tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89743992329108651792024-03-13T04:50:08.845-07:00Randomism in Logical MotionComments on life from a random dude who isn't pigeon holed.Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-30066418487818672232010-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:002010-10-24T21:27:35.750-07:00Prices on ProfessorshipsPutting a Price on Professorships:<br />
Full article found here:<br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735804575536322093520994.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735804575536322093520994.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read</a><br />
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The issues of teachers being graded and paid on performance has been on my brain lately. There have been a few examples in the news lately that I've noticed. Most notably Gov. Chris Christy of New Jersey going against the teachers union on the issue (<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303550904575562712354459830.html?KEYWORDS=chris+christie">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303550904575562712354459830.html?KEYWORDS=chris+christie</a>).<br />
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Why is this such a big deal to people? Why shouldn't teachers be graded on their performance and paid accordingly? Why should education be seen as exempt from normal practices? <br />
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The original article of this post was in regard to professors "profitability" for their respective universities Awesome idea if you ask me. Why? I'm not totally sure why I like the idea so much, other then it is more knowledge about the situation, and allows companies er colleges to make wise decisions. Some oppose the idea though:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">"This new emphasis has raised hackles in academia. Some professors express deep concern that the focus on serving student "customers" and delivering value to taxpayers will turn public colleges into factories.</span> "<br />
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Why are students not considered customers by academia? Why should academia be above the law in how they treat their consumers? Why the snobbery so commonly seen? <br />
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Is there a fundamental problem with colleges being run as corporations? If they were to be run as a business then teaching is the primary revenue generation, with research and (hopefully) resulting royalties providing additional income? Why is this considered such a sin? Really, I went to PSU and graduated because I desired the education, I paid/invested in it as a long term product I would use for the rest of my life, I was the consumer in the equation, and could have left or stop supporting the business at any time<br />
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Thoughts? Why would a corporate model not work? Research is motivated to find and develop products or knowledge, so colleges would continue to fund it (much like GE, P&G and General Mills do to develop knowledge)<br />
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What do you think? What objections are their from outside academia? What comments are their from inside academia? What do you think of your education and how it might have been affected if a corporate model was employed?Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-3178480832016205422010-10-22T22:25:00.000-07:002010-10-23T08:43:45.520-07:00Giant's games, Christmas Trees and a Soaking wet Moon!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Century Schoolbook', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: xx-large; line-height: 35px;">Watching Baseball Through 'Knothole' Isn't Naughty When Giants Play</span><br />
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<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566763748230210.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566763748230210.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth</a><br />
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Knothole at SF Giant's ballgame: Pretty cool idea and thing to do in SF. Easy way to see part (or all) of a game in a unique way.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 10px;"></span><br />
<h1 style="font-family: Georgia, 'Century Schoolbook', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1075em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">It'll Be a Sad Christmas if Wyoming Can't Rustle Up Some Ornaments</span></h1><br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304023804575566083738082318.html?mod=ITP_TEST">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304023804575566083738082318.html?mod=ITP_TEST</a><br />
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Apparently each state takes a turn to send a tree and 5000 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">ornament</span> to Washington DC. Montana is having troubles. It has only 109 people per each ornament needed, and their short. On the other hand the $100,000 to ship the tree to DC is no problem apparently.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Moon not only has Water, But Lots of It</span><br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566194097878552.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566194097878552.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read</a><br />
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Caution: Those who are afraid of water avoid the MOON at all cost! It's dripping with it apparently!<br />
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Thank goodness Obama put down the moon landing option! Japan doesn't really have much business trying to do moon landing either...in fact most countries don't have much business shooting stuff into space with current budget issues...<br />
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$50,000 to send one pound to the moon...That actually sounds like a good deal. if it was 49,900 I would certainly be interested in sending something there. Think of the possibilities! A chance to send earth junk were no junk has gone before. We could send....um....water lilies (for all the water), bottles of dehydrated water (just add water) and life jackets...to protect people in the event of a solar melting.Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-44645703755474571452010-09-15T20:08:00.001-07:002010-09-15T20:08:50.419-07:00America's Best Bathroom<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/09/15/americas-best-bathroom-er-throned/">http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/09/15/americas-best-bathroom-er-throned/</a><div><br /></div><div>Idea's for a new project? </div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-2752861992707854162010-09-14T23:10:00.000-07:002010-09-14T23:11:50.496-07:00Don't let the bed bugs bite<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2010/09/12/and-dont-let-the-bedbugs-bite/">http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2010/09/12/and-dont-let-the-bedbugs-bite/</a><div><br /></div><div>Proof that bed bugs are real, prevalent, and not just the subject of Squirrel Nut Zipper's songs. </div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-4349870377781982962010-08-22T22:13:00.000-07:002010-08-22T22:14:02.252-07:00Glass house<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575433410650321600.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575433410650321600.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read</a><div><br /></div><div>Pretty interesting house in CA. All glass walls. The tile in the bathroom is insane. </div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-3556240753557907082010-08-09T22:53:00.000-07:002010-08-09T23:12:26.217-07:00Short Evening Reading<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268004575417351686379586.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268004575417351686379586.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0</a><div><br /></div><div>Selling F-15s to Saudi Arabia - Good idea to help keep Iran in check, but Isreal is worried... </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704388504575419542307824622.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_business">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704388504575419542307824622.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_business</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Verizon, Google Map Traffic Plans - FCC gave up control in 2002 and now wants it back....So normal. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703428604575419661895814230.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_technology">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703428604575419661895814230.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_technology</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sam's club to use Wi-Fi to push TV's - Also talks about stores improving Wi-Fi in stores so that people can comparison shop on the go. Logical, good move into the future.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723604575378994073791142.html?mod=WSJ_hps_InDepthCarousel_1">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723604575378994073791142.html?mod=WSJ_hps_InDepthCarousel_1</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-family: Georgia, 'Century Schoolbook', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; width: auto; line-height: 1.1075em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rogue Tailor Needles Savile Row, Gets Himself a (Law)Suit - Handsewn suits for 3,100. Nice. but is it too discounted?</span></h1><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704388504575419421407147424.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704388504575419421407147424.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hilary Clinton for VP? - Blame Biden. Also blame somebody else instead of accepting responsibility. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268004575417572159585144.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268004575417572159585144.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IPhone Executive is out at Apple. - Logical </span></div><div><br /></div></span></div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-1980820732170679622010-07-31T20:49:00.000-07:002010-07-31T21:09:31.043-07:00Rent a Leaf: Enterprise Buys Nissan Leafs<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704700404575391602609091276.html?mod=WSJ_auto_MiddleThirdHighlights">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704700404575391602609091276.html?mod=WSJ_auto_MiddleThirdHighlights</a><div><br /></div><div>Enterprise, the car rental company is purchasing 500 of the Nissan Leafs. The leafs are a purely electric car, which might make sense for some, it doesn't to me for a rental company...I can hear the customer support call right now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enterprise: Hello, welcome to enterprise, how may I direct your call? </div><div>Person in car: Um, yea, Uh, I am renting one of the <i>leaf</i>s and it seems to have <i>leafed</i> me. </div><div>E: Ah, very interesting. Could you explain? I don't understand what you mean by <i>leafed</i>.</div><div>P: Well, is the same situation as when your parking meter is blinking "expired"</div><div>E: Parking meters? We don't take responsibility for parking charges.</div><div>P: I know that, its just the car has <i>leafed</i>, it has died it has expired.</div><div>E: You mean the car won't start?</div><div>P: You could call it that</div><div>E: Ah, so whats the meter read?</div><div>P: DOR</div><div>E: DOR? I don't understand that</div><div>P: Dead On Red</div><div>E: So how can I help you, it sounds like your battery is dead.</div><div>P: Exactly. I would like a running car.</div><div>E: Well, can you plug it in? </div><div>P: Sure, when I get back to my hotel</div><div>E: Where is that?</div><div>P: 96 miles away</div><div>E: Hum, thats a difficulty.</div><div>P: Yea, you said the car had a 100 mile range.</div><div>E: Range...total...Not round trip</div><div>P: You didn't tell me that wasn't round trip</div><div>E: Yes I did, it was in the fine print.</div><div>P: You expected me to read that?</div><div>E: You signed, but enough of the small talk. We need to get you home. I will send a truck out to jump start your battery and get you on your way. </div><div>P: Jump start? Really? </div><div>E: Oh, yea...It <i>leafed</i> my mind about that whole...<i>electric</i> thing...</div><div><br /></div><div>What is your opinion? Are electric cars a possibility? Is the Leaf worthwhile? </div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-20205114433338206492010-07-31T20:19:00.000-07:002010-07-31T20:36:35.096-07:00<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895004575395550672406796.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_careerjournal">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895004575395550672406796.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_careerjournal</a> <div><br /></div><div>Goldman Sachs outlaws swearing in emails. </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; ">“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it” ~ George Washington</h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><br /></h1><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "> </h1></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-66661565788866958292010-07-27T20:32:00.000-07:002010-07-27T20:39:29.705-07:00Warning This Sport Might Be Dangerous<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703977004575393422159238974.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESixthNews">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703977004575393422159238974.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESixthNews</a><div><br /></div><div>A collection of posters for each major sport.....</div><div><br /></div><div>While the article is making a mild jest of the issues of concussions and other injuries relating to playing sports as a profession, there is growing evidence of the long term detrimental effects of small concussions from tackles. More and more players are being encouraged to not take blows directly to the head, and to not use their heads as a "battering ram"...males me think of Rex in Toy Story 2...."I don't want to use my head"...<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-4042902533711720382010-07-24T08:25:00.000-07:002010-07-26T16:08:44.954-07:00I go be bushman...No be so?One of the best yet least know authors of the last century was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Durrell">Gerald Durrel</a>l. He was an English naturalist who spent most of the years from 1946 to 1972 on trips collecting animals for zoo's. Public zoo's, some private and eventually his own zoo, on the Jersey islands. <div><br /></div><div>Gerald Durrell primarily wrote accounts of his life and various collection trips. The trip locations varied from Africa to South America to Australia. He has a delightful ability to write about the capture attempts of the various animals, and has wonderful descriptions of working with the local natives or "bushman" . His transcription of talks with the bushman, as they work together to capture a anteater, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_Frog">hairy frog</a>, flying squirrels, or multitudes of other animals that you have ever heard of are a hoot! They will keep you laughing and entertained! </div><div><br /></div><div>He wrote numerous books, articles and short stories. He didn't profess a love of writing, but saw it as a way to fund more animal collect trips. While his writing might have had econmical motivation more then a joy of his, the books clearly show his love and respect for the different animals and cultures that he encounters on his trips.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have read several of his books. M<i>y Family and Other Animals </i>is one of his better know books and is about his childhood in Greece. <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>he overloaded ARK</i></span> </i>and <i>The Bafut Beagles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "> are both favorites and have been read several times. He has several other books I've read including </span>Three Singles to Adventure </i>and <i>A zoo in my luggage </i>are both exciting and addictive. As sometimes happens though, the books written later in his life are more political and environmentally focused. </div><div><br /></div><div>A short exerpt from t<i>he overloaded ARK</i> regarding the his introduction to his hunters in Africa Eshobi:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Good Morning, Masa" said the short one, displaying his teeth in a ingratiating grin.</div><div>"Good morning, Masa" echoed the tall one, simpering at me. </div><div>"Good monring. Are <i>you</i> the hunters the chief sent?"</div><div>"Yes,sah," they chorused. </div><div>"What are your names?"</div><div>"Sah?"</div><div>"What they dey call you?" translated Pious (bushman helper from earlier) from behind me. </div><div>"Elias, sah," said the short one in his husky voice.