Things to Do in Connecticut, July 16 Through 24

Abstract: A guide to cultural and recreational events in Connecticut. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to ctcal@nytimes.com. Comedy HARTFORD Eddie Izzard. July 26 at 8 p.m. $51.50 to $72.50. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. bushnell.org; 860-987-5900. MASHANTUCKET Jerry Seinfeld. July 16 at 8 p.m. $82.50 to $150. Grand Theater, Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. 800-200-2882; foxwoods.com. RIDGEFIELD Colin Jost. July 22 at 8 p.m. $35. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. UNCASVILLE Joe Matarese. July 16. $15 to $40. Noah Gardenswartz. July 21, 22 and 23. $10 to $40. Comix at Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. comixcomedy.com; 860-862-7000. UNCASVILLE Jeff Dunham. July 22 at 8 p.m. $50 to $60. Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. 888-226-7711; mohegansun.com. Film BRIDGEPORT “Trapped” (2016), documentary by Dawn Porter. July 21 at 7 p.m. $10 to $40. The Bijou Theater, 275 Fairfield Avenue. 203-332-3228; thebijoutheatre.com. HARTFORD “Sing Street” (2016), directed John Carney. Through July 21. $7 and $9. “Sunset Song” (2015), directed by Terence Davies. July 22 through 28. $7 and $9. Cinestudio, 300 Summit Street. 860-297-2463; cinestudio.org. For Children ANSONIA Creatures of Long Island Sound. Learn about crabs, snails and other salt water visitors from Ranger Dan. July 23 at noon. Free; advance registration requested. Ansonia Nature Center, 10 Deerfield Road. ansonianaturecenter.org; 203-736-1053. DANBURY Owney the Railway Post Office Dog Day. Educational activities, free train rides and a hot dog. July 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $10; free for children under 3. Danbury Railway Museum, 120 White Street. 203-778-8337; danburyrail.org. GREENWICH “Electricity,” the science and history of electricity. Through Nov. 6. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. $7; $6 for students and seniors; free for members and children under five. 203-869-0376; brucemuseum.org. MIDDLEFIELD “Breakfast on the Deck,” 275th-anniversary celebration; farm-fresh country breakfast. Through Oct. 9. $3.99 to $9.99. Lyman Orchards, 32 Reeds Gap Road. 860-349-1793; lymanorchards.com/apple-barrel. NORWALK The Pink Rhubarb, farm-to-table summer programs for Grades K to 2 and 3 to 5. Gardening, cooking, yoga and creativity with programs taught in groups of 10 to 12. Through July 25. $225 per week; five weekly sessions; scholarships available; register in advance. Fodor Farm, 328 Flax Hill Road. 203-979-7076; thepinkrhubarb.com. Music and Dance BRIDGEPORT Rick Reyes and the Cosmic Jibaros, Latin and Caribbean. July 16 at 8 p.m. $15 and $20. The Bijou Theater, 275 Fairfield Avenue. 203-332-3228; thebijoutheatre.com. FALLS VILLAGE Enso String Quartet performs Turina, Beethoven and Schumann with Daniel Epstein, pianist. July 17 at 3 p.m. $30 in advance; $35 at the door. Music Mountain, 225 Music Mountain Road. 860-824-7126; musicmountain.org. HAMDEN Stacy Phillips and His Bluegrass Characters. July 26 at 7 p.m. Free. The Outer Space, 295 Treadwell Street. 203-288-6400; theouterspace.net. LAKEVILLE “Piano Concert Series”: Boris Berman, Joseph Kalichstein, Priya Mayadas and others. Through July 24. Free. Esther Eastman Music Center, 11 Interlaken Road. 860-435-3775; hotchkissportals.org. NORFOLK The Milk Carton Kids with Caitlin Canty, folk. July 17 at 7:30 p.m. $29 and $49. Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road. 866-666-6306; infinityhall.com. OLD SAYBROOK The Wild Reeds, folk and country. July 28 at 7:30 p.m. $26 to $30. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. 860-510-0473; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD Jim Messina. July 16 at 8 p.m. $42.50. 10,000 Maniacs, rock. July 17 at 8 p.m. $45. Graham Nash. July 19 at 8 p.m. $88. KC and the Sunshine Band. July 31 at 8 p.m. $125. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. ridgefieldplayhouse.org; 203-438-5795. SALISBURY The New Baroque Soloists. Wednesdays, July 20 through Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. Donations. St. John’s Church, 12 Main Street. 860-435-9290; northwestmusicassociation.com. UNCASVILLE Stryper. July 23 at 8 p.m. Free; V.I.P. meet-and-greet package, $128. The Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. 888-226-7711; mohegansun.com. WALLINGFORD Joe Walsh. July 23 at 7:30 p.m. $30 and $75. Heart with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick. July 25 at 6:30 p.m. $59.50 to $325. Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road. 203-265-1501; oakdale.com. WOODBRIDGE Grill ’n’ Chill food and concert series. July 27. J.C.C. of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road. jccnh.org/grill-n-chill; 203-387-2522. Outdoors ANSONIA Moonshine and firefly hike. Appropriate shoes recommended. Preregistration requested. July 19 at 7:30 p.m. $1. History of Ansonia Nature Center. Themed, guided hike. Wear appropriate footwear and bring a water bottle. July 24 at 1 p.m. Free. Ansonia Nature Center, 10 Deerfield Road. 203-736-1053; ansonianaturecenter.org. MILFORD “Spirits of Milford Ghost Walks,” 90-minute lantern-lit tours of downtown Milford that blend tales of the macabre with local history. Through Aug. 27. $15. Hotchkiss Bridge. spiritsofmilford.com; 203-214-7554. Spoken Word NEW HAVEN “Noir at the Bar,” Connecticut mystery writers read from works in progress. July 17 at 4 p.m. Free. Goodfellas Restaurant, 702 State Street. 203-829-8726. Image WALLINGFORD Joan Jett will perform with her band the Blackhearts on July 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road. Heart and Cheap Trick will also perform. $59.50 to $350. Information: 203-265-1501 or oakdale.com. Credit Lucas Jackson/Reuters Theater DANBURY “Footloose,” musical directed and choreographed by Matthew Farina. Through July 16. Richter Arts Center, 100 Aunt Hack Road. musicalsatrichter.org; 203-748-6873. GUILFORD “Evita.” July 16; 21, 22 and 23. 8 p.m. $30. First Church of Christ Scientist, Guilford, 49 Park Street on the Guilford Green. 203-779-5258; madisonlyricstage.org. IVORYTON “Chicago.” Through July 24. $17 to $50. Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street. 860-767-7318; ivorytonplayhouse.org. MIDDLETOWN ArtFarm’s Shakespeare in the Grove: “The Servant of Two Masters,” outdoor Commedia dell’ Arte. Live music at 6 p.m. Through July 17; 20 through 24. $15 to $25. ARTFARM at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road. 860-346-4390; art-farm.org. NEW MILFORD “Title of Show,” musical comedy by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell. Through July 31. $21 and $26. TheaterWorks, 5 Brookside Avenue. 860-350-6863; theatreworks.us. SHERMAN “Tartuffe,” play by Molière. Through July 31. $11 and $22. Sherman Playhouse, 5 Route 39 North. 860-354-3622; shermanplayers.org. STORRS “West Side Story.” Through July 17. $12 to $55. Connecticut Repertory Theater, 2132 Hillside Road. 860-486-2113; crt.uconn.edu. WEST HARTFORD Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival presents an outdoor performance of “Othello.” Preshow music, lectures and more. Picnics welcome. Thursdays through Sundays, through July 31. $10 and $15. Carol Autorino Center, University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue. 860-231-5555; hartfordshakespeare.org. WESTPORT “The Invisible Hand,” play by Ayad Akhtar, directed by David Kennedy. July 19 through Aug. 6. $25 to $85. Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. 203-227-4177; westportplayhouse.org. Museums and Galleries BRIDGEPORT “Westport to the Park City,” nine artists. Through July 28. Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Framemakers Gallery, 3004 Fairfield Avenue. 203-338-0332; framemakersblackrock.com. COS COB “Close to the Wind: Our Maritime History,” Greenwich history. Through Sept. 4. $8 and $10; members and children under 6, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Greenwich Historical Society, 39 Strickland Road. 203-869-6899; greenwichhistory.org. DANBURY “Luminous Intervals: Extended Exposures in Alternative Photography,” Colin Burke. Through Sept. 30. Free. Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Gallery at Still River Editions, 128 East Liberty Street. stillrivereditions.com; 203-791-1474. DANBURY “Billions & Billions of Blocks Project,” Chris Durante. Opening reception on July 16 at 5 p.m. July 16 through Aug. 13. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; or by appointment. Trailer Box Project, 15 Great Pasture Road, Unit 15. trailerboxproject.com; 203-797-0230. DARIEN “The Art of Relaxation and Awareness,” paintings by Lori DuBois-Caruso. Through July 30. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Geary Gallery, 576 Boston Post Road. 203-655-6633; gearygallery.com. DARIEN “Darien 1925-1950: Golden Age of Art and Design.” Through Sept. 11. Suggested donation, $5 Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. The Darien Historical Society, 45 Old Kings Highway North. 203-655-9233; darienhistorical.org. ESSEX “Travel Details,” paintings by Merrill French. Through July 31. Wednesdays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cooper & Smith Gallery, 10 Main Street. 860-581-8526; coopersmithgallery.com. FAIRFIELD “Animals and Emotions,” work by Art Gerstein and Alice Katz. Through July 31. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 2 to 5 p.m. Art/Place Gallery, 70 Sanford Street. 203-856-3181; artplacegallery.org. FAIRFIELD “Fabulous Animals: The Illustrated World of Robert Lawson.” Through Sept. 18. $5 for adults; $3 for students and seniors; children five and under, free. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road. 203-259-1598; fairfieldhistory.org. FAIRFIELD Marine Art exhibition and sale: A. D. Blake, Christopher Blossom, Don Demers and others. Through Sept. 3. