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GREEK

TRAGEDIES

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Thursday,April4, 2013

Magazine

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Whenstudentsarekilledorinjuredatlocalchapters,nationalfraternitiesdeflecttheblame,suemembers,avoidpayingand,meanwhile,getricher.PAGES3-8

THERISKSOFFRATERNITYLIFEARESOHIGH,ONLY4INSURERSWILLCOVERCOLLEGE-AGEMENWHOLIVEINCHAPTERHOUSES.


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COVERSTORY+

Old photographs adorn themantelpiece in Lee JohnMynhardts living room. Inone, hes standing besidehis parents and sister. In

another, hes allsmilesas he wrapshis arms around some college bud-dies.

Today, Mynhardt, 28, is confinedto a wheelchair, a quadriplegicun-able to move from the chest down,

burdened with medical expensesthat at times have topped $10,000 amonth. As a senior at Elon Univer-sity in Elon, N.C., he broke his neckwhen he was grabbed from behindand dragged out of a keg party held

by a chapter of one of the largestnational fraternities, Lambda Chi

Alpha Fraternity Inc.Mynhardt says he is a casualty of

the strenuousefforts by national

fraternitiessuch as Lambda Chitoavoid paying compensation fordeaths and injuries at their localchapters.After he sued, Lambda Chi

Alpha and its insurer won courtrulings that they werent liable forhis plight.

As soon as theres an incident,national fraternities start distancing

A family photo of Lee John Mynhardt with his mother Charmaine. Mynhardt broke his neck when he was grabbed frombehind and dragged out of a keg party held by the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Elon University in Elon, N.C. in 2007.

GREEK TRAGEDYWhen students are killed or injured at local chapters,

national fraternities deflect blame, avoid paying and get rich

Please turn to Next Page

ByDavidGlovin | Bloomberg News



COVERSTORY+

themselves, Mynhardt said athisCharlotte,N.C., home. Itsirrespon-sible.

Nationalfraternities,whichgrantcharters tocampuschaptersandcollectduesfromundergraduatemembers,haveat least$170millioninannual revenue, alongwith valu-able holdings ranging fromrealestatetoTiffanywindows.Thenon-profit organizationsoftenprotecttheirgrowingwealth by insulatingthemselves from legal andfinancialresponsibility fora waveofalcoholandhazing-relateddeathsandin-juries.

Besiegedby lawsuitsallegingnegligentsupervision,someof the

biggest national fraternitieshavelimited insurancecoverage theyprovide tomembers, shielded fundsinhard-to-tap foundationsandcastblameon local chapterswith fewornoassets.Ratherthan intensifymonitoring ofbranches,some fra-ternitieshavecededdailysupervi-sionto undergraduates.

Such strategies arepayingoff.While at least 57peoplehavebeenkilledorparalyzedsince 2005 inincidents involvingfraternities ortheirmembers, thelow-profilena-tionalbodies have enjoyed increasesof13percent inrevenueand29per-cent inmembership.

Itsa curious businessmodel,saidPeterLake,a professoratStet-sonUniversityCollege ofLaw inTampa,Fla.,whospecializes inhigher-education law. Youreestab-lishing anationalbrandandfran-chising. Andthenwhenyour corecustomersareinapinch,youreturning away.

JamesEwbank, a lawyer whohasrepresentedat least10national fra-ternities, urgedthemata conferencelast summertodeflect blamewhentheyare suedbybringingcases

against chaptermembers andcol-leges.Share thefun, hesaid, according

toanoutline ofhis remarks postedonlinebytheFraternityExecutivesAssociation.

Thecommentwashyperbole,Ewbanksaidinan interview.

WhileCornellUniversity in Itha-ca,N.Y., andTrinityCollege inHart-ford,Conn.,havebeguncrackingdownonlocal chapters,many

schools havefound it futile toprodnational fraternities to takecontrol,saidBrett Sokolow,whohasadvisedLambdaandother fraternitiesonriskmanagement.

Colleges havebeen trying togetahandleonthese issuesfor a longtime,andtheyhaventseennationalsstepupsotheyfigurewhy shoulditchange now, Sokolow said.

Thenational fraternities successinavoidingliabilityreinforces theirintransigence, he said.Theywanttowashtheir hands oftheproblemandsayits theirbrothers fault, itstheirchapters fault.Thesearemil-lion-dollarorganizations thatspon-soractivities that areharmful.

Thereare at least 75national

fraternitieswithbranchesoncollege campusesacrosstheUnitedStatesSomehavefewer than10chap-

terswhileothershavemore than200.Membership is almostallmale.PresidentsRonaldReagan,GeorgeW.Bush,GeorgeH.W.Bush andBillClintonallbelongedto fraternities.

Membership innational fraterni-ties increased to327,260 in2011 from253,148 in2005,accordingto theNorth-AmericanInterfraternityConference, a tradegroup.Revenuefromduesandother sources fornational fraternities andtheirrelatedcharitable groupsrose toat least$170million in2010from about$150million in2005,InternalRevenueService filings show. Localchaptersearnedmany tens ofmillionsmore.Fraternitiesown andoperatemorethan$3billion inrealestate, ac-cording to theFraternalGovernmentRelationsCoalition,a lobbyinggroup.

