You are on page 1of 10

F R O M T H E PA G E S O F

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

from the pages of

2014 The New York Times

Millions Gain Health Coverage Today new mayor Draws


WASHINGTON Millions of Americans will begin receiving health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday. The decisively new moment in the effort to overhaul the countrys health care system will test the laws central premise: that extending coverage to far more Americans will improve the nations health and help many avoid crippling medical bills. Starting Wednesday, health insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and cannot charge higher premiums to women than to men for the same coverage. In most cases, insurers must provide a standard set of benefits prescribed by federal law and regulations. Though this is an important milestone for the law, it is unlikely to end the partisan battles that began before its passage nearly four years ago. Late Tuesday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporarily blocked the Obama administration from forcing some religious groups to provide coverage of birth control or face penalties. Doctors, hospitals and pharmacists say consumers could initially experience some delays and difficulties as they try to use their new insurance. I feel a huge sense of relief, said Katie R. Norvell, a 33-yearold music therapist in St. Louis, who has been uninsured for three and a half years and has a preexisting gynecological condition, endometriosis. She signed up Dec. 22 for a midlevel silver plan offered by Coventry Health Care. With coverage, she said, I can be my best self. Health insurance wont control my job choices. A series of last-minute changes in rules and deadlines for people to sign up and pay premiums have left less time for insurers to activate coverage. There will be a lot of confusion, said Brian D. Caswell, a former president of the Kansas Pharmacists Association. Many people will get insurance cards, but will not have a clue whats covered, whats not covered and what they are supposed to pay. Others may find their insurance companies have no record of their enrollment because the information was not sent by the online marketplace where they signed up for coverage. And as newly insured consumers sort through details of their coverage, others will find that they are no longer insured by their old plans, which were canceled or discontinued because they did not comply with minimum coverage requirements of the law. Of several million who received cancellation notices, most should be able to obtain other coverage, the Obama administration says. Toby Mitchell, a self-employed recruiter in Napa, Calif., said she considered forgoing insurance when Kaiser Permanente canceled her plan because it did not meet the requirements of the new law. But Mitchell, 60, decided to buy a bronze plan that will cost almost twice as much. Her monthly premiums will now be $575, compared with $288 on her old plan. I was really shocked, she said. Its just painful because there are other things Id rather do with that money, especially when its hard to see the value is there for me personally. ROBERT PEAR  and ABBY GOODNOUGH

All liberal Eyes to new york city

Power Curbed, Detroits Mayor Faces a Big Job


DETROIT For some who have been around this city the longest, expectations for a new mayor have become understandably low: Turn some streetlights on. Do not get indicted. Wait for the lawyers to get Detroit out of bankruptcy. Yet Mike Duggan, a former hospital executive and prosecutor, has anything but modest plans as he steps into uncertain circumstances unprecedented among major American cities. On Wednesday, Duggan will become Detroits first white mayor in 40 years, presiding over a mostly black, bankrupt city that has seen more residents leave more than a million since 1950 than are left. Though he has a mandate to make things better, Duggan also starts his term yoked to an agreement in which he must share control with a powerful, appointed emergency manager, Kevyn D. Orr, a Washington bankruptcy lawyer. While Orr will direct the citys finances, Mike Duggan it is Duggan who will be left to sort out some of the most politically vexing long-term questions about the fate of Detroit. Do services and infrastructure designed for all of this citys 139 square miles still make sense with a population of 700,000? Or must the city shrink to survive? Many people say Detroit must come to terms with the continuing exodus, but Duggan says he has no plans to retreat. He plans, he says, to reverse the trend of half a century. Everything that we are doing, from the time we get up in the morning, were thinking about: How are we going to build the city where the population is growing again? Duggan said. And thats ultimately whats going to define this: Do more people want to move in, or do more people want to move out? If the dynamics in all of this are daunting, Duggan whose friends recall an old nickname for him, the Pit Bull, and whose critics call him unrealistic shows no sign of noticing. Id like to see a city where the police show up when you call, where the streetlights work at night, where the buses run on time and where the abandoned properties are gone, Duggan said recently. But more than anything else, five years from now, I expect the population of the city of Detroit to be growing again. MONICA DAVEY

Liberals across the country are looking to Bill de Blasio, who takes office as mayor on Wednesday, to morph New York Citys municipal machinery into a closely watched laboratory for populist theories of government. The elevation of an assertive, tax-the-rich liberal to the nations most muBill de Blasio prominent nicipal office has fanned hopes that causes like universal prekindergarten and low-wage worker benefits could be aided by the imprimatur of being proved workable in New York. The mayor has a remarkable opportunity to make real many progressive policies and prove their merit, said Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor of California, who as mayor of San Francisco introduced a form of universal health care, raised the minimum wage and allowed same-sex couples to wed. In de Blasio, advocates on the left see a unique aligning of the stars: a champion of their values who is stepping into office at a time when the national debate over inequality and social justice has reached a fever pitch. His administration could be a redemptive moment for a national left whose policies were often blamed for the crumbling of urban centers in the 1960s and 1970s, yet has now started to reassert itself in smaller jurisdictions with bold new approaches on issues like income equality and poverty. But de Blasio must also grapple with the restraints placed on local executives: He is barred from unilaterally setting income tax policy, meaning he must persuade legislators in Albany and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to approve his proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy. And he has never experienced the day-today demands of managing an enterprise near the size of the city he will lead. MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

International

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Afghanistan Plans To Free Prisoners


KABUL, Afghanistan Just months after American officials ceded control over all detention operations in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzais government has quietly planned dozens of prisoner releases that American and Afghan officials said on Tuesday would include committed insurgents who had attacked Americans. The pending wave of releases has revived one of the most caustic issues between the allies just as relations have hit a new low over Karzais refusal to sign a longterm security agreement. The Afghan commission charged with reviewing detainee cases at the main military prison near Bagram Air Base is planning to release more than 85 prisoners who the coalition and Afghan defense officials say should face trial. The plans were detailed by American and Afghan officials alarmed by the move. In an interview on Tuesday, Abdul Shakor Dadras, a member of the three-man commission, said that Karzai ordered the panel to give the international military coalition and the main Afghan intelligence agency until Friday to produce evidence against the detainees. If none is produced, the men will be released, Dadras said. But American and Afghan security officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they had already given the commission enough evidence to send all the detainees in question to trial, or at least to hold them pending further investigation.  (NYT)

Old Rivalries Reignited a Fuse in South Sudan


JUBA, South Sudan Few moments conjure as much fear in South Sudan as the massacre of Bor. Long before South Sudan became a nation, while it was still in the throes of one of Africas longest civil wars, fighters tied to a leader named Riek Machar stormed through the city of Bor in 1991, killing 2,000 fellow southerners in an attack that would lay bare the deep divisions here. Since then, the people of South Sudan have had periods of peace, compromise and even shared jubilation at the birth of their nation in 2011. Machar became vice president, apologizing for the massacre. But there was never a real and lasting reconciliation between the factions threatening to pull this new nation apart, and on Tuesday fighters allied with Machar charged into Bor once again. This was a fire waiting to be ignited, said John Prendergast of the Enough Project, a nonprofit anti-genocide organization. It was just when and not if. When leaders from around the world pressed South Sudan into existence, they were well aware that the bitter internal rivalries in the south had never been fully resolved. To help this fledgling nations chances, international donors like the United Nations and the United States have pumped in billions of dollars of aid. But what has long been missing, analysts say, is any reliable structure for settling conflicts in a way that would keep the new nation from spinning into a civil war. The fighting now tearing at the

A displaced girl carrying water to a United Nations compound in South Sudan.