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, 1899 Bronson Road. 203-259-8753; jrusselljinishiangallery.com. GREENWICH “Topographies + Origins: A Group Exhibition of Painting, Monotype and Digital Fusion,” Eric Jiaju Lee, Leslie B. Weissman and Rosalind Schneider. Through Aug. 6. Free. Art and Sound Gallery, 101 Mill Street. artandsoundgallery.com; 203-813-3410. GREENWICH “Electric Paris,” Edgar Degas, Jean Béraud, Mary Cassatt and more. Through Sept. 4. $6 and $7; members and children under 5, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. brucemuseum.org; 203-869-0376. GUILFORD “Topoglyph,” Todd Sargood, Bill DeNoyelles and Simon Draper. Through July 31. Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Greene Art Gallery, 29 Whitfield Street. 203-453-4162; greeneartgallery.com. GUILFORD Craft Expo 2016, outdoor juried show. July 16 and 17. Guilford Green, Whitfield and Park Streets. 203-453-5947; guilfordartcenter.org. HAMDEN “The Seed of the People: 1916 Remembered,” Irish history exhibition. Through Sept. 30. Quinnipiac University, 275 Mount Carmel. 203-582-7809; quinnipiac.edu. HARTFORD “Surface Work,” abstract group exhibition. “Distracted Driving,” conceptual sculpture. “Road to Ruin,” fabric-text constructions by Rita Valley. Opening reception on July 16 at 6 p.m. July 16 through Sept. 11. Suggested donation, $3; members and cinema patrons, free. Daily, 2 to 9 p.m.; and by appointment. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. 860-232-1006; realartways.org. HARTFORD “40 Acres: The Promise of a Black Pastoral.” Through Oct. 23. $5 to $15; members and children under 12, free. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. thewadsworth.org; 860-278-2670. KENT “Landscapes and Interiors,” oil paintings by K K Kozik. Through July 20. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. Ober Gallery, 6 North Main Street. 860-488-1963; obergallery.com. LITCHFIELD “Heal,” Erin Tapley, fiber scrolls. Artist talk on Aug. 13 at 3:30 p.m. Through Oct. 1. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery, Wisdom House, 229 East Litchfield Road. wisdomhouse.org; 860-567-3163. Image RIDGEFIELD Graham Nash will perform on July 19 at 8 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. Tickets: $88. For more information: 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. Credit Pool photo by Jay Janner MYSTIC “New Horizons in Modern Maritime Art,” paintings, drawings and sculptures. Through July 17. Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maritime Art Gallery, at Mystic Seaport, 47 Greenmanville Avenue. mysticseaport.org/gallery; 860-572-5388. NEW BRITAIN “Eric Aho: An Unfinished Point in a Vast Surrounding.” Through Aug. 14. “New Media: Maya Jeffereis, Fallout Shelter.” Through Sept. 11. “Masterpieces of the Sanford B. D. Low Illustration Collection.” Through Oct. 2. $10 to $15; members and children under 12, free. Sundays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington Street. 860-229-0257; nbmaa.org. NEW CANAAN “Character of Place,” mixed media by Maria Lara and Susan Newbold. Through Aug. 20. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Curtis Gallery at New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street. 203-594-5003; newcanaanlibrary.org. NEW HAVEN “Fourplay,” paintings by Roberta Friedman, Jane Harris and Mary Lesser, ceramic sculptures by Sheila Kaczmarek. Through July 31. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. City Gallery, 994 State Street. 203-782-2489; city-gallery.org. NEW HAVEN Emilia Dubicki, Aspasia Anos and Becky Yazdan. Through Aug. 5. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Fred Giampietro Gallery, 1064 Chapel Street. 203-777-7760; giampietrogallery.com. NEW HAVEN “Artist as Curator III.” Through Aug. 21. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Avenue. 203-389-9555; kehlerliddell.com. NEW HAVEN The Brush and Palette Club, portrait and figure exhibition. Through July 17. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. The John Slade Ely House, 51 Trumbull Street. 203-269-6982; elyhouse.org. NEW HAVEN “Art in Focus: Relics of Old London.” Through Aug. 14. “Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting.” Through Aug. 21. “The Poet of Them All: William Shakespeare and Miniature Designer Bindings from the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert.” Through Aug. 21. “Britain in the World,” reinstallation of exhibit after completion of building conservation project. Through Dec. 31. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street. 203-432-2800; britishart.yale.edu. NEW MILFORD “Whatchama Callit,” mixed media paintings by Mario Zecca. Through Aug. 14. New Milford Public Library, 24 Main Street. 860-355-1191; newmilfordlibrary.org. NEW MILFORD “Strange Paradise,” photographs by Martin Parr, from the 1980s to present. Through Aug. 27. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. The Harts Gallery, 20 Bank Street. thehartsgallery.com; 917-913-4641. NEW PRESTON “Summer Days,” paintings by Lori Racicot-Burrous and photographs by Kate Uhry. Opening reception on July 16 at 4 p.m. Through Aug. 21. The Smithy Store and Loft Gallery, 10 Main Street. thesmithystore.com; 860-868-9003. NORWALK “Coney Island: Visions From the Boardwalk,” Gail Ingis-Claus. Reception on Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. Through Sept. 30. $6 to $10; members and children under 8, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue. 203-838-9799; lockwoodmathewsmansion.com. OLD LYME “The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement, 1887-1920.” Through Sept. 18. $8 to $10; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme Street. 860-434-5542; flogris.org. OLD LYME “American Waters: A Marine Exhibition.” Through Aug. 26. $5 suggested donation. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Lyme Art Association Gallery, 90 Lyme Street. lymeartassociation.org; 860-434-7802. RIDGEFIELD Kim Jones, David Brooks, Peter Liversidge and Virginia Overton, including sculpture-, drawing- and performance-based works. Through Feb. 5. $5 and $10. Members, teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade, active-service military families and children under 18, free. Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. aldrichart.org; 203-438-4519. ROXBURY “Dis/Integration,” paintings by Jack Rosenberg. Through July 16. Minor Memorial Library, 23 South Street. 860-350-2181; minormemoriallibrary.org. SHARON “Diamonds and Rust,” Moira Kelly. Opening reception on July 23rd at 6 p.m. July 21 through Aug. 21. Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Darren Winston, Bookseller, 81 Main Street. 860-364-1890; darrenwinstonbookseller.com. SOUTHPORT “Pages From Pequot — The Birds and the Bees: Preserving Their Habitat,” exhibition from Special Collections. Through Aug. 8. Free. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Avenue. 203-259-0346; pequotlibrary.com. SOUTHPORT “Mind Maps,” abstract canvases by Katy Ferrarone. Through Aug. 20. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Southport Galleries, 330 Pequot Avenue. 203-292-6124; southportgalleries.com. STAMFORD “Fantastic Figures and Faces,” paintings by Ken Delmar. Through July 17. Weekends, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Loft Artists Association, 575 Pacific Street. 203-247-2027; loftartists.com. STAMFORD “Far Away Places,” group multimedia exhibition. Opening reception on July 22 at 6 p.m. July 22 through Aug. 18. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Weekends, noon to 3 p.m. Stamford Art Association, 39 Franklin Street. stamfordartassociation.org; 203-325-1139. STAMFORD “Mixing It Up With Syntax and Company,” mixed media. Through July 29. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery, 1 University Place. 203-251-8450; artgallery.stamford.uconn.edu. STORRS “Blow Up: Contemporary Inflatable Art.” Twenty-one inflatable works, among them a 10-foot-tall White Elephant and a 17-foot-long Trans Am replica of the 1977 “Smokey and the Bandit” car. Through July 31. Free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Weekends, 1 to 4:30 p.m. William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, 245 Glenbrook Road. 860-486-4520; benton.uconn.edu. WASHINGTON DEPOT Contemporary Cuban art. Through July 16. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Washington Art Association, 4 Bryan Memorial Plaza. 860-868-2878; washingtonartassociation.org. WATERBURY “Champion of Color: James Daugherty.” Through July 24. “Life’s Joys: Faith Stewart-Gordon.” Through July 24. “Sea and Stone: The Thimble Islands,” paintings by Arthur Yanoff. Through July 24. “Tea Day 1931: The Art Community at Old Lyme,” William Chadwick, Frank Dumond, Lydia Longacre, Bessie Potter Vonnoh and others. Through Sept. 4. “Nature’s Patina: Elizabeth MacDonald.” Through Sept. 6. “The Hand of the Maker Speaks to Us: Renee Iacone.” Through Sept. 6. “What a Woman!,” Rosalind Russell. Through Oct. 30. Free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. 203-753-0381; mattatuckmuseum.org. WESTPORT “Pop Up Show! The GE Art Collection.” Show and sale of selections from the collection including work by Alexander Calder, Wolf Kahn, Donald Sultan and others. Through July 23. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Amy Simon Fine Art, 1869 Post Road East. 203-259-1500; amysimonfineart.com. WESTPORT “Solos 2016,” artist member exhibition juried by Douglas Hyland. Through Aug. 24. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue. westportartscenter.org; 203-222-7070. WINDSOR “Made in the Shade: Reflections of the Tobacco Valley Industry,” Andrew Buck and Lucy Sander Sceery. Opening reception on July 16 at 5 p.m. July 16 through Aug. 27. Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Windsor Art Center, 40 Mechanic Street. 860-688-2528; windsorartcenter.org.


