RE: [UC] BIDs in the news
Tony just a note: WE HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM JOHN FENTON OR HIS STAFF ABOUT THEIR ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY. Most of what we know to date is based on news articles which everyone knows are so accurate and of course we have the accounts of his boss who so quickly threw John in front of the bus to protect himself! The fact is, John did cooperate in the beginning, I don't know what happened later, maybe an attorney told him to stop talking or due to some unreasonable pressure by UCD, but something transpired to cause the negotiations to shut down and John to be perceived as no longer cooperating. S -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Anthony West Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:24 PM To: University City List Subject: [UC] BIDs in the news Ray, That Fenton did not cooperate with the investigation is not a judgment on cooperativeness of his character, and I did not write: Fenton is not a cooperative man, which would be a true ad hominem argument. It was just a statement of fact. He did not cooperate with this investigation. No one has disputed this claim with a conflicting account that alleges cooperation. He may have had wise, legitimate reasons for not cooperating. Knowing John much better than you do, I am sure he had good reasons. You write that my second article was an attempt to legitimize BIDs by presenting them in a positive way. Quite the mind-reader, you are! BIDs don't need to be legitimized; they are creatures of law. I explained the process of successfully establishing a BID. To study that, one needs to look at a BID that has been successfully established. I was quite surprised, though, to discover how free of opposition the Mt. Airy BID had been. I did not make a case for it; that case had just been made, entirely without me. I pushed hard to look for dissenters, looked under the usual rocks, found none. So a fact emerges: some BID proposals are more popular than others. Make of this fact what you will. And read my third article, while you're at it. Get out of your parochial cubicle on Locust Walk and check out the rest of the city you live in. If you have a tip on a BID in the city that is experiencing significant opposition or dissent, please let me know. I was the first writer in the city to publish the opposition UCD ran into from Blackwell. I can hardly have any dependency on UCD or its proposed BID. Its proposed BID specifically excludes me and has no relevance to any community activism I engage in, so I have publicly declined to take a stand on it. The company that pays me to report couldn't care less about UCD or Penn or FoCP or Ray Rorke; none of the above has ever been worth a plug nickel to us. We're interested in stories that shed light on citywide issues of governance, and local service districts in general are increasingly important players. Perhaps you find this bad news. Still, it's news you have a right to learn. -- Tony West ucd's statement was: 'UCD has made numerous documented attempts to contact John Fenton asking him to respond to the matter under investigation. Our calls and letters have gone unanswered.' that's a statement of fact. in your article, you state: 'fenton is not cooperating with the investigation.' that's a judgement on your part about fenton, not a statement of fact. there are any number of legitimate reasons fenton might not have been able to communicate with ucd, reasons that you might not have known about, reasons that had nothing to do with cooperativeness. you might take more care, when writing for public newpapers, to avoid the ad hominem. In that article, I wrote nothing at all about UCD's proposed BID, because it bears no relation at all to Fenton's activities or the subject of the story. UCD at this time is an SSD, not a BID. your article was entitled Blackwell Battles Penn Over Services District: First in a Series. at the end of the article we learn that it's the first in a series of articles about how different neighborhoods tackle the challenge of supplementing public services. your next article, What's in a Bid? More Local Services or Just Taxes? makes the case for a 'winning bid' in mt. airy, and is an attempt to legitimize bids by presenting them in a positive way. as we all know, the legitimacy of ucd's proposed bid took a big hit when the whole fenton affair blew up and blackwell publicly voiced her alienation with ucd/penn. Yes, you, Ray Rorke, are befuddled. Q.E.D. ergo: I can see clearly what you, tony west, cannot. how dependent you've become upon ucd and its proposed bid, how that dependency is tenaciously defended, how intimately it's wrapped up with your personal need to control focp... [aka ray] You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news
In a message dated 7/19/2007 7:37:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The fact is, John did cooperate in the beginning, I don't know what happened later, maybe an attorney told him to stop talking or due to some unreasonable pressure by UCD, but something transpired to cause the negotiations to shut down and John to be perceived as no longer cooperating. Wasn't it reported somewhere (or am I just putting 2+2 together and getting 5?) that the severance agreement between John and UCD imposed a gag order on both parties? If so, John should be keeping mum, and Wendell is in violation because of what he said in his UCReview interview. Always at your service ready for a dialog, Al Krigman ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news - Why Stop Savaging John
In a message dated 7/19/2007 7:37:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The fact is, John did cooperate in the beginning, I don't know what happened later, maybe an attorney told him to stop talking or due to some unreasonable pressure by UCD, but something transpired to cause the negotiations to shut down and John to be perceived as no longer cooperating. Thanks for speaking up, SAli. Several things should be are apparent through inference and observing industry standard patterns of behavior. 1) The continuing payout of John's, reported in the press, severance package is predicated upon his non-disclosure of any matter associated with his employment with UCD. Even matters where he might contend they have libeled him, would need to be contested in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. 2) Philadelphia's summers of slow political news means even the usual sharp minds of our political reporters become undisciplined as they find it necessary to spin unpersuasive arguments to create better work product acceptance. 3) Some guys will gladly become UCD water-boys to get premium seating for the next Big Philly O concert in the Bowl. I fear, locally, some people find a morose satisfaction in savaging John and his family, while attempting to save their presumed self-serving beneficence of the decrepit UCD/NID model of operation. Ciao, Craig ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news
