Another Ugly Win, but Looks Don’t Matter

Abstract: PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 9 — On a frozen field under a pewter sky, there were few colorful plays to shake loose the tug-of-war tedium of short runs ending in gang tackles and short passes mostly ending shy of first downs. But there was a fluorescent yellow goal post, planted in the north end of Lincoln Financial Field. It somehow stood unnoticed until the second-to-last play of the game, when it served as a dividing line between winning and losing. Philadelphia’s David Akers booted a 57-yard field-goal attempt that could have sent the Giants and the Eagles to overtime. The ball bounced hard off the right upright, about one-third of the way up, and fell backward, eliciting a collective groan from the home crowd and a sigh of relief from the Giants. The Giants’ 16-13 victory improved their record to 9-4. The Giants cannot win their division — the 12-1 Cowboys clinched the National Football Conference East on Sunday — but could probably lose their three remaining games and still earn an invitation to the postseason in January as a wild-card team. “It was an incredible game,” Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said, proving the axiom about beauty and the eye of the beholder. His cheeks were red from the cold and his eyes bright with happiness, as if he had just returned from a sleigh ride. Any lingering playoff hopes for the Eagles (5-8) deflated the moment the ball hit the upright with one second remaining. Four of their losses have been by 3 points. The game was largely a scrum, featuring 12 punts and only two completed passes of more than 20 yards. The Giants allowed the Eagles only two first downs on 13 third-down tries, but also managed only 9 points on three possessions inside Philadelphia’s 20-yard line. “Late in the year, you’re going to get some games where it’s not high scoring, it’s not pretty,” said quarterback Eli Manning , who played solidly in completing 17 of 31 passes for 219 yards. He threw no interceptions after tossing six in the previous two games, but led the Giants to only one touchdown, a 20-yard throw to Plaxico Burress in the third quarter. “You put yourself in a situation in the fourth quarter to win the game, that’s all you can ask for,” Manning added. As the regular season winds its way to the end, the Giants’ offense is getting worse, the defense is getting better and the Giants are increasingly finding themselves in grinding and inartistic contests. “Call it whatever you want to call it,” linebacker Antonio Pierce said. “We call it victory.” The Giants improved to 6-1 in road games, a positive sign for a team that would play its postseason games as a visitor. Coupled with the previous Sunday’s 21-16 victory over the Bears in Chicago, a game undecided until a Bears pass fell incomplete on the last play, the Giants have won two games in a row for the first time since October. This one came despite a sluggish start and a couple of second-half fumbles by running back Brandon Jacobs that added doses of suspense. Jacobs missed the previous two games with a strained hamstring and struggled to find room to run against the Eagles, gaining 70 yards on 22 carries. His best burst came with about six minutes left and the Giants leading, 16-13. Stumbling off balance as he approached the end zone on a 21-yard run, Jacobs had the ball punched out of his hands by defensive end Juqua Thomas just before hitting the ground at Philadelphia’s 10-yard line. Thomas fell on the loose ball at the 5. The Eagles , behind the maligned quarterback Donovan McNabb, who had missed the previous two games with injuries, moved quickly past midfield. On the first play after the two-minute warning, a fourth-and-6 at the Giants’ 43-yard line, McNabb’s quick, short pass over the middle to Jason Avant fell incomplete. Pierce hit Avant from behind as the ball arrived. Avant and the Eagles said a penalty should have been called. Pierce was concerned only with the outcome. “It didn’t get called,” he said. The Giants ran Jacobs three times in a row but could not gain a first down to kill the clock. After a punt, the Eagles took over at their 11-yard line with 53 seconds left. McNabb, working with no timeouts, completed three passes to set up the final field-goal attempt by Akers. Akers twisted his body to try to steer it inside the post, then fell on the ground as the ball dropped to the turf. McNabb completed 20 of 30 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, an 18-yarder to running back Brian Westbrook to cap the game’s opening drive. Westbrook, the focal point of the Philadelphia offense, rushed 20 times for 116 yards. But the Eagles mustered only two first downs during a seven-drive stretch of the second and third quarters, scoring only after Jacobs fumbled after catching a screen pass on the third play of the second half. The Eagles recovered at the Giants’ 8-yard line, and settled for a field goal to take a 10-6 lead. The Giants forced a turnover for the first time in three games midway through the third quarter, as defensive lineman Justin Tuck stripped Westbrook after a screen pass. Manning soon completed a 19-yard pass to Amani Toomer, who lost the ball when he was hit, but was ruled down before fumbling. Eagles Coach Andy Reid flung the red challenge flag underhand like a horseshoe, but the call withstood a replay review. On the next play, Manning zipped a short pass to Burress running a slant route, and Burress slid through a void in the defense for a 20-yard touchdown. The Giants had run the same play two plays earlier, Burress said, but tight end Jeremy Shockey was called for a false-start penalty. “I would have scored on that,” said Burress, who finished with seven catches for 136 yards. “They didn’t react to that well at all.” It was the latest close game between the rivals in Philadelphia. The previous three contests between the Giants and Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field were decided on the final play. In a wild-card game in January, the Eagles beat the Giants on a last-second field goal. In September 2006, the Giants won in overtime on a touchdown pass to Burress. In 2005, the Giants won on a field goal in overtime. “We knew coming into this game, every time you play Philly it’s going to come down to the wire,” Manning said. “I didn’t think, literally, it would come down to the last play of the game, but it always comes down to the fourth quarter or overtime.” Actually, Akers’s kick was on the second-to-last play. Manning was summoned from the sideline to take a snap and kneel down to kill the clock. It is a quarterback’s favorite way to end a game. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

New York Giants
Football
Philadelphia Eagles
Manning Eli
Burress Plaxico


Joakim Noah’s Gritty Effort in Bulls’ Victory Reflects a Lesson Learned

Abstract: For one night in what has been a long and grueling season devoid of Hollywood flourish, Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls produced the kind of happy ending Noah had wanted to see for the superstars in his life, from way back when as well as now. If ever there was a quintessential player made for the brilliant defensive-minded machinations of his coach, Tom Thibodeau, Noah is it — a nearly 7-foot mass of inelegant appendages. In the arena, around the rim, Noah is many useful things, just never a blur of transcendent creativity like the Bulls’ still-recovering star, Derrick Rose, or the leading man of his New York City adolescence, Lenny Cooke. Not long ago, Noah attached his name as executive producer to an eponymously titled documentary on Cooke, a former A.A.U. teammate who was profiled last year in The Times under the heading, “Star-to-Be Who Never Was.” The film, which premiered last week at the Tribeca Film Festival, notes that it wasn’t drugs or criminality that nullified Cooke, who once outranked LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in those arbitrary projections of greatness. It was, as “Lenny Cooke” makes painfully clear in almost 90 minutes of unvarnished access, a case of attitudinal and cultural perversions, the misunderstanding that talent alone is a winning lottery ticket. “It’s a hard story, it’s real, and it happens a lot,” Noah said as he walked to the interview room late Monday night, his attendance there requested for making the hustle plays on an injured foot that helped the Bulls beat the Nets, 90-82, at Barclays Center to even their Eastern Conference playoff series. Until the film — which is the brainchild of the producer Adam Shopkorn and directed by Josh and Benny Safdie — was into its latter developmental stages, Noah resisted a role, hoping that Cooke could provide a more optimistic outlook for the benefit of the youngest N.B.A. wannabes. An excruciating scene at Cooke’s 30th birthday party, in which he serenades his fiancée but soon after is teary and morose, might suggest otherwise. Noah came around to the understanding that powerful cautionary tales often do not end in sunshine. “His reality isn’t easy, but he’s trying to deal with it by allowing his story to be told,” Noah said. “If it helps even one or two kids, it will have been worth it.” In New York for the film’s premier, Cooke, who lives in Virginia, visited with Noah at Barclays on Saturday, when the Nets hammered the Bulls in Game 1. Cooke saw them at their short-handed worst, still no Rose to illuminate an otherwise pedestrian offense, with Noah hobbling around ineffectively on a right foot plagued for months by plantar fasciitis. After receiving treatment between games, Noah had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots in Game 2. More impressively, he scurried around on his bad foot to harass the Nets’ Deron Williams in Thibodeau’s effective double-team pressure. Image Joakim Noah, blocking Reggie Evans’s shot, had 11 points and 10 rebounds Monday. Credit Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times “Playing in front of my family and friends, I’ve waited all my life for moments like this,” Noah said. More than any of the major team sports, an N.B.A. playoff seeding creates a fine line between what can be considered an acceptable postseason or not. The chances for an upset in the N.F.L. postseason are enhanced because it is one game. Inferior teams in baseball can rise on a hot pitcher or two. In pro basketball, a team generally gets what it deserves — or in the case of the Bulls, sans Rose, what they’ve been dealt. Who can say why Rose has thus far refused to test his surgically repaired knee in game action, a year after he was injured in Game 1 of the first round? Before Monday night’s game, he launched one step-back jumper after another, many hitting nothing but net. Noah and the others, by now as mystified as the rest of us, have had no choice but to go about their business. Even were Rose to declare himself ready with the series shifting to Chicago, and if the Bulls could push past Brooklyn, their reward would be likely second-round doom against Miami. This is also true of the Nets, who fell just short of third place in the East. That would have matched them with Atlanta, a far less formidable draw than even the injury-ravaged Bulls, and then a potential second-round series with the Knicks. Too bad, for all of basketball New York. An intracity showdown would have authenticated the nascent rivalry like nothing else. But the Nets’ franchise player, Williams, struggled for months with aching ankles, perhaps exacerbated by excess weight. By the time Williams slimmed down and looked more like himself, the Nets were on their way to compiling the league’s 15th-best home record, 26-15 at Barclays. In a virtually new market, with many people rooting for marquee teams like the Knicks, the Heat and the Bulls in their handsome new building, it was probably unfair to expect the Nets to be dominant at home. Monday was a microcosm of all that, the crowd less than fevered, Williams struggling, the Nets shooting poorly and failing to hold serve. The game’s most pivotal play came when Noah outworked Kris Humphries for the carom of a Carlos Boozer jumper and saved the ball from going out of bounds on the baseline. Noah redirected it blindly to Kirk Hinrich, whose one-handed catch and feed to Nate Robinson produced a 3-point shot that gave Chicago a 10-point lead with 6 minutes 15 seconds left. It wasn’t a Derrick Rose highlight, but more of a lesson learned from the life and times of Lenny Cooke. “What happened with Lenny, I lived that with him and it motivated me to work even harder,” Noah said on the way to the interview room. He walked with a limp.

