Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Blowing at Blowing Smoke

Looking into the Times Union's history with tobacco and Father's Day some more, one finds several things:

Increasing the alleged association of cigars with Father's Day… and recycling of old articles:

"It's Father's Day and, according to the Census Bureau, there are 60 million dads in America. That could mean a lot of ties, cigars and backyard cookouts."

Cameron, Diane. "Let's give families gift of support." Albany Times Union. June 18, 2000: B1. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6055672

"It's Father's Day and, according to the Census Bureau, there are 64 million fathers in America. That means a lot of ties, cigars and back yard cookouts today"

Cameron, Diane. "What fathers really need to create a happy family." Albany Times Union. June 21, 2009: B2. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=8238134

Could mean to does mean in nine years.

And yet a year prior to Cameron's 2000 article suggesting that Father's Day "could mean a lot of […] cigars," was one indicating that smoking is hazardous and one should not give cigarettes or cigars (although it's promoting fishing, so easily had also been press release material):

"I can't think of a better Father's Day gift than to take pop fishing. It sure beats neckties, and with smoking being hazardous to one's health, you certainly don't want to present him with any cigarettes or cigars."

Nelson, Dick. "Plenty of Places to take Dad fishing." Albany Times Union. June 20, 1999: E10. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5994900

Good for Nelson!

Articles about President Clinton using Father's Day to speak about cancer and anti-smoking efforts:

"Clinton decries liquor, tobacco." Albany Times Union. June 16, 1996: A15. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5818350

Bob Dole then attacked Clinton. As the article notes, Dole would: "Lockhart also said Dole has accepted $385,000 in campaign contributions from tobacco industry interests and flew 38 times aboard tobacco industry corporate jets."

"Clinton promises $60M for prostate cancer study." Albany Times Union. June 21, 1998: A12. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5929927

Trent Lott then attacked Clinton for using Father's Day for political gain. Lott would, of course, never do that:

"Over the last year, Lott has flown with U.S. Tobacco Co., R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris, among others, writing them checks that total more than $23,000. He has also opposed efforts to regulate tobacco as a drug and to raise federal cigarette taxes."

Colin, Chris. "Trent Lott, wandering hero." Salon.com. May 10, 2000. http://www.salon.com/2000/05/10/lott_4/

"Trent Lott Leadership Institute" http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/viz37c00

"University of Mississippi" http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/cgd41c00

Tobacco industry had reported sinking sales on Father's Day, which it appears they were responding to by offering "low price deals"… and I suspect by sending press releases to newspapers so that they'd get tobacco products mentioned in the newspaper, when newspapers typically don't run tobacco advertisements:

"Times have changed since Ronald Reagan asked consumers in the early 1950s to give their father a carton of cigarettes on Father's Day.

"Today, the holiday sales of tobacco products 'have very little impact on the marketplace' compared to the days of low taxes and low health- related concerns, said Scott Stapf, assistant to the president of the Tobacco Institute in Washington, D.C. 'You don't see the kids coming in and asking for a pouch of Half & Half for the old man anymore,' said Vince Bonafede, owner of the two Vottis Pipe Shops in Albany.

However, both Lee Zyniecki, owner of Edleer Tobacco at Stuyvesant Plaza, and Gary Greenburg, owner of Arthur's Pipe & Gift Shop in Albany, have noticed an increase of cigar sales the week before Father's Day.

"'This is the biggest week of the year for specialized cigar sales,' said Greenburg, because of 'low price deals and, in general, people are spending more money.'

Klucina, John L. "Fewer smokes on Father's Day; gift of tobacco for Dad a dying tradition." Albany Times Union. June 21, 1987: D1. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5423148

Why do I think Klucina's article might have been based off a press release?

It's partly a guess, based on the tobacco industry's history and partly the ambiguous position of the headline that leans somewhat more towards supporting tobacco. Traditions are generally seen as good, so a "dying tradition" could be read as something negative, absent text indicating that the tradition should in fact end. However, the article has no mention of cancer, just "the days of [...] low health-related concerns"; "Despite the popular belief that health concerns have caused the drop in cigarette sales"; "He said the top three variables are price, level of taxation, and health concerns"; "In 1964, when health-related concerns first received attention, there was a big dip in consumption. But, by 1968 consumption was rising again."