</div><div>"Andrais, sah" said the tall one, wriggling with embarrassment and draping a long arm over his companion's shoulders. </div><div>"Pious" said I, "ask them if the will be my hunters. I will pay them one and six a day , and they will get dash for every animal they catch. If it's an animal I want very much then the dash will be big. If it's some other animal then the dash will be smaller"<br />Pious listened carefully, his head on one side then turned to the hunters and translated rapidly into pidgin-English: </div><div>"Masa say; you go be hunter man for him, eh? Masa he go pay you one shilling and six pence every day you go take Masa and go for bush, eh? If you go catch beef kind Masa de like <i>plenty</i>, he go dash you fine. If been no be good Masa go dash you small., You de hear?" </div><div>"We hear," chorused the hungers grinning. </div><div><br /></div><div>And another excerpt regarding the attempt at a capture of a skink.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Elias, you haven't lost it?..."</div><div>"E go for bush, sah," said Elias dismally.</div><div>"Why you no catch um...you no get hand?" I inquired angrily, brandishing my skink under his nose by way of illustration.. He backed away hurriedly.</div><div>"Mas, na bad beef dat. If'e go bite you, you go die"</div><div>"Nonsense" I retored and I pushed my little finger between the lizards's half-open jaw and let him bite. It was no more then a slight pinch. </div><div>"You see? He no be bad beef. he no fit bit proper, no get power"</div><div>Masa, 'e get poison" said Elias, watching fascinated while the skink chewed on my finger "no bad beef, sah, for true."</div><div>"Well, if he bite me I go die, no be so?</div><div>"No, sah" said Elias, iwth one of the wonderful twist of African logic which are impossible to argue against. "you be white man. If dat beef go chop black man he go die one time. White man different"</div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-3557730296405693952010-07-23T11:29:00.000-07:002010-07-23T11:46:14.658-07:00RFID Tags at Wal-Mart<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421304575383213061198090.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421304575383213061198090.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews</span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The ability to check clothing stock instantaneous and would revolutionize how Wal-Mart and clothing company tracking abilities. Not only does it reduce staffing levels required to manage inventory (thus reducing cost), it will generate higher sales, since all sizes would be more likely to be available and on the shelf, instead of on a pallet in the storeroom. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I know my clothes shopping adventures (which I have few and far between), would be much more enjoyable and profitable for both me and the company if the sizes I need were available.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Is it an invasion of privacy? I think the following quote answers it concisely</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Concerns about privacy are valid, but in this instance, the benefits far outweigh any concerns," says Sanjay Sarma, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "The tags don't have any personal information. They are essentially barcodes with serial numbers attached. And you can easily remove them."</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So whats the big deal? Why are privacy groups up in arms? Would you have issues buying clothes with RFID tags attached?</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In the end, co</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">nsumers are going to choose either to support the RFID tags, or not....by purchasing the clothes or not.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And as you will notice one person in the article was "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> director of replenishment". That is one great job title. Actually, it should be applied to all the mothers who cook for their families each day. I can see the business card now: </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mrs. Cone, Mother.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Director of Replenishment for the Howards Mill Plant </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Contact info: Yell Mom, Mother, Mommy or "I'm Hungry!" to reach her.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If busy, please leave a mess, and she will get back to you.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br /></span></div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-43292602645609458782010-07-22T10:05:00.000-07:002010-07-22T10:12:48.533-07:00Glasses industry<div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365362932852610.html?KEYWORDS=sunglasses">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365362932852610.html?KEYWORDS=sunglasses</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The above was posted to FB as well. It is regarding the glasses industry. The following quote sums up a majority of the article </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>"</i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>This is extreme vertical integration. The eye doctor telling you that you need a new pair of glasses, the sales people helping you choose them and the people who design and make the glasses all work for the same company".</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wow...just wow. As the article continues it states that the margin is 63% (gross) and 52% after cost. Is there any other business that you know of with that lucrative of a profit? </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As a comparison, the average company needs 30% of gross revenues to be comfortable, 19-20% is breaking even, and anything much less is losing money. Obviously, those numbers do not hold for all industries but they are good guidelines.</span></span></span></div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-61259776238870885852010-07-22T09:44:00.000-07:002010-07-22T10:04:35.748-07:00Transition....What to do with this "blog" thing?<div>In the world of blogging, I'd be willing to bet 10 minutes of your time that average blog is busy for season, neglected for a period and then comes back with an inspiring and motivational post regarding the heart, soul, and purpose of the blog. Such questions typically arise as "what is this blogs purpose in life?", "does anybody really care?", "is this really worth my time", and "I will be more consistent....or not".</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus has this blog arrived at all those points, only not through the authors fault. As is common knowledge, the blog was started for a class project (now complete), nobody really cares about his ranting and yes, it is worth my time because he am going to use it to improve his consistency in other areas of life. (notice how all the above questions just got answered at once?) </div><div><br /></div><div>The attempt of this blog is to be a place for humorous writing attempts, comments on articles from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ for short), random observations and considerations regarding life and interest of mine. It will not be as consistent as it should be, far less funny then it could be, and more intriguing to me then it would be to you.</div>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-14293120963033688182010-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:002010-06-03T09:00:00.704-07:00Summation Document<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">In the planning portion of an urban area, money stands above all the rest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An area is not possible to develop, maintain and be sustainable if people are unable to have a vocation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Transportation, environmental concerns and other urban planning projects and idea rely on individuals having jobs that can produce funds for funding to the project.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wither the funds are collected through government taxes or private donations is a non issue if an area’s management of the funds is not sustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition to budget concerns, there are several articles showing innovative solutions to common problems. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">Currently there are budget shortfalls nationwide from the federal to the county level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are some stark examples of poor planning and not planning for the worst, the most prominent being Los Angeles, CA, Detroit, and Harrisburg, PA.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was surprising the lack of sustainable urban planning that went into budget decisions in LA and Harrisburg, and how innovative solutions while cool might not be the smartest budget decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is hope though, where in the article “Strapped City cuts and Cuts, there is a great example of Colorado Springs, CO where the populations is taking over simple government function and doing a good job of it. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">An example of an innovated solution with huge budget concerns was the trash incinerator purchased by Harrisburg, PA.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The article “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/harrisburg-pa-weighs-bankruptcy.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Harrisburg, PA Weighs Bankruptcy</span></a>”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>the 288 million dollar incinerator <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>project, has interest payments that are larger the city’s annual budget now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While the incinerator is a very cool way to deal with trash, it was a foolish budget decision.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An innovated solution to address trash was the trash tubes install in NYC.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They have been an great example of planning and will be interesting to see how it works in the future. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">As articles were being gathered an interesting theme developed where ad hoc urban planning situations developed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The example of “The Parking Lot where Pilots Sleep” and “Gramercy Park” were very interesting in how local people are working though urban planning problems normally seen in larger districts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The case of the propaganda posters being used in the Queens was a phenomenal example of individuals addressing issues in a smart manner. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">As urban planning continues to mature as a field, and people look to urban planners for more insight into large projects requirement funding, they would be wise to consider the budget impacts of their designs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As LA and Harrisburg are showing us, there is no company, city or region that is “too big to fail”. </p> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Bibliography:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Doug Bates “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/06/time-to-get-real-on-oregons-state.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Time to get real on Oregon's state budget</span></a>”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Oregonian</i> May 13<sup>th</sup>, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Harry Esteve “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/06/oregon-faces-563-million-budget-hole.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Oregon faces $563 million budget hole, Governor promises layoffs”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The oregonian, </i>May<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>25<sup>th</sup>, 2010...</span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Andre Meunier “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/06/blurring-urban-rural-line-in-damascus.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Blurring the urban-rural line in Damascus</span></a>”, <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">www.Oregonlive.com</span></a> August 08, 2009</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cari Tuna “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/06/university-of-california-plans-to-slash.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">University of California Plans to Slash Spending</span></a>”, Wall Street Journal<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>May 18<sup>th</sup>, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">John R. Emshwiller “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/06/la-project-gets-caught-in-limbo.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">L.A. Project Gets Caught in Limbo</span></a>” Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eric Morath “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/restructuring-experts-predict-more.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Restructuring Experts predict more municipality bankruptcy </span></a>“, Wall Street Journal<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>May 17, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aaron Rutkoff ‘<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-roosevelt-island-tribute-to-trash.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">On Roosevelt Island, A Tribute to Trash Tubes</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Wall Street Journal </i>May 18, 2010<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">David Ranson “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/revenue-limits-of-tax-and-spend.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">The Revenue Limits of Tax and Spend</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i> May 17, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">R.M. Schneiderman “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/with-metropolitan-etiquet.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">With Metropolitan Etiquet</span></a>”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i> April 26, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gary Fields “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/washingtons-new-gun-rules.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Washington's New Gun Rules</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i> May 17, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pia Catton “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/05/gramercy-park.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Gramercy Park</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i> May 10, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Los Angeles International Airport “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/parking-lot-where-pilots-sleep.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">The Parking Lot where Pilots Sleep</span></a>”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i>, April 15, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Romy Varghese “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/harrisburg-pa-weighs-bankruptcy.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Harrisburg, PA Weighs Bankruptcy</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal </i>April 28, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tamara Audi “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/los-angeles-outlines-budget-cuts.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Los Angeles Outlines Budget Cuts</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal”</i> April 20, 2010 </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eric Mortenson, “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/metro-and-3-portland-counties-approve.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Metro and 3 Portland counties approve urban expans</span></a>ions” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Oregonian</i>, May 6 2006</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nick Winfield “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-san-francisco-suburbs-plane-ride.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">The New San Francisco Suburbs, a Plane Ride Away</span></a>”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Wall Street Journal </i>April 15, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Michael J Trinkleman “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/altered-states.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Altered States</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal</i> April 17, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Leslie Eaton “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/strapped-city-cuts-and-cuts.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Strapped City Cuts and Cuts</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Street Journal,</i> April 13, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nick Timiraos “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/foreclosures-hit-rich-and-famous.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Foreclosures hit the rich and famous</span></a> “ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Wall Stree Journal</i> April 9, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tamara Audi “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/los-angeles-maps-rail-plan-with-key.