- Original Message - From: Anthony West [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: University City List UnivCity@list.purple.com Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:23 PM Subject: [UC] BIDs in the news Ray, That Fenton did not cooperate with the investigation is not a judgement on cooperativeness of his character, and I did not write: Fenton is not a cooperative man, which would be a true ad hominem argument. It was just a statement of fact. He did not cooperate with this investigation. No one has disputed this claim with a conflicting account that alleges cooperation. Statement of fact Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell reported that Mr. Fenton had been ordered to resign, keep silent, and had a six-month severance package to back it up! Your fact has indeed been disputed with a conflicting account. You are again calling the Councilwoman a liar in front of everyone who attended the Penn meeting. You're even denying it happened at that very public meeting! This is not journalism in which you are engaged! You and Melani have a weird second press release from Mr. Lewis Wendell to prove this uncooperative Fenton spin. You and UCD want to make this case that Mr. Fenton refused to cooperate and now you deny that Blackwell gave this contradictory public account. How can Fenton or any UCD employee cooperate while under a gag order? How can you refuse to report this conflicting account while asserting this fact? Yeah right, Mr. Wendell's documented calls. Who do you think buys this investigation? Where are these documentation records? There appears to be no limit to your arrogance! You are an embarrassment for the FOCP and The Public Record. Those of us at the Penn meeting know that Mr. Wendell had every opportunity to deny the facts of the Councilwoman's account. He refused to confirm or deny anything when he had the opportunity. No reputable journalist would take such an obvious dispute and call it a fact. At no time did you follow-up on the only account delivered publicly. Now you deny it occurred! You engage in the most obvious yellow journalism I've ever seen at close range. Mr. Moyer He may have had wise, legitimate reasons for not cooperating. Knowing John much better than you do, I am sure he had good reasons. You write that my second article was an attempt to legitimize BIDs by presenting them in a positive way. Quite the mind-reader, you are! BIDs don't need to be legitimized; they are creatures of law. I explained the process of successfully establishing a BID. To study that, one needs to look at a BID that has been successfully established. I was quite surprised, though, to discover how free of opposition the Mt. Airy BID had been. I did not make a case for it; that case had just been made, entirely without me. I pushed hard to look for dissenters, looked under the usual rocks, found none. So a fact emerges: some BID proposals are more popular than others. Make of this fact what you will. And read my third article, while you're at it. Get out of your parochial cubicle on Locust Walk and check out the rest of the city you live in. If you have a tip on a BID in the city that is experiencing significant opposition or dissent, please let me know. I was the first writer in the city to publish the opposition UCD ran into from Blackwell. I can hardly have any dependency on UCD or its proposed BID. Its proposed BID specifically excludes me and has no relevance to any community activism I engage in, so I have publicly declined to take a stand on it. The company that pays me to report couldn't care less about UCD or Penn or FoCP or Ray Rorke; none of the above has ever been worth a plug nickel to us. We're interested in stories that shed light on citywide issues of governance, and local service districts in general are increasingly important players. Perhaps you find this bad news. Still, it's news you have a right to learn. -- Tony West ucd's statement was: 'UCD has made numerous documented attempts to contact John Fenton asking him to respond to the matter under investigation. Our calls and letters have gone unanswered.' that's a statement of fact. in your article, you state: 'fenton is not cooperating with the investigation.' that's a judgement on your part about fenton, not a statement of fact. there are any number of legitimate reasons fenton might not have been able to communicate with ucd, reasons that you might not have known about, reasons that had nothing to do with cooperativeness. you might take more care, when writing for public newpapers, to avoid the ad hominem. In that article, I wrote nothing at all about UCD's proposed BID, because it bears no relation at all to Fenton's activities or the subject of the story. UCD at this time is an SSD, not a BID. your article was entitled Blackwell Battles Penn Over Services District: First in a Series. at the end of the article we learn that it's the first in a series of
[UC] Several stories on local crime in today's DP
_http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/_ (http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/) Today's DP has several stories on what appears to be a local assault-type crime spree by young kids in the area, mostly focusing on the streets close to Campus. Included are indications of how the University is trying to handle it, as well as some success in apprehending the little miscreants. Check the link above (there's too much to copy into email). Always at your service ready for a dialog, Al Krigman ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
Re: [UC] Our Lady of the Grid Iron