basis, with either violence or the threat of violence as a form of negotiation, said Alex de Waal, executive diBEN CURTIS/ASSOcIaTEd PRESS rector of the World seams of this nation broke out in Peace Foundation at the Fletcher a military barracks here in Juba, School at Tufts University. the capital, on Dec. 15. President When things break down, the Salva Kiir accused Machar of situation quickly plunges into viostaging a coup attempt. Machar lence. Rebel forces attacked Bor denied it but fled to the bush, de- on Tuesday, engaging in fierce manding that Kiir resign. Fighting fighting with government troops. between forces loyal to each side A spokesman for the United Naquickly spread to at least 20 cities, tions said the rebels had captured killing at least 1,000. an airstrip and a major crossroads But the makings of a crisis exist- leading to the capital. ed well before then, in the tenuous Jacob Achiek Jok, 29, fled Bor marriage that placed the hopes on Tuesday morning when the of this country in the hands of po- fighters were about to enter town. litical rivals. We didnt suggest Many other terrified residents who should be No.1, 2 or 3 in the tried to flee as well, he said, either government; that was their own by road or across the White Nile. choice, said a senior American of- Some did not make it. ficial, speaking on the condition of Many people drowned, Jok anonymity about the negotiations said. They are normal citizens, years before independence. They not soldiers. accepted Riek Machar back into International mediators are the government. rushing to bring the parties to the Instead of governing through negotiating table before the cycle strong institutions, many power of violence escalates any further. brokers and generals in this nation Both sides agreed on Tuesday still command their own forces, to send negotiators to the Ethiotheir loyalties to the government pian capital, Addis Ababa, but the often determined by their cut of fighting continued and some news national oil revenues. agencies reported that Machar It is an extortion racket with said he would march on the capital bargaining ongoing on a regular next. NICHOLAS KULISH

Kerry to Press for Framework Accord to Keep Mideast Peace Effort Moving
WASHINGTON In an intensifying diplomatic effort, Secretary of State John Kerry is making a major push to secure what Obama administration officials are calling a framework accord that would be a critical first step to a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement. But critics are already branding it as an effort to play for time. Kerry leaves on Wednesday for Jerusalem, on the first of what are expected to be repeated trips to the region in January and February. His goal is to secure the framework agreement quickly, before his target of the end of April for completing a comprehensive peace treaty. The framework document is aimed at achieving enough of a convergence on core issues that the two sides can make headway toward a formal peace agreement leading to an independent Palestinian state. It is expected to be short, perhaps fewer than a dozen pages and without detailed annexes. Once they have a shared vision of what that will look like, then it will become easier to finalize the details, said a senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified. The core issues to be resolved include the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem as a possible capital for the new state as well as Israel, Israels insistence that its identity as a Jewish state be recognized and the Palestinians demand that refugees should have the right to return to their former homes. The agreement might be made public to prepare Israelis and Palestinians for what a potential peace treaty might look like. So far there have been about 20 rounds of closed talks. Critics said the move was mainly a maneuver to buy time and a way to institutionalize the negotiating process so that it could continue beyond the nine-month timeline that Kerry set over the summer. It is clear that Kerry cannot get a comprehensive final status agreement in his nine-month timetable, so now he appears to be looking at a framework agreement instead, said Elliott Abrams, who was a senior official in President George W. Bushs National Security Council. I dont think it will work, Abrams added.  MICHAEL R. GORDON  and JODI RUDOREN

national

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Judge Upholds Most New York Gun Limits


A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that New Yorks strict new gun laws, including an expanded ban on assault weapons, were constitutional, but struck down a provision forbidding gun owners to load more than seven rounds into a magazine. The ruling offered a victory to gun control advocates at the end of a year in which efforts to pass new legislation on the federal level suffered a high-profile defeat in Congress, although some new restrictions were approved in state capitals. The judge, William M. Skretny of Federal District Court in Buffalo, said expanded bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were legally sound because they served to further the states important interest in public safety. In his ruling, Skretny struck down a portion of the law, which prohibited gun owners from loading more than seven rounds into a magazine. He called the limit an arbitrary restriction that violated the Second Amendment. But, saying that whether regulating firearms is wise or warranted is not a judicial question; it is a political one, he found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers had acted within their bounds when they crafted the gun laws, and specifically cited the Bushmaster rifle and 30-round magazine used in the mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Of course, this is only one incident, Skretny wrote. But it is nonetheless illustrative. Studies and data support New Yorks view that assault weapons are often used to devastating effect in mass shootings. He said that the gun law applies only to a subset of firearms with characteristics New York State has determined to be particularly dangerous and unnecessary for self-defense; it does not totally disarm New Yorks citizens; and it does not meaningfully jeopardize their right to self-defense. Gun control advocates said the ruling confirmed their position that the government had the right to pas strict controls on firearms. A lot of states can take courage and take heart from this ruling, and maybe even Congress will take notice, said Leah Gunn Barrett, the executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. But the states that have passed new gun restrictions have seen a backlash. In Colorado, where there have been two high-profile mass shootings, lawmakers voted to expand background checks and limit the size of ammunition magazines. But the laws prompted recalls of two state senators in September; a third resigned in November rather than face a recall, and some sheriffs have declined to enforce the laws. And in New York, the laws have damaged Cuomos standing as he prepares to seek re-election. A spokeswoman for the governor declined to comment on the judges ruling. THOMAS KAPLAN

Chicago Killings Slow


A year after Chicago drew national notice for its staggering number of homicides, killings have slowed. In 2012, Chicago witnessed more than 500 killings, many of them shootings tied to gang rivalries. As of Dec.30, Chicago had reported 413 homicides, a 17 percent drop from the same period a year before and the fewest killings to date since 1965. Shootings were also down by about 24 percent in 2013 from a year earlier, and reports of crime overall had dropped by about 16percent.  (NYT)

Drug-Test Law Tossed


A federal judge on Tuesday struck down as unconstitutional a Florida law that required welfare applicants to undergo mandatory drug testing, setting the stage for a legal battle that could affect similar efforts nationwide. Judge Mary S. Scriven of the U.S. District Court in Orlando held that the requirement violated the protection against unreasonable searches. (NYT)

best picture J
BEST ACTR ESS
DRAMA

golden globe
nom i n at ions

BEST SCREENPLAY STEVE COOGAN AND JEFF POPE


SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINEE

UDI DENCH
1995 SAG-AFTRA

CRITICS CHOICE AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST ACTRESSJUDI DENCH


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY STEVE COOGAN AND JEFF POPE

BEST ACTRESS JUDI DENCH

THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR!


Rex Reed,

Judi DENCH

Steve COOGAN

The highly acclaimed new lm from director Stephen Frears

NOW PLAYING
PhilomenaMovie.com
Artwork 2013 The Weinstein Company.