Recalling a Time When Gordie Howe and His Sons Were the Power

Abstract: After almost 800 N.H.L. goals, after 21 All-Star stints, after six Most Valuable Player Awards, Gordie Howe left hockey a bit sad. He had wanted to play on the same team with his sons. And then, two years into his retirement, the fledgling World Hockey Association beckoned with a team in Houston. Howe’s boys Mark, 18, and Marty, 19, were drafted. And Howe joined them. Howe and his boys came up to The New York Times to hype the new league and their roles. It was 1973, and Howe was 45. He was still famous, a member of the Hall of Fame, almost 200 goals ahead of anyone who had ever played. I had written about him many times, awed by his dominance of his sport in a way, I imagined, that Babe Ruth had taken over baseball, the way Muhammad Ali had overshadowed boxing. Everyone was in awe of Howe — even opposing players. While the public thought of him as Mr. Hockey, to teammates and opponents, Howe, who died Friday at 88, was known as Power. He had started playing for Detroit shortly after World War II, in an era when everyone in the N.H.L. was Canadian, when there were only six teams, just 120 players. Most of them were high school dropouts because of the junior system in effect at the time: You wanted to make it to the N.H.L., you had better play junior hockey, which had a punishing schedule that left little time for schoolbooks. Howe was the league’s official greeter. His was a time when you did not complain about a hit to the head (“tape an aspirin on it,” was the general advice). When the Rangers’ future star Brad Park legally checked Howe in their first meeting, Howe flicked out his stick — and Park went down with a sliced cheek, the blade of Howe’s stick just missing his eye. A referee, Vern Buffey, once told me: “You’re working a game and you see a player go down. You know Howe did it. But how can you prove it?” There were many players who believed that Howe was the dirtiest player in the N.H.L. But by no stretch of the imagination was he a goon. He was a smooth-as-silk skater, a DiMaggio on the ice, effortless, it seemed. And yet he played all out, and played. In 17 seasons he never missed a game. In two other seasons he missed only one — and yet he played his last 20 years with a permanent twitch as a result of a concussion. I knew nothing of hockey when The Times assigned me to the game in the mid-1960s. And yet the first time I saw Howe, I understood what the superlatives were all about. With his loping style, he cradled the puck as if it were a baby — and then he’d switch the stick to his right hand and straight-arm an opponent with his left, sending him tumbling, all the while sailing straight ahead. And then he would look to his right, as if about to pass the disc to a teammate. Instead, he would flick his wrist — and blast home a goal. Just like that. The numbers are so huge they almost make no sense. In his 23rd season, he set a record for right wings for total points and assists. He appeared in 11 Stanley Cup finals, the Wings winning four during a six-year span. He captured six scoring championships and yet never produced a 50-goal season or a game in which he scored more than three goals. He just did everything right, all the time. But in 1973, in the offices of The Times, wearing a suit, Howe was a doting father and not a scary opponent. In fact, the old man did not look so big. When he played, at 6 feet and 200 pounds or so, he was larger than most of his opponents. Gordie was amazed at this new world of money in sports. “Each of my boys will earn more money on the interest of their salary than I earned after 10 years in the league,” he said. He was slated to make more money over the next four years than he had in his first 20 with Detroit. When he retired from the Red Wings, he said his only regret was that he never had played with his sons in the big time. But he was forced to quit because of something that afflicts a few other 40-year-olds — arthritis. Still, in his final year with Detroit, he generated more points than he had as a rookie. Now, as he planned to return to the ice, he wondered whether it would be safe. So he consulted a doctor, who told him, Howe said: “You’re fine to play. But I can’t guarantee you won’t get a heart attack the first time you get hit.” Howe did not hesitate. He had been given a front-office job with the Red Wings in which his duties apparently entailed nothing more than smiling. For Howe, the guy who was always in charge on the ice, it was demeaning. “I felt like a mushroom,” he said. “I was in a dark corner, and every now and then they’d come in and throw manure over me.” Remarkably, Howe went on to play seven more seasons, although when you think of the big guy he’s wearing a Red Wings uniform with the number 9. That number, in fact, was a badge of honor for anyone on another team. You had to be the best to get that number, and it generally was reserved for only a star player. But when all was said and done, Howe’s proudest moments came as a father. And it’s how I remember him, close to his two boys, looking at them proudly.

Gordie Howe
Ice hockey
World Hockey Assn


American Flight Uses a Firm’s Satellite-Based Landing System

Abstract: Portable global positioning system devices that let travelers know precisely where they are and, more important, direct them to where they want to go, have been around for years. But airline pilots in the United States often must still rely on antiquated ground-based radio and radar equipment to land at airports. So when American Airlines Flight 1916 followed a satellite-based approach to Bradley International Airport near Hartford on Thursday afternoon, it was a momentous occasion, at least according to the pilot. “This is really good stuff,” Capt. Brian Will told a small group gathered at the terminal to celebrate the flight, which originated in Dallas. Before departing, Captain Will was so excited about flying the approach, he briefed his passengers on the technology even while doubting they would understand it. “It’s a little bit like trying to explain a painting by saying, ‘Close your eyes and picture this,’ ” he said. But Captain Will need not have worried about Caitlin Hardee, a passenger from Seattle. Ms. Hardee understood the technology just fine. “It seems up until now they’ve had to route the flights along the ground in the track of physical stations, and now they’re using GPS with satellites,” she explained, while wondering why “they weren’t doing it sooner.” That gets to the heart of the matter. Airliners have been able to plan and execute GPS approach routes for about 15 years. Since 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized satellite-based approaches — called R.N.P., or required navigation performance — at more than 100 airports under its plan to modernize United States airspace by 2025. The fact that the American air traffic infrastructure is so well established is one reason progress is slow. “We’re in transition from ground-based to aircraft-based systems,” said Steve Fulton, an executive with the aviation navigation company Naverus. “You have to continue to operate the airspace while you’re improving it, while you are upgrading it,” Mr. Fulton said. “We don’t have the luxury of flipping a switch overnight and all of a sudden we’ve got a new one.” But airline officials say progress has been too slow. American, Southwest, Alaska Airlines and others have trained their pilots to fly R.N.P. procedures, and about 80 percent of United States airliners have the equipment to do so, the F.A.A. says. Still, the approaches are in use at only a small fraction of American airports. Their use abroad varies from country to country. Because R.N.P. landings are so precise, they are considered safer, and because they can cut miles from the approach route, they are more economical, too. The users “are demanding these procedures because it saves them money,” said Dale Wright, director of safety and technology at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Four years ago, Naverus, which has been setting up satellite-based systems for airlines and airports worldwide, offered to create an R.N.P. approach at Bradley Airport and give it to the F.A.A. for use by any airline that wanted it. It was a two-track plan to demonstrate the company’s skill at air navigation while navigating a federal bureaucracy in pursuit of more business. “We would talk to people at the top of the F.A.A., and they were completely 100 percent on board with what we need to do,” Mr. Fulton said. “But they had to communicate that to a complex bureaucracy so everyone had the same vision.” Mr. Fulton’s expertise with the technology is undisputed. As a pilot at Alaska Airlines in 1994, he helped create the first R.N.P. routes, then formed Naverus, which GE Aviation bought last year. Airlines and aviation authorities in Australia, China and Canada have used Naverus to install air traffic systems. Mr. Fulton says he hopes to win that kind of business from the F.A.A. “There’s a real skill to designing these procedures and routes, and Naverus is a real subject matter expert by a really good margin,” said John Gadzinski, an airline pilot and aviation safety consultant. Whether the Bradley Airport gamble will pay off with an F.A.A. contract to do more approaches is unclear. But after four years of planning, and an evening in the American Airlines simulator practicing the approach the night before the flight, Captain Will could not set the Boeing 737 down on Runway 15 as planned. Tail winds of 20 miles an hour required that he land from a different direction. He dismissed the last-minute change with a shrug. “From flying a very scripted GPS high-navigation-accuracy approach to this runway, we turned around and I hand-flew,” he said. “There was no magic, no computers, me hand-flying and looking out the window to fly the other way.” It could have been an allegory for the flip side of technology. “There’s always going to be things like weather,” Mr. Gadzinski said. “You get big thunderstorms and you’re back to Square 1.”

Global Positioning System
American Airlines
Navigation
Airlines and Airplanes


McDowell Shares Lead in French Open

Abstract: Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and Richard Sterne of South Africa shared a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the French Open in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. McDowell shot a one-under-par 70 while Sterne had a 71 on the tough Albatross course of Le Golf National, leaving both at five-under 208. Bernd Wiesberger of Austria (68), David Howell of England (69) and Richard Green of Australia (70) were at 209. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and Simon Dyson of England were at 210. Francesco Molinari of Italy had the day’s best round, a 67, which left him four shots back. Second-round leader Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay fell to 214 after a 78.