In my high school, even those who didn't want to attend the pep rally were forced to. And I remember one Friday afternoon, when our rival was Kennedy High School, and the chant was Kill Kennedy! I've always disliked football since then - even the Eagles, which have nothing whatever to do with Kennedy High School. :-( -cm `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸º On Wednesday, July 18, 2007, at 09:25 PM, Joe Clarke wrote: When I played football as a youth, we always said a(n) Hail Mary before we went on the field. It didn't matter what faith you were; the Hail Mary was it. I used to think that one the the coaches should of exhorted us onto the field with OK, Boys Let's slaughter them for Our Lady! Joe (the only pass I know is the Hail Mary) Clarke Ross Bender wrote: On 7/16/07, *Anthony West* [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Fight! fight! inner light! Kill, Quakers, kill. Knock 'em down. Beat 'em senseless. Hit 'em till we reach consensus. Nice. Back at my Mennonite high school we had a similar cheer for our soccer team, the Bethany Braves. (We didn't do football, of course.) Much cruder than the polished Quaker version, which is generally true for things Mennonite versus Quaker: Rock em, sock em, Goo Braves! Beat their heads in, But in a Christian manner, Rip their guts out, In a nonviolent way. -- Ross Bender http://rossbender.org You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. -cm `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸º You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news
Glenn, I can see what Tony is describing as a matter of proper reporting. Forgive me for speaking out of line, Tony, as I'm not a journalist by profession, but have always found that journalistic norms or standards should be upheld. What people say, what people mean and finally what reporters quote or report are often not indicative of the same meaning or intention. Just because John didn't cooperate with the UCD internal investigation, doesn't mean he isn't either cooperative in general or cooperative with his co-workers at UCD. It just means he didn't want to and therefore didn't submit to an interrogation by Lewis Wendell. It's actually his right to not cooperate with such an internal investigation, if he has no legal protection/guideline in place via a work contract and internal code of conduct procedure in place. It's still factual to say that he didn't cooperate with UCD's or Wendell's investigation of the Malcolm X Park incident, but it again doesn't mean he's being generally uncooperative. Also remember that the words not cooperating or did not cooperate came from a journalist interviewing Lewis Wendell, so these are Wendell's well-chosen words and one might go further to say his intentions were to somehow prove John Fenton to be uncooperative. From a journalistic standpoint, there's nothing factually wrong with what Tony is saying, he just happens to be repeating words that were already put in place by earlier reporting of the Wendell response. What we need now is a balancing measure in the news, we need a statement from John Fenton's point of view to counterpoint Wendell's and put the issue(s) in proper focus. Right now all we have is a one-sided argument, unless you count Councilwoman tirade in support of John Fenton, and that, I'm afraid, is not the same as John speaking for himself or through an attorney. Until that happens, all of us in UC and on this list are just spinning our collective wheels and blowing a lot of hot air.. My Two Cents, Mario Giorno 36 S. 48th Street Philadelphia, PA 19139 On 7/19/07, Glenn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - Original Message - From: Anthony West [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: University City List UnivCity@list.purple.com Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:23 PM Subject: [UC] BIDs in the news Ray, That Fenton did not cooperate with the investigation is not a judgement on cooperativeness of his character, and I did not write: Fenton is not a cooperative man, which would be a true ad hominem argument. It was just a statement of fact. He did not cooperate with this investigation. No one has disputed this claim with a conflicting account that alleges cooperation. Statement of fact Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell reported that Mr. Fenton had been ordered to resign, keep silent, and had a six-month severance package to back it up! Your fact has indeed been disputed with a conflicting account. You are again calling the Councilwoman a liar in front of everyone who attended the Penn meeting. You're even denying it happened at that very public meeting! This is not journalism in which you are engaged! You and Melani have a weird second press release from Mr. Lewis Wendell to prove this uncooperative Fenton spin. You and UCD want to make this case that Mr. Fenton refused to cooperate and now you deny that Blackwell gave this contradictory public account. How can Fenton or any UCD employee cooperate while under a gag order? How can you refuse to report this conflicting account while asserting this fact? Yeah right, Mr. Wendell's documented calls. Who do you think buys this investigation? Where are these documentation records? There appears to be no limit to your arrogance! You are an embarrassment for the FOCP and The Public Record. Those of us at the Penn meeting know that Mr. Wendell had every opportunity to deny the facts of the Councilwoman's account. He refused to confirm or deny anything when he had the opportunity. No reputable journalist would take such an obvious dispute and call it a fact. At no time did you follow-up on the only account delivered publicly. Now you deny it occurred! You engage in the most obvious yellow journalism I've ever seen at close range. Mr. Moyer He may have had wise, legitimate reasons for not cooperating. Knowing John much better than you do, I am sure he had good reasons. You write that my second article was an attempt to legitimize BIDs by presenting them in a positive way. Quite the mind-reader, you are! BIDs don't need to be legitimized; they are creatures of law. I explained the process of successfully establishing a BID. To study that, one needs to look at a BID that has been successfully established. I was quite surprised, though, to discover how free of opposition the Mt. Airy BID had been. I did not make a case for it; that case had just been made, entirely without me. I pushed hard to look for dissenters, looked under the usual rocks, found none. So a fact emerges:
[UC] Fwd: YOU'RE INVITED: Animal Art Adventure Gallery Opening