Joakim Noah
Chicago Bulls
Basketball
Playoffs
Derrick Rose


At Royal Ascot Meeting, Party Lasts to the Finish Line

Abstract: If you had the chance to go horse racing only once in your life and had to choose where and when, the answer would be simple: Any day of the Royal Ascot meeting. The festival, held every June at Ascot Racecourse west of London, is essentially a five-day party built around top-class horses. Each day starts with a Royal Procession and ends with drunken singing around the bandstand. In between, of course, there are the races — 36 in total, including seven top-level Group 1 contests. This year’s edition, which starts Tuesday, will be even more festive than usual because it is Queen Elizabeth II ’s Diamond Jubilee year and the world’s top-ranked thoroughbreds Frankel and Black Caviar will be on hand to help celebrate. More than two and a half miles, or four kilometers, of bunting is being decked around the racecourse, and bookmakers have been busy taking bets on what color hat the queen will wear each day of the event. At least one bookmaker, Paddy Power, also is taking bets on what color the duchess of Cambridge, better known as Kate, will wear. (Current favorite is white or cream, followed by beige.) The royals and their guests will take center stage each day as they enter at the far end of the racecourse in horse-drawn carriages. But once the procession is over and they are ensconced in the Royal Box, the focus shifts to racing. The festival will open with a bang, as Frankel, currently the top-ranked horse in the world, will race the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes in the first race on Tuesday. Frankel, a 4-year-old Galileo colt, is undefeated in his 10 starts. He knows Ascot well, having won there three times, including the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting last year. The racing world got a scare when Frankel injured himself in training before his seasonal debut, and there were rumors he would be retired. The talk turned out to be unfounded, and Frankel, trained by Sir Henry Cecil, scored an easy victory in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 19. His primary competition on Tuesday is likely to come from So You Think or Excelebration, both trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien. Excelebration, a 4-year-old Exceed and Excel colt, has seen the backside of Frankel more than any other horse, having finished second to him three times and third to him once. According to the odds, he’ll get another good look at Frankel’s tail again on Tuesday. So You Think may avoid the clash and stick with the Prince of Wales’ Stakes on Wednesday. The other huge attraction of the meeting will be Black Caviar, the 6-year-old sprinter who shipped in from Australia undefeated in 21 starts. She is currently the second-best-rated thoroughbred in the world, and there is quite a bit of debate about why she isn’t carrying a higher rating than Frankel. Many racing fans had hoped that the two horses would meet and settle the matter, but Frankel is a specialist at the mile, the distance he will run Tuesday, while Black Caviar is a sprinter, so never the twain shall meet. She will close the Royal meeting with her run in the six-furlong, or 1,200-meter, Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday. There is no point in making a bet on her, though, because she is logically the odds-on favorite to win. The Saturday races are already sold out thanks to the appearance of Black Caviar, but her trainer, Peter Moody, was not all that excited to take the risk to ship the mare from Australia. “It is strange that we have to travel three quarters of the way around the world to race inferior opposition for inferior prize-money for her to stamp her greatness,” he told The Racing Post. “There is no doubt it is a massive risk for her to come here and compete here — really, for very little gain.” Prize money for the entire Royal Ascot meeting totals £4.5 million, or $7 million, and while that is high by British standards, prize money in Britain lags far behind much of the rest of the world. The total prize money offered in France for the six Group 1 races run on the day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October tops €10 million, or $12.6 million; Dubai puts just over $27 million on the table on World Cup day; and the Breeders’ Cup races in the United States have total prize money of $25 million. Should Black Caviar win, as expected, on Saturday, she will add about £250,000 to her bank account, which already carries a balance of just over £3.6 million. But the race may turn out to be more lucrative than that, because it is part of the Global Sprint Challenge, which offers a bonus of $1 million to any horse that wins three races in the series on three different continents. A victory at Ascot could set Black Caviar up for a trip to Hong Kong in December, where another victory there would secure the bonus. Sandwiched between Black Caviar and Frankel are plenty of other worthy horses running some interesting races. Fame and Glory will try to defend his title in the Gold Cup on Thursday, a true test of stayers at two miles and four furlongs. On Wednesday, Cirrus des Aigles may run in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes. “Fighting Cirrus,” as he is known in France, has run 43 times for 15 wins and 17 seconds, including the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan. The 6-year-old seems to be at the top of his form, but he is barred from running some Group 1 races in Europe because he is a gelding and not a colt. Because the top pattern races, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, were originally developed for selecting breeding stock, geldings are not allowed in. Yet Starspangledbanner, being a colt, can run whatever Group races he pleases but will never be much good for breeding even after having proved his worth on the track. He won the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot two years ago, and was retired to stud after that championship season, but he was found to have very low fertility. So he has been put back into training and may make his comeback in the same race, now called the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, this year. In any case, if one tires of the drama on the racecourse, there is no shortage of entertainment in the stands. The dress code at Royal Ascot has gotten just about as much attention as the entries this year, having been expanded to two pages to “eliminate any confusion.” Brochures giving examples of what is acceptable attire were sent along with tickets for fans going to either the Royal Enclosure or the main grandstand. The brochures make one thing perfectly clear: Ladies must wear hats at all times. Fascinators are allowed in the Grandstand, but in the Royal Enclosure, any headpiece “must have a base of at least four inches, or 10 centimeters.” In other words, a simple set of feathers on a headband will no longer do. The most interesting off-course scenery takes place, of course, on Ladies’ Day, which is Thursday. The dress code this year says that “strapless or shear strap dress or tops are not permitted.” The results of these new rules remain to be seen, but one thing is certain: What racegoers look like coming into the track will probably not be at all what they look like when they are leaving. Ascot caterers expect to go through 170,000 bottles of Champagne, 160,000 pints of beer and 15,000 bottles of Pimm’s during the five-day meeting, which is likely to be attended by a total of about 270,000 people. If you do the math, you see why so many people finish the day swaying and singing around the bandstand behind the grandstand. Gina Rarick trains horses just outside Paris.

Horse Racing
Great Britain
Elizabeth II Queen of Great Britain


Judge Blocks Controversial Indefinite Detention Law

Abstract: WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the government from enforcing a controversial statute about the indefinite detention without trial of terrorism suspects. Congress enacted the measure last year as part of the National Defense Authorization Act . The ruling came as the House voted to extend for five years a different statute, the FISA Amendments Act , that expanded the government’s power to conduct surveillance without warrants. Together, the developments made clear that the debate over the balance between national security and civil liberties is still unfolding 11 years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. In the detention case, Judge Katherine B. Forrest of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a permanent injunction barring the government from relying on the defense authorization law to hold people in indefinite military detention on suspicion that they “substantially supported” Al Qaeda or its allies — at least if they had no connection to the Sept. 11 attacks. The United States has been detaining terrorism suspects indefinitely since 2001, relying on an authorization by Congress to use military force against perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks and those who helped them. Last year, Congress decided to create a federal statute that codified authority for such detentions. The new statute went beyond covering the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks to also cover people who were part of or substantially supported Al Qaeda, the Taliban or associated forces engaged in hostilities against the United States or its allies. Its enactment was controversial in part because lawmakers did not specify what conduct could lead to someone’s being detained, and because it was silent about whether the statute extended to American citizens and others arrested on United States soil. It was challenged by Chris Hedges, a journalist who interacts with terrorists as part of his reporting, and by several prominent supporters of WikiLeaks. They argued that its existence chilled their constitutional rights by creating a basis to fear that the government might seek to detain them under it by declaring that their activities made them supporters of an enemy group. In May, Judge Forrest agreed, issuing a preliminary injunction barring the government from relying on the law to detain anyone without trial, and Wednesday she made that injunction permanent in a 112-page opinion . The Obama administration fought the move, saying the law did not cover free-speech activities. It also claimed that the statute created no new detention authority that did not already exist in the original authorization to use military force. While Judge Forrest said she thought that it did expand detention authority, the fact that the government took the narrower view was “decisive” because it meant that “enjoining the statute will therefore not endanger the public.” In an interview, Bruce Afran, an adjunct law professor at Rutgers University who helped represent the plaintiffs, called the ruling a “historic” repudiation of government overreach. “It’s an absolute guarantee of freedom of political debate even in a time of war,” he said. In Congress, the House voted, 301 to 118, to extend the FISA Amendments Act for five years. The law, first enacted in 2008, grew out of a once-secret Bush administration program of warrantless wiretapping. It is set to expire without new legislation at the end of 2012, and the Senate has yet to vote on it. Republicans overwhelmingly supported the bill — just seven voted against it — while Democrats were split, with 74 voting for it and 111 voting against it. Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas, urged the Senate to quickly approve it as well, saying it was needed to protect the country. But Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said Congress was not performing adequate oversight to protect civil liberties. “The American people deserve better, and Congress has an obligation to exert more control over spy agencies than simply to give them a blank check for another five years,” he said.

