Wonderful World of Lopez Twins

Abstract: Brook Lopez, a 19-year-old college sophomore, is writing two novels and a play. He has acting experience, and he can play the saxophone. His twin brother, Robin, an aspiring artist, visited the Sistine Chapel last summer to study Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment.” But the Lopez twins’ fine-arts pursuits have been interrupted lately by their athletic endeavors. As 7-footers on the Stanford basketball team, they have led the Cardinal into the Round of 16 of the N.C.A.A. tournament. When Brook hit the winning shot with two seconds left in overtime Saturday, giving Stanford an 82-81 victory over Marquette, their mother, Debby Ledford, was watching from near the Cardinal’s bench. Her presence and the location of the arena — near Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif. — were appropriate. Ledford, a high school teacher, raised them as a divorced single parent and encouraged a wide-ranging education along with sports. She also took them to the theme park to spark their imaginations. “As a kid, it seemed like there were no boundaries to the park; it seemed like it went on and on forever,” Robin said. “It really blurred the line between what was real and what was fantasy.” Bound now for a bigger and brighter stage this weekend and possible professional careers, the Lopez brothers are emerging as if they were characters in a storybook. Brook, the power forward with the shorter hair, is considered the better offensive player and a potential first-round draft choice in the N.B.A. Robin, the longer-haired center, is better defensively but not as talented over all. But they hold one thing in common: they are inquisitive free spirits. Taj Finger, a senior forward for Stanford, said at a news conference last weekend that “Robin also loves to sing.” The junior guard Anthony Goods added, “Brook loves to tell Robin to shut up.” When Finger described them as “goofballs,” Goods added: “They’re funny guys. They’re characters.” Robin, told that his bushy hair makes him look like Sideshow Bob on “The Simpsons,” replied, “I take it as a compliment.” The androgynous first names of Brook and Robin suggest nature: flowing water and a bird. Some of their verbal skill and athletic talent comes from their mother, a former swimmer who speaks German and Spanish and tried out for the 1968 Olympic team. She later married and divorced Heriberto Lopez, a baseball player from Cuba who was the cousin of Marcelino Lopez, who pitched in the major leagues. But Ledford said the blend of the athletic and the intellectual goes back at least one more generation. “My mother was an incredibly talented human being,” she said. Her mother was Inky Ledford, a gymnastics coach who died almost three years ago. When discussing her, Ledford suddenly choked back tears, paused, then resumed with passion. “Right now, we’re cataloging her book collection and there’s thousands and thousands of them,” Ledford said. “We haven’t even sorted the children’s room yet. When we’re done, I suspect we’re going to be at about 8,000 books.” Brook recalled visits to his grandmother’s home in Fresno, Calif., when he and Robin were young. “She had this big room just filled with children’s books and stuff like that,” Brook said. “We’d go in there and read with her. It really influenced me.” Inky Ledford also gave them boxes filled with art supplies for Christmas. Last Christmas, Robin drew a big self-portrait for his mother. When inspired in school, Robin sometimes writes or draws on his large hands, as he said he did last week about Greek mythology. The twins will turn 20 on April 1. Although Brook is the more skilled writer, he missed the first nine games this season for failing to turn in a term paper. His mother grimaced while saying that he wrote it but forgot to transmit it by e-mail. “It bothered all of us,” Ledford said. “It’s one of those things that happen to kids at his age, and most kids don’t have it splashed across the papers of the United States and have it announced on ESPN.” Their exposure will increase Friday when Stanford (28-7 and seeded third) meets the Texas Longhorns (30-6 and seeded second). The winner will play Memphis or Michigan State on Sunday to advance to the Final Four. Should Stanford get there, it again might meet U.C.L.A., a Pac-10 rival and the West’s top seed, which won all three meetings with the Cardinal this season. Last weekend, Bruins center Kevin Love and Coach Ben Howland were asked how to beat the Lopez brothers. “They’re two trees in there,” Love said. “They’re monsters. Try to send our whole team at them. Try to limit Brook’s touches. When you think you have one up on a shot fake, you step through and the other one’s right there waiting for you.” Brook is averaging 19 points and 8.1 rebounds, leading the team in each category. Robin is tied for second in scoring at 10 points a game and is second in rebounds with 5.7. Against Marquette, Brook had 30 points and 4 rebounds; Robin had 18 and 9. Howland said nobody in college basketball could match up with the twins. “We double the post,” he said. “If you try to play those two one-on-one, I don’t think you can. They’re just too skilled and too big.” Brook weighs 260 pounds, Robin 255. Brook and Robin sometimes scrimmage against each other but never played on different teams. “We’ve always joked that one of us would try to go in the draft and the other would try to go free agent to the same team,” Brook said. But Robin added: “We’re most likely going to play on different teams.” Because he is better known for defense and has faced Brook in practice, could he stop his brother in a real game? “I don’t know,” Robin said. “I’ve been able to stop him sometimes. And, sometimes he’s gotten the better of me.” Two other former Stanford twins, Jason and Jarron Collins brothers, are N.B.A. rivals. Ledford became serious when asked about her sons as N.B.A. players. “That’s something we’re not talking about right now,” she said. “Whenever their season’s over, we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about it.” When asked how they would fare against each other, she said, “Uh, you’d have a battle out there,” but added that they play somewhat different positions. Will money be a factor in the decision? “There are more important things,” she said. Although the family was never poor, Ledford scrimped financially to raise her sons. They are now on the verge of wealth, and it seemed reasonable to ask about a term often associated with Disney and overused during this tournament: Cinderella. “I’ve read some of the original versions; it definitely didn’t originate in Western Europe,” Robin said of the story. “It was Walt Disney’s favorite film. He felt it embodied him the most, the story of rags to riches.” While in Anaheim, did he return to Disneyland? No, Robin said with a smile; “I’m not going in the park until the tournament’s over.”

Twins
Brook Lopez
Basketball
Stanford University
NCAA Basketball Tournament
Robin Lopez


Penalty Killing Helps Rangers Defeat Ducks

Abstract: After Tuesday night’s game, the Madison Square Garden crowd dispersing into the evening happy with the Rangers ’ 4-2 victory over Anaheim, Rangers center Blair Betts sat at his locker. He methodically peeled off his two knee braces, undoing endless strips of Velcro and tucking the metal braces away with the rest of his equipment. Normally, Betts does this unnoticed, the way he does almost everything. He is the Rangers’ most valuable penalty killer, a fourth-line center with a job as unglamorous as there is in the N.H.L. He has a crooked nose and a quiet voice, rarely heard in the din of the locker room. But the Rangers do not want to think about where they would be without him. They have the second-best penalty-killing unit in the league, a group that bails them out continually and one that Betts anchors. The Rangers do not score with any consistency. Their power play can border on awful. But their penalty killing is the biggest reason they sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 28-16-4 record. Betts helped send them into the All-Star break on an appropriate note, with a rare turn in the spotlight. He had one sequence in which he blocked a shot on an Anaheim power play in the second period, then while on the ice with a broken stick, blocked another with his knee. The crowd roared its approval. In the final minute, Betts helped kill another penalty, blocked another shot and scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory. “He’s maybe underappreciated outside of this room, but there isn’t a guy in this room that doesn’t know what he brings every day, how hard he competes and all the little things he does,” said Chris Drury, the Rangers’ captain. “We’re very lucky to have him.” Betts may epitomize this Rangers team, which has scraped out its success with grit. The Rangers do not have a scorer with 40 points. Their power play ranks in the bottom five in the league. When center Scott Gomez scored the decisive goal on a power play midway through the third period — he popped a finesse shot over the sprawling goalie Jonas Hiller — it was his first power-play goal of the season. The Rangers have no consistent offense, so they have leaned heavily on their penalty killers. “It gives you confidence knowing you can take a penalty and it will not cost you,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who will be the Rangers’ only representative in the All-Star Game on Sunday. “It’s a scary feeling when you feel like the penalty kill is not working 100 percent. Knowing we have guys working so hard out there to kill it off, it means a lot.” This game started with the teams trading power-play goals in the first period. The Rangers got one from Markus Naslund, who broke a nine-game goal-scoring drought, and the Ducks got one on a rebound from the rookie Bobby Ryan. The Rangers’ penalty killers took center stage in the second period after the Rangers were caught with too many men on the ice. Forward Fred Sjostrom, who plays on Betts’s wing on the fourth line and frequently pairs with him while killing penalties, raced up ice for a breakaway and fired a scorching shot past Hiller. The Ducks tied it with 1 minute 37 seconds to play in the second on a goal by forward Corey Perry, before Gomez and Betts proved the winning margin. Betts was named the game’s first star, and he made a rare curtain call to throw a puck into the stands and wave at a crowd far more used to seeing Lundqvist or Drury or Naslund in such a role. “It’s nice,” Betts said. “It’s flattering for sure. We had some key performances from a few guys tonight. Fred Sjostrom had a short-handed goal. We had a couple of power-play goals. It’s nice to be picked as a star, but there’s a handful of guys who deserved it.” Most nights, Rangers Coach Tom Renney is the only member of the Blair Betts fan club. He had some company Tuesday. “He’s just a heck of a hockey player,” Renney said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to bury a whole bunch of pucks, but he gives yeoman’s service every night. I think he’s had a great season.”

New York Rangers
Hockey Ice
Anaheim Mighty Ducks


Schwab Profit Off, Reflecting Sale of Unit

Abstract: The Charles Schwab Corporation , the retail brokerage firm, said Wednesday that fourth-quarter profit fell 34 percent from the period a year ago, which included a tax gain and earnings from its U.S. Trust wealth management unit, which has since been sold. Schwab earned $308 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $467 million, or 37 cents a share, in the quarter a year ago, when Schwab booked a $205 million tax gain from the sale of U.S. Trust and about $38 million in earnings. Fourth-quarter net income from continuing operations, which excludes U.S. Trust’s 2006 results and the tax gain, was $305 million, or 26 cents a share, a 36 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2006. Revenue rose to $1.35 billion from $1.1 billion a year ago. Clients opened 809,000 brokerage accounts during 2007, or 24 percent more than the previous year. Total brokerage accounts increased 5 percent as of Dec. 31, to 7 million total accounts.