Take a Plunge, Soak Up Heat, Try a Scrub, Stay Off Your Feet

Abstract: IT’S a typical weekend afternoon at Body by Brooklyn , a spa in the borough’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. In the “wet room” men and women in bathing suits step in and out of the Turkish steam room, two saunas and a cold plunge pool, or sip iced drinks as they rest on reclining chairs near the Jacuzzi. Meanwhile, in the light-drenched main room, where the music is audible but not overpowering, a mix of women and men, large groups and small, perch on benches or read near the fireplace, all in soft white robes. Others sit at tables sipping cocktails or tucking into brunch dishes. Most spagoers are here spending half a day or more, and that’s exactly the point. Body by Brooklyn is one of several New York City spas offering affordable daylong getaways in relaxing environments. It’s a chance to re-energize for the new year, to clear your head before it’s time to return to the workaday world. Though all offer standard treatments like massages and body scrubs, booking one isn’t strictly necessary. Rather, you can pass the time using amenities like steam rooms, saunas and plunge pools. And lingering for as long as you like is encouraged. Body by Brooklyn, which opened four years ago, is a 10,000-square-foot space that includes a large, contemporary lounge. Guests can order sandwiches or weekend brunch created by the chef Paul Simeon of the South African restaurant Bunny Chow on the Lower East Side. There’s also a bar with plenty of creative choices, like an herb-infused wine or, for those who abstain from alcohol, a virgin ginger cosmo. Weekends here are busiest, but the 9 p.m. weekday closing time makes it a popular happy-hour alternative, and the space is large enough that you can find pockets of peace. Rachel Harris, a 27-year-old nutritionist from New Jersey, comes twice a week after work for drinks and time in the sauna with her boyfriend or other friends. “I like downtime at the end of a workday, without people breathing down my neck, and this is a great meeting spot to catch up with friends while really unwinding,” she said. Visitors to the Russian and Turkish Baths in the East Village, on the other hand, will be hard pressed to avoid interaction. The baths, which opened in 1892, follow the Russian and Turkish traditions of communal bathing. Luxury isn’t a staple here — there are small locker rooms and coarse towels — but the buzzing atmosphere in the three-story space is. In the basement there is lively chatter in the Russian sauna (warmed overnight with rocks that radiate heat of more than 160 degrees), a steam room (infused with lavender and eucalyptus), a redwood sauna and an ice-cold plunge pool. The small restaurant on the main level is full of people enjoying Russian specialties like pork stew and borscht, cooked by a woman known as Anna. Up on the roof in the summer, guests lie talking on lounge chairs. From experience, I know that solo visitors are often approached by fellow guests trying to start friendly conversation. Though sleeveless robes are handed out, women usually roam around in bikinis and men in shorts and banyas (wool hats that protect the head from the heat). Several times a week, a few hours are set aside for men or women only, and at those times nudity is the norm, said Dorina Tuberman, a co-owner. Many visitors are hard-core devotees. Katie Rodgers has spent a half-day here every week for the last two decades, and says that her consistent trips yield mental and physical benefits. “The steam and saunas have warded off the cellulite that comes with aging and relax me so much that I am always usually calm,” said Ms. Rodgers, a real estate broker in her 40s who lives in Manhattan. “Plus I’ve made some great friends, and seeing them here is another incentive to visit.” Shervin Nassi, a 22-year-old filmmaker from Long Island City, Queens, said that his twice-weekly visits for the past five months had helped him in several ways. “Coming here has given me an outlet for stopping smoking, and the heat loosens the tension in my back muscles,” he said. If the baths are a happening downtown party, Juvenex Spa in Midtown Manhattan is their more sophisticated older sibling. In a nondescript building in the heart of Koreatown, the space, open 24 hours, creates a feeling of tranquillity with its soothing music, soft green tones and the staff’s hushed voices. Only women are allowed in until 5 p.m., and those who come on a weekday morning or afternoon will probably have the wet lounge to themselves. The facilities are based on traditional thermal treatments from Asia, like the jade igloo sauna, which uses semiprecious jade stones that Koreans believe to be healing, and the baked-clay sauna, with heated floors that are said to absorb the body’s toxins. There’s also a steam room and Japanese-style soaking ponds — two warm and one cold — infused with ingredients like sake (to help increase circulation and eliminate toxins), algae (for skin rejuvenation) and neem (a natural antibacterial). Besides offering temporary refuge in the midst of the city, these spas appeal with their affordability. A day at the Russian and Turkish baths runs $30, and a package of sessions can bring down the price. With their ambience and amenities, the other two spas are comparable to high-end ones but cost far less: Body by Brooklyn is $45, with two-for-one admission on Mondays through Thursdays; Juvenex is $65. (Massages and other treatments are extra.) Ms. Harris, the nutritionist, said there was a reason she was able to visit her adopted Brooklyn hideaway so frequently: “Here I spend less than I would elsewhere, get more amenities and can stay for the entire day.”

Body by Brooklyn
Spas
Saunas
New York City
Russian and Turkish Baths
Juvenex Spa


To Ensure Future Fans, Anaheim Ducks Grow Hockey Players

Abstract: ANAHEIM, Calif. — What would Alex Kalau know of the way his parents grew up, one in speck-on-the-map Milk River, Alberta, and the other in quaint Antigonish, Nova Scotia? This is what passes for winter here: sunny, 70 degrees and not a frozen pond in sight. But like teenagers in his parents’ hometowns, Kalau, a senior at Damien High, was carrying a bag of hockey gear after school Monday night, even as swaying palm trees stood as sentries outside the Anaheim Ice rink. Southern California is an inviting environment for a family to set down roots, but not necessarily for a hockey club. So the Anaheim Ducks — the 21-year-old franchise made possible by Wayne Gretzky’s 1988 trade to the Los Angeles Kings and the Walt Disney Company’s marketing division — have gone to unusual lengths to ensure that their standing in the market is not subject to the vagaries of the N.H.L. standings. The Ducks have spent $12 million over the last six years on initiatives that would be superfluous in Minneapolis or Manitoba. They have bought and refurbished ice and roller rinks in the area, now with seven under their brand. Their top stars, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, have led free learn-how-to-play clinics. But the centerpiece of those efforts is a burgeoning high school league the Ducks started and helped bankroll. It began nearly six years ago with a single team. Now, the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League has blossomed to 28 teams in two varsity divisions and a junior varsity division. While most teams are in the Ducks’ Orange County market, schools as far away as San Jose and San Diego were among 14 added this season. “The bottom line is we want to grow the sport,” said Art Trottier, who manages the rinks and oversees the league. The Ducks, who have put together the best record in the N.H.L. so far this season and who won the Stanley Cup in 2007, are in a prosperous county of 3.1 million. Image High school students gathered for a hockey game at Anaheim Ice, one of the rinks bought and refurbished by the Anaheim Ducks for their league in and around Orange County, Calif. Credit Stuart Palley for The New York Times Shortly after Henry and Susan Samueli bought the Ducks from Disney in 2005, the new management began searching for ways to make a deeper connection with children, who might pester their parents into buying jerseys and one day grow up into season-ticket holders. Disney’s earlier efforts were to name the team after one of its Mighty Ducks movies and create a carnival atmosphere in the arena. The success of Gretzky’s Kings and the Ducks of the 2000s created interest in youth hockey in Southern California, but it often dissipated by the time children reached high school, where they could play other sports that did not require so much travel, expensive equipment or inconvenient practice times. “My kid was one of them,” Trottier said. “He quit hockey to play lacrosse.” When a group of parents from JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano approached Trottier soon after the Ducks won the Stanley Cup and asked if the club would be interested in helping finance a high school team, it was not a hard sell. The Dallas Stars, after they moved from Minnesota, started a similar initiative in 1997, and their Texas league had 42 teams this season. “It’s critical to expose the sport to more youth, and as we’ve seen for the past six years, the demand is high,” said Michael Schulman, the Ducks’ chief executive. “We hope these kids turn into Ducks fans, which is already evident.” A school’s involvement usually begins with a parent’s contacting Trottier, who then meets with school officials, laying out what the program entails. The Ducks purchase all the equipment for three years. By the fourth year, the school’s team forms a board of directors that raises money and sets dues. By the fifth year, a program is on its own. Interest shows no sign of flagging. Trottier plans to meet on Monday with St. John Bosco High, a football powerhouse in Bellflower, about starting a program, and he has fielded inquiries from schools in Palm Springs and in Carlsbad. Taking ownership of the rinks has allowed the Ducks to manage ice time, though Trottier said it remained the greatest challenge. Each team typically practices twice a week at the Ducks rink that is nearest its school. But rinks must be shared among youth leagues, adult leagues and other skaters. Schulman said the Ducks planned to add rinks. Playing club hockey at the highest level, which requires travel, can cost $20,000 a year per player. Even for less ambitious teams, it costs about $5,000 a player. Playing in the Ducks’ league typically costs about half that. The Ducks supply home and away uniforms, with the school colors and logo, but also with a small Ducks patch. Gloves, socks, helmets, bags and goalie pads are also taken care of. A pair of former Ducks coached in the private-school division: Craig Johnson of Santa Margarita, which defeated JSerra for the 1-A championship on Thursday, and Jason Marshall of Orange Lutheran. Arne Pappin, the Damien coach, worked as a video coach for the Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994 and later followed Mike Keenan to the St. Louis Blues. The Capistrano Valley coach, Darren Gardner, whose team won the predominantly public-school 2-A title, played minor league hockey and coached a Phoenix Coyotes youth club. In past years, goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who led the Ducks to two Stanley Cup finals, and defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who was recently inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, were coaches in the league. Image Jason Marshall, who played for the Ducks, coaches Orange Lutheran, one of 28 teams this season in the team’s league, which stretches to San Jose and to San Diego. Credit Stuart Palley for The New York Times “You’re not getting tennis-shoe dads,” said Rob O’Rourke, a longtime club coach who leads a Long Beach team that draws from the six schools in its district. “The guys coaching have either played at a high level or coached for a long time.” As with sports like soccer and basketball, there is a push-pull relationship between clubs and high school team commitments. Clubs typically play on Sundays, so the Ducks’ league has scheduled its games mostly on Friday nights and Saturdays. Nevertheless, conflicts are inevitable, more often leaving the high school coaches to juggle lineups or adjust practices. “The ideal scenario is for all players to play high school and do away with club in California,” Gardner said. “The reality is that won’t occur.” But this conflict speaks to the rapid rise of the Ducks’ hockey league, he added. Several coaches said the top players in the league were as good as anywhere else in the country. Santa Margarita won the high school national championship last year with a roster that included two sons of the Ducks star Teemu Selanne. “The kids that play are all in,” Gardner said. “They live it, they breathe it and they sleep it, just like other parts of the country. The difference is in the Midwest, you go to the rink, the park, school — it’s all the same faces. Here, it’s more transient. It’s community versus commuter.” On the same patch of ice, you might find a player like Jake Silberstein, the alternate captain of Servite High. He and his two brothers were introduced to the sport as children by their father, John, who was hooked on the game when his law firm bought season tickets in the Ducks’ first season. Silberstein has played high-level club hockey, but his future is more likely in music, and college will soon beckon. Still, he says he relishes the brotherhood fostered by playing hockey for his school. “Everybody’s invested in it,” he said. In that sense, Silberstein is not so different from Kalau, the Damien High senior, who hopes to play in college and the N.H.L. When Kalau helped lead Damien to a 5-3 victory over Huntington Beach for a berth in the 2-A final, a couple of hundred fans roared as the players came off the ice. Friends came down from the stands to high-five them when they left the ice. “You wouldn’t see that” in club hockey, Kalau said, noting that mostly family members attend those games. “The level of play isn’t the same out here, but there’s a strong bond playing with your friends at school,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to be an athlete on campus.”


