News Analysis: As North Korea’s Nuclear Ability Grows, China Faces Dilemma

BEIJING — In the aftermath of Tuesday’s nuclear test by North Korea, China will almost certainly join the United States in supporting tougher sanctions at the United Nations, accompanied by sterner reprimands from Beijing against its recalcitrant ally in Pyongyang. But as impatient as China might be with North Korea, there is little chance that the new Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, will move...

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Bits: Where the Singles Are: A Dating Guide by ZIP Code

At Trulia, a residential real estate Web site, the analysts are constantly crunching data — home and apartment listings, prices, school ratings, crime rates and other numbers.With Valentine’s Day coming this week, Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist and head of analytics, decided to sift through household, gender, city and neighborhood data in America. If you’re looking for someone single of the opposite...

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Well: Straining to Hear and Fend Off Dementia

At a party the other night, a fund-raiser for a literary magazine, I found myself in conversation with a well-known author whose work I greatly admire. I use the term “conversation” loosely. I couldn’t hear a word he said. But worse, the effort I was making to hear was using up so much brain power that I completely forgot the titles of his books.A senior moment? Maybe. (I’m 65.) But for me, it’s complicated...

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Well: Straining to Hear and Fend Off Dementia

At a party the other night, a fund-raiser for a literary magazine, I found myself in conversation with a well-known author whose work I greatly admire. I use the term “conversation” loosely. I couldn’t hear a word he said. But worse, the effort I was making to hear was using up so much brain power that I completely forgot the titles of his books.A senior moment? Maybe. (I’m 65.) But for me, it’s complicated...

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Media Decoder Blog: Comcast Buying G.E.'s Stake in NBCUniversal for $16.7 Billion

5:30 p.m. | Updated Comcast said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire General Electric’s remaining 49 percent stake in NBCUniversal for approximately $16.7 billion, completing a sale process that was expected to take several more years.The acquisition will wrap up by the end of March, Comcast said in a news release. The move reflects Comcast’s optimism about NBCUniversal going forward, from its highly...

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Ruling Adds Another Chapter to Unsolved Italian Jet Crash

ROME — Itavia Flight 870 was entering the final leg of a routine domestic trip from Bologna to Palermo, Sicily, one clear summer evening when it suddenly plunged into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the small island of Ustica, killing all 81 people aboard. Mechanical failure was ruled out early on, and almost 33 years later, the causes that led to the crash on June 27, 1980, are still a topic of...

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DealBook: Alternatives to Dell Deal Come With Too Little Certainty

Objectors to Michael S. Dell‘s $24.4 billion leveraged buyout of Dell are in a tight corner. The likes of Southeastern Asset Management are right that Mr. Dell, the company’s founder, and Silver Lake Partners have made a low-ball offer. Yet, it’s at a respectable 25 percent premium, and the company’s shares haven’t topped the $13.65-a-share deal price in months or Southeastern’s $23.72-a-share valuation...

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The Consumer: Picking Source of Baby's Milk

When Bevil Conway and his partner brought their premature twins home from the hospital, the two fathers felt it was important to keep them on a diet of breast milk. So the new parents purchased a couple of coolers and an extra freezer, and they started scouring Web sites for mothers with extra milk to share.They found a physician who was moving away; she gave them a stash of frozen milk she had pumped...

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Well: Picking Source of Baby's Milk

When Bevil Conway and his partner brought their premature twins home from the hospital, the two fathers felt it was important to keep them on a diet of breast milk. So the new parents purchased a couple of coolers and an extra freezer, and they started scouring Web sites for mothers with extra milk to share.They found a physician who was moving away; she gave them a stash of frozen milk she had pumped...

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Frequent Flier: Lessons From a Talkative Airplane Seatmate - Frequent Flier

I’VE spent most of my career in the cosmetics industry, and now, as chief executive of Ahava North America, I’m doing many more business trips. Q. How often do you fly for business?A. Three to four times a month, mostly domestic, but international maybe once a month.Q. What’s your least favorite airport?A. Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport. There are just too many trams. I like an airport...

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