Reflectinganational surge inbingedrinkingbycollege students,fraternitymayhemtodaycanbe farmore dangerousthan thehijinkscelebrated in the1978movieAnimal

House. Since2005,52studentsdiedandfivewereparalyzedin incidentslinked to fraternities, accordingtodata compiledbyBloomberg fromlawsuits, news accountsandinter-views.Nine fraternities, includingsomeof the largest, are linkedto38ofthe57 cases,ortwo-thirds.

Eightstudentsdied inboth 2011and2012.Thosearethemost fatali-ties inat least a decade, according toHankNuwer, a professoratFranklin

College inFranklin,Ind., andauthoroffourbooks onhazing. Twohavedied this year.

The riskof fraternity life issogreat that only four insurerscovercollege-agemenlivingtogether inchapter houses, saidNedKirklin,whosells fraternity insuranceforaunitofWillis&Co. Tomakecov-erageaffordable, a groupof fraterni-ties self-insurespart of therisk.

Atcolleges,whichvalue fraterni-ties asa lure toprospectivestudentsandbreedinggroundofgenerousalumni, itoften takes a death orserious injurytospurdiscipline.California StateUniversity inChicotemporarily suspendedGreek life inNovember aftera seniorpledgedrankhimself todeath.

Nationalfraternities dontalwaysavoid liability. Afterbecoming intoxi-catedat a 2011NewYears Eve partyat theUniversityofPennsylvaniasPhiKappaSigma House,20-year-oldMatthew Crozier fell overa railing,hit his headanddied.His parentsreceiveda$3million settlementfrom thenational fraternity, based inChester Springs,Pa., andfromarelated corporation that ownedthechapterhouse.

Greeklife,with itssecretritualsandtraditions, fosters leadership andbrotherhood,fraternity leaders said.

Outofall the organizations onacollegecampus, fraternities andsororities arefoundedon thecon-ceptofhighvaluesandmoral lead-ership, saidRickBarnes, a boardmemberof theAssociation ofFra-ternalLeadership&Values inFortCollins,Colo.

Somedeathsandinjuries,whichtookplaceoff-campusoratunoffi-cial events, shouldntbecounted asfraternity-related, the leaders said.Most national fraternities haventhad any fatalincidents at their chap-ters since 2005.

National fraternitiesarenotto

blamewhenmembers at farawaybranchesbreachrulesagainst hazinganddrinking, theirexecutives said.Manydispatchrepresentatives toteachchaptersaboutriskmanage-ment.They reinforcethelessonsatannualconventionsandafter fatali-ties andserious injuries.

Still, national fraternities oftentake ahands-off approachtodaily

Continued from Previous Page




COVERSTORY+


supervision.Ratherthanhire gradu-atestudents orolderadultsas live-inadvisers,most rely onundergradu-ates to ensurethat fraternityrulesare followed,saidCharlesEberly,formerpresidentof theCenterfortheStudyof theCollege Fraternity,basedat IndianaUniversity.

In2009, PennStateUniversityfreshmanJosephDadodied afterdrinkingbeerfromanopentubat anAlphaTauOmegaparty. Evenso, thenational fraternityslawyerrecom-mendedagainst activesupervisionoflocal chapters ina 2012 article.

The role ofa national fraternalorganizationshould bepredomi-natelypassive in itssupervisionand

involvement inthedailyactivities oflocalchapters,G.CobleCaperton,general counsel forAlphaTauOmega,wrote in thenewsletterFraternalLaw.Thereason:Mostcourtswontholdnationals liableiftheydont take stepscreatinga legalduty to supervisechapters.

Capertonsaid inan interviewthathisfraternity punisheschapters forviolatingrulesandspendsenor-moussumseducatingmembers.

Theres nowaywecould haveapersonon-siterunningthese135chapters, hesaid. We areanythingbutpassive inpreventing alcohol

abuse, drug abuseorhazing.Somenational fraternitiesmaybe

reluctantto restrictdrinking forfearof losingdues-payingmembers.Indianapolis- basedThetaChilearned that lesson after it joinedasmall groupof fraternitiesthat pro-hibitalcohol inchapter houses.

Itwas the best thingweever did,saidDaveWestol, former executivedirectorofThetaChi. Youmayhavefive knuckleheadswhowontjoin,and thefivewhoreplace themwillstay outof trouble.

ThetaChimembershipstoodat5,911 in1998,whenthe fraternityvotedtogoalcohol-free. By2003,whenthe ban tookeffect, ithadfallento5,126.Westol left in2006,withmembership downto4,664. In

2010, thenational boardabandonedthepolicy.Withdrinkingpermitted,membershiphasrebounded toabout6,700today.

Decliningmembershipplayednorole in reversing thealcohol-freepolicy, ThetaChiExecutiveDirectorMichaelMayersaid inanemail.

PhilipDhanens died ofalcoholpoisoningafter heandother fresh-menwerelockedina roomlastAu-gustata ThetaChi chapter atFresnoStateUniversity inCalifornia untilthey finishedbottles ofvodkaandtequila.

Thenational fraternityshould

havemonitoredthe local chaptermore closely, said hismother,DianeDhanens. Sheandherhusbandfileda lawsuit thismonthagainst thenational fraternityandthechapter.