Thai Man Will Serve Up to 5 Years for Attacking U.S. Tourist

Abstract: MANILA — A Thai man will serve a maximum of five years in prison after pleading guilty to obscene behavior and causing serious injury to a New York tourist, who fell off a cliff in southern Thailand as she fled his initial attack, the authorities said on Friday. The man, Apai Ruangwong, 28, was sentenced this month to 10 years in prison in the province of Krabi for the attack on the tourist, Hannah Gavios , after offering to guide her to her hotel, but the punishment was cut in half because he pleaded guilty. Ms. Gavios, 23, broke her spine in the fall. Although she can now move her legs, she still has no feeling in her ankles, feet and backside, said her mother, Gwen Gavios. She remains hospitalized in New York and is learning to walk using crutches and custom leg braces. Doctors said her condition may improve as the nerves regenerate. Family members were disappointed by the five-year sentence for Mr. Apai, noting that Ms. Gavios will suffer the consequences of the attack for the rest of her life. Image Hannah Gavios in Vietnam in an undated photo. Credit Hannah Gavios “I am dismayed that it is automatically cut down to five years because of a guilty plea,” Ms. Gavios’s mother said by email. The verdict will become final 30 days after sentencing — the exact date of the sentencing was not announced — and during that time both sides can appeal the length of the sentence, said Somchai Buakiri, a provincial prosecutor in Krabi. Ms. Gavios, who was teaching English in Vietnam, had taken a short trip to Krabi, a popular destination. On her first evening there, she asked for help from a tourist shop in finding her way back to her hotel. Mr. Apai guided her into the woods and began attacking her. She escaped but fell off a 150-foot cliff near the beach. She lay in the dark for hours, unable to move and calling for help. Her assailant found her, groped her, masturbated over her and prayed before finally getting help. Thailand has remained popular with visitors despite a series of attacks on tourists in recent years, including the murder of two British tourists and the rape of two Frenchwomen .


Man Arrested in Newark Airport Security Breach

Abstract: The man who is believed to have slipped into a secured area of Newark Liberty International Airport and to have caused a six-hour shutdown of a major terminal on Sunday has been arrested, Port Authority officials said on Friday night. The man, Haisong Jiang, 28, was taken into custody at 7:30 p.m. at his home in Piscataway, N.J., according a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The agency said he would be charged with defiant trespass. Mr. Jiang was held at the authority’s administration building at the airport until about midnight, when he was released on his own recognizance and issued a summons to appear in Newark Municipal Court next week, said Paul M. Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County district attorney’s office. “With this arrest, law enforcement will be able to take a closer look into how and why this incident occurred, and make sure that it never happens again,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey said in a statement. However, speaking later to The Associated Press, Mr. Lautenberg called the charge a “slap on the wrist.” Mr. Loriquet characterized defiant trespass as a “petty disorderly persons offense” that carried a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail. He said that federal authorities had examined the case, determined that “no federal statutes applied,” and deferred to local officials. The shutdown of one of the main terminals, the C Terminal, after the security breach on Sunday stranded thousands of travelers and caused flight delays that continued into Monday morning. Mr. Jiang’s arrest came a day after a video showing security footage of the incident was released by Mr. Lautenberg. It shows a man in a light-colored jacket standing near where arriving passengers exit a secured part of the airport. When a security guard leaves his post, the man embraces a woman and slips across the rope into the secured part of the terminal. The two then walk away together. Mr. Lautenberg said Mr. Jiang, who is Chinese, is a graduate student at Rutgers University. The school’s Web site lists him as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine. A neighbor of Mr. Jiang’s, Gene Wells, 53, said that he lived in a four-bedroom colonial-style house with several other students. Mr. Wells described them as “very, very quiet, good students that never had any parties there.” The security guard has been on administrative leave since Tuesday, and he faces disciplinary action, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Derrick F. Thomas, a national vice president with union representing the guard, told The A.P. that the guard has “been rated a model employee.”

Newark Liberty International Airport (NJ)


Putting Price on Flights of Fantasy

Abstract: MY husband and I struggle to stay in sync financially — which is being polite about it. We have ironed out most of the day-to-day issues, like who pays the bills (his job) and who monitors our cash flow (my job). We have even managed to divide up bigger chores, like who handles health insurance and medical bills (he does), and who oversees our retirement account (I do). These are major accomplishments in the financial harmony department, and I am not knocking them. I know couples who can barely discuss the price of a cup of coffee. But my husband and I get stuck in a rut — our wheels spinning futilely, frustration and despair escalating as our blood pressure rises — whenever we look toward the 5-, 10- or even 20-year horizon. I use the word “we” loosely, as I’m the one who typically pushes these bigger-picture discussions. My husband loathes them, and not just because I am a slightly obsessive worrier-planner type and he is not. He tends to view any sort of forward-thinking money-oriented talk with unease, as if ambition might lead to avarice. That is an exaggeration, perhaps, but our conflict is real. For him the idea of aiming for a higher income or a better quality of life seems like wanting money for money’s sake, stuff for the sake of status. I think financial planning is necessary for comfort, security — and yes, a little shopping. Is a dollop of status so bad? After all, we relocated to a small rural town last year, shortly after our son was born. Social climbers we are not. But putting aside our longstanding feud over materialism — shouldn’t every marriage have an unresolved money issue? — I keep looking for ways to bridge the common ground that we do have. We may define financial progress in different ways, but the dynamic does shift. My husband recently announced that we needed disability insurance. Was he kidnapped by Wall Street traders? No, this is a natural part of the financial maturation process, which happens sooner in some species than in others. So with 2008 stretching out before us, I recently asked my dear nonplanner: If you could have the best possible financial year, what would it look like? We were in the car, on a long drive, with my son asleep in the back. It was a good time to wax philosophical, and to my surprise my husband went with the playfulness of it. He announced that first we would take a long vacation, then we would lose that last five pounds of debt that seemed so hard to shed. I lobbied for a Honda Element and stuffing our retirement accounts to the brim. It was fun, actually. A little fantasy makes the medicine go down. It did not even feel like a financial talk — even when I brought money into the picture. I was not planning to. But as we tossed these notions back and forth about what a better life might look like, I suggested that we try to figure out what the whole package might cost. If A represented our current standard of living and B represented the New Improved Version, what was the dollar difference between A and B? Was it $10,000 more a year, $20,000, $150,000? I like geeky exercises like this, but I also was curious to see if the tab would be within the range of possibility or would one of us have to start a hedge fund? It is so easy to slip into the lottery mentality — that we would need a windfall of millions to afford a terrific quality of life or even a banner year. Or, to my husband’s fear, that soul-sucking greed would consume us. So it was heartening to do a quick tally — to finance our retirement accounts would require an additional $9,000 a year, a trip would cost about $7,000, and so forth — and realize that the total bill for improvements amounted to about $35,000 a year more than we earn now. Given that my husband has been the stay-at-home dad this last year and just started working part time, that number did not seem beyond the pale. Was it possible we had come up with an estimate for a life that, to each of us, would feel like enough? I have a hankering for a pied-à-terre in a culture-rich city, but I did not mention it because I did not want to wreck our first successful financial planning talk. At least we discovered that we can agree upon, and maybe even afford, certain crucial upgrades. For now, that is enough.

