trump.The letter is pretty devastating in terms of building the case that bedrock campaign finance principles and laws were violated, said Meredith McGehee, executive director of Issue One, a nonprofit government ethics group.Republican campaign finance lawyers mostly declined to comment for attribution on the case, though several said that the best defense for the Trump Foundation and campaign may be that they simply didnt know the laws, and therefore couldnt knowingly and willfully violate them. | Politics |
Jay-Z Takes Aim at 2 Donalds -- Trump and Sterling 1/28/2018 CNN Jay-Z thinks it was a huge setback for race relations when Donald Sterling was booted as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers because of his racist comments ... because it sends racists the wrong message. Jay appeared on Van Jones' news CNN show Saturday night and explained his thoughts ... that when Sterling was thrown out of the franchise, it sent a message to racists to just continue that hateful thoughts, comments and actions on the QT. Jay-Z said, "Once you do that (boot him from the franchise), all the other closet racists just run back in the hole. You haven't fixed anything. What you've done was spray perfume on a trash can." The mogul also took aim at Trump in an interesting way, saying even if the African American community is benefiting economically now, saying, "Treat me really bad and pay me well. It's not going to lead to happiness ... Everyone's going to be sick." Trump fired back Sunday morning, saying, "Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!" | Entertainment |
Media|David Lowery Sues Spotify for Copyright Infringementhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/media/david-lowery-sues-spotify-for-copyright-infringement.htmlCredit...Rebecca D'Angelo for The New York TimesDec. 29, 2015Spotify has been sued for copyright infringement in a case that accuses it of failing to properly license songwriting rights in the United States. The suit highlights an escalating fight over the complex system of royalties for online music.David Lowery, the leader of the rock bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, and an outspoken advocate for musicians rights in the digital age, filed the suit on Monday in federal court in California. It contends that the company makes many songs available on its service without properly securing or paying for mechanical rights, which date back to the era of piano rolls but are still a major kind of music copyright.Mechanical rights refer to a copyright holders control over the ability to reproduce a musical work. Mr. Lowerys suit contends that Spotify copies and distributes versions of his songs on its service, which streams music to some 75 million people around the world, 20 million of whom pay for monthly subscriptions.In his suit, filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, Mr. Lowery applied for class-action status, arguing that Spotify has failed to handle the mechanical licensing for a huge but unspecified number of songs by many songwriters. Citing statutory damages for copyright infringement, which range from $750 to $30,000 or $150,000 for each instance of willful infringement Mr. Lowerys suit says that Spotify could be liable for up to $150 million.We are committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny, Jonathan Prince, a spokesman for Spotify, said in a statement. Unfortunately, especially in the United States, the data necessary to confirm the appropriate rights holders is often missing, wrong or incomplete.As streaming has grown, the songwriting rights which are handled separately from those of recordings have become more valuable and their licensing increasingly contested. Songwriters like Mr. Lowery often complain of low royalty rates or of not being paid at all, while online outlets and music publishers alike say that incomplete or conflicting data often hampers proper accounting.In October, Spotify removed from its service thousands of songs from Victory Records, an independent punk and metal label, after the labels publishing arm complained that Spotify was not paying for millions of streams. Spotify said it did not have enough data to resolve the issue, but Victory and Audiam, a company that administers its royalties, disputed this, saying they had provided data with years worth of information.Victorys songs were quietly restored to Spotify a few weeks later, but the issue has continued to simmer. The National Music Publishers Association estimates that 25 percent of the activity on interactive streaming services like Spotify is not properly matched to the right data to let songwriters and their publishers get paid.Last week, Spotify announced that it would create a comprehensive publishing administration system to fix the problem of faulty royalty information. | Business |
Europe|U.K. to Start Brexit on March 29 by Invoking Article 50https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/europe/brexit-article-50.htmlVideoThe British government invoked Article 50, the provision that starts negotiations on the countrys exit from the European Union.CreditCredit...Justin Tallis/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2017LONDON The British government said on Monday that it intended to formally notify the European Union on March 29 of its intention to leave the bloc, putting the country on track to complete a withdrawal by early 2019.David Davis, the cabinet minister responsible for negotiating the exit, said that Britain would send notice next week to start a two-year negotiated exit, commonly referred to as Brexit, under Article 50 of the European Unions treaty.Shortly after the announcement, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said in a post on Twitter that he would present draft guidelines for the British withdrawal to the other 27 member states within 48 hours of Britain formally giving its notice.Prime Minister Theresa May, who had promised to begin the process of negotiating a withdrawal by the end of March, is apparently hoping that the end of the negotiations will conclude before the next elections to the European Parliament in summer 2019 and the next general election in Britain, expected to take place in 2020.After Britons voted in a referendum last year to leave the European Union, the government was taken to court in a battle about whether Mrs. May could invoke Article 50 without the approval of Parliament.Although she lost the legal fight and had to consult Parliament, she eventually won the political argument. Amendments to give Parliament a final say over any withdrawal agreement and to protect the status of the three million citizens from other European countries living in Britain were ultimately rejected, giving Mrs. May a freer hand to negotiate.That, however, is arguably the easiest part. Mrs. May now moves on to what promises to be a hideously complex process of disentangling Britain from more than four decades of European integration, and there are concerns that it will be impossible to complete the negotiations within two years.Mrs. May has prioritized the desire to control immigration and to reject the authority of the European Court of Justice, effectively ruling out membership in the European Unions customs union and in its single market in goods and many services.She has also threatened to walk away from the negotiating table with no agreement if she cannot get the favorable trade deal with the bloc that she wants.As she negotiates with Continental Europe, Mrs. May also faces political dangers at home, most notably in Scotland, where the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is seeking another referendum on Scottish independence.Mr. Davis, in his statement, said that he was aiming for a deal that works for every nation and region of the U.K. and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the U.K. and our friends and allies in the European Union.The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, offered a very different perspective. He accused the government of embarking on an extreme and divisive Brexit, adding that Mrs. May has rushed this through without a plan, and without a clue. | World |
Credit...Kerem Yucel/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesMay 8, 2019SEATTLE Three Somali women working for Amazon near Minneapolis have accused the company of creating a hostile environment for Muslim workers and of retaliating against them for protesting their work conditions, according to a filing submitted this week to federal regulators.In a letter with the filing, Muslim Advocates, a nonprofit legal organization representing the women, asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate what they argue are systemic violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, among other things.The federal complaint is the latest escalation in an almost yearlong dispute between Amazon and East African workers in the area, which has one of the most organized groups of Amazon warehouse employees in the country.We think an E.E.O.C. investigation is a key part of starting the process of holding Amazon accountable, said Nimra Azmi, a lawyer on the case.An Amazon spokeswoman, Brenda Alfred, said in a statement, Diversity and inclusion is central to our business and company culture, and associates can pray whenever they choose. However, she said, We respect the privacy of employees and dont discuss complaints publicly. In 2016, when Amazon opened a major fulfillment center in Shakopee, a suburb of Minneapolis, it recruited heavily from the regions large immigrant population amid low unemployment. At one point it ran buses to the warehouse from a Minneapolis neighborhood known as Little Mogadishu.For more than a year, the Awood Center, a nonprofit focused on helping East African workers, has organized the employees around their concerns about the pace of work, accommodations for prayers and what they see as little opportunity for advancement to management. Awood has received funding from grants as well as the Service Employees International Union.Through a series of escalating actions last year, they became the first known group of workers in the United States to get Amazon management to negotiate. In December, a group protested outside one of the areas mammoth warehouses. Local press reports estimated that 100 people had attended. And in March, a smaller group walked out on its shift for several hours.[Get the Bits newsletter for the latest from Silicon Valley and the technology industry.]Muslim Advocates said it had been in touch with Awood since last summer to determine whether there was a legal challenge to raise.In the letter summarizing their claims, the women said they had faced retaliation since they were involved in the December protest. The workers said they had received difficult work assignments and improper warnings that could lead to firing. Amazon also had a culture of surveillance after the protest, Ms. Azmi said.Muslim Advocates has withheld the womens names from the public, saying they fear further retaliation. One of the women agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity.In the interview, the worker said that she had seen her manager looking at social media of the protests, and that he had then commented he noticed she had participated. Another time, a different manager took a photograph of her on his personal phone while she was working, she said, adding that when she complained, management played down her concerns.According to the letter, one of the other women has had her everyday conversations repeatedly video recorded by her supervisors.There is zero tolerance for retaliation in the workplace, Ms. Alfred, the Amazon spokeswoman, said. We take any reports of retaliation seriously and look into all claims made by our employees.Amazon gives the workers paid breaks to pray up to 20 minutes, as required by state law, but the employees are still responsible for maintaining the same rate, or how many items they must pack in an hour. Ms. Alfred said workers could take longer prayer breaks without pay, for which productivity expectations would be adjusted.Missing the rate can lead to write-ups and firing. The women said they and other Muslim workers feared taking time to pray, making it a hostile environment to be Muslim.Ms. Alfred said the company had worked hard to accommodate the annual observance of Ramadan, when many Muslims fast during the day. Amazon consulted Muslim employees and trained managers on the holiday as well as on safety for fasting workers. Employees can trade shifts to work at night, and they held a potluck at the start of the holiday.The workers say the pressure to produce is consuming. Amazon has been squeezing more profit out of its operations as growth has slowed. Last quarter, the company spent 4 percent less fulfilling orders than a year earlier, even as the number of units sold was up 10 percent.Brian Olsavsky, Amazons finance chief, told investors that was largely because Amazon hired fewer workers as it added fewer warehouses than in recent years.Right now, we are on a nice path where we are getting the most out of the capacity we have, he said. | Tech |
VideoAt Prolific Athletes in Carlsbad, Calif., Ryan Flaherty uses the latest exercise science to prepare N.F.L. draft prospects like Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans and Logan Thomas for the combine test.Feb. 21, 2014CARLSBAD, Calif. Mike Evans, a former star receiver at Texas A&M, crouched in a three-point stance in shorts and a T-shirt and then bolted down a soccer field as a high-speed camera recorded every step. Evans was here not to catch footballs or to practice dodging defenders, but to hone his technique for the 40-yard dash.Ahead of the N.F.L.s scouting combine, with workouts set to begin Saturday, Evans and about 20 other top college football prospects arrived most mornings at a picturesque field in Southern California to learn the art of sprinting from Ryan Flaherty, a strength and conditioning coach whose specialty is speed. Held in Indianapolis every February, the four-day combine is part job fair, part track and field meet, with team interviews and a gantlet of physical tests. There are no medals handed out, but the athletes who run the fastest and jump the highest can expect their stocks to rise as the N.F.L. draft approaches in May. For many players entering the draft, the 40-yard dash, one of the highlights of the televised event, will be the most important sprint of their young lives. So every year, players like Evans, 20, prepare by arriving for a two-month combine boot camp, hoping to shave tenths of a second off their times. Flaherty, 32, a track and field coach and former football player who runs the camp, puts his pupils through a six-days-a-week program that focuses on sprint mechanics and weight lifting. The players train and lift only at maximum intensity. They focus on building fast-twitch muscle fibers, and they do power lifts that increase the amount of ground forces they generate when they run. Increasing the force the players produce with each step, while lowering or maintaining their body weight, Flaherty said, is the most effective way to increase their speed. Flaherty also teaches the players tricks that help them accelerate off the starting line, like dragging the toes of their back foot on the ground. The toe-drag technique, practiced by elite Jamaican sprinters like Usain Bolt, keeps the back foot close to the ground and the shins properly angled, increasing power and momentum.Many of the players who train at Flahertys 15,000-square-foot complex, called Prolific Athletes, say the techniques they learn are at times counterintuitive, but they work. Among the players in the current camp are the Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel a teammate of Evanss at Texas A&M and Logan Thomas, who was the starting quarterback at Virginia Tech. I came in just running and kind of not knowing what to do, said Manziel, referring to the 40-yard dash. Ryan is a track guy that knows his sprinters and knows what we need to do to continue to get faster and the technique to work on. Hes really honed it in.Manziel said he had shaved a lot off his time. Some of Flahertys former pupils, like Jeff Baca of the Minnesota Vikings, have set records at the combine. Baca, 24, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman, was a top performer last year in the 20-yard shuttle and the three-cone drill, which both require split-second changes in direction while running. Im a big guy, and like most offensive linemen, I dont have the best form, Baca said. But for six or eight weeks, Ryan turned me into a sprinter, and my times really came down. So Im a huge believer in him.ImageCredit...David WiesleyWhile all Flahertys athletes hope to impress at the scouting combine, some are under more pressure than others. Evans had an illustrious career at Texas A&M, with 69 receptions and 12 touchdowns in his final season. At 6 feet 5 and 225 pounds, he is a hard-to-tackle receiver with a wingspan made all the more striking by his heavily tattooed arms. On one, Evans has the name of his daughter, Mackenzie. On the other is a tribute to his father, Mickey, who was murdered when Evans was 9.Some scouting reports list him as a top-10 pick. Others expect him to be selected much later in the first round and signed to a far less lucrative contract because of concerns about his speed and explosiveness. Evans is widely projected to run a 4.6 or 4.7 in the 40, Flaherty said, but he believes Evans will smash those expectations and run closer to a 4.3.I would be happy with anything under a 4.5, Evans said.To get him there, Flaherty has taught him that speed is all about hitting the ground hard and fast. Studies indicate that the worlds fastest sprinters have one thing in common: the ability to generate many times their body weight in ground forces when they run. They have a very high ratio of force production to body weight, a measure known as mass-specific force. In the gym, Evans dead-lifts as much weight as he can, muscling close to 500 pounds off the ground. Flaherty stands behind him, telling him to pick up the weight and then drop it on each repetition instead of lowering it. After each set, Evans immediately does a series of vertical jumps. The unorthodox routine increases Evanss force production and fast-twitch muscle fibers. But by avoiding the eccentric, or lowering portion of the dead lift, which breaks down muscle, Evans lowers his risk of injury and soreness and avoids gaining extra mass, Flaherty said.Back on the soccer field, the sprinting drills are all about correcting common running mistakes.The players learn not to pop up into an upright position when they take off at the starting line. Their bodies should be in a forward lean, their shins at an angle, their feet close to the ground and landing behind their hips the form they would have if they were pushing a weighted sled off the starting line. If I was running the 40 before, I would just take off and stand straight up, Evans said. But now, my form is better. Im staying low at first, and Im working on my stance.Im very confident about the combine. I feel like Ill perform well.Despite all the attention the combine receives, there is debate as to whether the skills it tests are an accurate predictor of N.F.L. success. A report by the University of Georgia in 2011 said that overall college performance was a far better barometer than combine results, and plenty of players, including Tom Brady, have had unremarkable results at the combine but excelled in the pros. Flaherty said he agreed that the combine was not necessarily the best assessment of what players were capable of doing on the field. But it is an established part of the game.Every team is going to be there to watch these guys work out and to see how fast they can run and how high they can jump, he said. Its kind of a dog-and-pony show. But you have to do it. | Sports |
The Saturday ProfileCredit...The New York TimesMarch 2, 2017ISTANBUL For the first time in half a year, the Turkish novelist Asli Erdogan returned the other day to her Istanbul apartment, a home left ransacked when she was arrested and sent to prison in August.She discovered that many things were missing: flash drives containing her work and reviews from European literary journals, letters written to her by Kurdish prisoners, and books on Kurdish history. Left behind were the objects of another of her passions: her ballet shoes, torn apart.That is what made her cry.Somehow the unfairness of it all hit me with the ballet shoes, she said in a recent interview. That was suddenly too much.Ms. Erdogan, 49, a physicist-turned-novelist who has always been more celebrated in European literary circles than in Turkish ones, is trying to put her life back together after being imprisoned under the latest crackdown on freedom of expression by the Islamist government of Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (who is not related to the author).She was arrested and charged with supporting terrorism, not because of her novels but as a result of her affiliation, as an adviser, with a newspaper linked to the Kurdish movement that has since been shut down. She still faces a trial that could land her back in prison, and with that hanging over her, she has been living with her mother, sleeping late, not writing much and dealing with the new fame that her case has brought.Nowadays, on the streets of Istanbul, people recognize her.It is moving. Sometimes people put their arms on me and cry, she said. I receive lots of love. That is a big responsibility.There is a downside. I also receive negative reactions, too: curses and lectures on patriotism, she said.That can feel harrowing in Turkey, which has a long tradition of not just locking up writers and journalists but of violence against them, wielded by vigilantes who seem to take their cues from officials who brand as traitors those writers who go beyond what the government deems acceptable language.In the 1940s, the leftist writer Sabahattin Ali was believed to have been murdered by a state agent. In 2007, the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated by a nationalist gunman who may have been acting on the orders of the so-called deep state. And, last year, a man outside a courtroom fired a shot at Can Dundar, a newspaper editor accused of publishing state secrets.Once, Ms. Erdogan said, she was an outcast in literary circles in Turkey for her existentialist writings, which appealed more to a European audience. I have more readers in Sweden than here, she said.Growing up in a household that valued education her father is an engineer, her mother an economist she attended the prestigious Bosporus University. Trained as a physicist, she began writing seriously on the side in the early 1990s while pursuing graduate studies in Switzerland.There, in a tiny room in Geneva, she wrote all night after full days in the research lab, eventually producing the story collection The Miraculous Mandarin. A few years later, while studying for her doctorate in Brazil, she gave up physics for good. One morning I woke up and didnt go to my exams, she said.Now, as her fame in Turkey grows, her books have been selling more, and her publisher has issued new printings. One volume of short stories, The Stone Building and Other Places, has become a best seller in Turkey.The City in Crimson Cloak is perhaps her most-known book, and the only one that has been published in English. It is a recreation of the myth of Orpheus set in the gritty and violent back streets of Rio de Janeiro, where Ms. Erdogan once lived. She describes her writing as sublime language plus crude metaphors that has had only a limited appeal in Turkey, where readers tend to flock to realistic works steeped in Ottoman history or nostalgia, like the books of Orhan Pamuk, Turkeys Nobel-winning novelist.Theres nothing realistic in my books, she said. I am a difficult writer.The darkness of her writing is a reflection of her personality. She has always lived a life of extreme loneliness, she said, and the prevailing theme of her work is the brokenness of human beings, what she refers to as their wounds.Asli Erdogans literature is dark, pessimistic, said Sema Kaygusuz, a Turkish novelist. The world in Erdogans mind is a wounded body. A body constantly bleeding, a body in anguish. She carries this body both linguistically and psychologically. She identifies with the wound. The pain the author is in is not a personal one in this sense, but it is the pain of the world.Even in Europe, in the earlier days of Ms. Erdogans writing career, her work was a tough sell, defying the expectations the outside world places on Turkish novelists.So many publishers told me, Oh your writing is great, its impressive, but, you see, this existentialist stuff, we have done already, she said. But why dont you write us about your own little village?With her arrest and time in prison, Ms. Erdogan has joined many of her Turkish literary contemporaries, and forebears, in a common experience.Most of the countrys great writers have, at one time or another, run up against Turkeys restrictions of freedom of expression. The reasons differ in different eras. Ms. Erdogan was arrested for her association with a Kurdish movement that the government now considers a terrorist group. Mr. Pamuk once faced criminal charges for insulting Turkishness. Elif Shafak, another of Turkeys internationally known novelists, once ran afoul of Turkish authorities for writing about the Armenian genocide, still denied by the Turkish government.Every writer, every poet and every journalist in Turkey knows that words can get us into serious trouble any day, any moment, Ms. Shafak wrote in a recent email. When we write, she added, there is this ominous knowledge at the back of our minds.At every turn, Ms. Erdogans story comes back to books: the books she has already written and the ones she plans to write, the books the police seized from her apartment, the books she read while in prison. To describe the entire experience navigating the Turkish law and prison bureaucracy she leans on a literary reference, saying it has been more than Kafkaesque.In prison, which included several days in solitary confinement sleeping, she said, on a bed that smelled of urine, she passed the time and drew comfort from books brought to her by her lawyers, or mailed to her by friends. She read volumes on world history, and novels by J. M. Coetzee, Iris Murdoch, Henry James, Marcel Proust and Kafka, and the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke and Paul Celan, a favorite of hers. From the prison library, she read Shoah, the text to the acclaimed 1985 documentary by Claude Lanzman.So far, Ms. Erdogan said she has resisted calls to write a memoir of her time in prison, saying she is not ready. I know I could write a best seller very easily about my prison days, she said.She still might, although it will most likely take a long time. Sometimes, she said, it takes her six or seven years to write a hundred pages.When I hear the right voice, and I catch it, it carries me, she said. If I dont, forget it. | World |
The New Old AgeCredit...David PlunkertNov. 18, 2016It was a modest house, a two-bedroom ranch in Arlington, Mass. Jerri and Richard Newman had to stretch to buy it for $169,000 in 1996, but with his job at Bostons Museum of Fine Arts and her freelance editing, they figured they could swing it.They took out a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. But their son developed mental health disabilities, including a bipolar disorder. To pay for his care, and help compensate for Ms. Newmans interrupted career, the Newmans refinanced four times and took out a home-equity loan.In an earlier era, the Newmans hes 65; shes 62 might now be contemplating retirement in a paid-for home. Instead, theyve amassed so much mortgage debt, about $375,000, that theyre reluctantly considering selling. We tried for years to catch up, Ms. Newman said.The norm for a long time was, if you bought a house at 35 and didnt refinance, youd be done paying for it by retirement, said Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, a research economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.Amid the continuing fallout from the housing boom and bust, however, a growing proportion of older homeowners now carries mortgage debt. And the average amount keeps rising, according to two recent studies, which may portend lower standards of living for many retirees.More than three-quarters of Americans over 65 remain homeowners despite housing market gyrations. Those houses usually represent their greatest single asset.But often theres little equity left, even as prices have largely recovered, because so many older homeowners have borrowed against their homes.As housing values rose more than 60 percent nationally between 2000 and 2006, homeowners like the Newmans (more than younger ones) refinanced and took out cash, or signed up for home equity loans or lines of credit.The proportion of homeowners over 55 with housing debt has climbed, the Boston College group recently reported. Dr. Sanzenbacher provided the numbers: 50 percent still had mortgages, home equity loans or lines of credit in 2013, compared with 38 percent in 1998.An Urban Institute study published this month, based on data from the national Health and Retirement Study, found a similar pattern among homeowners over 65. The proportion with housing debt rose to 35 percent in 2012 from 23.9 percent in 1998.Moreover, the median amount they owed nearly doubled, to $82,000 from $44,000.Tapping home equity was an attractive opportunity, Dr. Sanzenbacher said. If you assumed housing prices would keep going up, it didnt seem very risky.At the same time, cultural attitudes about owing money shifted, said Barbara Butrica, an economist and co-author of the Urban Institute report. It used to be a stigma to have debt, she said. Now everyone has debt.Lets not overlook the role of banks and other lenders, either. Financial institutions were very opportunistic, Dr. Butrica said. They made it easy to refinance or take out a home-equity loan or line of credit.Housing prices didnt keep rising, of course. After they plummeted, would-be retirees confronted the prospect of years during which salaries would stop, but monthly mortgage payments wouldnt.Some of these households face a precarious financial future. In 1998, less than 3 percent of homeowners over 65 were underwater, with housing debt that exceeded the value of their homes, the Urban Institute analysis found. By 2012, that proportion topped 8 percent.The institute also looked at older homeowners with loan-to-value ratios of 80 percent or more, meaning that their debts had reached 80 percent of their home values, often a point at which banks wont approve loans, charge higher interest rates or require mortgage insurance.In 1998, 8.4 percent of older homeowners had reached an 80 percent ratio. In 2012, 19.5 percent had. If you think of 80 percent as the threshold for being at risk of default, its pretty dramatic, Dr. Butrica said.Her study also found that health events or work-limiting conditions, like those the Newmans experienced, correlate with higher rates of home equity borrowing.Housing debt can have the greatest impact on the middle class, Dr. Sanzenbacher said. Lower-income retirees are less likely to own homes, and the wealthy rely less on home equity.But for most retirees, even if they dont tap their equity initially, a paid-for house represents security. They can live rent free (though, of course, they still pay property taxes, utilities and maintenance), or they can sell the house to finance a move to a retirement community or a nursing home.Dr. Sanzenbacher and his colleagues calculate a National Retirement Risk Index, which indicates how many working-age households may be unable to sustain their standards of living after they stop working.Its always a scary number: 30 percent in 1989, rising into the 40 percent range during the boom and bust. In 2013, given longer life expectancies, historically low interest rates and lower home equity, the figure reached 52 percent.Whats unclear, economists say, is whether this debt crunch will turn out to be a one-time phenomenon. Is it a consequence of an imploding housing market that will not recur, or an ongoing reality that now must be factored into most Americans retirement planning?Dr. Butrica votes for the latter. The rise in housing debt predated the recession, she pointed out. Even if that debt levels off, as recent data suggest, she doesnt see it going away.Her work has shown that older people with mortgage debt tend to stay in the labor force longer, and to delay receiving Social Security benefits.The Newmans are likely to be among them. Mr. Newman intends to stay in his job as long as possible; he likes his work and also hopes to rebuild his employee retirement savings. Were in better shape than a lot of people, he said.Thats particularly true for black and Hispanic homeowners and those with high school diplomas. Theyre more apt to be overextended, at the 80 percent loan-to-value mark, than whites, the college educated or upper-income households.The Newmans, living frugally and trying everything from a mortgage modification (they didnt qualify) to an interest-only arrangement (it helped, but lasted only two years) remain stuck with an 8 percent mortgage, twice the rate many local lenders offer. But they dont want to default.The solution would be refinancing at a reasonable rate, Mr. Newman said. But because of our history and our credit rating, we dont qualify.Selling their house would allow them to settle their obligations, but its not clear where they and their son would live.They have the very minor consolation of knowing that their situation is no longer unusual.We need to recognize that people are retiring with a monthly payment that previous generations didnt have, Dr. Butrica said. And for a lot of people, its a pretty large payment. | Health |