Fraternity leaders say, Well letyouwearThetaChi, shesaid. Butwhen somethingbadhappens,Were outofhere.

ThetaChi said ina statement thatitrevoked thecharter of theFresnoState chapter and that ithas strictguidelinesprohibitingunderagealcohol consumption.

Somenational fraternitieshavesegregatedassetstoavoid liability inhigh-profilecases.BasedinEvanston,where itsheadquarters

containsa pricelesscollection ofstained-glassTiffanywindows,SigmaAlphaEpsilonhasbeen asso-ciatedwith eightdeathssince2005,themost ofanyfraternity.Mostrecently, Universityof Idaho fresh-manJosephWiederrick,whohadbeen drinkingatanSAEpartyonaSaturdaynight inJanuary, gotlost onhiswaybacktohis dorm.The18-year-oldwanderedat least fivemiles,stumbledoffanembankment, andfroze todeathunder a bridge.

SAEchanged itsbylaws inMarch2011,amonthafter thehazingdeathofCornellUniversitysophomoreGeorgeDesdunesat theSAEchapterthere. SAEpledges kidnappedDes-dunes,blindfoldedhim, tiedhimupand forcedhim todrink somuchalcohol that hedied,accordingtohisfamily.

Cornellwithdrewrecognition ofthechapter,whichwasconvictedina countycourtofviolatinganti-hazinglawsandfined$12,000, andtheDesdunes familysued SigmaAlphaEpsilon for$25million.Thecase ispending.

SAEsrevisedbylaws state that itsrelatedcharitablefoundationand

housingcorporationarenot part ofthenational organization.Theyre attempting tohavethese

lines drawn soits hardertoget tothoseassets,saidDouglasFierberg,aWashingtonlawyerwhorepresentsDesdunes family.

Today, theSigmaAlphaEpsilonFoundationandtheSAEFinancialandHousingCorp.,whichtogether


University of Idaho freshman Joseph Wiederrick died after drinking at a Sigma

Alpha Epsilon party on a Saturday night in January of this year.

MOSCOW, IDAHOPOLICE DEPARTMENT PHOTO



COVERSTORY+

earned$4.6million in2010revenue,areseeking dismissal from thelaw-suit.They saytheyreseparateen-tities fromthenational fraternity,whichhad$5.5million in revenue.

SAElawyer FrankGinocchiodeclinedto comment.

Mynhardt,whoseneckwasbro-kenat theElon fraternityparty,

visited theschoolforthefirst time in2003,asa prospectivestudent.BorninPhoenix,hehadmoved asa childtoBotswana,where his father was apilot.HeattendedboardingschoolinSouthAfrica andopted for college intheU.S.to studybusiness.

Elon,withitsGeorgian-stylebuildings, expansive fieldsandinnu-merable oaktreeson500-plusacres,appealedtohim.Plus, ithad a con-tingent ofSouthAfricans andofferedrugby,whichthesix-footer hadplayed sincechildhood.

Ona campustour, his guide toutedElons robustGreeklife.Mynhardtwent toa fraternity party,wherethe17-year-oldwasservedbeer.

Theyre tellingus40percent ofthecampuswasGreek, herecalled.Itwasa huge selling point.

Greeklife is ingrainedatElon,which dominatesa townof9,500inaregiononcepopulatedbytextilemills.Anup-and-cominguniversitythat draws three-fourths of itsstu-dents fromoutsideNorthCarolina,Elonishometo23fraternities andsororities.Aquarter of the5,400undergraduatesaremembers,ac-cording to theuniversity.

Almostall theparties ontheweekendareGreekrelated, saidAlDrago,a sophomore.

Elonpromotes itsGreeklife,say-ingonitswebsite that the fraternityandsorority communityatElonhasenhancedthelivesof thousandsofmen andwomenand added manyvaluabledimensions to theuniver-sity.

Theschoolsbylaws state thatstudentsunder21whoconsume

alcoholwill bepunishedandthatfraternityevents onoroffcampusmust comply. Inpractice, its easierforElontoenforce rules for on-campus fraternityandsororityhouses,which itowns.Private off-campusparties oftenfall outside itspurview, saidDean ofStudentsG.SmithJackson.

Its privateproperty,Jacksonsaid. Its not our jurisdictiontogoin

andstartconfrontingstudents.ThatswhymanyElonstudentsgotoparties atoff-campusresidencesrentedbymembers ofvarious fra-ternities, andknownbycolorfulnicknames, such as ThePlantation,TheMuseum, andTheBullpen.

Mynhardtwas injuredatanoff-campuspartyonFeb.3,2007, at211NorthLee, a one-storyredbrickhousewithbushes infront and abarbecuegrill ontheside.ThreeLambdaChibrothers, includingJohnJack Cassady, vice-presidentof thefraternity chapter, sharedtherental, knownas211,whichhadbeen passedforyears fromonegroupofLambdabrothers tothenext,accordingto court records.

ElonsLambdachapter hadaturbulentpast. Since2005,Elonhadcited it forbreachingschoolpolicyaton-campusandoff-campusevents,placedit onprobationandvoicedconcern aboutdrug useandhazing,courtrecordsshow.