TIMES DIGEST 12.27

DRAMA

business 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

For Stock Market, an Amazingly Good Year


It was the market rally that defied gravity and left many with a case of vertigo. Despite turbulence in Washington, China and Europe, which threatened to pull the world into another recession, stock prices just kept rising. The benchmark Standard & Poors 500-stock index led the way, ending the year almost 30percent higher, or 32.4 percent higher with dividends counted in. Thats the biggest jump since 1997. As 2013 drew to a close, Wall Street was feeling giddy. But the feeling was tinged with a sense of anxiety that the ascent might have been fed by a bit too much hot air. Its really great, but you just dont feel entirely comfortable with it, said Dan Morris, the chief investment strategist at the asset manager TIAA-CREF. Most analysts delivered their forecasts for 2014 with a good dose of caution, warning that corporate profits would have to catch up with stock prices. In other corners of the financial markets, investors were left nursing their wounds after previously reliable assets turned negative. Goldbugs were routed as the price of gold plummeted 28percent. More investors felt the sting of a decline in the bond market after decades in which it was trumpeted as the safest place for retirement money. The price of bonds fell as the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury nearly doubled during the year, ending Tuesday at 3.03 percent. A Bank of America index of the total returns on U.S. government bonds fell 3.2percent for the year, the first annual decline since 2009. Few are predicting much of a turnaround given the likelihood of a continuing rise in interest rates. All of the steep moves of 2013 were much greater than most financial analysts were expecting at the start of the year. The consensus prediction among strategists at the big banks was that the S.&P. 500 would rise a modest 7.3percent in 2013, according to a tally done by Bloomberg. The consensus as the year ended was that stocks will most likely continue to chug upward, albeit more slowly. The forecast among Wall Street strategists is for a 6percent rise in the S.&P.500, according to Bloomberg figures. That, though, is not far from the cautious predictions that kicked off 2013 and turned out to be wildly understated.  NATHANIEL POPPER

the markets
DJIA NASDAQ S&P 500

72.37
0.44%

22.39
0.54%

0.40%

7.29

16,576.66

4,176.59 EURO P E

1,848.36

BRITAIN

GERMANY

FRANCE

FTSE 100

DAX
Market holiday

CAC 40

17.82 0.26%

20.24 0.47%

6,749.09 AS I A/PAC I F I C
JAPAN HONG KONG

4,295.95

CHINA

NIKKEI 225 HANG SENG SHANGHAI


Market holiday

61.52 0.26%

18.45 0.88%

23,306.39 AMER I C AS
CANADA BRAZIL

2,115.98

MEXICO

TSX

BOVESPA
Market holiday

BOLSA

House Prices Rise Again, but the Pace Could Slow


WASHINGTON It was a great year for the stock market. And it was also a pretty good year for many peoples biggest investment: their homes. In 2013s last glimpse at the housing market, figures released Tuesday showed that home prices in major metro areas kept rising in October. Year-over-year, prices were up 13.6 percent, the biggest gain in more than seven years. Prices in 20 major American metro areas increased a modest 0.2 percent between September and October, without seasonal adjustment, evidence that the quick rebound in prices is slowing, according to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller data. Higher mortgage rates might continue to slow the pace of improvement going forward, analysts say. Nationally, the increase in home prices is moderating, the S&P/Case-Shiller analysis said. Monthly numbers show we are living on borrowed time and the boom is fading, said David M. Blitzer of S&P Dow Jones Indices in an analysis of the new housing numbers. A big question, he said, is how quickly the Federal Reserve pulls back from its efforts to keep rates low. The key economic question facing housing is the Feds future course to scale back quantitative easing and how this will affect mortgage rates, Blitzer said. Most forecasts for home prices point to single-digit growth in 2014, Blitzer added. In many metro areas where prices declined sharply particularly those encompassing Sun Belt and Rust Belt cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Detroit similarly sharp rebounds followed. But generally, prices have not touched their pre-bust heights, with prices across the country remaining about 20 percent lower, the S&P/CaseShiller data show. In Dallas and Denver, however, prices have hit new peaks, the report said. Many economists expect price increases to moderate next year, with higher prices and higher mortgage costs making homes less affordable.  ANNIE LOWERY

40.16 0.30%

231.73 0.54%

13,621.55

42,727.09

COMMOD I T IE S / BON D S

GOLD

10-YR. TREAS. CRUDE OIL YIELD

1.20

0.06 3.03%

0.87 $98.42

$1,201.90

FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Fgn. currency Dollars in in Dollars fgn.currency

Optimism Across Globe for 2014, With an Eye on Risks


If Shinzo Abe and Mario Draghi were being compensated by investment banks rather than taxpayers, they would both be looking forward to some pretty hefty year-end bonuses. Abe, the prime minister of Japan, and Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, were responsible for policies that helped deliver huge gains to stock market investors in 2013. How many hedge fund managers can boast 56.7 percent gains? That was how much Tokyos Nikkei average rose in 2013, thanks in large part to Abes aggressive stimulus policies intended to shake Japan out of its economic torpor. It was the Nikkei 225s best performance in 40 years. And who would have thought a year ago that the best-performing stock markets in Europe would include Greece, up 28.1 percent during the year, and Ireland, up 33.6 percent? Much of those gains can be attributed to Draghis success in convincing investors that the European Central Bank would not allow the euro zone to break apart. This year has marked the end of the financial crisis, said David Thbault, head of quantitative sales trading at Global Equities in Paris. Now were beginning to see recovery in the real economy. The U.S. is growing and the European economy is stabilizing. Yet the unexpected swiftness of the rebounds in equity markets has also created a palpable nervousness among investors. Gains that robust will be almost impossible to repeat in 2014, and could easily be reversed, analysts say. (NYT)

Australia (Dollar) Bahrain (Dinar) Brazil (Real) Britain (Pound) Canada (Dollar) China (Yuan) Denmark (Krone) Dom. Rep. (Peso) Egypt (Pound) Europe (Euro) Hong Kong (Dollar) Japan (Yen) Mexico (Peso) Norway (Krone) Singapore (Dollar) So. Africa (Rand) So. Korea (Won) Sweden (Krona) Switzerland (Franc)

.8929 2.6527 .4234 1.6559 .9414 .1652 .1844 .0235 .1439 1.3757 .1290 .0095 .0766 .1650 .7925 .0958 .0009 .1555 1.1211

1.1199 .3770 2.3618 .6039 1.0622 6.0537 5.4220 42.6200 6.9485 .7269 7.7540 105.28 13.0490 6.0614 1.2618 10.4400 1055.2 6.4304 .8920

Source: Thomson Reuters

Online:MORE PRICES AND ANALYSIS

Information on all United States stocks, plus bonds, mutual funds, commodities and foreign stocks along with analysis of industry sectors and stock indexes:
nytimes.com/markets

business 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Philadelphia Plans to Rebuild From Decay


PHILADELPHIA On a desolate North Philadelphia street, an isolated block of five Victorian rowhouses is surrounded by vacant lots and a commuter rail line. All but one of the two-story houses are vacant. Two display metal signs announcing they are up for property auction by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The city lists the market value of each empty house at $27,900. The houses are among an estimated 40,000 vacant, derelict or underused buildings and lots both publicly and privately owned that are candidates for the citys new Land Bank. Philadelphia, with a population of about 1.5 million, is the largest American city to adopt a land bank, experts said. But critics are concerned about a provision in the ordinance creating the Philadelphia Land Bank that requires City Council approval for all sales, saying that could delay the disposal of properties. Rick Sauer, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, which has helped lead the Land Bank initiative, said he believed it would offer developers a much easier process to navigate. Previously, developers sometimes walked away from potential projects if they had to acquire land or buildings from different city agencies with different

MaRk MakEla FOR THE NEW YORk TImES

The Land Bank intends to put together packages of abandoned properties, like these in lower North Philadelphia, and entice developers to rebuild.