Hi guys - If you're looking for a very unique art gallery show see below! The summer camp kids at UCAL have been hard at work the past two weeks learning about animals and then capturing what they have learned through art. The University City Arts League is at 4226 Spruce Street and they offer all kinds of great activities (art/yoga) for kids and adults alike so while you're there pick up a Fall brochure! See below... - Forwarded message from Kathy Kruger [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:57:27 -0400 From: Kathy Kruger [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Kathy Kruger [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: YOU'RE INVITED: Animal Art Adventure Gallery Opening To: Students in the class of 2009 - unrestricted [EMAIL PROTECTED] YOU'RE INVITED Friday, July 20th 5:30pm - 7:30pm Opening Reception for Animal Art Adventure A gallery exhibit of the childrens art and photographs from the Animal Art Adventure Camp This exhibit will be on display at the University City Arts League from July 20th - August 18th, 2007. The University City Arts League is located at 4226 Spruce Street, and the gallery is open during the following hours: Monday - Thursday: 1:00pm - 6:00pm Friday: 1:00pm - 5:00pm (July and August by appointment) Saturday: 10:00am - 12:30pm Sunday: By appointment Hope to see you there! Katherine A. Kruger, MSW Assistant Director, Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 3900 Delancey Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6010 Phone: 215-746-0096 Fax: 215-746-2090 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/centers/CIAS/ --- You are currently subscribed to v2009 as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To leave the list, select unsubscribe from the options you find here: http://inside.vet.upenn.edu/MailingLists or send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - End forwarded message - You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Re: Flyers on Telephone poles
While i like the Uhuru flea markets, their papering the neighborhood drives me nuts. On 4/11/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 4/11/2007 10:06:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Yes, I clearly remember the thread about this a few months ago...and that the bill had been passed. I don't recall who posted the email with that news. Must be in the archive somewhere. Here's the relevant section of the Philadelphia Code, as currently posted at the city's website. Al Krigman Register your opposition to the NID via the Internet to Councilwoman Blackwell -- With some background: www.iconworldwide.com/speakup Go directly to the form: http://www.iconworldwide.com/speakup/nonid-01.html ** http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/index.html CHAPTER 10-1200. POSTING OF TEMPORARY SIGNShttp://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/CHAPTER_10_1200_POSTING_OF_TEM/index.html -- §10-1202. Prohibited Conduct. [205]http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/lnx_fn.html#fn218 (1) No sticker, as defined in Section 10-1201(6), shall be permitted to be affixed to any public or private property, except with the permission of the owner. (2) No temporary sign which advertises or promotes a service, business or other event of a permanent or continuous nature, which is to be sold, offered or conducted away from the location at which such sign is situated, shall be permitted to be erected on any public or private property, except with the permission of the owner, notwithstanding anything in Chapter 14-1900 to the contrary. (3) No ground signs shall be permitted unless securely attached to poles or other immobile supporting structures, and unless erected in accordance with the provisions of § 10-1202(4), notwithstanding anything in Chapter 14-1900 to the contrary. (4) (a) No political campaign posters shall be affixed in any manner to any type of tree.[205.1]http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/lnx_fn.html#fn219 (b) No political campaign poster shall be allowed to remain posted over thirty (30) days after the primary or regular election to which it refers. [206]http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/lnx_fn.html#fn220 (.1) Each candidate and campaign committee that does not remove his/their political or campaign poster from where it was posted as required by section 10-1202(4)(b) above, shall be assessed a fine of one dollar ($1.00) for each such unremoved poster. (5) The provisions of Section 10-501 of The Philadelphia Code notwithstanding, temporary signs may be erected on public property, excluding buildings and parks, provided: (a) such temporary signs are erected in a secure fashion and in a manner which does not impair the safety of pedestrian or vehicular traffic; and (b) such temporary signs are erected in compliance with Chapter 14-1900 of the Code, except as to Section 14-1902(2)(c), in which case temporary signs may be permitted on trees which are not situated in parkland provided nails, tacks, staples or other piercing methods are not used; and (c) such temporary signs are erected not more than 45 days prior to the event to which they relate; and (d) a permit is obtained from the Department of Licenses and Inspections pursuant to Section 10-1203; and (e) a substantial number of the temporary signs are removed within 30 days after the event to which they relate. (.1) In the case of an event which is of more than one day's duration, the period for removal shall begin on the last day of the event, with the exception of instructional courses, for which the time period for removal shall begin to toll on the first day of the course. (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, no person shall affix any temporary sign, sticker or political campaign poster to any public property, by means of glue, paste, plastic or vinyl adhesive, or other permanent-type adhesive.[207]http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/lnx_fn.html#fn221 (7) Nowithstanding any other provision of this Section, no person shall affix any temporary sign or political campaign poster to public utility poles; streetlights; traffic or parking signs or devices, including the posts to which such signs and devices are attached; or historical markers, without the permission of the owner or of the agency responsible for the maintenance of such fixture.[207.1]http://www.phila.gov/philacode/html/_DATA/TITLE10/lnx_fn.html#fn222 -- See what's free at AOL.com http://www.aol.com/?ncid=AOLAOF0002000503.
