"College freshmen more studious, sober, study suggests; Students contend degree can lead to money, good jobs" by Nick Anderson, Washington Post February 06, 2015
Or not:
"The widening gap in college completion mirrors a growing divide in income inequality: While pay for the richest 10 percent of the nation has jumped in recent decades, for most Americans it has stagnated, after accounting for inflation."
Yeah, it's all a student loan en$lavement $cheme and $cam.
WASHINGTON — College freshmen recall spending much less time partying and drinking alcohol in their last year of high school than their predecessors, according to a new national survey.
They are also very focused on the economic value of a college diploma. Asked why they were going to college, 86 percent said the ability to get a better job was a very important reason. Seventy-two percent said the ability to make more money was very important. Becoming a more cultured person was very important to 47 percent....
I just lost hope in the next generation of brainwa$hed masses.
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Where you can go to party:
"Baghdad’s decade-old curfew to be lifted" Associated Press February 06, 2015
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister on Thursday lifted a decade-old, midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew in Baghdad, ordered that long-blocked streets in the capital be opened, and declared some neighborhoods weapons-free zones.
The measure by Haider al-Abadi appeared to be aimed at restoring a sense of normalcy in Baghdad, where residents enjoyed a vibrant night life before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The curfew was imposed in 2004 as security deteriorated across the city and beyond.
I guess they "liberated" them from that night life.
A government statement said Abadi met with security officials at the Baghdad military command at dawn Thursday and ordered the curfew to be lifted starting Saturday.
He also ordered that streets, long blocked off for security reasons, reopen for traffic and pedestrians.
The prime minister’s order also banned the carrying of weapons in four major neighborhoods — the Shi’ite Kazimiyah area, the Sunni Azamiyah district, the Sunni Mansour, and the southwestern Sayidyah neighborhood.
There was no indication how the last measure would be implemented and Abadi gave no reason for the lifting of the curfew.
Baghdad is still witnessing frequent attacks by militants, including suicide bombings, seeking to undermine the Shi’ite-led government’s security efforts.
With last year’s blitz by the Islamic State militant group, the country is going through its worst crisis since US troop withdrawals in 2011.
The offensive by the group has captured large swaths of northern and western Iraq and parts of neighboring Syria.
--more--"
Think I will head home now:
"Woman arrested after running car into police cruiser
Cranston, R.I., police said a woman was arrested on a drunken-driving charge after hitting a marked police cruiser early Saturday. Police say an officer on routine patrol on Crescent Avenue just before 2 a.m. saw an oncoming car veering over the center line. The officer slowed down and moved to the right but the car collided head-on with his cruiser. Police say the officer was treated for minor injuries. The other driver was not hurt. Police said Amy Drumm, 33, of Cranston was charged with driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a chemical test. She is to appear in court Feb. 12. It is the third time a Cranston police cruiser has been struck by an alleged drunk driver in recent months."
Maybe you should call a cab:
"Taxi stop leads to cocaine arrest
A State Police stop of a taxi in Oxford on Saturday lead to the arrest of the driver and both passengers. Michael Geldart, 25, of Worcester, was driving a cab on Interstate 395 southbound when a trooper pulled him over about 9:15 p.m. for a taillight that was out, State Police said. The back-seat passenger, Jason Niemszyk, 34, of Oxford, was found to be in possession of a large amount of cocaine and was charged with trafficking in cocaine, State Police said. Geldart, who was not carrying his license, was issued a citation for a defective equipment violation and arrested for possession of class B narcotics after the drugs were found. Front-seat passenger Alberto Escobar, 24, of Worcester, was cited for not wearing a seat belt and arrested on outstanding warrants for larceny and possession with intent to distribute class B narcotics. All three men are expected to be arraigned in Worcester District Court on Monday morning, State Police said."
Where else can you get a ride?
"Shifting gears, Uber tries charm; Fast growth brings new business tactics" by Mike Isaac, New York Times February 02, 2015
NEW YORK — Travis Kalanick did not build Uber into a global force by playing nice.
Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, a ride-hailing service, aggressively pushed the startup into new markets, taking combative stances toward regulators and the powerful taxi industry — and the news media.
But Kalanick and his team have begun to trade the art of Sun Tzu for a full-throated charm offensive.
In January, Kalanick delivered a speech in Munich, Germany, filled with talk about compromising with regulators he once sparred with, wanting to “make 2015 the year where we establish partnerships with new European cities.” The company also released two rosy, data-heavy reports about the service’s advantages for cities, drivers, and communities. And on Friday, in an uncommon display of humility, Uber pledged to strengthen its data-privacy practices, acknowledging “we haven’t always gotten it right.”
The striking reversal in tone comes at a crucial time for Uber, which once somewhat prided itself on its antagonistic attitude. The company is now valued by investors at more than $40 billion after the most recent round of financing, largely on the promise of rapid growth. To build a business worthy of that valuation, though, it must prove it can continue its breakneck pace of expansion in markets abroad at the same rate it has domestically.