Finances
Retirement
Pensions and Retirement Plans


1MDB Case Hangs Over Goldman Sachs as Investigators Dig for Answers

Abstract: Even as Goldman Sachs is gaining a more prominent profile in the administration of Donald J. Trump, the Wall Street investment firm is undergoing scrutiny in an investigation in a sprawling international money laundering and embezzlement scheme. Prosecutors have said that billions of dollars that Goldman raised for a Malaysian government investment fund — known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB — were channeled into a web of personal bank accounts and was ultimately used to buy paintings, luxury real estate and investment stakes in movies like “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Investigators are now questioning what Goldman knew about the final use of the money. Goldman has said it believed the money was being used to buy legitimate assets for the investment fund, which was run in part by the Malaysian government and its embattled prime minister, Najib Razak. In recent months, lawyers for Goldman have presented information about its dealings with the Malaysian fund to federal prosecutors and the New York Department of Financial Services, according to people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly about private meetings. One such meeting took place recently at the Justice Department in Washington. The next meeting is set to take place in Washington in January, the people said. The 1MDB case has become a signature campaign in the global effort by prosecutors to crack down on kleptocracy and the relative ease with which the superwealthy move their money beyond the oversight of government authorities. The Justice Department has been particularly interested in the role that American banks and law firms have played in hiding the assets of the superwealthy. Outside the United States, Singapore’s central bank recently said that it was barring Tim Leissner, the main Goldman banker who worked with the Malaysian investment fund, from the local securities industry. This week, an employee of a Swiss bank was found guilty in a Singapore court of trying to obstruct the investigation into the case. Two other Swiss bankers involved in the case have already pleaded guilty in Singapore. And on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the highest ranking officials at Goldman, including the firm’s former president, Gary Cohn, were tracking and approving the transactions with 1MDB. Mr. Cohn was recently appointed to be President-elect Trump’s top economic adviser and the director of the National Economic Council. Mr. Cohn could not be reached for comment. Goldman Sachs and the Justice Department declined to comment. During the campaign, Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized Goldman Sachs for its ties to the global financial elite. But since his election, Mr. Trump has relied heavily on Goldman executives. In addition to Mr. Cohn’s appointment, Mr. Trump has picked a Goldman veteran and hedge fund manager, Steven T. Mnuchin, to be his Treasury Secretary and made another alumnus of the firm, Stephen K. Bannon, his top strategist. The 1MDB case hangs over Goldman at a time when its fortunes are otherwise looking up after many hard years. The firm has faced significant reputational damage after criticism that it profited from the subprime mortgage crisis. The company has also struggled under a raft of new regulations imposed on the financial industry after the mortgage meltdown. Image The Malaysian government investment fund 1MDB was run in part by its embattled prime minister, Najib Razak. Credit Mohd Rasfan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images But since Mr. Trump’s election, investors have been betting that Mr. Trump will roll back some of the legislation that has hit Goldman particularly hard. Mr. Trump’s economic plans could also benefit the firm if interest rates rise and banks are able to charge more for loans. Goldman’s shares have shot up more sharply than the broader market and other bank stocks. Since the election, Goldman’s stock price has risen nearly 32 percent. On the international front, a British judge ruled in Goldman’s favor in October after a trial on accusations that the firm had pushed Libya’s sovereign wealth fund into costly, improper investments. In the 1MDB case, there have been no clear signs that the United States government is putting together a criminal case against Goldman or any of its executives. The recent meetings in Washington between Goldman and the Justice Department may have just been an opportunity for the firm to help the government gather material about other targets in the 1MDB investigation, of which there are many. The Federal Reserve is also said to be reviewing the situation. This summer, the Justice Department took the first public steps toward seizing $1 billion in assets that it says were moved to the United States after being taken from 1MDB by family and friends of Mr. Najib, the prime minister. The Malaysian government has said that no money from 1MDB was misappropriated. This fall, the government arrested a critic of the prime minister who publicly disclosed classified information about the 1MDB investigation. Jack Blum, a lawyer who led corruption investigations for several Senate committees, said that Goldman should have done a thorough investigation of what 1MDB was doing with the money that the bank helped it raise and move around the world, especially given the history of corruption in Malaysia. “It is a very serious problem when a company is making a hell of a lot of money out of something and everybody in the place says, ‘I don’t know about it,’” Mr. Blum said. Mr. Blum said that assigning legal blame in situations like the 1MDB case was generally hard because it would be difficult to prove that Goldman executives knew what was going to happen with the money before it happened. Goldman has looked to distance itself from Mr. Leissner, who was at the center of the bank’s relationship with the Malaysian government. Mr. Leissner, who is married to the American fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons, left Goldman in January after the firm found a letter that Mr. Leissner wrote, on Goldman letterhead, vouching for Jho Low, a close associate of the Malaysian prime minister and a central target of various government investigations. The Journal reported on Thursday that Goldman bankers helped Mr. Low transfer some $3 billion to a small Swiss bank, despite several red flags raised by the Swiss bank and lawyers. The billions of dollars were raised for 1MDB by Goldman in multiple bond transactions that earned the bank outsize fees. The fees were large enough that they needed to get approval from top Goldman executives, including Mr. Cohn, The Journal reported. In June, the New York State Department of Financial Services wrote a letter to Goldman asking for information about the proceeds of the bond sales “including, but not limited to, whether any ‘red flags’ existed concerning such payments.”

1MDB
Malaysia
Najib Razak
Justice Department
Gary Cohn
Goldman Sachs Group


Junk Bonds: Never Stodgy and Steadier Than You Might Think

Abstract: At first glance, high-yield bond funds had a strong start to 2016 with a first-quarter gain of 2 percent. But if you were paying closer attention, the ride was anything but smooth. In the first six weeks of the year, the largest high-yield bond fund, BlackRock High Yield Bond, lost 4.6 percent, and the biggest exchange-traded fund, iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond, shed more than 5 percent. During that time, the Vanguard Total Bond Market index fund, the largest fund that sticks with stodgy Treasuries and other high-grade bonds, gained 2.4 percent. The steep losses through mid-February were the latest illustration that high-yield bonds are an unequivocal failure when it comes to delivering on the classic role of fixed-income investments: ballast that steadies your portfolio when stocks are off on one of their depressive jags. While it makes perfect sense to shun high-yield bonds — also known as junk bonds — for the part of your portfolio that you rely on for stability and predictability, completely swearing off junk could be a failure of portfolio imagination. Junk bonds can play a useful role, as part of the riskier, stock side of your portfolio. In that context, junk bonds are fairly reliable, delivering higher income than dividend-paying stocks. For example, the Vanguard High-Yield Corporate bond fund has a current yield near 6 percent, compared with 3.2 percent for the Vanguard High Dividend Yield index fund. The lofty income payouts of high-yield bonds have been the major driver of equitylike total returns over long stretches. From 1983 through the end of 2015, the 8.8 percent annualized return of an index of high-yield bonds captured 80 percent of the gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, with about half the volatility of the stock index. An analysis by AllianceBernstein found that if you kept 75 percent in stocks over that stretch and moved the other 25 percent into high-yield bonds, the 10.4 percent annualized return trailed the all-stock return by less than a half a percentage point, while clocking in with 16 percent less volatility than the all-stock portfolio. “There’s a pervasive attitude that high yield is scary, but that misses the big opportunity,” said Gershon Distenfeld, director of high yield at AllianceBernstein. “Used in place of stocks it dampens your volatility without costing you much in return.” And junk is one of the better value propositions among riskier asset classes these days. After a sharp sell-off throughout much of 2015 , the yield on an index of high-yield bonds at the end of the first quarter was 8.4 percent, about two percentage points higher than a year ago. The total return for a traditional mutual fund or an E.T.F. is the sum of the income yield plus any changes in the underlying price of bonds in the portfolio. Higher yields provide more cushion against falling prices during market downturns. Starting from today’s higher yields, Payson Swaffield, chief income investment officer at Eaton Vance, thinks we are at the beginning of a new cycle of positive junk returns that could last a few years. One way to measure value is to compare interest payouts. The long-term trend is that junk yields are on average 5.25 percentage points higher than yields from Treasuries. Right now this so-called spread is seven percentage points, meaning investors are getting paid more than the historical norm to dip a toe into the junk bond market. Mr. Swaffield found that in the two dozen times since the late 1980s when the spread was that wide, the annualized total return for high yield over the next three years ranged from 8 to 16 percent. Even sticking to the low side of that analysis, junk looks attractive relative to stocks. More than seven years into this bull market, stocks are anything but cheap, especially the high-yielding dividend payers that income investors have flocked to in a world where quality bonds yield next to nothing, or less . The 19.2 price-earnings ratio for the iShares Select Dividend E.T.F. is about 20 percent higher than the long-term market norm. The higher the P/E ratio, the worse the value. Robust economic growth could in turn spur solid earnings growth, which would help stocks post strong returns from today’s lofty levels, but that isn’t expected. S&P Capital IQ, a research firm that serves the financial industry, projects that the S.&P. 500 will post 1 percent earnings growth this year. “An economy that feels like it is running through mud doesn’t look good for stocks at current valuations,” said Raymond Kennedy, a portfolio manager of the Hotchkis & Wiley High Yield fund. “But high yield can do well in a slow-growth economy.” As long as cash flow remains positive, high-yield issuers can make interest payments even if earnings growth slows to a crawl. Research Affiliates, a global asset allocation and investment company, forecasts that today’s high stock valuations and low growth expectations could translate into an inflation-adjusted 1.4 percent annualized return for the S.&P. 500 over the next 10 years. The expected return for junk bonds is 3.4 percent, the firm estimated. Investors may have begun to notice that mismatch; Morningstar reports that high-yield mutual funds and E.T.F.s had net inflows of $4 billion in February, the first positive month since October. While junk bonds are generally less volatile than stocks, don’t presume this will be a placid cruise. Defaults are always a front-and-center concern. In a recent analysis that made the case for junk being one of the better asset values in the market, Ben Inker, co-head of asset allocation at GMO, noted that the 4.6 percent average default rate for the bonds since 1988 ranges from a high of 15 percent to a low of less than 1 percent. Defaults are expected to rise this year from 2015’s 3.5 percent pace. Junk issues tied to energy, metals and mining represent about 18 percent of the value of outstanding junk debt. Mr. Swaffield of Eaton Vance said the entire junk market is currently trading at a level that prices in a default rate of about 18 percent — as if everything linked to the battered commodities market were doomed. Moody’s forecasts an overall default rate of 4.7 percent over the next 12 months, a bit lower than the 6 percent projected by Eaton Vance. With a hypothetical 6 percent default rate, the damage to a broad junk portfolio would be about 3.6 percentage points based on typical net losses on defaulted high-yield bonds. If you’re starting at a yield of 7 or 8 percent, a 3.6 percentage point cut still leaves you with a return of around 4 percent. And there’s the potential for actively managed funds backed by a team of credit analysts to sidestep some of the carnage. Last year as junk came under pressure from commodity-related defaults and investors running for the exits, two-thirds of actively managed junk funds did better than their benchmark index, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. There’s also the “law of small numbers” to contend with, said Carl Kaufman, a manager of the Osterweis Strategic Income fund. “With growth already anemic, any disappointing news, no matter how small, will trigger an amazing amount of volatility,” he added. A shift in the trading mechanics of the junk market is also fueling volatility. The role of banks as middlemen in the bond market has diminished since the financial crisis. That has made bond trading a choppier endeavor. For example, after falling 4.5 percent in the first six weeks of this year, high-yield bonds then rallied to a near 7 percent gain over the next four weeks. “I’ve never seen whipping around like this,” said Mr. Kennedy, who has been running portfolios with high-yield bonds for 30 years. “Volatility is here to stay,” he said. “But if you’re willing to close your eyes for a few years you are going to do well.”