Thechaptersriskmanager, a20-year-old,wasresponsibleforenforcing therules set bythe na-tionalfraternity, basedin Indianapo-lis. Those rulesstate thatnochapter

mayprovide unrestrictedaccesstoalcohol andthatchapter fundsmaynot beused tobuy it. Aroundthattime,each chaptermemberpaidannualdues of$400, including$65to thenational organization and$93toan insurancebrokerage that thenational co-owned.

CarolynWhittier, Elons thendirectorofGreekLife,warnedaLambdanational executive inAugust2006thattherewereproblemsatthe

chapter, includingdruguse.It ishighlyadvised that the

GrandHighZetathenationalsboardofdirectorsplacethechapterunderalumni control,Whittierwrote. Lambdadidnt follow heradvice. Itdidsend a representativetomeetwiththeElon chapter thatNovember.

Lambda,whichhad2011revenueof$7.5million forthenational and

related foundation, hashadthreedeathslinked to chapter events since2005. TadLichtenauer, a spokesmanforLambda, declined tocomment.

On theFridaynight oftheparty,Mynhardt starteddrinkingat friends apart-ments, police recordsshow.Thenheand some

classmates drankat two localbars.Atone,Mynhardtmeta sophomore,MaryKelly. Theyleft the pub at2a.m., closingtime,andjoinedthecrowdat 211.

Bythen,morethan15of theLambdachapters23members hadmadetheir way tothe keg party,court records show.ThenextdaywasLambdaswingbowlachick-en-eating gala that wastheyearstoprecruitingeventand potential re-cruitshadcomeby.

Partygoersdanced andplayedbeer pong ina roombedeckedwithLambdasGreek letters andsigna-ture crosswith crescent.Soberbrothers stoodreadytodrivedrunkones home,accordingtocourt re-cords.

MynhardtandKellysoon locked

themselves ina bathroom,kissing,accordingtocourt records.Afterseveralminutes, someonebeganbanging on thedoor.Mynhardtsteppedoutandsaid theywere leav-ing.

With that,CassadysfriendClin-tonBlackburn,a student attheUni-versityofNorthCarolinaatGreens-borowhowasvisiting fortheweek-


Youre establishing a national brand and franchising.And then when your core customers are in a pinch,

youre turning away. Peter Lake, professor at Stetson University College of Law on the business model of national fraternities




COVERSTORY+

end, grabbedMynhardt ina full-nelsonwrestlingpose. Blackburnlater toldpolicethatheandCassadywantedto throwMynhardtoutbecauseCassady neededtogo to thebathroomandMynhardtwouldntunlock thedoor.

Blackburn,whowasdrinkingbeerthatnight, put his armsunderMyn-hardts arms andhishandsbehindMynhardts head,Kellytold police.Blackburn, then 22,pushedMyn-hardts head forward, accordingtopolice reports.

Wereleaving,Mynhardtpro-testedashe lostcontrolofhis legsandcollapsedto thefloor. Blackburnfellontopofhimwhile someone else

kicked him,Cassady said, accordingtocourt records.Kellywent toMyn-hardts side.

Icant feelmylegs,Mynhardtexclaimed.

Cassady, thenamonth shyofhis21stbirthday, haddrunkabouteightbeers,accordingtocourtdocuments.HeandothersgrabbedMynhardtbythelegs,draggedhimthrough thekitchen anddumpedhimoutside,aggravatinghis injury. Kelly urgedthemtobring him inside.

Call9-1-1,Mynhardt shouted,cursing.

Whenpolicearrived, a panickedMynhardt asked ifhewasparalyzed.Cassadytoldanofficerhewas wor-riedabouthisfraternitychapter,accordingto apolicereport. CassadyandBlackburnwerearrestedforserious assault. Thechargesweredismissedin2010 afterMynhardtchose not topursuethem.

Itwasa terrible, terribleacci-dent, Blackburnsaid. I just pray forLee everyday andhopehecomesoutof this thing alright.

Kellydeclinedtocomment.Mynhardtwas flownto theUNC

MedicalCenter inChapelHill,

whereheunderwentsurgery.Hislungscollapsed, almostkilling him.Whileheonce contemplated

suicide,its notsomethingIwouldeverdo, hesaid.Youeither put upwithit anddoyour best, oryougiveup. Iwas21turning 22at the time,and I figured Ihad a lotmoregoingforme.

Mynhardt spent fiveyears asaninpatientandoutpatient atShepherdCenter, a rehabilitationhospital in

Atlanta.Helearned tousehisbiceps,whichhecan still control, tooffsettheparalysisofhistriceps.Eating,sleeping,controllingpain,using acatheter tourinateeverythingwasnew.

To get thatsmall bit of independ-ence,youworkharderthan anythingyouveeverworkedat inyour life,hesaid.Anticipatingmillionsofdollars in

lifelongmedical bills,Mynhardt filedsuit inaNorthCarolina superiorcourt in2008.He claimed that theuniversity failedtopolicea danger-ousfraternity andthat theLambdanational ignoredwarningsabout itstroubledchapter.Healso sued thechapter, six of itsmembers andtwootherpartygoers.

Elonandthenational fraternityignored a knownrisk, saidMichaelPetty, oneofMynhardtslawyers.Theuniversitywasvery involvedinitsfraternities, andLambdashouldhavebeen.