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Los Angeles Maps Rail Plan With a Key Stop: Washington</span></a>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Wall Street Journal</i> March 11th</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Steven Greenhut “<a href="http://scottcone.blogspot.com/2010/04/vallejos-painful-lessons-in-municipal.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Vallejo's Painful Lessons in Municipal Bankruptcy</span></a>”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Wall Street Journal</i> March 26, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></p>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-65923998658787021842010-06-02T19:14:00.001-07:002010-06-02T19:15:06.629-07:00Time to get real on Oregon's state budget<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 78, 92); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><h4 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 11px; ">By <a href="http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/dbates/index.html" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Doug Bates, The Oregonian</a></h4><h5 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 11px; min-height: 22px; ">May 13, 2009, 5:29PM</h5><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The state budget proposal offered Tuesday by Republican lawmakers in Salem is a thing of great beauty in a time of crisis.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">It would maintain schools and state government pretty much at their current levels of service.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">It would make no draconian cuts in aid to Oregon's most vulnerable citizens.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">It would keep cops on the highways, teachers in the classrooms and crooks in the prisons, all without a nickel of new taxes.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">It would even include a $1.4 billion surplus that could be used to shore up agency budgets if serious needs arose.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">In short, it's a brilliant budget that legislators would be crazy not to adopt, if only it were grounded in reality.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Unfortunately, it is not. Republican leaders unveiled it Tuesday using the latest official revenue estimate, which is two months out of date. If they'd waited just three more days, they could have used the new revenue estimate that will be released Friday -- a number that just about every economist in Salem predicts will be painfully lower than the March estimate.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The new figure may very well blow a billion-dollar hole in the Republicans' budget, but they had a transparent reason for rushing it out ahead of the grim forecast: It's not really a budget. It's a political statement -- something GOP legislators will run on in the next election.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The fiscal crisis has indeed put their rivals, who control both chambers of the Legislature, in a political bind. Deep cuts in education, human services or public safety would not be popular. Nor would tax increases, but Democrats may have to do some of both to meet a revenue shortfall that's likely to exceed $4 billion.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The most recent budget proposal offered by Democratic leaders would give K-12 schools about $5.5 billion, which might mean early closures for some schools in the state. The Republican leaders countered with a $6.2 billion K-12 figure, enough to stave off early closures.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The GOP legislators, however, are far from being the only ones floating numbers that are likely to be hopelessly rosy. Portland schools Superintendent Carole Smith's original budget, recently reduced, also used the $6.2 billion figure, and so does a proposal being circulated by the Oregon Business Association.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Neither Smith nor the OBA nor the Republicans deserve to be attacked for their optimistic budgets, but their plans won't mean anything if they're built on numbers that don't hold up. After Friday's revenue forecast, everyone in Oregon -- legislators, school officials, business people, all of us -- will be obligated to face reality.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">No more will anyone be able to deny the costly impact of the prisons bill that passed last fall.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">No more will anyone be able to claim there's no increase in social worker caseloads as unemployment rises.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">No more will anyone be able to pretend we have ample revenue for schools and public safety, if only it were spent more wisely.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Friday we'll get the real numbers, and then it will be time to get real ourselves.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-79082806168438044702010-06-02T18:03:00.001-07:002010-06-02T18:03:38.313-07:00Oregon faces $563 million budget hole, Governor promises layoffs<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 78, 92); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;">SALEM – Shock waves from the recession continue to wreak havoc in Oregon, punching a big hole in the state budget and prompting Gov. Ted Kulongoski to order hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to schools and other state programs.<br /><br />The cuts, if they stand, could eliminate school days, idle some state police troopers, and lead to pay freezes and benefit rollbacks for state workers.<br /><br />"There will be layoffs," the governor stated flatly.<br /><br />Although Congress could come through with additional money for troubled states, Kulongoski said he can't count on a federal bailout.<br /><br />"I have learned -- and am convinced -- that in a situation like this, the best response is swift and decisive action," Kulongoski said. He asked all state agencies to prepare for cuts that amount to 9 percent of their remaining budgets.<br /><br />Their lists should be ready within two weeks. Once those are in, and Congressional action is more definite, cuts will be made, he said.<br /><br />The governor's comments came in response to <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/OEA/economic.shtml#Most_Recent_Forecast" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Tuesday's revenue update,</a>which projects the state will have $563 million less than what's called for in the current two-year budget.<br /><br />The sheer size of the drop stunned lawmakers, who listened in stony silence as state economist Tom Potiowsky and senior economist Josh Harwood went through the numbers. Potiowsky noted the "disconnect," given that the recession has given way to a mild recovery in Oregon.<br /><br />Harwood said he revised the state revenue numbers downward after income tax collections came in far weaker than expected, including a sharp drop in expected taxes from income on capital gains. Some people, may be paying late, which could help balance the books later, he said. In the meantime, the recent uptick in the economy has not been strong enough to offset the damage done last year.<br /><br />"We had a horrible storm in 2009," Potiowsky added later. "This is cleaning up the remnants of that horrible year."<br /><br /><a href="http://gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/Peter-Courtney/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem,</a> complained about the difficulty of getting accurate forecasts to use for budgeting. Unlike the federal government, states must balance their budgets.<br /><br />"We have been caught by surprise and I'm upset about it," said Courtney, who was briefed on the new budget numbers earlier in the week. "We knew it was down. But not this bad."<br /><br />Courtney, joined at a news conference by <a href="http://gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/Dave-Hunt/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">House Speaker Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone,</a> said he didn't see the need to call lawmakers back to Salem for a special session because there's no chance of coming up with more money to fill the hole.<br /><br />"There's nothing more difficult than the hell of a budget special session," Courtney said, recalling 2002, which included five special sessions to deal with drops in revenue.<br /><br />Hunt didn't rule out a special session once the budget picture becomes more precise. He said the state still has $175 million in reserves that could be freed up to help schools.<br /><br />Under state law, if the Legislature doesn't adjust for a budget shortfall, the governor must spread the cuts proportionately throughout state government. On Tuesday, Kulongoski released a list of amounts for each agency to make up the $563 million shortfall.<br /><br />The Department of Education faces the biggest proposed reduction -- about $252 million, of which $237 million would come out of K-12 school budgets.<br /><br />For students, the cut could mean reduced school days and increases in class sizes, said David Williams, government relations director for <a href="http://www.pps.k12.or.us/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Portland Public Schools</a>. Teachers could see cutbacks to benefits and pay and layoffs.<br /><br />"There's a lot of options available, none of them good," Williams said.<br /><br />The proposed K-12 cuts are equivalent to the pay and benefits for 4,000 teachers, said <a href="http://www.oregoned.org/site/pp.asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=123024" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Oregon Education Association </a>President Gail Rasmussen. She said educators are hoping for a slice of the $23 billion in federal funds that <a href="http://harkin.senate.gov/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa</a>, has proposed as a way to avoid nationwide layoffs of teachers, principals, librarians and other school workers.<br /><br />Kulongoski said he is also concerned about the $51 million slated to be cut from the<a href="http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; "> Department of Corrections</a>, which he called the most "boxed in" agency because of voter-passed sentencing requirements.<br /><br />Corrections director Max Williams said the department is tightening up "every little place we can look at," but hasn't come up with a detailed cut list. Williams announced an immediate hiring freeze, noting that 24-hour staffing makes up much of the department's expenses.<br /><br />In addition to calling for agency cuts, Kulongoski said he would continue a pay freeze for all nonunion state workers, and he asked union representatives to meet with state labor negotiators to look at pay freezes, benefit cuts or furlough days as a way to avoid layoffs.<br /><br />The proposal got an immediate negative response from the union that represents prison guards and some other state workers.<br /><br />"We are not interested in reopening our contract," said Ken Allen, director of Oregon's American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. He said "frontline" state workers already have sacrificed, and managers should bear the brunt of further cuts.<br /><br />The disappointing revenue news led to scathing comments from legislative Republican leaders.<br /><br /><a href="http://gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/Bruce-Hanna/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg</a>, said the shortfall "is a product of the Democrats' massive overspending and the $1.8 billion in new taxes and fees they've passed since 2009." Hunt responded by noting that nearly every budget passed in 2009 did so with large bipartisan majorities.<br /><br />The two candidates for governor also weighed in.<a href="http://www.johnkitzhaber.com/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; "> Democrat John Kitzhaber </a>said he "fully supports" Kulongoski's actions.<a href="http://www.chrisdudley.com/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; "> Republican Chris Dudley</a> said lawmakers should revise the budget, not just let the governor make proportional cuts. "If educating our children is our number one priority, we cannot treat it like every other state agency, we must ensure that it is funded," he said.<br /><br />The forecast included one ironic twist -- corporate income taxes, which make up a small portion of the revenue pie, are projected to be higher than expected. That could trigger the state's "kicker" law, which would mean a rebate for some companies.<br /><br /><i>Jessica Van Berkel of The Oregonian staff contributed to this story.</i><br /><br />-- <a href="mailto:harryesteve@news.oregonian.com" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Harry Esteve </a></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-87668473438666613712010-06-02T17:54:00.000-07:002010-06-02T17:55:14.695-07:00Blurring the urban-rural line in Damascus<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 78, 92); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;">DAMASCUS -- Larry Thompson has always been ahead of everybody else.<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">He stopped using pesticides and fungicides on his fruit, berries and vegetables years before organic became iconic, and long ago eliminated the middleman distributor by selling direct at his fruit stands and at seven farmers markets.<br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">His harvest crew, including three generations of what began as a migrant family, has been documented, paying taxes and earning Social Security since 1986. He donated the use of 3.5 acres to <a href="http://www.mercycorpsnw.org/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Mercy Corps Northwest</a>, which teaches Russian and Cuban immigrants how to farm Oregon-style.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">He earns ovations at land-use conferences, gladly consorts with government planners and won a Western region sustainability award at the <a href="http://www.sare.org/2008Conference/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">2008 New American Farm conference</a>. At 55, he's trim and shrewd in a cowboy hat and big Chevy pickup truck.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">But not even Larry Thompson has grown a city before, and his ideas this time would turn Oregon's heralded land-use system on its head.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The region's growth regulators seeded the new city of Damascus on Thompson's 77-acre farm. In Thompson's vision, the city can be a place where urban development and agriculture entwine like his graceful marionberry canes.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Part of the farm could be developed for housing, he suggests, while he continues to farm the better soil. The farm's crops could supply an "eco-restaurant" at the top slope of the property. Along the road below could be a fruit and produce stand. Next to it could be a community kitchen and education center where customers could preserve the berries they just bought or learn how to improve their home gardens.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson acknowledges the idea "steps way out of bounds."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Because if it's done nothing else, Oregon has drawn a bright line between urban and rural. Development occurs within tight growth boundaries; farming and forestry happen out in the country. Period.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson says it's time to blur those lines.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"Instead of saying, 'Here's the boundary for growth,' maybe we should start with the farm first and create the community around farms," he says. "That's my intent."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><a href="http://www.metro-region.org/" style="color: rgb(48, 92, 182); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">Metro</a>, the regional government, planted Damascus on the edge of Portland in what many now see as a confounding expansion of the urban growth boundary. A lack of infrastructure -- adequate sewer, water and roads -- made traditional development severely expensive, and Damascus became the punchline to the area's development joke.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Seeking to control their destiny, residents of the rolling hills incorporated in 2004, but the subsequent recession and collapse of the housing market have left Damascus virtually unchanged. Anita Yap, community development director, describes it as "10,000 acres and 10,000 people." The view from Thompson's pumpkin patch contains no highways or high-rises.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Before incorporation, the one institution many Damascus residents had in common was the Boring Fire District. Five school districts and two water districts serve the area. City offices are in the area's lone commercial center, an abbreviated strip mall along Oregon 212 that includes a Bi-Mart, Safeway, hair salon and other businesses.