Schwab Charles Corp
Company Reports
Brokers and Brokerage Firms


70 Years After Nagasaki Bombing, Atomic Debate Yields Little Consensus

Abstract: Did the United States have to drop the bomb? Seventy years after the United States launched the atomic age with attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , hastening the end of the war in the Pacific, The New York Times asked readers how they viewed the decision by President Harry S. Truman. Image On Aug. 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the second such attack on Japan in three days. Credit Reuters At the time, Truman defended his decision to drop the bombs as the only way to avoid a full-scale invasion of Japan. That, arguably, would have cost more lives, American and Japanese, than the approximately 200,000 who died in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Image On Aug. 6, 1945, President Harry S. Truman receiving a report of the first atomic bomb attack, on Hiroshima, while returning to the United States from the Potsdam conference aboard the cruiser Augusta. Credit Associated Press The anniversary of the Nagasaki attack will be commemorated at the city’s Peace Park on Sunday with a ceremony that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend. Critics have contended that the Japanese were sending signals that they were prepared to surrender, but that these were either missed or ignored, and that the United States wanted to demonstrate to the world — particularly the Soviet Union — the awesome power it had at its disposal. We received thousands of responses, including justifications, condemnations, indictments and explanations. And though the 70 years since the bombings have helped provide perspective — and more historical knowledge about what was happening at that time in the war — they have not yielded much consensus. Here are excerpts from selected responses, lightly edited for clarity. Judging Truman’s Legacy This was an act of terrorism against the civilian population to achieve a political objective, a quintessential war crime. Harry Truman was a war criminal. — LAWRENCE MOSS; N.Y., N.Y. Truman did the right thing. Whether it saved Japanese lives is immaterial, it was politically correct and saved American lives and ended the war. — FRANK DOOLITTLE; Paradise Valley, Ariz. Dropping the bombs was a 1945 decision not a 2015 one. To Truman, 200,000 Japanese lives lost was better than 400,000 killed and wounded American lives. To add to that were the billions of dollars spent on developing the bomb and the means to deliver it, the B-29. If the bomb were not dropped and lives were lost, why was the bomb even developed? — EDWARD WYSOCKI; Bowie, Md. Putting myself back in August 1945, the Axis powers had no hesitation in bombing, torturing and murdering anyone associated with the Allied cause. If I was in the Enola Gay on that morning, I believe I would have looked at it as just a real big bomb that might put a quick end to the war. Given the means to do it, I believe I would have dropped a bomb every day until the emperor himself said, “Please, no more.” Good for President Truman: He did what was necessary to stomp out evil. — GEORGE HERRINGTON; Carmel, Ind. The display of power was necessary to ensure the security of Europe and Asia from the threat of a Soviet-instigated war in the aftermath of World War II. Further, the American electorate had a desire for revenge and so it was politically advantageous to drop the bomb. Finally, to imply that moral and rational behavior are the same in war as in peace is a gross simplification of events past. — JORDAN HALL; Kent, England Alternatives to the Atomic Bomb One need only look at the casualty estimates of the planned invasion of Japan to see how horrific the alternative might have been. The decision to drop the bomb by the United States is tragic, and American officials should always mourn with the people of Japan. Without the unfortunate decision to drop the bomb, the war would have dragged on and the losses for both sides would have been catastrophic. — ZACHARY HOFFMAN; Columbus, Ohio I do not argue against dropping an atomic bomb to hasten the end of a terrible war, but I disagree with targeting Hiroshima, Nagasaki or any other urban area. Instead, the United States should have selected a remote location. This would have demonstrated the imposing power of the atomic bomb and the uselessness of the Japanese government continuing the war, while saving the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom suffered incredibly gruesome injuries. — JOHN VANKAT; Flagstaff, Ariz. Even if we accept that dropping the bomb was necessary to force Japan to surrender unconditionally, no one has ever adequately explained why we couldn’t have had the same effect by dropping the first bomb on an uninhabited part of Japan. Even if Japan refused to surrender after the first bomb and we had had to drop the second, as happened in 1945, still only half as many people would have been killed. Did no one think of this at the time? — ELIZABETH MICHOUD; Stow, Mass. Weighing the Moral Consequences The decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima at 8:15 in the morning, the time when the maximum number of people were outside commuting for schools and offices so that the maximum number of civilians could be killed, cannot be justified by any reasons whatsoever. — TAKEO KONDO; Tokyo, Japan Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima was an act of great moral callousness and evil. A military, rather than civilian, target could have been selected. If we wished, we could have contained Japanese aggression for another handful of months, shared the atomic bomb research with our allies, demonstrated the bomb’s power on an uninhabited island or evacuated city, and brought the war to a close without sacrificing another 200,000 civilians. — MATTHEW PENNIMAN; Lansing, Mich. Two positive things came out of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: fewer casualties than Operation Downfall, and an exposure to this horror that ensured the Cold War never became hot. These bombings displayed the moral repugnancy of using nuclear weapons to civilians; without such approbation to keep its use in check, would the military ranks of one of the nuclear powers have broken to use these weapons of horror? The use of atomic weapons on Japan was militarily and morally justified, both in 1945 and 2015. Yet it was, and still remains, a deeply regrettable action of historical proportions. — CHRISTOPHER HALL; West Barnstable, Mass. Dropping the atomic bomb was a strategically effective decision for the United States to achieve victory in the Pacific. Yet the multitude of civilian casualties cannot be considered collateral damage because they were in fact the actual target of the attack. It was a large scale shock-and-awe strategy that was condemnable because these attacks were not only attacks against an enemy, but attacks against the very fabric of humanity. — RENAN CABRERA; Doha, Qatar An Invasion Avoided It’s personal for me. My father was a weather forecaster. He would have been in the first wave of the invasion had it occurred. Someone has to provide precise information to the next waves to direct artillery. The projected casualties were over 30 percent. In all likelihood, I would not have been born. — LINDA BLONSLEY; Arroyo Grande, Calif. I am here, no doubt, because the bomb was dropped. My father was on a ship filled with young Americans steaming to Japan for a final invasion. It was predicted to be a brutal campaign. When the bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered, the news came to the ship and my father told me a cheer spread from one end to the other, as thousands of young American boys knew that the battle would not need to be fought. — HAROLD GRODMAN; Charleston, W.Va. My father’s Army Engineer Corps unit was shipping its equipment to a forward staging area for the invasion of Japan. My brothers and sister and I would not be here if our dad was in that invasion. Thousands — if not millions — of other baby boomers would not have been born. The United States had to drop the bomb. Why suffer even more casualties? The bombs ended it. — JAY BODENSTEIN; The Villages, Fla.

Nagasaki
Japan
World War II
Nuclear weapon
Civilian casualties
US Military


U.S. Wonders if Stock Deal Is Tax Abuse

Abstract: A strategy that corporate executives routinely use to turn their stockholdings into cash while delaying payment of taxes is coming under increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service . The agency, in a technical paper issued last week, said the strategy, which has the goal of deferring the payment of federal income tax for many years, might have some features of a questionable tax shelter. While the I.R.S. stopped short of labeling the strategy an abusive tax shelter, it instructed its field agents, appeals officers, examiners and lawyers to pay close attention to the returns of wealthy people who use it. It also said that if it found tax violations, it would consider levying the same hefty penalties that now apply to buyers of abusive shelters. Those penalties are 20 to 30 percent of the underreported tax. The strategy, known as a variable prepaid forward contract, is one of the most widely used in corporate America. The unpaid taxes associated with it are likely to total billions of dollars a year, according to Robert Willens, a corporate tax consultant in New York. The strategy comes into play when an executive holding a large amount of publicly traded stock that has gained in value wants to turn that stock into cash, but not immediately pay the capital gains taxes that apply when the stock is sold. Instead, the executive agrees at a future date to sell a chunk of the stock to an investment bank, in exchange for an immediate cash payout. The executive pays the taxes on the stock when he actually turns over the shares to the bank, typically many years later. To protect itself against potential losses should the pledged stock fall in value, the bank then hedges its bet by borrowing the pledged shares from the executive and selling them short, betting that they will fall in price. The executives and banks argue that the shares are technically borrowed by the bank, not sold to it, and that the transaction is thus not a sale resulting in a cash payment that is immediately subject to taxation.. The I.R.S. disagrees. The bank gets “all the benefits and burdens of ownership in the pledged shares,” making it a true sale and thus taxable to the executive, according to the technical paper, which is dated Feb. 6 and was published by Tax Analysts, a trade publication, on Friday. The I.R.S. paper also instructs agency employees to determine if the strategies are “reportable transactions,” technical language that can refer to an abusive tax shelter. Reportable transactions are characterized by, among other things, confidentiality agreements between the taxpayer and the bank or accounting firm that carried out the transaction, and by fees based on the amount of tax to be saved or deferred. Unlike “listed transactions,” they can be legal, but under stiffer 2004 rules aimed at combating tax shelter abuses, taxpayers still have to disclose their use to the I.R.S. The matter does not appear to involve any violations of securities laws or any of the offshore tax components that are under heightened I.R.S. scrutiny. Wall Street banks entered into scores of the transactions with executives in recent years, according to Mark H. Leeds, a tax lawyer at Greenberg Traurig in New York. Mr. Willens, the corporate tax consultant, said executives liked the strategy because it allowed them to diversify their investments by taking large quantities of stock in a single company, converting the shares to cash and then buying other stocks, while delaying payment of taxes associated with the sale. “This is the most popular deferral technique that exists,” he said. But some users are able to reduce taxes as well as defer them, and that may be upsetting the I.R.S. Mr. Leeds said that some executives, by carrying out the transactions through partnerships and the like, could be avoiding payment of ordinary income tax, at rates of 35 percent. In 2003, apparently unaware that an increasing number of the prepaid forward contracts involved share lending, the I.R.S. declared them valid. But by 2006, when it had started to figure out how the transactions work, it issued a memorandum saying that they were not. “I think that it is fair to say that the I.R.S. has had buyer’s remorse over its original ruling for some time,” Mr. Leeds said. He said the agency was asking banks about how the transactions worked, though he would not identify the banks. The I.R.S. declined to comment.