Akey issue inthe casewaswhether the fraternitysponsoredtheoff-campusparty. Cassady, the localsvice president, testifiedina

deposition that itwasan informalchapter party intendedasawarm-upfor thenext days wing bowl re-cruiting.

Lambda arguedthat ithad noday-to-daycontrol over theElonchapter and noroleinorganizingapartywhere itsruleswerebroken.Its lawyerscitedLambdasextensiverisk-management rulesandsaid thenational organizationhadpreviouslysent delegatestobriefmembers onthem.

JudgeHowardManningdis-missedMynhardtsclaims againstElonand theLambdanational in2011,andhisrulingwasupheldonappeal lastMay. Thefraternityhadntassumeda duty toprotect

the chapter or itsmembers, theappeals judges said.Wewant toencourageuniversi-

ties andGreekorganizations toadoptpolicies tocurb underagedrinkinganddrinking-related in-juries, thejudgessaid.That doesnotmakea university orGreek or-ganization an insurerofeverystu-dent,memberorguest.

Courts in12otherstateshaveissuedsimilar rulings clearingna-

tionals of liabilityfor localwrong-doing,Lambdasaid incourtdocu-ments.

Mynhardts lawsuit stillhadlife.BecauseCassadyhadtestifiedthatthe partywas a fraternityevent, ajudgeallowedhimtopursuehiscaseagainst thechapter itself. IfMyn-hardtweretowin,hehoped tocol-lect fromLambdas insurancecom-pany,whichcovered thechaptersand individualmembers.

Instead, thenational fraternitysinsurer, LibertyCorporateCapitalLtd., soughttowalkawayfromthetragedy. It filedsuit, seeking permis-sionnot tocover the chapter orseveralmembers.Liberty is increas-ingly filingandwinning such cases,courtrecordsshow.

Lambdachaptersandmemberscant choosetheir insurer. Thefra-ternityrequires them tobuyinsur-ancethroughJamesR.Favor&Co., abrokerage based inAurora, Colo.,that isownedbyLambdaand othernational organizations.Favorplacesthe insurancewithLiberty.

That coverage hasnarrowed inscope. In1996,Lambdareducedcoverage forchaptersandmemberstoend thesubsidization of inappro-priate conduct, JamesR.Favor, thebrokerages late founder, said ina2012affidavitinMynhardts case.Asa result, Lambdahas controlled itsrisingcostof insurancepremiums.

Therestricted overageisofdubi-ousbenefit tochaptersandtheirmembers, said Jeffrey Stempel,whoteaches insurance lawat theWilliamS.BoydSchoolofLawat theUniver-sityofNevada, LasVegasandre-viewed theLambdapolicy.

This strikesmeasbeingperil-ously close tosayingwecover youunlessyourebad, Stempel said.

LibertyCorporatearguedthat theeventsat 211werentcoveredbe-cause they violatedLambdapolicies,includingrulesbarring kegs,under-

agedrinkingandpublicaccesstoalcohol,and requiringprofessionalsecurityat parties.

Its terriblewhen someone isinjured,but itdoesntmeanweshouldbeheld liable if thenationalfraternity isntnegligent, said JonPavey, formerchairmanofJamesR.Favor.A federal judge inGreensboro,





COVERSTORY+

N.C., agreed, rulinginAugustthatLiberty neednotprovide coverageforthechapter ormembers. Sincethechapter hasvirtuallynoassets, thedecisionmeantMynhardtcouldntcollect damages fromitevenifhewonhiscase,said JosephWilliford,thechapters lawyer.

Mynhardt appealed theruling.Hereached settlementswithhalf a doz-enstudents, includingCassady,whowerecoveredunder theirparentshomeownersinsurance.Mynhardt,whoWilliford saidwasseeking asmuch as$20million, collectedless

than $2million from theparentspolicies.

Tappingtheparents insur-ance isparticularlydis-tastefulwhen thenationalfraternityrequireseverysinglemembertocontrib-

uteto thepurchaseof liability insur-ancethat isveryunlikelyevertopayouta dime, saidRichardPinto,Cassadys lawyer.

According tocourt records,Myn-hardtdismissedhisappealafter theinsurer, Liberty, agreedtoa confiden-tial settlement.Libertys lawyer,NolanBurkhouse, acknowledged itmade afive-figurepayment before decliningfurther comment.

Itsa horrible, horribleresult, saidPetty,whodeclined tocomment onthesettlementamounts.

Mynhardtsmedical andrehabilita-tioncosts, includingonetime expensessuch asa $70,000 speciallyoutfittedvan, havealready exceeded$1million,Mynhardt said.Thefamilyhasdippedinto savings topaycostsnotcoveredby theinsurancesettlements.

Lees healthcomesfirst, said hisfather, LouisMynhardt.DespiteMynhardtsmisfortune,

off-campusfrat parties stilldominateElons socialscene.AtmidnightonerecentSaturday, girls inshort skirtsandguys intropical shirtsbraved the44-degree temperature togatherat ahouserentedbymembers ofonefraternity. Elons student-run SafeRide van ferried someguests to thedoor. The kegwas out backand the

dancing inside,with a strobelightpulsing.

Onlymembers, friends andwom-enwerewelcome, said a fraternitybrother, beer cupinhand.Anyoneelse,he said, shouldfind anotherparty.

