Jan
02

Used to Hardship, Latvia Accepts Austerity, and Its Pain Eases

RIGA, Latvia — When a credit-fueled economic boom turned to bust in this tiny Baltic nation in 2008, Didzis Krumins, who ran a small architectural company, fired his staff one by one and then shut down the business. He watched in dismay as Latvia’s misery deepened under a harsh austerity drive that scythed wages, jobs and state financing for schools and hospitals. But instead of taking to...
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Scant Proof Is Found to Back Up Claims by Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are the fastest-growing part of the beverage industry, with sales in the United States reaching more than $10 billion in 2012 — more than Americans spent on iced tea or sports beverages like Gatorade. Their rising popularity represents a generational shift in what people drink, and reflects a successful campaign to convince consumers, particularly teenagers, that the drinks...
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Scant Proof Is Found to Back Up Claims by Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are the fastest-growing part of the beverage industry, with sales in the United States reaching more than $10 billion in 2012 — more than Americans spent on iced tea or sports beverages like Gatorade. Their rising popularity represents a generational shift in what people drink, and reflects a successful campaign to convince consumers, particularly teenagers, that the drinks...
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Tech Giants, Learning the Ways of Washington, Brace for More Scrutiny

Mario Tama/Getty ImagesNadine Wolf demonstrated against online piracy legislation a year ago in New York. The measures were defeated. SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley lobbied hard in Washington in 2012, and despite some friction with regulators, fared fairly well. In 2013, though, government scrutiny is likely to grow. And with this scrutiny will come even greater efforts by the tech industry to press...
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India Ink: In Mumbai, Privacy Is Hard to Come By

On Marine Drive, a popular seafront area in Mumbai, you will invariably find a few couples cuddling on the wall facing the sea, seemingly oblivious to the blazing afternoon sun and the endless stream of cars just behind them. In this city of cramped homes and crowded public spaces, these couples will take whatever time alone that they can get, even if it’s in full view of others.This need for privacy...
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Jan
01

Senate Passes Tax Increases on Wealthy Americans

Jonathan Ernst/ReutersSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid, center, departed after the vote. WASHINGTON – The Senate, in a pre-dawn vote two hours after the deadline passed to avert automatic tax increases, overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday that would allow tax rates to rise only on affluent Americans while temporarily suspending sweeping, across-the-board spending cuts.  The...
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Recipes for Health: Warm Lentil Salad — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesThis recipe started out as something else. I had in my pantry a bag of mixed sprouted lentils – black, green, and brown. I cooked them with the intention of making dal, but I so liked the integrity of the cooked lentils – green and black lentils remain intact even after they soften – that I didn’t want to mash them. Meanwhile I had roasted some squash with balsamic...
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Recipes for Health: Warm Lentil Salad — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesThis recipe started out as something else. I had in my pantry a bag of mixed sprouted lentils – black, green, and brown. I cooked them with the intention of making dal, but I so liked the integrity of the cooked lentils – green and black lentils remain intact even after they soften – that I didn’t want to mash them. Meanwhile I had roasted some squash with balsamic...
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Some Companies Seek to Wean Employees From Their Smartphones

Resolutions to change behavior are common at this time of year, but they usually involve exercising more or smoking less. Now, some companies are adopting policies aimed at weaning employees from their electronic devices. Matthew Ryan Williams for The New York TimesMichelle Barry and Mark Jacobsen of Centric Brand Anthropology strive for the elusive work-life balance. ...
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Central Africa’s Wildlife Rangers Face Deadly Risks

ZAKOUMA NATIONAL PARK, Chad — Just before dawn, the rangers were hunched over in prayer, facing east. They pressed their foreheads into the dry earth and softly whispered Koranic verses, their lips barely moving. A cool wind bit at their faces. All of a sudden, Djimet Seid, the cook, said he heard “one war whoop — or maybe it was a scream.” And then: “K-k-k-k-k-k-k,” the angry bark...
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