Internal Revenue Service
Tax Shelters
Federal Taxes (US)
Executives and Management


Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, Faces Indictment on Lesser Charges

Abstract: JERUSALEM — Avigdor Lieberman , Israel ’s blunt-talking and polarizing foreign minister, will be charged with breach of trust but not with fraud and money laundering, prosecutors announced Thursday, ending an investigation lasting years and throwing a curve into Israel’s coming elections. Mr. Lieberman, 54, and his lawyer both said Thursday that they saw no immediate reason for him to resign, though his political opponents and some news media figures called on him to do so, citing a Supreme Court ruling that forced other ministers to quit when criminally charged. He leads the secular, ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu faction, which has joined forces with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party for the Jan. 22 elections, and he is widely considered one of Israel’s most powerful and popular politicians. “We are 40 days away from elections, and we must win these elections with a much more convincing victory, so ultimately the decision will be made together with legal opinions and after considering the well-being of the voters,” Mr. Lieberman said at a party gathering in Tel Aviv on Thursday night. More cheerful than defiant, he said he had been hounded by corruption accusations since July 1996, when he served as a top aide to Mr. Netanyahu during his first term as prime minister. “Since then till today, not a day has passed without me being referred to as ‘a suspect,’ ‘being under investigation,’ ‘being an intelligence target,’ ” Mr. Lieberman said. “This has been one long and rolling case, receiving a different title every now and then.” The conduct for which Mr. Lieberman will face indictment stems from an investigation into other allegations. He is accused of promoting Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus for another post after the ambassador gave him confidential information regarding an Israeli police investigation into Mr. Lieberman’s activities. But Mr. Lieberman will not face charges on the underlying, more serious case, in which he was suspected of receiving millions of dollars from international tycoons with business interests in Israel through companies formally led by family members or associates. Israel’s attorney general, Yehuda Weinstein, said Thursday in a report announcing his decision that he could not adequately prove a link between Mr. Lieberman and the money, though he said, “The suspicions against Lieberman’s series of intricate and intertwined, underhanded actions cannot be ruled out.” “In a case of this nature, the expected fear arises: that a wrong message might be sent to the public by such a decision, as if the prosecution is not armed with enough ‘spirit of battle’ in its war on corruption,” Mr. Weinstein wrote in the report. “It must be reiterated that closing a criminal case due to insufficient evidence does not constitute a certificate of kashrut,” or kosher certification. Amir Oren, a columnist for the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, wrote : “Lieberman has won. Justice has lost.” Born in Moldova, Mr. Lieberman is a populist with wide support among Israel’s one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union. He lives in a West Bank settlement considered illegal under international law, and he is perhaps the government’s harshest critic of President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, having called for his ouster and denounced as “diplomatic terrorism” his recent bid for upgraded Palestinian status at the United Nations. Polls have consistently shown that Mr. Lieberman’s joint ticket with Mr. Netanyahu, known here as Likud Beiteinu, is expected to receive 39 to 40 of the 120 seats in Israel’s next Parliament, by far the largest bloc. The merger was seen as crowning him Mr. Netanyahu’s successor as leader of Israel’s right flank, and a top contender to eventually follow him as prime minister. Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday gave no hint of suggesting that his sidekick step down. “I believe in Israel’s legal system and respect it,” the prime minister said in a statement. “The right that it grants any Israeli citizen to defend himself also extends to Minister Lieberman, and I hope for him that he’ll be able to prove that he’s also innocent regarding the only case that remains.” But opposition leaders said that if Mr. Lieberman did not resign voluntarily, they would seek his ouster in court. The Labor Party issued a statement saying that his conduct “endangered and still endangers Israeli democracy and the rule of law.” Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said it was “unthinkable” that Mr. Lieberman would “keep his government post and keep representing Israel around the world.” On Thursday, Moshe Negbi, a legal commentator on Israel Radio, said, “There is no question that Avigdor Lieberman will have to say goodbye to his seat.” But Aviad Hacohen, a law professor at Bar Ilan University, said he “would not eulogize Lieberman too quickly,” arguing that the case against him is less serious than those that cost other ministers their seats.

Israel
Lieberman Avigdor
Legislatures and Parliaments
Frauds and Swindling
Polls and Public Opinion


Progress for a Museum on Climate Change

Abstract: The plan for a museum in New York City that would focus on climate and climate change, with exhibits that could relate to health, social justice and rain-delayed baseball games, moved a step forward Monday, officials said. The state’s Board of Regents, meeting in Albany, approved a five-year provisional charter for the museum, Tom Dunn, a spokesman for the board, said. Miranda Massie, executive director of the Climate Museum Launch Project, said the museum was now “empowered to hold collections in trust for the public.” The emphasis will be on solutions, she said. Ms. Massie acknowledges that not everyone accepts climate change as a fact but says all are welcome. The next step after the regents’ approval, she said, is some fund-raising.

Museum
Climate Change
New York
Board of Regents
Miranda Massie
Climate Museum
Global Warming
NYC