MOST ACTIVE, GaINERS aND LOSERS


Stock (TICKER) Close 10 Most Active Bank of Am (BAC) 15.57 Facebook I (FB) 54.65 Sirius XM (SIRI) 3.49 Cisco Syst (CSCO) 22.43 Hertz Glob (HTZ) 28.62 General El (GE) 28.03 Ford Motor (F) 15.43 Twitter In (TWTR) 63.65 Micron Tec (MU) 21.75 DryShips I (DRYS) 4.70 Stock (TICKER) Close 10 Top Gainers Fonar (FONR) BOS Be (BOSC) Valhi (VHI) Accele (XLRN) USEC I (USU) Daily (DJCO) Adept (ADEP) Tremor (TRMR) Reeds (REED) Hertz (HTZ) 21.21 7.75 17.58 39.60 6.62 191.85 16.89 5.80 7.98 28.62 +3.52 +1.08 +2.35 +4.34 +0.71 +19.85 +1.74 +0.57 +0.78 +2.71 Chg +19.9 +16.2 +15.4 +12.3 +12.0 +11.5 +11.5 +10.9 +10.8 +10.5 % Chg 7739 2145 1358 2542 9438 2 4508 3404 3634 326871 Volume (100) 31837 4254 3 1334 3247 3080 795 11408 6549 104 Chg % Volume Chg (100) 572036 430963 419837 332412 326871 303100 278298 278236 251227 248983 Volume (100)

+0.03 +0.2 +0.94 +1.7 0.02 0.6 +0.18 +0.8 +2.71 +10.5 +0.14 +0.5 +0.15 +1.0 +3.14 +5.2 +0.45 +2.1 +0.32 +7.3 Chg % Chg

requirements. The new city ordinance aims to consolidate ownership of the properties. And to encourage developers to buy through one-stop shopping, the ordinance gives the Land Bank power to acquire title to privately owned vacant properties if they are delinquent in taxes. Once the Land Bank is operational, developers will be in a better position to take control of whole blocks that show a gaptooth patchwork of public and private buildings and land, proponents say. If all the properties are consolidated in one place with one application, one set of rules, one time frame, thats going to help a lot for the properties that are in the public inventory, Sauer said. The vast stock of vacant properties also costs the city some

$20million a year in maintenance to attend to matters like cleaning lots or responding to fires, according to a 2010 study for the community development organization. The study also estimated that blighted properties had eroded the value of neighboring properties by $3.6 billion citywide. Still, how rapidly the Land Banks appeal will translate into changes depends greatly on the health and strength of the real estate market. What you can expect to see from this land bank is significant progress in the near term on the removal of the properties that are posing the liabilities, and then that begins to stimulate private reinvestment, said Frank Alexander, a professor of real estate law at Emory University and an author of land bank laws in many cities. JON HURDLE

Stock (TICKER) Close 10 Top Losers UniPix (UNXL) Accele (AXDX) Donega (DGICB) ARC Gr (ARCW) Americ (APFC) Yadkin (YDKN) Maui L (MLP) Amyris (AMRS) Raptor (RPTP) LGL Gr (LGL) 10.01 12.20 23.65 24.86 37.26 17.04 6.09 5.29 13.02 5.41

1.78 15.1 1.31 9.7 2.35 9.0 2.45 9.0 3.62 8.9 1.64 8.8 0.48 7.3 0.40 7.0 0.96 6.9 0.39 6.7

Source: Thomson Reuters

Stocks on the Move


Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Tuesday: Hertz Global Holdings Inc., up $2.71 to $28.62. The rental car company adopted a poison pill stock plan after seeing unusual and substantial trading of its shares. Twitter Inc., up $3.14 to $63.65. The social media site bounced back from a bruising two days during which investors dumped stock they felt had grown too expensive. Illinois Tool Works Inc., up 64 cents to $84.08. A five-year strategic plan released this month and a strong outlook from the manufacturer sent the stock to an all-time high. Phillips 66, up $2.41 to $77.13. Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway is trading roughly $1.4 billion of its stock in the refiner for a business owned by Phillips 66. Marvell Technology Group Ltd., up 62 cents to $14.38. A regulatory filing revealed that investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. has taken a 6.8 percent stake in the chip maker. UniPixel Inc., down $1.78 to $10.01. C.E.O. Reed Killion will step down at the touch-display technology maker and be replaced by the chairman and a board director. (AP)

In Latvia, the New Year Also Rings In the Euro


FRANKFURT The euro not only survived 2013, it thrived. And, at the stroke of midnight in Eastern Europe on Tuesday, the currency added a new member. Latvia is the 18th nation to adopt the euro, a development that might have seemed unlikely just two years ago, when many wondered whether the euro would even survive. But now that the European economy has stabilized, the euro is actually appreciating in value. The euro rose 4.5 percent against the dollar in 2013, its best showing in years. It is now at 1.38 to the dollar. Latvia, a tiny Baltic nation, is the first to join the euro zone since neighboring Estonia in 2011. With 2.2 million people, Latvia is unlikely to shift the balance of power in the euro zone, which will have a total of 333 million resieuro zone. Rimsevics will have one vote on the council as its 24th member. At least on paper, he has the same clout as presidents of the central banks of larger countries like Germany or France. Despite whatever doubts some Latvians may have about yoking themselves to a currency still emerging from a severe crisis, the euro signifies another stage in the countrys trek from Soviet state to a full-fledged member of Europe. Joining the euro marks the completion of Latvias journey back to the political and economic heart of our continent, and that is something for all of us to celebrate, said Olli Rehn, vice president of the European Commission responsible for economic and monetary affairs and the euro, in a statement. JACK EWING

ROmaN KOkSaROV/ASSOcIaTEd PRESS

The new Latvian euro coins.


dents. But Latvia at least keeps alive the idea that despite its problems the euro club still has potential to grow. As a euro member, Latvia gains more influence over monetary policy. The governor of the central bank, Ilmars Rimsevics, will automatically become a member of the governing council of the European Central Bank, which sets benchmark interest rates for the

Dining

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Sustainable New Years Resolutions


New Years resolutions tend to be big, impressive promises that we adhere to for short periods of time that blissful stretch of January when were starving ourselves, exercising daily and reading Proust. But and you know this rather than making extreme changes that last for days or weeks, were better off making tiny ones that last more or less forever. Mostly, though, when it comes to diet, were told the opposite. Weve got a billion-dollar industry based on fad diets and quick fixes: Eat nothing but foam packing peanuts and lemon tea, and youll lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Then what? Resolutions work only if we are resolute, and changes are meaningful only if they are permanent. What follows are some of the easiest food-related resolutions you will ever make, from cooking big pots of grains and beans once a week, to buying frozen produce, to pickling things la Portlandia. Committing to just a few of these, or even one, will get you moving in the right direction toward eating more plants and fewer animal products and processed foods. My suggestions are incremental, but the ease with which you can incorporate them into your shopping, cooking and eating routines is what makes them sustainable and powerful. Flexitarianism is about making a gradual shift, not a complete overhaul. It is a way of eating we are much more likely to stick to for the long term which, after all, is the point of resolutions. Cook simple, unseasoned vegetables every few days. You can steam or parboil or miFor me its dark chocolate, meat and cheese. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Because out-ofseason produce from halfway around the world doesn t make much sense or taste best. Fruits and vegetables (from peaches, to corn, to squash) frozen when they are ripe are a better alternative, and incredibly convenient. Pickle. PHOTOGRapHS by GETTy ImaGES; So the copious pHOTO IllUSTRaTION by THE NEW YORk TImES amounts of fresh crowave. Once cooked, vegetables produce you buy never have to go keep a long time. And then theyre to waste. And it tastes good. sitting there waiting to top pastas Eat vegetables for breakfast. and grains, to bolster soups and You already eat fruit for breaksalads, to whip up veggie wraps or fast, so whats so strange? Veggiejust to reheat in oil or butter with based breakfasts are common seasonings. around the world: cucumber and Cook big batches of grains and tomato salads in Israel, pickled beans. vegetables in Japan, a bean and Because its nearly effortless, tomato stew in parts of Africa. and having cooked grains and Think of it as a trs chic internabeans on hand at all times makes tional trend. day-to-day cooking a breeze. Cooking for carnivores? Make They will keep in the fridge up to extra sides. a week. Let the people around you have Buy half as much meat, and their fill of meat while you eat a make it better meat. bit, but fill up on vegetables, beans Thinking of eating meat as an and grains. indulgence lets you buy tastier, Cook out of your comfort zone. healthier, more sustainable meat Because some of the best vegwithout breaking the bank. etable-centric food comes from Splurge when you can. halfway around the world, where That way, the foods you consid- it is food, not flexitarian. er special treats are truly special.  MARK BITTMAN