Mynhardtmovedintoa ranchhouse inCharlotte last yearnearCarolinasMedicalCenter,where hehadbeenhospitalizedbefore.Hehasfriends nearbyandanaide livingwithhimfull- time.Another visitspart-time. Everymorning,anaidesitshimupin bed,moveshim tohiswheelchair, transports himto theshower, dresses himandhelpswith

dozensofactivities hecantdoalone.Seeking somemeasure of inde-pendence,Mynhardt isnow inhisfirstyear atCharlotteSchoolofLaw.Unabletousehis fingers,hetakesnoteswitha stylusattached tohispalmanda touch-padcomputer.

Ibelieve a lot ofpositivethingscancomeoutof fraternities, hesaid.But if theyrenotruncorrectly,thingsare going toget out ofcon-trol. +

A family photo shows Philip Dhanens with his mother and father. Dhanens died of alcohol poisoning after he and others were

locked in a room at a Theta Chi chapter at Fresno State University until they finished bottles of liquor in August of 2012.




TECHNOLOGY+

Heres a snippet from an

email exchange I hadwith a colleague the otherday:

Colleague: Thoughtitwas a bit too easy! Ill go back to themandsee when the next times are.Thanks Simon.

Me: Sorry about this. If you cc me,then I cantake over planning andmake yourlife easier.

Colleague: i dontmind - lets seewhatshe saysnextbut if itgets silly illstep aside.

This is a very modern phenome-non: writing that reads like conversa-tion. Day by day, prose is becoming

blessedly more like speech. Socialmedia, blogs and emailshave hugelyimprovedthe way we write. Beforethe internet, only professional writ-ers wrote.I remember when wewere taughtto write essays at school.Most of my classmatesjust enduredit. Theyd never written down theirextended thoughts before, and weresure theyd never need do it again.

Email kicked off an unprecedent-ed expansion in writing. Were nowin themostliterate age in history. Iremember in 2003 asking someone,Whatsa blog? By 2006, analysis

firm NM Incitehad identified36

million blogsworldwide; five yearslater, there were173 million. Useofonline socialmedia rises everymonth. In fact, writingis overtakingspeech as the most common form ofinteraction.

Pessimists like to call this thedeath of civilization: a visionof mute

youths exchanging semi-literatesolipsisticmessages. BBC broadcast-er John Humphrys once dismissedtexters as vandals who aretryingto do to the language what GenghisKhan didto hisneighbors.

Hes wrong.As Columbia Univer-sity linguist John McWhorter pointsout, pedants have been lamentingthe decline of language since at least

AD 63. Clare Wood, developmentpsychologist at Coventry University,says very littleresearch exists to backup claimssuch as Humphrys. Herown study of primary schoolchildrensuggested that texting improvedtheir reading ability. Texters, afterall, are constantly practicingreadingand spelling.Sure, children tend notto punctuate text messages.Butmostof them grasp that this genre has

E-mail, texting and instant messaging have improved writing skills.

Prose goes viralThanks to digital communication,

writing is becoming more like speech


BySimonKuper | Financial Times



TECHNOLOGY+

differentrules from, say, schoolexams. Thatsa distinctionweadultsareslowlylearning:Ive only justbegundroppingcommasfrom texts.

Buttexts, blogs,emailsandFace-bookposts areinfectingotherkindsofwriting,andmostlyfor thegood.They aremakingjournalism,booksandbusiness communicationsmoreconversational.Socialmediaoffer a prettygood

model for how towrite.First, thewritersmostlykeepit

short.People onTwitteroftenomitI, theanda,whichareusuallywastes of spaceanyway. Vocabularytends tobecasual:bloggerssay butinstead of however.Theydontclaima false omnisciencebutpro-claimtheir subjectivity. Andthewriting isusuallyunpolished,barelyedited. Thatsa greatstrength.Ma-jorMemory forMicroblogs, a recent

article in theacademic journalMem-ory&Cognition, foundthat peopleweremuch betterat rememberingcasualwritingsuch asFacebookpostsor forumcomments than linesfrombooksor journalism.Onepos-sible reason: The relativelyun-filteredandspontaneousproductionofone personsmindis justthesortofthing that is readily storedinan-othersmind. ThatsprobablywhyTwitter, Facebook andreality TVaresuccessful.Theunfilteredproductions of

peoplesmindsareoften stupid.

However, theydonthavetobe.No-belPrize-winning academicstweettoo. Youcansaybrilliantthingsevenincasualconversationalprose (ex-cept perhaps if youreanastrophysi-cist).Its just thatconversationalprose improves your chances ofbeingheardandunderstood.True,otherstylesarevalidtoo. JaneAus-tenwrote formally. Butforanaver-

agewriterwithnoparticular gift, theconversationalmodeworks best.Badwriting still abounds.The

Onionlovesparodyingnewspaperprose,as inthis fakenewsstorynamingNorthKoreasleaderKimJong-eunas thesexiestmanalive:Withhisdevastatinglyhandsome,round face,his boyishcharm,andhisstrong, sturdyframe, this Pyong-yang-bred heartthrob is everywom-ans dreamcome true.But,mostly, socialmediahave

donewonders forwriting.GeorgeOrwellin1944 lamented thedivide

betweenwordy, stiltedwrittenEng-lish, andmuch livelier speech. Spo-kenEnglishis fullofslang, hewrote,it is abbreviatedwhereverpossible,andpeopleof allsocialclasses treatits grammar and syntax ina slovenlyway.Hisidealwaswriting thatsounded likespeech.Weregettingthereat last. +

In fact, writing is overtaking speechas the most common form of interaction.


