? Previous: Whole Foods Wire
Friday, March 2, 2012
HUD Troubles: Today in crappy news: the U.S....
× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, February 28, 2012, by Sarah Firshein
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Turf Wars: With Rent Control for Yachtsmen in Peril, Greedy Sailors Push Back at New Marina Rules
× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, February 23, 2012, by Philip Ferrato
Fleet Week, Marina Green [Photo Credit: Sergio Ruiz]
In a new twist on three classic San Francisco turf wars- arguing over parking, rent control, and park use, tenants at San Francisco's Marina are unhappy with a draft set of proposed rental terms for slip spaces. Officially called the San Francisco Small Craft Yacht Harbor, the marina has a total of 691 boat slips (aka "berths") and according to Park & Rec's Phil Ginsberg, there are almost 200 people on the waiting list for slips. Previously, boat owners have been able to transfer leases to their slip in the sale of their boats. Making the boat much more valuable. In a nautical version of the teardown, some boats are believed to have been purchased only to acquire the lease.
New rules will end that practice. Owners are crying foul, complaining that transfer of the berth figured into their calculations for the cost of boat ownership. Of course, no one puts quite that cynical a spin on it, but that's what it comes down to, especially with new occupancy requirements, size limits, and a new no-sublet rule.
You can peruse the new rules (there's a link at the Rec & Parks site) with comprehension made easier by by Rec & Parks having simply crossed through the old terms and inserting the new. As for the America's Cup, which seems to elicit yawns from anyone without a oar in it, the slips- privately traded or just sublet for the race- could prove a windfall for current tenants. Meanwhile, Rec & Parks is faced with having to find revenue for infrastructure and maintenance all over town, in the face of opposition from a diverse range of NIMBYs, ranging from Telegraph Hill to San Mateo County's subsidized golfers at Sharp Park. And now, add boat owners to the list.
· Proposed S.F. Harbor-Berth Rules Rock the Boaters [SF Gate]
· San Francisco Small Craft Yacht Harbor [Rec & Parks]
· Coit Tower, NIMBY Beacon to The World [Curbed SF]
· Supes Can't Override Mayor's Veto of Sharp Park Deal [Curbed SF]
Bits Bucket for February 24, 2012
And now for something completely different.
Phoenix wanted to create more activity downtown to increase real estate prices and justify building $1 condos and other such non-sense. One of the things they did to further this goal was open an ASU Downtown campus where they located both the journalism and medical schools.
To help feed students into the ASU medical downtown campus, they also worked with the city and local businesses to create the Bioscience High School.
What the heck is the Bioscience High School? Well it is a free public school with limited enrollment. You have to apply to enroll and be accepted. Their target is 100 students per grade for a total of 400 for the school. Every student that gets in is assumed to be an honors student. The honors material is integrated right into the general ciriculum.
They do things like instead of having separate classes for math and science they have a single class called Phalgabra with is an integration of physical science and algebra. Teach them a little math, then show them some science that uses that math, then a little more math, then some more science… Every freshman takes both phalgebra and bilology, in addition to a similarly integrated english and social studies. This leaves the only decision “Spanish, French or Chinese”.
Initially, they had just the bioscience focus. Last year they added an engineering track. Their Jr. Year they can pick whether they want to be in the equivialnt of AP biology or AP physics by their sr. year. Either way, every student is in the equivialnt of AP Calculus and AP English Composition by thier sr. year.
Every student, upon acceptance, is already able to pass the AIMS (our version of the standardized tests that schools teach to these days). Becasue of that, they don’t have to teach to the tests and can focus on what they call, “A higher level of understanding”.
In effect, they are cherry pikcing the best students from all the jr. highs, and putting them into one high school full of just “the cream of the crop”. 5 years the school has been open, not a single fight. No bullying. No drugs. Their main disciplinary issue? Misuse of the laptop that every student is issued.
They don’t teach to the SAT, but their average score is up around the 95% rank. 2 graduating classes, they have had 3 students accepted to Ivy League schools. Several students have gone to MIT. Part of their senior year project is to apply to both UoA and ASU, and not a single student has not been accepted.
Part of me thinks this is awesome. Why hold back the smart kids? This is the part of me that just had his 13 y/o genious daughter accepted to this school.
Part of me is concerned. By pulling the best of the best out of other high schools, we take away resources from those shcools. Had half of the best students been pulled out of my high school, there would not have been enough kids left to justify having an AP calculus nor AP physics.
What if we start to do more of this on the low end. Take the worst students and put them in a shcool of just the worst of the worst? At what age do we write someone off as not fit to do anything more complicated than sweeping the floor and emptying the trash cans?
My son is the opposite of his sister. He has strugled with both math and physical science. He’s had some disciplinary issues. At 14, should we have written him off as unteachable? He’s a great reader, writer, artistic. He has even aced biology, government and history. He’s 2nd in command for his Air Force JROTC class. But, based on his STEM skills, would he have been written off and dumped in the “stupid person school”?
Thoughts on separating people into different high schools by skills/abilities starting at 13/14 years old?
Brand Extensions: Jonathan Adler to Take "Happy Chic" Talents to Handbags
× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Monday, February 27, 2012, by Sarah Firshein
Looks like Kelly Wearstler's not the only interiors whiz to hop into fashion: Jonathan Adler is doing so too. Motivated by customers who "say that a pillow or vase design would make a great accessory," the interior designer has launched a collection of totes and clutches, as well as items such as needlepoint sunglasses cases. Bags run $38 to $250; "more substantial" pieces are planned for fall but spring accessories are available online now.
· Jonathan Adler Launches Handbags [WWD via Stylelite via The Jane Dough]
· Accessories [Jonathan Adler]
It's a Go: San Jose's Planning Commission voted 6-0...
× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, February 23, 2012, by Sally Kuchar
? Previous: Exploring Alameda's Historic Park Street; Battling Over Affordable Housing In the Mission; More!
Globe Trotting: Under the Tuscan Sun Villa Rents For Staggering Price Tag
× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Monday, February 27, 2012, by Sarah Firshein
If the Eat, Pray, Love HSN home line doesn't quite do it, now there's a better, more complete way to indulge those decadent divorcee fantasies. In fact, some might argue that this is a truly excellent way of spending any monies earned in, say, a settlement: Bramasole, the villa featured in Under the Tuscan Sun, is available for nightly rental. In the 2006 flick, Diane Lane gazes upon the dilapidated structure—actually the stuccoed farmhouse on a two-house property—and espies its sunny, post-renovation future. This, as well as the main house, were renovated in real life and boast a total of 10 bedrooms and a shared pool, heated Jacuzzi, charcoal grill, and pizza oven outside. The place may be stunningly beautiful, but the price—a staggering $2,451 to $3,831 a night—quickly puts the brakes on any dolce vita daydreaming.
· Bramasole [Italian Villas via Hooked on Houses]
Welcome To America: As Shared By An Appraiser
Posted by Jonathan J. Miller -Friday, February 24, 2012, 12:40 PM
No Comments
The following was shared by an appraiser colleague in the Midwest as told to him by a loan officer:
“You want to talk welcome to America. I am doing a loan for [redact] and they [the borrowers] are not US citizens. He did not work all of last year and she made approx. $21,000. And, their tax refund is $9200!!! ….”
“….How is that even possible? I knew you would enjoy this as much as I did, except I had them in front of me and my head was going only in America!“
So the appraiser imparted his wisdom…
Advice to all: keep working
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)