Economix Blog: Bernanke Defends Stimulus as Necessary and Effective

The Federal Reserve’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, picked an unusual time to offer his most recent defense of the Fed’s campaign to stimulate the economy: 7 p.m. on a Friday night in San Francisco, 10 p.m. back home on the East Coast.The basic message was the same as Mr. Bernanke delivered to Congress earlier this week: The Fed regards its current efforts as necessary and effective, and the risks, while...

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U.S. Judges Offer Addicts a Way to Avoid Prison

Todd Heisler/The New York TimesEmily Leitch of Brooklyn, with her son, Nazir, 4, was arrested for importing cocaine but went to “drug court” to avoid prison. Federal judges around the country are teaming up with prosecutors to create special treatment programs for drug-addicted defendants who would otherwise face significant prison time, an effort intended to sidestep drug laws widely seen as inflexible...

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U.S. Judges Offer Addicts a Way to Avoid Prison

Todd Heisler/The New York TimesEmily Leitch of Brooklyn, with her son, Nazir, 4, was arrested for importing cocaine but went to “drug court” to avoid prison. Federal judges around the country are teaming up with prosecutors to create special treatment programs for drug-addicted defendants who would otherwise face significant prison time, an effort intended to sidestep drug laws widely seen as inflexible...

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Jennifer Sultan Pleads Guilty to Selling Prescription Drugs

At the height of dot-com mania 13 years ago, Jennifer Sultan and a few colleagues sold their small technology company for $70 million in stock and cash. She and her boyfriend rented a large house in the Hamptons for the summer and bought a spacious loft near Union Square. John Marshall Mantel for The New York TimesJennifer Sultan faced 15 years to life on the top charge against her, and...

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India Ink: Newswallah: Bharat Edition

Jammu and Kashmir: Demands for a discussion over the recent execution of Muhammad Afzal, who was convicted in a deadly attack on India’s Parliament, rocked the state legislature on Friday, according to an IANS report on the NDTV Web site. The call for debate was initiated by the opposition People’s Democratic Party, and it found support from the governing National Conference party in the state.Northeast:...

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F-35 Jets Returned to Service by Pentagon

The Pentagon lifted its grounding of the new F-35 jet fighter on Thursday after concluding that a turbine blade had cracked on a single plane after it was overused in test operations. The office that runs the program said no other cracks were found in inspections of the other engines made so far, and no engine redesign was needed. It said the engine in which the blade cracked was...

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The New Old Age Blog: Why Can’t I Live With People Like Me?

“Aging in place” is the mantra of long-term care. Whether looking at reams of survey data, talking to friends or wishing on a star, who among us wouldn’t rather spend the final years — golden or less so — at home, surrounded by our cherished possessions, in our own bed, no cranky old coot as a roommate, no institutional smells or sounds, no lukewarm meals on a schedule of someone else’s making?That...

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The New Old Age Blog: Why Can’t I Live With People Like Me?

“Aging in place” is the mantra of long-term care. Whether looking at reams of survey data, talking to friends or wishing on a star, who among us wouldn’t rather spend the final years — golden or less so — at home, surrounded by our cherished possessions, in our own bed, no cranky old coot as a roommate, no institutional smells or sounds, no lukewarm meals on a schedule of someone else’s making?That...

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Media Decoder Blog: Barnes & Noble Rethinks Its Strategy for the Nook

7:15 p.m. | Updated Barnes & Noble, reporting a sharp drop in sales of its Nook tablets, said on Thursday that it would pull back on its ambitions for its device business, shrinking it in size while focusing more on digital content.Calling Nook sales over the holiday period an “obvious disappointment,” the bookseller’s chief executive, William Lynch, said the company was taking “significant actions...

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Japanese Court Convicts 2 U.S. Sailors in Okinawa Rape

TOKYO -- A Japanese court on Friday convicted two United States Navy sailors in the rape of a woman on Okinawa last year that provoked so much local anger that the American military was forced to impose a curfew. The court in Naha, the capital of the southwestern Japanese island, sentenced Christopher Browning, a 24-year-old seaman, to 10 years in prison, and Skyler Dozierwalker, 23, a petty...