Things to Do in Connecticut, May 10 to 16, 2015

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 BRIDGEPORT Housatonic Museum of Art Lisa Lampanelli. May 16 at 8 p.m. $65 and $150. Housatonic Museum of Art, 900 Lafayette Boulevard. housatonicmuseum.org; 203-332-5052. COLLINSVILLE Bridge Street Live Tom Cotter. May 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. $25 and $35. Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge Street. 860-693-9762; 41bridgestreet.com. HARTFORD Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts An Evening With David Sedaris. May 15 at 8 p.m. $27.50 to $57.50. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. 860-987-5900; bushnell.org. MANCHESTER The Hartford Funny Bone Lachlan Patterson. Through May 10. $17 and $20. Bruce Bruce. May 15 and 16 at 7:30 and 10 p.m. $25. Matt Bergman. May 14 at 7:30 p.m. and May 17 at 7 p.m. $15. The Hartford Funny Bone, 194 Buckland Hills Drive. hartfordfunnybone.com; 860-432-8600. MASHANTUCKET Comix at Foxwoods Andy Kindler. May 14, 15 and 16. $15 to $30. Comix at Foxwoods, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. comixatfoxwoods.com; 866-646-0609. MASHANTUCKET Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino Jo Koy. May 15 at 8 p.m. $30 to $60. Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. 800-200-2882; foxwoods.com. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse Whitney Cummings. May 15 at 8 p.m. $70. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. Film BRIDGEPORT Bridgeport Public Library “ReVisit Bridgeport: Photographs by Ed Brinsko,” photo slide show and video. May 16, 2 to 4 p.m. Bridgeport Public Library, 3455 Madison Avenue. bportlibrary.org; 203-576-7003. HARTFORD Cinestudio “Seymour: An Introduction,” documentary by Ethan Hawke. May 10 through 12. $7 and $9. “Still Alice,” directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. May 13 through 16. $7 and $9. “National Theater Live: ‘Man and Superman,’ ” screening of the play by George Bernard Shaw. May 14 at 2 p.m. $12 and $20. “Effie Gray,” directed by Richard Laxton. May 17 through 19. $7 and $9. Cinestudio, 300 Summit Street. 860-297-2463; cinestudio.org. OLD SAYBROOK The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center “The Great Kate,” documentary screening to celebrate the 108th anniversary of Katharine Hepburn’s birth. May 12 at 7 p.m. Free. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. 877-503-1286; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse “No Kidding! Me 2!” Documentary screening and discussion with the director, Joe Pantoliano. May 13 at 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. “The Historian,” screening and discussion with some of the cast and crew. May 16 at 7 p.m. $17.50 to $75. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. ridgefieldplayhouse.org; 203-438-5795. WOODBRIDGE J. C. C. of Greater New Haven “Havana Curveball,” documentary by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider. May 17 at 5:30 p.m. $8 to $18; children 4 and under, free. J. C. C. of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road. jewishnewhaven.org; 203-387-2522. For Children BRIDGEPORT Downtown Cabaret Theater “Willy Wonka,” Cabaret Children’s Company. Through May 17. $19 to $27. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. 203-576-1636; dtcab.com. HARTFORD Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts “The Giver,” based on the book by Lois Lowry. May 12 and 13. $10. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. 860-987-5900; bushnell.org. NEW HAVEN Shubert Theater “Matilda the Musical,” by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly. May 16 through May 23. $23 to $125. Shubert Theater, 247 College Street. 203-562-5666; shubert.com. RIDGEFIELD Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Third Saturdays: Family Art Experiences with Roxanne Jackson. May 16. Ages 2 to 5: 10 a.m. to noon. Ages 6 to 10: 1 to 3 p.m. Free. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. aldrichart.org; 203-438-4519. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse “Doktor Kaboom!” Science and comedy show by David Epley. May 14 at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. $10. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. WEST HARTFORD Playhouse on Park “Freckleface Strawberry the Musical,” by Gary Kupper and Rose Caiola. May 16 through May 24. $15 and $17. Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. 860-523-5900; playhouseonpark.org. Music and Dance BETHEL Pizzeria Lauretano Hashem Assadullahi Group, jazz. May 10 at 6 p.m. $12. The Jeff McGill Group, jazz. May 17 at 6 p.m. $15. Pizzeria Lauretano, 291 Greenwood Avenue. pizzerialauretano.com; 203-792-1500. BRIDGEPORT Downtown Cabaret Theater California Surf, Beach Boys tribute concert. May 16 at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. $57. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. 203-576-1636; dtcab.com. COLLINSVILLE Bridge Street Live Marshall Crenshaw Trio, rock. May 14 at 8 p.m. $25 and $35. Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge Street. 41bridgestreet.com; 860-693-9762. DANBURY Ives Concert Park Brews and BBQ Festival featuring Robert Randolph and the Family Band. May 16 at 3 p.m. $15 and $20. Ives Concert Park, 43 Lake Avenue Extension. 203-837-9226; ivesconcertpark.com. FAIRFIELD StageOne, Fairfield Theater Company Shelby Lynne, country. May 11 at 7:45 p.m. $48. Bruce Cockburn, folk and rock. May 12 at 7:45 p.m. $52. Otis Taylor Band, blues. May 14 at 7:45 p.m. $32. Ana Popovic, blues. May 16 at 7:45 p.m. $35. The New Mastersounds and Orgone, funk and rock. May 17 at 7:45 p.m. $42. StageOne, Fairfield Theater Company, 70 Sanford Street. 203-259-1036; fairfieldtheatre.org. HARTFORD Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts “Beethoven and Mozart,” Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Through May 10. $38.50 to $67.50. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. 860-987-5900; bushnell.org. HARTFORD Infinity Hall Hartford Dar Williams, with Lucy Wainwright, folk. May 14 at 8 p.m. $34 to $49. Charlie Musselwhite, blues. May 15 at 8 p.m. $35 to $45. The Spirit of Johnny Cash, tribute concert. May 16 at 8 p.m. $30 to $45. Diane Schuur, jazz. May 17 at 7:30 p.m. $29 to $39. Infinity Hall Hartford, 32 Front Street. 860-560-7757; infinityhall.com. HARTFORD Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art “Men on Broadway 2,” Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus. May 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. $25. “Sunday Serenades: Copland and Coney Island,” Hartford Symphony Orchestra. May 17 at 2 p.m. $25 and $30. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. thewadsworth.org; 860-278-2670. KILLINGWORTH Emmanuel Church “The Four Seasons Plus,” spring concert. May 17 at 4 p.m. $10 and $15. Emmanuel Church, 50 Emmanuel Church Road. 860-663-1109; churchinthewilderness.org. MASHANTUCKET Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino “Oh What a Night of Doo-wop and Rock & Roll.” May 16 at 8 p.m. $40 and $50. Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. 800-200-2882; foxwoods.com. MASHANTUCKET Grand Theater, Foxwoods Casino Kings of Chaos, rock. May 16 at 8 p.m. $60 and $85. Grand Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. 800-200-2882; foxwoods.com. NEW HAVEN Firehouse 12 Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell Duo, jazz. May 15 at 8:30 and 10 p.m. $15 and $20. Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street. firehouse12.com; 203-785-0468. NEW HAVEN Morse Recital Hall, Yale University Brentano String Quartet, classical. May 13 at 7:30 p.m. $13 to $41. Glee Club Commencement Concert. May 16 at 8 p.m. $10 and $12. Morse Recital Hall, Yale University, 470 College Street. music.yale.edu; 203-432-4158. NEW LONDON Garde Arts Center “La Bohème,” Connecticut Lyric Opera. May 15 at 7:30 p.m. $36 to $64. Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street. gardearts.org; 860-444-7373. NORFOLK Infinity Hall Todd Rundgren, rock. May 10 at 7:30 p.m. $65 to $80. David Lindley, blues. May 14 at 8 p.m. $29 to $39. Shelby Lynne, country. May 15 at 8 p.m. $39 to $54. Jane Monheit, jazz. May 16 at 8 p.m. $45 to $65. Leo Kottke, folk. May 17 at 7:30 p.m. $39 to $54. Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road. 866-666-6306; infinityhall.com. OLD LYME The Side Door Diane Schuur, jazz. May 15 at 7:30 p.m. $45. Supernova, jazz. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. $35. Ingrid Jensen Berkeley Quintet, jazz. May 17 at 7 p.m. $30. The Side Door, 85 Lyme Street. thesidedoorjazz.com; 860-434-0886. OLD SAYBROOK The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center The Celtic Tenors, classical and pop. May 13 at 7:30 p.m. $67. Steep Canyon Rangers, bluegrass. May 14 at 7:30 p.m. $45. Eight to the Bar and the Cartells, jazz and pop. May 15 at 8 p.m. $25. Beau Bolero, Steely Dan tribute band. May 16 at 8 p.m. $30. The Kingston Trio, folk. May 18 at 7 p.m. $65. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. thekate.org; 877-503-1286. PUTNAM The Bradley Playhouse Brubeck Brothers Quartet, jazz. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. $25 and $30. The Bradley Playhouse, 134 Front Street. performingartsnect.org; 860-928-2946. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse Everyone Orchestra, jam band. May 10 at 8 p.m. $38.50. Todd Rundgren, rock. May 12 at 8 p.m. $65. Karrin Allyson, jazz. May 17 at 1 p.m. $25 and $35. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. STAMFORD Stamford Marriott International Al Jolson Festival, performances, films, lectures and more. May 14 through May 17. $90 and $175. Stamford Marriott, 243 Tresser Boulevard. 203-261-3477; jolson.org. STAMFORD The Palace Theater The Hit Men, pop. May 15 at 8 p.m. $25 to $55. The Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic Street. 203-325-4466; palacestamford.org. Image HARTFORD Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will perform “Circus Xtreme” on May 10 at 1 and 5 p.m. at the XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza. Tickets are $15.50 to $73.50. For further information: 860-249-6333; xlcenter.com . Credit Feld Entertainment TORRINGTON Warner Theater Vince Gill, country. May 13 at 8 p.m. $46 to $86. Warner Theater, 68 Main Street. 860-489-7180; warnertheatre.org. UNCASVILLE Mohegan Sun Godsmack, rock. May 10 at 8 p.m. $29. Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. 888-226-7711; mohegansun.com. WATERBURY Palace Theater of Connecticut Dana Lauren, jazz. May 15 at 8 p.m. $22. Palace Theater of Connecticut, 100 East Main Street. 203-755-4700; palacetheaterct.org. Outdoors ANSONIA Ansonia Nature Center Spring migrants of the nature center, guided bird walk. May 16 at 8 a.m. Free. Explore Redwing Pond, lessons on naturalism. May 16 at 2 p.m. Free. Ansonia Nature Center, 10 Deerfield Road. 203-736-1053; ansonianaturecenter.org. POMFRET CENTER Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Wednesday Noon Walks, guided hikes and naturalist lessons. Through May 27. $3; members, free. Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret, 218 Day Road. 860-928-4948; ctaudubon.org. STAMFORD Stamford Museum & Nature Center Spring on the Farm Festival Weekend, llama trekking, face painting, live music and more. May 16 and 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 and $10. Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road. 203-322-1646; stamfordmuseum.org. Spoken Word BRIDGEPORT The Barnum Museum “Connecticut’s Beardsley Park and Zoo: A History of Land and Tigers,” lecture by Gregg Dancho. May 17 at 2 p.m. $5 suggested donation; members, free. The Barnum Museum, 820 Main Street. 203-331-1104; barnum-museum.org. FARMINGTON Hill-Stead Museum Erik Larson discusses his book “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.” May 17 at 12:30 p.m. Meal and discussion is $45. Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road. 860-677-4787; hillstead.org. GREENWICH Bruce Museum “The Molecular Ecology of Madagascar’s Lemurs,” lecture by Andrea Baden. May 12 at 6:30 p.m. $15; members, free. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. brucemuseum.org; 203-869-0376. HARTFORD Real Art Ways Staged reading of David Greer’s “Hour Farther.” May 16 at 6:30 p.m. $8 and $10. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. realartways.org; 860-232-1006. HARTFORD The Mark Twain House and Museum “The Trouble Begins at 5:30: Mark Twain’s Other Woman,” lecture. May 13 at 5 p.m. $5 suggested donation. The Mark Twain House and Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue. marktwainhouse.org; 860-280-3130. WOODBRIDGE J. C. C. of Greater New Haven “What the %@&*! Happened to Comics?” Lecture by Art Spiegelman. May 14 at 7:30 p.m. $12 to $36. J. C. C. of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road. 203-387-2522; jewishnewhaven.org. Theater BRIDGEPORT The Bijou Theater “Hamlet,” by Shakespeare and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” by Tom Stoppard in repertory. May 15 through 24. $18 to $28. The Bijou Theater, 275 Fairfield Avenue. 203-332-3228; thebijoutheatre.com. CHESTER Goodspeed Musicals, Norma Terris Theater “The Theory of Relativity,” musical by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill. Through May 31. $46. Goodspeed Musicals, Norma Terris Theater, 33 North Main Street. 860-873-8668; goodspeed.org. EAST HADDAM Goodspeed Opera House “Guys and Dolls,” musical by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Through June 20. $15 to $76. Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street. goodspeed.org; 860-873-8668 HARTFORD Artists Collective Theater “Black Wall Street,” drama by Celeste Bedford Walker. May 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. $25 and $30. Artists Collective Theater, 1200 Albany Avenue. artistscollective.org; 860-527-3205. HARTFORD Hartford Stage “Kiss Me, Kate,” musical by Cole Porter and Bella and Samuel Spewack. May 14 through 14. $25 to $95. Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street. hartfordstage.org; 860-527-5151. IVORYTON Ivoryton Playhouse “The Last Romance,” comedy by Joe DiPietro. Through May 10. $15 to $42. Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street. 860-767-7318; ivorytonplayhouse.org. NEW BRITAIN Hole in the Wall Theater “The Crucible,” drama by Arthur Miller. May 15 through June 6. $15 and $20. Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main Street. 860-229-3049; hitw.org. NEW HAVEN Long Wharf Theater “The Second Mrs. Wilson,” drama by Joe DiPietro. Through May 31. $25 to $75. Long Wharf Theater, 222 Sargent Drive. 203-787-4282; longwharf.org. NEW HAVEN Yale Repertory Theater “Elevada,” comedy by Sheila Callaghan. Through May 16. $20 to $98. Yale Repertory Theater, 1120 Chapel Street. 203-432-1234; yalerep.org. NEW MILFORD TheaterWorks “Souvenir,” comedy with music by Stephen Temperley. Through May 23. $18 and $23. TheaterWorks, 5 Brookside Avenue. 860-350-6863; theatreworks.us. NEWTOWN Town Players of Newtown “Fifth of July,” drama by Lanford Wilson. Through May 16. $18 to $22. Town Players of Newtown, 18 Orchard Hill Road. 203-270-9144; newtownplayers.org. OLD GREENWICH First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich “Dinner With Disney,” musical. Through May 24. $25. First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich, 108 Sound Beach Avenue. 203-249-5419; ctplaymakers.org. SHERMAN Sherman Playhouse “Talley’s Folly,” drama by Lanford Wilson. Through May 17. $11 and $22. Sherman Playhouse, 5 Route 39 North. shermanplayers.org; 860-354-3622. STRATFORD Square One Theater “The Winslow Boy,” drama by Terence Rattigan. May 15 through 30. $19 and $20. Square One Theater, 2422 Main Street. 203-375-8778; squareonetheatre.com. WESTPORT Westport Country Playhouse “The Liar,” by David Ives, adapted from the comedy by Pierre Corneille. Through May 23. $25 to $85. Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. 203-227-4177; westportplayhouse.org. Museums and Galleries CANTON Gallery on the Green “Florence Five,” group show. Through May 24. “Intransitive,” Peter Waite. Through May 24. Fridays through Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Gallery on the Green, 5 Canton Green Road. 860-693-4102; galleryonthegreen.org. DARIEN Geary Gallery “Celebrate Springtime Pastels,” Gene Sparkman. Through May 31. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Geary Gallery, 576 Boston Post Road. gearygallery.com; 203-655-6633. DARIEN The Darien Historical Society “Front Page!!! ... April, 1865 in The New York Times,” original, 150-year-old editions of The New York Times for each day of April 1865, with other memorabilia. Through May 31. 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. FAIRFIELD Bellarmine Museum of Art, Fairfield University “Gari Melchers: An American Impressionist at Home and Abroad.” Through May 22. Mondays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and select Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Bellarmine Museum of Art, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. fairfield.edu/museum; 203-254-4046. FAIRFIELD Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University “Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.” Through June 6. Weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. fairfield.edu/walsh; 203-254-4062. GREENWICH Bendheim Gallery “21st Editions: The Art of the Book,” Imogen Cunningham, Jerry Uelsmann and Joel-Peter Witkin. Through May 29. Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends, noon to 4 p.m. Bendheim Gallery, 299 Greenwich Avenue. greenwichartscouncil.org; 203-862-6750. GREENWICH Bruce Museum The 30th Annual Outdoor Crafts Festival, more than 80 artisans. May 16 and 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $8; members, free. “(Re)Discovering the ‘New World’: Maps and Sea Charts from the Age of Exploration.” Through May 31. “Florence Henri: Modernist Photographs from the Collection of the Bruce Museum.” Through June 14. “Walls of Color: The Murals of Hans Hofmann.” Through Sept. 6. “Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past.” Through Nov. 8. $6 and $7; members and children under 5, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. 203-869-0376; brucemuseum.org. GREENWICH Flinn Gallery “The East Visits the West,” Kotaro Fukui, Tang-Wei Hsu, Katherine Mann and Q. X. Wang. Through June 17. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, to 8 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Flinn Gallery, 101 West Putnam Avenue. 203-622-7947; flinngallery.com. GREENWICH Round Hill Community Church “Polo at Conyers Farm,” paintings and sketches by Ted Berkowitz. Through May 14. Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to noon. Round Hill Community Church, 395 Round Hill Road. 203-869-1091; roundhillcommunitychurch.org. GUILFORD Greene Art Gallery Paintings and drawings by Clio Newton. Through June 7. Sundays and Mondays, noon to 4 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Greene Art Gallery, 29 Whitfield Street. greeneartgallery.com; 203-453-4162. GUILFORD Guilford Art Center “Teapots, Pitchers, Flagons and Flasks,” group show. May 15 through June 14. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Guilford Art Center, 411 Church Street. guilfordartcenter.org; 203-453-5947. HAMDEN Arnold Bernhard Library “Saving the Famine Irish: the Grey Nuns and the Great Hunger.” Through March 18. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Arnold Bernhard Library, 275 Mount Carmel Avenue. 203-582-8633; quinnipiac.edu. HARTFORD Real Art Ways “The Talking Cure,” sculptures by Melissa Stern. Through May 25. “Skeeball,” works by Don Joint and Donna Dennis. Through May 31. Video by Yvonne Buchanan. Through July 16. $3 suggested donation; members and cinema patrons, free. Daily, 2 to 9 p.m.; and by appointment. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. realartways.org; 860-232-1006. HARTFORD Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art “Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861—2008.” Through May 31. $5 to $10; members and children under 12, free. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; first Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. thewadsworth.org; 860-278-2670. LITCHFIELD Oliver Wolcott Library Oil paintings by Victor Leger. Through June 26. Mondays, noon to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oliver Wolcott Library, 160 South Street. 860-567-8030; owlibrary.org. Image GROTON “Eye See” (2015), acrylic on canvas by Shari Weschler Rubeck, is on view in the “Spring Exhibition,” also featuring works by Leila Namin and Andrew Tavarelli, through May 30 at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, University of Connecticut, 1084 Shennecossett Road. For further information: 860-405-9052; averypointarts.uconn.edu . Credit Shari Weschler Rubeck MYSTIC Mystic Arts Center Annual Members and Elected Artists Exhibition. Through June 6. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mystic Arts Center, 9 Water Street. 860-536-7601; mysticarts.org. NEW BRITAIN New Britain Museum of American Art “Otis Kaye: Money, Mystery, and Mastery.” Through May 10. “NEW/NOW: Karl Lund: Angry Robots Liquefied My Brain.” Through May 31. “The Enchanting Jewels of Elizabeth Gage.” Through July 26. “Tom Yost: A Modern Realist.” May 15 through Sept. 27. $8 to $12; members and children under 12, free. Mondays, Tuesdays, 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.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington Street. 860-229-0257; nbmaa.org. NEW CANAAN Carriage Barn Arts Center “Va Va Vroom! The Art of the Vehicle,” group show. Through June 14. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Carriage Barn Arts Center, 681 South Avenue. 203-972-1895; carriagebarn.org. NEW CANAAN New Canaan Library “Street Matters,” photographs by Romy Ashby and Phyllis Sinrich. Through June 14. 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. New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street. 203-594-5003; newcanaanlibrary.org. NEW CANAAN Silvermine Arts Center Galleries 25th Annual Juried Student Exhibition. Through May 20. Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Silvermine Arts Center Galleries, 1037 Silvermine Road. silvermineart.org; 203-966-9700. NEW CANAAN Sorelle Gallery Fine Art “Nature Transformed,” David Hill and Ned Martin. Through June 2. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Sorelle Gallery Fine Art, 84 Main Street. sorellegallery.com; 203-920-1900. NEW HAVEN Azoth Gallery, at the New Haven Public Library “Atlantic and Southwestern Rocks,” photographs by Victoria Navin. Through May 27. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Azoth Gallery, at the New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm Street. 203-387-4933; azothgallery.com. NEW HAVEN City Gallery “Kaleidiscape,” paintings and drawings by Susan Newbold. Through May 30. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. City Gallery, 994 State Street. city-gallery.org; 203-782-2489. NEW HAVEN DaSilva Gallery “Intangible Realities,” sculpture by Eoin Burke and paintings by Tracie Cheng. Through June 19. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. DaSilva Gallery, 897 Whalley Avenue. dasilva-gallery.com; 203-387-2539. NEW HAVEN Giampietro Gallery “Life Boats,” Katherine Bradford. Recent works by Becky Yazdan. Through June 13. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Giampietro Gallery, 1064 Chapel Street. 203-777-7760; giampietrogallery.com. NEW HAVEN Kehler Liddell Gallery “Incipient Speciation,” photographs by Rod Cook and sculptures by Gar Waterman. Through May 31. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Avenue. 203-389-9555; kehlerliddell.com. NEW HAVEN New Haven Museum “Winfred Rembert: Amazing Grace.” Through June 21. “An Artist at War: Deane Keller, New Haven’s Monuments Man.” Through June 30. “From Clocks to Lollipops: Made in New Haven.” Through Dec. 31 $2 to $4; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; first Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue. 203-562-4183; newhavenmuseum.org. NEW HAVEN Reynolds Fine Art Abstract works by Sara Abalan. Through May 30. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Reynolds Fine Art, 96 Orange Street. 203-498-2200; reynoldsfineart.com. NEW HAVEN Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History “Samurai and the Culture of Japan’s Great Peace.” Through Jan. 3. $4 to $9; members and Yale ID holders, free. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Avenue. peabody.yale.edu; 203-432-5050. NEW HAVEN Yale University Art Gallery “Whistler in Paris, London and Venice.” Through July 19. “The Critique of Reason: Romantic Art, 1760-1860.” Through July 26. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street. 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu. NEW LONDON Lyman Allyn Art Museum “Transmissions: Teaching and Learning in the Studio,” the Connecticut College Art Department faculty. Through June 7. “Lost Gardens of New England.” Through July 31. $5 to $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. 860-443-2545; lymanallyn.org. NEW MILFORD Gregory James Gallery “Two the Point,” Banjie Getsinger Nicholas and Joel Spector. Through June 7. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gregory James Gallery, 93 Park Lane Road. 860-354-3436; gregoryjamesgallery.com. NORWALK Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum “Childhood Portraits: Our Children Our Future.” Through June 28. “Tropical Luxuriance: The Mansion’s Conservatory, 1868 to 1880.” Through Jan. 6. $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. NORWALK The Maritime Garage Gallery “Boom,” group show. Through July 31. Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Maritime Garage Gallery, 11 North Water Street. 203-831-9063; norwalkpark.org. OLD LYME Cooley Gallery “Judy Friday: Many Facets.” Through June 6. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cooley Gallery, 25 Lyme Street. 860-434-8807; cooleygallery.com. OLD LYME Florence Griswold Museum “Peter Halley: Big Paintings.” Through May 31. $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 Lyme Art Association Gallery 94th Annual Elected Artist Exhibition. Through June 5. Suggested donation: $5. Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Lyme Art Association Gallery, 90 Lyme Street. 860-434-7802; lymeartassociation.org. RIDGEFIELD Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum “Virginia Poundstone: Flower Mutations.” “Nancy Shaver: Reconciliation.” “Ruby Sky Stiler: Ghost Version.” “Penelope Umbrico: Shallow Sun.” “Elif Uras: Nicaea.” “B. Wurtz: Four Collections.” Through Oct. 25. $5 and $10. Members, K-12 teachers, active-service military families and children under 18, free. Tuesdays, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. aldrichart.org; 203-438-4519. RIDGEFIELD Watershed Gallery “Cuts Both Ways,” paper cut works by Béatrice Coron and Gregg Welz. Through July 3. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Watershed Gallery, 23 Governor Street. 203-438-4387; watershedgallery.com. ROXBURY Minor Memorial Library “Colorful Memories,” paintings by Rita Frenkel. Through May 30. Mondays, noon to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Minor Memorial Library, 23 South Street. minormemoriallibrary.org; 860-350-2181. SOUTHPORT Southport Galleries “A Colorful Balance,” Richard Vaux and Sandra Benny. Through June 6. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Southport Galleries, 330 Pequot Avenue. 203-292-6124; southportgalleries.com. STAMFORD Franklin Street Works “It’s Gonna Take a Lotta Love,” group show. Through May 24. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m. Franklin Street Works, 41 Franklin Street. 203-595-5211; franklinstreetworks.org. STAMFORD Loft Artists Association “The Draw On Exhibtion,” group show. Through June 14. Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Loft Artists Association, 575 Pacific Street. loftartists.com; 203-247-2027. STAMFORD P.M.W. Gallery “Noir 2,” etchings, lithographs, drawings and paintings by Ann Chernow. May 10 through June 21. By appointment only. P.M.W. Gallery, 530 Roxbury Road. 203-322-5427; pmwgallery.com. STAMFORD Stamford Art Association “Water Everywhere,” group show. Through May 28. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. Stamford Art Association, 39 Franklin Street. 203-325-1139; stamfordartassociation.org. STAMFORD Stamford Museum & Nature Center “Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney.” Through May 25. $5 to $10; members and children under 3, free. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road. 203-322-1646; stamfordmuseum.org. STAMFORD The Mayor’s Gallery “In Transit,” Yuko Ike. Through July 6. Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Mayor’s Gallery, 888 Washington Boulevard, 10th Floor. 203-997-4140. STAMFORD University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery “Urban Sediments,” Etty Yaniv. May 11 through June 18. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery, One University Place. artgallery.stamford.uconn.edu; 203-251-8450. STORRS William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut “Remembering the Vietnam War.” The 2015 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition. Through May 10. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 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 KMR Arts “Horizons,” photographs by Sze Tsung Leong. Through June 5. Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. KMR Arts, 2 Titus Road. 860-868-7533; kmrarts.com. WASHINGTON DEPOT Washington Art Association “Singular Perspective,” Kevin Dunn, Mounira Stott and Peter Kirkiles. May 16 through June 13. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Washington Art Association, 4 Bryan Memorial Plaza. washingtonartassociation.org; 860-868-2878. WATERBURY Mattatuck Museum “The Gate to Hell: Photographs by Avery Danziger.” “Quotations: The Art of George Deem.” Through May 17. “The Coast and the Sea: Marine and Maritime Art in America.” Through July 12. “Signature Moments: Historic Letters and Documents.” Through Nov. 15. $6 and $7; members and children under 16, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. mattatuckmuseum.org; 203-753-0381. WESTPORT Amy Simon Fine Art “5 From 415,” Marlene Angeja, Gale Antokal, Carol Ladewig Bonnie Neumann and Amy Trachtenberg. Through June 20. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Amy Simon Fine Art, 1869 Post Road East. 203-259-1500; amysimonfineart.com. WESTPORT Westport Historical Society “Saugatuck @ Work — Haven of Community, Commerce and Innovation,” mural, photographs and more. Through June 14. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place. 203-222-1424; westporthistory.org. WILTON Wilton Historical Society “In the Making: Historic Inspirations/New Quilts,” Denyse Schmidt. “One Loop at a Time: June Myles’ Hooked Rugs.” Through Oct. 3. Suggested donation: $5. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road. wiltonhistorical.org; 203-762-7257. WINDSOR Mercy Gallery, the Loomis Chaffee School “Tales From the Garden ... and Other Mythologies,” paintings by Sarah Lutz. Through June 14. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. Mercy Gallery, the Loomis Chaffee School, 4 Batchelder Road. 860-687-6030; loomischaffee.org. WOODBURY Studio Holtquist “Light: 2Media2Guys,” photographs by Joel Cook and sculptures by Doug Holtquist. Through May 23. Fridays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Studio Holtquist, 891 Main Street South. 203-405-3735.