Europe|At Least Four Dead in Collapse of Marseille Buildingshttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/world/europe/dead-marseille-building-collapse.htmlCredit...Loic Aedo, via Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesNov. 6, 2018MARSEILLE, France Rescuers in the southern French city of Marseille found the bodies of four people in the ruins of two collapsed buildings as the search for victims and survivors continued into a second night.A womans body was recovered from the rubble Tuesday night, the Marseille prosecutor, Xavier Tabareux, said. The bodies of two men and another woman were found earlier in the day.Several people remained missing after the adjacent multi-story structures collapsed Monday.Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said air pockets under the debris meant there was hope to locate and find someone that can be saved.Mr. Castaner said 120 police officers and 80 firefighters took part in the search-and-rescue operation, working day and night in the pile of beams and rubble.The two buildings, one apparently vacant and the other housing apartments, collapsed Monday morning on a street close to Marseilles famous Old Port on the Mediterranean Sea.Authorities said the vacant building had been deemed substandard. It was not immediately clear why the buildings collapsed, or how many people the apartments housed.Fire crews working with sniffer dogs later brought down the remains of a third building they feared could topple on them.Images of the buildings before they collapsed showed that one had five floors and the other six. | World |
Feb. 19, 2014BEIJING Chinas anti-monopoly regulator said on Wednesday that the American chip maker Qualcomm was suspected of overcharging and abusing its market position, allegations that could lead to record fines of more than $1 billion.The regulator, the National Development and Reform Commission, which is also the governments main economic planning body, said it was in talks with another American technology company, InterDigital, which develops patent technologies for wireless devices and networks, about a possible settlement to a separate anti-monopoly investigation.Foreign companies, including Apple and GlaxoSmithKline, are facing tougher scrutiny as China targets key industries to protect consumers from bloated prices and second-rate products.In its first public statements about the Qualcomm investigation, the commission said it had begun making enquiries after receiving complaints that the chip maker was charging higher prices in China than it did in other countries.We received reports from relevant associations and companies that Qualcomm abuses its dominant position in the market and charges discriminatory fees, Xu Kunlin, who heads the commissions anti-monopoly and price supervision bureau, told a news conference in Beijing.The commissions investigations of Qualcomm and InterDigital are part of a focus on information technology providers, especially companies that license patent technology for mobile devices and networks. Industry experts say the commission is trying to lower domestic costs as China rolls out its faster 4G mobile networks this year.Earlier this month, the China Mobile Communications Industry Association said it had filed a complaint against Qualcomm for overcharging for use of its patents.Under the anti-monopoly law, the commission can impose fines of between 1 percent and 10 percent of a companys revenues for the previous year. Qualcomm earned $12.3 billion in China for its financial year that ended September 29, representing nearly half of its global sales.The commission said it conducted raids at Qualcomms Beijing headquarters and at its Shanghai offices in November.Officials subsequently met with William Bold, Qualcomms senior vice president for government affairs, and Fabian Gonell, vice president and counsel for technology licensing, in December, Xinhua, the state-run news agency, reported.Christine Trimble, a Qualcomm spokeswoman, said Wednesday that the company was cooperating with the investigation. We havent seen the transcript of todays press conference, but we intend to continue cooperating fully with the N.D.R.C., she said. The N.D.R.C. has advised us the investigation is confidential.Any settlement with Qualcomm or InterDigital is likely to include commitments to lower patent licensing fees for Chinese customers, analysts say, along with a fine.Lu Yanchun, a senior commission official, said InterDigital had to make promises on what steps it will take in light of problems weve raised about its licensing.InterDigital had been very cooperative and had taken some positive steps, Mr. Lu said.Executives from InterDigital, which is based in Delaware, met with commission officials on Jan. 3 to discuss ways to resolve the investigation, according to a stock-exchange filing.In a statement in December, InterDigital apologized for misunderstanding Chinese laws, and the company said its executives had feared arrest if they were to travel to Beijing.Also Wednesday, the National Development and Reform Commission said it had been collecting evidence of possible anti-competitive behavior in the countrys auto-parts market.In December, foreign carmakers were accused by Chinese state television of charging customers more for repairs in China than in other markets.We have always been watching, conducting informal investigations and collecting information, said Mr. Xu, the head of the anti-monopoly bureau. But he added that the agency had not officially set up the case.The commission, which is increasing its oversight of price gouging and monopolies, has initiated a number of investigations into Chinese and foreign companies over the past year.In August, the regulator fined six infant-formula manufacturers, including Mead Johnson Nutrition, Danone and Fonterra, a record $110 million after an investigation into price fixing and anti-competitive practices. | Tech |
Credit...Amanda Lucier for The New York TimesThe Great ReadMDMA-assisted treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder represents real hope for long-term healing, health experts say.In 2012, Nigel McCourry, a former Marine, took part in a Phase 2 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat his PTSD.Credit...Amanda Lucier for The New York TimesMay 29, 2022Nigel McCourry removed his shoes and settled back on the daybed in the office of Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a psychiatrist in Charleston, S.C.I hadnt been really anxious about this at all, but I think this morning it started to make me a little bit anxious, Mr. McCourry said as Annie Mithoefer, a registered nurse and Dr. Mithoefers colleague and spouse, wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm. Just kind of wondering what Im getting into.Mr. McCourry, a former U.S. Marine, had been crippled by post-traumatic stress disorder ever since returning from Iraq in 2004. He could not sleep, pushed away friends and family and developed a drinking problem. The numbness he felt was broken only by bouts of rage and paranoia. He was contemplating suicide when his sister heard about a novel clinical trial using the psychedelic drug MDMA, paired with therapy, to treat PTSD. Desperate, he enrolled in 2012. I was willing to do anything, he recalled recently.PTSD is a major public health problem worldwide and is particularly associated with war. In the United States, an estimated 13 percent of combat veterans and up to 20 to 25 percent of those deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lives, compared with seven percent of the general population.Although PTSD became an official diagnosis in 1980, doctors still have not found a surefire cure. Some treatments are not helpful to some veterans and soldiers at all, said Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist and retired U.S. Army brigadier general. As many as half of veterans who seek help do not experience a meaningful decline in symptoms, and two-thirds retain their diagnosis after treatment.But there is growing evidence that MDMA the illegal drug known as Ecstasy or Molly can significantly lessen or even eliminate symptoms of PTSD when the treatment is paired with talk therapy.Last year, scientists reported in Nature Medicine the most encouraging results to date, from the first of two Phase 3 clinical trials. The 90 participants in the study had all suffered from severe PTSD for more than 14 years on average. Each received three therapy sessions with either MDMA or a placebo, spaced one month apart and overseen by a two-person therapist team. Two months after treatment, 67 percent of those who received MDMA no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis, compared with 32 percent who received the placebo. As in previous trials, MDMA caused no serious side effects.Mr. McCourry was among the 107 participants in earlier, Phase 2 trials of MDMA-assisted therapy; these were conducted between 2004 and 2017 and sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, a research group that has led such studies in the United States and abroad. Fifty-six percent of Phase 2 participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD after undergoing several therapeutic sessions with MDMA. At least one year after participation, that figure increased to 67 percent.A decade later, Mr. McCourry still counts himself among the successes. He had his first MDMA session in 2012 under the guidance of the Mithoefers, who have worked with MAPS to develop the treatment since 2000. He shared the video of that session with The New York Times. I was suffering so badly and had so little hope, it was inconceivable to me that doing MDMA with therapists could actually turn all of this around, he said.The second Phase 3 trial should be completed by October; FDA approval could follow in the second half of 2023.We currently deal with PTSD as something that needs to be managed in an ongoing way, but this approach represents real hope for long-term healing, said Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.What makes this moment different from 20 years ago is the widespread recognition that we should leave no stone unturned in identifying new treatments for PTSD, said Dr. John Krystal, the chair of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. Although data from the second Phase 3 trial are needed, he says, the results so far are very encouraging.A need for new treatmentsImageCredit...Travis Dove for The New York TimesMr. McCourry, 40, lives in Portland, Ore., and comes from a military family. He joined the Marines in 2003 because he wanted to make a positive difference, he said: When I went over to Iraq, I felt like we were there because it was for the overall good.But he soon became disillusioned. Rather than fighting for freedom, he guarded convoys of oil. He regularly saw civilians killed. He survived an explosion that knocked him unconscious, and he suspected it may have caused lasting traumatic brain injury. He never received a diagnosis because the symptoms of traumatic brain injury problems with thinking, sleeping and mood overlap with those of PTSD, and the Army lacks tests that can objectively distinguish between the two conditions, Dr. Xenakis said.I just felt like I put my life in harms way really for nothing, Mr. McCourry said. I watched friends die really for nothing.Two months into his deployment, Mr. McCourry was caught in a firefight. Amid a hail of bullets and mortar rounds, he spotted a white truck approaching from the opposite direction. Despite signaling the truck to stop and firing a warning shot, it kept approaching.Mr. McCourry began shooting at it. Later, he learned that the people in the truck were a father and his two daughters. The father survived, but the girls did not. The death of those girls, it haunted me, Mr. McCourry said.In 2005, between tours of duty, Mr. McCourry sought help from a battalion medical officer for his sleep and anxiety issues. When the doctor dismissed his concerns, I kind of lost my mind and started yelling at him, Mr. McCourry said. Shortly after, he was honorably discharged on the basis of a personality disorder a diagnosis that was not legitimate grounds for discharge and that Mr. McCourry vehemently disputed.At first, Mr. McCourry felt overjoyed to be home, but he soon noticed that something felt off. He was tense around friends and family. He was easily offended by any hint of perceived disrespect and found it increasingly difficult to control his anger. When he learned that nearly his entire former squad had been killed by a roadside bomb, he felt an unsettling mixture of numbness and guilt. At that point, things spiraled, he said.Veterans frequently struggle with the readjustment process after returning from war, but they often do so quietly. By and large, soldiers dont like to reveal that they have any problems, so they tend to minimize their symptoms, said Dr. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, the chair of psychiatry at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and a specialist in military and veterans issues. Many dont like to talk about their feelings.Some veterans, including Mr. McCourry, also experience a phenomenon called moral injury, which frequently occurs alongside PTSD and can complicate treatment. According to Dr. Robert Koffman, a psychiatrist and retired U.S. Navy captain, moral injury develops in service members who feel responsible for perpetrating or for failing to prevent an act that violates their deeply held beliefs. The result is often intense feelings of shame and guilt.For years, vivid nightmares and paranoia prevented Mr. McCourry from sleeping properly, and he began having suicidal thoughts. Eventually, he sought help at a Veterans Affairs clinic. He received a diagnosis of severe PTSD, and the doctors recommended conventional treatments including therapy and medications.These treatments bring relief for some patients with PTSD, but they are not effective for all, said Paula Schnurr, executive director of the V.A.s National Center for PTSD: My take on the literature is that there is room for improvement.Some research indicates that conventional therapy for PTSD tends to be less effective for active duty military and veterans, around 40 percent of whom drop out of treatment. With PTSD, a pathological avoidance of triggers which can include psychotherapy is a core feature of the disorder, said Dr. Joseph Pierre, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.Mr. McCourry tried therapy, but it didnt help at all, he said. The medications he was prescribed only complicated his symptoms by causing serious side effects, including disorientation and drowsiness a common experience.For those who do not find relief through available treatments, PTSD can become chronic, debilitating and even life-threatening. On average, 17 veterans die by suicide every day, Dr. Koffman said.I just remember wanting the suffering to end, Mr. McCourry said. I didnt see any hope, and there didnt seem like there was any path to improving. I just really wanted to die.Finding the inner healerImageCredit...Travis Dove for The New York TimesWhen Mr. McCourry first heard about MDMA-assisted therapy, he doubted it would make a difference. He met with the Mithoefers for three 90-minute preparatory sessions designed to establish trust and provide guidance on how to respond to difficult memories and feelings that might arise during treatment.The experimental sessions would last eight hours. Although Mr. McCourry knew he would be taking MDMA, under the studys double-blind protocol he and the Mithoefers did not know what dose he would be randomly assigned. Possibilities ranged from a very low 30 milligram dose to a relatively high 125 milligram dose. Mr. McCourrys fell in the middle, at 75 milligrams.On the day of Mr. McCourrys appointment in 2012, as he sought to relax, Dr. Mithoefer reassured him. We talked about not having an agenda about what should happen, he said. But some people find it nice to have an overall intention.Mr. McCourrys voice wavered. If I had an overall intention, its basically just to have greater depth of understanding of mental processes and why I think the things I do, he said. To try to understand myself better.Then, he swallowed the pill with a swig of water, put on eye shades and lay back. Melodic, chanting music filled the room.After about an hour, a warm sensation began to wash over Mr. McCourry in intermittent waves, and the music sounded more beautiful than before. He felt himself relax, even as he began to worry about where things were going.Soon, though, the tone of the music no longer felt inviting but ominous. Mr. McCourry considered removing the eye shades and asking the Mithoefers to stop the music. But then I remembered that if anything uncomfortable came up, I was supposed to breathe into it versus run away from it, he recalled.The sense of inner conflict mounted and tightened into a knot in his chest. He began remembering with embarrassment all the times he had pushed friends away when they had tried to be kind to him, and he wondered why he had behaved that way. He suddenly felt more connected to Dr. and Ms. Mithoefer and was open to exploring those questions with them.He removed the eye shades and described this new hardness he had developed since returning from Iraq.What if you just let people be nice to you? Ms. Mithoefer gently asked.Id have to give up control of my life in some situations, Mr. McCourry said.How would that look, giving up control? If someones trying to be nice to you?It could be a good experience, but I dont even consider it before I put up these walls between me and people, Mr. McCourry said.Trauma can result in enduring changes in genes, hormones and the brain, according to Dr. Yehuda of Mount Sinai. People with PTSD often show exaggerated levels of stress hormones, for example, and tend to have heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain region associated with processing threats and danger.That negative experiences can alter the body so significantly, however, leaves room for the possibility that equally powerful positive experiences could do the same. For many people, MDMA-assisted therapy seems to provide such a transformational reset, Dr. Yehuda said.But taking MDMA on its own, like a traditional medication, does not automatically alleviate PTSD. Rather, when paired with therapy, the drug seems to catalyze a patients innate capacity for psychological healing.Dr. Mithoefer likened this process to the way immunotherapy helps to fight cancer. Were stimulating the bodys own capacity for defense and healing, he said.Scientists still do not fully understand how MDMA catalyzes healing. Evidence in mice indicates that the drug opens what neuroscientists refer to as a critical period, a window that typically occurs during childhood in which the brain is more malleable and better able to learn.This critical-period explanation really offers a different way of thinking about it, said Dr. Gl Dlen, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University and senior author of the findings, which were published in Nature in 2019. MDMA is allowing you to do a cognitive reappraisal and reformulate all of the personal narrative youve written around the trauma.In the Mithoefers office, Mr. McCourry realized that the reason he was shutting people out was because permitting them to get close would require trusting them and trusting them would mean surrendering control. In Iraq, extreme self-reliance and distrust of others had been protective mechanisms that had helped to keep him alive. Now, those tools had become detractors.Thats what PTSD is, really, Dr. Mithoefer said as the three of them talked through these revelations. You know youre back, but theres parts of you that havent taken that in yet.Different paths to healingImageCredit...Marissa Leshnov for The New York TimesNot everyones experience with MDMA-assisted therapy is as straightforward as Mr. McCourrys.While serving in Vietnam, John Reissenweber sustained major injuries in a mortar explosion and accidentally killed a 2-year old boy. He came home a different person: always on edge and with one of the most acid tongues there were, he recalled recently. Like Mr. McCourry, he felt a constant need for control, and he turned to alcohol for solace.Mr. Reissenweber, now 73, never considered that PTSD might have explained his feelings and behaviors. His previous mind-set held that to have PTSD, youre weak.In 2017, Mr. Reissenwebers wife convinced him to see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with PTSD. Despite regular appointments, his mental health did not improve. In 2019, he enrolled in the Phase 3 MDMA-assisted therapy trial.Entering the first of three sessions with MAPS-trained therapists in San Francisco, Mr. Reissenweber worried that the drug would cause him to really come undone. But in the weeks after the session, he felt more connected to himself and others, he said. The second session also went well.I could take a walk outside and feel the air against my skin, he said. I could focus on somebody and imagine what they were thinking.But in the third and final session, Mr. Reissenweber resolved to directly face his trauma, which took the form of a black pit. You cant shy away from it anymore, he told himself, and jumped in. But rather than passing through the pit into the light, as he expected, he became stuck in the darkness and was terrified.Mr. Reissenweber could not sleep for over a week afterward, and he sometimes began shaking inexplicably. Eventually, his therapist helped him realize that the pit had represented his anger and hurt. Im still processing from that thing, he said.Despite the difficulty, Mr. Reissenweber said his experience with MDMA-assisted therapy significantly changed his life for the better. He now finds traditional therapy to be productive and has been able to deeply connect with others, including his spouse, who he calls his guardian angel.It made me realize there was a reason for my hurt and my fears, and that I could change the outcome, he said.Clarity and compassionImageCredit...Amanda Lucier for The New York TimesMr. McCourry emerged from his first session of MDMA-assisted therapy with what he described as an aerial map of his mind. Its just been so tangled up, I didnt even know where to start, he told the Mithoefers.He slept soundly that night, and his sleep problems never returned.In one of his later sessions with MDMA, he revisited the memory of the two girls he had accidentally killed and saw that he had been harboring a tremendous amount of self-loathing for the person he had become in Iraq. He was able to replace the contempt he felt toward Nigel the Marine, as he put it, with compassion.Mr. McCourry recently became a father and after a nearly 10-year long bureaucratic struggle successfully convinced the Navy to correct his reason for discharge to combat-related PTSD, instead of passive-aggressive personality disorder.He still sometimes becomes overwhelmed in stressful situations and just starts to mentally shut down, he said. But he is now able to recognize when this is happening and to better manage his feelings.Its really important for me that these experiences Im sharing are used to show people that there is hope, Mr. McCourry said. Ill keep doing what I can to support this therapy until its legalized. | Health |
Credit...Will Oliver/EPA, via ShutterstockNov. 18, 2018LONDON Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she would hold more talks in Brussels this week over Britains withdrawal from the European Union while she battles twin threats at home: a possible no-confidence vote on her leadership and new resignations from her fractious cabinet.Mrs. May faces a perilous few days after her draft agreement provoked two cabinet resignations and such widespread objections from lawmakers of all political persuasions that the document looks unlikely to win Parliaments approval.This isnt about me, Mrs. May said on Sky News. This is about the national interest. The next seven days are critical.Since Britons voted in 2016 to quit the European Union, Mrs. Mays Conservative Party has been split between those who want to keep close economic ties with the bloc and a more hard-line faction that wants a clean break.But since an agreement on a draft deal on the process known as Brexit was announced, those arguments have exploded in public, leaving the government in disarray, Parliament seemingly deadlocked and the future uncertain after March 29, when Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union.Mrs. May said that she planned to visit the Belgian capital this week, before a summit meeting of European Union leaders on Nov. 25 that was called to discuss the draft plan.ImageCredit...Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesIn her television interview, Mrs. May vowed to see the deal through, as she has so often done during the Brexit saga, insisting that she will not be deflected from her strategy.A change of leadership at this point isnt going to make the negotiations any easier, and its not going to change the parliamentary arithmetic, she said. What it will do is mean there is a delay to those negotiations and thats a risk that Brexit gets delayed or frustrated.A group of pro-Brexit cabinet ministers is pressing for a variety of changes that they hint will decide whether they can stay in the cabinet and support the deal.In reality, Mrs. May is unlikely to secure any concessions that address her critics main fear: that Britain could be tied indefinitely to European Union rules over which it has no influence and no clear escape route.Yet further negotiations may at least buy her time to tamp down the crisis and produce promises for a longer-term trade plan that may be more palatable for hard-line Brexit supporters.Also speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, appeared to soften his personal opposition to the idea of holding another referendum on the terms of an exit deal, including the option to remain.A second referendum was an option for the future, but its not an option for today, said Mr. Corbyn, who opposes Mrs. Mays plan.His colleague Keir Starmer told The Observer newspaper that Labour would try to pass a law in Parliament to make it impossible to leave the bloc without a deal.ImageCredit...Will Oliver/EPA, via ShutterstockIf the prime ministers deal is rejected and thats looking increasingly likely Parliament will not just sit back and allow her to proceed, Mr. Starmer said.The immediate focus in Westminster, however, is on whether Mrs. May can keep her post. Hard-line Brexit supporters within the Conservative Party believe that they will soon have the 48 letters required to hold a no-confidence motion.As the process is conducted in private, the only person who knows how close they are is Graham Brady, the chairman of the committee that oversees the election of Conservative Party leaders. He told the BBC that the threshold had not been met, but would not say exactly how many letters have come in, adding that he had not even shared that information with his wife.Even if Mrs. Mays critics muster the number to force the vote, her supporters believe she could survive because her enemies do not agree on a successor and would have to persuade a majority of the 315 Conservative lawmakers to oust her.But she also has trouble in her cabinet, where her draft withdrawal agreement has been criticized by several ministers. Two have resigned so far, including Dominic Raab, the chief Brexit negotiator. If more cabinet ministers quit, it would raise further questions about Mrs. Mays ability to carry on.When she travels to Brussels, Mrs. May is unlikely to secure any significant changes to the terms of the draft agreement. These include Britains fee for leaving the union, the rights of European Union citizens living in Britain and vice versa, and plans to prevent physical checks at the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which will remain in the European Union.European officials have made it clear that they are in no mood to reopen the withdrawal agreement, but there is scope for negotiation over a vaguer, nonbinding agreement on long-term trade something that Mrs. May could use to win over critics.For now, there seems to be agreement on only one thing: A crucial moment is approaching for Britain. | World |
Asia Pacific|North Korea Revs the Engine of Its New High-Thrust Missilehttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/world/asia/north-korea-test-missile-engine.htmlMarch 18, 2017SEOUL, South Korea North Korea conducted a ground jet test of a newly developed high-thrust missile engine, the countrys state-run news media said on Sunday, even as Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is in the region discussing tougher strategies to help end the Norths nuclear and missile programs.The Korean Central News Agency said the test took place at the same northwest facility where the country has been launching rockets to put satellites into orbit, which Western officials have said were efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.Although North Korea has never flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, it has recently demonstrated significant progress in its missile programs with new engines that could potentially deliver a nuclear warhead as far away as the United States.Mr. Tillerson is in Asia, holding discussions with Japan, South Korea and China. In Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, he said that two decades of international efforts to end North Koreas nuclear weapons program have failed, and he warned that all options should be on the table, including pre-emptive military action.In August, North Korea said it had successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, after failing on several earlier attempts. Last month, it launched a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile it said could carry a nuclear payload. And earlier this month, North Korea launched four ballistic missiles at the same time.Since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, North Korea has launched 46 ballistic missiles, including 24 last year, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, according to South Korean officials. | World |