RE: [UC] BIDs in the news - Why Stop Savaging John
Yeah..and I have been told everything dies the death of a thousand stab wounds on this listserv! ;-) S -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 8:09 AM To: UnivCity@list.purple.com Subject: Re: [UC] BIDs in the news - Why Stop Savaging John In a message dated 7/19/2007 7:37:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The fact is, John did cooperate in the beginning, I don't know what happened later, maybe an attorney told him to stop talking or due to some unreasonable pressure by UCD, but something transpired to cause the negotiations to shut down and John to be perceived as no longer cooperating. Thanks for speaking up, SAli. Several things should be are apparent through inference and observing industry standard patterns of behavior. 1) The continuing payout of John's, reported in the press, severance package is predicated upon his non-disclosure of any matter associated with his employment with UCD. Even matters where he might contend they have libeled him, would need to be contested in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. 2) Philadelphia's summers of slow political news means even the usual sharp minds of our political reporters become undisciplined as they find it necessary to spin unpersuasive arguments to create better work product acceptance. 3) Some guys will gladly become UCD water-boys to get premium seating for the next Big Philly O concert in the Bowl. I fear, locally, some people find a morose satisfaction in savaging John and his family, while attempting to save their presumed self-serving beneficence of the decrepit UCD/NID model of operation. Ciao, Craig _ Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF0002000982 .
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news
Hey Mario, It's good to hear from you. I have one big advantage to help me report about this meeting and the media reports about it. I was present at the event. I confronted the problems with the original West piece before on the listserv. There is so much information, it's not easy to follow and remember all details about each issue. Others pointed out that this West piece is a highly pro-UCD opinion piece yet it pretends to be a report about an important public issue and event. That is not responsible journalism. As pointed out by others, Mr. West did not disclose his close partnership with UCD. And I pointed out that statements reported as quotes did not occur. This is important. I work with Penn and UCD. But somebody decided to lie on him. I'm very disappointed. I heard no such statement by Blackwell. A quote must be exact not some summary. If a grammatical error is part of the made up statement, it goes beyond the other biased portrayals of Blackwell. (swept into the Penn Community Relations Office's First Thursday meeting. The truth is Blackwell was politely introduced and given the floor by Mr. Bryan). Then there is the strange punctuation usage that we must look at. Not enclosed with quotation marks is the following: Not so, replied UCD Executive Director Lewis Wendell, who attended the meeting. Fenton is on paid administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation. Then enclosed in quotation this follows immediately: 'The UCD leadership is reviewing the matter and will determine an appropriate course of action once all the facts are known, he added' This didn't happen, Mario. Wendell didn't say any of this. Wendell only read the first official statement and refused to confirm or deny anything else although asked repeatedly to do so. Then we have the statement about Mr. Fenton: Not enclosed within quotation marks: The investigation is slow in part because Fenton is not cooperating. Then enclosed with quotation marks this follows: 'UCD has made numerous documented attempts to contact John Fenton asking him to respond to the matter under investigation. Our calls and letters have gone unanswered, Wendell explained later. This never happened, Mario. This cannot be defended after the fact as if an interview occurred immediately after the public meeting. It looks like a second punctuation error, but any reasonable reader unaware of the facts would assume this occurred at the meeting. If West had a separate private interview and was handed the second press release, he can not pretend it happened at the meeting. That would have needed to be stated. Get 10 people at Penn unaware of this controversy. Have them read the piece. Ask them to tell you all statements that occurred at the meeting. See what happens. Think of the mistakes while you consider the insulting portrayal of Blackwell and the completely pro-UCD restating of the UCD public relations spin. This is very important. Councilwoman Blackwell clearly and publicly gave us the reason that Mr. Fenton can not now make a statement. I believe Craig is correct when he tells us that a gag order severance contract would prohibit Mr. Fenton from speaking even if he has been the victim of libel. There is no way a credible journalist could publish that statement about Mr. Fenton (supposedly done while the Public Record and Melani exclusively receive the second official statement) without including this clearly made, completely conflicting report, by our elected Councilwoman. It doesn't matter what you feel about the underlying issues. THIS CONSTITUTES COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE JOURNALISM. The total impact of petending that this UCD press release is a report, making false quotes by setting up quotation mistakes, and reporting secret leaks while ignoring the publicly conveyed account by an elected representative is unmistakeable to me. I hope that helps you put this in context. If the Councilwoman is the credible party here, and I believ she is; Mr. Fenton is probably prohibited from making some statement. As Karen put so well, John Fenton got screwed. Mr. West's report only tells you about Mr. West and has absolutely no other value. It causes harm to mislead reader's of The Public Record and is an example of the power to misuse the press. Glenn - Original Message - From: Mario Giorno To: University City List Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:27 AM Subject: Re: [UC] BIDs in the news Glenn, I can see what Tony is describing as a matter of proper reporting. Forgive me for speaking out of line, Tony, as I'm not a journalist by profession, but have always found that journalistic norms or standards should be upheld. What people say, what people mean and finally what reporters quote or report are often not indicative of the same meaning or intention. Just because John didn't cooperate with the UCD internal investigation,
[UC] 49th Springfield
Anyone know why Channels 3, 6 and 29 were at 49th Springfield between 5:30 and 6 pm today? I watched the 6:00 news and didn¹t see anything. Kimm
[UC] Re: 49th Springfield
Oh, here¹s the link. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=localid=5491331 On 7/19/07 6:27 PM, Kimm Tynan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Anyone know why Channels 3, 6 and 29 were at 49th Springfield between 5:30 and 6 pm today? I watched the 6:00 news and didn¹t see anything. Kimm
[UC] Free Valet Bike Parking at the Orchestra on Saturday
Come one come all... by bike. If you're coming to the orchestra on Saturday, Neighborhood Bike Works and Boundless Philadelphia will be operating a bike parking lot near the corner of 45th and Chester. We will be there from 6:00PM until the show ends. This is the best way to park your bike for the event--no chance of a bike being stolen or vandalized by people who are not enraptured by the music. You can pick up and drop off as many times as you like during the event. In San Fransisco this kind of thing is required at all public outdoor events. Here it's just a twinkle in some people's eye, and it'll only catch on if people experience it, so give it a try on Saturday and see if you like it. Most people do. NBW has never lost a bike in seven years of bike parking events. Looking forward to seeing you there! NBW crew You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
[UC] shared bikes?
Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
Here's the NY Times Article. -dave On 7/19/07, Isabel Lugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. *HEADLINE:* In This Case, It's O.K. to Take a Bike That's Not Yours *BYLINE:* By DALTON WALKER *BODY:* Daniel Su and Adrian Garcia usually spend their lunch break going for a walk, then grabbing a bite to eat. But yesterday they tried something different, made possible because they went for a ride using someone else's * bicycles.* The two men took advantage of an experimental *bicycle*-sharing program meant to show New Yorkers that biking can be a viable transportation alternative to expand their lunch horizon. Mr. Su and Mr. Garcia had read about the bicycle project online. And since both work a few blocks from Storefront for Art and Architecture, a nonprofit SoHo gallery that is the experimental project's host, they decided to give it a try, and headed to Union Square for lunch. The five-day project is sponsored by the Forum for Urban Design, a group of architects, designers and planners, and by the gallery, near Kenmare Street and Cleveland Place. Twenty bicycles are available free, for up to 30 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until tomorrow. Bicycles can be returned to the gallery or dropped off at other nearby sites like Washington Square Park and Tompkins Square Park. Displays at the gallery describe eight European cities, including Barcelona, Spain, and Lyon, France, where bicycle-share programs have thrived. The project is designed to gather data on the viability of such a program in New York. David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design, said, ''This is our attempt to imagine bike sharing in New York City.'' ''A ride-share program would reduce the dependency on automobiles. It would be a great alternative to subways and bus services -- and a lot cheaper for the city,'' he said. ''The bikes are definitely a better alternative than subways or buses,'' Mr. Garcia, the lunchtime rider, said. ''I know I would take advantage of the bike program if it existed.'' Mr. Haskell was in Paris on vacation in April and saw how such a program was shaping up there. Once the Paris program gets under way, in a few days, there will be more than 10,000 bikes available at 750 stations around the city. New York City officials, who are aware of Mr. Haskell's goals, are trying to determine if a ride-share program would work. ''We are studying it with interest,'' said Molly Gordy, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Transportation. ''The big questions for us are how to combat theft and vandalism, which are two problems prevalent in New York.'' Borrowers in the test program have to leave credit card information. Ms. Gordy has been closely following the progress of a bike-share program in San Francisco. Similar programs are being considered in Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, where it may begin as early as September. Caroline Samponaro, a bicycle- campaign coordinator at Transportation Alternatives -- a nonprofit New York City group that advocates bicycling, walking and public transit as alternatives to driving -- believes a bike-share program would benefit not only New Yorkers but also tourists. ''A bike-share program is exciting and interesting,'' she said. ''It's one piece of the larger puzzle: nonpolluting transportation. This is a way people can use bicycles. Potentially, it could deal with
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
This wouldn't work in Philly unless there were such a flood of bikes that it became not profitable to steal bicycles. There are too many entrepreneurs in the city who would steal a bike or ten if they were available for that theft. Bike locks are only a means to stall a thief not prevent bike theft. I wish philly were a more friendly bike commuter city, but until gas reaches $7 a gallon, people are still going to drive as much as ever. Some day though, we'll all be forced to ride bikes. Philip On Thursday 19 July 2007 18:56, Isabel Lugo wrote: Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
dave, actually I found the article; it's not the one you mentioned, but rather this one from July 16: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/world/europe/16paris.html (still available online, because it's only 3 days old). Thanks for finding that one, though; it'll be interesting to see if it works in other US cities. Isabel On 7/19/07, David Toccafondi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here's the NY Times Article. -dave On 7/19/07, Isabel Lugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. HEADLINE: In This Case, It's O.K. to Take a Bike That's Not Yours BYLINE: By DALTON WALKER BODY: Daniel Su and Adrian Garcia usually spend their lunch break going for a walk, then grabbing a bite to eat. But yesterday they tried something different, made possible because they went for a ride using someone else's bicycles. The two men took advantage of an experimental bicycle-sharing program meant to show New Yorkers that biking can be a viable transportation alternative to expand their lunch horizon. Mr. Su and Mr. Garcia had read about the bicycle project online. And since both work a few blocks from Storefront for Art and Architecture, a nonprofit SoHo gallery that is the experimental project's host, they decided to give it a try, and headed to Union Square for lunch. The five-day project is sponsored by the Forum for Urban Design, a group of architects, designers and planners, and by the gallery, near Kenmare Street and Cleveland Place. Twenty bicycles are available free, for up to 30 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until tomorrow. Bicycles can be returned to the gallery or dropped off at other nearby sites like Washington Square Park and Tompkins Square Park. Displays at the gallery describe eight European