Nation’s Mood at Lowest Level in Two Years, Poll Shows

Abstract: Americans are more pessimistic about the nation’s economic outlook and overall direction than they have been at any time since President Obama ’s first two months in office, when the country was still officially ensnared in the Great Recession, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Amid rising gas prices, stubborn unemployment and a cacophonous debate in Washington over the federal government’s ability to meet its future obligations, the poll presents stark evidence that the slow, if unsteady, gains in public confidence earlier this year that a recovery was under way are now all but gone. Capturing what appears to be an abrupt change in attitude, the survey shows that the number of Americans who think the economy is getting worse has jumped 13 percentage points in just one month. Though there have been encouraging signs of renewed growth since last fall, many economists are having second thoughts, warning that the pace of expansion might not be fast enough to create significant numbers of new jobs. The dour public mood is dragging down ratings for both parties in Congress and for President Obama, the poll found. After the first 100 days of divided government, and a new Republican leadership controlling the House of Representatives, 75 percent of respondents disapproved of the way Congress is handling its job. Disapproval of Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy has never been broader — at 57 percent of Americans — a warning sign as he begins to set his sights on re-election in 2012. And a similar percentage disapprove of how Mr. Obama is handling the federal budget deficit, though more disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are. Still, for all the talk from Congressional Republicans and Mr. Obama of cutting the deficit as a way to improve the economy, only 29 percent of respondents said it would create more jobs. Twenty-seven percent said it would have no effect on the employment outlook, and 29 percent said it would cost jobs. When it comes to cutting the deficit and the costs of the nation’s costliest entitlement programs, the poll found conflicting and sometimes contradictory views, with hints of encouragement and peril for both parties. Mr. Obama has considerable support for his proposal to end tax cuts for those households earning $250,000 a year and more: 72 percent of respondents approved of doing so as a way to address the deficit. And, in what he can take as a positive sign for his argument the nation has a duty to protect its most vulnerable citizens, about three-quarters of Americans polled think the federal government has a responsibility to provide health care for the elderly, and 56 percent believe it has a similar duty to the poor. “Keep people’s taxes and give them medical benefits,” Richard Sterling, an independent voter of Naugatuck, Conn., said in a follow-up interview. In what Republicans can take as a positive sign as they seek a more limited government, 55 percent of poll respondents said they would rather have fewer services from a smaller government than more services from a bigger one, as opposed to 33 percent who said the opposite, a continuation of a trend in Times/CBS polls. And slightly more Americans approve than disapprove of a proposal by Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin to change Medicare from a program that pays doctors and hospitals directly for treating older people to one in which the government helps such patients pay for private plans, though that support derived more from Republicans and independents. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll that found 65 percent opposed Mr. Ryan’s plan, suggesting results can vary based on how the question is asked. Twice as many respondents said they would prefer cuts in spending on federal programs that benefit people like them as said they would favor a rise in taxes to pay for such programs. Yet more than 6 in 10 of those surveyed said they believed Medicare was worth the costs. And when asked specifically about Medicare, respondents said they would rather see higher taxes than see a reduction in its available medical services if they had to choose between the two. Given the choice of cutting military, Social Security or Medicare spending as a way to reduce the overall budget, 45 percent chose military cuts, compared with those to Social Security (17 percent) or Medicare (21 percent.) The opposition by Tea Party supporters to raising the level of debt the nation can legally carry was shared by nearly two-thirds of poll respondents, including nearly half of Democrats; administration officials say blocking the government from raising that limit could force it to default on its debt payments. For the most part, Americans split sharply along party lines when it comes to whom they trust most on the deficit, Medicare and Social Security. But with 70 percent of poll respondents saying that the country was heading in the wrong direction, the public was not exhibiting warm feelings toward officeholders of either party. Most Americans think neither Mr. Obama nor the Congressional Republicans share their priorities for the country. Mr. Obama’s job approval remains below a majority, with 46 percent saying they approve of his performance in office, while 45 percent do not. And support for his handling of the military campaign in Libya has fallen since last month: 39 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove. In a CBS poll in March, 50 percent approved and 29 percent disapproved. Republicans have their own challenges. More than half of poll respondents, 56 percent, said they did not have a favorable view of the party, as opposed to 37 percent who said they did. (The Democratic Party fared somewhat better: 49 percent did not have favorable views of it and 44 percent did.) As the House speaker, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio , becomes the face of his party in Congress, more disapprove of his job performance (41 percent) than approve of it (32 percent); 27 percent said they did not have an opinion of him. The displeasure with officeholders of both parties is reminiscent of the mood that prevailed in November, when anti-incumbent sentiment swept Democrats out of power in the House and diminished their edge in the Senate. Frustration with the pace of economic growth has grown since, with 28 percent of respondents in a New York Times/CBS poll in late October saying the economy was getting worse, and 39 percent saying so in the latest poll. “They’re saying it will get better, but it’s not,” Frank Tufenkdjian, a Republican of Bayville, N.Y., said in a follow-up interview. “I know so many people who are unemployed and can’t find a job.” The nationwide telephone survey was conducted Friday through Wednesday with 1,224 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Polls
US Economy
Barack Obama
US Politics