Forrest Katherine B
Law and Legislation
Freedom of Speech and Expression
Detainees
Terrorism
Surveillance of Citizens by Government
Civil Rights and Liberties
Freedom of the Press
Hedges Chris


Super Bowl Ads Play It Safe, Sticking to the Script

Abstract: Advertisers dusted off their well-worn playbooks for Super Bowl 50, deploying a combination of humor, celebrities and plenty of animals in their annual appeal for the attention of the game’s more than 100 million viewers. Several commercials offered more serious, socially conscious messages. But with 30 seconds of commercial time going for $5 million during CBS’s national broadcast on Sunday, many advertisers played it safe and went for big laughs — or at least smiles. “Same old, same old,” said Andrew Essex, former vice chairman of the advertising agency Droga5. “Celebrity, silly and deadly serious seems to be the new formula.” Despite changes in viewing habits and marketing budgets in the last several years, the Super Bowl remains the premier annual showcase for advertisers. Commercials that connect with viewers can reap huge dividends for the companies behind them, while ads that fall flat, beyond being a financial failure, can also harm a brand’s reputation with consumers. It is a reality that results in some companies taking risks, while others take a more cautious route. It seemed at times during this year’s game as if there were enough animals to fill a small zoo. A Budweiser commercial , though devoid of cute puppies, did feature the famous Clydesdales. A spot for Heinz starred a stampede of wiener dogs sprinting toward a family in ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce bottle costumes. Anthropomorphic animals also made their usual appearance. A spot for Honda featured a flock of sheep singing the lyrics to Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” In an ad for Hyundai , two bears chase a man and a woman through a forest. The people escape by starting their car remotely using a smartwatch. “I just wanted to hug him,” one of the bears says after the people are gone. The other replies, “I was gonna eat him.” Hyundai ran a paid promotion for the ad that helped it draw 33 million total online views before kickoff, the most of any advertiser, according to the audience measurement company iSpot.tv. Image The Mountain Dew Kickstart ad featured a creature the brand calls a “puppymonkeybaby.” In perhaps the most visually jarring commercial, for Mountain Dew Kickstart , a creature the brand calls a “puppymonkeybaby” — diaper-clad baby bottom, monkey torso, dog head — shakes a rattle, gyrates and rhythmically chants before handing out beverages. Yes, the creature licks a face or two. “The best Super Bowl pieces — what they have in common is that they’re all incredibly different,” said David Lubars, chief creative officer of BBDO Worldwide. “In fact, the best ones don’t travel on paved paths; they go into uncharted country.” A Doritos commercial showing a father eating Doritos while his wife gets an ultrasound sparked lots of chatter on social media (let’s just say the fetus has a hankering for chips). The ad accounted for 3.5 percent of online activity and 100,000 social posts on game day and finished with about 12 million online views overall, according to iSpot.tv. Image Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer in a Bud Light ad with a patriotic theme. Those hoping for celebrity sightings were certainly not disappointed — some 40 stars appeared in commercials during the game. T-Mobile, for instance, got chuckles with its commercial featuring the hip-hop star Drake, who receives earnest instructions on how to improve his hit, “Hotline Bling.” “When you say ‘Call me on my cellphone,’ ” one person suggests, “just add: ‘Device eligible for upgrade after 24 months.’ ” A spot for Kia starred the actor Christopher Walken, while one for Bud Light featured Seth Rogen, Amy Schumer, Michael Peña and Paul Rudd. Snickers ran an ad — a riff on the classic scene in “The Seven Year Itch” when a gust of air from a subway grate makes Marilyn Monroe’s dress flutter up — featuring Eugene Levy and Willem Dafoe. Skittles went with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. An ad for Avocados From Mexico, which drew kudos from industry experts before the game, featured Scott Baio, the actor perhaps best known for his role as Chachi Arcola in the TV show “Happy Days.” Audi ran an ad that featured David Bowie’s “Starman.” Conversations about pairing the song with the commercial were already underway before Mr. Bowie died, a spokeswoman said in an email on Sunday night. Super Bowl Zoo Homesick dogs, talking bears, herded cats, screaming squirrels: It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without animal ads. Can you match the memorable spokes-animals with their products? Several advertisers took on more serious topics, using their time to offer socially conscious messages rather than directly promote products. The advocacy group No More , which works to combat sexual assault and domestic violence, returned to the Super Bowl with a spot that showed a text message exchange between friends hinting at possible signs of domestic violence. As it did last year, the National Football League donated 30 seconds of airtime for the ad. Colgate, a first-time Super Bowl advertiser, had a 30-second spot intended to encourage people to save water by turning off the faucet when they brush their teeth. Another Budweiser ad featuring the actress Helen Mirren urged people not to drive drunk. “Don’t be a pillock,” she says, using a British insult. The spot was Budweiser’s first anti-drunken-driving spot during the Super Bowl since 2005. “There’s still a very strong theme — with a little bit of a twist this year — of purpose, mission ideas, whatever you want to call it,” said Jim Stengel, a business consultant who previously worked as chief marketing officer at Procter & Gamble. “I think brands and commercials that are embracing this idea of a higher purpose and a higher idea are getting smarter about it.” Image Anthropomorphic animals, like the bears in this Hyundai ad, made their usual appearance. Even as advertising dollars shift online, commercial time during live events like the Super Bowl still commands a steep price. Many advertisers release online teasers and other promotions in the weeks before the game in an effort to get the most out of the money they spend. “The value of the game itself is not just that 30-second spot anymore,” said Jeremy Carey, managing director at Omnicom’s Optimum Sports media and marketing agency. Of course, Super Bowl ads also invite scrutiny, particularly when viewers can watch many online in the days before the big game. The financial services start-up SoFi, a first-time advertiser, received negative feedback on its ad , which identified people as “great” or not great and ended with the line, “Find out if you’re great at SoFi.com; you’re probably not.” SoFi removed the last part, evidently deciding that telling potential consumers they were not great was a bad idea. Image Drake and his hit song “Hotline Bling” were the focus of T-Mobile’s ad. “We want Brandon, our great member, to be the ad’s focus,” a spokesman wrote in an email, referring to one person in the ad. “Anything that takes away from him just seemed like a distraction.” Last year, Nationwide insurance ran an ad with a boy talking about the things he would never be able to do, like ride a bike or get “cooties,” because he had died from a preventable accident. The ad was intended to draw attention to a program about making homes safer but was widely criticized for being too morbid. There was also a heavy dose of ick during the game. An ad called “Envy,” about opioid-induced constipation, featured a man watching a dog making a bowel movement and considering a sign for prune juice. Another ad was for a drug to treat irritable bowel syndrome. Jublia, a treatment for toenail fungus, also ran an ad. Some advertisers decided this year that a TV appearance during the Super Bowl was not worth it. GoDaddy, a longtime Super Bowl advertiser, instead chose to place targeted online ads and run a 30-second commercial during the live stream of the game on CBSSports.com. Another advertiser, Unilever’s Dove Men + Care, opted this year to run video ads on Twitter and on ESPN’s N.F.L. page. “I think the real thing is having the people who need to see your messages see them,” said Mr. Lubars of BBDO Worldwide.

advertising,marketing
Football
TV
Comedy
Super Bowl


Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Hampering E.P.A.

Abstract: Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators. As a result, some businesses are declaring that the law no longer applies to them. And pollution rates are rising. Companies that have spilled oil, carcinogens and dangerous bacteria into lakes, rivers and other waters are not being prosecuted, according to Environmental Protection Agency regulators working on those cases, who estimate that more than 1,500 major pollution investigations have been discontinued or shelved in the last four years. The Clean Water Act was intended to end dangerous water pollution by regulating every major polluter. But today, regulators may be unable to prosecute as many as half of the nation’s largest known polluters because officials lack jurisdiction or because proving jurisdiction would be overwhelmingly difficult or time consuming, according to midlevel officials. “We are, in essence, shutting down our Clean Water programs in some states,” said Douglas F. Mundrick, an E.P.A. lawyer in Atlanta . “This is a huge step backward. When companies figure out the cops can’t operate, they start remembering how much cheaper it is to just dump stuff in a nearby creek.” “This is a huge deal,” James M. Tierney, the New York State assistant commissioner for water resources, said of the new constraints. “There are whole watersheds that feed into New York’s drinking water supply that are, as of now, unprotected.” The court rulings causing these problems focused on language in the Clean Water Act that limited it to “the discharge of pollutants into the navigable waters” of the United States . For decades, “navigable waters” was broadly interpreted by regulators to include many large wetlands and streams that connected to major rivers. But the two decisions suggested that waterways that are entirely within one state, creeks that sometimes go dry, and lakes unconnected to larger water systems may not be “navigable waters” and are therefore not covered by the act — even though pollution from such waterways can make its way into sources of drinking water. Some argue that such decisions help limit overreaching regulatory efforts. “There is no doubt in my mind that when Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972 they intended it to have broad regulatory reach, but they did not intend it to be unlimited,” said Don Parrish, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s senior director of regulatory relations, who has lobbied on Clean Water issues. But for E.P.A. and state regulators, the decisions have created widespread uncertainty. The court did not define which waterways are regulated, and judicial districts have interpreted the court’s decisions differently. As regulators have struggled to guess how various courts will rule, some E.P.A. lawyers have established unwritten internal guidelines to avoid cases in which proving jurisdiction is too difficult, according to interviews with more than two dozen current and former E.P.A. officials. The decisions “reduce E.P.A.’s ability to do what the law intends — to protect water quality, the environment and public health,” wrote Peter S. Silva, the E.P.A.’s assistant administrator for the Office of Water, in response to questions. About 117 million Americans get their drinking water from sources fed by waters that are vulnerable to exclusion from the Clean Water Act, according to E.P.A. reports. The E.P.A. said in a statement that it did not automatically concede that any significant water body was outside the authority of the Clean Water Act. “Jurisdictional determinations must be made on a case-by-case basis,” the agency wrote. Officials added that they believed that even many streams that go dry for long periods were within the act’s jurisdiction. But midlevel E.P.A. officials said that internal studies indicated that as many as 45 percent of major polluters might be either outside regulatory reach or in areas where proving jurisdiction is overwhelmingly difficult. And even in situations in which regulators believe they still have jurisdiction, companies have delayed cases for years by arguing that the ambiguity precludes prosecution. In some instances, regulators have simply dropped enforcement actions. In the last two years, some members of Congress have tried to limit the impact of the court decisions by introducing legislation known as the Clean Water Restoration Act. It has been approved by a Senate committee but not yet introduced this session in the House. The legislation tries to resolve these problems by, in part, removing the word “navigable” from the law and restoring regulators’ authority over all waters that were regulated before the Supreme Court decisions. But a broad coalition of industries has often successfully lobbied to prevent the full Congress from voting on such proposals by telling farmers and small-business owners that the new legislation would permit the government to regulate rain puddles and small ponds and layer new regulations on how they dispose of waste. “The game plan is to emphasize the scary possibilities,” said one member of the Waters Advocacy Coalition, which has fought the legislation and is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Home Builders and other groups representing industries affected by the Clean Water Act. “If you can get Glenn Beck to say that government storm troopers are going to invade your property, farmers in the Midwest will light up their congressmen’s switchboards,” said the coalition member, who asked not to be identified because he thought his descriptions would anger other coalition participants. Mr. Beck, a conservative commentator on Fox News, spoke at length against the Clean Water Restoration Act in December. The American Land Rights Association, another organization opposed to legislation, wrote last June that people should “Deluge your senators with calls, faxes and e-mails.” A news release the same month from the American Farm Bureau Federation warned that “even rainwater would be regulated.” “If you erase the word ‘navigable’ from the law, it erases any limitation on the federal government’s reach,” said Mr. Parrish of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “It could be a gutter, a roadside ditch or a rain puddle. But under the new law, the government gets control over it.” Legislators say these statements are misleading and intended to create panic. “These claims just aren’t true,” said Senator Benjamin L. Cardin , Democrat of Maryland . He helped push the bill through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This bill,” he said, “is solely aimed at restoring the law to what it covered before the Supreme Court decisions.” The consequences of the Supreme Court decisions are stark. In drier states, some polluters say the act no longer applies to them and are therefore refusing to renew or apply for permits, making it impossible to monitor what they are dumping, say officials. Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, N.M., for instance, recently informed E.P.A. officials that it no longer considered itself subject to the act. It dumps wastewater — containing bacteria and human sewage — into a lake on the base. More than 200 oil spill cases were delayed as of 2008, according to a memorandum written by an E.P.A. official and collected by Congressional investigators. And even as the number of facilities violating the Clean Water Act has steadily increased each year, E.P.A. judicial actions against major polluters have fallen by almost half since the Supreme Court rulings, according to an analysis of E.P.A. data by The New York Times . The Clean Water Act does not directly deal with drinking water. Rather, it was meant to regulate the polluters that contaminated the waterways that supplied many towns and cities with tap water. The two Supreme Court decisions at issue — Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers in 2001 and Rapanos v. United States in 2006 — focused on the federal government’s jurisdiction over various wetlands. In both cases, dissenting justices warned that limiting the power of the federal government would weaken its ability to combat water pollution. “Cases now are lost because the company is discharging into a stream that flows into a river, rather than the river itself,” said David M. Uhlmann, a law professor at the University of Michigan who led the environmental crimes section of the Justice Department during the last administration. In 2007, for instance, after a pipe manufacturer in Alabama , a division of McWane Inc., was convicted and fined millions of dollars for dumping oil, lead, zinc and other chemicals into a large creek, an appellate court overturned that conviction and fine, ruling that the Supreme Court precedent exempted the waterway from the Clean Water Act. The company eventually settled by agreeing to pay a smaller amount and submit to probation. Some E.P.A. officials say solutions beyond the Clean Water Restoration Act are available. They argue that the agency’s chief, Lisa P. Jackson , could issue regulations that seek to clarify jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Mrs. Jackson has urged Congress to resolve these issues. But she has not issued new regulations. “E.P.A., with our federal partners, emphasized to Congress in a May 2009 letter that legislation is the best way to restore the Clean Water Act’s effectiveness,” wrote Mr. Silva in a statement to The Times. “E.P.A. and the Army Corps of Engineers will continue to implement our water programs to protect the nation’s waters and the environment as effectively as possible, including consideration of administrative actions to restore the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act.” In the meantime, both state and federal regulators say they are prevented from protecting important waterways. “We need something to fix these gaps,” said Mr. Tierney, the New York official. “The Clean Water Act worked for over 30 years, and we’re at risk of losing that if we can’t get a new law.”