And to reach those targets, the company will almost certainly need better relations with governments around the world.
“A company like Uber, whose culture is defined by its willingness to go up against the established regulatory regime, is going to run into this problem of perception sooner or later,” said Derek van Bever, a director of the Forum for Growth and Innovation at Harvard Business School.
One large part of Uber’s new strategy is to let the data do the talking.
In August, the company hired David Plouffe, a longtime confidant of President Obama, as senior vice president for policy and strategy. Plouffe leaned heavily on data to aim messages at voters during Obama’s campaign and has begun to use much the same strategy at Uber.
I'm tired of being sold $hit.
Uber’s research team approached Professor Alan B. Krueger, a Princeton economist who previously served as Obama’s chief economic adviser, to conduct a joint survey of more than 600 of the company’s drivers.
“I told Uber that I would take this on as long as I had full discretion over the content of the report,” Krueger said. “They agreed.”
The study found that in 20 markets surveyed, the average driver wages were higher than taxi and limousine driver wage estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Uber added close to 40,000 drivers to its ranks in the United States in December, the report said, and nearly 80 percent of its drivers were happy driving for the company.
No $hit?
Plouffe was eager to trumpet the study’s claims.
“Uber is growing every month, and is becoming a bigger part of not just cities and transportation systems, but of the whole economy,” he said. “We’re likely to be one of the biggest job-producing companies for the economy over the coming years.”
Better own a car.
In another joint study, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Plouffe promoted Uber’s potential influence on drunken driving. The study found that about 4 in 5 respondents said they were less likely to drive themselves home after a night of drinking because of ride-hailing applications like Uber.
Just hope you don't get a rapist for a driver.
********************
It will most likely take more than a couple of reports, though, to change the company’s reputation.
Some employees say morale was low late last year, after BuzzFeed News reported a senior Uber executive had suggested the company commission “opposition research” on reporters.
Related: Almost Two-thirds of Journalists Think Government Spies on Them
They must be conspiracists, and that would explain the self-censorship I see every day.
Competitors like Lyft seized on the news, and Uber was left playing defense.
Even Capitol Hill piled on. Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, questioned Uber’s privacy practices after it was reported an Uber employee had gained access to the ride history of a BuzzFeed journalist....
Employees inside Uber, and several people with ties to Uber, all of whom spoke only on the condition of anonymity, expressed concern that the negative attention could hurt recruiting.
“It’s not fun for Uber’s employees, who are bright and mostly wonderful, to have to keep explaining to their friends why they work for” an organization that would act that way, one person close to the company said.
Some also noted that Uber has partnerships with image-conscious companies like Spotify, United Airlines, and Starbucks, and that future partnerships could be at risk if its reputation did not improve.
Kalanick seems to be getting the message....
So am I.
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Maybe you should take the T home:
"T extends weekend late-night service to June" by Nicole Dungca, Globe Staff February 05, 2015
Experimental late-night T service, used by thousands of riders each weekend, will be extended until June 19 — a temporary victory for advocates who see it as an essential public service that boosts Boston’s status as a world-class city.
Related:
Walsh vows to protect Boston’s interests in Olympic bid
Top mayoral aide joins Boston 2024
It really has taken up all the oxygen in Bo$ton.
But transportation officials are making no guarantees beyond the summer that they will continue the program, which was sought as a way to retain young professionals and provide safe rides home to late-night workers.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said on Thursday that officials were extending the yearlong pilot to find out more about how customers use and need the service before making a final decision on the program.
Apparently she is not that popular.
Pollack said that while she understands the benefits of late-night service, the choice will come down to competing priorities for the T’s limited budget.
“I get it, but I have all these other things that I’m trying to do, that the T is trying to do, that require investment as well, and there are going to be hard choices,” she said.
Supporters have long pushed for late-night service, which is common in other major cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
The Globe was one.
MBTA officials plan to gather opinions from riders until March 11, then make a final recommendation April 15.
The T will publicize its data on the ridership, costs, and revenue of the program, and explain how riders can deliver their opinions, at a Feb. 11 Department of Transportation board of directors meeting.
MBTA data suggest that the trial service was popular, but the T ultimately pays a high subsidy — $7.68, nearly three times the cost of a regular subway ride — per passenger.
The T projects that revenue for the yearlong trial period will be about $2 million in fares, with an additional $105,000 in revenue from corporate sponsorships.
That falls far short of covering the costs of the $13 million program.
Related:
"It appears that the future of late-night rides may ultimately come down to a lack of state funding. Transportation officials have hinted that they could push the program to the chopping block to help cover a $765 million deficit in the state’s budget. And so far, the corporations that could ultimately benefit from the service by retaining young talent have largely failed to help cover the costs of the $13 million pilot program. The state doesn’t appear to be strongly championing the program’s continuation either. This new pilot program was supposed to be different: Yet while riders responded with enthusiasm, private partners that could offset the costly program didn’t. Even though MBTA officials offered extensive corporate sponsorships, fewer than a half-dozen companies provided financial support."