From the dawn of e-mail, our prose has evolved to sound more like conversation.

BILLHOGAN/TRIBUNEPHOTO



ECONOMY+

W

ASHINGTONAninterestingthinghap-pened inmyWashing-

tonneighborhoodrecently. A smallposseof localbusybodiesorganized as theShawDupontCitizensAllianceproposedamoratoriumonnewliquorlicenses fortheincreasinglyvibrant night life corridorson14thStreetandUStreetinWashington.Similarmoratoriaalreadyconstrainlonger-establishedD.C. drinkinghubs, andwhenI heard about theShawDupontproposal, initiallyI felt

despondent.But, in fact, theNIMBYslooksettolose. A guynamedMi-chaelHamiltonfounded a counter-

groupcalledInMyBackyardD.C. toargue forgrowth-friendly policies. Ata neighborhood listeningsession,moratoriumproponentswere vastlyoutnumbered. Fornow it looks as ifLoganCircleandUStreetwillcon-tinue tobesafeforentrepreneurswhowant to turn vacantstorefrontsandderelict structures into bars andrestaurants.Similar fightsplayout incitiesall

aroundthecountrybutnotalways

with thesamehappyoutcome.Al-most invariably, these fightsgive theextremedeference to theconcernsof

immediateneighbors. Butthis defer-encehas a cost for everyoneelse.Citiesneed to recognize that barsandrestaurants arenottheuglystepchildrenof themodernurbaneconomy:They areitsgreateststrength.Theyspursmall-businessgrowthandcreationcitywide.Whencitiesconsiderwhether toallowthem, they shouldthinkabout the

BILL HOGAN/TRIBUNE PHOTO

Pub politicsPub politicsDespite residents opposition, neighborhood barsare key to urban economy

Despite residents opposition, neighborhood barsare key to urban economy

ByMatthewYglesias | Slate




ECONOMY+

overall benefits to theregion, nottheparticular complaints ofnear neigh-

bors.Myneighborhoodishardlytheonly night life cluster inurbanAmerica featuringa version of thiscontroversy. Last fall a groupofresidentsof theLowerEastSide inNewYorksomeoddlyappropriat-ingtheOccupybrandtried tobringahalt to theissuance ofnewliquorlicenses.Chicagohasareasthat havevoted tobecomecom-pletely dryandmoratoriumzoneswhereexistingbusinesses stay openbutnonewliquorlicensescanbeissued.InCalifornia,manywholecountiesincludingallofSanFran-

ciscohave goneintomoratoriumstatus.Proponentsof curtailinglicenses

typicallycite localnuisanceeffects asthe key reason.One of theLowerEast Side anti-booze crusaderswasquotedasworryingabouta WildWestatmosphere.InWashington,agitators cite thenightmareofbe-coming thenextAdams-Morgan,whiletheactualAdams-Morgancommunity is itselfone ofthe areasoperatingunderamoratorium.Thesecomplaintsought tobe

understood inthelargercontextof

urbaneconomics.Moratoriumboostersoftenseem to think theressomethingunnatural about theheavyconcentrationofbooze-serv-ingestablishments ina singlearea.They also thinkrestrictingbars andrestaurantswill cause thekindofthriving local retail they rememberfromoldJaneJacobsbooks tomagi-callyappear.In reality, theresnothing particu-

larlyunusual aboutsimilar firmsclusteringtogether. Autocompanieswereall nearDetroit for a long time;high-techfirmshuddleintheBayArea;Andnight life hubs arise for

similar reasons.Drinkinganddiningestablishmentswant tobewherepeopleare likelyto lookfor them.Andpeoplewant togotoplaceswhere theyll find options.Compli-catedinterdependenciesandcom-plementariescanarise.Thelate-nightpizza joints proximityto thedive bar increasesthevalueofboth.Alternatively, youmightwant tomeetfriends for dinnerinaneigh-borhoodwhereyourealso likelyto

beable to grabadrinkafterward.Theatersand live-musicvenuesbenefit fromproximitytootherafter-hoursactivitiesandalsodrive

customerstobars andrestaurants.Forcing thecluster todispersede-stroysitsvalue. Preventingnewfirms fromentering thecluster fos-tershighpricesandmediocrity, asunderperformingbarsand restau-rants canessentially free-rideontherest of thecluster.Providingthesekindsofdense

networksof related butindependentsmallundertakingsis exactlywhatcitiesaregood at.What theyrenot sogoodat is

playing host tomodernretailers.Traditionalurbanneighborhoodsfeature oldbuildingswith small,

often irregularlyshapedspacesthatareill-suitedto theneedsofcontem-poraryretailchains. Refusing togrant liquorlicensesundoesthedecades ofhistory that brought usbig-box stores. It just leads toemptystorefrontsand car rides out to IkeaorCostco. The goodnewsfor cities isthat latelyAmazonhasbeen crush-ingthebig-box sector, ande-com-merce levels theshoppingplayingfieldbetweentraditionalurbanneighborhoodsandsuburbanones.Andthose smallishandidiosyncraticstructures areideal spacesforbars