Clean Water Act
Supreme Court
EPA
Water pollution
Legislation
Water
Environment
Waste management


Top Officials With New York City Police Are Angered by Escapes

Abstract: The woman, arrested after she was accused of skipping out on her bill at a restaurant and shoplifting, was taken to the hospital. She had told the police that she was pregnant and feeling ill. But on Sunday, just after 9 p.m., Tiffany Neumann, 23, managed to finagle her way out of her handcuffs and out of NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, bypassing the police officer assigned to watch her, the authorities said. “She took the prison gown off and threw it to the side as she walked onto the street,” Robert K. Boyce, the chief of detectives, said on Monday as the search for Ms. Neumann continued. The specter of escape has loomed over the summer, ever since two convicted killers fled a maximum-security prison in northern New York State, leading to a 23-day manhunt in the region’s thick woods. And in New York City, Ms. Neumann was at least the fourth person to escape from police custody since June. Those escapes were more like mad dashes than painstakingly planned prison breaks, but even so, police officials acknowledged on Monday that the episodes were disconcerting and reflected poorly on the Police Department. “I will not tolerate as police commissioner these continued lapses in what should be basic policing — the care and custody of a prisoner,” Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said in a news conference on Monday. In this case, James P. O’Neill, the chief of the department, said it came as a result of “inattentiveness and carelessness.” Image Tiffany Neumann Credit New York Police Department “There’s no excuse for it,” Chief O’Neill said. “It’s embarrassing. She’s not a mastermind criminal.” He said a police officer, whose name the department did not release, had been suspended. Police officials did not disclose the number of instances in which people in custody had successfully fled this year, and it is unclear if officers in any of the other instances had been disciplined. But Mr. Bratton said that if the officer in this case was found to have been derelict in his or her duties, the consequences would be severe. “The punishment that we will be putting in place for these types of events is going to be significant,” he said. The string of escapes in the city began on June 23, when Tareek Arnold, 23, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, pushed an officer and ran as he was being escorted from a precinct station in Harlem to central booking in Lower Manhattan. He was caught nearly a month later, only a few blocks from the site of his escape, the police said. Another man, Arthur Collins, 57, vanished on July 24 from a holding cell in the 25th Precinct in East Harlem without shoes. He was found on July 27, the police said. On Aug. 16, Austin Stevenson, 25, was being escorted in handcuffs into the 23rd Precinct station house, also in East Harlem, when he shoved the officer and ran away. Mr. Stevenson was arrested again three days later in Brooklyn. In Ms. Neumann’s case, the police said, she was arrested on Saturday after she left the Hi-Life Bar and Grill on Amsterdam Avenue without paying her bill and then went to a store down the block, where she stole clothing. Chief Boyce said Ms. Neumann had been arrested six times, including on Saturday — three times in New York City and three times in Los Angeles. He said she “doesn’t have a lot of resources available to her,” such as a phone. “She was supposed to go back to L.A. sometime this week,” Chief Boyce told reporters. “Of course, we will make sure that doesn’t happen, and we apprehend her before that.”

Police Brutality,Police Misconduct,Police Shootings


Twitter Experiences Worldwide Disruptions

Abstract: Twitter experienced global disruptions on Tuesday that prevented many of its 300 million users from staying connected or from logging on to the social network in the first place. The company cited a technical problem in a recent code change as the cause of the problems, which began around 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and prevented many users from sharing updates on their smartphones, computers and other mobile devices. About 1 p.m., the company said it had reversed the change, which fixed the issue. Twitter declined to specify how many of its users were affected. “Thank you for your patience,” Twitter said in a status update. Although the disruptions were among the most extensive the company has encountered, Twitter is not the only popular social network to have faced technical problems. Facebook, whose users now number more than 1.5 billion worldwide, has also had a spate of shutdowns over the last 18 months, though often the problems have been corrected within hours. Because Twitter is an important news source, as well as a popular sounding board, the shutdowns disrupted the global conversation. When other technology and media companies have faced similar problems in the past, people have often turned to Twitter to vent their frustrations — an outlet unavailable this time because the platform itself was the cause of the problem. “Thanks for noticing,” read a brief note that appeared on users’ Twitter pages when the website had problems loading. “We’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.” The hashtag #TwitterDown started to trend on the site when it was working, as well as on its rival Facebook, where people playfully mocked Twitter’s disruptions. “Apt song for the #TwitterDown crises we are facing at the moment,” Paul Lee Lotter, a Facebook user from South Africa, said in a post that included a link to the Led Zeppelin song “Communication Breakdown.” Twitter has been facing growing investor anger since its blockbuster initial public offering in 2013. The company’s stock has lost almost a quarter of its value in the last month, reflecting criticisms of the way Jack Dorsey, the Twitter co-founder who recently returned to become its chief executive, is running the platform. That includes experiments to introduce a longer form of tweet, in what would be a move away from the simple design that the service was originally founded on. Mr. Dorsey has also tried to broaden Twitter’s appeal, a problem the company has struggled with for years, much to the consternation of its investors. And while Facebook has found increasing success with its advertising, analysts remain skeptical that Twitter can match its larger competitor’s track record of attracting millions of dollars in ads from big international companies like Coca-Cola, Ford and General Electric.