cities, including Barcelona, Spain, and Lyon, France, where bicycle-share programs have thrived. The project is designed to gather data on the viability of such a program in New York. David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design, said, ''This is our attempt to imagine bike sharing in New York City.'' ''A ride-share program would reduce the dependency on automobiles. It would be a great alternative to subways and bus services -- and a lot cheaper for the city,'' he said. ''The bikes are definitely a better alternative than subways or buses,'' Mr. Garcia, the lunchtime rider, said. ''I know I would take advantage of the bike program if it existed.'' Mr. Haskell was in Paris on vacation in April and saw how such a program was shaping up there. Once the Paris program gets under way, in a few days, there will be more than 10,000 bikes available at 750 stations around the city. New York City officials, who are aware of Mr. Haskell's goals, are trying to determine if a ride-share program would work. ''We are studying it with interest,'' said Molly Gordy, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Transportation. ''The big questions for us are how to combat theft and vandalism, which are two problems prevalent in New York.'' Borrowers in the test program have to leave credit card information. Ms. Gordy has been closely following the progress of a bike-share program in San Francisco. Similar programs are being considered in Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, where it may begin as early as September. Caroline Samponaro, a bicycle- campaign coordinator at Transportation Alternatives
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
I think this is a dream worth dreaming for University City, at least. Experiments with free public bikes go back 40 years, to Amsterdam. The challenge is to make sure the public bikes are cheap enough, sturdy enough, plentiful enough -- but not desirable enough to be worth stealing. The end solution may be very culture-specific; what works in Slovakia may not work in Spruce Hill. But this is a biking neighborhood, to be sure. If I could walk down to the corner and pick up a lousy public bike, ride it to 40th Walnut to see a movie or buy something, then ride back, I'd do it! In fact, the worse the bike, the harder I'd have to work, so the better it'd be for my health. -- Tony West You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] BIDs in the news
That's all right, Mario. Glenn and Ray aren't newspersons either. But everybody is entitled to express himself. For those of you who are curious about how news stories like this one are built, I'll toss out a few notes. At the meeting I covered, Councilwoman Blackwell spoke voluminously for at least 40 min. It is amusing to read an amateur who has convinced himself he has perfect recall of every word she uttered, to the exact syllable, so much so that he can testify what words *weren't *said. No working reporter would make that claim, working off notes alone. His editor would bust him if he did. I cover the Councilwoman regularly (just got off a job with her in Malcolm X Park one hour ago, in fact). If I misquote her banefully, I can guarantee I'll hear from her directly in my office the next day! My employer couldn't care less what the peanut gallery says. A news writer's primary job is to write: to boil down the gist of events in his own language, accurately and honestly. He should derive his input from other people's thoughts, not his own wishes ... to a point. But when a writer knows his beat pretty well (i.e., he has listened to hundreds or thousands of other people's information on it), he is paid to use his own judgement to summarize a situation. In other words, no, I don't have to write: 'The sun rises in the east,' a wall plaque in the Franklin Institute's astronomy exhibit alleged. I can report it as an unattributed fact (not personal opinion), because I know the sun that well. It does rise in the east, Ray. The article was inspired by the incident of the First Thursday meeting, but I did not limit my research to fact-gathering at that meeting. It is not important whether the writer learned something at that meeting or at another time, if it tells the story rightly. The story was the conflict between UCD and Blackwell, which was not limited to that meeting. News writers use press releases regularly, especially when they want to make sure they get the official text of a statement into the record. PR is written in large part to aid them in that mission. News writers always leave stuff out. Ours is a commercial artform and art is always about what you cut out, and why. -- Tony West
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
Half-joking here: perhaps make them undesirable by painting them in some hideous color, like rental shoes at a bowling alley? (Although with bikes, there is always the problem that parts are valuable; it might stop people from stealing the frame but it wouldn't stop them from taking, say, the wheels.) Isabel On 7/19/07, Anthony West [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think this is a dream worth dreaming for University City, at least. Experiments with free public bikes go back 40 years, to Amsterdam. The challenge is to make sure the public bikes are cheap enough, sturdy enough, plentiful enough -- but not desirable enough to be worth stealing. The end solution may be very culture-specific; what works in Slovakia may not work in Spruce Hill. But this is a biking neighborhood, to be sure. If I could walk down to the corner and pick up a lousy public bike, ride it to 40th Walnut to see a movie or buy something, then ride back, I'd do it! In fact, the worse the bike, the harder I'd have to work, so the better it'd be for my health. -- Tony West You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