Transgender Students Gain Admission to Sports Teams

Abstract: LOS ANGELES — Not so long ago, Toni Bias dreamed of playing in the W.N.B.A. But after starring on the girls’ junior varsity basketball team as a high school freshman, Toni came out as transgender last summer, began going by the name Tony and started transitioning to male. At the time, California had no policy governing transgender high school athletes. Already finding himself the target of bullies, who often taunt him with “he-she,” Tony feared he would have to endure even more abuse if he pushed to try out for the boys’ team. So he made a wrenching decision: he quit basketball. “They don’t understand I’m not trying to pretend to be someone else,” Tony, now a 16-year-old sophomore at River City High School in West Sacramento, said. “I’m just trying to be who I was all along.” Professional sports have grappled with this question for decades, since Renée Richards, who was born male, underwent sex-change surgery and sued the United States Tennis Association to be allowed to play in the women’s draw at the 1977 U.S. Open: How, if at all, should transgender athletes be allowed to compete? Over the last decade, the International Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have adopted regulations for athletes who were born male but now consider themselves females and want to play on women’s teams. And now, high schools are beginning to take on the issue as well, as a small but growing number students who identify themselves as transgender have begun demanding access to the same school activities, like interscholastic sports, that other students enjoy. More than half a dozen states, from Washington to Massachusetts, have adopted rules to allow transgender students to compete on teams that correspond with their gender identities rather than the sex listed on their school records. Half a dozen more states are considering similar regulations. And a bill in the Legislature would make California the first to specifically guarantee by law that transgender students like Tony are allowed to play school sports. “Transgender students deserve equal access to everything in public education, including sports,” said Tom Ammiano, the state assemblyman sponsoring the bill. “You can’t discriminate just because you’re uncomfortable with a young man transitioning to become a young woman.” The push to include transgender students in school sports reflects the rapidly growing visibility of transgender people in all walks of society — like Fallon Fox, the mixed-martial artist who was born a man but fights women, and Chaz Bono, the child ofSonny BonoandCher, who has transitioned from female to male — as well as shifting ideas about how to define gender. But state regulators now face the difficult challenge maintaining competitive fairness: What if a 6-foot-6 student who is biologically male identified as female and wanted to play on the girls’ basketball team? “That student would have a dramatically unfair advantage because of his anatomical sex,” said Andrew Beckwith, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a conservative group that has also opposed gay marriage and abortion. “And then after the game, he can go to the girls’ locker room and shower alongside all the girls.” While transgender students would be allowed to use the locker rooms along with their teammates under the Massachusetts guideline — a thorny issue that has sparked its own debates — state education officials noted that transgender students have often used gender neutral bathrooms at school. Image Eli Erlick announced she was a girl at age 8 and asked to switch gym classes. Her school refused. Credit Monica Almeida/The New York Times The International Olympic Committee initially required transgender athletes who want to compete in the Olympics to undergo a full sex-change operation and hormone therapy. The National Collegiate Athletic Association requires male-to-female transgender athletes to complete a year of hormone therapy before they may compete on a women’s team. Regulations for transgender high schoolers are far less stringent. No state requires students to undergo surgery or hormone therapy before they are allowed to compete. In some states, including California, where the state interscholastic federation adopted a new policy about transgender students in February, students (or their parents) need only submit a letter to the school asserting their gender identity and the case will be reviewed. Thus far, only a handful of transgender students have sought to play high school sports, according to officials from several states, all without major controversy, in part because most have been biological females who wanted to play on boys’ teams — often a less controversial transition that ignites fewer fears about a student’s gaining competitive advantages. But Mr. Beckwith said guidelines issued this year in his state, Massachusetts, were far too lenient, calling them “ripe for abuse.” “The policy says to just completely ignore anatomical sex,” he said. “If a student decides that is his identity, the school has to accept that at face value.” Along with members of other conservative organizations, he said the only way to maintain a fair competitive environment would be to permit students to play only with other students of their biological sex. Transgender rights advocates and school administrators have said that fears that male students will pose as transgender so they can play on girls’ teams are far overblown. Rhonda Blanford-Green, executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, said the policy in her state offered transgender students — who are frequently targets of bullying and have elevated rates of depression and suicide — a fair opportunity to participate in school activities. “Do you know the stigma and psychological trauma most of these kids probably go through just to come out?” Ms. Blanford-Green said. “No kid is going to put himself in that situation as a joke.” Nor are interscholastic sports the only school activities that transgender students say they are often barred from. Eli Erlick, a high school senior in Willits, Calif., who was born male but declared a female gender identity at age 8, tried in middle school to take girls’ gym classes. “The school said I was a boy, so I couldn’t participate in them,” Eli, now 17, said. “After that, I just avoided sports altogether.” Although California law already prohibits discrimination against transgender people, policies vary from school to school, Mr. Ammiano said, and some students do not know which teams they are allowed to play on. His said his bill would ensure that transgender students all over the state were able to play school sports on teams where they felt safe and comfortable. With the new state interscholastic federation policy in place, the athletic director at River City High School said Tony would be allowed to try out for the boys’ team next season. But he does not plan to, still fearing the social fallout with his classmates. He still shoots baskets in the gym sometimes, but only by himself. “I miss it so much,” Tony said. “To be who I am, I’ve had to give up something that’s really big in my life.”

Sports
School Sports
Transgender and Transsexual
State legislature
Legislation
US states
K-12 Education
Youth


Import Prices Decline on Lower Petroleum Costs

Abstract: American import prices recorded their largest decline in nearly a year in May as petroleum costs plummeted, according to a government report on Tuesday that bolstered views of tame inflation and low interest rates. Import prices fell 0.6 percent, the biggest decline since July, after rising by a revised 1.1 percent in April, the Labor Department said. Although the decline was less than the expectations of economists for a 1.2 percent fall, it was the first drop since February. April import prices were previously reported to have increased 0.9 percent. In the 12 months to May, import prices rose 8.6 percent. The monthly decline in import prices reflected a 5 percent fall in the cost of imported petroleum and petroleum products. Excluding petroleum, import prices rose 0.5 percent. Strength in the dollar was also helping to keep inflation pressures muted. This should allow the Federal Reserve, at next week’s policy meeting, to renew its pledge to keep interest rates low to bolster the economy’s recovery. The Labor Department report showed export prices unexpectedly increased 0.7 percent last month after rising 1.2 percent in April. Analysts had expected export prices to be flat in May. In the 12 months to May, export prices rose 5.8 percent. In a separate report, manufacturing in New York State grew in June even as employment declined, supporting the view the factory sector was recovering. The Empire State general business conditions index edged up to 19.6 June from May, the report from the New York Federal Reserve said. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a June reading of 20. The employment gauge dropped, although it remained positive. The index for the number of employees fell in June from May, while the average employee workweek index rose.