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"City hall?" A man waiting in an insurance office 50 yards away has to think on it. "I hear they have one now," he offers.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">But stalled development has given Damascus time to imagine itself, and in every discussion residents made it clear they value the area's farms and fruit stands, including Thompson's.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">At the same time, the Portland metro area embraced the value of a regional "foodshed" and of slow food. And more: the security of growing and eating locally, and the climate change problems exacerbated by transporting products and traveling to stores. Farmers' markets have exploded in popularity, backyard chicken coops and gardens are increasingly common and small-acreage farms sell veggies to subscribers.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson acknowledges that his first thought when Damascus became a city was, "I'm rich. Wow, I've finally made it. I could develop my land and retire and be wealthy."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">His second thought was, "This is my heritage. It's a lot bigger than Larry Thompson."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">His parents, Victor and Betty, arrived from South Dakota in 1947 and proceeded to "raise strawberries and kids." Thompson, the youngest of four children, is the only one to farm full-time. He says it is what he was meant to do.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Farming is important to society, he says. It feeds people, yes, but it also sustains something we have difficulty naming. Something emotional; connection with the agrarian roots from which most Americans are still just two or three generations removed. It is the green space we take our children to see.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Oregon farming is a $5 billion annual business, employing more than 50,000 workers on farms and 19,000 in food processing plants. It thrives even as the state's population jumps and urbanizes; fast-growing Clackamas and Washington counties ranked fourth and fifth in crop sales value, and Multnomah County is in the state's top 15.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Growth boundaries, required of every city, have allowed agriculture to hang on by separating it. But along the urban fringe, farms are elbow to elbow with new residents who often don't understand or appreciate dust, long hours and machinery noise.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"High-density apartments on one side, and the other side is combines," as Clackamas County Commissioner Charlotte Lehan puts it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"Oregon land use is very dichotomous," she says. "You're either urban or rural -- urban with 10 houses per acre or rural with one house per 80 acres. I'm coming to the opinion that maybe we need to recognize another kind of animal which is neither fish nor fowl."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">That describes Thompson's idea.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"All the people are on the bandwagon saying they want to save farms, but the way to do that is to make sure farms are making money," he says. "This is a way to do that while you develop an area."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson is an able spokesman for urban agriculture. He befriends a neighboring subdivision by letting residents freely walk his property, favors U-pickers because it reconnects them with farm life, and tells anyone listening that making a good living goes arm in arm with being a responsible caretaker of the land.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson has an important ally in Yap, the Damascus community development director. Although Damascus can't zone Thompson's land as Exclusive Farm Use, it may be able to treat it as industrial land or open space, zone it residential with an "agricultural overlay" that allows continued farming, or call it "land-based employment" property.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Oregon's land-use system has protected agriculture well for 30 years, "But this is a new city," Yap says. "Land-use law doesn't talk about climate change and peak oil" and doesn't address agriculture in terms of food security, community identity and economic development, she says.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">In an article for this summer's edition of Oregon Planners' Journal, Yap and co-author Dean Apostol said Damascus is Oregon's first new city in 22 years and the first to be pre-planned. As such, it may be allowed to "test the edges" of the state's land-use system.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"We may be testing state assumptions by using various tools to set aside land for continued use for growing food and integrating active farming and the agricultural heritage into urbanization," they wrote.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Development groups and state and regional policymakers, are keenly interested in what Damascus is up to.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Damascus is proposing to treat agriculture as an urban economic activity similar to commercial or industrial development, says Jim Johnson, land-use coordinator for the state Department of Agriculture. "In some ways, what Damascus is doing is recognizing the obvious," he says.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">But he's concerned that reserving acreage for farming within the urban growth boundary will cause development groups to seek expansion of the boundary as compensation -- and bump farther into farmland.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Johnson also cautions that what works for Larry Thompson, known as one of the region's most innovative and progressive farmers, might not work for others.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"What happens when Larry leaves?" Johnson asks. "Will someone else want to farm in that (urban) environment? I don't know."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Thompson says he has no retirement or succession plans. He and his wife, Kathy, have two children: Michelle, a counselor, and Matt, a student at the University of Oregon. Matt Thompson has expressed interest in farming, but it won't be forced upon him, Larry Thompson says. On the other hand, a successful venture with Damascus might make the farm attractive to a buyer who would continue the operation.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Metro Councilor Rod Park of Gresham, himself a farmer on the UGB fringe, says the success of urban agriculture may depend on its scale. Nearby residents would have to remember that "Farming is a verb, not a noun," Park says.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The Damascus concept may be doable, "Given where people are at right now with concern about where their food is coming from," he says.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Jon Chandler of the Oregon Homebuilders Association says the Damascus idea sounds like a thoughtful approach, but says the region should question whether farming is the best use of land within the urban growth boundary.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">The current system promotes the most effective placement of roads, sewer and other infrastructure, says Greg Manning, vice president of the Oregon chapter of NAIOP, a commercial real estate development association.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"When you break that up with intermittent, alternative uses it can reduce the efficiency of land use and infrastructure use," Manning says. "Do we have three subdivisions, 400 acres of farmland, then a shopping mall?"</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Portland land-use lawyer Ed Sullivan says state law may make it difficult for Damascus to set land aside for farming. State statute, based on an Oregon Court of Appeals decision, says land within the growth boundary must be urban or "urbanizable."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"I wouldn't bet the farm on it, to coin a phrase," he says. "I can't say categorically that they would never make it, but I think this is a hard row to hoe."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Damascus is proceeding with the conditional blessing of Richard Whitman, director of the state Department of Land Conservation and Development.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"I'm not prepared to say it can't be done under Oregon law," Whitman says. "I think there are ways to do it. I think we should be able to accommodate that within the system."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">But Damascus has an obligation to Metro to take on its share of the region's population and job growth, Whitman says. If land within the city is reserved for farming, the tradeoff is that some neighborhoods may have to be developed more densely, he says. It would be "problematic" if urban agriculture was used as an excuse for expanding the growth boundary, Whitman says.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">Larry Thompson believes Oregon has reached the point where it can open the gates now separating the people who eat his pumpkins, corn, zucchini and berries from the land that produces it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">"It would be a reason to move to Damascus," Thompson says. "Our identity was lost when the UGB came and we incorporated. We went from a pastoral setting to, 'Now what?' "</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-5789253948614375912010-06-02T17:48:00.001-07:002010-06-02T17:48:45.067-07:00University of California Plans to Slash Spending<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">By <a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=CARI+TUNA&bylinesearch=true" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; ">CARI TUNA</a></h3><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The University of California was set to unveil plans for a sweeping financial and administrative overhaul that could reduce annual operating expenses by more than $500 million, as the much-scrutinized public university system moves to deal with a widening budget shortfall.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Under the efficiency plan, which will be presented at a UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, the system intends to streamline, consolidate and standardize operations across its 10 campuses. Among other things, UC plans to roll out common supply-procurement and human-resources systems to replace individual campus systems.</p><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-D" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 264px; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_1" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Full Image</a></p></div></div><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BG041_UCCUTS_D_20100517194849.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="174" width="262" alt="UCCUTSsub" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Steve McConnell/UC Berkeley NewsCenter</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Students at U.C. Berkeley's 2010 commencement. The university system is dealing with a budget shortfall.</p></div><div id="articleImage_1" class="insetFullBracket" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: -100%; left: 0px; z-index: 100; "><div class="insetFullBox" style="margin-top: -30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/BGD_insetBracket.png); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-right-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-left-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; "><div class="insetButton" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; top: 5px; right: 8px; "><a class="insetClose" style="background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif); cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 19px; text-indent: -9999px; width: 19px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="19" width="19" alt="UCCUTSsub" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BG041_UCCUTS_G_20100517194849.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="369" width="553" alt="UCCUTSsub" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Other measures include accelerating energy-efficiency projects, consolidating information-technology operations and loaning campuses money for equipment leases in lieu of more-costly third-party loans.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The overhaul followed steps taken by universities nationwide to cut administrative fat amid falling state funding and withering endowments.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In total, UC's plan was expected to save more than $500 million from its $20 billion annual budget within five years of implementation, including at least $100 million from supply procurement, UC officials said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The plan will also result in administrative job cuts, though officials declined to say how many jobs would be eliminated, citing the early state of the restructuring.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"We're forced to make some fundamental changes in the way this place operates," said Peter Taylor, UC's finance chief. "We don't have a choice."</p><div class="insetContent embedType-image imageFormat-arbitrary" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; width: 381px; "><div class="insettipUnit" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; width: 381px; "><img src="http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BG028_UCCUTS_NS_20100517193239.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" alt="[UCCUTS]" height="331" width="381" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Robin Garrell, a chemistry professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and chair of its faculty body, welcomed an operational overhaul. "This is an area where there certainly are opportunities to save money with little impact on academic programs," Prof. Garrell said. But, she added, "I would be wary of a one-size-fits all model," especially for cutting administrative jobs, because "each campus has its own needs and character."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Nationwide, in fiscal 2009, which began July 1, 2008, for most states, state funding for higher education fell $2.8 billion to $77.9 billion, though the drop was largely offset by $2.3 billion in stimulus funds, the State Higher Education Executive Officers, a nonprofit policy association, reported.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The UC system is closely watched as the nation's largest university system by budget, and it has been hit particularly hard by California's fiscal troubles.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Over the past two fiscal years, California has cut funding per student by 22% to $7,570, UC officials said. Adjusted for inflation, state funding per UC student has fallen 54% since the 1990-91 fiscal year, they said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">According to the State Higher Education group, excluding federal stimulus, total state and local funding for higher education in California fell 24% per student between the 1990-91 and 2008-09 fiscal years, compared with an 11% drop nationwide.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The budget shortfall for UC, which has around 230,000 students, has grown as a result. The budget gap is projected to rise to $1.2 billion for 2010-11 from $1 billion for the 2009-10 year, according to UC officials.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In response, UC has cut $232 million in operating costs over the past two years by laying off 1,900 workers, furloughing employees and cutting academic programs, among other measures. Some of the moves, including raising undergraduate fees 32%, have sparked student protests across the state that at times have turned violent.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Even with higher fees and a possible $305 million restoration in state funding, UC remained $237 million in the red for the coming 2010-11 fiscal year, officials said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">UC officials are considering other proposals to shore up its finances. One is to offer online courses for university credit, which drew sharp criticism from a group of UC Berkeley faculty last week.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Some fear such online courses could undermine faculty control over curricula and degrade instruction quality, said Wendy Brown, a political-science professor and co-chair of the Berkeley Faculty Association.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-51299539735871517262010-06-02T17:46:00.001-07:002010-06-02T17:46:42.644-07:00L.A. Project Gets Caught in Limbo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">By <a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=JOHN+R.+EMSHWILLER&bylinesearch=true" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; ">JOHN R. EMSHWILLER</a></h3><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">LOS ANGELES—Unlike many real-estate deals across the U.S., developer Sonny Astani's downtown condominium-construction project here wasn't killed by the property market's collapse. The death of the project's lender, however, has left a big mess.