Selections from the New York Times

October 5, 2010

Cities in Debt Turn to States, Adding Strain
By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
A growing number of towns and cities are seeking refuge in programs that many states provide as alternatives to federal bankruptcy court.


Young Soldier Both Revered and Reviled
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
Members of Sgt. Calvin Gibbs’s unit in Afghanistan paint a picture of him as the ringleader of murders of Afghan civilians for sport while family and friends reject characterizations of him as a murderer.


Plan to Expand Rail Service Imperiled at State Level
By MICHAEL COOPER
Republicans running for governor in a handful of states could block
President Obama’s plan for high-speed rail.


Integrity at Issue in Connecticut Senate Debate
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Richard Blumenthal and Linda E. McMahon questioned each other’s truthfulness and qualifications in a debate marked by tart exchanges.


11 Arrests in Alabama Bingo Investigation
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Lobbyists and businessmen were also arrested in a wide-ranging
investigation into bribery and corruption.


SMARTER THAN YOU THINK
Aiming to Learn as We Do, a Machine Teaches Itself
By STEVE LOHR
Researchers are fine-tuning a computer system that is trying to master semantics by learning more like a human.


2 E-Books Cost More Than Amazon Hardcovers
By JULIE BOSMAN
E-book readers are used to paying less, but new titles from Ken Follett and James Patterson have bucked that trend.


CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK
Paris Rediscovers Monet’s Magic at Grand Palais
By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN
A major re-evaluation of the work of Claude Monet finds the enduring magic behind familiar images.{Note: This article contains great commentary on how Claude Monet approached his art.}


ON MESSAGE
In Ads, Democratic Candidates Play Down Party
By DAVID W. CHEN
In and around New York, Democrats seldom note in ads that they are Democrats, portraying themselves instead as independent-minded opponents of wasteful spending.


Integrity at Issue in Connecticut Senate Debate
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Richard Blumenthal and Linda E. McMahon questioned each other’s truthfulness and qualifications in a debate marked by tart exchanges.


Comptroller Rivals Debate Wall Street Ties
By SAM DOLNICK
Harry Wilson, a Republican and former hedge fund manager, squared off against Thomas P. DiNapoli, the Democratic incumbent, in a lively back-and-forth.


EDITORIALS:


An Illegal Search, by GPS
The courts are wrestling with whether new technology requires them to think differently about what is a reasonable expectation of privacy.


Confusion Over Secure Communities
A data-sharing program between federal departments is blurring the line between local policing and federal immigration enforcement.

Selections from the New York Times

October 1, 2010.

Foreclosures Slow as Document Flaws Emerge
By DAVID STREITFELD
Evictions are expected to slow as officials shine a light on questionable foreclosure methods revealed by two of the country’s biggest home lenders.

Indian Court Divides Disputed Ayodhya Holy Site
By JIM YARDLEY
A long-awaited decision on control of India’s most disputed religious site splits the land into three portions to be divided among Hindus and Muslims.

U.S. Presses Israelis on Renewal of Freeze
By MARK LANDLER, HELENE COOPER and ETHAN BRONNER
The Obama administration is offering Israel security guarantees but is also weighing a fallback plan that could involve reaching out to the Palestinians, officials said.

White House? That’s Nice. But It’s the Big Leagues Now, Rahm.
By MONICA DAVEY
In a city bulging with candidates, Rahm Emanuel’s decision to run for mayor of Chicago was received as anything but a guarantee that he will glide into the job.

In a Computer Worm, a Possible Biblical Clue
By JOHN MARKOFF and DAVID E. SANGER
A reference in computer code to the Book of Esther may or may not be a sign of an Israeli origin to the Stuxnet worm.

Private Moment Made Public, Then a Fatal Jump
By LISA W. FODERARO
Tyler Clementi killed himself after an intimate encounter was broadcast.

Before a Suicide, Hints in Online Musings
By LISA W. FODERARO and WINNIE HU
Tyler Clementi, whose intimate encounters were put online, revealed anger and confusion in Internet postings.

Editorial:

No Defense
A Boston judge’s ruling sends a clear message: bullying by government lawyers is appalling and won’t be tolerated.

New York Times Editorial: A Reminder for the F,B.I.

Editorial
Published: September 26, 2010
New York Times

The day after Thanksgiving, 2002, was a slow day in the Pittsburgh office of the F.B.I., so a supervisor sent a special agent to a rally against the threatened war in Iraq to look for any terrorism suspects who might be there, just to “see what they are doing.” The peace rally was sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, which has opposed violence and armed conflict since the days of Vietnam, and consisted largely of people distributing leaflets. There was not the slightest indication that there were any terrorists there or even the hint of a connection to terrorism. Nonetheless, the agent kept the leafleteers under surveillance and even took pictures...

To see complete editorial go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/opinion/27mon2.html

Lax State Gun Laws Tied to Crimes in Other States

By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: September 26, 2010
New York Times.

WASHINGTON — Nearly 600 mayors nationwide, led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and other city leaders, are mounting a new campaign to identify states with lax gun laws and push for tighter restrictions to prevent the trafficking of guns used in crimes...

See complete article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/politics/27guns.html

U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Published: September 27, 2010
New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone....

See complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html