Computers and the Internet
Tech Industry
Network Outages
Social Media
Facebook


U.S. Team Stays Alive in Davis Cup With Victory In Doubles Over Serbia

Abstract: Bob Bryan and John Isner defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-6 (8), 6-3, in doubles Saturday to cut host Serbia’s lead to 2-1 and keep the United States alive in the first round of the Davis Cup. Isner was a last-minute replacement for Bryan’s twin, Mike, who was sidelined with food poisoning. The Bryans are the world’s top doubles team. Isner will try to even the score Sunday when he plays second-ranked Novak Djokovic in the first reverse singles on an indoor clay court at Belgrade Arena. Sam Querrey is set to play the final singles match against Viktor Troicki. “I’m a bit tired now, but it won’t affect me too much tomorrow against Djokovic,” said Isner, No. 20 in the world rankings. “I really have nothing to lose, as he’s the No. 2 player and not me.” On Friday, Isner lost his Davis Cup debut to Troicki, and Djokovic beat Querrey. The United States has won only once after falling behind by 2-0 in the Davis Cup, against Australia in 1934. Serbia is trying to pass the World Group first round for the first time. This was the first time that Bob Bryan played doubles in the Davis Cup without his brother. The two are 9-0 in Davis Cup matches on the road and have 16 doubles wins together in the competition, the most of any United States doubles team. “John is a good doubles player, and I enjoyed playing behind his big serve,” Bob Bryan said. “It definitely was a new experience for me, we pulled a couple of amazing tie breakers.” The Serbs wasted five set points in the first-set tie breaker, with the Americans converting their second. In the third, a set point for the Serbs was annulled by the umpire and the point was given to the Americans after Zimonjic called an Isner service out during play even though the ball was in. “The referee was right, and I made a mistake,” said Zimonjic, the world’s top-ranked doubles player. “All the credit to the Americans, who served real well and handled the pressure perfectly.” CROATIA ADVANCES Croatia has clinched a spot in the Davis Cup quarterfinals after Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic earned a straight-sets win in doubles to give the host an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Ecuador in Varazdin, Croatia. The Croats defeated the brothers Nicolas and Giovanni Lapentti, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-5, after sweeping the opening singles Friday. Croatia will face Serbia or the United States in the next round. CZECHS OUST BELGIUM The Czech Republic advanced to the quarterfinals after Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek beat Olivier Rochus and Steve Darcis of Belgium, 7-6 (0), 6-0, 6-3, to gain an insurmountable 3-0 lead in Bree, Belgium. The Czechs will meet Chile or Israel in the quarterfinals in July. FRANCE TOPS GERMANY France advanced to the quarterfinals after Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas of Germany, 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, for an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Benneteau converted the French duo’s second match point with a forehand volley winner in Toulon, France. Benneteau and Llodra played together for the first time in Davis Cup and broke their opponents four times. France will play Spain or Switzerland in the quarterfinals July 9 to 11. ARGENTINA LEADS Argentina took a 2-1 lead over Sweden in their first-round series in Stockholm, with David Nalbandian and Horacio Zeballos defeating Robin Soderling and Robert Lindstedt, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), in doubles. The Argentines broke twice in the first set to take a 4-0 lead, then proved stronger in each of the tie breakers. Zeballos converted their second match point with a volley.


The Reversal of America's Town and Country

Abstract: WAGNER, S.D. — Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the greatest rural snob in history, argued that cities are as useful to a republic as sores are to a human body. Ever since, town and country have been pitted against each other in American politics, with a somewhat unfair rule seeming to govern their duel: It’s acceptable for the country to sneer at the town, but not the other way around. And yet the border between town and country is blurring in America. Urban farming, methamphetamine use, the local-food movement, the global commodities boom, the diverging family structures of the educated and less- educated, and various other things are making town a lot more like country and country a lot more like town. When you land in Mitchell, S.D., and make the hour’s drive to Wagner, here is what you see. First, a burial-vault business outside the tiny airport. Then the Kongo Klub strip joint. And then, for miles and miles, farms that coat the rolling hills, wind tickling the green leaves and the leaves trembling with laughter. But the scenery can be deceiving, because here you are in a place deeply linked into the supply chains of cut- throat globalized commerce — while in the cities, skepticism of such commerce is on the rise. You will notice, for instance, that there isn’t much of a variety of vegetables on these farms. It’s soybeans and corn, over and over, because the prices for such commodities are good and machines can do the work — and, in the case of corn, because people love their Pepsi and Fanta, sweetened with corn syrup. While in New York and Chicago and San Francisco, the restaurants contort themselves to serve “farm to table” fare, many in this agrarian community still eat as Americans did decades ago — iceberg lettuce, industrially processed salad dressings, Cool Whip imitation whipped cream, meat that could be from anywhere. Though cattle is a major industry here and cows are everywhere, step into restaurants like the ScoreBoard Pub & Grille, reputed to serve Mitchell’s best burger, and they have no idea where the beef is from. Meanwhile, in New York City, ever more people are raising chickens in their backyards. Then there’s the question of social order. American cities, with some exceptions, have largely reduced crime. The New York City of crack vials crushing under feet is fading into memory. Meanwhile, in places like Wagner and Mitchell — or, say, Stephenville, Texas, where I found myself just before South Dakota — a kind of rural chaos is taking hold. The people who live in these places will usually tell you what drug they think is causing it: crystal meth, heroin, OxyContin. Fracturing families, bad schools and mass incarceration are involved, too. When you walk through these towns, you can feel a darkness that belies the imagery of country towns. Street life has all but gone as the young and the educated leave; many businesses open only a few days a week; young men drive around in low-slung cars, giving vengeful looks and, on a recent morning in Wagner, barking and making menacing hand signals at a visiting stranger. (Was it a gang sign or an attempted shadow puppet of a depressed goose?) Rural dwellers might look down on the promiscuous, amoral cities, but reality challenges their prejudice. For example, when the Pew Research Center looked at the likelihood people in different states were to be married three or more times, more agrarian states like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama topped the list, while more urban places like Minnesota, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey came at the very bottom. Even that most enduring of rural self- images — that of sturdy self-reliance — stands on shaky ground. In American politics, it’s poor, dark-skinned urban dwellers who are so often cast as hopeless wards of the government. But the states that, on balance, receive more from federal government spending than they pay out in federal taxes tend to be the more rural ones: at the top of the list, New Mexico, Mississippi, West Virginia, Montana, Alabama and North Dakota. What are the rural snobs to do? If Thomas Jefferson lived now, perhaps he would quit Monticello and become a chicken farmer in New York. Join an online conversation at http://anand.ly and follow on twitter.com/anandwrites

Agriculture
US states
South Dakota
Vegetable


Single Tooth Tells of Long-Extinct Platypus

Abstract: Based on the discovery of a single tooth, researchers say they have identified an ancient species of giant platypus. The finding provides new clues about the lineage of the modern platypus. “The fossil record is very, very patchy for the platypus, and these are a unique group of mammals,” said the lead researcher, Rebecca Pian , a vertebrate paleontologist at Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History. Unlike most mammals, they lay eggs instead of giving birth to live offspring; their snouts are covered with electroreceptors that can detect underwater prey; and the male has a venomous spur on its hind feet. There are only three other known species of extinct platypus. The newly discovered one was probably more than three feet long, twice the size of the modern platypus. From the bumps and ridges on the fossilized tooth, the researchers think it was an aquatic mammal that lived in freshwater pools, dining on crayfish and freshwater crustaceans as well as small vertebrates like lungfish, frogs and turtles. Ms. Pian, now a doctoral student at Columbia, worked on the research as an undergraduate at the University of New South Wales in Australia. She and her colleagues from the university discovered the ancient tooth in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of Northwest Queensland. They describe the extinct platypus in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Paleontology
Mammal
Endangered Species
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology


Patriots Leave Jets Guessing With 35-Point Second Quarter

Abstract: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New England Patriots were held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time all season. That was the crest of the night for the Jets ’ defense. Any momentum crashed down swiftly from there in Thursday’s 49-19 loss at MetLife Stadium. New England scored on its first play of the second quarter — a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker — and added four more scores in the most lopsided quarter in Jets history. The Patriots went into halftime with a 35-0 lead. They did this despite having the ball for only 2 minutes and 14 seconds in the quarter. New England forced three fumbles and threw touchdown passes of 83 and 56 yards. The Patriots’ 35-point output was tied for the fourth-most points in a quarter in N.F.L. history and tied the franchise mark it set against the Bills in 2009. It was also the first time the Jets have allowed 35 points in a quarter. At one point, the Patriots scored three touchdowns in less than a minute, becoming only the third team since 1970 to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. The onslaught began after Jets running back Shonn Greene fumbled on fourth-and-1 on the Patriots’ 31. New England recovered and, on the first play of their drive, Brady found running back Shane Vereen in the left flat and he beat three Jets defenders down the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. It was longest touchdown reception by a running back against the Jets since 1979. Explaining that play, cornerback Antonio Cromartie seemed to direct blame toward the defensive play call, which left linebacker Bart Scott with too much ground to cover the speedy Vereen. “It’s hard for him to take that when he’s too far inside and the running back’s already out,” Cromartie said. “Guys were in a bad position.” Forty seconds later, on first down from the Jets’ 31, Sanchez ran into his own right guard, Brandon Moore, and fumbled. The ball was recovered by safety Steve Gregory and returned 32 yards for another score. That play — broken from the snap — will certainly not be on the end-of-the-season highlight clip. It may be replayed with delight in many Massachusetts living rooms, though. It was a diabolically fitting sequence: the Jets literally could not get out of their own way. “We turned the ball over four times in the first half,” Moore said. “You’re not going to win any football games off that.” On the ensuing kickoff, down by 21-0, Jets returner Joe McKnight coughed up another fumble that popped squarely into Julian Edelman’s arms. He returned it 22 yards for yet another Patriots score. It was 28-0. Three touchdowns in 52 seconds of game time. New England, which leads the N.F.L. with 24 forced fumbles and 17 recovered, clearly drew up an aggressive game plan, focusing on the Jets’ desperation to score points and on their dysfunctional special teams. The Jets have lost 11 fumbles this season, third most in the A.F.C. The Jets could not get anything going offensively in the quarter. After Edelman’s touchdown, they ran six plays and gained 16 yards and ultimately needed to punt. Three plays later, Brady found Edelman over the top of the defense for a 56-yard touchdown pass. He had beaten safety LaRon Landry easily. New England had scored 94 points in its last six quarters after its 59-24 win over Indianapolis the week before. The Patriots certainly had no need for the star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who broke his forearm in the fourth quarter against the Colts. Most of the damage was done by Gregory, their safety from Staten Island, who forced two fumbles, had an interception and scored a touchdown in the first half alone. Brady was 4 for 4 with 154 yards and 3 touchdowns in the quarter. It was the fourth time in five weeks that the Jets’ special teams committed errors that resulted in opposing scores. Against Seattle, Jeremy Kerley fumbled a punt. The team allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins and a 104-yard kickoff return for a score against the Patriots on Oct. 21. But on this night, the costly errors came in rapid fire and left the Jets to wonder how much worse it could get.