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Last September's failure of Corus Bank, a Chicago-based unit of Corus Bankshares Inc., put the $163 million construction loan used to finance Mr. Astani's project in the hands of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The loan now is controlled by a partnership of the FDIC and an investor group led by Starwood Capital Group, part of an unusual public-private push to increase returns on loans and real estate inherited by the FDIC.</p><div class="insetCol3wide" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; width: 280px; float: left; clear: left; "><div class="headlineSummary pmHook pmArticleInset" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; border-top-width: 4px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(121, 193, 146); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; border-right-color: rgb(224, 231, 238); border-bottom-color: rgb(224, 231, 238); border-left-color: rgb(224, 231, 238); background-image: none; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><div class="strapBox topStrap" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/bg_diagStripe_dbf7e3.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 278px; float: left; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><a class="proLabel" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/page/ProMarketingSellPage.html" style="color: rgb(24, 148, 68); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: bold; padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 8px; display: block; font-size: 1.1em; float: left; ">EXPERIENCE WSJ PROFESSIONAL</a></div><div class="innerBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; background-image: url(http://s3.wsj.net/img/dottedLine_bbd4e1.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; float: left; width: 278px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><h4 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(9, 61, 114); font-family: Georgia, 'Century Schoolbook', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-transform: none; float: left; clear: both; font: normal normal bold 12px/15px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><a id="" class="" href="http://professional.wsj.com/professional-search/search.html?ar=1&dt=4&mf=0&pg=1&ps=25&sb=1&pid=0_0_ES_1000&cnt=&st=3&nfddg=0_0_EA_DeepDive_46|WIZARD_EDITOR_ID|deepdivel1" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Editors' Deep Dive: FDIC Watch</a></h4><ul class="newsItem" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; zoom: 1; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; clear: both; width: 278px; "><li class="listFirst firstList" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.1em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; zoom: 1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; background-image: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "><h5 class="source" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; display: block; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 1.3em; "><a href="http://professional.wsj.com/professional-search/search.html?ar=1&dt=4&mf=0&pg=1&ps=25&sb=1&pid=0_0_ES_1000&cnt=&st=0&sc=1@djflbo" class="sourceLink" style="text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1em; padding-left: 0px; ">LBO WIRE</a></h5><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://professional.wsj.com/article/TPDJFLBO0020100519e65j0002t.html?mod=wsjproe_IndustryPage_FDICWatch" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2em; padding-left: 34px; background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/ICN_free.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-weight: normal; background-position: 0% 1px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">FDIC To Clarify Policy on Private Equity</a></h2></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.1em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; zoom: 1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h5 class="source" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; display: block; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 1.3em; "><span class="sourceLink" style="padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); font-size: 0.9em; ">MIAMI DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW</span></h5><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Investor Interest Piques in Community Banks</h2></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.1em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; zoom: 1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h5 class="source" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; display: block; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 1.3em; "><span class="sourceLink" style="padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); font-size: 0.9em; ">CHARLOTTE OBSERVER</span></h5><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Charlotte Investors Seek $2 Billion</h2></li></ul></div><div class="proHookDiv" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(243, 250, 245); line-height: 1.3em; clear: both; float: left; width: 262px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/page/ProMarketingSellPage.html" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Learn More</a></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The 56-year-old Mr. Astani says his efforts to finish the project, called Concerto, have been impeded by the FDIC and Starwood, which eventually could result in them seizing the property Concerto could be "a treasure chest for these guys," he says, contending the project, which includes a 30-story condo tower, retail space and a one-acre park, is worth more than the amount of the construction loan.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Corus Construction said Thursday that a tentative agreement has been reached with Mr. Astani that would allow the project to continue and the real-estate developer to retain ownership. Mr. Astani says negotiations have begun and are making progress but that no agreement has been reached.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Clashes between real-estate developers and lenders are common, especially during tough times. But the dispute over Concerto is an example of the litigation and other snarls facing the FDIC as it tries to work through tens of billions of dollars in loans, foreclosed real estate and other assets from failed financial institutions.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Some subcontractors have griped that Corus Construction Venture LLC, the entity formed to manage Corus's loans, has hindered their efforts to get paid. City officials say the delay has cost Los Angeles construction jobs at a time when the struggling local economy needs them.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">A spokesman for Corus Construction says the Concerto loan is in default, which Mr. Astani disputes. In court filings, Corus Construction contends that the project is worth less than the amount Mr. Astani owes, accusing him of trying to "play fast and loose" with the loan terms by selling part of the project to raise cash. Corus Construction denies blocking money to subcontractors and has begun paying some of their claims.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">More than 230 banks and savings institutions have failed since the start of 2008. Acquirers of seized banks usually take most of their assets, except when the loan portfolio is horribly battered. Of the $7 billion in assets that Corus had when it was taken over by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the FDIC got about $4 billion.</p><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-D" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 264px; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_1" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Full Image</a></p></div></div><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MI-BD494_CONCER_D_20100520182735.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="174" width="262" alt="CONCERTO" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Christina House</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Developer Sonny Astani, outside his Concerto condo project in Los Angeles last month, is fighting the FDIC to maintain control of the project.</p></div><div id="articleImage_1" class="insetFullBracket" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: -100%; left: 0px; z-index: 100; "><div class="insetFullBox" style="margin-top: -30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/BGD_insetBracket.png); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-right-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-left-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; "><div class="insetButton" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; top: 5px; right: 8px; "><a class="insetClose" style="background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif); cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 19px; text-indent: -9999px; width: 19px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="19" width="19" alt="CONCERTO" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MI-BD494_CONCER_G_20100520182735.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="369" width="553" alt="CONCERTO" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Hoping to avoid selling loans at fire-sale prices, the FDIC in 2008 launched a plan to bring in private investors. Such investors put in some of their own money, oversee asset dispositions and share proceeds with the FDIC.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The idea is to "capture the expertise and efficiency of the private sector, as well as improvements in market conditions," says James Wigand, an FDIC deputy director. So far, the agency has entered into 13 joint ventures involving more than $15 billion in assets. FDIC officials plan additional partnerships with investment firms.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Corus is the biggest public-private loan-workout alliance yet. Mr. Astani's loan was part of a package of assets with a face value of $4.45 billion. The Starwood-led investor group owns 40% of the venture, while the FDIC owns 60%.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. Astani says he has pumped $55 million of his own money into Concerto. In 2007, he got a $190 million loan from Corus to finance construction of the 30-story tower and a seven-story loft building.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">By early 2009, though, Corus's financial condition was deteriorating, and the bank faced mounting pressure from regulators. Mr. Astani says he encountered resistance in winning approval to keep the project moving. Last August, he sold the 77 loft units in a one-day auction that raised nearly $29 million. But because of the lousy real-estate market, the sales prices fell far short of the minimum specified in his 2007 loan agreement.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Completion of the loft sales required approval by Corus. But the bank was seized before Mr. Astani got the clearance he needed. Six days after the bank's failure, Mr. Astani put the Concerto project into bankruptcy proceedings in Los Angeles, hoping a judge would sign off on the loft sales and let him use some of the cash to finish the tower.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In an interview, Mr. Astani says he believed the FDIC "would be very happy" with his plan.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The FDIC objected to the move, accusing the developer in an October court filing of trying to "play fast and loose" with the collateral for the loan. The FDIC added that Mr. Astani's financial projections ignored the "grave market and economic conditions" in the downtown Los Angeles real-estate market.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In October, Mr. Astani won permission from a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge to complete the loft sales and use some of the proceeds to finish the condo tower. To protect the loan, though, the judge ordered the Concerto project to pay $1 million a month to Corus Construction, which also would have to sign off on further spending.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Since then, the FDIC-Starwood partnership has dragged its feet on approving a budget and construction payments, Mr. Astani says. The Corus Construction spokesman says that Mr. Astani provided insufficient information needed for the budget and has "routinely submitted incomplete or improper loan-draw requests."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The FDIC-Starwood venture is offering unpaid subcontractors 95 cents on the dollar for their claims. The offer is an "end run" to undermine support for Mr. Astani among the creditors' committee in the bankruptcy case, contends Ronald Hudson, who claims his wall-installation company is owed $1.6 million for work on Concerto. He says he hasn't been offered a payment.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The Corus Construction spokesman says the offer "simply acknowledges" that subcontractors "deserve to be paid" and isn't aimed at influencing the bankruptcy proceeding. "Several" have accepted the offer, the spokesman adds.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Write to </strong>John R. Emshwiller at <a class="" href="mailto:john.emshwiller@wsj.com" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">john.emshwiller@wsj.com</a></p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-40967543870587396422010-05-25T10:21:00.001-07:002010-05-25T10:21:49.966-07:00Restructuring Experts predict more municipality bankruptcy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">By Eric Morath</h3><div class="mceTemp" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; text-align: left; "><dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 27px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; float: left; width: 359px; "><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://online.wsj.com/media/vallejo_E_20100517153551.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="239" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; " /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 1em; text-align: right; ">Getty Images</dd><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: left; ">Vallejo, Calif., is one of the few U.S. cities to have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.</dd></dl></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Indicating how serious a cash crunch many cities and counties are facing, more restructuring professionals expect a major U.S. municipality to default on its debt than predict that a foreign country will be unable to keep its loan commitments, <a href="http://www.alixpartners.com/en/MediaCenter/PressReleases/tabid/58/language/en-US/ItemID/45/Default.aspx" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(9, 61, 114); border-bottom-style: solid; ">a new survey has found</a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In a poll released Monday by consulting firm AlixPartners LLP, 90% of respondents predicted a significant American municipality will default on its debt before 2012. Only 63% of those professionals, however, believe that a foreign country will default in that same period, despite the debt crisis unfolding in Europe.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The survey results likely reflect that there is a willingness among countries in Europe and the Middle East to work together to avoid a debt default, while most believe it’s unlikely that Washington would come to the aid of municipalities, said Peter Fitzsimmons, AlixPartners’ North American president.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">“There is very little appetite at the federal level to bail out local governments, and the problems in some cities are severe enough that there will probably be a default,” he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">A number of municipalities, including Harrisburg, Pa., Detroit and San Diego, have openly discussed their deep financial problems and have even contemplated filing for Chapter 9, the section of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that governs municipal filings.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Municipalities are struggling in part because widespread foreclosures and commercial property vacancies have caused property values to fall, which in turn limits how much property tax local government can be collected, said Juliet Moringiello, resident scholar at the American Bankruptcy Institute.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">“The impact of the financial crisis has trickled up to municipalities,” she said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">AlixPartners, a Southfield, Mich., turnaround firm, polled 91 bankruptcy lawyers, bankers and fund managers earlier this month as part of its annual survey of restructuring professionals.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-65944977009460912752010-05-25T10:09:00.001-07:002010-05-25T10:09:59.543-07:00On Roosevelt Island, A Tribute to Trash Tubes<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">By Aaron Rutkoff</h3><div class="mceTemp" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; text-align: left; "><dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 27px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; float: left; width: 262px; "><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://online.wsj.com/media/trash0517_DV_20100517153350.