All posts by bfiggefox
ADA is old hat now
I remember when the American Disability Act emerged 25 years ago. It signaled a sea change not equaled until the Y2k scare, which also provoked dire predictions of ruin because of projected costs. At U.S. 1 we reported on which restaurants had wheelchair-friendly bathrooms. We interviewed lawyers in the suddenly popular disability field.
Now accommodations are standard everywhere, no big deal. But according to the feds, accessibility is still an ongoing problem.
Where does Einstein Alley meet the White House?
Anybody for a “watch party” on August 4, the White House demo day? Instead of entrepreneurs pitching to funders, innovators will join President Obama “to demo their individual success stories and show why we need to give every American the opportunity to pursue their bold, game-changing ideas.” If this is Einstein Alley, surely somebody here can host a watch party?
Also check out other Obama initiatives: Startup in a Day (image shown above) which aims “to simplify the process of getting a new venture off the ground, developing online tools that help entrepreneurs discover and apply — in less than a day — for local, state, and Federal permissions needed to start a business”
Or TechHire, “engaging with local governments and the private sector to help Americans get the skills they need for a technology-driven workplace.”
Or I Corps program, “university researchers and students learning to commercialize their breakthrough inventions.”
Or Startup America, a “$1 billion impact investment initiative that connected clean energy startups with experienced mentors, supported legislation that is making it easier for startups to raise capital, and much, much more.”
Sooooooo – invite me to your watch party, or if we can’t get together for a watch party, we can follow along from the comfort of our own cubicles. Or on the twitter feed at WH.gov/demo-day. Maybe… possibly . . . . we’ll see an Einstein Alley-based business at Demo Day.
Rich and Reclusive on Spring Street
Back in 1987, when U.S. 1 Newspaper was still a monthly and everyone on staff was also on the delivery team, my route was downtown Princeton. I tried to deliver to Princeton Newport Partners at 33 Witherspoon, on the corner of Witherspoon and Spring Street. Later Spring Street would be publicly notorious in the scandal of Lyle and Eric Menendez, owners of Chuck’s Spring Street cafe. But the 33 Spring Street building would be quietly notorious as an address associated with Princeton Newport Partners, raided by the feds in 1987 for its possible involvement in the Michael Milken junk bond case. (The charges were later dropped, as explained by my boss Richard K. Rein in his column last week.)
But when I arrived at the Princeton Newport Partners office I didn’t know about the investigation. All I knew was that no one at that office wanted to talk to me. And for later visits the office was closed.
Venture capitalists, private investors, investment bankers — all are notoriously close mouthed, none more so than Andrew Shechtel. He apparently still has an office at 33 Witherspoon and is now listed as the third richest man in New Jersey. As reported by NJ Biz, and also by Zachary R. Mider in Bloomberg News, Shechtel put $9.7 billion into two trusts . . .some of it going to camps for Jewish youth, most of it to a Forrestal Village-based foundation dedicated to research into Huntington’s disease.
Rein explains more, in his column this week. .
There goes the neighborhood….
I live in the Riverside neighborhood. A long while ago I heard that the Butler Apartments were going to be turned into a parking lot. Now it’s a reality. Earlier, I posted about the university’s taking over Alexander Road. Now it’s coming close to home.As below, this letter from the Riverside Neighborhood Association. There’s a meeting this Thursday.Did you know that Princeton University is preparing to demolish the Butler Apartments? The Butler Tract (bordered by South Harrison Street, Sycamore Road, Longview Drive, and Hartley Avenue) comprises 33 acres and over 300 apartments. The demolition and future use of the site will have a major impact on the Riverside neighborhood.Questions raised by this project include:-Given the age of the buildings, it is likely that asbestos, lead paint, and other environmental hazards are present. What steps will be taken to ensure the health and safety of the community?-Princeton University has announced that it is not currently planning any new construction on the site, and instead will use it intermittently for overflow event parking. How will the presence of a large vacant lot, used intermittently as a parking lot, affect the quality of life and property values in the neighborhood?-Is Princeton University willing to consider input from community residents about plans for the Butler Tract? What are your ideas for possible uses of the land? For example, instead of an unsightly vacant lot doubling as a parking lot, could the area become a park, field, or garden?Princeton University is going to hold a meeting to provide information about the demolition and answer questions from area residents. All community members are urged to attend:Thursday, July 307:30–8:30 p.m.Lewis Library, Bowl 138Corner of Ivy Lane and Washington RoadParking will be available in the university parking lots located on Ivy Lane across from Lewis Library. An interactive campus map is available here: https://m.princeton.edu/map/[m.princeton.edu]If you have questions or are interested in working with other neighbors on this issue, please contact me. Feel free to share this with others. Thank you.Sincerely,Sally Goldfarb <sfg@camden.rutgers.edu>100 Sycamore RoadChair, Butler Tract Demolition Committee,Riverside Neighborhood Association
The Subtext of Textiles
For my quilting friends — and my techie friends — this post on Medium from my daughter.
One Less Gas Station
Just when the controversy about tax exempt status for Princeton University is heating up, Philip Sean Curran reports in the Packet that the university has bought Larini’s service station on Alexander Road. As a reporter for U.S. 1 I’ve been watching the university inexorably acquire property on the “back door to Princeton” for 25 years — starting with its purchase of the Princeton Ballet School building — and that goal was never secret.
Campaigning for a change in the tax status, Roger Martindell wrote an impassioned letter to the editor in Town Topics to make the case that the university should pay taxes, not merely donate “in lieu of taxes’ to the municipality. He cites (1) government grants (2) intellectual property licensing and (3) ticket sales as proof that the university is making a profit.
I have no personal connection to the university and have not studied the tax question recently, but I seriously doubt that the university’s vast wealth derives from ticket sales. Intellectual property income paid for the new chemistry building, and government grants pay for research. I believe the university’s wealth comes from having a lot of money to begin with, thanks to wealthy – privileged — alumni, and it was invested well. .
The “privilege” that alumni (and now alumnae) enjoy is a topic for another day. But as an owner of property near the university, I do not support the movement to strip tax exempt status from the institution that increases the value of my property. People — and this includes me — want to live here because of the university, not because of the shops in Palmer Square.
Midsummer in Palmer Square
Palmer Square turns into a street fair several times a year, none more exciting than the Princeton Regional Chamber’s Midsummer Marketing Showcase.
Sometimes my church — a member of the chamber — participates, as above. But on Tuesday, July 21 I’ll be an onlooker, enjoying the tastes and freebies and greeting old and new friends. It’s set for 4 to 7 p.m. — and it’s free!
Dress for the heat!
Words, not slides
In presentation circles, telling stories is the new black. Eileen Sinett presents a July 24 workshop, on how storytelling makes us more effective speakers.
As a journalist, i helped tell stories of accomplishments and life lessons, but it’s even better when folks can learn to tell their own. Everyone has at least one fabulous story that needs to be told.
U.S. 1’s Diccon Hyatt explains in this article. Tell stories with words, not slides.
This is another one of those “uh DUH” moments for parents who know, instinctively, that it’s important to respond to their baby’s very whim.
Lauren Emberson, who joins the Princeton University faculty this fall, is proving that learning-induced expectations will change the brains of infants just five months old.
But will all that attention from sleep weary moms and dads — will it produce optimists?
Princeton Comment 