Football
New England Patriots
New York Jets


Things to Do in the Hudson Valley, April 16 Through April 24

Abstract: A guide to cultural and recreational events in the Hudson Valley. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to westweek@nytimes.com. Comedy KINGSTON Kevin James. April 29 at 7 p.m. $43 to $80. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway. 845-339-6088; upac.org. PELHAM Dan Wilson, Corey Jarvis and Dennis Rooney. April 16 at 9 p.m. Rodney Laney, Rob Falcone and Max May. April 23 at 9 p.m. $10. Rockwells, 105 Wolfs Lane. 914-738-5881; rockwellsusa.net. WEST NYACK Adam Ferrara. Through April 17. $20. Russell Peters. April 21 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $45. Pete Davidson. April 27 and 28. $20. Levity Live, 4210 Palisades Center Drive. 845-353-5400; levitylive.com. WOODSTOCK Colin Quinn, benefiting Woodstock Land Conservancy. April 16 at 7 p.m. $15 to $75. Woodstock Playhouse, Routes 212 and 375. woodstockplayhouse.org; 845-679-6900. Film BRONX “Made in the Bronx,” six short films, screening and Q. and A. with the filmmakers. April 21 at 6:30 p.m. Free. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. BRONX “Seeds of Time” (2013), documentary, screening and Q. and A. with Sandy McLeod, director. April 22 at 10 a.m. $10 and $20. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard. 718-817-8700; nybg.org. GARRISON “Offset: Seeing Beauty Through a Brain Injury” (2014), starring Brian Nice. April 29 at 7:30 p.m. $20. Philipstown Depot Theater, 10 Garrison Landing. 845-424-3900; philipstowndepottheatre.org. KINGSTON “The Birdcage” (1996), directed by Mike Nichols. April 22 at 7:30 p.m. $6. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway. 845-339-6088; upac.org. NYACK “45 Years” (2015), starring Charlotte Rampling. April 30 at 8 p.m. $8 to $12. Rivertown Film, 58 Depew Avenue. rivertownfilm.org; 845-353-2568. PLEASANTVILLE “Rosewood” (1997), directed by John Singleton. April 16. “Horse Feathers” (1932), directed by Norman McLeod. Through April 17. $8 and $13. “In Search of Israeli Cuisine” (2015), directed by Roger Sherman. Q. and A. with the director. Through April 17. “A New Leaf” (1971), directed by Elaine May, starring Walter Matthau. April 20 at 7:30 p.m. “The Fear of 13” (2015), documentary directed by David Sington. April 21 at 7:30 p.m. “The Man Who Knew Infinity” (2016), starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons. April 26 at 7 p.m. $10 and $15. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. 914-747-5555; burnsfilmcenter.org. TARRYTOWN “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), directed by John Sturges. April 20 at 7 p.m. $5. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. tarrytownmusichall.org; 877-840-0457. For Children CROTON-ON-HUDSON Lightscapes, immersive installation with music and special effects. April 29 through May 30. $16 to $25. Van Cortlandt Manor, 525 South Riverside Avenue. 914-631-8200; hudsonvalley.org. IRVINGTON “Peter Pan,” directed by Jason Brantman and Fiona Santos. Through April 17. “Seussical Jr.,” written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. April 30 through May 1. $15 and $20. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. irvingtontheater.com; 914-591-6602. KATONAH Family Day, activities and live bird viewing. April 17, noon to 5 p.m. Free. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. katonahmuseum.org; 914-232-9555. KATONAH Learning about birds of prey with James Eyring, with live demonstrations. April 17 at 1 p.m. Muscoot Farm, 51 Route 100. 914-864-7282; muscootfarm.org. MAMARONECK “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” April 17 at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. $15. Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. emelin.org; 914-698-0098. POUGHKEEPSIE Garden Bros Circus. April 22 at 4, 6 and 8 p.m. $8 to $36. Mid-Hudson Civic Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza. 845-454-5800; midhudsonciviccenter.org. PURCHASE “Clifford the Big Red Dog Live.” April 16 at 3 p.m. $8.75 to $27.50. The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. 914-251-6200; artscenter.org. WEST NYACK Mark Calabrese, magic and comedy. Ages 8 and up. April 17 at 2 p.m. $14. Levity Live, 4210 Palisades Center Drive. 845-353-5400; levitylive.com. Music and Dance ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON Faculty Dance Concert, with choreography and performance by Bard Dance Faculty. April 22, 23 and 24. $15; Bard community, free. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College, 845-758-7900; fishercenter.bard.edu. BETHEL Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, roots. April 23 at 7 p.m. $50. “The Last Waltz” live: recreation of the classic 1978 concert film featuring the Band. April 30 at 8 p.m. $32 and $36. Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through April 29. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. bethelwoodscenter.org; 866-781-2922. HUDSON Reelin’ in the Years: The Music of Steely Dan, rock tribute. April 16 at 9 p.m. $25 and $35. Rayland Baxter, country. April 22 at 9 p.m. $15. Sean Rowe, folk, with special guests the Sea the Sea. April 24 at 8 p.m. $20 and $25. Parker Millsap, singer-songwriter. May 1 at 8 p.m. Club Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street. helsinkihudson.com; 518-828-4800. KATONAH The Small Glories with Joe Crookston, roots and folk. April 16 at 8 p.m. $15 to $65. Aizuri Quartet, classical. April 17 at 4 p.m. $15 to $35. Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road. 914-232-1252; caramoor.org. KINGSTON Stomp, percussion. April 16 at 8 p.m. $33 to $53. Boz Scaggs, rock and soul. April 17 at 7 p.m. $39 to $99. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway. 845-339-6088; upac.org. MAMARONECK Roger McGuinn, folk and rock. April 16 at 8 p.m. $55. Trio Solisti, piano trio. April 30 at 8 p.m. $37. Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. emelin.org; 914-698-0098. MARLBORO Ed Palermo Big Band performing songs from James Bond. April 17 at 8 p.m. Free; donations accepted. The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W. liveatthefalcon.com; 845-236-7970. Image COLD SPRING “Spiral Line” (2016), mixed media by Donald Alter, is on view in “Parallel Realities” through May 1 at Gallery 66 NY, 66 Main Street. Information: 845-809-5838 or gallery66ny.com . Credit Donald Alter NEW ROCHELLE Matthew Harrison and Vlada Yaneva, jazz and American classics. April 17 at 3 p.m. Free. New Rochelle Public Library, 1 Library Plaza. 914-632-7878; nrpl.org. PAWLING Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre, classic rock. April 28 at 8 p.m. $25 to $35. Daryl’s House, 130 Route 22. 845-289-0185; darylshouseclub.com. PEEKSKILL Slam Allen, blues. April 16 at 9:30 p.m. The Brighton Beat, Afrobeat. April 23 at 9:30 p.m. $10. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, 12 North Division Street. 914-737-6624; 12grapes.com. PEEKSKILL Valerie Capers Quartet, jazz. April 16 at 8 p.m. $15. Eclectic Paradise, jazz. April 21. Larry Newcomb Ensemble featuring Ray Blue on sax. April 22. The Clayton Bryant Band. April 23. Joe Ferry and the Big Ska Band, CD release show. April 30 at 8 p.m. $10. Sundays through Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bean Runner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. beanrunnercafe.com; 914-737-1701. PEEKSKILL John Hiatt, singer-songwriter. April 29 at 8 p.m. $55 and $65. Paramount Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown Street. paramounthudsonvalley.com; 914-739-0039. PORT CHESTER Robert Randolph and the Family Band, funk and R&B. April 16 at 8 p.m. $43 and $53. Steely Dan, rock. April 19 at 8 p.m. $65 to $225. The Gipsy Kings, featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo. April 22 at 8 p.m. $45 to $100. The Capitol Theater, 149 Westchester Avenue. thecapitoltheatre.com; 914-937-4126. POUGHKEEPSIE Hudson Valley Philharmonic Bernstein’s Kaddish. April 16 at 8 p.m. $38 to $56. Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market Street. bardavon.org; 845-473-2072. PURCHASE Robin Spielberg, pianist and composer. April 16 at 8 p.m. $23.75 to $47.50. Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, classical and Broadway hits. May 1 at 3 p.m. $22.50 to $92.50. The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. 914-251-6200; artscenter.org. TARRYTOWN An Evening With Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs, blues and bluegrass. April 17 at 7 p.m. $58 to $98. Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban Allstars, with members of the Buena Vista Social Club. May 1 at 7 p.m. $38 to $60. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. tarrytownmusichall.org; 877-840-0457. WOODSTOCK Elephant Revival, folk. April 30. $15 and $20. Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street. 845-679-4406; bearsvilletheater.com. Outdoors BRONX Daffodil celebration and wine weekend. April 23 and 24. $10 to $25. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard. nybg.org; 718-817-8700. GARRISON Women’s Adventure Retreat: archery, art, meditation, nature walk and more. April 29, April 30 and May 1. $580 to $735. Garrison Institute, 14 Mary’s Way. 845-424-4800; garrisoninstitute.org. SCARSDALE Beginner bird watching. Bring your own binoculars. Ages 18 and up. April 16 at 2 p.m. $8; members, free. Earth Day celebration: rain barrel construction, trail maintenance, composting classes and more. April 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hike and Seek, group activity. April 24 at 2 p.m. $5 and $8. Teaching Trails: Weekend walks for all ages. Through June 26. Mondays through Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Road. 914-723-3470; greenburghnaturecenter.org. Spoken Word BRONX Gregory Volk, curator, discussing the photo exhibition “Michelle Stuart, Theater of Memory” with the artist. April 16 at 2 p.m. “Bronx Stories: Bronx Women,” hosted by Maria Aponte, with Nene Ali, Michele Carlo, Annie Lanzillotto and Julissa Rodriguez. April 15 at 6:30 p.m. Free. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. HYDE PARK Hudson Valley History Reading Festival at the Henry A. Wallace Center. Authors of books on local history. April 23 at 10 a.m. Free. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Road. 845-486-7745; fdrlibrary.marist.edu. IRVINGTON Irvington Stage Door Reading Series, “An Afternoon of One Acts.” April 24. $10. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. 914-591-6602; irvingtontheater.com. KATONAH The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin, with Dr. Richard Kogan. April 26 at 7 p.m. $25. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road. 914-232-1252; caramoor.org. KATONAH Readings by the poet Robert Pinsky. April 17 at 4 p.m. Free. Katonah Village Library, 26 Bedford Road. katonahlibrary.org; 914-232-3508. MARLBORO Poetry with song performance. April 18 at 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted. The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W. 845-236-7970; liveatthefalcon.com. NEW LONDON B. A. Shapiro and Dawn Tripp: Art in Fiction discussion. April 20, 5:30 to 7 p.m. $5. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. lymanallyn.org; 860-443-2545. POUGHKEEPSIE The art critic Brian O’Doherty lectures on Edward Hopper. April 20 at 5:30 p.m. Free. Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, 124 Raymond Avenue. fllac.vassar.edu; 845-437-5632. SLEEPY HOLLOW Readings by the narrative poets Jessica Greenbaum, Peter Marcus and Gary Whitehead. April 17 at 4:30 p.m. Christopher Bakken reading from “Eternity & Oranges” and “Honey, Olives, Octopus: Adventures at the Greek Table.” April 24 at 4:30 p.m. “Rabbit Ears,” group reading from the first anthology of poems about television. April 29 at 7:30 p.m. $10. Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, 300 Riverside Drive. 914-332-5953; writerscenter.org. SLEEPY HOLLOW Max Ritvo, poet, reading from “Aeons” and “Four Reincarnations.” May 1 at 8:30 p.m. $10. Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, 300 Riverside Drive. 914-332-5953; writerscenter.org. Theater ARMONK “Animals Out of Paper,” script by Rajiv Joseph. April 29 through May 14. $30 and $35. Hudson Stage Company, at Whippoorwill Hall, North Castle Public Library, 19 Whippoorwill Road. 914-271-2811; hudsonstage.com. CROTON FALLS “A Cambodian Lullaby: From Refugee Camp to Project,” Sokeo Ros. Through April 17. $15 to $38. Schoolhouse Theater, 3 Owens Road. schoolhousetheater.org; 914-277-8477. ELMSFORD “Man of La Mancha,” musical by Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh. Through May 1. $50 to $84. Westchester Broadway Theater, 1 Broadway Plaza. broadwaytheatre.com; 914-592-2222. NYACK Wild and Scenic Film Festival. April 20 at 7:30 p.m. $15 to $20. Rivertown Film, 58 Depew Avenue. rivertownfilm.org; 845-353-2568. OSSINING “Willa Cather: Her Life and Loves,” starring Prudence Wright Holmes. April 21 at 7 p.m. Free. Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue. ossininglibrary.org; 914-941-2416. Image PURCHASE Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” staged by Polly Findlay, will be shown on April 24 at 2 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. Tickets: $17.50. For further information: 914-251-6200 and artscenter.org. Credit Johan Persson PLEASANTVILLE Axial Theater’s annual fund-raising party, with selections from Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.” April 16 at 7 p.m. $40. Axial Theater, at St. John’s Episcopal Church Community House, 8 Sunnyside Avenue. axialtheatre.org; 914-286-7680. WEST POINT “Mamma Mia,” musical by Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of Abba. April 17 at 3 p.m. $42 and $44. Eisenhower Hall Theater, 655 Pitcher Road. 845-938-4159; ikehall.com. Museums and Galleries BRONX “Jill Baroff: In a Grove.” Through May 8. Reflections in Tea, interactive community-based project. Through May 29. “Michelle Stuart, Theater of Memory: Photographic Works.” Through June 26. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. BRONX “Bronx: Africa,” group show. Through May 4. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos, bronxarts.org. BRONX “The Orchid Show: Orchidelirium.” Through April 17. $8 to $25; children under 2, free. Celebrating the New York Botanical Garden: 125 Years, photographs by Larry Lederman. Through July 31. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard. 718-817-8700; nybg.org. BEACON Drawings by August Ventimiglia. Through May 8. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Matteawan Gallery, 436 Main Street. matteawan.com; 845-440-7901. ELMSFORD “Images and Stories,” works by Carol Perron Sommerfield. Through April 30. Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road. 914-721-8200; greenburghlibrary.org. GARRISON “I Would Wear That,” study in nonfunctional weaving by Juliet Martin, and “Flow,” a Hudson River installation by Charles Luce. Through April 17. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Garrison Art Center, 23 Garrison’s Landing. 845-424-3960; garrisonartcenter.org. HUDSON “Point of Intersection,” group show featuring Christopher Engel, Scott Nelson Foster, Paul Chojnowski and Dai Ban. Through May 22. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren Street. 518-828-1915; carriehaddadgallery.com. KATONAH “Aaron Curry: Ugly Mess.” Through June 19. “The Nest,” the symbolism of the nest in art and culture. Through June 19. $5 and $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. katonahmuseum.org; 914-232-9555. LARCHMONT 12th Annual Open Juried Small Works Show. Through April 23. “On Point,” drawings by Carol Gromer. April 26 through May 14. Free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. . Mamaroneck Artists Guild, 126 Larchmont Avenue. mamaroneckartistsguild.org; 914-834-1117. LIVINGSTON MANOR “Intricate Realities,” artwork by Hannah Raine Brenner-Leonard, Patrick Duffy and Jayoung Yoon. Through April 17. Mondays and Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Catskill Art Society, 48 Main Street. 845-436-4227; catskillartsociety.org. MAHOPAC High School Emerging Artists Exhibition, with works from Mahopac, Brewster and Haldane students, selected by their art teachers. April 16 through May 8. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:45 to 9:45 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. A. Eric Arctander Gallery, Putnam Arts Council, 521 Kennicut Hill Road. putnamartscouncil.com; 845-803-8594. NEW PALTZ “Made for You: New Directions in Contemporary Design.” “On the Street and in the Studio: Photographs Donated by Howard Greenberg.” “The Floating World: Holograms by Rudie Berkhout.” Through July 10. “Dutch Prints of Daily Life,” engravings and etchings by the major artists of Dutch 17th-century printmaking. Through July 10. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested donation, $5. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive. 845-257-3844; newpaltz.edu/museum. NEW ROCHELLE Photography by Gordon Parks and Toni Parks. Through June 12. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m; weekends, noon to 4 p.m. Castle Gallery, 29 Castle Place. 914-654-5423; castlegallery.cnr.edu. NEW ROCHELLE “Larger Than Life,” paintings by S. J. Riley, Sonne Hernandez and Michael Thornton-Smith. Through June 5. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Transform Gallery, 20 Jones Street. 800-450-1455; transformgallery.com. NYACK “Where We Are Standing: Contemporary Women Artists From Iran.” Through April 24. $2 to $7; members and children 16 and under, free. “Side by Side,” Abstract Expressionists Robert Natkin and Judith Dolnick. April 30 through June 26. Free with admission. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 North Broadway. 845-358-0774; edwardhopperhouse.org. OSSINING Children’s book cover exhibit, with work by Cedric Lukas. Through April 30. Free. Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue. 914-941-2416; ossininglibrary.org. OSSINING “Rebuilding Nepal,” images before and after the earthquake in April 2015. Through June 1. Daily, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Maryknoll Museum of Living Mission, 55 Ryder Road. maryknollsociety.org; 914-941-7590. PEEKSKILL “The ‘I’m Tired’ Project,” works by Paula Akpan and Harriet Evans. Through May 1. “Word,” group show. Through July 31. $2 to $5; members and children under 8, free. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. 914-788-0100; hvcca.org. PEEKSKILL “Portrait of Peekskill,” installation by Chris Rigney. Through April 27. Free with museum admission. The Flatz, 1008 Main Street. 914-257-3680; theflatz.com. PELHAM “High School Salon,” mixed-media group show. Through April 22. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue. 914-738-2525; pelhamartcenter.org. PORT CHESTER “NY, NY: Clay,” works by Claudia Alvarez, Ron Baron, Toby Buonagurio, Linda Casbon, Elisa D’Arrigo and more. Through May 25. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Clay Art Center, 40 Beech Street. 914-937-2047; clayartcenter.org. POUGHKEEPSIE “American Stories 1800-1950,” group show. Through April 17. “Touch the Sky: Art and Astronomy,” group exhibition. April 29 through Aug. 21. Free. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, 124 Raymond Avenue. 845-437-5632; fllac.vassar.edu. PURCHASE “Pursuit of Clarity: Ansel Adams, Willard Van Dyke, Edward Weston and the Straight Photography Movement.” Through June 5. “The Instant as Image,” group show. Through June 5. “Louise Fishman: A Retrospective.” Through July 31. $3 and $5; members and children 12 and under, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. 914-251-6100; www.neuberger.org. WHITE PLAINS “She,” photography and sculpture exhibition featuring Margaret Fox and Lea Weinberg. Through May 22. Free. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue. whiteplainslibrary.org; 914-422-1480. WOODSTOCK “Shimmering Substance: Selections From Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grantees of the Hudson Valley,” group show. Through May 1. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Byrdcliffe Guild, 34 Tinker Street. 845-679-2079; woodstockguild.org. YONKERS “Thomas Doyle: If the Creek Don’t Rise,” small-scale sculpture. “Oh Panama! Jonas Lie Paints the Panama Canal.” Through May 8. $3 to $6; members, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. 914-963-4550; hrm.org.