The article's also poorly-written. It drops a lot of names, quotes, and statistics, but doesn't really question anything.

Can the Tobacco Institute's statistics quoted in the article be trusted, for example? I doubt it. The institute was dissolved by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. They ran a legal notice about it in the Times Union (I wonder if they had been obligated to place one in the TU specifically for some reason?): http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/qri50c00 Can local tobacco stores' self-reporting be trusted, without seeing the books? Again, I tend to doubt it for this particular industry.

Among other things, the article also goes from claiming that health concerns being responsible for fewer sales, to claiming that health concerns are one of the top three reasons for fewer sales from one sentence to the very next sentence.

It's "written" by the Times Union's business editor, and it has references to: two Vottis Pipe Shops in Albany; Edleer Tobacco at Stuyvesant Plaza; Arthur's Pipe & Gift Shop in Albany; Blender's Choice in East Greenbush; Pipe Den at the Clifton Country Mall; and Smoker, Pipe and Tobacco Shop in Albany. It mentions tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, pouches, roll-your-own, chewing tobacco, and pipes. "Sale" or "sales" is used sixteen times, along with "low price deals," in an article ostensibly about "fewer smokes on Father's Day."

There's also this propaganda:

"'a younger, more successful male is buying cigars. They feel it's a bit more stylish than cigarettes, today,' said Greenburg."

Hey, you Capital District youngsters: smoking is super cool!

"Zyniecki said the store is selling more cigars today, as people try to 'break the cigarette habit, they go to the cigar.'"

Hey, everybody in the Capital District: cigars are a popular smoking cessation product!

You might try searching:

"times union" and albany

at http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/ - Going through all of it could take some time: 3,150 hits.

Likewise, search:

"father's day" OR "fathers' day" OR "fathers day"

at http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/ - Going through all of it could take some time too: 1,781 hits. One document from that search attached, which appears to be typical (image quality is better at http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/plr94e00/pdf).

Tobacco, the Times Union, and conflicts of interest

Old e-mail, now an Open Letter of sorts:

Date: September 21, 2012 9:32:25 AM EDT

To: Scott Waldman, Rex Smith

I was not happy when the Times Union ran "A puff of flavor" in 2011:

http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/A-puff-of-flavor-1430488.php

https://secure.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?newsdate=3/12/2012&navigation=nextprior&category=LIFE&storyID=1060020

You'd described Joseph Finora in print and online as a "freelance writer" and the article as "Special to the Times Union."

I'd written back then, though my letter wasn't published, to point out that Finora writes for several tobacco industry publications published by Lockwood Publications, Inc. http://www.lockwoodpublications.com/index2.html which has published tobacco industry trade journals for 140 years - since 1872: http://www.lockwoodpublications.com/history.html

Some of Finora's articles, which go back years:

SMOKE Magazine: http://www.smokemag.com/0906/feature.htm (search: "joseph finora" site:smokemag.com )

Smokeshop Magazine: http://www.smokeshopmag.com/0600/dist.htm ( "joseph finora" site:smokeshopmag.com )

Tobacco International Magazine: http://www.tobaccointernational.com/1007/ ( "joseph finora" site:tobaccointernational.com )

Tobacco Products International Magazine: http://www.tobaccoproductsmag.com/winter-07/promotions.htm ("joseph finora" site:tobaccoproductsmag.com )

I hadn't sent this last, but it's interesting too. Finora's been working for trade publications since the 1980s at least:

Legacy Tobacco Documents Library http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/ ("Search the Documents": finora):

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/usl01d00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/uae88a00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/tut98a00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/dcp68a00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/foe13c00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jge03e00

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ait82c00

E.g. "Editor Joe Finora wants to do a phoner with Emerson regarding his racing career and diet and how it relates to success on the track")

You did publish, in your "Letters to the Editor," some criticism of Finora's "article":

Snifkoff, Louis S. "Forget the cigars; clear the air for dad" https://secure.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=1063979&category=OPINION

I don't believe any were published that noted Finora's work for tobacco trade publications, as mine had. I also brought it up later with the TU after a meeting at the TU's offices where you'd invited some readers to come in to comment on some different possible layouts for the TU. The "article" still being online, wouldn't it be responsible to at least note Finora's tobacco trade publication relationship there, finally?