Read in the Shade Of a Tiny Umbrella


With his new encyclopedic and entertaining Beachbum Berrys Potions of the Caribbean, the tiki expert Jeff Berry distills 500 years of tropical-drink history into 300-plus pages. He takes you from the days of pirates, explorers and sugar plantations to the adventures of those twin purveyors of Polynesian fantasy, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. Among the books 77 cocktail recipes are some never before published: $34.95, Cocktail Kingdom.
LIKE A SLOW COOKER WITHOUT THE PLUG

The Wonderbag is big and cumbersome, about the size of a dog bed, and hardly suggests an efficient appliance. But put a pot of stew or soup that has boiled on high heat for 15 minutes inside, and the insulated bag functions like a slow cooker without calling on additional energy. It was designed for developing countries where energy is precious, and when you buy one, another one will be donated to a family in rural Africa: $50, amazon.com.  FLORENCE FABRICANT

TONy CENIcOla/ THE NEW YORk TImES

Evangelist for Pastured Pigs Has Followers


SWOOPE, Va. Hog heaven, it turns out, is a place on earth, a sun-dappled mountainside in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where one day this fall a herd of Gloucestershire Old Spots, Hampshires, Yorkshires and Durocs contentedly gorged their way toward 300 pounds. Better pull them away, Joel Salatin warned as curious porcine lips nibbled at a visitors sandal-clad toes. After star turns in Michael Pollans bestselling book The Omnivores Dilemma and the documentary Food, Inc., Salatin has been hailed as Americas proselytizer of the pasture, a busy advocate for the benefits of turning open land over to livestock. Among the nations most famous farmers, he has lately turned to preaching the gospel of the forest-fed pig. At a time when 90 percent of Americas pork is produced in huge confinement operations, Salatin, 56, is urging the return of the pig to its ancestral home. In Pigs n Glens, the inaugural video in his new how-to series, Polyface Primer, Salatin contends that a simple electric fence can transform marginal land into an income source and an entry point for young farmers. As students at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Jason Story and his wife, Carolina, heard Salatin lecture about his system and values. In 2012, they opened Three Little Pigs Charcuterie and Salumi in Washington, D.C., and now buy pigs from him. The whole sustainable thing amounts to

ANdREW SHURTlEFF FOR THE NEW YORk TImES

Joel Salatin says that allowing pigs to forage is good for cooks and the earth.
nothing if we cant make it what everyone can afford, Story said. I respect that Joel is taking it on the chin as an ambassador to bring this to the nation, and that he embraces training other farmers. KATHRYN SHATTUCK

journal

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Drug Use and Arrests Accompany Phish at Madison Square Garden


The arrests began almost as soon as the concertgoers amassed outside Madison Square Garden on Monday. Police officers moved through the crowd, picking off targets and leading them to a police van where they were patted down and loaded in. A man, briefly questioned by the police, tried to run and was grabbed by two officers who threw him to the ground and slapped on handcuffs, as fans in dreadlocks, fishnet stockings and tie-dyed shirts looked on. It was the start of another night of revelry and arrests that has become something of a ritual within the traveling circus that accompanies the jam band Phish. At least 228 people were arrested or received summonses at shows on the first three nights of a four-night stand that was to end Tuesday with a New Years Eve performance. Illegal drugs have been woven into the fabric of the rock concert experience since before Woodstock. But fans of Phish, a Vermont band with an obsessed following reminiscent of the Grateful Dead, seem to have developed an outsize reputation for heavy drug use. Given the enormous police presence in Midtown Manhattan on a typical day, selling drugs outside a heavily policed event like a concert at Madison Square Garden would seem to require a heavy dose of pluck, if not something more potent. In one episode before the Phish concert on Saturday, a man the police identified as John Picrqlisi, 34, offered to keep watch as his partners, Steven Powers, 47, and Jeffrey Powers, 52, sold some mushrooms. Make sure you dont get caught, cops are everywhere, Picrqlisi yelled to his two partners, according to a criminal complaint. The buyer, who paid $40 for the drugs, was an undercover officer. The three men were arrested and charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance. According to the complaint, Jeffrey Powers had 424 capsules of MDMA, 71 strips of LSD and 14 bags of mushrooms in his pants. Undercover officers have confiscated marijuana, hash, psychedelic mushrooms, LSD, MDMA or ecstasy, amphetamine and prescription drugs like Oxycodone, OxyContin and Xanax, the authorities said. A website called PholkTales.com that publishes stories written by fans about Phishrelated antics has a subsection about encounters with law enforcement with titles like Caught with a Bong, What Pipes? What Paper? and I smell herb!! No you dont. In October, the police department in Hampton, Va., produced a YouTube video welcoming fans to the city, with an officer saying that they were eagerly awaiting Phish, while cautioning that there would be additional police in the area. Yes, we will be enforcing the violations of law, Sgt. Jason Price said. Outside the Garden on Monday, fans of the band, known as Phish Heads, complained that they were being singled out for scrutiny because of the bands reputation. I hate to feel like just because of a certain look that Phish fans have, or a certain idea that goes with Phish, theyre targeted in a very certain way that maybe other fans are not, said Julia Johnson, 21, a senior at George Washington University. Were all here to see music that people love and the drugs and all that are just a part of the experience that everyone is trying to have together.  ELI M. ROSENBERG  and MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ

crossword
ACROSS
partner in the funnies 7 Old ___ (London theater) 10 la mode 14 Asian entertainer 15 Have a mortgage, say 16 ___ ONeill 17 Tree with extralarge acorns 18 ___ Cob, Conn. 19 NASA component: Abbr. 20 Card holder: Abbr. 21 Eponymous sitcom star of the 2000s 23 After-dinner wine 25 Narrow inlet 26 Model Porizkova 28 Dine 29 Ad nauseam 31 Far sides of ranges 33 ___ King Cole 34 Actor McKellen and others 36 Hawaiian singer with many 1960s-70s TV guest appearances
1 Franks 37 40 43 44 47 49 52 53

Edited By Will Shortz


PUZZLE BY PETER A. COLLINS

55 56 58 59 60 61 63 65 66 67 68 69 70

New Years greeting Spelunker Sleek swimmers N.Y.C. line Teresa Heinz or Christina Onassis Spartan Roth ___ People of Rwanda and Burundi K.G.B. rival 2000s TV drama set in the 1960s Smile Like some sale goods: Abbr. Tailors case The White Stripes or OutKast Declutter The White Stripes genre Rap sheet letters Little-known Johnson of Laugh-In Permit Aslant

1 14 17 20 25 29

7 15 18

10 16 19

11

12

13

21 26 30 33 37 38 34

22 27 31 35

23

24 28 32 36

39 43 48 49 54 58 61 66 69 62 63 67 70 1/1/14 64 50 55 59 44 45 46 51

40 47 52 56 60 65 68

41

42

53 57

2 After-school

activity?