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="394" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; " /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 1em; text-align: right; ">Kate Milford</dd><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: left; ">Billy Dash changes the oil in one of the Roosevelt Island trash system’s six turbines.</dd></dl></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Hidden below ground and running between the 16 apartment buildings on Roosevelt Island is a system of pneumatic tubes that propels household waste at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. It’s a futuristic solution to the urban problem of trash collection, a grandiose and somewhat elegant advance over the fleet of unsightly sanitation trucks trolling city streets today.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">“Everyone kind of grabs on to the quirky Jetsons side of it,” says Juliette Spertus, an architect who has spent two years researching the system. “People assume it’s a relic and not an answer for the future.” Her research is on display at the <a href="http://www.fasttrash.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">“Fast Trash!” exhibit</a> at a gallery on Roosevelt Island.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The system was built 35 years ago during a period that saw city and state governments involved in Utopian projects to remake what was then called Welfare Island. According to Spertus, the system was designed with a 40-year lifespan.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Most island resident are scarcely aware that the system exists, according to Judith Berdy, president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Here’s how it works:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">One of Roosevelt Island’s residents tosses a bag of trash down a chute inside an apartment building. The trash, rather than landing in a bin, piles atop a vacuum tube. Five times a day, engineers at a control center open the valves in each building and suck the collected garbage through 20-inch pipes that lead to a collection point at the southern end of the island.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">At the collection point, the garbage spins once more -– this time around a cyclone separator that pulls heavy objects apart from the lighter debris -– and then everything is packaged in containers for pick up.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Thanks to the tube system, Department of Sanitation trucks make no house calls on Roosevelt Island.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">And here’s a short film about all the objects that get stuck inside the system. (The entire 10-minute documentary by Greg Whitmore can be seen <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/11804927" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">here</a>):</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><object width="400" height="225" data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11800699&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></object></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><a href="http://vimeo.com/11800699" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">Nature Abhors a Vacuum :: EXCERPT - “JAMS”</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1067779" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">greg whitmore</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">Vimeo</a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Roosevelt Island’s tubes were the first municipal-scale implementation of the technology in the U.S. -– the only other one was in Disney World. “It’s like a time capsule, like if someone rolled out a working Model-T,” Spertus says. “It was designed as a model, only no one paid attention to it.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">ENVAC, the Swedish company that built the Roosevelt Island trash system, is still around and vaguely embarrassed by the absence of recycling and other modern touches. But despite the quirk factor — trash hurtling through tubes! — Spertus wants people to see the serious side of the island’s fast-moving waste.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In a way, Roosevelt Island’s garbage system offers a glimpse of an alternative New York, one that sought technology-driven solutions to urban problems. “Basically, trucks were cheaper,” Spertus says. It wasn’t the city’s only foray into tubes. From 1897 to 1953, a pneumatic mail system served parts of Manhattan.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Spertus’s exhibit asks us to contemplate going back to this future. “There’s not a lot of thought about how to incorporate our maintenance systems into the design of our urban spaces,” she says. Roosevelt Island’s trash system might look like a dead-end technology, but parts of Barcelona, Seoul, Stockholm and Hong Kong all use the modern descendants of the same system today. In that sense, Roosevelt Island’s tube-based trash is “as cutting-edge today as it was in the 70s,” Spertus says. Modernizing the island’s system would cost $6 million, according to Spertus.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">It’s hard to imagine a city that’s closing libraries and senior centers investing in a pneumatic garbage infrastructure. But it’s also hard to imagine New York City’s garbage being hauled around in the same way forever.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-53196467655849779732010-05-18T10:13:00.001-07:002010-05-18T10:13:53.457-07:00The Revenue Limits of Tax and Spend<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; "><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">By <a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=DAVID+RANSON&bylinesearch=true" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; ">DAVID RANSON</a></h3><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The Greeks have always been trendsetters for the West. Washington has repudiated two centuries of U.S. fiscal prudence as prescribed by the Founding Fathers in favor of the modern Greek model of debt, dependency, devaluation and default. Prospects for restraining runaway U.S. debt are even poorer than they appear.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">U.S. fiscal policy has been going in the wrong direction for a very long time. But this year the U.S. government declined to lay out any plan to balance its budget ever again. Based on President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates a deficit that starts at 10.3% of GDP in 2010. It is projected to narrow as the economy recovers but will still be 5.6% in 2020. As a result the net national debt (debt held by the public) will more than double to 90% by 2020 from 40% in 2008. The current Greek deficit is now thought to be 13.6% of a far smaller GDP. Unlike ours, the Greek insolvency is not too large for an international rescue.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">As sobering as the U.S. debt estimates are, they are incomplete and optimistic. They do not include deficit spending resulting from the new health-insurance legislation. The revenue numbers rely on increased tax rates beginning next year resulting from the scheduled expiration of the Bush tax cuts. And, as usual, they ignore the unfunded liabilities of social insurance programs, even though these benefits are officially recognized as "mandatory spending" when the time comes to pay them out.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The feds assume a relationship between the economy and tax revenue that is divorced from reality. Six decades of history have established one far-reaching fact that needs to be built into fiscal calculations: Increases in federal tax rates, particularly if targeted at the higher brackets, produce no additional revenue. For politicians this is truly an inconvenient truth.</p><div class="insetContent embedType-image imageFormat-arbitrary" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; width: 459px; "><div class="insettipUnit" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; width: 459px; "><img src="http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AL524A_ranso_NS_20100516181943.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" alt="[ranson]" height="436" width="459" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The nearby chart shows how tax revenue has grown over the past eight decades along with the size of the economy. It illustrates the empirical relationship first introduced on this page 20 years ago by the Hoover Institution's W. Kurt Hauser—a close proportionality between revenue and GDP since World War II, despite big changes in marginal tax rates in both directions. "Hauser's Law," as I call this formula, reveals a kind of capacity ceiling for federal tax receipts at about 19% of GDP.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">What's the origin of this limit beyond which it is impossible to extract any more revenue from tax payers? The tax base is not something that the government can kick around at will. It represents a living economic system that makes its own collective choices. In a tax code of 70,000 pages there are innumerable ways for high-income earners to seek out and use ambiguities and loopholes. The more they are incentivized to make an effort to game the system, the less the federal government will get to collect. That would explain why, as Mr. Hauser has shown, conventional methods of forecasting tax receipts from increases in future tax rates are prone to over-predict revenue.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">For budget planning it's wiser and safer to assume that tax receipts will remain at a historically realistic ratio to GDP no matter how tax rates are manipulated. That leads me to conclude that current projections of federal revenue are, once again, unrealistically high.</p><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-D" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 264px; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_1" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; 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border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-IN082_ranson_G_20100516191237.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="369" width="553" alt="ransonpic" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Like other empirical "laws," Hauser's Law predicts within a range of approximation. Changes in marginal tax rates do not make a perceptible difference to the ratio of revenue to GDP, but recessions do. When GDP falls relative to its potential, tax revenue falls even more. History shows that, in an economy with no "output gap" between GDP and potential GDP, a ratio of federal revenue to GDP of no more than 18.3% would be realistic.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In this form, Hauser's Law provides a simple basis for testing the validity of any government's revenue projections. Today, since the economy already suffers from a large output gap that is expected to take many years to close, 18.3% must be a realistic upper limit on the ratio of budget revenues to GDP for years to come. Any major tax increase will reduce GDP and therefore revenues too.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">But CBO projections based on the current budget show this ratio reaching 18.3% as early as 2013 and rising to 19.6% in 2020. Such numbers implicitly assume that the U.S. labor market will get back to sustainable "full employment" by 2013 and that GDP will exceed its potential thereafter. Not likely. When the projections are tempered by the constraints of Hauser's Law, it's clear that deficit spending will grow faster than the official estimates show.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; ">Mr. Ranson is the head of research at H. C. Wainwright & Co. Economics.</em></p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-67269539568497375462010-05-17T10:41:00.000-07:002010-05-17T10:42:50.519-07:00With Metropolitan Etiquet<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">By R.M. Schneiderman</h3><div class="mceTemp" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; text-align: left; "><dl class="wp-caption alignright caption-alignright neeki" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 27px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; float: right; width: 359px; "><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-IG932_0426su_E_20100425174147.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="239" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; " /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 1em; text-align: right; ">AnimalNY via Jason Shelowitz</dd></dl></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Last week, <a href="http://www.jayshells.com/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">Jason Shelowitz</a>, 30, a Chelsea-based painter and freelance graphic designer, <a href="http://animalnewyork.com/2010/04/artist-promotes-subway-etiquette-with-guerrilla-campaign/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; ">started hanging very realistic facsimiles of MTA service advisories</a> in subway cars and train stations around the city. The goal: to call New Yorkers out for their inappropriate or disgusting behavior, and to make them laugh i the process. “Keep your hands to yourself, perv,” one sign says. Another: “Keep your finger out of your nose. Please.” The posters bear the stamp of the MEA: Metropolitan Etiquette Authority.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Shelowitz created more than 300 posters, which he will finish hanging up over the next few days (though he plans to keep a few to sell or give away to friends). We caught up Shelowitz and asked him a few questions about his campaign for civility.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">How did this project come about?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">It came about just experiencing different things on the subway and kind of always sharing stories with friends and co-workers. I’m sure you’ve come into work before and said something to the guy sitting next to you, like “You wouldn’t believe it but this morning, someone was eating a big thing of chicken wings and making a mess and throwing bones on the floor and stinking up the whole train.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Is this a joke?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">It’s not really a joke, it is serious. I love New York and I love the idiosyncratic behaviors of people, but when it starts to invade people’s space…on the subway where you have no escape, it’s messed up. If someone is sitting on the train during rush hour eating a meatball sub, dripping sauce on people’s shoes and they look up and happen to see my poster, they might think, ‘This is incredibly disruptive to other people. Maybe I shouldn’t be eating this on the train. Maybe I should just wait to get off at my stop.’ So I was hoping I get through to a couple of people, but really I just wanted to make people smile and relate to it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">How did you decide which behaviors to target?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">I sent out a mass email and asked people to send me some their subway gripes. I decided I was only going to do ten posters so I narrowed them down to the ten most occurring. Nail-clipping was a little more obscure, but I threw it in there because I just thought it was funny. Once I had them, I re-wrote them and formulated them into some clever copy so people would at least smile when they saw them.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Where did you put them?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mostly on the trains themselves. I’ve done the F, V, A, C, E and L trains. I tried and put them next to the service-change posters. Brooklyn and Manhattan are the only boroughs that have them in the stations…I shuffled them so that they would be in random order. The only site specific ones are the staircase pieces, which I try and put near stairs.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Are you going to make more?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">No. I decided I wanted to do a small amount because I believed it wasn’t going to take much to get the message out. I’m doing such a small run, I’m not really causing a pollution problem or a mess problem in the stations.<strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Have the police contacted you? Any fines?<br /></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">There are probably only ten you can see up anywhere because people are taking them really quickly. I think that’s why the MTA hasn’t contacted me yet. They haven’t really seen them. I witnessed two workers in Union Square checking some out after I put them up. And they loved them. They were laughing and kept walking.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Do you think the </strong><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">MTA</strong><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "> should be doing something like this?