Media|Songkick Sues Live Nation, Saying It Abuses Its Market Powerhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/business/media/songkick-sues-live-nation-saying-it-abuses-its-market-power.htmlCredit...Jim Dyson/Getty ImagesDec. 22, 2015In a case that offers a glimpse into the lucrative but often hidden business of concert tickets, a small company has sued Live Nation Entertainment in federal court, accusing the multibillion-dollar concert giant of abusing its market power to control the sales of tickets through musicians websites and fan clubs.Songkick a concert listings and ticketing company based in New York that has worked with artists like Adele, Paul McCartney, Ellie Goulding, Jackson Browne, Miranda Lambert and Ricky Martin filed its suit on Tuesday in United States District Court in Los Angeles, accusing Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, of interfering in Songkicks business in violation of federal antitrust law. According to the complaint, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have attempted to destroy competition in the artist presale ticketing services market.The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, also accuses Live Nation and Ticketmaster of threatening various unnamed superstar artists not to work with Songkick, and abusing its power as a concert promoter to influence how musicians sell their tickets. Those areas of Live Nations business are supposed to be maintained separately, under the terms of the 2010 merger agreement between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.The case highlights the value of the international touring market, where artists now often make the majority of their income. Live Nation, which declined to comment on the suit, is the worlds largest concert promoter, and in 2014 its Ticketmaster division sold $23 billion in tickets, according to company reports.Songkicks case focuses on a little-known but highly valuable corner of the business: the sale of advance tickets through artists websites and fan clubs. While major ticketing companies like Ticketmaster often have exclusive deals with concert venues to sell tickets for all shows that take place there, musicians have historically been allowed to sell a small portion of the tickets usually 8 percent, but sometimes more directly to their followers through the artists fan clubs or websites, usually in presales, or limited offerings before tickets go on sale to the public.Songkick accuses Live Nation of applying behind-the-scenes pressure on musicians not to do business with Songkick and use Live Nations fan-club system instead.In its suit, Songkick said that it would reveal the artists names if a protective order is granted to avoid providing defendants with a further opportunity to intimidate them. | Business |
The project, announced by the C.D.C., will help trace patterns of transmission, investigate outbreaks and map how the virus is evolving, which can affect a cure.Credit...C.D.C./E.P.A., via ShutterstockPublished April 30, 2020Updated May 6, 2020The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday announced a national initiative to speed research into how the coronavirus was spreading around the country, bringing together at least 75 public health, academic and commercial institutions studying its genome.As the virus replicates, tiny mutations accumulate in its genetic code. Those differences help scientists trace patterns of transmission and investigate outbreaks. They also provide an understanding of how the virus is evolving, which can affect the accuracy of diagnostic tests and the effectiveness of treatments and vaccines.Historically, laboratories studying the genomes of pathogens released only general information about them, often in academic journals. Patient privacy laws in some states also limited the details they could provide. But that began to change in recent years with food-borne illnesses, as officials realized that publicly sharing gene sequences allowed scientists to find links with greater speed and react to save lives.Gene sequences are also shared to help track influenza, and officials used them to respond to Ebola outbreaks in West Africa several years ago and, more recently, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The new effort, announced by the C.D.C. on its website, builds on that approach. Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the C.D.C.s director, said in a statement that he was confident the countrys finest, most skilled minds are working together to help us save lives today and tomorrow.The U.S. is the worlds leader in advanced rapid genome sequencing. This coordinated effort across our public, private, clinical and academic public health laboratories will play a vital role in understanding the transmission, evolution and treatment of SARS-CoV-2, he said, using the technical name for the virus that causes Covid-19.Participating labs have pledged to release their information into the public domain quickly and in a standard way, as part of an initiative called Spheres. (The projects name is an acronym: Sequencing for Public Health Emergency Response, Epidemiology and Surveillance.) The sequences they share will be used for surveillance, emergency response and applied research, according to the federal agency.Pavitra Roychoudhury, a scientist with the University of Washingtons virology department and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is helping to coordinate her institutions work with Spheres. She said in an email that the project, which launched in early April before being announced, had already made a tangible impact in the number of sequences were able to deposit and make publicly available on a daily basis.She and her colleagues, as well as researchers at some other laboratories, have been sequencing samples for months, providing insights into the origins and spread of the virus in the United States. Weve been sharing what weve learned with others in the consortium, she said.ImageCredit...Ruth Fremson/The New York TimesSequences themselves mean little without context. The consortium aims to standardize what information should accompany each sequence, such as where and when a sample was taken, critically important details to make use of the data. Dr. Roychoudhury said the group was having conversations about how it could present the data in a way that helps researchers around the world who may want to use it to design vaccines and therapies.Other countries have announced similar efforts. Britain established a sequencing consortium more than a month ago funded at about $25 million, and last week, Canada did the same, pledging about $30 million in government support. A C.D.C. spokeswoman said the U.S. projects funding was being worked out.ImageCredit...James Tensuan for The New York TimesThe effort is based in the C.D.C.s Office of Advanced Molecular Detection. Duncan MacCannell, the units chief science officer, said that genomic sequencing and related technologies had fundamentally changed how public health responds in terms of surveillance and outbreak response.He said many members of the consortium were new to the field and were not traditional participants in public health efforts. They were starting to sequence, he said, and needed some coordination.Some public health laboratories are doing rapid and focused work, applying their findings to investigations on the ground and helping guide infection control. Other laboratories involved in the new group, such as LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, have a large national reach, allowing for broader studies that could help officials understand the transmission of the virus and its prevalence in the population over time.Dr. MacCannell said the United States would coordinate its efforts with international partners, including in regions of the world where there were fewer resources for testing. | science |
News AnalysisCredit...Pool photo by Philippe WojazerNov. 8, 2018PARIS All week President Emmanuel Macron toured Frances World War I memory trail. He visited the killing fields of Verdun, the vast ossuary at Douaumont and the monument to heroic African soldiers at Reims. Each stop made the same solemn point: Nationalism kills.It is a message Mr. Macron hopes will not be lost on the dozens of world leaders who will descend on France this weekend to commemorate the 1918 Armistice.But it is not clear anyone is listening. If anything, the carefully orchestrated centennial that Mr. Macron wanted to use for boosting his image at home and his ambitions for Europe only seems certain to underscore his isolation, both at home and abroad.The partner he had hoped to have in realizing his ambition for more Europe the German chancellor, Angela Merkel is on her way out. The avidly nativist eastern Europeans see him as the symbol of everything that is wrong with the European Union. He extended a hand time and again to President Trump only to see it slapped away; in the last few months, Mr. Macron has increasingly been marking his distance from the American president.All that has left Mr. Macron as perhaps the lone leader defending liberal values and European governance, and taking a moderate stance toward immigrants against flag-waving populists.But the heir-apparent to lead Europe as Ms. Merkel exits is politically weak at home, still inexperienced as a politician, nearly outnumbered by populist leaders whose ranks are growing quickly on the Continent and lacks a partner on the world stage.Some of this isolation, no doubt, stems from genuine conviction in the face of countervailing political winds. The Europe that Mr. Macron looks to lead is very different from the one where Ms. Merkel rose to power.When in 2005 she became chancellor, and the leader of Europe by dint of her running its wealthiest country, other nations were still clamoring to join the European Union. The great immigration waves from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa which have so riven the continent politically only started in 2011 and did not reach deeply divisive levels until 2014.Its a different situation for Mr. Macron, elected in 2017.Its absolutely clear that hes pretty isolated, because he represents the idea of a world thats open multilateralism, defending liberal society, said Nicolas Tenzer, an analyst who teaches at Sciences Po, one of Frances top academic institutions. From Mr. Macrons point of view, youve got to reaffirm these principles, he said.But some of Mr. Macrons isolation is also a function of his favored self-image as a solitary warrior, creating a stark choice between himself and the French far right for next Mays elections for the European Parliament, which are shaping up as a battle between the forces of integration and fragmentation on the Continent.Even at home, Mr. Macron has some persuading to do. This week, for the first time in the race, a poll showed the presidents political movement, La Rpublique en Marche, or Republic on the Move, falling slightly behind the anti-Europe, far-right Rassemblement National, formerly known as the National Front, in the race for European Parliament seats.Several analysts see a direct link between the increasing disaffection of French citizens with their leader, and his isolation in the world. Unlike Ms. Merkel, who for most of her term was quite popular and at times even beloved at home, Mr. Macrons youthful appeal waned as he pushed through one reform after another, which have yet to yield much economic improvement for those people who fear being left behind.He has been insensitive to the kinds of popular concerns that make people feel they are drowning, said Pascal Perrineau, a political-science professor at Sciences Po.ImageCredit...Gleb Garanich/ReutersMarielle de Sarnez, a Macron ally and chairwoman of the French Parliaments foreign affairs committee, said the French president was not isolated, but that Europes populists were responding to the peoples fears, that we and President Macron have to take into account.It is not a lost fight, she added. But its our responsibility to take into account the fears of the people and identify, for instance, the frontiers. And hes got a very important role in that. The European peoples, it is up to us to pull them together.But Mr. Macron himself has become a divisive figure for many in France who fear a widening gap between the haves and have-nots, and between tradition and change.A political opponent of Mr. Macron, Xavier Bertrand, who is president of the heavily industrialized region in the north of France, described Mr. Macron as fanning the flames of division.The role of a president is to reduce these fractures and bring people together rather than dividing them, he said in an interview in the Journal du Dimanche last weekend.Nevertheless, in recent speeches and interviews, Mr. Macron has presented himself as the best alternative for Europes future as he has warned about the dangers of the increasingly loud siren song of nationalism.Im struck by the resemblance between the moment were now living, and the period between the world wars, Mr. Macron told the newspaper Ouest-France last week in a comparison that sparked anguished commentary.Europe was caught between dismemberment by the leprosy of nationalism, and being pushed around by outside powers, he said.Nationalism is rising, the nationalism that demands the closing of frontiers, which preaches rejection of the other. It is playing on fears, everywhere, he told Europe1 radio this week. Europes postwar peace and prosperity was merely a golden parenthesis in our history, he said.But some say those characterizations miss the point of contemporary Europes grievances, which are less militaristic than before the world wars and more rooted in fear of how immigration is changing societies.Macron wants to polarize the debate, said Dominique Reyni, a political scientist at Sciences Po and a specialist in populism.How can you imagine that Europe is in the 1930s now? he said. Countries like Hungary are disappearing demographically. No, on questions like immigration, the Europeans are simply demanding more protection.But if Mr. Macron is to truly take on the role as the premier defender of Western liberal values, it becomes ever more incumbent on him to make an effort to bring his opponents into his camp even as he makes clear where his priorities differ.Ms. Merkel never allowed herself to dramatize differences. Although she was unsparing in her criticisms of Spain, Italy and Greece, she sought to negotiate with her opponents and those who resented her policies, including Alexis Tsipras, the Greek leader. Mr. Macron, in contrast, relishes his chances to be tough and confrontational with those he perceives as antagonistic.He has openly sparred with the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, as well as Italys interior minister, Matteo Salvini. And his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, closely following Mr. Trumps, sounded like a direct rebuke of the American presidents nationalism.In September, after Mr. Orban placed Mr. Macron at the head of those forces upholding immigration Mr. Macron shot back: If they want to see me, personally, as their principal opponent, they are absolutely right.He is surprisingly isolated in Europe, hes not talking to Hungary and Poland, hes trying to isolate them and reinforcing the idea that the French do not like the Central Europeans, said Charles Grant, the director of the Center for European Reform in London.The isolation from those countries, coupled with Italys latest turn to populism, leaves France with few, if any, powerful allies. Germany is working out its post-Merkel political stance but is moving in a more conservative direction, at least on the pivotal issue of immigration, and Britain is leaving the European Union altogether.Hes got a rather Manichaean view of good fighting evil and he wants to be the liberal global order fighting nationalism, but its risky because if the bad guys do rather well, if the nativists are the biggest group in the European Parliament, hell have egg on his face, Mr. Grant added.Mr. Macron, however, has been thinking about these divisions for some months and appears to have calculated they will work to his political advantage. Last summer he described the real frontier in the European Union as the one between the progressives and the nationalists.For many, however, that is a misleading way to frame the current debate whether inside or outside France.The divisions in the European Union are just much more complex than this very black and white vision, said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, who heads the German Marshall Funds Paris office.Mr. Macron, too, has some populist and even nationalist stances, she said, noting that Ms. Merkel was heavily criticized in France for having fueled populism with her insistence on austerity measures and her open approach to immigration.Plus, he faces the reality that Europe can no longer count on the United States in the way that it once could to help bolster its global position.Both the United States and Russia appear to want a weaker European Union so that they can make bilateral deals and, as the more powerful partners, call the shots.Despite all that, Europe right now is a continent in need of a leader, said Mr. Perrineau of Sciences Po.Macron is isolated, he is alone, he is solitary, but he has talent and there is an urgency for him to find support from other countries, Mr. Perrineau said.He must find it, he cannot fight alone, there is a need for young leadership, for someone to speak up for democracy, for Europe, for openness, he added. If no one does, the future will be bleak. | World |
Credit...Massoud Hossaini/Associated PressJawad Sukhanyar and Fahim AbedMarch 20, 2017KABUL, Afghanistan A feud that began when one police commander in western Afghanistan was accused of killing the civilian son of another has set off days of clashes, leaving four police officers dead, Afghan officials said.Fighting between the sides continued Monday in Maimana, the capital of Faryab Province, as officers loyal to each of the commanders fired heavy weapons at one anothers houses in and around the city, local officials said. Each faction was from a different unit of the same provincial police force and represented a rival political party.It was another indication of strife in Afghanistans shaky coalition government, which combines ethnic-based factions that in some cases have never quite moved past the civil war they fought in the 1980s and 1990s.The latest outbreak began on Saturday when the head of Faryab Provinces police antiterrorism department, Ahmad Shah Malang, killed the son of Nizam Qaisari, the police commander in Qaysar, a neighboring district, according to the governor. The son, Burhanuddin Qaisari, a second-year law student at Herat University, had come home to Maimana during school vacation.The provincial governor, Sayed Anwar Sadat, said that Mr. Malang killed the student in a city park. When Mr. Qaisari came to retrieve his sons body with a contingent of armed officers, a gunfight with Mr. Malangs men broke out.When his family went to the park to take the body, illegal armed men loyal to Malang opened fire on them, the governor said. He said eight city police officers were wounded when they tried to intervene.Mr. Qaisari returned with reinforcements and attacked Mr. Malangs home, the governor said. Four police officers were killed and six wounded in that battle, he said.Mr. Malang, the commander accused of killing the student, is a member of the Jamiat-i-Islami party, aligned with the countrys chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah. The Faryab governor and the aggrieved father, Mr. Qaisari, belong to the Junbish-i-Milli party, followers of the first vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum.The enmity between those parties has an ethnic dimension, because Jamiat is largely a Tajik party, and Junbish is largely Uzbek.They are turning this into an ethnic fight, said Governor Sadat, accusing the Jamiat party of bringing tanks and militia reinforcements from neighboring Balkh Province to support Mr. Malang.A spokesman for the Junbish party headquarters in Kabul, Bashir Ahmad Tayanj, accused Jamiat of bringing the Taliban into the fight as an ally.Wafiq Hakimi, the national spokesman for Jamiat, denied those claims. These allegations that the Jamiat party have armed forces are not true, he said. We are a political party and we do our activities through political means, not with guns.Reached by telephone in the midst of the fighting in Maimana, Mr. Qaisari was at turns angry and on the verge of sobs.What was my sin that they slaughtered my son? he said. They slaughtered him with a knife.Messages for Mr. Malang seeking comment were not answered. Aides said he was busy with the fighting. But later, Governor Sadats spokesman, Ahmad Jawed Bedar, said that Mr. Malang had been taken into custody by the Afghan National Army and taken away by helicopter in the investigation of the killing of Burhanuddin Qaisari.The governor said that senior Afghan military and police officials were trying to broker a cease-fire. But other officials said Maimana was under a state of emergency as fighting continued on Monday, preventing any meaningful mediation.Karim Yuresh, a spokesman for the overarching Faryab provincial police force to which both of the warring commanders belong said the episode apparently began as a misunderstanding. Mr. Qaisaris son had gone to the park for target practice, and Mr. Malang and his men responded to the sound of gunfire. The ensuing fight left Mr. Qaisaris son dead, but the subsequent clashes also cost Mr. Malang two cousins, and both sides vowed to exact revenge, Mr. Yuresh said.Our mediation did not help, Mr. Yuresh said. We couldnt stop them. They are launching mortars at each others positions. A delegation including the Afghan Army and police from Balkh arrived to mediate, but so far, that didnt help, either.Vice President Dostum, the founder of the Junbish party, has his own problems with the government. He is under investigation by the attorney general in connection with the kidnapping, rape and torture of a political rival, Ahmad Ishchi, in November. Nine of his bodyguards, including the chief of his security detail, Gen. Abdul Sattar, have been charged in that case, although General Dostum has not.The bodyguards refused to submit to arrest, and the Kabul police surrounded General Dostums compound in Kabul in February in an armed standoff that lasted several days. Government officials ultimately agreed to a compromise in which the attorney general was allowed to interview seven of the nine bodyguards, but not General Sattar, in General Dostums compound, instead of taking them into custody.Infighting has long embarrassed the Afghan government. Even in Kabul, armed conflict among government followers is common, as evidenced by several recent clashes there. The Taliban often use the infighting in their propaganda. | World |
Scientists released a pair of extensive studies over the weekend that point to a large food and live animal market in Wuhan, China, as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. Analyzing a wide range of data, including virus genes, maps of market stalls and the social media activity of early Covid-19 patients across Wuhan, the scientists concluded that the coronavirus was very likely present in live mammals sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in late 2019 and suggested that the virus spilled over into people working or shopping there on two separate occasions. Members of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leaving the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on Jan. 11, 2020. Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse The studies, which together span 150 pages, are a significant salvo in the debate over the beginnings of a pandemic that has killed nearly six million people across the world. The question of whether the outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market, a leak from a Wuhan virology lab or some other event has given rise to pitched debates over how best to stop the next pandemic. When you look at all of the evidence together, its an extraordinarily clear picture that the pandemic started at the Huanan market, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona and a co-author of both new studies. Several independent scientists said that the studies, which have not yet been published in a scientific journal, presented a compelling and rigorous new analysis of available data. Its very convincing, said Dr. Thea Fischer, an epidemiologist at the University of Copenhagen, who was not involved in the new studies. The question of whether the virus spilled over from animals has now been settled with a very high degree of evidence, and thus confidence. Map of Wuhan showing the location of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. But others pointed to some gaps that still remained. The new papers did not, for example, identify an animal at the market that spread the virus to humans. I think what theyre arguing could be true, said Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. But I dont think the quality of the data is sufficient to say that any of these scenarios are true with confidence. In a separate study published online on Friday, scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed genetic traces of the earliest environmental samples collected at the market, in January 2020. By the time Chinese researchers arrived to collect these samples, police had shut down and disinfected the market because a number of people linked to it had become sick with what would later be recognized as Covid. No live market animals were left. Photos of animals for sale in the Huanan market. Animals for sale in the Huanan market in 2019 and 2014, including raccoon dogs, Malayan porcupines and a red fox. Source: Michael Worobey et al., preprint via Zenodo. Photos taken by a citizen and posted to Weibo in 2019 (first three), and by Edward C. Holmes in 2014. The researchers swabbed walls, floors and other surfaces inside the market, as well as meat still in freezers and refrigerators. They also caught mice and stray cats and dogs around the market to test them, while also testing the contents of the sewers outside. The researchers then analyzed the samples for genetic traces of coronaviruses that may have been shed by people or animals. Although the Chinese researchers conducted their study over two years ago, it was not until Fridays report that they publicly shared their results. They reported that the Huanan market samples included two evolutionary branches of the virus, known as lineages A and B, both of which had been circulating in early Covid cases in China. These findings came as a surprise. In the early days of the pandemic in China, the only Covid cases linked to the market appeared to be Lineage B. And because Lineage B seemed to have evolved after Lineage A, some researchers suggested that the virus arrived at the market only after spreading around Wuhan. But that logic is upended by the new Chinese study, which finds both lineages in market samples. The findings are consistent with the scenario that Dr. Worobey and his colleagues put forward, in which at least two spillover events occurred at the market. The beauty of it is how simply it all adds up now, said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, who was not involved in the new studies. Mapping Cases Although the Huanan market was an early object of suspicion, by the spring of 2020 senior members of the Trump administration were promoting the idea that the new coronavirus had escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a coronavirus laboratory located eight miles away on the other side of the Yangtze River. Theres no direct evidence that the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was present at the lab before the pandemic. Researchers there have denied claims of a lab leak. But the Chinese government has come under fire for not being forthcoming about the early days of the pandemic. The report from the Chinese C.D.C. about the Huanan markets samples, for example, had remained hidden. Starting in June 2020, two newspapers, The South China Morning Post and The Epoch Times, reported on what they claimed were leaked copies of the report. In January 2021, a team of experts chosen by the World Health Organization traveled to China to investigate. Collaborating with Chinese experts, the group released a report in March 2021 that contained previously undisclosed details about the market. They noted, for example, that 10 stalls in the southwest corner of the market sold live animals. The report also noted that 69 environmental samples collected from the market by the Chinese C.D.C. had turned up positive for SARS-CoV-2. But the frozen meat and live animals had all tested negative. A member of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team inside the closed Huanan market on Jan. 11, 2020. Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse Still, the W.H.O. left many researchers dissatisfied. Dr. Worobey and Dr. Bloom both signed a letter, along with 16 other scientists in May 2021, calling for more investigation into the origins of Covid including the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 had escaped from a lab. The W.H.O. experts had identified 164 cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan over the course of December 2019. Unfortunately, the cases were marked by fuzzy dots scattered across a nearly featureless map of Wuhan. Dr. Worobey and his colleagues used mapping tools to estimate the longitude and latitude locations of 156 of those cases. The highest density of December cases centered around the market a relatively tiny spot in a city of 11 million people. Those cases included not just people who were initially linked to the market, but others who lived in the surrounding neighborhood. Spatial analysis of Covid cases in Dec. 2019. Source: Michael Worobey et al., preprint via Zenodo The New York Times The researchers then mapped cases from January and February of 2020. They drew upon data collected by Chinese researchers from Weibo, a social media app that created a channel for people with Covid to seek medical help. The 737 cases pulled from Weibo were concentrated away from the market, in other parts of central Wuhan with high populations of elderly residents, the study found. Spatial analysis of Covid cases in Jan.Feb. 2020. Source: Michael Worobey et al. The New York Times These patterns pointed to the market as the origin of the outbreak, Dr. Worobey and his colleagues concluded. The researchers ran tests that showed it was extremely unlikely that such a pattern could be produced merely by chance. Its very strong statistical evidence that this is no coincidence, Dr. Worobey said. But David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, raised the possibility that these patterns might be just evidence that the market boosted the epidemic after the virus started spreading in humans somewhere else. The virus would have arrived in a person, who then infected other people, he said. And the neighborhood of the market, or the market itself, became a kind of a sustained superspreader event. Multiple Spillovers Dr. Worobey and his colleagues argue against that possibility, pointing to signs of spillovers within the market itself. The researchers reconstructed the floor plan of the Huanan market based on the W.H.O. report, the leaked Chinese C.D.C. study and other sources. They then mapped the locations of positive environmental samples, finding that they clustered in the area where live animals were sold. Strikingly, five of the samples came from a single stall. That stall had been visited in 2014 by one of the co-authors of the new studies, Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney. On that trip, he had taken a photograph of a cage of raccoon dogs for sale at the time. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. Diagram of the Huanan market. Distribution of coronavirus samples in the Huanan market. Source: Michael Worobey et al. The New York Times; Satellite image via Google Maps Another co-author, Chris Newman, a wildlife biologist at the University of Oxford, was part of a research team that documented a number of live, wild mammals for sale at the Huanan market in November and December of 2019, including raccoon dogs. Dr. Worobey and his colleagues also carried out a new analysis of over 800 coronaviruses sampled from early Covid cases. They found that both Lineage A and Lineage B underwent separate bursts of explosive growth. The most likely explanation for their results, they concluded, is that Lineage A and Lineage B each jumped on their own from an animal into different people, likely in November. Both jumps, they said, could have happened at the Huanan market. In their analysis, Dr. Worobey and his colleagues found that the two earliest cases of Lineage A involved people who lived close to the market. The Chinese C.D.C. study published on Friday revealed a Lineage A coronavirus on a glove collected when the market shut down. I think weve cracked this case, said Joel Wertheim, a virologist at the University of California, San Diego, and a co-author of the new studies. Dr. Bloom, however, questioned the idea that there had been two separate spillovers. He noted that the Lineage A glove sample from the market was collected some time after the virus had begun spreading in humans, raising the possibility that it had been brought into the market. I am especially unconvinced by the conclusion that there must have necessarily been two different spillovers in the Huanan Seafood Market, Dr. Bloom said. Workers in protective suits disinfect the Huanan market on March 4, 2020. Reuters New evidence could still emerge. The Chinese government, for example, could release samples taken from Wuhan patients who came down with pneumonia in November 2019, noted Dr. Relman of Stanford. Researchers could also learn more by looking at the genetic samples collected by the Chinese researchers. Its possible that the samples included genetic material not just from viruses, but from animals at the market. Sharing the raw data could enable other scientists to investigate the potential spillover in more detail. Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and a co-author of the new studies, said it was important to figure out where the wild mammals for sale at Huanan came from, and to look for evidence of past outbreaks in those places. Its possible, for example, that villagers at the sources of that wildlife still carry antibodies from exposures to coronaviruses. If I had to say what would be most helpful to do now, it would be those types of studies, he said. | science |