12 13 22 24 27 30 32 35 38 39

3 Band

with the 10x platinum album Nevermind in Toledo

4 That,

DOWN
1 First

king of the English

Economics Nobelist William F. ___ hooch the

6 Sample

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE


A L L S X T R A P L A G E F L I P A W O L R O I L S L A C M A M A A V I N G L A O U T H O R A N A D U I R L P C K E T S E H A I D O L E M I U M U P E R C H I O U M B S T O M Y E A S T O R G L E V E E B A D R I E R G E J I O A S K Y L E E D G S I A V A G E T T A A S R R I I P B L I U N L G E F L A B I A L R A E G M A U R H E N C E O R Z O R A G E T E N O R B E A N F L E E

7 Not

shy about expressing opinions Jima jet

8 ___

9 Business

maker

40 41

10 11

Dunce cap shape Make rough

Actually Afro-Caribbean music Capital spanning the Danube Achieved through difficulty 1971 #1 hit for Carole King Alternative Try! Bill ___, the Science Guy ___ there yet? Classic Stephen Foster song Fire-breathing creature of myth Faucet attachment

42 45 46 48 50 51 54 57 62

Span across a gorge, say Soloists performance Persian Wars vessel Bit of beachwear San ___, Calif. Took home W.W. II menace Love from the Beach Boys? Instrument for 36-Across, informally Life of Pi director Lee

64

Online subscriptions: Todays puzzle and more than 5,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords.

620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 Tom Brady, Editor e-mail: digesteditor@nytimes.com TimesDigest Sales Office phone: (212) 556-1200 fax: (646) 461-2364 e-mail: timesdigest@nytimes.com For advertising information and to request a media kit contact InMotion Media: phone: (212) 213-5856 e-mail: info@immww.com Home delivery subscribers who have not received TimesDigest should call (800) 698-4637 or e-mail customercare@nytimes.com

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

ed i t o r i a l s o f t h e t i m eS

ROGER COHEN

More Guns Will Not Save Iraq


President Obama has done the predictable thing by sending more weapons to Iraq to counter an alarming rise in violence. But arms alone will not solve a problem that has its roots in the political alienation of Sunnis and other minorities and the undermining of democratic processes, especially by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The bloodshed has reached catastrophic proportions. More than 8,000 Iraqis died in 2013, including 952 members of the Iraqi security forces. Over all, it is the highest death toll since 2008 and shatters a trend that in 2012 prompted a top administration official to assert that Iraq today is less violent than at any time in recent history. The deadly surge is attributed to Al Qaedas regional affiliate, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a Sunni group that is a potent force in northern and western Iraq. Its predecessor, Al Qaeda in Iraq, waged the insurgency that brought the country near civil war in 2006 and 2007 before suffering big defeats from Iraqi Sunni tribal groups and American forces. Since the United States withdrew at the end of 2011, the group has gained strength against Iraqi security forces that are incapable of fully protecting civilians. American officials say that Islamic State is deliberately trying to tear the country apart. Maliki sought help from Obama at the White House in November, a turnabout after he failed to reach a deal to keep a small number of American troops in the country after 2011 for training and intelligence gathering. Some 75 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, to be fired at militant camps with the C.I.A. providing targeting assistance, were delivered to Iraq last week and 10 reconnaissance drones are expected to follow in March. The Obama administration also plans to provide 48 other reconnaissance drones and the first of an order of F-16 fighter jets. The United States has a strategic interest in Iraqs stability, making increased counterterrorism cooperation and intelligencesharing essential. But even the most lethal weapons will not have much positive effect if Maliki and other Iraqi leaders bicker rather than unite the country around shared goals through credible democratic processes. American officials say Maliki and other Iraqi officials finally understand the dangers of the growing extremism and the fact that a security-only approach will not bring stability. They say that Iraqi security forces have lately been more successful against the militants and that Maliki and his government have shown more willingness to work cooperatively with Sunnis, resolve oil disputes with the Kurds and put in place a new agreement aimed at promoting civil and social peace. Given his authoritarian duplicity, it is hard to be optimistic. On Tuesday, more than 40 Sunni lawmakers submitted their resignations from Parliament and Sunni ministers threatened to withdraw from the Cabinet after Malikis security forces dismantled a camp used by Sunnis protesting second-class treatment by the Shiite-led government. As it doles out weapons, intelligence and advice, the Obama administration needs to press Maliki and other Iraqi leaders to do those things, to ensure that the election in April is free and fair, and to commit to adopting laws that will address Sunni grievances. It also needs to be prepared to halt or withhold deliveries of weapons if they are misused or if Maliki continues to put his own interests over his countrys.

My Jewish State
London A year ends, another begins, time for reminiscences and resolutions, regret and hope, best-of and worst-of lists, confessions and crystal-ball gazing most of it pretty excruciating. So it goes. I am going to make one prediction for 2014. It is that, for all John Kerrys efforts, this will be another year in which peace is not reached in the Middle East. Plenty of bad things have happened between Israelis and Palestinians of late. There has been a steady uptick in violence. Israels freeing of 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners was naturally greeted with joy in Ramallah. Along with the release came word that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government will likely announce plans for 1,400 new housing units in the West Bank, just as Kerry arrives for his 10th peace-seeking visit. This has infuriated Palestinians. So, too, has an Israeli ministerial committee vote advancing legislation to annex settlements in the Jordan Valley. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said the vote finishes all that is called the peace process. Then there is the rebounding Israel-is-aJewish-state bugbear: Netanyahu wants Palestinians to recognize his nation as such. He has recently called it the real key to peace. His argument is that this is the touchstone by which to judge whether Palestinians will accept the Jewish state in any border. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, says no. This issue is a waste of time, a complicating diversion when none is needed. Of course, any two-state peace agreement will have to be final and irreversible; it must ensure there are no further Palestinian claims on a secure Israel. If Israel looks like a Jewish state and acts like a Jewish state, that is good enough for me as long as it gets out of the corrosive business of occupation. When I spoke to him in Tel Aviv a few months ago, Yair Lapid, a top government minister, said: The fact that we demand from Palestinians a declaration that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state, I just think this is rubbish. I dont need that. The whole point of Israel was we came here saying we dont need anyone else to recognize us anymore because we can recognize ourselves. We are liberated. Thats right. Its also true that Palestinian leaders, with no democratic accountability, are not preparing their people for territorial compromise at or close to the 1967 lines. Then again, nothing in Israels actions facilitates that. A last word: This column is dedicated to Mike OConnor, a fearless journalist. Mike was an acute observer of the kind of human folly, fatuousness and self-interest that perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It brought him to tears. Yet he always found a way to laugh. Mike died suddenly last week, age 67, in Mexico City. If nothing else, I hope Kerry and the rest prove me wrong for him.

Preserving Wireless Competition


The corporation that controls Sprint, the third-biggest cellphone company in the country after Verizon and AT&T, is reportedly planning to make an offer to buy the smaller rival T-Mobile in a move that would reduce competition in an important industry that already has too little of it. Most Americans have a choice of just four national cellphone companies Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile compared with six in 2003. The Federal Communications Commission recently described the industry as highly concentrated based on an index used by regulators to measure how competitive a market is. In 2011, the Department of Justice used a similar analysis to effectively block AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile. Sprint, recently bought by the Japanese company SoftBank, appears to believe that regulators might look favorably on a proposal to purchase T-Mobile because the combined company would still be smaller than AT&T and Verizon in revenue and customers. Sprint would probably argue that the combined company would become a more effective competitor to the two larger companies. As an independent company, T-Mobile has recently cut prices aggressively and simplified its cellphone plans. Its phone plans are often much cheaper than comparable packages offered by other cellphone companies. It no longer forces customers into two-year contracts; its subscribers can switch to another wireless provider whenever they like. And it slashed the high international roaming charges it levies on calls customers make when they are traveling abroad and eliminated roaming charges for text messages and Internet service. Other companies like AT&T have been forced to respond to T-Mobiles price cuts and policy changes with similar moves. It is hard to imagine that any cellphone company would have been as aggressive as T-Mobile if the administration had allowed AT&T to buy the company. The logic that the government used to step in still holds today, and antitrust regulators should look closely at any proposal that would reduce competition.