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">I don’t know if it would be as effective. They tell you not to hold the doors open. There are little notes on buses and there are signs on the subway that say give up your seats to people who need them. And to not throw trash around. But they are so ubiquitous that people don’t pay attention.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">What’s the most annoying thing that is ever happened to you personally on the train?</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">I saw a woman eating — she had a plastic bag full of crabs. And she was straight up sucking the meat out of crab parts and then throwing them on the floor. That was probably the most disturbing, just purely disgusting, thing. I had a little turd next to me on the seat once. I was trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. I thought I stepped in something. I don’t know if it was from a baby or a chihuahua or what. That was gross. The turd was on the 1 train. The crab was I think on the F train.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-12176099472756561642010-05-17T10:38:00.001-07:002010-05-17T10:42:29.986-07:00Washington's New Gun Rules<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><h3 class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.583em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">By <a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=GARY+FIELDS&bylinesearch=true" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; ">GARY FIELDS</a></h3><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-F" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 571px; float: none; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_1" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Full Image</a></p></div></div><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AV257_GUNSjp_F_20100516182917.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="226" width="571" alt="GUNSjp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Brooks Kraft for the Wall Street Journal</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Biathlete Mark Snyder, shown above at a shooting range in Poolesville, Md.</p></div><div id="articleImage_1" class="insetFullBracket" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: -100%; left: 0px; z-index: 100; "><div class="insetFullBox" style="margin-top: -30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/BGD_insetBracket.png); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-right-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-left-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; "><div class="insetButton" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; top: 5px; right: 8px; "><a class="insetClose" style="background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif); cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 19px; text-indent: -9999px; width: 19px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="19" width="19" alt="GUNSjp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AV257_GUNSjp_F_20100516182917.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="226" width="571" alt="GUNSjp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">WASHINGTON—Mark Snyder, an amateur biathlete, wanted to buy a .22-caliber bolt-action rifle for target shooting and figured the process would take about a week. After nearly six weeks, six visits to police departments and $300 in fees, he secured his rifle.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"I was not expecting a free ride," said Mr. Snyder, 45, "but this is an obstacle course they put in place."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handguns in 2008, a victory for the gun-rights lobby that seemed to promise a more permissive era in America's long tussle over gun ownership. Since then, the city has crafted rules that are proving a new, powerful deterrent to residents who want to buy firearms.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Legal gun owners must be registered by the city, a red flag for many in the gun-rights community concerned that registration lists could be used to confiscate firearms. The District limits the number of bullets a gun can hold and the type of firearm residents can buy. It requires that by next year manufacturers sell guns equipped with a special identification technology—one that hasn't yet been adopted by the industry.</p><div class="legacyInset" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; width: 278px; "><div class="insetContent" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; border-top-width: 4px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); "><h3 class="first" style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; ">Up in Arms</h3><div class="insetContent embedType-interactive" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div class="insettipUnit insetTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704093204575216680860962548.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEFifthNews#" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Interactive</a></p></div></div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704093204575216680860962548.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEFifthNews#" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-IN057_GunSpl_D_20100516180051.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="174" width="262" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">See a breakdown of gun-related legislation state-by-state.</p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/orange_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><span><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "><a class="icon interactive" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/page/0_0_WP_2003.html" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-left: 16px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2em; background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/icon_interactive.gif); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat !important; ">More interactive graphics and photos</a></strong></span></li></ul></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The Supreme Court is now deliberating a case challenging handgun bans in Chicago and Oak Park, Ill., which are similar to the former ban in Washington, D.C., and is widely expected to side with gun-rights groups. The experience of Washington, D.C., however, suggests a pro-gun ruling by the Supreme Court doesn't mean an end to the matter. Here, the battle over whether residents can own guns has been replaced by a fresh debate over whether lawmakers can restrict legal gun ownership.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's non-voting representative in Congress, is blunt about the point of the city's laws: discouraging gun ownership.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"To get them you have to go through a bureaucracy that makes it difficult," she said in an interview. Her constituents tend to oppose firearms because of gun violence, she said. "Nobody thinks we would have fewer shootings and fewer homicides if we had more relaxed gun laws."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Kenneth Barnes, 65, became a D.C. gun-law activist after his son was shot to death in his clothing store in 2001. He supports the city's current gun law. "I have no issue with the right to bear arms," but the Supreme Court's decision gave the city the right to set gun laws for its citizens, he said. "What we're talking about is self determination."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In 2009, the first full year the law was in effect, homicides in the city dropped to 143 from 186 in 2008. The 2009 total was the lowest since 1966.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In its 5-4 decision in 2008, known as District of Columbia v. Heller, the court ruled that the Second Amendment includes an individual right to self-defense. In doing so, it struck down the city's 1976 ordinance that effectively banned possession of handguns. The ruling offered little advice on what level of regulation might be permissible, giving the city room to maneuver within the ruling's broad outlines.</p><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-D" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 264px; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_3" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Full Image</a></p></div></div><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AV258_GUNSjp_D_20100516183011.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="174" width="262" alt="GUNSjp2" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Brooks Kraft for the Wall Street Journal</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Mark Synder unlocks his rifle's trigger</p></div><div id="articleImage_3" class="insetFullBracket" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: -100%; left: 0px; z-index: 100; "><div class="insetFullBox" style="margin-top: -30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/BGD_insetBracket.png); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-right-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-left-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; "><div class="insetButton" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; top: 5px; right: 8px; "><a class="insetClose" style="background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif); cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 19px; text-indent: -9999px; width: 19px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="19" width="19" alt="GUNSjp2" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AV258_GUNSjp_G_20100516183011.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="369" width="553" alt="GUNSjp2" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">One question now is what impact Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan might have on future gun cases. Her public record on gun rights is limited primarily to positions she held as a Clinton White House lawyer and as a clerk for the late Justice Thurgood Marshall. The National Rifle Association has said it has some concerns and will work with the Senate to formulate some "tough questions" for the nominee on gun rights. With the five-judge majority that ruled on Heller intact, Ms. Kagan's impact on gun rights cases could be limited in the near future.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Gun-control supporters say the District is acting within the Constitution, in that Heller didn't outlaw all gun control. "From our perspective, there's a broad range of gun-control steps that can be taken that would be constitutional post-Heller," said Chad Ramsey of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said the city's new rules strike against the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision. "Can you go out and buy guns in D.C. and defend yourself as the Supreme Court said you should be able to? No. The citizens can't experience the freedom from a practical level. What good is winning it philosophically?"</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In the months since the Heller decision through April, the city has registered 1,071 guns, including 756 handguns and 315 "long" guns, such as rifles. That's a rate of about 181 guns per 100,000 residents. Before the Supreme Court decision, the rate of registered guns in Washington was close to zero.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Across the U.S., federal law-enforcement agencies estimate the total number of guns is between 200 million and 350 million, which results in a rate between 65,000 to 114,000 guns per 100,000 people nationally. A 2006 survey by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center found gun ownership in 34% of all homes.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Right now, the legal advantage lies with the District. In a federal District Court ruling in March, Judge Ricardo Urbina upheld the city's gun law, writing that the Supreme Court didn't rule gun registration "unconstitutional as a general matter." The judge concluded the city had the power to limit the kinds of firearms permissible and the size of ammunition magazines.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Gun-rights groups and several plaintiffs, including Mr. Snyder the biathlete, are appealing the ruling. Mr. Synder joined the lawsuit after calling the NRA to complain about the registration process. Stephen Halbrook, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, predicts the case will come back to the Supreme Court for a second review of District gun laws.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The battle in the District stands in contrast with other areas of the country where gun-rights advocates have been enjoying success. Last month, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law permitting residents 21 years and older to carry concealed weapons without permits. On April 19, armed protesters assembled in federal parks in Virginia, including Gravelly Point Park directly across the Potomac River from Washington, taking advantage of a law signed in 2009 by President Barack Obama that allows visitors to carry loaded firearms into national parks as long as the state allows it.</p><div class="insetContent embedType-image imageFormat-arbitrary" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; width: 183px; "><div class="insettipUnit" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; width: 183px; "><img src="http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AV261_GUNSfr_NS_20100516180026.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" alt="[GUNSfront]" height="274" width="183" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">After the Heller decision, the District's city council passed the Firearms Registration Amendment Act of 2008.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Under the law, would-be gun owners must go through a process requiring fingerprints, photographs and the detailing of some job history.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Applicants have to take a 20-question test on the District's gun laws and regulations. There is a five-hour class, including at least one hour at a gun range, although the city doesn't have a public one. Buyers are required to find trainers from a list approved by police. There is a vision exam, and once the process is complete, the gun must be taken back to the police to be fired for a ballistic identification.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The registration expires after three years and must be renewed. If it lapses, the police can seize the gun, and for a first offense, the owner could be jailed for up to one year and fined $1,000.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The law designates certain guns as assault weapons that can't be bought in the city. It limits the size of the ammunition-feeding devices to no more than 10 bullets. Many common semi-automatic pistols can hold more than that.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In 2011, the city will require semi-automatic pistols owned in the city to be produced with devices that imprint shell casings with a code or serial number as part of the firing process. That would make it easier to link shell casings to guns. The technology, known as micro-stamping or micro-engraving, is in its infancy, and most manufacturers haven't yet adopted it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Peter Nickles, the District's Attorney General, acknowledged the law requires technology that "may not exist right now. But if you build it they will come. While we are not there yet, there is a lot of science out there and a lot of development."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Many jurisdictions around the U.S. have elements of the District of Columbia's law, but few have all of them. Only Hawaii has a gun registration process, in place since 1988, as strict as the District's and only California has a micro-stamping law, though it hasn't been implemented yet. Gun-rights and gun-control groups agree the city's law is among the most restrictive in the country.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Attorney General Nickles contends the District is on sound legal footing. "The effort that was made by the city council was to come up with a law that balanced the Supreme Court's requirement that we authorize firearms for use in self-defense in the home with public safety," he said. "I think we struck the right balance."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The city is surrounded by jurisdictions that don't have the same laws as the District, Mr. Nickles said. The result is there is a proliferation of illegal guns in the city. "There's no denying the fact that we have a helluva lot of illegal guns on the streets," he said, but the solution isn't to "arm everyone."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Even without the new law, Washington, D.C., presents obstacles to the would-be gun buyer. There are no gun stores in the city. It has few federally licensed firearms dealers—businesses that can transfer a handgun into the city that was bought elsewhere.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The city changed its zoning laws in 2009 to permit gun stores, but no business has tried to open one, according to the Attorney General's office. Only one federally licensed firearms dealer, C.S. Exchange, is performing transfers to the public. Under the law, handguns bought outside the city must be transferred through a licensed gun dealer in the city.