Junk Bonds
Mutual fund
Asset allocation
Stocks,Bonds


New York Comedy Festival Bargains in Queens

Abstract: The ninth annual New York Comedy Festival concludes this weekend, with several big-name comics headlining a few brand-name clubs at accordingly high, though not necessarily unjustifiable, ticket prices. For those who’d rather maximize their laughs per dollar, the Miser has dug up one of the festival’s most thrifty options. The Creek and the Cave , a new restaurant, lounge and comedy club in Long Island City, Queens, just one stop from Midtown Manhattan on the No. 7 train, is hosting several lower-key shows in the festival. On Friday night at 10, “Say Anything” will feature a half-dozen comics strictly observing the ground rule, or lack thereof, implied by the show’s title. It should be an evening not for the faint of heart, or stomach. On Saturday night at 8, “We’re All Friends Here” will feature a hybrid stand-up show and discussion, with short sets followed by a freewheeling interview with each comic. On Sunday night at 7:30, the comedy team and club regulars “Froduce” will perform sketch improv. And at 10, you can join “Conspiracy Theory Live With Jesse Ventura,” which the Miser is pretty positive does not, in fact, star that former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler, for a special “investigation.” Into what, we can only guess. Admission to each show is $10 (not including a small service charge). The club will be announcing lineup additions and special guest appearances via its Twitter feed, and interspersed among the “official” New York Comedy Festival shows are still more sets, including open mikes, many of them free. With dinner from the club’s affordable, Mexican-leaning menu, you can easily make a night, or weekend, of it. (Friday through Sunday, 10-93 Jackson Avenue, between 11th Street and 49th Avenue, Long Island City, Queens; (718) 706-8783, creeklic.com .) A TASTE OF SAUSAGE Some East Village institutions, like the original Second Avenue Deli and Kiev Restaurant, have moved or closed. But a handful of hardy souls like Julian Baczynsky, the 89-year-old proprietor of the East Village Meat Market , have managed to weather that neighborhood’s transformation from its Jewish and Eastern European immigrant roots to a decidedly more cosmopolitan hipster hot spot. It could be those same hipsters’ seemingly insatiable hunger for ever more authentic and traditional cuisines that’s kept the few lingering Old World institutions in business. On Saturday, as part of the closing weekend of Meat Week NYC , a free tasting of Mr. Baczynsky’s Polish and Ukrainian kielbasa, veal loaf and supposedly to-die-for country ham will be offered. And for the few extra dollars you’ll save, it’s probably wise to pick up some staples like blintzes and borscht while you’re there. (Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 139 Second Avenue, between St. Marks Place and Ninth Street, East Village; (212) 228-5590, meatweeknyc.com .)

Creek and the Cave The (Queens NY Restaurant)


Deesha Dyer, a Former Music Writer, Is Named President’s Social Secretary

Abstract: Deesha Dyer, a former music and hip-hop culture writer, has been selected as President Obama’s new social secretary, overseeing the parties and public events held almost daily at the White House. Ms. Dyer, 37, who spent the past two years as the deputy social secretary, will fill the position to be vacated by Jeremy Bernard , the first man and the first openly gay person to serve in that role. By choosing Ms. Dyer, the White House is drawing from a group of people who have been working for the Obamas since early in the administration. She began in the White House in 2009, as an intern in the Office of Scheduling and Advance. Two years earlier she had gone back to school to earn an associate degree in women’s studies from a community college in Philadelphia, after working as an assistant at a real estate investment trust and writing freelance articles about rap music for publications like The Philadelphia City Paper. After Ms. Dyer began working at the White House, she quickly ascended to more senior roles in the scheduling office, and traveled with the president and first lady to handle news media, lodging and site logistics. Her promotion comes after several high-profile departures in the East Wing. Mr. Bernard, for his last act as social secretary, will manage a state dinner this month for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. Ms. Dyer will oversee the arrangements for a state dinner for President Xi Jinping of China this year. In a statement, President Obama said that Ms. Dyer represented the diversity in race, gender and socioeconomic backgrounds outside the Washington beltway. “Deesha shares our commitment to a White House that reflects America’s history, highlights our culture and celebrates all Americans,” he said. “Michelle and I look forward to working with her in this new role as we welcome visitors from across the country and around the world to the people’s house.” Ms. Dyer is also the creator of a hip-hop AIDS program based in Philadelphia, and serves as a mentor for Michelle Obama’s program for high school girls.

Deesha Dyer
Jeremy Bernard
Barack Obama
Appointments and Executive Changes


Raising Floor for Minimum Wage Pushes Economy Into the Unknown

Abstract: WASHINGTON — The fight for a $15 minimum wage has gained momentum in New York, California and other places around the country in recent months. But as a national strategy to raise incomes at the bottom of the pay scale, it faces major obstacles, both political and economic. In many states, particularly those governed by Republicans in the South and the Midwest, there is little chance of raising the minimum wage above the federal level , which has stood at $7.25 since 2009. Congressional Democrats have introduced a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $12 by 2020, but Republicans typically argue that raising the wage floor costs jobs and hurts the very people it is intended to help. Even where the proposals are politically viable, the economic challenge could prove daunting. That is because the sheer magnitude of the recent minimum wage increases sets up an economics experiment the country has rarely if ever seen before. “There could be quite large shares of workers affected, and research doesn’t have a lot to say about that,” said Jared Bernstein, a former White House economist now at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities who generally favors higher minimum wages. “We can’t assume that because the proposal is out of sample it’s going to blow up. But we have to be less certain about the outcome.” A number of researchers have found that modestly higher minimum wages can raise incomes for low-wage workers without reducing the number of jobs in an area. Their evidence rests largely on comparisons between neighboring areas with different minimum wages. The seminal study in this vein examined fast-food restaurants on both sides of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border before and after New Jersey raised its minimum wage in the early 1990s. It found no evidence that employment there fell as a result. While economists using other methods continue to find a range of job losses, some of their recent estimates of losses in the restaurant business tend to be small. But the $15-an-hour proposals go far beyond the experience of the last few decades, and the recommendations of a panel appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to raise the minimum wage for workers at fast-food chains to such a level thrust New York State to the forefront of the current experiment. To appreciate the nature of the recommendations, which the state’s acting labor commissioner is expected to formally accept within the next few months, it is helpful to compare the new fast-food minimum wage to the wage of a typical worker in a given metropolitan area, an exercise that is common among economists. The closer the minimum wage is to the median wage — the amount earned by workers in the middle of the pay scale — the greater the likely impact, for better or worse, though the effect of singling out one industry is unclear. Based on projections from government data, the proposed $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers could represent more than 60 percent of the wage of a typical New York City worker when it takes effect at the end of 2018, though rising wages for middle-income workers could diminish that figure somewhat. Such a ratio lies at the outer limit of the country’s historical experience with the minimum wage, at least before the recent increases in cities like Seattle and Los Angeles , most of which have yet to be fully phased in. In 2003, a citywide minimum wage increase in Santa Fe, N.M., was roughly as steep, though it exempted small businesses. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the local minimum wage stood at over 60 percent of the local median wage in several Southern and low-population states thanks to increases in the federal minimum wage , according to data compiled by Ben Zipperer of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Several economic analyses of the Santa Fe increase suggested it had little effect on employment, while the effects of the earlier increases have not been extensively studied with modern tools. Still, as ambitious as the proposed increase is for fast-food workers in New York City, it pales in comparison to the increase in the rest of the state, where the new $15-per-hour minimum for fast-food workers would take effect in July 2021. The minimum wage for fast-food workers could rise to 75 percent or more of the wage for a typical worker in a number of cities across the state, like Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica. There is little precedent for an increase of this magnitude. There are other reasons to believe that employers in expensive cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are better able to adapt than employers in other cities and less populated areas, economists say. Most important, because rent is far more expensive in these cities, wages are a smaller fraction of a business’s overall costs. A given increase in the minimum wage typically has a smaller effect on the bottom line of a business there than in an area with cheaper rent. Likewise, businesses in high-cost cities often have transient customers who are less price-sensitive, making it easier for them to partly offset higher wages through price increases. “Some of these cities are tourist destinations,” said David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute. “Folks go and spend the money anyway.” Businesses in less-frequently visited places do not have the same luxury. Wanda Austin-Peters, who owned a Subway franchise in Albany for 10 years until she sold it in May, said labor normally accounted for 50 percent or more of her costs in a given year — relatively high compared with an industry average of around one-third . She added that she had little ability to raise prices. “It would be stupid to charge $7 for a footlong sandwich that everyone else has for $5,” Ms. Austin-Peters said. “There’s a Subway cropping up in every corner.” Even when they don’t lead to job losses over all, minimum wage increases can be disruptive , driving a number of operations out of business even as they give rise to a largely offsetting increase in new businesses and jobs. The businesses best suited to the higher-wage world often lean more heavily on machines than their competitors or derive greater economic benefits from paying their workers a higher wage. Cole Hardware, a chain of five Bay Area stores, four of which are in San Francisco, is an example of the latter. Rick Karp, the owner, said his business was largely unaffected when the local minimum wage rose to $12.25 per hour in May because his lowest-paid employees already made $13 per hour, while veteran workers made $17 and higher. According to Mr. Karp, paying higher wages has reduced turnover and allowed him to provide higher-quality service with employees who are more experienced. “If you come into our business, we want our staff to recognize you, treat you as a friend,” he said. “We can’t do that with minimum-wage employees.” Mr. Karp, who estimated that his prices were about 10 percent higher than those at Amazon, his most intense competitor, said he believed that his customers were willing to pay a small premium in return for knowledgeable and personal service . “We’ll spend 20 minutes with you helping to find a faucet washer or an expensive grill,” he said. “It’s a different experience.” A number of studies co-written by the Berkeley economist Michael Reich show that mandated wage increases for low-income workers do significantly reduce turnover. Other studies show that the cost savings can be substantial. Still, the uncertainty of the new $15-per-hour world is why even economists relatively sympathetic to minimum wage increases, like Arindrajit Dube, Mr. Reich’s frequent collaborator, argue that it makes the most sense to treat cities like New York and San Francisco differently from other parts of their states, to say nothing of less populous states where wages are much lower. Others, like David Neumark, an economist at the University of California, Irvine who has long emphasized the costs of minimum wage increases, argue that it would be far more efficient to help lift people out of poverty using wage subsidies like the earned-income tax credit than to rely on the minimum wage, which frequently helps workers in families whose incomes are already above the poverty level. Recent research suggests that the earned-income tax credit is highly effective at reducing poverty, although far fewer people claim it than are eligible, often because the working poor have little experience claiming tax benefits. Activists say they have nothing against measures like the tax credit, though they say that Congress is not exactly tripping over itself to expand the credit, whereas organized political action can raise the minimum wage today. In any case, they add, the narrow economic logic of the minimum wage misses the broader rationale for their efforts. “Raising the minimum wage for everyone says something profound and profoundly good about the society we want to live in,” said Dan Cantor, national director of the Working Families Party, which has helped secure minimum wage increases in several cities and states across the country. “That all work has dignity and worth, and people deserve a living wage.”