sports

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

Ski Helmet Use Is Not Reducing Brain Injuries


BEAVER CREEK, Colo. The fact that Michael Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he sustained a life-threatening head injury while skiing in France on Sunday probably did not come as a surprise to experts who have charted the increasing presence of helmets on slopes and halfpipes in recent years. The fact that the helmet did not prevent Schumachers injury probably did not surprise them, either. Schumacher, the most successful Formula One driver in history, sustained a traumatic brain injury when he fell and hit his head on a rock while navigating an un-groomed area at a resort in Mribel, France. Although he was wearing a helmet, he sustained injuries that have left him fighting for his life in a hospital in Grenoble, France. Schumachers injury also focused attention on an unsettling trend. Although skiers and snowboarders in the United States are wearing helmets more than ever 70 percent of all participants, nearly triple the number from 2003 there has been no reduction in the number of snow-sportsrelated fatalities or brain injuries in the country, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Experts ascribe that seemingly implausible correlation to the inability of helmets to prevent serious head injuries like Schumachers and to the fact that more skiers and snowboarders are engaging in risky behaviors: skiing faster, jumping higher and going out of bounds. The equipment we have now allows us to do things we really couldnt do before, and peoples pushing limits has sort of surpassed peoples ability to control themselves, said Chris Davenport, a professional bigmountain skier. Dave Byrd, the ski associations director of risk management, attributed the surge in helmet use to grass-roots efforts by resorts, helmet manufacturers and medical professionals to encourage their use. He also cited growing public awareness about brain injuries, a result of persistent news media attention on the issue in sports, particularly in the N.F.L., and several high-profile skiing deaths, like those of Sonny Bono and Natasha Richardson. The increase in helmet use has had positive results. Experts say helmets have reduced the numbers of less serious head injuries, like scalp lacerations, by 30 percent to 50 percent, and Schumachers doctors say he would not have survived his fall had he not worn a helmet. KELLEY McMILLAN

In Brief
Manning Mark Stands
The N.F.L. said Tuesday that Peyton Mannings single-season record of 5,477 yards passing will stand. Elias Sports Bureau reviewed a 7-yard pass from Manning to wide receiver Eric Decker and determined it will remain a forward pass and not a lateral, which would have made it a 7-yard run. That would have subtracted 7 yards from Mannings total, leaving him with 5,470 yards, six shy of Drew Brees 2011 record. (AP)

Star Couple Engaged


Rory McIlroy is engaged to the tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. They announced their engagement on Twitter. (AP)

n.B.A. scores
MONDAYS LATE GAME Phoenix 107, L.A. Clippers 88 TUESDAY Atlanta 92, Boston 91 Indiana 91, Cleveland 76 Golden State 94, Orlando 81 Sacramento 110, Houston 106 San Antonio 113, Nets 92 Toronto 85, Chicago 79 Portland 98, Oklahoma City 94

Manziel Leads Texas A&M Past Duke in Thrilling Rally


Johnny Manziel threw four touchdown passes, and Toney Hurd Jr. returned an interception 55 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in Texas A&Ms 52-48 victory over Duke on Tuesday night in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. Manziel, playing in what might be his final college game, completed 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards and ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. Hurds interception return gave the No. 20 Aggies (9-4) their first lead with 3:33 remaining. No. 22 Duke (10-4) led 38-17 at halftime and 41-31 entering the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils are still looking for their first bowl win since the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
U.C.L.A. 42, Virginia Tech 12

Brett Hundley threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to help No. 17 U.C.L.A. rout Virginia Tech 42-12 on Tuesday in the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Hundley was selected the coM.V.P. along with linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who had 10 tackles and an interception. The Bruins (10-3) outscored the Hokies (8-5) 28-5 in the second half.
ArizonA 42, Boston College 19 KaDeem Carey rushed for 169

formerly the Independence Bowl, in Shreveport, La. Boston Colleges Andre Williams, who won the Doak Walker Award over Carey, was held to 75 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Mississippi State 44, Rice 7

N.H.L. SCORES
MONDAYS LATE GAME Philadelphia 4, Vancouver 3, SO TUESDAY Rangers 2, Florida 1, SO Devils 2, Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis 2, Minnesota 1 Islanders 5, Boston 3 Carolina 5, Montreal 4, OT Winnipeg 3, Buffalo 0 Anaheim 6, San Jose 3 Dallas 3, Los Angeles 2 Colorado 5, Columbus 3 Philadelphia 4, Calgary 1 Phoenix 4, Edmonton 3, OT
84/ 66 45/ 37 39/ 27 65/ 53 90/ 77 77/ 66 52/ 41 46/ 36 69/ 46 5/ -2 36/ 34 81/ 73 48/ 41 30/ 21 97/ 77 59/ 48 86/ 59 41/ 34 79/ 66 52/ 36 19/ 14 45/ 43 36/ 23 0 0.03 0 0 0 0 0.19 Tr 0 0.09 0 0.03 0.04 0 0.03 0 0 0.12 0.02 0 Tr 0.02 0 84/ 65 S 51/ 39 R 46/ 36 PC 68/ 60 S 88/ 74 S 80/ 65 PC 50/ 45 R 48/ 45 Sh 69/ 43 PC 1/ -17 S 31/ 23 PC 83/ 71 Sh 48/ 45 R 37/ 28 C 89/ 79 T 55/ 39 PC 86/ 54 S 37/ 34 C 88/ 72 PC 57/ 41 S 16/ -2 Sn 47/ 42 F 39/ 31 C 90/ 68 S 48/ 40 PC 43/ 33 R 69/ 62 R 87/ 74 S 79/ 65 PC 50/ 43 PC 51/ 48 R 67/ 44 T -4/ -17 C 28/ 21 C 82/ 71 S 50/ 41 Sh 37/ 32 R 92/ 79 PC 57/ 50 Sh 82/ 55 S 39/ 34 C 91/ 68 Sh 52/ 36 S 8/ -6 Sn 47/ 39 R 37/ 30 PC

yards and 2 touchdowns, B.J. Denker threw for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns and Arizona had an easy time in a 42-19 victory over Boston College in the Advocare V100 Bowl,
Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Mpls.-St. Paul New York City Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle St. Louis Washington 49/ 38 51/ 17 72/ 44 77/ 67 -1/ -8 32/ 21 71/ 57 38/ 26 71/ 43 36/ 19 57/ 41 48/ 45 44/ 25 47/ 33 0 0 0 Tr 0 0.01 0 Tr 0 Tr 0 0.01 0 0

Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and Mississippi State trounced Rice, 44-7, in Memphis in the most one-sided Liberty Bowl victory in the games 55-year history. Mississippi State (7-6) wrapped up its fourth straight winning season and prevented Rice (10-4) from winning bowl games in back-toback years for the first time. (AP)
61/ 42 C 22/ 5 Sn 74/ 52 S 81/ 73 Sh 1/ -11 C 32/ 29 PC 72/ 63 C 37/ 31 PC 70/ 48 S 34/ 22 C 62/ 43 S 50/ 42 F 40/ 16 PC 46/ 33 PC 58/ 34 PC 18/ 2 S 78/ 54 S 83/ 66 PC 2/ -9 PC 33/ 14 Sn 77/ 48 R 38/ 18 Sn 72/ 49 S 35/ 23 PC 64/ 45 S 49/ 41 R 21/ 6 PC 43/ 18 Sh Cape Town Dublin Geneva Hong Kong Kingston Lima London Madrid Mexico City Montreal Moscow Nassau Paris Prague Rio de Janeiro Rome Santiago Stockholm Sydney Tokyo Toronto Vancouver Warsaw

WEATHER
High/low temperatures for the 21 hours ended at 4 p.m. yesterday, Eastern time, and precipitation (in inches) for the 18 hours ended at 1 p.m. yesterday. Expected conditions for today and tomorrow. Weather conditions: C-clouds, F-fog, H-haze, I-ice, PCpartly cloudy, R-rain, S-sun, Sh-showers, Sn-snow, SSsnow showers, T-thunderstorms, Tr-trace, W-windy.