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European Union Moves Toward Bonus Cap for Bankers

BRUSSELS — The European Union moved a step closer early on Thursday to imposing strict curbs on bonus pay for bankers, which has been blamed by many politicians for inciting the risk-taking behavior that triggered the recent financial crisis. A provisional agreement struck between the European Parliament, the European Commission and national representatives could mean that the coveted...

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The New Old Age Blog: For the Elderly, Lists of Tests to Avoid

The Choosing Wisely campaign, an initiative by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation in partnership with Consumer Reports, kicked off last spring. It is an attempt to alert both doctors and patients to problematic and commonly overused medical tests, procedures and treatments.It took an elegantly simple approach: By working through professional organizations representing medical specialties,...

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Well: Think Like a Doctor: The Man Who Wobbled

The Challenge: Can you solve the medical mystery of a man who suddenly becomes too dizzy to walk?Every month, the Diagnosis column of The New York Times Magazine asks Well readers to try their hand at solving a medical mystery. Below you will find the story of a 56-year-old factory worker with dizziness and panic attacks. I have provided records from his two hospital visits that will give you all...

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I.B.M. Exploring New Feats for Watson

Robert Caplin for The New York TimesI.B.M. plans to serve a breakfast pastry devised by Watson and the chef James Briscione at its meeting on Thursday. I.B.M.’s Watson beat “Jeopardy” champions two years ago. But can it whip up something tasty in the kitchen? That is just one of the questions that I.B.M. is asking as it tries to expand its artificial intelligence technology and turn Watson...

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Islamic Leader Sentenced to Death in Bangladesh

NEW DELHI – A top leader of a fundamentalist Islamic political party in Bangladesh was sentenced to death on Thursday by a special war crimes tribunal that convicted him of committing crimes against humanity during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. The death sentence against Delawar Hossain Sayedee, a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, sparked joyous celebration among thousands...

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DealBook: Wall Street Pay Rises, for Those Who Still Have a Job

7:39 p.m. | Updated Wall Street may be shrinking — cutting thousands of jobs over the last year — but for those who remain, the pay is still very lucrative.The average cash bonus for those employed in the financial industry in New York last year rose roughly 9 percent, to $121,900, Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State’s comptroller, said on Tuesday.Cash bonuses in total are forecast to increase by roughly...

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The New Old Age Blog: Is the Pope Frail?

White-haired at 85, Pope Benedict XVI looks a bit hunched in photos. He has had a pacemaker for years, the Vatican recently confirmed for the first time — an indicator of long-standing heart problems. His older brother has said that age is taking its toll.Observers have noticed the pope’s reduced energy. The Times has reported that he was ferried to the altar at St. Peter’s for Midnight Mass Christmas...

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The New Old Age Blog: Is the Pope Frail?

White-haired at 85, Pope Benedict XVI looks a bit hunched in photos. He has had a pacemaker for years, the Vatican recently confirmed for the first time — an indicator of long-standing heart problems. His older brother has said that age is taking its toll.Observers have noticed the pope’s reduced energy. The Times has reported that he was ferried to the altar at St. Peter’s for Midnight Mass Christmas...

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Bits Blog: Yahoo Issues a Statement on Work-at-Home Ban

In a front-page article in The New York Times on Tuesday morning, Catherine Rampell and I wrote about Yahoo‘s new policy banning employees from working remotely. The company declined to comment for that article, but on Tuesday afternoon, it issued a statement about the ban against work-at-home arrangements.“This isn’t a broad industry view on working from home,” the statement said. “This is about...

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Pope Benedict Evokes Difficult Moments in Final General Audience

VATICAN CITY — In the waning hours of his troubled papacy, Pope Benedict XVI held his final general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, telling tens of thousands of believers in an unusually personal public farewell that his nearly eight years in office had known “moments of joy and light but also moments that were not easy” when it seemed “the Lord was sleeping.” The audience came...

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