Credit...Carl Kiilsgaard for The New York TimesDec. 29, 2015BEAVERTON, Ore. In the beginning, Kevin Lewandowski just wanted a way to keep track of his techno records.Now, 15 years later, the free website he set up for that purpose, Discogs.com, has become a vital resource for record collectors and the music industry, with a sprawling database of more than 6.5 million releases. And with an online marketplace through which nearly $100 million in records will be sold this year, Discogs has carved out a valuable niche in a market dominated by companies like Amazon and eBay.Borrowing from Wikipedias model of user-generated content, Discogs has built one of the most exhaustive collections of discographical information in the world, with historical data cataloged by thousands of volunteer editors in extreme detail. The sites entry for the Beatles White Album, for instance, contains 309 distinct versions of the record, including its original releases in countries like Uruguay, India and Yugoslavia in mono and stereo configurations and decades of reissues, from Greek eight-tracks to Japanese CDs.Discogs is vital, essential, irreplaceable a resource I use every day, said Rob Sevier, a founder of the Numero Group, a Chicago label that specializes in reissuing particularly obscure material.Discogss goal of cataloging the world of recorded music is supported through the sites marketplace, which lets sellers link to specific versions of each release that particular Uruguayan White Album, for example and has endeared Discogs to collectors and record dealers.Theres no way an independent record store can stay open without it, said Stephen Benbrook, the owner of Zions Gate Records, a store in Seattle, who said Discogs was his primary outlet online, with about 500 orders a month.The Discogs marketplace has 24 million items for sale, while eBays music section lists almost 11 million. Through October, Discogs processed $79 million in sales, and, with more than 80,000 orders a week, the site is on track to do nearly $100 million in business by the end of the year, said Chad Dahlstrom, its chief operating officer. Discogs takes an 8 percent fee on orders, which Mr. Lewandowski said made the company comfortably profitable.On a recent Monday morning at the companys headquarters in an office park just outside Portland, Mr. Lewandowski, 40, described how he was a fan of dance music in the 1990s. He connected with other collectors online, he said, but wanted a detailed reference site for the music along the lines of the Internet Music Database. Theres a record-collector gene, he said. Some people want to know every little detail about a record.ImageCredit...The New York Times, Michael Ochs ArchiveMoonlighting from his job as a programmer at Intel, he started a basic, open-source database using about 250 of his own records the first entry was for a double 12-inch single by the Swedish D.J. the Persuader and revealed it to fellow collectors in October 2000. Two years later, he took a buyout from Intel and devoted himself to Discogs.The site, once run from a computer in Mr. Lewandowskis closet and originally restricted to electronic music, has grown rapidly. It now has 37 employees around the world, 20 million online visitors a month and three million registered users. It eventually opened to all genres of music and has a mission of cataloging every record in existence.The sites supporters, including the more than 260,000 people who have contributed content, pursue that mission with zeal, but they still have a long way to go. Competing collector sites, like 45worlds, have plenty of titles that are missing from Discogs, like a 78 r.p.m. acetate of the Beatles Devil in Her Heart from 1963. And proprietary databases like Gracenote, owned by Tribune Media, claim more titles over all.Casual users may simply consult Discogs to check the text on old labels or to see whether a record was released in colored-vinyl variations. Those who sign up for accounts can also tag items as being part of their collections, as well as communicate with other users and buy or sell copies. The most dedicated create and edit listings, actions for which there are strict and elaborate guidelines. The first rule: You must have the exact release in your possession. A 40,000-word post lays out how to identify run-out information the obscure codes marked on the inner portion of a record, closest to the label.We are trying to approach it from a very factual point of view, said Nik Kinloch, the first employee hired by Mr. Lewandowski. You have the music release in front of you. What does it say on it? That is the source of truth for building the discography.Like Wikipedia, Discogs has sometimes heard from people or companies that want to remove unflattering information. But with Discogs, those requests tend to be more about D.J.s wanting to update old stage names than about the right to be forgotten.The funniest one Ive heard, Mr. Lewandowski said, was from a D.J. in Vancouver, B.C., who said his family was Pentecostal and they dont allow dancing. Can you remove my name from the site so they dont find out? the D.J. asked.Out of principle, Mr. Lewandowski said, the site does not remove historical data.The sites marketplace business is global: About 60 percent of its customers are in Europe, and a growing portion of its listings are in Japan. (The biggest seller in Japan this year: Michael Jacksons Black or White 45. Seventy copies sold to customers there.) And Discogss growth has closely mirrored the explosion of vinyl sales. Those records have far exceeded all other formats on the site; almost 2.8 million vinyl records sold this year, compared with 628,000 CDs.But as much as it has grown, Discogs still represents a small niche of the overall collectors market. EBay has 159 million active buyers, and in the third quarter alone they spent $19.6 billion on transactions through the site in which music is just one sliver of its offerings according to company statistics.Mr. Lewandowski, who is the sole owner of Discogs, said he had no interest in selling the business. He has watched other players enter the field over the last 15 years, including Amazon, which in 2008 introduced SoundUnwound, a Wikipedia-like site for music. But it was quietly shut down four years later. Discogs may have survived because of the innovation of its marketplace, giving collectors an incentive to expand the database with every imaginable detail.I want it to go on forever, Mr. Lewandowski said. | Business |
Feb. 1, 2014For a chunk of the regular season, from the moment offensive lineman Jonathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins in late October, locker-room bullying was a toxic topic that rocked the N.F.L.There were unseemly allegations and he-said, he-said accusations about what happened in Miami between Martin and his suspended teammate Richie Incognito. There were tales told by other players around the league about being forced to pick up $10,000 dinner tabs.And now, as the off-season begins when the Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks ends Sunday night, hazing and where the line should be drawn between good-fun high jinks and inappropriate harassment will once again be part of the conversation about professional football.Thats just kind of the culture of football; you have rites of passage, said Broncos defensive tackle Sione Fua, who played college football at Stanford with Martin. Thats kind of how the veterans see it. If you have veterans that want to take advantage of it, there might be a bad situation. But if you have good veterans, nothing crazy will happen. Im sure after everything that happened with Jonathan, the N.F.L. will probably come out and maybe be more strict about it or make coaches be more, I guess, accountable, to really make sure their team isnt doing anything serious. Well see what happens.N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he would be out front on the issue.Our No. 1 priority has to make sure that we have a workplace environment thats professional, recognizing that we have some unique circumstances, Goodell said Friday, indicating it might be time for the league to issue new guidelines. But we have to make sure that our players, other employees, have that kind of professional workplace environment. As things stand, the topic of workplace behavior is discussed with players at the leagues annual rookie symposium, and all 32 teams are supposed to cover it in training camp each year.The N.F.L.s player policy manual, distributed during training camp, outlines the leagues personal conduct policy, which includes language about violent or threatening behavior between employees in or outside the workplace.Ive already begun discussions with outside parties, Goodell said. Ive discussed it with the union. Ive also met with several groups of players, individually and collectively, to talk about the circumstances. What needs to be done? What do we all want?Goodell said the thing he heard most often was We all have to get back to respect.Its respect for each other, respect for the game, respect for your organizations, respect for your opponents, the game officials, he said.Goodell said that education and possibly policy change would be priorities.I am certainly supportive of considering fresh guidelines for locker-room behavior, the Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said, calling it a positive for the N.F.L. and for the Kansas City Chiefs to really study that.In a television interview last week with the former coach Tony Dungy, who is an analyst for NBC, Martin said he was not the only Dolphins player who dealt with hazing. He also said racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments all played a role in his departure from the team.I have no problem with the normal hazing that you see in the N.F.L., get a haircut, stuff like that, little pranks, Martin said. But of a personal, attacking nature, I dont think theres any place for that.Incognito has said he regrets racist and profane language he used with Martin, but said it stemmed from a culture of locker-room brotherhood, not bullying.The N.F.L. enlisted a lawyer, Ted Wells, to investigate what happened in Miami and issue a public report. The league is waiting until after its biggest game of the season to release those findings.The players union is conducting its own inquiry, but the head of the union, DeMaurice Smith, said Martin had declined to be interviewed.Smith, often at odds with Goodell on all manner of issues, actually praised the N.F.L. for its handling of the matter, contrasting it with the New Orleans Saints bounty case.This is one where there has been a tremendous level of cooperation between the players union and the league on this issue, Smith said, because I believe we both have an interest in making sure that our workplaces are safe.Some players on the Super Bowl teams said they expected the N.F.L. to try to make sure this sort of thing did not arise again, because, as Broncos safety Michael Huff put it, It was such a big topic, such a big deal.Chris Maragos, who plays on special teams for the Seahawks, said: The more information they can give guys, the better. The more you can educate guys, the better. Im sure theyll take steps to continue to enhance whatever it is that is going on in the N.F.L. and make sure that all the bases are covered. | Sports |
Asia Pacific|Malaysia to Show Beauty and the Beast With Gay Scene, Exhibitors Sayhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/world/asia/disney-malaysia-beauty-beast-gay.htmlCredit...Mohd Rasfan/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesMarch 21, 2017BANGKOK The film Beauty and the Beast will open next week in Malaysia despite earlier objections from the countrys Film Censorship Board over a brief scene described as an exclusively gay moment, two major cinema companies said Tuesday.Walt Disney Studios had refused to cut the scene to appease Malaysian censors. The cinema companies announced they would begin showing the movie on March 30.Officials from the censorship board could be not reached late Tuesday to explain their apparent reversal.The boards decision had drawn condemnation internationally and in Malaysia. Among those objecting to it was Tourism Minister Nazri Aziz, who last week called the decision ridiculous.You dont ban a film because of a gay character, he said, according to The Malay Mail. All these years even without the gay character in the Beauty and the Beast, there are also gays in the world. I dont think it is going to influence anyone.The censorship board had ruled that a shot involving two male characters dancing in a ballroom must be cut from the movie, on the ground that it promoted homosexuality. The sequence is said to be 3 seconds long.Celeste Koay, head of marketing for TGV Cinemas, one of two major companies that will show the film in Malaysia, said the company was notified by Disney that it had permission to release the film.I can understand why they wanted it to remain intact, as cutting it compromises the experience, she said.The film, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens and costing $300 million to make and market, is a live-action remake of Disneys 1991 animated blockbuster of the same name.Ms. Koay said the controversy had now spread to the new Power Rangers movie, a Lionsgate film that was set to open Thursday in Malaysia.The film had been approved by the censors. But after news reports suggested that the yellow ranger character might have a lesbian moment, the board delayed the opening so it could review the film once more.There was concern that was she was a lesbian, Ms. Koay said. Now they are watching it again.She said the cinema company hoped to learn in the next 24 hours whether it could show the film as scheduled. | World |
On BaseballCredit...Barton Silverman/The New York TimesFeb. 15, 2014TAMPA, Fla. There is no better time for wishful thinking, if not pure fantasy, than on the day of the first spring training workout for pitchers and catchers. So mull over the delicious possibility, however distant or remote, of Alex Rodriguezs eventual long-term replacement at third base being a converted catcher who hails from Miami and happened to play a season of college baseball at the ballpark that bears A-Rods tainted name.His name is Peter OBrien, No. 96 in your Yankees spring training lineup, a nonroster invitee who will be dispatched soon enough from George Steinbrenner Field to the minor league complex across the street. What position he plays once he gets there might serve as an indicator of how serious a power-hitting prospect he is, as well as how determined the Yankees already are to weigh alternatives to letting the suspended Rodriguez ever reclaim third base. OBrien, 23, raised a few organization eyebrows last season by hitting 22 home runs and 39 doubles while driving in 96 runs in 119 games, primarily as a catcher, at Class A ball locations in Charleston, S.C., and here in Tampa. My bats never been a question, he said after dropping his equipment bag at his dressing stall Saturday morning for the first time in a major league clubhouse. But people have always questioned my defense.With that in mind, and perhaps with the idea of taking positional inventory, OBrien was asked by the Yankees to play third base in the fall instructional league in Arizona. There, he continued to hit the long ball and make the case for himself as a future somebody in a farm system that in recent years has become California bone dry.Im ready to do whatever the Yankees want me to do, OBrien said. If thats third base, fine. Right field, fine. Right now, behind the plate.Once upon an era, the Yankees were celebrated for the development of talented young players whom the owner George Steinbrenner couldnt trade away because he was at the time suspended from baseball. You might call 2014 the final tribute to that homegrown core as Derek Jeter plays what he said Wednesday would be his final season. With rare exceptions, the Yankees have long since returned to the Bossy method of team construction using the generous free-agent kitty. Catcher was one position where they at least were generating some potential last season, even if what they had at the major league level was evoking no memories of Yogi, Thurman or even Russell Martin. But John Ryan Murphy known as J. R. last season, not his preference impressed in a late-season look, and the highly regarded Gary Sanchez, a 21-year-old Dominican, progressed to Class AA.Had they not watched attendance and television ratings head south along with their playoff ambitions, its possible that the Yankees would have been content with some combination of the defensively sound Francisco Cervelli (returning from a drug suspension), Austin Romine and Ryan. But Brian McCann, a seven-time All-Star with Atlanta, was too tempting a free agent and, at 29, has five guaranteed years, with the Yankees holding a team option for a sixth. Until his knees make McCann a candidate to replace Mark Teixeira at first base, the young catchers must claim to be thrilled with the revised pecking order.Romine and I were talking about that the other day, said Murphy, who is best remembered for lending his baby face to the poignant scene on the Yankee Stadium mound when Jeter and Andy Pettitte pulled Mariano Rivera from his last game.Being around someone like that and working with him every day, you can only learn from that.Live in the Yankees organization, learn the hard way about making long-term projections, no matter how steady the progress. OBrien, however, is too far down the food chain to be burdened by such things and is in no position to comment on third base being a more intriguing aspiration than catcher. With Rodriguez banished this season to the holding pen for performance enhancement cheats, and hundreds of millions of dollars spent to plug holes elsewhere, the Yankees have chosen to replace him with an assortment of stopgaps: Scott Sizemore, Kelly Johnson and perhaps Eduardo Nunez. Maybe A-Rod manages to mend enough fences to return in 2015 and spare the Yankees from swallowing all of the roughly $61 million they owe him. Could two developmental years be enough for the 6-foot-3, 215-pound OBrien to position himself as a possible successor?At Braddock High School in Miami A-Rods town he was a leadoff-hitting shortstop, without a home run to his name until senior year. Growing up I was always the smallest kid, OBrien said. I went to bed every night hoping Id get bigger. I definitely worked my butt off in high school trying to get stronger, and when my growth spurt happened, thats when everything started coming together.No major prospect, he played three years at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla., and was a third-round draft pick by Colorado in 2011. But after he chose not to sign and transferred home to play one season at the University of Miami the university to which Rodriguez donated generously without ever attending the Yankees selected OBrien in the second round of the amateur draft in 2012.He hit 10 home runs in 198 at-bats at low Class A in Staten Island, riding the ferry to Manhattan after games for dinner a taste of the big city.Hopefully, someday Ill be up there again, OBrien said.For now, he will put on his pinstripes in the row directly across from Captain Jeters stall, swing for the fences and try to round himself into a potential peg to fill the Yankees most glaring hole left by that other slugger from South Florida. | Sports |
Donald Trump Not a Feminist 1/27/2018 We pretty much already knew it, but now he's come out and said it himself -- Donald Trump is not a feminist. British news host Piers Morgan tweeted a quote from his recent interview with the Prez, in which Trump apparently says, "No, I wouldn't say I'm a feminist. I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I'm for women, I'm for men, Im for everyone." BREAKING NEWS:President Trump has declared he is NOT a feminist. He tells me: No, I wouldn't say I'm a feminist. I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I'm for women, I'm for men, Im for everyone.' Full interview, Sunday, ITV, 10pm. pic.twitter.com/GCviovNb6o @piersmorgan As we reported ... millions of women across the country and world marched in major cities last week to speak out against Trump, while also advocating for fair treatment, equal pay, and to end sexual assault and harassment. Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 15 women. He's repeatedly denied the claims. | Entertainment |
Credit...Melissa Golden for The New York TimesA scientists unfettered curiosity leads him to investigate the physics at work in some very odd corners of the natural world.David Hu is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and biology at Georgia Tech, where he studies the biomechanics of animal locomotion, like the slithering of snakes or the flicking of frog tongues.Credit...Melissa Golden for The New York TimesNov. 5, 2018David Hu was changing his infant sons diaper when he got the idea for a study that eventually won him the Ig Nobel prize. No, not the Nobel Prize the Ig Nobel prize, which bills itself as a reward for achievements that make people laugh, then think.As male infants will do, his son urinated all over the front of Dr. Hus shirt, for a full 21 seconds. Yes, he counted off the time, because for him curiosity trumps irritation. That was a long time for a small baby, he thought. How long did it take an adult to empty his bladder? He timed himself. Twenty-three seconds. Wow, I thought, my son urinates like a real man already.He recounts all of this without a trace of embarrassment, in person and in How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movements and the Robotics of the Future, just published, in which he describes both the silliness and profundity of his brand of research.No one who knows Dr. Hu, 39, would be surprised by this story. His family, friends, the animals around him all inspire research questions. His wife, Jia Fan, is a marketing researcher and senior data scientist at U.P.S. When they met, she had a dog, and he became intrigued by how it shook itself dry. So he set out to understand that process.Now, he and his son and daughter sometimes bring home some sort of dead animal from a walk or a run. The roadkill goes into the freezer, where he used to keep frozen rats for his several snakes. (The legless lizard ate dog food). My first reaction is not, oh, its gross. Its Do we have space in our freezer, Dr. Fan said. He also saves earwax and teeth from his children, and lice and lice eggs from the inevitable schoolchild hair infestations. We have separate vials for lice and lice eggs, he pointed out.I would describe him as an iconoclast, Dr. Fan said, laughing. He doesnt follow the social norms. ImageCredit...Gretchen Ertl/ReutersHe does, however, follow in the footsteps of his father, a chemist who also loved collecting dead things. Once, on a family camping trip, his father brought home a road-killed deer that he sneaked into the garage under cover of night. The butchering, a first time event for everyone in the family, he wrote once in a fathers day essay for his dad, was an intense learning and sensory experience. There were a lot of organs in an animal, I learned.His own curiosity has led him to investigations of eyelashes and fire ants, water striders and horse tails, frog tongues and snakes. Dr. Hu is a mathematician in the Georgia Tech engineering department who studies animals. His seemingly oddball work has drawn both the ire of grandstanding senators and the full-throated support of at least one person in charge of awarding grants from that bastion of frivolity, the United States Army.Long before his role in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, put three of Dr. Hus research projects on a list of the 20 most wasteful federally funded scientific studies. The television show, Fox and Friends, featured Sen. Flakes critique.Naturally, Dr. Hu made the attack on his work the basis for a TEDx talk at Emory University, in which he took a bow for being the countrys most wasteful scientist and went on to argue that Sen. Flake completely misunderstood the nature of basic science. Dr. Hu was tickled to think that one scientist could be responsible for such supposed squandering of the publics money. Neither he nor his supporters were deterred.Among those supporters is Samuel C. Stanton, a program manager at the Army Research Office in Durham, N.C., which funded Dr. Hus research on whether fire ants were a fluid or a solid. (More on that and the urination findings later.) Dr. Stanton does not share Dr. Hus flippant irreverence. He speaks earnestly of the areas of science to which he directs Army money, including nonequilibrium information physics, embodied learning and control, and nonlinear waves and lattices. So he is completely serious when he describes Dr. Hu as a scientist of profound courage and integrity who goes where his curiosity leads him.Dr. Hu has an uncanny ability to identify and follow through on scientific questions that are hidden in plain sight, Dr. Stanton said. When it comes to physics, the Army and Dr. Hu have a deep affinity. They both operate at human scale in the world outside the lab, where conditions are often wet, muddy or otherwise difficult. In understanding how physics operates in such conditions, Dr. Stanton explained, the vagaries of the real world really come to play in an interesting way.Besides, Dr. Stanton said, the Army is not, as some people might imagine, always looking for a widget or something to go on a tank. It is interested in fundamental insights and original thinkers. And the strictures of the hunt for grants and tenure in science can sometimes act against creativity.Sometimes, Dr. Stanton said, part of his job is convincing academic scientists to lower their inhibitions. Needless to say, with Dr. Hu thats not really been an issue.ImageCredit...Guillermo AmadorAn aspiring doctor is led astrayApplied mathematicians have always been kind of playful, Dr. Hu said recently while talking about his academic background although they are perhaps not quite as playful as he can be. A few years ago he did gymnastic flips onto the stage of a Chinese game show that sometimes showcases scientists. He grew up in Bethesda, Md., and while he was still in high school, he did his first published work on the strength of metals that had been made porous. He was a semifinalist for the Westinghouse Science Prize (the forerunner of the Regeneron Science Search) and won several other awards. That work helped him get into M.I.T., which he entered as a pre-med student planning to get an M.D./Ph.D. He was soon led astray.Dr. Hus undergraduate adviser at M.I.T. was Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, a mathematician who works to describe real life processes in rigorous mathematical terms. Dr. Mahadevan, known to students and colleagues as Maha, investigated wrinkling, for example. Naturally he won an Ig Nobel for that work.Maha lit the fire, Dr. Hu said. Before he encountered his advisers research, he said, It didnt really make sense that you could make a living just playing with things. But he came to see the possibilities. He stayed at M.I.T. for graduate work, in the lab of his adviser, John Bush, a geophysicist. Dr. Bush remembers him as very enthusiastic. VideoDr. Hu found that mosquitoes can fly in the rain because theyre too light to be bombarded by raindrops...CreditCredit...Andrew DickersonVideo...as opposed to the fly, which gets soaked. Videos by Andrew DickersonAsked by email about some of Dr. Hus wilder forays into the physics of everyday life, he said, A sense of playfulness is certainly a good thing in science, especially for reaching a broader audience. But, he said, targeting silly problems is not a good strategy, and I know that David has taken considerable flack for it.Dr. Hu may be the first third-generation (in terms of scientific pedigree) Ig Nobel winner, because Dr. Mahadevan studied under the late Joseph Keller, a mathematician at Stanford University. Dr. Keller won two Ig Nobels. One was for studying why ponytails swing from side-to-side, rather than up and down, when the ponytail owner is jogging. The other was an examination of why teapots dribble.After M.I.T., Dr. Hu did research at the Courant Institute at New York University, another hotbed of real-world mathematics. He moved to Georgia Tech, after Jeannette Yen, a biologist there, told the university they ought to take a look at him.From ants to self-assembling robotsDr. Hus research may seem like pure fun, but much of it is built on the idea that how animals move and function can provide inspiration for engineers designing human-made objects or systems. The title of Dr. Hus book refers to the robots of the future, and he emphasizes the way animal motion offers insights that can be applied to engineering Bio-inspired design. When Brazils Pantanal wetlands flood, for instance, fire ants form rafts so tightly interlaced that water doesnt penetrate their mass. When he picked up such a mass in the lab, Dr. Hu writes, it felt like a pile of salad greens. The raft was springy, and if I squeezed it down to a fraction of its height, it recoiled back to its original shape. If I pulled it apart, it stretched like cheese on a pizza.He found out that the ants were constantly moving even though the shape of the mass stayed more or less the same. They were breaking and making connections all the time, and they became, in essence, a self-healing material. VideoThey can flow like a liquid and bounce back like a solid. Masses of fire ants show a duality that intrigues physicists.CreditCredit...Zhongyang Liu, David L. HuThe idea is appealing for many engineering applications, including concrete that mends itself and robots that self-assemble into large, complex structures. Depending on the force applied to them, a mass of a hundred thousand ants or so can form a ball or a tower, or flow like a liquid.He and students in his lab also showed that the reason mosquitoes dont get bombed out of the air by water droplets in a rainstorm is that they are so light that the air disturbed by a falling drop of water blows the mosquitoes aside. The finding could have applications for tiny drones. They also showed that the ideal length for a row of mammalian eyelashes is one-third the width of an eyeball. That gives just the right windbreak to keep blowing air from drying out the surface of the eye. Artificial membranes could use some kind of artificial eyelashes.And what about urination? It didnt make sense to Dr. Hu that a grown man and an infant would have roughly the same urination time. After he sent out undergraduates, under the guidance of Patricia Yang, a graduate student, to time urination in all the animals at the Atlanta Zoo, the situation became even more puzzling. Most mammals took between 10 and 30 seconds, with an average of 21 seconds. (Small animals do things differently.)The key was the urethra, essentially a pipe out of the bladder, that enhanced the effect of gravity. Even a small amount of fluid in a narrow pipe can develop high pressure, with astonishing effects. Water poured through a narrow pipe into a large wooden barrel can split the barrel. Dr. Hu said the experiment, known as Pascals barrel, can be replicated nowadays with Tupperware.ImageCredit...Melissa Golden for The New York TimesWhat is interesting about the urethra biologically is that its proportions, length to diameter, stay roughly the same no matter the size of the animal (as long as it weighs more than about six and a half pounds).The 21-second average urination time must be evolutionarily important. Perhaps any longer would attract predators? But then predators are subject to the same rule. In any case, the principle of how to effectively drain a container of fluid could be useful, Dr. Hu wrote in the original studies, to designers of water towers, water backpacks and storage containers.As usual, in his book Dr. Hu does not neglect the human side of his work, or treat it too seriously. He refers to the urethra as a pee-pee pipe. And he corrects his son when he brags that only he, not his sister, has a pee-pee pipe. Not so, Dr. Hu insists. The urethra is present in males and females.Once older, his children may never forgive him for this book. But middle school science teachers and nerds everywhere will thank him. | science |