With the Globe and Red Sox providing the bulk of it!
*****************
Last March, public officials said they needed customers to prove their reliance on the service to keep the late-night rides going. Recently, transportation officials have hinted that budgetary restrictions could threaten the continuation of the service....
Does the state ever stop shoveling shit?
Beverly A. Scott, the general manager of the T, said, “At the end of the day, this is about finances and what we can afford, but then the other part of it is, honestly, what do the customers feel?”
Notice how customers come last?
Rose Yates, an assistant general manager for the T, explained that agencies across the country that offer late-night service heavily subsidize their programs.
When board chairman John R. Jenkins asked Yates what she had learned about late-night service from other transit agencies, she underscored the costs.
“It’s an expensive endeavor,” she said. “There’s no question about that.”
Because of limited resources, Yates said the T was faced with several options: eliminating late-night service; continuing the service, but with route and frequency changes; charging a late-night fare; and increasing revenue from sponsorships.
Yeah, what's with that la$t one?
Pollack said the decision ultimately lies with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors, who will approve the MBTA’s budget.
But she also added that the decision is not easy to make....
Pollack said the subsidy per passenger was higher than she had expected.
But she added that various changes, such as cutting routes and saving money in other ways, may be able to change that calculation.
Councilor Michelle Wu, who testified on Thursday in support of the program, welcomed the extension to June, but said it was just the beginning of the battle.
It's a war just getting home to your shitty little student apartment in Boston.
“The challenge now is to make sure that everyone that has a stake in this voices their support,” she said. “The pilot has shown that people love Boston at night, and this is about economic opportunity.”
Except the very corporations that would benefit.... are taking the opportunity to keep the profits for themselves.
--more--"
At least the parade went off fine.
Related: How to fix the T
Events conspired again, and the answer is increased gas taxes?
Also see: Harvard bans professors from having sex with undergrads
That is probably a good idea.
I've got to get to bed soon. Way past my bedtime.
NDUs:
Harvard University applications rise 9 percent
Fewer problems on evening commute on MBTA
"A weekend storm could leave a foot of additional snow in the area, as the MBTA has been struggling for the past week to recover from two major snowstorms and now must endure freezing temperatures."
"The art of complaining about winter weather is something New Englanders consider themselves quite good at. This is sort of true. We are, as a people, consistent complainers, though the articulation of those gripes usually falls short on originality. At this point, there is little new to say about New England winter, but that will never stop us from saying it anyway. We never grow sick and tired of complaining that we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. The beauty of winter complaining is that it can, at first, feel fresh."
Whose "we," and no, it's still the same old stench coming from my morning Globe.
"Outmoded T trains no match for winter’s fury" by Nestor Ramos and Nicole Dungca, Globe Staff February 07, 2015
The primary problem that plagued the MBTA’s subway cars this week — and caused thousands of commuters to be stranded on Monday and Tuesday — is a familiar challenge to transit specialists that other cities solved years ago using modern technology.
Many of the stalled trains failed because their motors run on direct current, or DC, power, which malfunctions easily in light, fluffy snow like the more than 40 inches that has blanketed Boston in the past two weeks, MBTA officials say. Transit systems around the country have upgraded to newer alternating current motors, which withstand moisture far better.
Dozens of traction motors — a key part of every train’s propulsion system that keeps the cars moving — failed, forcing the MBTA to take many of its trains off line. The agency operated just half of its Red and Orange Line fleets for periods earlier this week.
Beverly A. Scott, the general manager of the T, blamed a lack of investment for keeping the older motors.
“If, years ago, the authority had had the money and funds to do a midlife overhaul and replace and upgrade the propulsion system, the traction motors would have been updated with them,” she said, “But some things you don’t get to pick and choose. We’re not going to make excuses, but that’s just the reality,” she said....
As you are stuck you can wonder if the lies and excuses of authority ever stop.
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The rest of the article was "obsolete," if you know what I mean.
"Uber says it’s introducing two new safety features for riders in India in response to concerns about safety that followed a passenger reporting she had been raped by a driver. The San Francisco taxi alternative company says it will launch a ‘‘panic button’’ in its ride-hailing app that allows riders to notify the police in case of an emergency, and a ‘‘safety net’’ feature that will allow users to share trip details and their location with as many as five other people. Uber says it is also creating a local team that will respond to reports by riders and will get a notification when the panic button is pressed."
Officials urge caution after snow-removal deaths
Billerica firefighter dies after snowmobile crash in N.H.
Also see:
Jurors visit homes of Aaron Hernandez, Odin Lloyd
Tsarnaev judge denies third change of venue motion
