Israel Steps Up Aerial Strikes in Gaza

GAZA — Israel expanded its four-day assault on Gaza on Saturday, broadening its airstrikes from military targets to the civilian political infrastructure, leveling the headquarters here of the Hamas prime minister and striking police and security buildings. Hamas continued to fire rockets at Israel, including a pair intended for the city of Tel Aviv. One landed harmlessly, probably at sea;...

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You for Sale: Your Online Attention, Bought in an Instant by Advertisers

Monica Almeida/The New York TimesFrank Addante, 36, chief executive of the Rubicon Project, says that 97 percent of American Internet users encounter its electronic ad sales system every month. And most aren’t even aware of it. YOU can be sold in seconds. Beverly Orr“Online consumers are being bought and sold like chattel,” says Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital...

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Well: Meatless Main Dishes for a Holiday Table

Most vegetarian diners are happy to fill their plates with delicious sides and salads, but if you want to make them feel special, consider one of these main course vegetarian dishes from Martha Rose Shulman. All of them are inspired by Greek cooking, which has a rich tradition of vegetarian meals.I know that Greek food is not exactly what comes to mind when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” yet why...

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Well: Meatless Main Dishes for a Holiday Table

Most vegetarian diners are happy to fill their plates with delicious sides and salads, but if you want to make them feel special, consider one of these main course vegetarian dishes from Martha Rose Shulman. All of them are inspired by Greek cooking, which has a rich tradition of vegetarian meals.I know that Greek food is not exactly what comes to mind when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” yet why...

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Tensions Escalate in Gaza Conflict

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10 Universities to Form Semester Online Consortium

Starting next fall, 10 prominent universities, including Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Northwestern, will form a consortium called Semester Online, offering about 30 online courses to both their students — for whom the classes will be covered by their regular tuition — and to students elsewhere who would have to apply and be accepted and pay tuition of more than $4,000...

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Well: Learning That Odd Is Normal

A few months ago, I was at home reading a review copy of “Oddly Normal” by my colleague John Schwartz. The book begins with the suicide attempt of John’s then 13-year-old son, Joe, who had recently told his classmates he was gay. It goes on to explain how Joe’s parents struggled with a school system that didn’t always understand their son, and how Joe eventually found the path to self acceptance.But...

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Change Rattles Leading Health-Funding Agency

Major changes erupted at one of the world’s leading health-funding agencies Thursday as it hired a new director, dismissed the inspector general who had clashed with a previous director and announced a new approach to making grants. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesDr. Mark Dybul, who led the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in 2007. Dr. Mark Dybul, the...

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Wealth Matters: Advisers Caution Against Hasty Decisions in Advance of Tax Changes

WITH all the ominous talk of tax increases and a “fiscal cliff” if President Obama and Congressional leaders can’t agree on a plan to avert automatic tax increases on Dec. 31, some investors may be tempted to act soon to take advantage of the current tax rates. But financial advisers say that in their rush to do something this year, investors may end up with regrets. “Any time you...

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Attacks Resume After Israeli Assault Kills Hamas Leader

KIRYAT MALACHI, Israel — Israel and Hamas widened their increasingly deadly conflict over Gaza on Thursday, as a militant rocket killed three civilians in an apartment block in this small southern town. The deaths were likely to lead Israel to intensify its military offensive on Gaza, now in its second day of airstrikes. In Gaza, the Palestinian death toll rose to 11 as Israel struck what...

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Bits Blog: Facebook Gains Even as More Shares Become Available

4:30 p.m. | Updated to provide closing price of Facebook stock.Even as the largest tranche of Facebook shares became eligible for sale on Wednesday, the stock rose more than 12 percent, one of the biggest single-day gains since the company’s messy public debut in May.The gain was particularly noteworthy for Facebook because of fears that the 800 million shares — the largest in a series of lockup...

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Well: Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table

If you’re looking for new ways to cook vegetables, a trip south of the Mason-Dixon line is a good place to start. The fair weather and long growing season of the South means there’s always a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables and produce.“We live in Memphis, and it’s true there is a lot of barbecue, but there are a good deal of farmers’ markets too,” says Amy Lawrence, co-author of “The Southern...

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Well: Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table

If you’re looking for new ways to cook vegetables, a trip south of the Mason-Dixon line is a good place to start. The fair weather and long growing season of the South means there’s always a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables and produce.“We live in Memphis, and it’s true there is a lot of barbecue, but there are a good deal of farmers’ markets too,” says Amy Lawrence, co-author of “The Southern...

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BP to Admit Crimes and Pay $4.5 Billion in Gulf Settlement

BP, the British oil company, said Thursday that it would pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments to the government and plead guilty to 14 criminal charges in connection with the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago. US Coast Guard, via Associated PressThe explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that was connected to a well owned by BP...

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Israelis Launch Major Assault on Gaza, Killing Hamas Commander

ReutersPalestinians extinguished a fire after an Israeli airstrike on a car carrying Ahmed al-Jabari, who ran Hamas's military wing, on Wednesday in Gaza City. GAZA — Israel on Wednesday launched one of the most ferocious assaults on Gaza since its invasion four years ago, hitting at least 20 targets in aerial attacks that killed the top military commander of Hamas, drew strong condemnation from Egypt...

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App Smart: Apps That Dart and Delight, on Tablets Piloted by Android

Tablets are changing computing, there’s no doubt. I realized this when I saw my 2-year-old son pick up an iPad and master its basic controls, including discovering a child’s app, in about half an hour. The iPad led the way into this brave new world more or less alone at first. It has taken until now for the sheer pressure of innovation inside Apple’s rivals to lead to some great Android-based tablets...

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Filthy Water in California Farmworker Communities

Jim Wilson/The New York TimesStudents at Stone Corral Elementary in Seville, Calif. The school budgets $100 to $500 a month for bottled water. SEVILLE, Calif. — Like most children, the students at Stone Corral Elementary School here rejoice when the bell rings for recess and delight in christening a classroom pet. But while growing up in this impoverished agricultural community of numbered...

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Filthy Water in California Farmworker Communities

Jim Wilson/The New York TimesStudents at Stone Corral Elementary in Seville, Calif. The school budgets $100 to $500 a month for bottled water. SEVILLE, Calif. — Like most children, the students at Stone Corral Elementary School here rejoice when the bell rings for recess and delight in christening a classroom pet. But while growing up in this impoverished agricultural community of numbered...

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