Credit...Holly Pickett for The New York TimesJune 1, 2018WASHINGTON Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film actress who says she had a sexual encounter with President Trump, has sought help for his legal battle against Mr. Trump from leading Democratic operatives.Mr. Avenatti contacted an official in the network of liberal groups led by David Brock, while someone associated with Mr. Avenattis law firm was in touch with two people connected to major Democratic donors, according to people familiar with the conversations. But the discussions do not appear to have led to any financial help for the high-profile legal and public relations fight being waged by Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels.Mr. Brocks groups decided not to donate to the efforts because they saw little value in spending money on a legal fight that was largely being waged in the news media, especially given Mr. Avenattis penchant for attracting press coverage, according to two Democratic political operatives familiar with the discussions.It is not clear why the other interactions did not lead to donations or other assistance.The solicitations call into question Mr. Avenattis insistence that he and Ms. Clifford have never actively sought to raise money from major political donors because we will not allow this to be politicized.In an interview Thursday, Mr. Avenatti reiterated that this isnt about politics.I cant tell you the name of every person that I have spoken to, or not spoken to, over the last three months, he said, but what I can tell you is that we have not taken any political-associated dollars from anyone on the right or anyone on the left. Period.Mr. Avenatti, who has become a hero on the left for his brash condemnations of Mr. Trump and his allies, has a background on the periphery of Democratic politics. In his website biography, he notes that during college and law school he worked at a political consulting firm run by Rahm Emanuel, now the mayor of Chicago, and boasts that he worked on more than 150 campaigns in 42 states, though he said on Thursday that about 50 of the campaigns on which he worked were for Republicans.Regardless of his intent, Mr. Avenattis efforts on behalf of Ms. Clifford have produced problems for Mr. Trump and his allies far beyond her case, which stems from a $130,000 hush payment she received days before the 2016 presidential election from a Delaware-based company that had just been created by Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trumps longtime lawyer. The White House and Mr. Cohen have denied that Mr. Trump and Ms. Clifford had a sexual encounter.VideotranscripttranscriptTrump and Cohens Hush-Money Scandal: Why It MattersPresident Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen has been sentenced to prison for offenses, including paying women for their silence during the 2016 election. Heres a look at how this could affect the president.The story of President Trumps involvement in hush payments to a porn star and a former Playboy model in 2016 is once again in the spotlight. Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance law and prosecutors say Trump directed the illegal payments. What does this mean for Trump? No one knows yet. Heres what we do know. Did Trump know about the payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal? Yes. Trump initially pleaded ignorance. Reporter: Mr. President, did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels? No. But prosecutors say the evidence shows that he was aware of both cases. Cohens lawyer released a secretly recorded conversation between Cohen and Trump that seemed to be about the McDougal payments. Trump: Listen. What financing? Cohen: Well have to pay Trump: Pay with cash Cohen: No no, no, no, no, no, no I got no, no, no. What was the motivation for the payments? Prosecutors say, to hide a potential sex scandal. Both women were paid off in the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump claimed he made the payments for personal reasons, tweeting that it was a simple private transaction. But prosecutors say Cohen admitted that Trump directed him to make the payments to bury accusations Trump feared could jeopardize his candidacy. Why does the motivation matter? It will determine if its a campaign finance violation. Prosecutors say that by suppressing the stories, Cohen and Trump deceived voters and tainted the election process, which is breaking campaign finance law. So, what comes next? Unclear. On Dec. 12, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for multiple crimes. The Justice Department has decided it cant prosecute a sitting president. But if Trump loses re-election, its possible prosecutors could try and charge him in 2021.President Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen has been sentenced to prison for offenses, including paying women for their silence during the 2016 election. Heres a look at how this could affect the president.CreditCredit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesA lawsuit brought in March against Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohens company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., by Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Clifford to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement, led to the revelation that Mr. Trump knew about the payment several months before denying knowledge of it, and also the admission that he had reimbursed Mr. Cohen for it, raising questions about campaign finance law compliance. And Mr. Avenattis release in recent weeks of a detailed if not entirely accurate report based on financial records that listed payments to Mr. Cohens firms led to the revelation that he was using his long association with the president to collect millions of dollars in consulting fees from companies with business before the Trump administration.Mr. Avenattis efforts have also fostered a circuslike atmosphere around a criminal inquiry into Mr. Cohen for which prosecutors have sought records of payments to Ms. Clifford and another woman who alleges she had an affair with Mr. Trump, the former Playboy model Karen McDougal.Mr. Avenatti backed off from trying to formally involve himself in that case on Wednesday, when he withdrew a motion that would have allowed him to participate in the proceedings after being called out by the federal judge presiding over the case, Kimba M. Wood. During a hearing on the case, Judge Wood warned Mr. Avenatti that he would not be permitted to use this court as a platform for anything.Also during the hearing, Mr. Cohens lawyers accused Mr. Avenatti of aggrandizement and acting unethically in releasing his report on Mr. Cohens finances and claiming that his law firm never represented Ms. Clifford.It was only the latest in a series of testy exchanges between allies of Mr. Trump and Mr. Avenatti, who appears to relish the conflict and the prospect of getting under his rivals skin. He posted a video on Twitter of one of Mr. Trumps lawyers, Rudolph W. Giuliani, in womens clothing in response to Mr. Giuliani calling him a pimp.But Mr. Avenatti has bristled at questions about his financing, which escalated after Ms. Clifford admitted in late April that she was not paying his fees.Mr. Avenatti said on Thursday that Ms. Clifford initially paid him a small amount in legal fees, but is no longer footing the bill for his services, which he said are being funded entirely by donations made through a crowdfunding website.More than $527,000 from more than 15,000 donors has been raised on the website, which states that the money will go toward attorneys fees, arbitration, security expenses, out-of-pocket costs associated with the lawsuit and potential damages if Ms. Clifford loses.But in the days before the website was unveiled, Mr. Avenatti called Bradley Beychok, the president of American Bridge, a nonprofit group and super PAC founded by Mr. Brock, and suggested that he was seeking to raise as much as $2 million, at least partly from major Democratic donors or groups, according to the two operatives familiar with the discussions.American Bridge is among a constellation of Brock-backed groups that raised $65 million over the past two years, and spent heavily in support of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. In the waning days of the race, American Bridges nonprofit arm spent $200,000 on an unsuccessful effort to encourage women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Trump. And since Mr. Trump became president, Mr. Brocks groups have focused on attacking Mr. Trump and his Republican allies, floating the idea of creating a fund to encourage victims to bring forward sexual misconduct claims against Republican politicians.But American Bridge did not contribute to Mr. Avenattis efforts, because the groups leaders concluded it was not a good use of their money, the two Democratic operatives said.Mr. Avenatti was referred to Mr. Brocks groups by Mike Berkowitz, a political adviser who works with Rachel Pritzker, heiress to a Hyatt hotel fortune, and other donors, according to the two Democrats and another person familiar with the sequence of events. Someone from Mr. Avenattis firm reached out to Mr. Berkowitz seeking assistance for Ms. Cliffords case, but he did not relay the request to Ms. Pritzker or any of the other donors with whom he works, and instead recommended Mr. Avenatti reach out to Mr. Brocks groups.Mr. Beychok acknowledged that Mr. Avenatti called him in early March but declined to describe their conversation. Mr. Brock and Mr. Berkowitz declined to comment.Mr. Avenatti said he did not recognize the names of Mr. Beychok, Mr. Brock and Mr. Berkowitz, but did not dispute that he or his associates may have reached out to them.Weve contacted people on the right and the left relating to a variety of issues, he said. We have not sought any money from anyone on the right or the left. In fact, he said, he had turned down big money from political donors on both sides of the aisle because were not going to have this politicized.Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Clinton donor who gave $500,000 later refunded to the effort funded partly by American Bridge to coax Mr. Trumps accusers to come forward before the election, said she had not heard from Mr. Avenatti.Im not sure I would be interested in supporting Mr. Avenattis effort, she said. But she added, I wish them luck. | Politics |
Credit...Al Drago for The New York TimesNov. 19, 2018ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan reacted angrily on Monday to criticism by President Trump that the country had not done enough in return for years of United States military aid and that the government had harbored Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda.In an interview with Fox News Sunday this weekend, Mr. Trump defended his decision early this year to withdraw hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid to Pakistan.I ended it because they dont do anything for us, they dont do a damn thing for us, he said.Mr. Trump also alleged that the Pakistani government had known Bin Laden was living in the country before he was killed in an American military raid in 2011.The president doubled down on his criticism on Twitter on Monday, citing Bin Laden and the Taliban resurgence in neighboring Afghanistan as examples of how Pakistan would take our money and do nothing for us.Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan responded by saying that Pakistan had suffered enough fighting terrorism on behalf of the United States.Now we will do what is best for our people & our interests, he wrote on Twitter.The exchange aggravated an already tense relationship between the two countries.American officials have long complained that Pakistan has failed to act against terrorist networks operating within its borders; Pakistan denies that the networks are even present. The Haqqani network, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban, is a particular source of friction between the two countries.Mr. Khan, a populist politician who was elected in July, is a longtime critic of United States policy toward Pakistan, railing against the American use of drones to target militants in the countrys tribal regions. He has accused the Pakistani military of kowtowing to the United States in the past.Despite his criticism, Mr. Khan says that he is not anti-American and stresses that he wants the relationship between the two countries to be based on mutual respect.ImageCredit...Thomas Peter/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesThe United States and Pakistan enjoyed relatively warmer relations in the years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when Washington considered Pervez Musharraf, Pakistans military ruler until 2008, a close ally. But the relationship turned sour amid mutual mistrust, with officials on both sides accusing each other of not doing enough.The relationship worsened in 2011 with the American raid on Bin Ladens compound, which was carried out without Pakistans knowledge. Bin Laden had been living in the city of Abbottabad, not far from a military training school.Pakistani military officials have denied knowing Bin Ladens whereabouts, arguing that incompetence rather than complicity kept them from alerting the United States. But that has done little to assuage American skepticism.Living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there, Mr. Trump told Fox News.In a series of Twitter posts earlier on Monday, Mr. Khan expressed disapproval of what he called Mr. Trumps interview tirade. Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Khan is fond of using Twitter to make announcements and respond to criticism.Mr. Khan said Pakistan had joined the United States war on terror in 2001, even though no Pakistanis had been involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. He said Pakistan had suffered 75,000 casualties in that effort and experienced more than $123 billion in economic losses, compared with United States aid of $20 billion.Mr. Khan added that his country continued to provide the United States with free lines of ground and air communication. Can Mr. Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices? he asked.Other Pakistani politicians also responded to Mr. Trumps interview with anger and accusations. Khawaja Muhammad Asif, a former foreign minister, described Pakistans relationship with the United States as one of nothing but betrayal and sanctions.Shireen Mazari, the Pakistani human rights minister and a critic of American policy, said on Twitter that Mr. Trump had perpetual historic amnesia. She said Mr. Trumps comments should be a lesson for past Pakistani leaders who had acquiesced to United States demands.Once again, history shows appeasement does not work, she said. | World |
Sports|Keith Allen, Who Built Flyers Title Teams, Dies at 90https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/sports/keith-allen-built-flyers-title-teams-dies-at-90.htmlFeb. 5, 2014Keith Allen, the first coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and later the general manager who built the organizations Stanley Cup championship teams of 1974 and 1975, died on Tuesday. He was 90. His death was announced by the Flyers. The team did not say where he died or specify a cause. Allen joined the Flyers in 1966, before the franchises inaugural season. He was behind the bench for the teams first game, in 1967, and won the West Division title that season. He coached the Flyers through the 1969-70 season. Allen was general manager from Dec. 22, 1969, to May 27, 1983. During his tenure, the Flyers reached the National Hockey League Stanley Cup finals four times, winning twice. I never knew of a bad deal he made, the Flyers chairman, Ed Snider, said in a statement. This team would never have reached the level of success we have had over the past 48 years if it were not for Keith. Allen was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.He spent 13 years as a professional hockey player, including parts of two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a member of the Red Wings 1953-54 Stanley Cup championship team. | Sports |
Business BriefingDec. 2, 2015Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approved the acquisition of the ailing French telecom Alcatel-Lucent, removing one of the last hurdles to a 15.6 billion euro ($16.5 billion) deal that will make Nokia a market leader in networks. In October, Nokia said it would pay 4 billion to shareholders as the company raised its outlook for the year. Rajeev Suri, Nokias chief executive, said he was delighted by shareholders recognizing the long-term value creation opportunity of the deal, which is expected to close during the first quarter of 2016. | Business |
The agreement would end thousands of lawsuits against the three largest distributors and Johnson & Johnson and require them to pay billions for addiction treatment and prevention.Credit...U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah, via Associated PressPublished July 20, 2021Updated Nov. 9, 2021The three largest pharmaceutical distributors and Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion deal with states and municipalities that would settle thousands of lawsuits over their role in the opioid epidemic and pay for addiction and prevention services nationwide.An agreement could be announced later this week, although several people with direct knowledge of the talks cautioned that there were still details being negotiated.The settlement would not conclude all of the multifaceted nationwide opioid litigation but would end legal action against some of the companies with the deepest pockets in the pharmaceutical supply chain: the countrys major medical distributors, Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, along with the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.The distributors, which by law are supposed to monitor quantities of prescription drug shipments, have been accused of turning a blind eye for two decades while pharmacies across the country ordered millions of pills for their communities. Plaintiffs also allege that Johnson & Johnson, which used to contract with poppy growers in Tasmania to supply opioid materials to manufacturers and made its own fentanyl patches for pain patients, downplayed addictive properties to doctors as well as patients.Negotiations, which began more than two years ago, intensified this summer as trials opened in several states and overdose rates reached record levels.Unlike earlier settlement proposals, this one appears to have the critical backing of more than 40 states and a sweetener of $2 billion for plaintiffs attorneys. In recent weeks, many terms were nailed down and the fees for private lawyers in the cases a previous sticking point bumped up, prompting enthusiasm that an announcement was imminent, lawyers involved in the talks said.In a briefing with several reporters on Tuesday morning, lawyers for thousands of cities and counties were careful to use words like optimistic to describe the talks, saying that states had to agree first before local governments could even vote on the settlement. A statement from attorneys general of 10 states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Tennessee, said the negotiations were progressing well and potentially nearing their completion.Cardinal Health declined to discuss the negotiations. The other distributors did not reply to requests for comment.Johnson & Johnson said in a statement, There continues to be progress toward finalizing this agreement and we remain committed to providing certainty for involved parties and critical assistance for families and communities in need.The company said the agreement would not be an admission of liability or wrongdoing and that it would continue to defend in cases brought by plaintiffs who were not part of the settlement.In court proceedings, the distributors have repeatedly argued that they were participants in the supply chain for drugs that were federally approved.A separate agreement between Native American tribes and the companies is still being negotiated.Even if the negotiators reach a deal, numerous steps are required before formal agreement, including voting by all of the thousands of plaintiffs. It includes carrot-stick incentives to induce more parties to come on board.The deal is contingent on agreement by a large majority of states. People involved in the talks say that eight or so states are still not on board, because they believe the amount of money the companies would pay is insufficient.Their proposal can be described in three words not good enough, said Bob Ferguson, the attorney general of Washington, which has a September trial scheduled against the distributors. It does not represent real accountability, and will not provide a transformative amount of money to help communities respond to the crisis they helped cause.Another contentious issue in the proposed deal is what is known as global peace the companies want assurance that a settlement would mean that plaintiffs would put down their litigating swords for good. They are asking that states ensure that local governments that have not brought cases against the companies, as well as those that have cases pending, refrain from future legal action against the companies over opioids.Once a state agrees to the deal, it would ask all of its local governments even municipalities that have not filed lawsuits to back it. Reimbursement would work on a tier: full payment is conditional on a states local governments signing on.For example, said Mr. Ferguson, most of the money that would be apportioned to his state would be contingent on Washingtons 39 counties and 281 cities signing on a very high bar.Many major players in the prescription opioid industry have yet to settle cases against them. Some manufacturers, like Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt, have sought bankruptcy protection. Teva, Allergan and Endo are on trial. Cases against pharmaceutical chains, such as CVS Health, Walgreens and Walmart, are even further from resolution.According to lawyers familiar with negotiations, Johnson & Johnson, which ended its relationship with poppy growers and stopped making its fentanyl patch and other opioids, would pay $3.7 billion in the first three years and $1.3 billion over the next six years.Collectively the distributors would pay $21 billion over 17 years. The fees of lawyers, who pursued and financed the costly litigation for years, would be deducted from the total figure and are expected to be paid more quickly than some funds for addiction treatment.The distributors would establish a third-party monitor to track their own and their competitors drug shipments, intended to quickly alert red-flag pill sales.It will provide an entirely new method of tracking narcotic drugs at a national level and will make data instantaneously available, said Joe Rice, a lawyer for many local governments who is on the negotiating team.The negotiations for the states have been led by New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and California, among others.The negotiations were stalled for months over attorneys fees. Innumerable lawyers have contributed different amounts of work and have fought over who should get paid how much. Now, about $1.6 billion in fees and costs would be paid to private lawyers representing thousands of counties and municipalities, $50 million in costs and about $350 million to private lawyers who worked for states. (Many states are represented by their own salaried, government lawyers.)Another critical lever in advancing settlement terms has been the high-stakes gamble of a trial. The distributors have been locked in trial in a West Virginia federal court and in a New York state court. The West Virginia case is ongoing but on Tuesday, Letitia James, the attorney general for New York, announced a $1.179 billion settlement with the distributors that releases them from the case. That money would be deducted from the overall $26 billion settlement. Payments to New York could begin in two months, Ms. James said.A persistent tension in the talks has been over the division of funds among states and small governments, including cities and counties.The new settlement envisions a national formula for disbursing money to states and flexibility within each state to broker a deal with localities, so that the bulk of the funds is aimed at alleviating the opioid epidemic and preventing its recurrence.For months, states and counties elbowed each other, even as they fought with defendants. The distribution to each state now relies on extensive federal data and includes metrics like a states population, overdose deaths, opioid pill sales and disorders related to pain pill abuse.Most states will most likely work up their own disbursement plans. Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Florida and others have already brokered internal, state-specific formulas. Last month, the New York legislature passed bills that would ensure that all funds from the opioid litigation settlement would go into a locked box, to be used only to address the crisis.Johnson & Johnson is widely known as a company willing to try cases rather than settle, but it has faced rivers of adverse publicity recently: litigation over asbestos deaths related to its talcum powder, a recall of some sunscreens, and reports of rare adverse neurological events associated with its single-dose Covid vaccine. The company remains on trial in California state court but settled with the state of New York and two New York counties last month, on the eve of trial.The money for the New York settlement, $230 million, will be paid over nine years with an additional $33 million for lawyers costs and fees, and will be deducted from the national amount. | Health |
Doc Rivers I'd 'Absolutely' Hire Jason Kidd ... After Bucks Firing 1/23/2018 TMZSports.com Jason Kidd just got the boot in Milwaukee -- but he's already got a rebound offer from one of the most powerful head coaches in the NBA! Well, sorta ... we got Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau -- Doc's former Celtics assistant -- leaving Craig's after Thibodeau's T-Wolves edged Rivers' Clippers in L.A. Naturally, we had to bring up the shocking J-Kidd firing ... and Doc immediately went to bat for the NBA legend, saying he would "absolutely" add him to his coaching staff. One problem -- there ain't any vacancies on his bench at the moment ... and he's already got big-name assistants like Sam Cassell and Mike Woodson. Still ... pretty nice gesture. Maybe next season?? | Entertainment |