International Trade and World Market
United States Economy


Lightning, Weather’s Byproduct, May Become One of Its Predictors

Abstract: Lightning’s intricate, darting dance across the sky can be mesmerizing or terrifying, elegant or explosive, divine or destructive, depending on how close it is. But meteorologists have historically viewed lightning as little more than a weather byproduct. Like a rainbow, only with teeth. That view may be changing as technology has evolved to study lightning and its potential to help predict, if not drive, atmospheric events. In 2017, two new space-based lightning sensors are set to go live, joining a growing global architecture of ground-based detection networks (some making their images available for free online ). “We are now in the golden age of lightning measurement and research,” said Christopher Schultz, a meteorologist and lightning specialist at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Worldwide, thunderstorms hurl about four million lightning bolts to the ground each day. So it’s not surprising that researchers have spent decades figuring out how to track and measure the phenomena, and trying to persuade funding sources that collecting data was worthwhile. “When I got started back in the ’80s, nobody cared,” said Hugh Christian, a research professor at the University of Alabama at Huntsville and director of the team that developed a lightning sensor that will be attached to a truss of the International Space Station in 2017. It will augment coverage provided by a geostationary satellite, known as GOES-16 , that was successfully launched in November. “It’s been a long road,” Dr. Christian said. “But now it’s universally accepted that lightning flash rates are correlated with storm intensification and severity.” This means the more that is known about lightning activity, the more advance warning it is possible to give people about the possibility of associated severe weather events like tornadoes and hail. Experts hope to locate about 90 percent of lightning strikes in the Western Hemisphere, within clouds and on the ground, using detection instruments in space that work by measuring photons blinking in the clouds below and, terrestrially, by sensing radio wave disturbances. European and Japanese lightning-sensing satellites are expected to launch within the next five years, making similar data collection possible worldwide. Forecasters are most excited by the potential for tracking storm activity in remote areas, particularly in the tropics. “What happens is if you have a big area of thunderstorms in the tropics, that puts a lot of energy in the upper atmosphere, which propagates out and distorts weather in the middle latitudes where we are,” said Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington . “One of the Achilles’ heels of modern American weather prediction is the fact that we can’t get convection right in the tropics.” In 2016, 38 people were killed by lightning in the United States. That’s the highest death toll in 10 years, and some experts expect that number to climb in future years because of climate change. The stakes are higher in less-developed nations like India, where deaths average about 1,000 per year. Researchers have also discovered different and strange iterations of lightning. For example, so-called dark lightning , powerful bursts of gamma rays (strong enough to produce antimatter), can smash through the upper regions of Earth’s atmosphere and into outer space. This has implications for the functioning and longevity of satellites used for communication, military reconnaissance and GPS. “It’s totally unexpected and exciting that thunderstorms can turn into something like giant particle accelerators,” said Joseph Dwyer, a professor of gamma ray astronomy at the University of New Hampshire. “And we found lightning is initiating it.” Other surprising and mysterious sorts of lightning are elves and sprites — colorful ultrafast bursts of electricity that dance above clouds into the upper atmosphere. “We’re getting pretty good at saying what lightning does, but we’re still pretty bad at saying how it does it,” Dr. Dwyer said. “It’s so common and yet we really don’t understand it very well.” The current thinking is that ice particles in different forms within thunderstorms bump up against one another during updrafts and transfer charges (similar to what happens when you walk across a carpet and touch a doorknob). The lighter particles get positively charged and migrate to the top of the cloud, while the negatively charged, heavier particles drop to the bottom. The negative buildup at the bottom of the cloud discharges to the positively charged ground below, or upward or sideways, depending on the easiest path for release. The same thing can happen with the accumulated positive charges if a certain threshold is met for discharge. “The problem is people have been sending up balloons and airplanes into thunderstorms for decades, and the measured electric fields are nowhere big enough to create a spark,” Dr. Dwyer said. “So how does lightning get started inside thunderstorms? It’s one of the biggest mysteries in the atmospheric sciences.” In addition to studying naturally occurring lightning, he and his colleagues also trigger lightning using small rockets trailing a coil of Kevlar-coated copper wire that functions kind of like Benjamin Franklin’s kite. Of course, he doesn’t recommend that anyone try this at home. “I enjoy studying lightning at a distance,” Dr. Dwyer said. “I’m the guy who hears thunder and runs inside. Lightning scares me. I know what it can do.”


By Breaking Mold of Receiver, Edelman Fits In With Patriots

Abstract: PHOENIX — In professional sports, being listed as 6 feet tall often means you are somewhere between 5-8 and 5-11. The rounding up is considered a courtesy, since being undersize carries something of a stigma. Julian Edelman, New England’s jack-of-all-trades wide receiver, freely admits that he is 5 feet 10 even if the Patriots ’ website used to give him a couple of extra inches. It makes sense for Edelman to be honest, since nothing about him fits the mold of a wide receiver in the N.F.L. To go along with being short, he also has a lumberjack beard. He is fairly soft-spoken, and while his nickname, Minitron, is an allusion to Calvin Johnson’s nickname, Megatron, little about Edelman, other than his production, would remind anyone of Johnson, the Detroit Lions’ star receiver. For reasons known mostly to him, Edelman would rather be known as Squirrel. Two hundred thirty-one players were selected ahead of Edelman in the 2009 draft ; scouts could not decide what position he should play. A supremely athletic quarterback in his time at Kent State, Edelman was considered a student of the game but not a legitimate prospect to remain behind center. The Patriots, as they often have with other players, saw an opportunity to take advantage of Edelman’s athleticism and reshape him for a position at which they believed he would be a better fit. For Edelman, that meant serving as a kick and punt returner, occasionally filling in as a defensive back, and carrying out a long apprenticeship at receiver. Going into 2013, it was unclear if he would ever fully make the transition, with many still considering him a quarterback trying to play wide receiver. His stock was low enough that the Patriots let him become a free agent after that season before bringing him back at a minimum salary. Video The Patriots wide receiver and punt returner talked about his role on the team. Credit Credit Elsa/Getty Images In the past two seasons, all the questions about his ability to adapt have fallen away. Edelman has made 197 receptions — a total surpassed in the N.F.L. in that period only by Antonio Brown and Demaryius Thomas. Coach Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, like to zig when you expect them to zag, so in the divisional round against Baltimore they took Edelman, now their star receiver, back to his quarterback roots with a play that is sure to be in the heads of Seattle’s defense anytime Edelman is on the field in Super Bowl XLIX Sunday night. In the third quarter, with the Patriots trailing the Ravens by a touchdown, Tom Brady took the snap and threw across the field to his left to Edelman. Quickly, Edelman lofted the ball more than 30 yards into the waiting arms of Danny Amendola , who caught it for a game-tying 51-yard touchdown. The play fooled Baltimore so badly that no one was anywhere near Amendola when he caught the pass. Brady praised the play’s execution, and he said he was impressed that Edelman could still look the part of a quarterback when the team called his number. “He threw it better than me,” Brady said. “That was probably the best pass all season, unfortunately.” Amendola did not seem ready to turn the offense over to Edelman permanently — the pass was Edelman’s first in the league — but he said it was a lot of fun to finally try the play in a game after working on it in practice. “It was a great pass,” Amendola said. “It was a little wobbly, but he put it where it needed to be.” Edelman is most likely done throwing for some time — the element of surprise is the key to such a play — and this week he dismissed the idea that his experience as a quarterback has much to do with his success as a wide receiver. “Mentally it helps me here and there,” Edelman said of his years spent at quarterback. “But the game is so much more complex at this level. Everything you learned in college is like a rough draft for the league.” Edelman said the real key for his ascension was a nearly endless amount of film study that was focused on wide receivers who have had success specifically with Brady. Image Edelman was an athletic quarterback at Kent State, but he was the 232nd player drafted because N.F.L. teams couldn't figure out what to do with him. Credit Andy Lyons/Getty Images “I’ve watched a lot of film on Wes,” Edelman said of Wes Welker, who was the team’s primary slot receiver until 2012. “I was fortunate to get to play behind him and learn how he played the position.” He also watched film on past Patriots receivers like Troy Brown, Deion Branch and Jabar Gaffney. He even took a close look at Randy Moss’s time with New England, even though physically he and Moss could not be more different. “I’m not the same style as him, or body type,” Edelman said. “But if you take a little bit of everything from all of those guys, they’re such smart football players. They were hardworking. They had little niches that they could do.” To call Edelman hardworking would be an understatement. And despite his run of success as a receiver, he did not rule out taking on other roles at the team’s request. “Anytime the coach asks you to do anything around here, you’re going to jump on it,” he said. “That’s ultimately how I made this team, and I take pride in going out there and trying to contribute in any kind of way I can.”

Patriots
Julian Edelman
Super Bowl
Football


Filipino Figure Skater Is Happy Just Being in Sochi

Abstract: SOCHI, Russia — Michael Christian Martinez did not win a medal at the men’s singles competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace. His 19th-place finish was marked by trips and tossups. But after stepping off the ice, Martinez was content, even as he realized his score would not vault him to the podium. “I did my very best,” he said. Martinez, 17, is the first Olympic figure skater from the Philippines and the first Winter Olympian for the country since it sent an Alpine skier to the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. Since the formation of its Olympic committee in 1911, the country has never won a gold medal at the Winter Games. At the opening ceremony, Martinez was the lone athlete and flag-bearer. As his score was read Friday night, Martinez sat in the kiss-and-cry area smiling while waving a white jacket with “Philippines” printed on it. A newcomer on the international skating circuit, Martinez has thrived on social media, especially among Filipinos, with more than 58,000 likes on his Facebook page. He is also a regular user of Twitter. “There’s a lot of support,” he said. “There’s a lot of prayers, people supporting me, comments, and they support me from the beginning, and they believed in me for so long.” Born in Paranaque City, Martinez said he got his unlikely start in skating when he was 9 and walked with his mother past a shopping mall that had a skating rink. Although he tried other sports, he found figure skating was the only one that agreed with his asthma. As he improved, he was approached about training in the United States. He said it was there that he realized, by meeting skaters like the American Jeremy Abbott, how stiff the international competition was. “All these things I had never seen before were there,” he said. Since then, he has trained with the Olympic gold medalist Ilila Kulik and John Nicks, whose pupils have included Sasha Cohen and Ashley Wagner. He completed high school last April. “I miss a lot of school stuff,” Martinez said. “But it is worth it because I am here.” Martinez now trains in California, where he lives with a Filipino friend. “It was really different,” he said of his life in the United States. He spent a month in Moscow training for the competition this week. Martinez finished fifth at the 2013 World Junior Championships with a personal best score, 191.64 points. In Sochi, Martinez skated his short program to “Romeo and Juliet” by Arthur Fiedler and his free skate to “Malagueña” by Ernesto Lecuona. He said he did not sleep much the night before the free skate, and after scoring a 64.81 in the short program on Thursday night, he knew he was a long shot for a medal. But he still may have been one of the happiest men in the Olympic Park. Martinez was skittish about discussing the financial struggles his family faced in helping him train for a costly sport, but he said he had secured financing through his government and Filipinos to pursue skating. “For me, God gave me a chance, and a lot of people gave me a chance so that I made it here,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity.” As one of the younger men in the singles competition in Sochi, Martinez is determined to compete at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “I see myself there,” he said. “For sure I will be there.”

Figure skating
Michael Christian Martinez
Philippines
2014 Winter Olympics