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Charles Sykes, owner of C.S. Exchange, conducts business by appointment only. He estimates fees for registration, testing, fingerprinting and transfers can double the cost of a gun. He doesn't think demand would support a fully operational gun store. These days, he can go weeks without making a transfer. "At first you had a rush of people going down to police headquarters to pick up information" on buying guns after the 2008 court decision, he said. "But they didn't rush to get firearms."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Lenwood Johnson sits on a District advisory commission, a body elected to represent neighborhoods with various city authorities. In January, he talked about owning an unregistered gun in a short article in the Washington City Paper, an alternative weekly.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Two days later, he said, the D.C. Metropolitan Police appeared at his apartment on a Saturday and asked to search it. They left after finding nothing.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The following Tuesday, Mr. Johnson, 50, went to the police's gun-registration section and picked up an information packet.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Three days later, police came to his apartment again, with a warrant, after he'd left for work. "They searched every inch, every box, every drawer, the dirty clothes hamper, the cookie jar, and didn't find anything," Mr. Johnson said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. Johnson said he keeps the gun with relatives in Maryland and decided not to bring the gun into the city and register it. "After what I went through with the District, it's just not worth it." A long-time NRA member, he said he is not an activist and doesn't want to draw attention by raising a ruckus. "I just want to legally own a gun," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Lt. Jon Shelton, who commands the firearms-registration section and gun-control unit, said police went to Mr. Johnson after his public statements that he owned an unregistered gun. "We would be neglecting our duty if we did not."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">After the Supreme Court's Heller decision, Lt. Shelton, who has been an officer 22 years, said he expected a "much larger response," than there has been in terms of residents buying firearms. "I had geared up. I anticipated it."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. Snyder, the biathlete, said he contacted the registration division Jan. 20, 2009, about registering a rifle if he bought one. "I wanted to do everything by the book," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">He says he was told by police he wouldn't be required to submit to the new training requirements, which didn't go into effect until April 2009. "The steps they gave me were to get the paperwork, buy the gun, have the dealer fill out the paperwork, return the paperwork to the police with a photo, take a test with 20 questions and go through fingerprinting."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">He learned later about a safety course he needed. He also had a 10-day waiting period. It took days before an approved trainer called back to set up an appointment. By the time he finished the process, he said, it was Feb. 26, and the $300 in fees he paid had doubled the cost of the rifle.</p></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974399232910865179.post-14158774889794990242010-05-17T08:06:00.001-07:002010-05-17T10:43:08.275-07:00Gramercy Park<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><div class="mjArticleTools toolsMorelinks" id="afbtt.at.containers" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; min-height: 16px; background-image: url(http://s3.wsj.net/img/dotted_grey.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><ul class="aTools" style="margin-top: 0px; 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border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">David Turnley for The Wall Street Journal</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Gramercy Park requires a key and is only open to nearby residents.</p></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Gramercy Park is lovely in the full bloom of spring, but what goes on around the park isn't always so pretty.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">For those with keys to its iron gates, Manhattan's only private park is very much a small town, complete with bitter squabbles and decades-long grudges. The neighbors have gathered into two main camps of combatants.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In the official corner are the park's five trustees. Elected to lifetime terms by the owners of lots along the park, they interpret and enforce the 1831 deed created by developer Samuel B. Ruggles. Although James M. Clark Jr. is the trust's chairman, its most visible member is Arlene Harrison, who in 1994 founded the Gramercy Park Block Association, a nonprofit community group.</p><div class="insetContent insetCol3wide embedType-image imageFormat-D" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; width: 264px; float: left; clear: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div id="articleThumbnail_1" class="insettipUnit insetZoomTarget" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><div class="insetZoomTargetBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: relative; "><div class="insettipBox" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; bottom: -5px; left: -5px; "><div class="insettip" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; left: 0px; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; "><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(239, 244, 248); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; ">View Full Image</a></p></div></div><a style="display: block; cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-AF562_GRAMME_D_20100516190351.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="174" width="262" alt="GRAMMERCY.jp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Getty Images</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">O. Aldon James</p></div><div id="articleImage_1" class="insetFullBracket" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: -100%; left: 0px; z-index: 100; "><div class="insetFullBox" style="margin-top: -30px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://s1.wsj.net/img/BGD_insetBracket.png); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-right-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-left-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; "><div class="insetButton" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; position: absolute; top: 5px; right: 8px; "><a class="insetClose" style="background-image: url(http://s2.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif); cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 19px; text-indent: -9999px; width: 19px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/img/BTN_insetClose.gif" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="19" width="19" alt="GRAMMERCY.jp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></a></div><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-AF562_GRAMME_G_20100516190351.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" height="369" width="553" alt="GRAMMERCY.jp" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Leading the opposition is O. Aldon James, president of the National Arts Club, at 15 Gramercy Park. Mr. James, who lives in one of the club's 48 residential units, has objected—sometimes with legal action—to many of the trustees' moves over the years. His most recent frustrations: The park was double-locked for five days in April, preventing even key holders from entering; and on May 5, Mr. Clark reprimanded him for bringing 20 architecture and art history graduate students from Columbia University into the park.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Park rules stipulate that the maximum number of guests is six (for events not organized by the trust), of which Mr. James was reminded in a letter signed by Mr. Clark—accompanied by a photograph of the tour group in the park.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"It's Big Brother stuff," Mr. James exclaimed.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"I just reminded him that he was breaking the rules," Mr. Clark said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. James acknowledges that the rules exist, but he wants them loosened to encourage greater use and enjoyment of the shared space. (He does not, however, argue that the park should be made public.)</p><div class="insetContent embedType-image imageFormat-DV" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; font-size: 1em; zoom: 1; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(176, 202, 218); width: 264px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; "><div class="insetTree" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; position: relative; "><div class="insettipUnit" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; float: left; top: 0px; "><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-IN103_Gramer_DV_20100516232216.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" alt="[Gramercy1]" height="394" width="262" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; " /><cite style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Sam Bolton/PatrickMcMullan</cite><p class="targetCaption" style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); display: block; ">Arlene Harrison</p></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">One former resident, who lived on the park for five years, describes the scene inside the gates: "Unfortunately, the park itself is not that functional for younger residents. I spent little time there, which is a shame considering it is a beautiful place with lots of history, as well as interesting art. You are not able to walk or relax on the grass, and the benches are definitely not intended for socializing."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. James's ire is directed squarely at Ms. Harrison, though she considers this a one-sided fight. "This is a peaceful community," she said. "It's not the least bit of a war."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">In addition to her official capacities, Ms. Harrison is a self-appointed warden. She walks the park every morning at 6:30 a.m., making notes on the conditions inside. She circles around to the doormen of park buildings—then circles back in case there is any news that needs to be shared. She returns to the park interior again later. "I come in from 3 to 5:30 to be with the children and the nannies. I talk to them," she said. "I work seven days a week."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">She regularly e-mails news and photographs—of anything from gardeners at work to children at Easter—to about 700 residents on the park. She is also now leading the charge against a proposed bar at 38 Gramercy Park. "I am devoted to this neighborhood. Every inch of it," she said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">But in Mr. James's view, Ms. Harrison's devotion doesn't necessarily confers legitimacy: "She does not speak for the trust. James Clark is the chairman."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">According to Mr. Clark, the tensions are, at least partially, left over from another era of leadership. In 2001, Mr. James sued the trust and its chairwoman at the time, Sharen Benenson, claiming she prevented him from escorting a group of minority schoolchildren into the park. "The current trustees were not the trustees when the National Arts Club president brought the lawsuit," Mr. Clark said. "But because of the lawsuit and what it has cost to settle that, there is some animosity."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The suit was settled out of court in September 2003 and the terms were sealed.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">It was not the first such tussle. In 1994, Mr. James and others objected to the removal of 10 trees (he still refers to it as "arboricide"), and accusations of pigeon poisoning followed, in 1998.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">During the recent lockouts, Mr. James chose physical, rather than legal, action. On April 29, he scaled the tall, iron fence with two ladders—just as he did on April 13, when he was confronted with signs reading: "For your safety, the park is closed today."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Ms. Harrison confirms that the park was closed five times—for a routine spring cleanup and for tree management. "We had 12 crab apple trees that were in various stages of decay and dying. It was in danger of spreading to other trees," she said, adding that the tree experts tried "various techniques" that necessitated closing the park, lest children should be put in danger.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. James said he wasn't informed that the park would be closed. Ms. Harrison says that's because he has not asked to be on the e-mail list. Mr. James confirms he is not on the list—as a matter of representation.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"To get her e-mails, you have to belong to the Gramercy Park Block Association," he said. "We are members of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">The GNA, which Ms. Harrison was a part of before splitting off to start her own group, includes residents on the park and in the surrounding neighborhood. GNA's president, Alan Krevis, declined to comment on the differences between his group and Ms. Harrison's. He did, however, praise one of his constituents: "Aldon James has been very generous to our organization."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Ms. Harrison says she started her group—it has 1,600 members on the park and beyond, she says—to reach out to new residents and young families. The difference between the two groups, she says, is based on the breadth of activities: "They are into historic preservation. We work on safety, security and quality-of-life issues."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Thomas F. Pike, a trustee for three years and a resident of the area for 40, defends Ms. Harrison's work for the neighborhood, which he says has the tensions of any family—one with "discretionary money and discretionary time."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">"Arlene can walk into the park and name every child in there. She's like a grandmother to everyone," said Mr. Pike. "She's vigilant in protecting the park. She's also a civic activist—and because she's an activist, she can be gristly."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Elected in 2003, Ms. Harrison says the trustees emphasize communication because previous leaders did not. "There was never communication. Nothing that I can remember," she said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">When elected, she and Mr. Clark started sending annual reports to all residents. After the 2001 lawsuit was settled, the trustees drafted formal rules for the park and had them approved by lot owners. The rules—which are posted—are also sent annually. They include: No standing or sitting on the grass. No alcohol. No pets. No Frisbees, soccer balls, footballs or baseballs. No musical, theatrical or other entertainment unless organized by the trust. Wedding parties (no guests) may take photos—while standing only on the graveled areas.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Keys to the park cost $350 per year, and there is only one per residential unit. Buildings may buy two keys per year at $1,000 apiece. In addition, lot owners pay $3,000 a year for normal operating expenses and $2,500 for capital assessment.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Mr. Clark says the rules are an interpretation of the original deed. Written in 1831, it does not ban Frisbees. It does, however, offer specifics on what types of business are not permitted: no tanneries, no brass foundries, no museums, no circus.</p><a name="U30832257263hVH"></a><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Clubs, however, pass muster. And new residents quickly discover that the trust is more closely allied to The Players—the club founded by Edwin Booth in 1888 that is located at 16 Gramercy Park—than the National Arts Club. "It's very low-profile," Ms. Harrison said of The Players. "The community has a caring relationship toward it. We don't want it to disappear."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; ">Although the National Arts Club itself may receive the same consideration, its president does not. "I don't think I spend 10 minutes a year thinking about Aldon James, except when he pulls these stunts," said Mr. Clark. "There's not much you can do about it."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Write to </strong>Pia Catton at <a class="" href="mailto:Pia.Catton@wsj.com" style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Pia.Catton@wsj.com</a></p></div></div></span>Scott Conehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04845121274874447157noreply@blogger.com1