I had missed that you'd run a "PRWeb" advertisement/"press release" this year on Father's Day: http://www.timesunion.com/business/press-releases/article/Show-Dad-a-Better-Smoking-Choice-for-Father-s-Day-3607330.php At least that's about a smoking cessation product, but given that it's an advertisement and not an article, I don't know how successful such a product is, nor do your readers - not from that advertisement, anyway.

Your running that, in turn, gets picked up on other websites, e.g.:

http://smokelesscigarettesreviews.com/smokelesscigarettes/smokeless-cigarette-reviews/smokeless-electronic-cigarettes-a-good-fathers-day-gift-idea-albany-times-union

http://electroniccigarettenewz.com/2012/06/05/this-fathers-day-give-dad-what-he-really-needs-albany-times-union/1258

etc.

To turn to another matter, when it comes to your coverage of the University at Albany: shouldn't you *always* be mentioning that TU publisher George R. Hearst III is the President of the University at Albany Foundation's Board of Directors http://www.albany.edu/uafoundation/uaf_board_of_directors_list.shtml ? Your past sponsorship of the Giants' training camp at the University at Albany, etc.?

Bryce, Jill. "Giants camp gets new backers." Daily Gazette [Schenectady, NY]. July 19, 1997: B6. ("The Times Union will pay $158,000 to the University at Albany for maintenance and security for the 1997 training camp […] The Giants put the Capital Region on the map and hopefully in the big picture it will generate revenues. […] the Giants training camp fell short of economic expectations […] local business owners, who had hoped out-of-town Giants fans would spend money by eating, shopping and drinking locally, said last summer that business was much slower than expected. Many also said fans didn't come from great distances to watch the team practice. […] Because the Times Union covers the University at Albany, its sports programs and the Giants summer camp, there's a possibility for conflict of interest […] "We simply talk about this a lot and do our darndest to prevent it" […] University at Albany President Dr. Karen Hitchcock said no university money will be used to offset the costs to have the Giants train at the university.")

The Times Union has done a lot of reporting about the Giants summer camp over the years, perhaps this year more than most. How often do they mention their having spent so much money for it for so many years, without which it might not have continued to be at UAlbany?

How often do TU articles about the University at Albany mention that TU publisher George R. Hearst III is the President of the University at Albany Foundation?

Wyland, Roger. "Rodger's quick take." Albany Times Union. August 22, 2012. http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Rodger-s-quick-take-3808604.php ("Why all the fuss over the Giants' hazing incident? It's over with, and the only person to blame is punter Steve Weatherford, who posted the video on Twitter, and then apologized. Boys will be boys, but the video usually stays in house. Prince Amukamara, who got dunked for the eighth time in two years, did not get hurt, and head coach Tom Coughlin made his point. So much for a quiet preseason. NewsChannel 13's Rodger Wyland can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on WOFX 980 AM.")

Friday, May 17, 2013

recognition in "cursory, unscientific surveys": "much deserved and highly commendable"?

"'SUNY's commitment to an energy-smart New York and to sustainability throughout our system is a critical component of our strategic plan, one that our campuses have widely embraced and consistently shown leadership on,' said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. 'Congratulations to UAlbany for being listed as one of eight SUNY schools in the 2013 Guide to Green Colleges. This recognition is much deserved and highly commendable.'"

"UAlbany Named One of America’s Most Environmentally Responsible Colleges; University Recognized in Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges." April 22, 2013. http://www.albany.edu/news/37454.php?WT.source=home&WT.svl=headline


That old Nancy Zimpher,

    she seems a bit dim for

        being top boss at SUNY

Cite the Princeton Review?

    It ain't Princeton: p-ew!

        Where did she get her degree?