Minimum wage
New York
California
Jobs
US Economy
Rural area
NYC
Fast food
Layoffs


Pearce Takes Some Runs

Abstract: The former snowboard champion Kevin Pearce rode again 712 days after an accident on the halfpipe nearly took his life. Pearce, 24, took three mellow runs down the hill with friends and fans in Breckenridge, Colo. Pearce sustained severe head trauma in a training accident Dec. 31, 2009. Some doctors suggested he would never ride again.


Britain: Same-Sex Couples Marry Under New Law

Abstract: Some gay couples in Britain waited decades for the right to get married. When the opportunity came, it took just a few minutes to make history, and Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway of London were among the first to marry as Britain’s new marriage law, approved last July, went into effect early Saturday. The two men married in front of about 100 guests at their local town hall in the London borough of Camden — one of several places holding late-night ceremonies to mark the occasion. It was a sign of a profound shift in attitudes in a country that little more than a decade ago had a law on the books banning the “promotion” of homosexuality. Same-sex marriage has been welcomed with enthusiasm by Britain’s Conservative-led government. Rainbow flags went up over two government buildings on Friday in what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called “a small symbol to celebrate a massive achievement.” Image Tanya Ward, right, and Nikki Pettit, among the first gay couples to legally marry in Brighton, were showered on Saturday. Credit Leon Neal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Same-Sex Marriage,Gay Marriage
Great Britain


YouTube to Introduce Limited Film Rental Service

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube made its long-awaited entry on Wednesday into the business of online movie rentals. But do not expect to be able to stream to your PC the latest Hollywood blockbuster or even a flick from a studio’s dusty catalog of classics. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is introducing its rental service with just five movies, all from independent filmmakers. By comparison, Netflix gives its customers the choice of thousands of films, and most cable operators offer their customers large catalogs of on-demand films. More movies will come to the YouTube service later, but the company did not say when or what films it may offer. Still, YouTube’s decision to dip its toes in online rentals represents a significant, if expected, shift for the online video site. YouTube has thrived by offering an eclectic collection of free video clips and earns most of its revenue from advertising. YouTube already offers some older, full-length movies on its site free. Last summer, YouTube held discussions with major studios, including Lionsgate Entertainment, Sony and Warner Brothers, in an attempt to obtain newer offerings for a planned rental service. In the fall, YouTube conducted a test of the rental service with some content from studios, but the test was available only to Google employees, according to two people with knowledge of the test who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. YouTube declined to confirm the talks with studios or the test. A studio executive, who also could not speak publicly, said that Hollywood was always concerned about cannibalizing existing distribution deals. But the executive said that his company would be willing to make some movies available for rental on YouTube on terms similar to those available to services like Apple’s iTunes, Netflix or cable operators. Some analysts have questioned whether Hollywood movies would appeal to most of the audience at YouTube, which is better known for its broad selection of short clips. YouTube is unveiling the rental service in conjunction with the start of the Sundance Film Festival . All five films offered for rent on YouTube are part of the festival this year or were shown at the event last year. “YouTube had a very close relationship with the independent film community since we launched,” said Sara Pollack, entertainment market manager for YouTube. Ms. Pollack said that the number of people watching videos online has grown quickly and that YouTube wanted “to offer a way for filmmakers to connect with these audiences.” Ms. Pollack said that only a tiny fraction of the films submitted at Sundance were able to find some form of commercial distribution, and that YouTube would provide a new outlet for independent filmmakers. The rentals — “The Cove,” “Bass Ackwards,” “One Too Many Mornings,” “Homewrecker” and “Children of Invention” — will cost $3.99 and will be available only from Friday to the end of the film festival on Jan. 31. Renters will pay for the movies using Google’s Checkout online payment service. Ms. Pollack described the service as “in beta,” programmer’s lingo for products that are still being tested. YouTube said it planned to add other content to the rental service soon, including educational, health and fitness-related videos. It also said it would begin a program called “Filmmakers Wanted” that would allow other independent producers to make their films available to YouTube. Filmmakers will be able to determine the rental price of the movies and would keep the majority of the revenue collected, YouTube said.

Recordings and Downloads (Video)
Computers and the Internet
YouTube.com
Sundance Film Festival (Park City Utah)


Law Expanding New York City Taxi System Overturned by Court

Abstract: A State Supreme Court justice on Friday rebuffed the Bloomberg administration’s plan to expand street hail service beyond Manhattan, signaling an uncertain future for livery taxis in the city and a victory for the yellow-cab industry, which has vigorously opposed the plan. Justice Arthur F. Engoron, of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, said that the city had violated the home-rule provisions of the State Constitution because the plan was written into law by the State Legislature after the Bloomberg administration had been stymied by the City Council. The city had defended taking the plan to the Legislature by arguing that the policy was of state concern. The law had authorized the city to issue up to 18,000 “hail licenses” for northern Manhattan and the other boroughs. The measure required that 20 percent of the new vehicles be wheelchair accessible. The law also allowed the city to issue 2,000 medallions for wheelchair-accessible yellow taxis, which were expected to generate $1 billion for the city at auction. But the entire law was “null and void,” Justice Engoron said in his decision, citing the home-rule concerns and a so-called poison-pill provision in the bill stipulating that if part of the law was declared invalid, the entire statute would have to be scrapped. David S. Yassky, the chairman of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, called the decision “a great loss to millions of New Yorkers outside of Manhattan” as well as to livery drivers, “whose ability to feed their families by providing a popular service” had been jeopardized. “We owe it to all New Yorkers to appeal this judge’s opinion,” he said. Michael A. Cardozo, the city’s corporation counsel, said he was confident that an appellate court would be more receptive to the city’s arguments, adding, “The irrational fear of lost profits by medallion owners and lenders should not be permitted to derail these important programs.” The yellow taxi industry cheered the ruling. In a statement, the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a plaintiff in one of the suits challenging the law, expressed relief that a “flawed and destructive plan” had been turned back. “Chairman David Yassky and the administration back-doored a flawed plan in Albany and got caught,” the group said. “It’s that simple.” Justice Engoron echoed some of his decision in June, in which he issued a temporary restraining order for the plan and questioned the city’s decision to circumvent the Council. “When all is said and done, railways are a state concern, taxicabs are a local concern,” Justice Engoron said Friday. He added that if every cross-border transaction created a substantial state interest, “the borders might as well be abolished, and the state can just run everything.” He said the city had proved itself “up to the task of regulating its own taxicabs.” “New York City taxicabs are arguably engaged in interstate commerce,” he noted. “Does that mean that the United States Congress can mandate that all City taxicab drivers must eat broccoli three times a week to keep themselves healthy?” The delay of the auction of medallions for 2,000 wheelchair-accessible yellow taxis had already thrown the city budget into flux. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has warned that if the city could not sell the new medallions, many city jobs would have to be cut. The litigation had also spurred a debate among likely mayoral candidates. Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, urged the court to overturn the law, calling it an unconstitutional usurpation of the City Council’s power. Mr. Bloomberg has called this argument “stupid.” Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, expressed support for the plan. On Friday, Mr. Stringer suggested that negotiations outside of the courtroom, including a possible resuscitation of discussions with the City Council, might prove more efficient than slogging through an appeals process. “Let’s bring the parties together and pass the necessary legislation to make this plan constitutional in the judge’s eyes,” he said in an interview. “I don’t think we have to wait for an appeal that probably won’t be decided until sometime in 2013 at the earliest.”

New York City
Taxicabs and Taxicab Drivers
Decisions and Verdicts
Car Services and Livery Cabs