Yeah, exactly. It seems like, if you could saturate a city with enough such bikes so that even the poor had no incentive to steal their wheels, say, then this form of public transit could fly. It would help if the public bikes' wheels didn't fit into private bike models. But then you'd need a separate production line for everything, which would drive up costs Fun speculation for armchair eco-businesspersons, that's for sure! -- Tony West Isabel Lugo wrote: Half-joking here: perhaps make them undesirable by painting them in some hideous color, like rental shoes at a bowling alley? (Although with bikes, there is always the problem that parts are valuable; it might stop people from stealing the frame but it wouldn't stop them from taking, say, the wheels.) Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
[UC] non-verbal statements
Here are two of the freshest ideas about community politics to come down the pike in a long time. In Idea 1, University Citoyen says all public meetings are bad, because they are merely certain neighborhood meetings. The only phenomena that qualify as public, Ray says, are internet websites. In other words, says Penn staffer Ray to working-class West Philadelphia, those of you whose employer doesn't provide you with a free computer to express your thoughts on, just don't count as part of the public. Ray says public life is for computer-owners alone. Sorry, dude! Ray and his pals will hold public conversations on line, on your behalf, and inform you of the results if he deems it necessary. But remember: you have no right to meet Ray face to face, not ever. In Idea 2, University Citoyen condemns the age-old practice of making statements, verbally, at least when UCD commits this sin. And here's where Ray's getting me really excited. I truly want to live in a neighborhood where a major service agency is restricted to *non-verbal public statements* about all its activities. Think! They can make expressive grimaces. They can paint artworks that illustrate their agency's plans. They can email you databases with raw digits. But they cannot ever speak or write, verbally I'm all for it. In this new neighborhood of ours, mimes will be kings. Sounds like fun. -- Tony West UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN wrote: also, I believe some of the complaints about ucd's 'communication' about all this was that ucd wasn't making its statements public (not publishing them on its website or in its publications), but was instead making statements, verbally, at certain neighborhood meetings.
[UC] RE: Attempted Assault/ Robbery on 4800 Beaumont
A little more information about the recent incident on 48th Beaumont ... Keep your eyes and ears open, folks. It's getting hot in the city. Original Message Subject: [deleted] Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:24:41 -0400 From: [deleted] To: [deleted] Dear neighbors, I just got this email from one of my students, whose husband was the person who was attacked last night at 48th Beaumont. He was scared and kept running and so didn't realize that neighbors had intervened to help. After he made it home, they tried calling both the local police station and the Penn police, but didn't get any help, though they didn't call 911 (which they now wished they had done). They are both very grateful to you, Joe, and to others who saw what happened and gave a report. [deleted] Original Message Subject:neighborhood news Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:33:41 -0400 From: [deleted] To: [deleted] Dear [deleted], I think I should share with you what happened to my husband last night. He was walking on 48th St. at 11 pm (late home from work) and right where 48th meets Beaumont he was attacked by three young men. He managed to escape them, but they threw a rock at him and he was a little scraped up where it hit him. He ran down Beaumont yelling for help, but no one helped. When he hit 49th St., there were some people walking on the sidewalk and the guys stopped chasing him. He made it safely to our house. There has been a warning about such incidents around campus from the Penn police, but we didn't know it was happening so close to home, too. I doubt you go out at 11 pm at night, but after dark you may just want to exercise a bit more caution. Anyway, the guys didn't seem to have guns, fortunately. Well, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I'm sure you are well-acclimated to city life, so you won't be too worried. But do take care! -- Regards, John Ellingsworth You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] RE: Attempted Assault/ Robbery on 4800 Beaumont
As long as we don't make the mistake of thinking any place is Safe. It is easy to note stuff close to home, but... ... a similar scenario just led to the death of a 69 year old man steps from his home, not near us, and ... a 14 year old was shot to death by an 18 year old road rager who couldn't handle the delay of a bicycler in the street, not near us, and ... a female McDonald's worker was shot to death in the takeout window of her Suburban drive-thru. When the grass begins to look greener on the other side of the fence, it might be good to make sure the lawns are not on some cancer inducing chemical feeding schedule. We should all be aware of our own safety and that of those we cherish, in all of our environments (sidewalks, autos, homes and workplaces) I've mourned to many losses, of self and even neighbors (including property, pets, innocence or death) whether from crime malice accident divorce natural causes smoking or drunk driving (by themselves, family members or strangers) etc. I guess the trick is to be safe without the complete sacrifice of pleasure. Liz On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:50:38 -0400 John Ellingsworth [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Keep your eyes and ears open, folks. It's getting hot in the city. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