            (Perhaps at UAlbany?): http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2012/10/no-business.html
"If this [Princeton Review] were a term paper, it would get an 'F' in methodology," university spokeswoman Lisa James-Goldsberry said in a statement. "The rankings are not to be taken seriously and are certainly not reflective of the serious, hardworking students at Albany."

"Albany has nation's top party school." Chicago Tribune. August 17, 2004. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-08-17/news/0408170400_1_princeton-review-students-albany

"so many of us share dismay and disappointment with the published results of the cursory, unscientific surveys conducted for the Princeton Review college guide […] the Princeton Review guide (which, as you probably already know, has absolutely no connection with Princeton University) [...] we will be working as a community to counter the misleading picture presented by the Princeton Review"

Ryan, John R. "Letter from Interim President Ryan on Princeton Review." August 20, 2004. http://www.albany.edu/main/announcement/jrr082004.htm

"Didn’t Princeton find that UAlbany is a “party” school?
"Many people do not realize that the Princeton Review is NOT affiliated with Princeton University.

"The Princeton Review is also known for publishing materials that ranks universities on a number of factors, including perceived alcohol consumption by students.

"When the Princeton Review conducts their survey, the sample of students they use is not randomly selected and it is not a representative sample. As a matter of fact, they only survey 300 students at UAlbany! Also, the students taking their survey are not asked about THEIR OWN alcohol consumption, but instead are only asked for the amount of alcohol they THINK the typical student at their school consumes. Since we already know that most UAlbany students overestimate their peers’ alcohol consumption, their responses to such survey questions will be inaccurately inflated, leading Princeton Review to mistakenly designate us as a 'party' school."

"UAlbany Students Are Healthier Than You Think! Where do we get misperceptions?" University at Albany Office of Academic Support Services Newsletter. Spring 2008. 4. http://www.albany.edu/eop/Sprg08_OASS1.pdf

Heck, even one of the comments on the April 22, 2013 story noted:

"I am proud of Albany for this, but it is strange that during orientation they tell us not to trust Princeton Review, yet it created this assessment. If we are to believe this article, then we should also believe that at one point Albany was the #1 party school. However, if we are to do as the OAs told us, then this article is untrustworthy as well."
The Princeton Review continues to get the last laugh, looks like.

SUNY students' voices on sexual harassment and assault not being heard?

“You can go to any district attorney’s office in the state, the U.S. Attorney — there is a crime victim advocate component that exists within the law enforcement community and they exist because we want to make sure that victims are properly cared for,” Soares, a Democrat, continued. “In this instance, there’s nothing that I’ve read to determine that the people who were most impacted by this behavior had ever been delivered or provided any kind of victim advocacy or services to even inform them of their very right to venture outside of this building to obtain relief. That’s problematic and that needs to be re-evaluated.”

Vielkind, Jimmy. "Soares: Harassment victims should come to me, not Assembly." Albany Times Union. May 16, 2013. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/187223/soares-harassment-victims-should-come-to-not-assembly/

Pshaw!

Some formatting changes below to indicate quote levels, etc.:

From: Christopher Philippo

Subject: SUNY students' voices on sexual harassment and assault not being heard?

Date: December 5, 2012 12:21:33 PM EST

To: Michael Conners , Craig Apple , Tricia George , Bernard Amador

On Dec 4, 2012, at 11:24 AM, Christopher Philippo wrote:

The article by Crowley that I'd quoted earlier also had the following:

Rachel McEneny, said the office's sexual assault team is on call 24 hours, seven days a week and is eager to assist in an investigation, regardless of whether an arrest has been made.

"Our special victims unit has investigators, victim's advocates and attorneys that go away for sexual assault training all over the country," McEneny said. "We know how to interview and investigate the crime scene. It's a good service."

But police agencies are not required to contact them, she said.

"If young women at SUNY Albany feel that their voices haven't been heard, they should call the district attorney's office," McEneny said.