New York Hospitals to Renegotiate With Medical Schools

Abstract: New York City’s public hospital system is embarking on a long-term attempt to gain more control over running its 11 hospitals by renegotiating longstanding affiliation contracts with some of the city’s most powerful medical schools . For decades, many of the city’s public hospitals have had contracts with medical schools allowing the schools to hire and fire doctors, imposing a buffer between the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation and thousands of employees. Under these contracts, the Health and Hospitals Corporation pays hundreds of millions of dollars to medical schools like those of Columbia, Mount Sinai, New York University and the State University of New York Downstate, as well as to some private professional corporations. The contracts give them the authority to manage the doctors in the city’s public hospitals, pay their salaries, and work with the hospitals corporation to make crucial decisions on how to deliver health care services to a huge portion of the city’s poor and working-class patients. In return, the public hospitals have benefited from the prestige and talent conferred by the medical schools’ role as training and research centers. But officials from the Health and Hospitals Corporation believe that to a large degree the public hospital system has outgrown the need to cede control over its physicians to universities. They said the goal was to centralize and streamline the administration of the city’s hospitals and the delivery of services, and to gain more control over which services are delivered at which hospitals. They believe that they can negotiate agreements that weaken the hold of the large universities, putting the day-to-day management of the physicians into a small number of private corporations, or even one “super” corporation, yet continue to attract and retain qualified physicians. “If you go back 50 years, I think it was the notion that having a brand-name entity equated with quality and would be more attractive for physicians,” Alan D. Aviles, the Health and Hospitals Corporation’s president, said in an interview this week in which he described the proposed overhaul. “I think things have changed dramatically. We are not the system we were 50 years ago.” The proposal has raised alarms among doctors at Harlem Hospital Center, whose affiliation agreement with Columbia University has been extended until Dec. 31. Some doctors say that N.Y.U. and Mount Sinai are less likely to lose control of their hospitals because of closer connections between their leadership and the hospitals corporation. Doctors in at least one Harlem Hospital department — neurology — have threatened to quit en masse at the end of the year if the Columbia affiliation is severed. Both Columbia and the hospitals corporation have been trying to reassure them that their jobs and salaries will be maintained and that they will still have faculty appointments at Columbia. But officials said some issues, like benefits, including college tuition benefits for physicians’ children, were still being negotiated. Some physicians also worry that without a strong connection to Columbia, the quality of care at Harlem Hospital might decline. Dr. Lee Goldman, dean of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia, said Thursday that even if Harlem Hospital’s doctors were no longer Columbia employees, they would be expected to keep standards at Harlem Hospital high. “We don’t use the name Columbia lightly, and a relationship is a relationship,” Dr. Goldman said. “We expect this to be a very strong relationship, and we’re very committed to the people of Harlem, their health and welfare, and working with H.H.C. to maximize that.” Mr. Aviles said the hospitals corporation would do the same. “To the extent that faculty members have an ID that says they’re a faculty member at Columbia, they’ll still have it,” he said. “For most of our patients, I don’t think they ask where their doctors are affiliated.” Dr. Goldman said that the new relationship would be more like the ones with private hospitals, like St. Luke’s-Roosevelt in Manhattan, where Columbia also now sends doctors for training. The restructuring, Mr. Aviles said, would give the corporation more power to direct services to hospitals that could become what he called highly specialized “centers of excellence,” while other hospitals would be more oriented toward basic medicine. For instance, he said, Harlem Hospital is a center for bariatric surgery, and patients from other hospitals could be directed there, rather than having the corporation trying to offer bariatric surgery at every hospital. “Communities, even more than the affiliates, like the idea that their local hospital can do everything,” Mr. Aviles said. “But that’s not the reality of the way health care is evolving.” He said the overhaul was critical to meeting the demands of federal health care reform. “The pendulum right now is swinging somewhat towards more centralized control of the system because of these demands of the outside environment,” he said.

Hospitals
Medical Schools
Health and Hospitals Corp
New York City
Doctors
Reform and Reorganization


House G.O.P. Agrees to Lift Debt Ceiling for 3 Months

Abstract: WASHINGTON — Backing down from their hard-line stance, House Republicans said Friday that they would agree to lift the federal government’s statutory borrowing limit for three months, with a requirement that both chambers of Congress pass a budget in that time to clear the way for negotiations on long-term deficit reduction. The new proposal, which came out of closed-door party negotiations at a retreat in Williamsburg, Va., seemed to significantly reduce the threat of a default by the federal government in coming weeks. The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said he was encouraged by the offer; Senate Democrats, while bristling at the demand for a budget, were also reassured and viewed it as a de-escalation of the debt fight. The change in tack represented a retreat for House Republicans, who were increasingly isolated in their refusal to lift the debt ceiling. Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio had previously said he would raise it only if it were paired with immediate spending cuts of equivalent value. The new strategy is designed to start a more orderly negotiation with President Obama and Senate Democrats on ways to shrink the trillion-dollar deficit. To add muscle to their efforts to bring Senate Democrats to the table, House Republicans will include a provision in the debt ceiling legislation that says lawmakers will not be paid if they do not pass a budget blueprint, though questions have been raised whether that provision is constitutional. That “no budget, no pay” provision offered Republicans a face-saving way out of a corner they had painted themselves into — and an effort to shift blame for any default onto the Senate if it balks. The House Republicans’ campaign arm quickly moved from taunting Democrats about raising the government’s borrowing limit to demanding that they sacrifice their paychecks if they fail to pass a budget. “The Democratic-controlled Senate has failed to pass a budget for four years. That is a shameful run that needs to end, this year,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement from Williamsburg. “We are going to pursue strategies that will obligate the Senate to finally join the House in confronting the government’s spending problem.” House Democrats met the deal with scorn, indicating they would inflict maximum political pain by making Republicans either break a campaign promise to carry it to passage or defy their leaders. But other Democrats were more sanguine. The president had said he would not sign a short-term debt ceiling increase, but a senior administration official said that as long as there were no surprises, the White House was likely to accept the House’s offer. Most important, the official said, Republicans had broken from the “Boehner rule” imposed in 2011: any debt ceiling increase was to include a dollar-for-dollar spending reduction. The decision represents a victory — at least for now — for Mr. Obama, who has said for months that he will not negotiate budget cuts under the threat of a debt default. By punting that threat into the spring, budget negotiations instead will center on two earlier points of leverage: March 1, when $1 trillion in across-the-board military and domestic cuts are set to begin, and March 27, when a stopgap law financing the government will expire. Reordering the sequences of those hurdles was central to the delicate Republican deliberations that resulted in the new plan. In the days leading to the Williamsburg retreat, Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, the House Budget Committee chairman and former vice-presidential nominee, had been meeting with the leader and three past chairmen of the conservative House Republican Study Committee to discuss a way through the debt ceiling morass. Those conversations led into Thursday morning, when Mr. Boehner and Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 House Republican, opened the retreat by going through the timeline for the coming budget fights, according to aides who were there. They turned the floor over to Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, the House Ways and Means chairman, who delivered a blow-by-blow description of the economic disaster that could be wrought by a government default. Mr. Camp also talked through the notion held by some Republicans that the Treasury Department could manage a debt ceiling breach by channeling the daily in-flow of tax dollars to the most pressing needs, paying government creditors, sending out Social Security checks and financing the military. His message was that it would not work, the aides said. Then Mr. Ryan stood to talk over the options he had developed with the House conservative leaders. They could do a longer-term debt ceiling extension with specific demands, like converting Medicare into a voucherlike program. Or they could lower expectations, reorder the budget hurdles with a three-month punt, and add the “no budget, no pay” provision. Persuading Republicans who adamantly oppose raising the debt ceiling took some time, and the ensuing discussion stretched on and on, breaking at noon for lunch on Thursday, resuming at 2:30, until 4 p.m., then concluding Friday. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House majority whip, met with freshmen early Friday to make sure they were on board. Mr. Boehner and Mr. Cantor joined Mr. Ryan for one last meeting with conservative leaders — Representatives Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Jeb Hensarling of Texas and Tom Price of Georgia — to make sure they were on board. Then the top four leaders sealed the agreement midmorning. Mr. Obama will unveil his own 10-year budget plan in February, laying out his tax and spending plans for his second term. But Senate Democrats, for the past four years, have refused to move a budget blueprint to the Senate floor, in violation of the Budget Act of 1974 , which laid out new rules for controlling deficits. For the past two years, House Republicans have approved sweeping budget plans that would fundamentally remake Medicare and Medicaid, sharply reduce domestic spending, increase military spending and order a wholesale rewriting of the federal tax code. But without Senate negotiating partners, those plans, written by Mr. Ryan, have been more political statement than legislative program. “This is the first step to get on the right track, reduce our deficit and get focused on creating better living conditions for our families and children,” Mr. Cantor said. “It’s time to come together and get to work.”

Federal Budget
House of Representatives
Congress
Senate
Congress
Barack Obama
US National Debt


Supplies Bound for Space Station After Successful Launch

Abstract: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A shipment of much-needed groceries and other astronaut supplies rocketed toward the International Space Station for the first time in months Sunday, reigniting NASA ’s commercial delivery service. If the capsule, operated by Orbital ATK, an aerospace and defense company, arrives at the space station on Wednesday as planned, it will be the first American delivery since spring. To NASA’s relief, the weather cooperated after three days of high wind and cloudy skies that kept the Atlas V rocket firmly on the ground. Everything came together on the fourth launch attempt, allowing the crewless Atlas to blast off late in the afternoon with 7,400 pounds of space station cargo, along with Christmas presents for the awaiting crew. Tony Bruno, president of United Launch Alliance, which made the rocket, urged, “Everyone cross your fingers and think happy weather thoughts.” It apparently worked. The rocket soared safely through clouds as the space station sped over the Atlantic. Launch controllers applauded, shook hands and hugged one another once the Cygnus cargo carrier reached the proper orbit 21 minutes after liftoff. “This is about as good as it gets,” said Vernon Thorp, a United Launch Alliance manager. The space station astronauts got to see some of the rocket contrails. “Caught something good on the horizon,” Commander Scott Kelly reported via Twitter. The six astronauts at the station — two of them deep into a one-year mission — have gone without American shipments since April. The rockets of two private companies contracted for more than $3.5 billion by NASA to replenish the orbiting lab are grounded on Earth. Orbital ATK bought another company’s rocket, the veteran Atlas V, for this supply mission. Orbital’s previous grocery run, its fourth, ended in a fiery explosion seconds after liftoff in October 2014. SpaceX, the other supplier, suffered a launch failure in June on its eighth trip. Russia also lost a supply ship this year. But it has since picked up the slack, with another resupply mission scheduled this month, and Japan has chipped in as well. Much-needed food is inside Orbital’s cargo carrier, named Cygnus after the swan constellation. NASA normally likes to have a six-month reserve of food aboard the space station, but it is down a couple of months because of three failed flights. The space station program manager, Kirk Shireman, expects it will take another year to get the pantry full again — provided there are no more accidents. Also aboard the newest Cygnus capsule are clothes, toiletries, spacewalking gear, air-supply tanks and science experiments.

Space
International Space Station
Rocket
NASA
United Launch Alliance
Orbital ATK