ScienceTakeVideotranscripttranscriptScienceTake | Surfing BeetlesThe lily pad beetle moves across the surface of the water in a kind of self-powered windsurfing.xThe lily pad beetle moves across the surface of the water in a kind of self-powered windsurfing.March 7, 2016Many people long to live near water for the pleasures of swimming, boating, fishing, or just to contemplate.But, says Manu Prakash, a scientist at Stanford with broad interests, the surface of an alluring lake or pond, the boundary where water meets air , can be far less inviting for certain insects.Water is about 100 times as viscous as air, and insects that live on its surface must somehow negotiate movement in both realms. Most seem to choose one or the other. Some, like long-legged water striders, maintain a small measure of distance from the water with a cushion of air that lets them skate on the surface. Others, like whirligig beetles, embrace the water and swim.The lily pad beetle, which Dr. Prakash and his colleagues report on in The Journal of Experimental Biology, has evolved a unique solution to moving in water and air at the same time.It flies, beating its wings for propulsion much as it would if it were taking off into the air. But it remains tethered to the water by claws at the end of its legs that break through the surface and act as anchors so a strong wing beat wont unexpectedly lift the beetle.The movement is unusual, a bit like windsurfing, except that rather than having a sail to catch the wind, the beetle uses its wings to generate power.Dr. Prakash runs a laboratory devoted to projects as varied as economical paper microscopes, water computers and biophysics. He conducted the study of the lily pad beetle with Haripriya Mukundarajan and Dong Hyun Kim at Stanford and Thibaut C. Bardon of the cole Polytechnique in Paris. He described the research as just good old natural history, with a large dose of physics.It began some years ago when he saw, on a pond, something that moved so fast that I couldnt actually see it. He stayed for a couple of hours trying to track the culprit down and finally found the beetle, which eats holes in lily pads and zips from one to the other on the waters surface.He thought its technique was a great way to move around and had a hunch that the physics would be intriguing. And he was attracted, he said, to a creature that had really claimed this harsh environment.With high speed video and mathematical analysis of the movements and forces involved, the team made several discoveries.The beetles legs repel water, which keeps it afloat, except for claws at their tips, which penetrate the surface of the water and tie it to the surface.As the beetle flies, or surfs, the up and down force of its wings and the attachment of the claws make the surface of the water bounce up and down like a trampoline. The tips of the wings almost touch the surface of the water, and the beetle copes with aerodynamics, surface tension and another kind of drag that appears only when the insect is moving faster than about nine inches a second. The beetle actually travels close to a foot a second. Its called capillary wave drag.The whole system, Dr. Prakash said, is right at the edge of chaos, mathematically speaking. A chaotic system is one so complicated that given the initial conditions, one cant predict what is going to happen. One way or another, the beetle manages to navigate this environment.The self-powered surfing actually demands more energy than fully airborne flight, which the beetle can also do. It seems to prefer this sort of locomotion. Dr. Prakash said that may be because its a good way to find new food sources, or because predators havent figured it out.He said that he and his colleagues were now turning to a fly that seemed to do something similar but in the sea. There are, of course, ways that one could imagine applying the findings to robotics, but the research really was done, he said, for pure scientific curiosity.One thing the remarkable beetle did not evolve is a braking system. In the lab, it runs into the edge of a dish and just topples over. On a pond, Dr. Prakash said, they seem to stop the same way.They hit the leaf, he said. | science |
Sports|Video: Snowboarder Trusts His Life to His Backpackhttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/sports/snowboarder-trusts-his-life-to-his-backpack.htmlHigher UnpluggedVideoThe professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones trusts his life to the contents of his backpack. Whether in Alaska or Antarctica, the equipment he carries on his back is essential.Feb. 12, 2014Higher Unplugged looks at the making of the film Higher, which follows the snowboarder Jeremy Jones and the TGR crew as they ascend and ride peaks in Alaska, Wyoming, California and Nepal. Jones is a professional snowboarder who has been named big mountain rider of the year 10 times by Snowboarder magazine.Jones trusts his life to the contents of his backpack. On a recent trip to Alaska, he spent each day ascending mountains with over 30 pounds on his back. Avalanche gear, climbing equipment, cameras, food and water are just some of the items contributing to this load. Yet, as Jones reveals in this episode of Higher Unplugged, each item is essential as it may save his life or the lives of his travel partners. | Sports |
Credit...Matthew BettsmatterThe worlds forests are being carved into pieces. In tropical regions, animals are likely to pay a heavy price. A Malayan sun bear, a forest-dwelling tropical bear indigenous to southeast Asia.Credit...Matthew BettsPublished Dec. 5, 2019Updated Feb. 3, 2020Around the world, humans are fracturing vast forests. Highways snake through the Amazons rain forests, and Indonesia plans an ambitious transportation grid in Borneo, through some of the largest untouched expanses of tropical forests. If you were to parachute at random into any of the planets forests, youd probably land a mile or less from its edge, according to a recent study. Conservation biologists have intensely debated the dangers that the fracturing of woodlands poses to animals. While many studies have shown that extinctions are more common in fragmented environments, others havent documented much effect.A study published on Thursday may help resolve what has been a strident debate, showing why many species are vulnerable to the fragmenting of forests while others are not. Animals in places with a long history of disturbances are relatively resilient, the researchers found. Species that have existed in stable habitats for thousands of years are far more sensitive.They are taking a new approach on a global scale, Anna Hargreaves, an evolutionary ecologist at McGill University in Montreal, said of the scientists. I find it compelling.The first hints of this risk to biodiversity came in the 1960s, when researchers found that bigger islands tended to host more species than smaller ones. Ecologists began to think of forests as islands, too: When a logging company splits what had been continuous belt of trees, two smaller islands may be formed, each of which might support fewer species than the undisturbed tract had.ImageCredit...Hankyu KimScientists found evidence for this hypothesis in jungles and woodlands in many parts of the world. Isolation in a forest fragment can put a population of animals at risk of extinction they may struggle to find food, for example. But some of the consequences may be less obvious. Cristina Banks-Leite, a conservation biologist at Imperial College London and a co-author of the new study, captured thousands of birds in the forests of Brazil. She found fewer species in the smaller patches of forest and even fewer species near the edges of these fragments, suggesting that the new borders were to blame.Cant birds just fly from one patch of trees to another? In Brazils tropical forests, it turns out, they seldom do. Dr. Banks-Leite said that sunlight may be one reason: Tropical forests are always dim, thanks to their dense canopy. The birds adapted to low light might find bright sunlight at the forests edges too harsh.But ecologists in the eastern United States uncovered contradictory evidence. There, animals often thrive near forest edges. Nor is there much evidence that forest fragmentation has led to many extinctions.At first, ecologists argued about which results mattered most. Eventually, a number of researchers decided to pool their results and take a look at the big picture.In 2014, Dr. Banks-Leite and her colleagues unveiled a database of fragmented forests called Biofrag. Each scientist added his or her observations, building a compendium that included thousands of species of birds, mammals, spiders and other animals.ImageCredit...Garret MeigsThe researchers set about looking for a hypothesis that might explain why some researchers have found strong effects from fragmentation and others havent. They found inspiration in an idea put forward in 1996 by Andrew Balmford, an ecologist now at the University of Cambridge in England.He proposed that the risk faced by a species today may depend on the experiences the species had in the past. On many islands, for example, birds are now threatened with extinction. Rats introduced onto the islands from ships attack the birds eggs, and they are helpless to do anything about it.Dr. Balmford observed that some islands have had native species of rodents for thousands of years. Birds on those islands may be resilient to the threat of new rodents, he speculated.This idea is called the extinction filter hypothesis. The species we see today have passed through a gantlet of challenges over time. Other animals unable to cope with a threat in the past became extinct filtered out by history, as it were.The authors of the new study reasoned that an extinction filter might be at work in todays forest fragments. Some forests were relatively undisturbed until recent decades, while others were split into fragments in ancient times.In parts of Europe and Asia, farmers were breaking up forests thousands of years ago. Even before, some forests were regularly disturbed by storms or fires. And during each ice age, northern belts of trees were broken into isolated stands.In the new study, published in Science, the researchers examined 4,493 species in 73 forest regions worldwide. They used several methods to determine how sensitive each species was to forest fragmentation. For instance, they observed whether species could be found at the edges of forests or kept to the core of the fragment.Some species, such as the cedar waxwing of North America and the rufous-tailed hummingbird of Central America, didnt seem to mind life in fragments. But other species shied away from forest edges, such as the sun bear of Borneo and the hairy woodpecker of North America.In certain regions, like Borneo, the researchers found that many species stayed in the forest cores. In others, like New England, many were comfortable at the edges. It shows everyone was right, said Dr. Banks-Leite.She and her colleagues then put the extinction filter hypothesis to the test. They looked at how many of each kind of species sensitive and not were found in forests with a history of disturbances and in undisturbed forests.The difference was stark.Just over half of animal species in undisturbed forests are now sensitive to fragmentation. Only 18 percent of the species in historically disturbed forests are affected.It hit us over the head pretty hard, said Matthew Betts, an ecologist at Oregon State University and a co-author of the new study.The results suggest that vulnerable species in places like New England have gone extinct as storms and glaciers have fragmented their forests. In places like the Amazon, those fragile species found refuge until now.Most of the worlds diversity remains in undisturbed forests. Dr. Betts and his colleagues estimated that 40 species of birds in North American forests are vulnerable to fragmentation. But in the more pristine forests of Central and South America, 900 species of birds are at risk.In places where animals have survived disturbances for thousands of years, protecting forest fragments may be a good conservation strategy, the new research suggests. But it may be even more important to keep undisturbed forests intact, because the species living there are far more likely to suffer from fragmentation. Researchers have warned that Indonesias plans to build railways and roads in Borneo may shatter its jungles. Since these regions have not experienced this kind of fragmentation ever, the plans could be catastrophic for vulnerable species like the sun bear.If we dont get our act together, then the road back might be a long one, said Dr. Hargreaves. | science |
Sports BriefingFeb. 6, 2014The depleted Los Angeles Lakers had to keep Robert Sacre on the court after he fouled out in the fourth quarter of a 119-108 victory at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Los Angeless first win after seven straight losses was overshadowed by a bizarre ending. When Chris Kaman fouled out and Jordan Farmar left with an injury, the Lakers were down to five players. So Coach Mike DAntoni had to keep Sacre in the game after he committed his sixth foul with 3 minutes 32 seconds left, drawing a technical. The N.B.A. does not allow teams to field four players. At that point, each subsequent foul triggers a technical. Dwight Howard had 34 points and 14 rebounds, and the host Houston Rockets picked up their fourth straight victory, 122-108 over the Phoenix Suns. It was the fourth straight game with at least 20 points for Howard. Victor Oladipo scored 20 points to lead the host Orlando Magic to a 112-98 win over the Detroit Pistons. | Sports |
11 things wed really like to knowBiology was supposed to cure what ails psychiatry. Decades later, millions of people with mental disorders are still waiting.Credit...Jens Mortensen for The New York TimesNov. 19, 2018Nothing humbles historys great thinkers more quickly than reading their declarations on the causes of madness. Over the centuries, mental illness has been attributed to everything from a badness of spirit (Aristotle) and a humoral imbalance (Galen) to autoerotic fixation (Freud) and the weakness of the hierarchical state of the ego (Jung).The arrival of biological psychiatry, in the past few decades, was expected to clarify matters, by detailing how abnormalities in the brain gave rise to all variety of mental distress. But that goal hasnt been achieved nor is it likely to be, in this lifetime.Still, the futility of the effort promises to inspire a change in the culture of behavioral science in the coming decades. The way forward will require a closer collaboration between scientists and the individuals theyre trying to understand, a mutual endeavor based on a shared appreciation of where the science stands, and why it hasnt progressed further.There has to be far more give and take between researchers and the people suffering with these disorders, said Dr. Steven Hyman, director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard. The research cannot happen without them, and they need to be convinced its promising.The course of Science Times coincides almost exactly with the tear-down and rebuilding of psychiatry. Over the past 40 years, the field remade itself from the inside out, radically altering how researchers and the public talked about the root causes of persistent mental distress.[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]The blueprint for reassembly was the revision in 1980 of psychiatrys field guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which effectively excluded psychological explanations. Gone was the rich Freudian language about hidden conflicts, along with the empty theories about incorrect or insufficient mothering. Depression became a cluster of symptoms and behaviors; so did obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism and the rest.This modernized edifice struck many therapists as a behavioral McMansion: an eyesore, crude and grandiose. But there was no denying that the plumbing worked, the lighting was better, and the occupants had a clear, agreed-upon language. Researchers now had tidier labels to work with; more sophisticated tools, including M.R.I.s, animal models, and genetic analysis, to guide their investigations of the brain; and a better understanding of why the available drugs and forms of psychotherapy relieved symptoms for many patients.Science journalists, and their readers, also had an easier time understanding the new vocabulary. In time, mental problems became mental disorders, then brain disorders, perhaps caused by faulty wiring, a chemical imbalance or genes. But the actual science didnt back up those interpretations. Despite billions of dollars in research funding, and thousands of journal articles, biological psychiatry has given doctors and patients little of practical value, never mind a cause or a cure.Nonetheless, that failure offers two valuable guideposts for the next 40 years of research. One is that psychiatrys now-standard diagnostic system the well-lighted structure, with all its labels does not map well onto any shared biology. Depression is not one ailment but many, expressing different faces in different people. Likewise for persistent anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and personality issues such as borderline personality disorder.As a result, the best place for biological scientists to find traction is with individuals who have highly heritable, narrowly defined problems. This research area has run into many blind alleys, but there are promising leads. In 2016, researchers at the Broad Institute found strong evidence that the development of schizophrenia is tied to genes that regulate synaptic pruning, a natural process of brain reorganization that ramps up during adolescence and young adulthood.We are now following up hard on that finding, said Dr. Hyman. We owe it those who are suffering with this diagnosis.Scientists also foresee a breakthrough in understanding the genetics of autism. Dr. Matthew State, chief of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, said that in a subset of people on the autism spectrum, the top 10 associated genes have huge effects, so a clinical trial using gene therapies is in plausible reach.The second guidepost concerns the impact of biology. Although there are several important exceptions, measurable differences in brain biology appear to contribute only a fraction of added risk for developing persistent mental problems. Genetic inheritance surely plays a role, but it falls well short of a stand-alone cause in most people who receive a diagnosis.The remainder of the risk is supplied by experience: the messy combination of trauma, substance use, loss and identity crises that make up an individuals intimate, personal history. Biology has nothing to say about those factors, but people do. Millions of individuals who develop a disabling mental illness either recover entirely or learn to manage their distress in ways that give them back a full life. Together, they constitute a deep reservoir of scientific data that until recently has not been tapped.Gail Hornstein, a professor of psychology at Mount Holyoke College, is now running a study of people who attend meetings of the Hearing Voices Network, a grass-roots, Alcoholics Anonymous-like group where people can talk with one another about their mental health struggles. Many participants are veterans of the psychiatric system, people who have received multiple diagnoses and decided to leave medical care behind. The study will analyze their experiences, their personal techniques to manage distress, and the distinctive characteristics of the Hearing Voices groups that account for their effectiveness.When people have an opportunity to engage in ongoing, in-depth conversation with others with similar experiences, their lives are transformed, said Dr. Hornstein, who has chronicled the network and its growth in the United States. We start with a persons own framework of understanding and move from there.She added: We have underestimated the power of social interactions. We see people whove been in the system for years, on every med there is. How is it possible that such people have recovered, through the process of talking with others? How has that occurred? That is the question we need to answer.To push beyond the futility of the last 40 years, scientists will need to work not only from the bottom up, with genetics, but also from the top down, guided by individuals who have struggled with mental illness and come out the other side. Their expertise is fraught with the pain of having been misunderstood and, often, mistreated. But its also the kind of expertise that researchers will need if they hope to build a science that even remotely describes, much less predicts, the fullness of human mental suffering. | Health |
The New Old AgeCredit...Joshua Bright for The New York TimesNov. 4, 2016For a while, paramedics were rushing Maria Vitale to the emergency room at Long Island Jewish Medical Center every few weeks.It was constant, said her son, Paul Vitale. She would fall, and the ambulance would come and take her to the hospital. Her blood sugar would be low, and shed go to the hospital.Like most older people, Mrs. Vitale, now 88, wanted to continue living in her home, a Cape Cod house on Long Island that she and her late husband bought 60 years ago.And, like many older people, she contended with an array of chronic diseases: diabetes, kidney disease, a heart arrhythmia, dementia.Her children (and Medicaid) had managed to keep her at home with full-time aides, but every 911 call led to hours of waiting in the emergency department, often followed by admission to the hospital.Sometimes we felt like the hospitalization hurt her, said Mr. Vitale, 60, a health care executive who too often found himself driving from his Manhattan home to Long Island in the middle of the night. She came home worse than when she went in.Since March 2015, however, paramedics have visited Mrs. Vitales home 10 times, and whisked her to the hospital just once.When Mrs. Vitale falls or seems lethargic or short of breath, her aides no longer call 911. They dial the House Calls service at Northwell Health, the system that includes Long Island Jewish Medical Center and that dispatches what it calls community paramedics.They often arrive in an S.U.V. instead of an ambulance. And with 40 hours of training in addition to the usual paramedic curriculum, they can treat most of Mrs. Vitales problems on the spot instead of bustling her away.A lot of whats been done in the E.R. can safely and effectively be done in the home, said Karen Abrashkin, an internist with the House Calls program and Mrs. Vitales primary care physician. For frail, older people with many health problems, Dr. Abrashkin noted, the hospital is not always the safest or best place to be.Geriatricians have warned for years about the ways in which hospitalization can accelerate older patients decline, even when physicians succeed in fixing the medical problem at hand.Emergency rooms often serve as gateways to longer stays, and the time spent in bed leads quickly to deconditioning. Older people who walked in on their own often cannot walk out, and need rehab and physical therapy to try to regain their mobility.Theyre also vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections, including the rampant C. difficile, that can prove difficult to eradicate. Newly prescribed medications can interact badly with those they already take.Delirium strikes as many as half of hospitalized older patients, studies have shown; its especially common among the cognitively impaired.Mrs. Vitale perceived nonexistent threats, for example. Shed be telling me there was a dog under her bed or someone trying to get into her room, Mr. Vitale said.For all these reasons, plus the sky-high costs of emergency medicine and hospitalization, community paramedic practices are multiplying across the country.In 2009, when Medstar Mobile Healthcare began enrolling patients in Fort Worth, it was one of four emergency services in the nation to adopt community paramedicine (sometimes called mobile integrated health care), said Matt Zavadsky, a company spokesman.By 2014, when the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians surveyed the field, it identified more than 100 such services. The association now knows of 260.Differing state regulations mean that these efforts take many forms. In Fort Worth, Medstar Mobile makes mostly scheduled visits, not emergency calls; its paramedics (called mobile health care providers) more often help patients learn to manage their chronic illnesses. When a diabetic has low blood sugar, Mr. Zavadsky said, we can administer IV dextrose, or make them a good dinner.What the programs share are the additional training, a team approach and an emphasis on preventing unnecessary transport. The concept of using your E.M.S. people to keep people out of the hospital is common to all of them, said Dan Swayze, the vice president of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.The concept may spread even faster if insurers, particularly Medicare and Medicaid, would cover at-home treatment by paramedics. Right now, emergency services are reimbursed only for ferrying people to hospitals.If we only pay to transport people, guess what were going to do, Mr. Zavadsky said.That could change, though. Medstar Mobile and other programs are negotiating with insurance companies for reimbursement for at-home services, instead of relying on foundation grants, referral payments and hospital budgets. Supporters are also pressing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to change its policies.Northwell Healths community paramedics program published its results this summer in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, looking at outcomes for 1,602 ailing, homebound patients (median age: 83) over 16 months. When the community paramedics responded most commonly for shortness of breath, neurological and psychiatric complaints, cardiac and blood pressure problems, or weakness they were able to evaluate and treat 78 percent of patients at home.Often, even our sickest patients dont want to go to the hospital, said Dr. Abrashkin, the lead author of the study.On each call, the paramedics, acting as physician extenders, consulted with doctors by phone or a secure video link. They performed physical exams and ran electrocardiograms. They treated breathing problems with nebulizers, administered diuretics and oxygen for heart failure symptoms, and provided IV fluids for dehydration.Of those patients who were taken to emergency rooms, however, more than 80 percent were admitted. The teams were able to identify those patients sick enough to really need and want to go to the hospital, Dr. Abrashkin said.Since she became a community paramedics patient, Maria Vitales one ambulance ride followed a fall in May 2015. X-rays taken in her home showed she had a broken hip.Otherwise the paramedics have been able to care for her without dashing to the hospital. Last month, for instance, her knee buckled as she was heading for the kitchen, using her walker. She went down, and the aide walking with her wasnt strong enough to lift her off the floor.Charles Borger, a paramedic for more than 20 years but a recent addition to the community paramedicine program, responded to the call. He got Mrs. Vitale onto her feet, examined her, took her vital signs, called her daughter and teleconferenced with a doctor.She wasnt injured, he told me. She was annoyed that she had fallen. But she felt fine, and we felt that she could stay at home.As it happens, Mr. Borgers 88-year-old father lives alone in a Long Island town with a traditional emergency medical services squad. If he falls and calls 911, theyll make him go to the hospital, regardless of whether he has injuries or not, his son said.Its such a burden on everyone. I wish he could get into a program like this. | Health |