U.S. CITIES
Yesterday Today Tomorrow Albuquerque 48/ 22 0 53/ 28 S 49/ 30 S Atlanta 44/ 37 0 54/ 42 PC 51/ 24 Sh Boise 36/ 24 0 40/ 26 PC 40/ 29 PC Boston 26/ 14 0 28/ 19 PC 25/ 8 Sn Buffalo 22/ 17 0.12 20/ 8 SS 13/ -3 Sn Charlotte 50/ 37 0 56/ 38 S 52/ 28 Sh Chicago 14/ 2 0.07 24/ 18 Sn 20/ -2 SS Cleveland 21/ 18 Tr 26/ 18 Sn 23/ 9 Sn Dallas-Ft. Worth 54/ 25 0 62/ 30 S 49/ 27 S Denver 56/ 26 0 40/ 23 Sn 52/ 29 S Detroit 19/ 16 0.01 20/ 12 Sn 18/ 4 SS

FOREIGN CITIES
Acapulco Athens Beijing Berlin Buenos Aires Cairo Yesterday Today Tomorrow 93/ 72 0 91/ 73 PC 91/ 73 PC 54/ 49 0 52/ 46 Sh 57/ 41 PC 52/ 26 0 51/ 27 S 49/ 28 PC 39/ 30 0 39/ 32 C 41/ 36 C 86/ 66 0 93/ 72 T 84/ 57 T 64/ 50 0.02 64/ 48 PC 64/ 48 S

sports journal

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014

10

As for Athletes, but Charges of Fraud at North Carolina


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. In the summer of 2011, 19 undergraduates at the University of North Carolina signed up for a lecture course called AFAM 280: Blacks in North Carolina. The professor was Julius Nyangoro, longtime chairman of the African and AfroAmerican studies department. It is doubtful the students learned much about blacks, North Carolina or anything else that summer, though they received grades for papers they supposedly turned in and Nyangoro was paid $12,000. University and law-enforcement officials say AFAM 280 never met. AFAM 280 is the focus of a criminal indictment against Nyangoro that was handed down last month. Eighteen of the 19 students enrolled in the class were members of the North Carolina football team, reportedly steered there by academic advisers who saw their roles as helping athletes maintain grades high enough to remain eligible to play. The indictment, critics say, covers just a small piece of one of the biggest cases of academic fraud in North Carolina history. That The investigations began after a 2012 report by The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C. Nyangoro remains the mystery at the center of the case. Nyangoro, who retired from the university in July 2012, is accused of teaching dozens of barely existent or questionably led classes and presiding over a department in which grades were illicitly changed, professors signatures were forged and athletes routinely enrolled in laughably lax classes. But with each new disclosure, even as his reputation has been savaged, Nyangoro has not explained himself. Hes been in a cone of silence for the last three years, said Jay M. Smith, a history professor. Athletes, including many from the popular and revenue-producing football and basketball teams, made up nearly half of the students enrolled in the courses. The university says the blame rests firmly and exclusively with two people: Nyangoro and Deborah Crowder, the department manager, who retired in 2009 after 30 years there. Crowder had close ties to the athletic program and has long been in a relationship with a former North Carolina basketball player, Warren Martin. The two reports on the departments activities each named Crowder as being involved in the infractions. Crowder, who has not been charged, did not return messages left on her home voice mail. Some on campus and elsewhere are skeptical that just two people could carry out the questionable activities on their own. How in the world could a scam like this go on for so long, and no one knew about it? Smith asked. Michael O. West, a friend and onetime North Carolina colleague of Nyangoro, believes the university has made him a scapegoat. My view is that the university is portraying these two people, Nyangoro and Crowder, as a couple of rogue employees, West said. But I am sure there were many people in the athletic department and elsewhere who were aware of it, he added. These two people are being made to take the blame and put out to dry, when the problem was institutional. SARAH LYALL

HaRRy LyNcH/THE NEWS & ObSERVER

The former professor Julius Nyangoro has been indicted.


it has taken place at Chapel Hill, known for its rigorous academic standards, has only made it more shocking. Two reports on the activities of the African and Afro-American studies department, one internal and one conducted by a former governor of North Carolina, James G. Martin, found problems with dozens of courses and said as many as 560 unauthorized grade changes were suspected of having been made dating back to 1997.

Bowden Adjusts to His Life as a Dadgum Retiree


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Bobby Bowden still lives in the brick house he and his wife, Ann, fell in love with in 1976. There was a pool out back, a golf course beyond that and a sprawling oak tree that canopied the driveway. The Bowdens loved that tree. Then, about 10 years ago, it started dying and had to be cut down. Looking out his front window on a recent afternoon, Bowden grimaced and shook his head. He is 84 dadgum years old. And to think, four years ago, he was coaching at Florida State. He was aging and the program was foundering, but he wanted to stay one more year. He was told he could stay, but his title would be something like ambassador coach and he would not be allowed on the field. He rejected the idea and was essentially forced into retirement. Life after Bowden turned out just fine for Florida State. Jimbo Fisher, in his fourth year, coached the Seminoles to an undefeated regular season and a spot in the national championship game. Quarterback, Jameis Winston, won the Heisman Trophy. Asked how he was enjoying life after Florida State, Bowden, at first, he had feared becoming irrelevant. Now he is a public speaker in high demand. He travels the country speaking to corporations, churches and athletes about two or three times a week. Each Saturday after golf, he makes sure to watch Florida State. Fisher is like a son to him. Bowden has known him since he was in college. You see, Bowden said, his son Terry convinced Fisher to leave Clemson, where he had gone to play baseball, to play quarterback for Terry at Salem College in West Virginia. Terry hired Fisher as an assistant at Samford College, in Birmingham, Ala., and Fisher coached under him for about 11 years, first at Samford, then at Auburn. Fisher was teaching Bobby Bowdens offense to Terry Bowdens quarterbacks. All those years, Terry said, he was always kind of part of the family. Midway through the 1998 season, Terry Bowden resigned at Auburn and went into broadcasting. Fisher continued his rise. He worked at Cincinnati for a season, then went to Louisiana State and saw Nick Sabans process firsthand. A few years later, after the 2006 season, Bobby Bowden was in need of an offensive coordinator, preferably one who knew quarterbacks. His son recommended hiring Fisher. Bowden picked Fisher and turned the offense over to him, which perhaps marked the end of his era at Florida State. After the 2009 season, during which Bowden turned 80, he wanted to stay for one more year. He wanted to reach 400 wins. Instead, the administration forced him out and promoted Fisher. At the time, Bowden was upset. For the next few years, he stayed away from Florida State, not out of spite, but to stay out of Fishers way. He wanted to give Fisher room to establish himself, his own program, free of distractions. It so happened that, as Fisher and Winston and Florida State made their spectacular run this season, Bowden returned for the first time since he retired. On Oct. 26, Florida State celebrated Bobby

MaRk WallHEISER FOR THE NEW YORk TImES

Bobby Bowden has come to terms with being forced out after leading the Florida State football program for 33 years.
Bowden Day. The marching band spelled out Dadgum, his favorite expression, and he planted Chief Osceolas spear at midfield. Ive had all that I need, Bowden said as he smiled and played with the big F.S.U. ring that Burt Reynolds gave him years ago. He said he was fine now that he did not get that extra year. He does not miss coaching. In a few years, he and Ann might move to Panama City, Fla., to be closer to their children. TIM ROHAN

You might also like