Crowley, Cathleen F. "Handling of rape case defended; UAlbany police chief says officers followed protocol in dealing with alleged assault." Albany Times Union. October 26, 2006: A1. http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6365244

UAlbany defines sexual assault as including sexual harassment. I don't know if retaliation for having reported sexual assault is classified as a form of sexual assault also, but it seems like at least quid pro quo sexual harassment might. Is the offer for assistance from the district attorney's office only open to young women, and not older women, or men of any age? My voice hasn't been heard yet. Is the DA's office unwilling to help regarding anything other than sexual assault, like firearms violations?

I had worried I might be discriminated against, particularly on the basis of my age, gender, disabilities. I hope perhaps you're just so swamped by communication from so many people on so many issues that you haven't been able to get to mine yet, and I realize my e-mails are probably longer than the majority of e-mails you receive. If you're finding my writing difficult to follow, let me know where you're having difficulties with it.

UAlbany's hardly unique in its problems. Look at Binghamton's 2010 athletics scandal, one of the worst aspects of which was a BU athlete putting a BU student into a coma and then fleeing the US while on bail:

Schapiro, Rich. "Bryan Steinhauer reclaims life following brutal 2008 assault by Serbian athlete Miladin Kovacevic." N.Y. Daily News. October 3, 2010. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-10-03/local/27077052_1_cpa-exam-miladin-kovacevic-assault-charges

Read the Kaye Report about Binghamton http://www.suny.edu/Files/sunynewsFiles/Pdf/KayeReport.PDF - it doesn't seem like many recommendations in it have been followed. Look at what even police union officials in New York have stated about SUNY police in recent years:

James Lyman, Executive Director for Council 82, the New York State Law Enforcement Union, said he is "amazed and appalled" at the mismanagement at SUNY and says he is dissatisfied with SUNY's underreporting of crime, lack of manual of procedures and its being a "dumping ground for political patronage."

Pete Barry, executive vice president of the SUNY police officers union, says that 28 different sets of regulations and standards of police philosophies, create a lack of direction as to how police should respond to particular incidents.

Unqualified management is another concern of Barry's.

"Many campuses have appointed people with no law enforcement experience," Barry said.

"It is puzzling to look at the varying degrees of compensation packages. An assistant chief of one campus makes 30,000 more than another and has less officers," Barry said of the high salary levels.

Barry agreed with Lyman's assertion of erroneous reporting, saying that in 2007, the New York state comptroller reported that crime statistics conflicted with university police records.

Quinlan, Casey Leigh. "SUNY spending under the microscope; Other agencies will be examined also." Legislative Gazette. March 22, 2010. http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2010-03-22-66179.113122-SUNY-spending-under-the-microscope.html
"We've gotten nowhere with SUNY Central," Dan DeFedericis, executive director of the PBA of New York State said. The complaint from last year alleges that Brockport administrators failed to follow the Clery Act.
Karlin, Rick. "Union cites SUNY safety issues." Albany Times Union. October 4, 2012. http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Union-cites-SUNY-safety-issues-3917683.php

To what law enforcement agency may I report problems at UAlbany that include even J. "Frank" Wiley, Christine A. Bouchard (to whom Mr. Wiley reports within the Office of Student Success), and George M. Philip? According to the SUNY Police Manual § 5.01 http://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=364 "The campus President, as the chief administrative officer, has the authority and responsibility for operation and security of the campus." The manual gives no indication that I can see what law enforcement agency it is to which people may report grievances or possible crimes involving the chief and/or the president of the university.

Thank you for any help you can provide,

Christopher Korey Philippo

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"Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act" whistleblower protection:

"The statute now includes language specifically protecting whistleblowers who report violations of the Clery Act. This section is effective immediately" (2).
Storch, Joseph. "2008 Changes to Clery Act Reporting Requirements." September 2, 2008. SUNY.edu. http://www.suny.edu/govtRelations/federal/pdf/2008-68%20Guidance%20on%202008%20Changes%20to%20Clery%20Act%20Reporting%20Requirements.pdf

"Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act" 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f) (17)

"Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to permit an institution, or an officer, employee, or agent of an institution, participating in any program under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 to retaliate, intimidate, threaten, coerce, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the implementation of any provision of this subsection."

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