April 8, 2022, 12:02 p.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 12:02 p.m. ETReporting on spaceflight.What a stay on the space station is like.The Axiom-1 astronauts are not the first private citizens to visit the International Space Station. But this is the first time that NASA has been actively involved in this kind of trip.The space station is divided into sections built by different partner countries involved in the project, with the largest segments belonging to the United States and Russia. Previous visitors traveled to the space station on Russian Soyuz rockets and largely stayed on the Russian side of the station.Theyve come over to the U.S. segment, Dana Weigel, deputy program manager for the space station at NASA, said of earlier visitors during a news conference on Thursday. But their interest is usually in two different things. One is using our cupola so they can get great photos out of the window. And the other is using email.The Axiom-1 crew members underwent much of the same training as NASA astronauts, especially for what to do during an emergency. Ms. Weigel gave the toilet as an example. They needed to learn how the space station toilets work, but, as guests, they didnt need to train how to repair the toilet if it malfunctioned.We said, What is a day in the life of a private astronaut? Ms. Weigel said. She added: Video and photography is really important. So their training includes that.We kind of went through what are all the different things they need to do, they need to learn: how to use our galley so they can prepare food, she continued. Hygiene is very unique in a microgravity environment, so they get hygiene training. And so theres a lot of daily living training, just so that theyre comfortable and know how to kind of operate independently on board.With a larger-than-usual number of people staying on the U.S. segment, some of the sleeping quarters are makeshift in various parts of the station. One person will be sleeping in the Crew Dragon, Ms. Weigel said.The Axiom passengers will be busy conducting 25 experiments on the station, but careful not to get in the way of other crew members.Were very cognizant that we will be guests aboard the I.S.S., said Michael Lpez-Alegra, the former NASA astronaut and current Axiom executive who is commanding this mission.The Axiom visitors may also get to visit the Russian side of the station, but that would have to be at the invitation of the Russian astronauts.April 8, 2022, 11:45 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:45 a.m. ET Michael RostonEditing spaceflight newsEarlier today, there was the rare site of two rockets on launchpads at NASAs Kennedy Space Center at the same time: The Space Launch System rocket that will head to the moon for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, right, and SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket that just carried Ax-1 to orbit. But the large NASA moon rocket isnt going anywhere yet it needs to complete a dress rehearsal for its future launch, which will resume in the coming days.ImageCredit...Joel Kowsky/NASA/EPA, via ShutterstockApril 8, 2022, 11:39 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:39 a.m. ETThe astronauts will now spend nearly a day in orbit before reaching the space station.The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is taking an 20.5 hour-trip to the International Space Station.The Crew Dragon is a gumdrop-shaped capsule an upgraded version of SpaceXs original Dragon capsule, which has been used many times to carry cargo. It is roughly comparable in size to the Apollo capsule that took NASA astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s. Earlier NASA capsules Mercury and Gemini were considerably smaller.The capsule has more interior space than a minivan, but less than a studio apartment. And there is a bathroom. As you can probably imagine, you and some of your friends may be able to pile into a space like that for a brief time, but much longer could become uncomfortable.Axiom said the crew might provide an update from the Dragon spacecraft en route to the space station.Docking is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. on Saturday. Then, checks to make sure the spacecraft is securely docked without any air leaks will take about two hours before the hatch to the space station is opened.April 8, 2022, 11:35 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:35 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightBecause this is not a NASA spacecraft, NASAs involvement in the launch and journey to the space station is minimal. Until the Crew Dragon gets close to the I.S.S., SpaceX and Axiom are in charge of everything.April 8, 2022, 11:32 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:32 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe Crew Dragon has separated from the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. Everything has gone flawlessly, and the Axiom-1 astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station. Theyll get there tomorrow morning. April 8, 2022, 11:29 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:29 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe booster stage has landed on the drone ship.April 8, 2022, 11:27 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:27 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe second-stage engine has shut down. The spacecraft is now in orbit. April 8, 2022, 11:25 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:25 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightSpaceXs floating platforms or drone ships have fanciful names. The one used today is called A Shortfall of Gravitas.April 8, 2022, 11:23 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:23 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightDuring rocket launches, the word you want to hear over and over is nominal. That means everything is going as it is supposed to.April 8, 2022, 11:22 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:22 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe first stage booster now heads back to Earth, back through the atmosphere, to land on a floating platform in about 10 minutes.April 8, 2022, 11:21 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:21 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe first stage engines have cut off, as expected and the first stage has dropped away, with the second-stage engine igniting.April 8, 2022, 11:17 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:17 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightCountdown events pass quickly in the last couple of minutes. The Dragon is on its own power now and other systems are starting up. April 8, 2022, 11:14 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:14 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightPropellant tanks are full and the strongback the vertical structure that connects to the Falcon 9 until the final minutes of the countdown has tilted away from the rocket. A few minutes until liftoff.April 8, 2022, 11:04 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:04 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightLoading of liquid oxygen has begun in addition to the RP-1 rocket fuel (which is essentially kerosene). 15 minutes until launch.April 8, 2022, 11:02 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 11:02 a.m. ETHow dangerous is the flight?ImageCredit...Joe Rimkus Jr/ReutersThe crew is flying on the same spacecraft that NASA uses to take astronauts to orbit. That means the space agency has required it to meet a number of safety standards. In five journeys so far, no significant safety problems have been reported with the spacecraft.But every journey to space presents dangers from the moment the crew members are sealed into a spacecraft until the moment they safely exit. Astronauts have died on the launchpad (like the Apollo 1 disaster), as they headed to orbit (the space shuttle Challenger) and as they re-entered the atmosphere (the space shuttle Columbia). The Apollo 13 missions mishap showed the difficulty in bringing back a crew when the crippled spacecraft is far from Earth.Five successful trips of a spacecraft also does not mean all potential problems have been discovered and fixed. There were 24 successful space shuttle missions before the loss of Challenger in 1986.Even the astronauts aboard Crew Dragon have encountered risks. During a flight to the space station in April, mission controllers warned the crew that a piece of space debris was about to whiz past. The astronauts put on their spacesuits, got back in their seats and lowered their protective visors. The flight continued to the space station without incident and later analysis showed that it was a false alarm, that no debris actually passed near the spacecraft.In the days leading up to his launch in September last year during the Inspiration4 mission, Jared Isaacman, the flights commander, compared it with his hobby of flying fighter jets.I also like to look at risk on a relative basis, Mr. Issacman said. The last couple days, weve been tearing up the skies in fighter jets, which I put it relatively higher risk than this mission so that were nice and comfortable as we get strapped into Falcon.April 8, 2022, 10:52 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:52 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightPropellants are flowing into the Falcon 9 rocket.April 8, 2022, 10:41 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:41 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe launch escape system is armed. That is to take the crew to safety if there is a malfunction.April 8, 2022, 10:35 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:35 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe crew access arm is retracting from the Crew Dragon capsule. 45 minutes to go.April 8, 2022, 10:20 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:20 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightOne hour until launch. No issues. The weather looks lovely.April 8, 2022, 10:10 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:10 a.m. ETSpace tourism boomed in 2021.ImageCredit...Spacex, via Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesLast year was a busy year for space tourism.After years of delays, two companies that aim to capitalize on suborbital trips short up-and-down jaunts that provide a few minutes of floating finally passed a landmark goal: flying their billionaire founders.In July, Richard Branson, who started Virgin Galactic in 2004, was in one of the seats of his companys rocket plane. Nine days later, Jeff Bezos was provided with a ride by his rocket company, Blue Origin, in its New Shepard capsule.Three more New Shepard flights carrying paying passengers have flown since, including one that lifted William Shatner, known as Capt. James Kirk of Star Trek, to the edge of space. The Virgin Galactic space plane has not flown again as the company completes upgrades.Trips to orbit are much more ambitious, requiring acceleration to 17,500 miles per hour to avoid falling back to Earth. They are also much more expensive.Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who founded the payment company Shift4, announced in February that he was essentially chartering a rocket and a spacecraft from SpaceX for a trip to orbit (but not to the space station).Instead of taking some of his friends along, he gave two seats to the St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis. Of those, one went to Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at the hospital who was once a cancer patient there. The second was raffled off and ended up going to Chris Sembroski, a data engineer. A third seat went to the winner of a contest run by Shift4 for space-related entrepreneurial ideas. Sian Proctor, who won that seat, became the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.The mission, called Inspiration4, spent three days in orbit. It was the first trip to orbit on which none of the people aboard was a professional astronaut.Russia was also active in the space tourism business last year. In October, a Russian director, Klim Shipenko, and Yulia Peresild, an actress, spent 12 days at the International Space Station to shoot scenes for a movie. In December, Yusaku Mazeawa, a Japanese billionaire, and his assistant also made a 12-day trip to the space station on a Russian Soyuz.Mr. Isaacman is planning more trips to space. He announced in February that he had purchased three more flights from SpaceX. The flights are part of a program he calls Polaris, designed to demonstrate new technologies and conduct research. The first flight is set to include a spacewalk, the first to be conducted by a private citizen; the last flight is to fly on Starship, the gigantic rocket that SpaceX is currently developing and which is intended to someday take people to Mars. April 8, 2022, 10:01 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 10:01 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe leak test passed on the second try and the crew is a little more than an hour from launch.April 8, 2022, 9:48 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:48 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe hatch is closed again. The leak test will now be repeated. A similar issue occurred during an earlier Crew Dragon mission, so theres no major problem with the flight at this point, and there is still time in the schedule.April 8, 2022, 9:40 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:40 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThere is a major difference in how SpaceX does its launch preparations compared with what NASA did. For NASA missions from Mercury through the space shuttles, the rockets propellant tanks were filled before the astronauts boarded. The thinking was that they did not want astronauts aboard if anything went wrong. SpaceX, however, wants to load the propellants at the last minute, which allows the liquid oxygen to be cooled even more, allowing it to be denser and increasing the rocket's performance. SpaceX convinced NASA that this approach was safe and if anything ever did go wrong, the vehicle's launch abort system would whisk astronauts away to safetyApril 8, 2022, 9:31 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:31 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe seal was not tight, so the SpaceX technicians will reopen the hatch and clean the seal, then redo the leak check for the capsule.April 8, 2022, 9:26 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:26 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe hatch is closed and the Ax-1 crew is sealed inside the spacecraft.April 8, 2022, 9:15 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:15 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe astronauts went through leak checks of their spacesuits, and will soon be sealed into the Endeavour capsle. Theres a lot to do, which is why liftoff is still two hours away.April 8, 2022, 9:00 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 9:00 a.m. ETWhy NASA is finally allowing space tourism.ImageCredit...Axiom Space, via Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesIn 1984, during the Reagan administration, the law that established NASA was amended to encourage private enterprise off Earth: The general welfare of the United States of America requires that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of space.For human spaceflight, early commercialization efforts sputtered. Plans to privatize the operating of NASAs space shuttles were shelved after the loss of Challenger in 1986.Instead, it was the Soviet space program in the fading years of Communism that was farther ahead of NASA in selling access to space. In 1990, Toyohiro Akiyama, a Japanese television reporter, flew on a Soyuz rocket to the Soviet space station Mir. The trip was paid for by his employer, the Tokyo Broadcasting System.At the same time, a group of British companies sponsored a contest to send the first British citizen to space. The winner was Helen Sharman, a chemist. She visited Mir in 1991. At the end of the decade, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia leased Mir to MirCorp, a Russian-American commercial venture.An American, Jeffrey Manber, ran MirCorp, and he envisioned turning the space station into a hub for tourism and entertainment. NBC commissioned a reality television show that would have been produced by Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor and The Apprentice.If you wanted to work with the capitalists in space in the 1990s, you worked with the Russians, Mr. Manber joked in an interview in 2018. If you wanted to work with the socialists, you worked with NASA.MirCorps dreams were not realized, because NASA insisted that Russia scuttle Mir and focus on the International Space Station instead.To the consternation of NASA officials, Russia sold trips to the International Space Station. Dennis Tito, an American entrepreneur, was the first Russian-hosted tourist on the station, in 2001. But Russia stopped taking private travelers in 2009 when, with the impending retirement of the space shuttles, NASA needed to buy available seats on Russian rockets for its astronauts to get to and from the space station.With SpaceX now able to provide transportation for American astronauts and NASA no longer a paying customer, Russia has resumed selling rides to the space station. The most recent trips, at the end of 2021, were a Russian director and actress shooting a movie and a Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, and his assistant.In the last few years, NASA has opened up to the idea of space tourism. It hopes that private companies will be able to launch commercial bases into orbit to eventually replace the International Space Station. Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator during the Trump administration, often spoke of NASAs being one customer out of many and of how that would greatly reduce costs for NASA.But for NASA to be one customer of many, there have to be other customers. Eventually, other applications like pharmaceutical research or zero-gravity manufacturing may finally come to fruition.But for now, the most promising market is wealthy people who pay to visit space themselves.April 8, 2022, 8:53 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:53 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightSpaceX has built four Crew Dragons: Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom. Thats all it will build, at least for now. Each spacecraft is designed to make at least five flights, or 20 in all. SpaceX officials say that should be enough for NASAs needs and private missions like Ax-1. The Freedom capsule is to make its first flight later this month, to take four astronauts three from NASA and one from the European Space Agency to the space station.April 8, 2022, 8:47 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:47 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe capsule the Ax-1 crew is sitting in, Endeavour, was the first Crew Dragon capsule and used for the 2020 flight of NASAs Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. That was the first launch of astronauts from the United States since the retirement of the space shuttles. It was subsequently also used for NASAs Crew-2 mission.April 8, 2022, 8:41 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:41 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe astronauts are in the capsule. They're about two-and-a-half hours from launch.April 8, 2022, 8:30 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:30 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe crew walked across the crew access arm into the white room for final preparations before entering the Crew Dragon capsule. Like the astronauts who have launched on SpaceX previously, the Axiom-1 crew members signed their names on the wall of the white room. April 8, 2022, 8:16 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:16 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightThe four members of the Axiom-1 crew have exited the suit-up room. They then got into Tesla cars for a drive to the launchpad. April 8, 2022, 8:10 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:10 a.m. ET Michael RostonEditing spaceflight newsJohn Insprucker, a SpaceX engineer, said that the weather was favorable at the Kennedy Space Center launch site, and also looked good in the ocean along the flight path where the crew would need to splash down in the event there was a problem during the trip.April 8, 2022, 8:01 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 8:01 a.m. ET Kenneth ChangReporting on spaceflightWe are now less than 4 hours until launch. The Ax-1 crew are getting into their flight suits ahead of traveling to the launchpad.April 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETWhat it costs to launch to the space station.Short answer: Its not cheap.These days, Axiom Space declines to comment when asked how much it is charging to take people to the International Space Station. A few years ago, however, the company did provide a ticket price $55 million per passenger and does not dispute the number today.In 2006, when NASA started buying seats for its astronauts from Russia aboard Soyuz rockets, they cost $21 million each. But the price escalated, and the last seats NASA purchased cost $90 million. Altogether, NASA has paid Russia about $4 billion for 71 astronauts.Much of the price is tied up in the rocket and spacecraft needed to get to orbit. And once there, customers also must pay for accommodations and amenities.In 2019, NASA set up a price list for use of the space station by private companies. For space tourists, NASA said it would charge companies like Axiom Space $35,000 a night per person for the use of sleeping quarters and amenities, including air, water, the internet and the toilet.Last year, however, NASA greatly revised costs upward to reflect full reimbursement for the value of NASA resources that are above the space station baseline capability. This Axiom-1 mission is paying costs according to the original price list; subsequent Axiom trips will be subject to the higher costs.While suborbital up-and-down joy rides are much cheaper, theyre still quite expensive. Last August, Virgin Galactic announced a $450,000 ticket price for future passengers on its space plane. (People who bought tickets years ago but have yet to fly paid the relative bargain of $250,000.) Blue Origin has not announced a public price for seats on its New Shepard rocket and capsule, although one passenger bought a seat in an auction for $28 million.April 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETMeet Axioms space tourists.The last orbital tourist flight to launch from the United States, Inspiration4, was chartered by Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who decided to give opportunities to three people who never could have afforded the trip for themselves. By contrast, each of Axioms space travelers is paying his own way.The customers are:Larry Connor, managing partner of the Connor Group, a firm in Dayton, Ohio, that owns and operates luxury apartments;Mark Pathy, chief executive of Mavrik Corporation, a Canadian investment company;And Eytan Stibbe, an investor and former Israeli Air Force pilot.The three did not know one another previously.While earlier private travelers to the space station were accompanied by professional Russian astronauts, the Axiom-1 mission is very different in that the entire crew are unaffiliated with any government, Derek Hassmann, the operations director at Axiom, said.The commander of the space station trip will be Michael Lpez-Alegra, a former NASA astronaut who is now a vice president at Axiom. Mr. Lpez-Alegra flew on three space shuttle missions and then served as space station commander from September 2006 to April 2007.When I left NASA 10 years ago, I became a very strong advocate for and believer in commercial spaceflight in general and commercial human spaceflight in particular, Mr. Lpez-Alegra said during a news conference last month.Mr. Connors previous exploits include a journey in a deep-sea submersible to the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean, more than 35,000 feet below the surface in the Mariana Trench; aerobatic flying competitions; and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.During the news conference, Mr. Connor objected to being called a space tourist.The space tourists, theyll spend 10 or 15 hours training five to 10 minutes in space, he said. And by the way, thats fine. In our case, depending upon our role, weve spent anywhere from 750 to over 1,000 hours training.Mr. Connor also pointed to the scientific experiments that he and his crewmates will be conducting.Mr. Pathy is also chairman of the board for Stingray Group, a media and entertainment company based in Montreal, and serves on the boards of several charitable organizations. I always wanted to go to space as a child, he said. It was always an unachievable fantasy.A friend of Mr. Pathys told him about the Axiom private spaceflight missions. That conversation challenged me to actually make that dream a reality, he said.Mr. Stibbe founded Vital Capital, a private equity fund that aims to improve housing, water, electricity and health care in developing countries while earning money for investors. He knew Ilan Ramon, another Israeli Air Force pilot who became an astronaut and who died when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated when returning to Earth in 2003.He was a good friend, Mr. Stibbe said. He was my commander in the squadron. And I had the opportunity to visit him during his training.Mr. Stibbe said he would be continuing an experiment that Mr. Ramon started involving the observation of thunderstorms. He will also take some pages of a diary that Mr. Ramon had kept while in orbit in Columbia and which were later found on the ground.April 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETApril 8, 2022, 7:31 a.m. ETThe Axiom-1 astronauts have reached orbit and are on their way to the space station.On Friday, three paying passengers and a retired NASA astronaut set off on a journey to the International Space Station. The mission, known as Axiom-1, represents NASAs first foray into space tourism aboard the orbital outpost. The crew, whose trip was booked through the company Axiom Space, will spend 10 days in orbit, including eight days aboard the station.The Axiom-1 mission launched at 11:17 a.m. Eastern time from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts are flying in a SpaceX Crew Dragon, the same capsule used by NASAs astronauts, which was lifted to space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.The countdown to launch was just about flawless, with excellent weather and systems functioning as expected before the rocket ignited and carried the crew to space. About 10 minutes into a successful flight, the crew began experiencing the microgravity that comes with being in orbit. About 12 minutes after launch, the Crew Dragon capsule detached from the second stage of the rocket and the astronauts began their trip to the space station.You can rewatch the launch in the video player above. Axiom Spaces Twitter account will provide updates about the crew, who will spend about 20.5 hours in orbit before reaching the space station.A post-launch news conference is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.Beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, Axiom and NASA are to broadcast the approach and docking of the Crew Dragon at the International Space Station. | science |
Business BriefingDec. 28, 2015KaloBios Pharmaceuticals said on Monday that two directors had resigned after the arrest of Martin Shkreli, who had been its chief executive, on securities fraud charges this month. Tom Fernandez and Marek Biestek resigned from the KaloBios board on Sunday, the company said in a regulatory filing. Both men had worked with Mr. Shkreli, initially at MSMB Capital, the hedge fund he and Mr. Biestek founded. Mr. Fernandez also worked at Retrophin, a drug company Mr. Shkreli led before running Turing Pharmaceuticals. MSMB and Retrophin are at the center of the indictment against Mr. Shkreli, 32, who has pleaded not guilty. | Business |
Credit...Federico Cosso/Associated PressNov. 17, 2018BUENOS AIRES In the year since 44 Argentine sailors vanished aboard a submarine, some relatives of the missing crew members had refused to speak of their loved ones in the past tense as they held out hope for a miracle or at least clarity as to what befell them.This weekend, Argentine officials said the wreckage of the submarine had been found, offering the first concrete answers about one of the deadliest and most confounding maritime disasters in modern times.If we had a speck of hope, now there is none left, said Gisela Polo, the sister of Esteban Alejandro Polo, 32, one of the sailors who died. Weve seen the images. They described the depth where it was found. It makes no sense to keep talking about him as if he were still alive.The discovery of the submarine, almost a year to the day after it disappeared in stormy weather, revealed that it imploded close to the ocean floor, officials said on Saturday, but that its main hull appeared to be whole. Now the government of President Mauricio Macri will have to answer questions from frustrated families about what more can be gleaned from the wreckage.The disappearance of the submarine had confounded experts and had drawn attention to the dilapidated state of Argentinas armed forces. Relatives of the missing sailors decried the military as reckless.This is news that fills us with enormous pain, Mr. Macri said in a recorded message Saturday night in which he announced three days of national mourning. Now were opening a period of serious investigations to find out the whole truth.Ocean Infinity, a Houston-based ocean-mapping company hired a few months ago, found the submarine nearly 270 nautical miles from the port of Comodoro Rivadavia in Chubut Province and about 3,000 feet under water. The company used unmanned, robotic devices to find it.Early this year, Ocean Infinity was retained in the hope of solving another maritime mystery: the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished over the Indian Ocean in 2014. In that case, relatives of the missing passengers have also demanded that the airline and governments not give up on a four-year search that has cost millions of dollars and yielded few solid clues.Argentinas government signed a contract with Ocean Infinity that guaranteed the company $7.5 million if it found the submarine. The deal came after many crew members relatives accused the government of abandoning the search.Dozens of them set up a makeshift camp outside the presidential palace in Buenos Aires for 52 days, demanding that a private company be hired to look for the submarine.ImageCredit...Argentine NavyNavy officials said on Saturday that the relatively small area in which debris from the vessel was scattered and dents on its hull suggested an implosion caused by high pressure from the depth of the ocean.The submarine was found in an area that was searched extensively but that is filled with canyons, making finding it difficult.That area became a focal point after the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, which has sensors around the globe to monitor nuclear tests, recorded an incident deep in the ocean that was consistent with an explosion.This is the area where we had assigned 90 percent of probability for it to be located, said Vice Adm. Jos Luis Villn, the head of the Argentine navy. He added that Ocean Infinity brought to bear unique capabilities. All the navies looked in this area but absent the technology that this company had, we had not found it, Mr. Villn said.The Norwegian-flagged Seabed Constructor vessel operated by Ocean Infinity was scheduled to leave the coast of Argentina on Nov. 15, as the 60-day search contract was up and the crew was scheduled to head to South Africa in preparation for its next mission, said Oliver Plunkett, C.E.O. of Ocean Infinity. The company wanted to return in February to continue the search.Then, as a member of the team was combing through the images they had already gathered in previous sonar sweeps, he said he had found something in the data, something worth postponing the departure by a few days and inspecting more closely.It was the San Juan.The remarkable thing about it, it was literally the last thing we were going to do, Mr. Plunkett said. It is a truly unbelievable moment, in the last hour on the last day.Argentine officials had little to say regarding next steps or recovery efforts beyond the need to survey the scene more carefully.The crew of the San Juan was last heard from on Nov. 15, 2017. During the early days of the search, the Argentine military sought assistance from neighboring countries and the United States as rescue personnel scoured the ocean in terrible weather conditions believing the crew could be alive.After the government acknowledged in late November that the sailors were presumed dead based on the information provided by the nuclear sensors, the search fizzled and it seemed likely that the remains would never be found. But that was unacceptable to relatives, who pressed Mr. Macris cash-strapped government to keep looking.Many relatives of the victims received the news in Mar del Plata, a port city where they had already gathered in the last few days to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the disappearance.Ms. Polo, 24, said relatives were hopeful the remains would be brought to shore.It is what we all want, but they tell us they are still evaluating it, she said.ImageCredit...Mario De Fina/Associated PressSome relatives said the news, while painful, brought a measure of closure.I had already assumed he died, said Mara Itat Leguizamn, the 33-year-old wife of Germn Oscar Surez, a radar operator on the vessel who was 29 when the San Juan vanished. But I couldnt help it. There was a part of me that kept holding on to the hope that he could still be alive. But now I know for sure and I can mourn.Its strange how I feel such a mixture of happiness that they found it but also immense sadness. I just cant describe it, she said.Officials did not immediately shed new light on what caused the disaster. They also did not say whether, or how soon, the submarine would be brought to shore. It also was unclear whether human remains could be identified.Officials said they would release a report next week with more technical details about the fate of the submarine and those aboard.The submarine disappeared during a routine trip from Ushuaia in the Patagonia region to Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires Province. Eight days later in the midst of recovery operations that covered 186,000 square miles the navy said an explosion had been recorded near the submarines last known location hours after its final communication with the military.Vessels from Brazil, Britain, Chile, Russia and the United States, among others, combed the seas as part of the search for the German-made submarine, which had been part of Argentinas fleet since 1985.The loss of the San Juan led to a shake-up in the navy, including the dismissal of its top commander, Adm. Marcelo Eduardo Srur. Oscar Aguad, the defense minister, has remained in his post.Ocean Infinity began its search on Sept. 7. Three naval officers and four relatives of crew members accompanied Ocean Infinity personnel aboard the ship. It involved technology never before used during the localization of a submarine, the navy said at the time.It said the company would deploy Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, which are unmanned, robotic devices equipped with sonar and high-definition cameras that are not tethered to a ship. They could function to a depth of almost 20,000 feet.Ocean Infinity said Saturday that the wreckage of the San Juan was found in a ravine during a search by five such vehicles. The devices were operated by 60 crew members on board the Seabed Constructor.Our thoughts are with the many families affected by this terrible tragedy, Ocean Infinitys C.E.O., Oliver Plunkett, said. We sincerely hope that locating the resting place of the ARA San Juan will be of some comfort to them at what must be a profoundly difficult time.Mr. Plunkett said he hoped the work will lead to their questions being answered and lessons learned which help to prevent anything similar from happening again. | World |
the new old ageThe pandemic pushed Medicare to make telemedicine more financially attractive. Now doctors, patients and regulators will see if they want to stick with it.Credit...Marianna GefenMay 8, 2020In late March, Mary Jane Sturgis got a call from her primary-care physicians office, saying that her doctor was working from home during the Covid-19 crisis and suggesting an alternative for her scheduled checkup. Would Ms. Sturgis agree to a video appointment on Zoom?I didnt know what Zoom was, Ms. Sturgis recalled. But I said if I could figure it out, sure.A retired college administrator, she contends with ailments that put her at high risk from the new coronavirus. Several autoimmune conditions. Damaged lungs, caused by radiation for breast cancer and requiring daily nebulizer and inhaler use. At 77, age itself.She already found it tiring to drive half an hour from her home in Media, Pa., to Dr. Lisa Sardanopolis office at Lankenau Medical Center; now, walking into a hospital also seemed dangerous.The transition to telemedicine initially proved a bit rocky. Ms. Sturgis could see her doctor on Zoom. But I couldnt hear her, Ms. Sturgis said. And she couldnt see or hear me.So at her doctors texted suggestion, they switched to FaceTime, familiar to Ms. Sturgis from video chats with her grandchildren. I was surprised at how well it worked, she said.Ms. Sturgis missed the way Dr. Sardanopoli sometimes placed a reassuring hand on hers when she worried. Otherwise, It felt like we were sitting and talking together as usual.At the end of their appointment, I said: Do I send you money? How do I pay for this? Ms. Sturgis recalled. She said, Its covered by Medicare.Just weeks earlier, that would not have been true. For years, advocates and researchers have urged greater use of telemedicine delivered by video or phone, through online patient portals or remote monitoring devices particularly for older adults.But Medicare adoption was slow. The Government Accountability Office reported in 2017 that just one percent of beneficiaries, most in rural areas, received care through telemedicine (a term used interchangeably with telehealth).Then came Covid-19 and its lockdowns, sending both small practices and major health systems scrambling to give patients access to health care without face-to-face contact. In response, federal agencies loosened restrictions and regulations, at least temporarily, that had stalled telemedicine for decades.This crisis has forced us to change how we deliver health care more in 20 days than we had in 20 years, said Dr. Robert McLean, a past president of the American College of Physicians, as well as an internist and rheumatologist with Northeast Medical Group in Connecticut.Though some practices and systems never acquired the necessary technology, Dr. McLean said, the major barrier to telehealth had been financial. It just wasnt getting paid for adequately, he said.In traditional Medicare, payment had been lower than for in-person visits, a sure way to discourage use. (Most Medicare Advantage plans already covered some telehealth services; each plan determines what it pays for them.)Health care systems and hospitals are businesses, said Dr. Sirina Keesara, who researches health system design at Stanford University and co-authored a recent editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine. If they dont have a financial incentive to change, theyll stick with what they know.Medicares restrictions hampered adoption in other ways, too. It limited services to rural patients and usually required them to travel to a clinic or office, rather than participate from home. It covered some services for established patients but not new ones, or insisted on office visits before it would reimburse for subsequent telehealth.But in March, citing the need for flexibility in face of the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed those barriers. It also added scores of new telehealth services it would cover, including emergency-room visits, initial and discharge visits at nursing homes and remote monitoring for chronic conditions. And it agreed to pay the same rates as for in-person care.It maintained a lower rate, at first, for audio-only phone visits. Professional associations objected, arguing that this policy reinforced the so-called digital divide, depriving older adults of remote care if they lacked computers, smartphones or broadband. People who rely on a landline cannot do video visits, Dr. McLean said.On April 30, that obstacle fell, too, as Medicare agreed to reimburse equally for visits in person, by video or by phone.And another major hurdle was removed by the Department of Health and Human Services, which, in March, temporarily relaxed enforcement of HIPAA, the federal patient privacy law. It will waive penalties when providers use everyday platforms like FaceTime or Skype, which arent HIPAA-compliant.Doctors and patients still need to be in the same room for some appointments, of course. Certain conditions mandate physical examination. Sometimes we need to have life-changing conversations, added Dr. Andrea Jonas, a pulmonologist and critical-care specialist at Stanford University and a co-author of The New England Journal editorial. Those are harder to do via telehealth.Still, by mid-April more than 20 percent of people over 70 had experienced a telehealth appointment since the start of the pandemic, a nationwide survey by NORC at the University of Chicago found. Almost half said they found the experience equivalent to an in-person visit; about 40 percent said it was worse.In interviews, patients told me of similarly mixed reactions.Last month, Debra Reed, a management consultant in Ojai, Calif., sat in on her husbands Zoom visit with his internist in Santa Barbara. Her husband, 86, has dementia and is recovering from a stroke. It was odd and unsatisfying, unsettling, Ms. Reed said of the encounter. It leaves one lacking.Diana Hamlet-Cox felt differently. Her 89-year-old father, who recently moved in with her and her husband in Goodyear, Ariz., has had half a dozen video or phone appointments with a urologist, a psychotherapist, a neurosurgeon.I was glad we didnt have to drive 25 miles to wait in a building with other people and all those surfaces to touch, Ms. Hamlet-Cox said. I thought, why didnt they do this sooner?Whether Medicare will stick with these changes temporary measures allowed during the public health emergency is uncertain. A press officer said the agency would assess its policies after the pandemic ebbs. It will need to address concerns about privacy and fraud.I think theres going to be huge pressure to abandon all this, said Dr. Kevin Schulman, a hospitalist and economist at Stanford University and a co-author of The New England Journal editorial. Providers will want to go back to the way we used to do it.The authors called for research to determine how well telehealth works during the pandemic.Previous studies have shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease dont fare better using telehealth, for instance. Perhaps patients were encouraged to stay home instead of going to emergency rooms with more severe symptoms, Dr. Jonas said.For now, though, expanded Medicare telehealth coverage is giving patients a glimpse of a different future, and some of them like it.Mary Jane Sturgis, for instance. Last month, she began to fear that if she contracted Covid-19, shed be hospitalized and placed on a ventilator without her consent; she asked Dr. Sardanopoli for an appointment to discuss her end-of-life wishes.They spent half an hour on FaceTime, talking through the options, untroubled by their physical distance. | Health |
Read others' comments about the climate change debate and the international conference on global warming being held Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen. Click on one of the boxes below to read the conversations about that topic. The boxes are sized according to the number of comments posted about each topic over the previous 48 hours. You can also mouse over the silhouettes to see a sampling of recent comments. In order to view this feature, you must download the latest version of flash player here. | science |
on techFacebook Is Hated and RichFacebook is embroiled in a different scandal each week, and yet, its making So Much Money.VideoCreditCredit...By Erik CarterJan. 28, 2021This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays.Come a little closer to your screen. Thats it. I want to tell you a secret: Facebook is the best money machine on the internet, and its not a close call.*Facebook may be an indefensible company that normalizes invasive tracking of people for dollars. Its a place where extremists have ricocheted hate around the world. It may be melting our brains. And its being sued or prodded by so many governments that I have lost count. You might hate it. I might hate it? But I almost cant believe how many of us rely on Facebook, and how stupidly successful it is.The company said on Wednesday that its sales nearly all of which come from the ads it sells on Facebook, on Instagram and its other apps reached nearly $86 billion in 2020 and are growing rapidly, as my colleague Mike Isaac detailed here. Each day, 2.6 billion people use at least one of Facebooks apps, and the user numbers are still rising.This is a company thats embroiled in a different scandal each week and that people say they dislike, yet its products are used by billions of people, and businesses spent like crazy on ads during a pandemic to reach them.And the really wild thing is that Facebooks products cost the company almost nothing to make. The Instagram selfie of you being vaccinated, the post from Mom about a fund-raiser, and your Facebook parenting group those are the companys products, and most of us are making them for free. It means that Facebook is very profitable.Ive been writing about corporate finances for a long time. I dont think Ive ever seen this combination of popularity, fast-growing sales, fat profits and complete revulsion. The gap between Facebooks public reputation and its financial success has never been greater, Kurt Wagner of Bloomberg wrote this week.Historians, tell me if theres a comparable company that was so reviled and yet so widely used and successful. (If you say the Gilded Age trusts like Standard Oil, Id argue they make the point for Facebooks critics who want the company broken up like the trusts of a century ago.)Near the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, my colleagues wrote that strong companies like Americas technology superpowers would most likely become even stronger in this crisis. But as corporations 2020 financial returns roll in, its clear that we underestimated just how much the rich would get richer.Apple, Netflix, Microsoft and other tech powers are making products that people and businesses are relying on to make it through a pandemic. And they are raking in money hand over fist.Im not sure how to feel about this. Yes, Im grateful that companies like Facebook, Amazon, Google and others are helping us work, go to school, shop, and stay entertained and connected at a time like this. But its also hard to ignore the disconnect between their mountains of money and the shaky condition of most major economies in 2020 and the battered finances of many families.This is not a novel reflection about the gap between the haves and the have-nots in this pandemic. Im just left again unsure how to answer an essential question: Is whats good for Big Tech good for all of us?*(OK, fine. Google search is perhaps the internets very best money machine. Feel free to argue with me!)If you dont already get this newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here.Being informed(-ish) isnt good enoughThursday is Data Privacy Day. (Cue the balloons!) This fake holiday has become an opportunity for Facebook to remind people to review their privacy settings. Its also an opportunity for me to remind you that this is a charade.These nudges from Facebook, as well as the Apple data privacy labels that my colleague Brian X. Chen wrote about this week and a California privacy law I recently wrote about all reveal a fundamental flaw in how our data is treated in the United States.The mission is to inform us of what data companies are collecting on us and give us (some) measure of choice. But I dont want being informed to be the final goal.The focus on making data collection transparent(-ish) is why we have long privacy policies that give a choice between agreeing to anything a company wants to do and not using the service.Its why technology executives tout our ability to delete voice recordings from inside our homes but dont stop the data from being collected in the first place. Its why the app Brian uses to open and close his garage door also collects information to target him with internet ads. (YES, REALLY.)The Washington Post columnist Geoffrey Fowler has written that we should reframe data privacy around a simple question: Why is so much of our information being collected in the first place?The answer is because companies can. When every company from Facebook to a maker of garage door openers is racing to collect as much data as possible, we cant really opt out unless you want to cut yourself off from 21st-century life.So if Facebook reminds you to look at its 40,000 privacy settings, go for it. But I suggest you also remember Geoffs question: Why is so much information being collected at all?Before we go Do you want to read more about GameStop and Reddit traders?! My colleague Matt Phillips has an explanation of a very bizarre moment happening in the stock market. Also: a plot twist! And the Wall Street Journal spoke with the 39-year-old dad who created the Reddit online message board that has made the stocks of some companies go haywire. (He has been sidelined from the Reddit group he created.)Nextdoor is Americas local newspaper now: This is a really interesting look at how a local school election campaign in Delaware was waged on Nextdoor, the neighborhood social network. The OneZero writer Will Oremus also digs into the good and the harm that comes when conventional channels of information are supplanted by new ones.Someone got a QR code tattooed on his wrist? Those things that look like bar codes that people scan with their phones are getting more traction outside Asia as contactless payments become more popular during the pandemic. My colleague Lora Kelley finds people, including the tattoo man, who always loved QR codes.Hugs to thisA Furby encased in baked beans. No, I cant explain it. People like making weird Furby things. (I spotted this in the Garbage Day newsletter.)We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of this newsletter and what else youd like us to explore. You can reach us at [email protected] you dont already get this newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here. | Tech |
AVN Adult Entertainment Expo Porn's Hottest Stars On Display in Vegas 1/27/2018 Fans of the adult entertainment biz got an eyeful of hundreds of today's hottest stars up close and personal ... and the fun's still going on at the naughty convention. Porn actresses packed the 2018 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas Friday to meet and greet their adoring fans, snap pics and sign autographs. The industry convention kicked off Wednesday and ends today. Stars like Bailey Brooke, Joanna Angel, Gina Valentina, Honey Gold, Nikki Benz and many more repped their porn brands and websites ... Brazzers, Reality Kings, Digital Playground and Vixen among them. As we reported ... Stormy Daniels is also in town for AVN weekend and headlined a strip club Friday night. The 'AVN Awards Show' takes place tonight. | Entertainment |
A House report on how to limit the reach of Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook has been delayed as Democrats and Republicans split on remedies.Credit...Justin T. Gellerson for The New York TimesOct. 6, 2020WASHINGTON For all the divisions in Washington, one issue that had united Republicans and Democrats in recent years was their animus toward the power of the biggest tech companies.That bipartisanship was supposed to come together this week in a landmark House report that caps a 15-month investigation into the practices of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. The report was set to feature recommendations from lawmakers to rein in the companies, including the most sweeping changes to U.S. antitrust laws in half a century.But over the past few days, support for the recommendations has split largely along party lines, said five people familiar with the talks, who were not authorized to speak publicly because the discussions are private.On Monday, the Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee delayed the reports release because they were unable to gain Republican support. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the committee, has asked his colleagues not to endorse the Democratic-led report, said two people with knowledge of the discussions. And Representative Ken Buck, a Republican of Colorado, has circulated a separate report titled The Third Way that pushes back against some of the Democrats legislative recommendations, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times.The Republicans chief objections to the report are that some of the legislative proposals against the tech giants could hamper other businesses and impede economic growth, said four people with knowledge of the situation. Several Republicans were also frustrated that the report didnt address claims of anti-conservative bias from the tech platforms. Mr. Buck said in The Third Way that some of the recommendations were a nonstarter for conservatives.The partisan bickering has cast a cloud over what would be Congresss most aggressive act to curtail the power of technology companies since Microsoft stood trial on antitrust claims two decades ago. And while the House report may still be released this week, it is likely to lose some of its force if Democrats, led by Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, the chairman of the antitrust subcommittee, are unable to gain many signatures from Republican members.The turmoil gives Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google a reprieve, even if only temporarily. The House committee was expected to accuse them of rising to the top of the global economy by gobbling up nascent rivals, bullying businesses that needed them to reach users and reducing competition across the economy, said three people familiar with the report.The report was also expected to kick off other actions against the tech giants. The Justice Department has been working to file an antitrust complaint against Google, followed by separate suits against the internet search giant from state attorneys general.Mr. Cicilline declined to comment. Russell Dye, a spokesman for Mr. Jordan, also declined to comment.I agree with Chairman Cicilline that big tech has acted anti-competitively, Mr. Buck said in a statement. But, he added, with a problem this significant, Im not surprised that theres a variety of legislative options.The House Judiciary Committee began its investigation into the four tech giants in June 2019 with bipartisan support. The committee interviewed hundreds of rivals and business clients of the platforms, such as third-party sellers on Amazon and developers who distribute their apps through Apples App Store.In July, the chief executives of the tech behemoths Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google testified in a hearing with the committee to defend their companies. Republican and Democratic lawmakers directed sharp questions at the chief executives, repeatedly interrupting and talking over them.But the bipartisanship has eroded. Mr. Jordan, who became the committees top Republican this year, has been publicly skeptical of the investigation. He spent much of his time in the July hearing attacking the chief executives for their platforms alleged bias against conservatives, straying from the sessions stated focus of antitrust laws and Silicon Valleys market power.Last week, the committees Democratic staff made its draft report available to all members of the committee who wanted to review it, said a person with knowledge of the proceedings. The lawmakers were not allowed to take a copy of the draft with them, the person said.On Friday, staff received new evidence about Facebooks 2012 acquisition of Instagram to include in the report, which also delayed it, according to a person familiar with the investigation.Mr. Jordan now has no plans to sign on to the Democrats report, one person said. His reluctance to endorse the report may cause other Republicans on the committee to withhold their signatures.Mr. Buck shared his separate report, The Third Way, in recent days. It supports several recommendations made by the committees Democrats, including giving more resources to federal antitrust agencies and making limited legislative changes to empower enforcement of antitrust laws. But it pushes back against other proposals, like not allowing companies online to compete on platforms they operate, calling it a thinly veiled call to break up Big Tech firms, according to the draft obtained by The Times.Mr. Jordans office was not involved in the drafting process for Mr. Bucks Third Way, said a person familiar with the matter. The document was reported earlier by Politico.Antitrust laws last underwent a major alteration nearly 50 years ago, when new rules were enacted around merger reviews. The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act of 1976 required companies to notify the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department the main antitrust enforcement agencies of large mergers. Those laws are now regarded by techs critics as insufficient in accounting for the companies power to quickly expand across new markets and kill off young competitors.William Kovacic, former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, said the House Judiciary Committees antitrust report has the potential to be the most influential study of its kind since the 1970s. He added, It could lead to really big changes, but any changes would come slowly. | Tech |
Politics|Pelosi threatens to pursue impeachment if Trumps cabinet does not strip him of powers.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/pelosi-schumer-25-amendment.htmlPelosi threatens to pursue impeachment if Trumps cabinet does not strip him of powers.VideotranscripttranscriptPelosi Calls for Trumps Removal From OfficeFollowing the U.S. Capitol riot, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip President Trump of his powers.In calling for this seditious act, president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people. I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment. That is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus. To those whose purpose was to deter our responsibility, you have failed. You did not divert the Congress from our solemn constitutional purpose to validate the overwhelming election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president and vice president of the United States. Were very pleased now that we have in 13 days President Joe Biden, a Democratic House majority and a Democratic Senate majority that will work to heal, to heal and restore the soul of our nation.Following the U.S. Capitol riot, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip President Trump of his powers.CreditCredit...Jason Andrew for The New York TimesJan. 7, 2021The top Democrats in Congress called on Thursday for President Trumps immediate removal from office for his role in urging on the violent mob that overtook the Capitol a day before, disrupting the ratification of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s electoral victory.Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows him and the cabinet to wrest the power of the presidency from Mr. Trump.If Mr. Pence declines to act, they said, Democrats were prepared to impeach Mr. Trump for a second time.While its only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America, Ms. Pelosi said, calling Mr. Trumps actions on Wednesday a seditious act.The speakers plan was announced during an extraordinary news conference in the reclaimed Capitol, hours after the building was overrun by a mob of Trump supporters who temporarily halted Congresss confirmation of Mr. Bidens victory in the presidential election. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Pelosi singled out members of the cabinet by name, asking why they would not intervene.Are they ready to say for the next 13 days this dangerous man can assault our democracy? Ms. Pelosi said of the cabinet.She said she hoped to have an answer from Mr. Pence by the end of the day on whether he would attempt to use the 25th Amendment. The two leaders tried to call the vice president directly on Thursday but were left on a holding line for 20 minutes without him picking up.It was unclear how quickly Democrats could move to impeach Mr. Trump. There is no clear precedent for putting a former official on trial in the Senate, and with only 13 days left in his term, it was not certain Democrats could actually accomplish such a complicated and politically fraught process on a compressed timetable.Mr. Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said: What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day longer.Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden transition, did not take a stand on the 25th Amendment or impeachment.President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are focused on their duty preparing to take office on Jan. 20 and will leave it to Vice President Pence, the cabinet and the Congress to act as they see fit, Mr. Bates said. In the meantime, Donald Trump must stop blocking cooperation with the transition that could harm the readiness of the United States government to overcome the pandemic and the other crises he has worsened. | Politics |
Health|People who received a J.&J. vaccine may be better off with a Moderna or Pfizer booster, a study finds.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/health/johnson-vaccine-booster-fda.htmlPeople who received a J.&J. vaccine may be better off with a Moderna or Pfizer booster, a study finds.Credit...James Estrin/The New York TimesPublished Oct. 13, 2021Updated Oct. 15, 2021People who received a Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine may be better off with a booster shot from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, according to preliminary data from a federal clinical trial published on Wednesday.That finding, along with a mixed review by the Food and Drug Administration of the case made by Johnson & Johnson for an authorization of its booster, could lead to a heated debate about how and when to offer additional shots to the 15 million Americans who have received the single-dose vaccine.The agencys panel of vaccine advisers will meet Thursday and Friday to vote on whether to recommend that the agency allow Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to offer booster shots.Despite the questions raised by the new data on the strength of Johnson & Johnsons boosters, some experts anticipated that the agency would clear the shots anyway, since the effectiveness of the one-shot vaccine is lower than that of the two-dose mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. And the broader public may also be expecting the authorizations, given the Biden administrations push for boosters from all brands.Once the agency authorized a booster from Pfizer-BioNTech last month, the die was cast, said John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine.The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are by far the most used in the United States, with more than 170 million people in the United States fully immunized with either one or the other vaccine. When Johnson & Johnsons was authorized in February, public health experts were eager to deploy the one-and-done option, particularly in communities with poor access to health care. But the shots popularity plummeted when the F.D.A. later paused its use to investigate rare blood clotting cases.For those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the timing of a booster authorization of any brand is still uncertain. The F.D.A. panel is set to vote Friday only on whether the agency should permit a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a scenario the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions own vaccine advisory committee will discuss next week. If both agencies believe an additional dose should be offered, people could seek them out as early as next week.Whether the F.D.A. might authorize the mix-and-match approach, and how, is unclear. The strategy will be discussed at the agency panels meeting on Friday, but no vote will be taken. If regulators eventually believe there is enough scientific support for the approach, they would likely need to update the authorization language of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to allow for their use in people who initially received Johnson & Johnsons.In a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, researchers organized nine groups of roughly 50 people each. Each group received one of the three authorized vaccines, followed by a booster. In three groups, volunteers received the same vaccine for a boost. In the other six, they switched to a different brand.The researchers found that those who got a Johnson & Johnson shot followed by a Moderna booster saw their antibody levels rise 76-fold within 15 days, whereas those who received another dose of Johnson & Johnson saw only a fourfold rise in the same period. A Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot raised antibody levels in Johnson & Johnson recipients 35-fold.The authors cautioned about the studys small size and noted that they did not follow the volunteers long enough to identify rare side effects.Sharon LaFraniere contributed reporting from Washington. | Health |
Miss BumBum 2018 First Transgender Gets in the Mix 1/26/2018 Meet Paula Oliveira ... the first transgender trying to win Miss BumBum 2018. Paula -- who was born Vinicius Oliveira before her sex reassignment surgery 6 years ago -- says she waited 2 years for her paperwork as Paula to finally come through. She's 27 and taking a pretty damn bold stand given Brazil's known for being prejudice against gay and transgender people. BTW ... the Miss BumBum competition is in its final year of existence. We've definitely had our fun here. Enjoy it while it lasts. See also Hotties & Bodies Hot Bodies Photo Galleries Exclusive Models | Entertainment |