andrestaurantsmuchbetter thanpersonality-freemalls. Even betteristhat the Internet isntgoing toput

restaurantsoutofbusiness, forobvi-ousreasons.Underthecircumstances,promot-

ingthedevelopmentandexpansion

ofnight lifehubsshouldbea keyeconomicdevelopmentpriority forcities.Or, rather, preventingneigh-borhoodbusybodies fromstiflingthemought tobe. Thatmeansmak-ingdecisionsaboutliquor-licensingrulesata higherlevel,with consider-ation ofthefullcitywideeffects interms of tax revenue and job cre-ation.Anditmeansattempting todirectlyaddress perceivedproblemswithcrime and trash. Insteadofrefusing to issue newliquorlicenses,whynot sendmorecopsandoffermore frequent streetcleaning in thehubs?Foodservice isnt thesexiest

sector inthe economy. But its onethatevery citycanbestrongin. Italsoprovidesgreat opportunities forlocally ownedbusinesses, andmean-ingfulopportunities forpeoplewithlimited formaleducationtoworktheirway upthe ladderand gointobusiness forthemselves.Citiesneedtotreat itasamoreseriousmatterthan a simplequestionofneigh-borhoodopinion. +

Yglesias (@mattyglesias)is Slatesbusiness and economics correspond-ent. Beforejoining the magazine heworked for ThinkProgress, the Atlan-

tic, TPM Media andthe AmericanProspect.His mostrecent book is TheRent Is Too Damn High.


Liquor licenses in neighborhoods around the country face opposition from

those who want to limit the presence of restaurants and bars.

CARLAGOTTGENS/BLOOMBERGPHOTO



POLITICS+

W

ASHINGTONThefascinationwith Sens.RandPaulandMarcoRubioisunderstandable. BothareyoungandambitiousRepublicansinaparty

looking foritsnext leader. They arecharismaticrisk-takerswhocantalk to themediabeyondjustFoxNews.Also alliterationmaybedestiny.HeadlinewriterscannotresistwritingRand andRubiocombination.Bothmenarealso consideringrunningforpresident.

We shouldleavethem to theirhobbies. Its threeyearsuntilthenextprimary andits silly toassigntoomuchpresidentialweight toanythingtheydonow. (Though its not crazy toimagine peoplereturningto theRandPaul filibuster of2013theway they didBarackObamas convention speechin2004).Butevennow, thepresidential jockeying of these twomenisinteresting inanother context. It tellsussomethingabout theRepublicanParty theywould hopeto lead. TheGOP isgoingthroughamolting period. The route eachman chartsand how

U.S. Senator Rand Paul

addresses the 2013 Annual

Legislative Summit of U.S.

Hispanic Chamber of

Commerce March 19, 2013

in Washington, DC.

ALEXWONG/GETTYPHOTO

Grand New PartyJockeying by Paul, Rubio

hints at future of the Republican Party

ByJohnDickerson | Slate




POLITICS+

successfulhe is incapturingargu-ments of themomentonimmigra-tion,drones, andwhateverelsecomesupwill tell us somethingaboutwhat theemergingRepublicanPartyvaluesandwhatitmight looklike asittriestoget inshapeforthenextnational contest.

If theRepublicanPartyof2016embraceseitherof these twosena-tors itwillbea radically different

party. Ifeither iselevated intoaserious national candidate, itwouldreversetwooldtruthsaboutpresi-dential politics: thatoppositionparties promote candidateswhoaredistinct from thesittingpresidentandthatgovernorshavethead-vantage oversenators.

Partiesoftennominate candidatesthat representa cleanbreakfromwhomever is in theWhiteHouse.

Theyouthful JohnF.Kennedywas a contrast tothe agingDwightEisenhower. RonaldReagan, themanofcertainty, came after thealways vacillatingJimmyCarter. Thefeel-your-paingovernorBillClintonwas a countertothe aloof patricianGeorgeH.W.Bush.BobDole, thewarhero of theGreatestGeneration,wassupposedtobeanantidote toClin-ton theBabyBoomerand in2000,after fourmoreyears ofBubba andhispersonal transgressions,Repub-licans nominatedtheborn-againGeorgeW.Bushwhopromisedat theendofeveryspeechtorestore honoranddignityto theOvalOffice.

Simplyhaving a differentideologythan thesittingpresidentis generallynotenough.Oppositionparties al-

waysoffer a differentpolicyview,but inpicking their standardbearer,theyhavehistoricallydecided heshouldalso bemade ofdifferentstuff.This extradifferentiatingat-tribute isone ofthe reasonsmoder-atecandidateshaveoftenbeatenmore liberal orconservative candi-dates:RomneyoverSantorum,Oba-maoverEdwards,McCain overeveryoneelse,JohnKerryoverHow-ardDean,GeorgeW.Bush overSteve

Forbes,Bill ClintonoverTomHar-kin,BobDoleoverPhilGrammandPatBuchanan.

Thesearch fordifferentiatingattributesmakes sensewhen thepresident has beeninofficefor sometime.Thatsbecausetheotherpartyhasbeenconsistentlytyinghispolicyfailures tohischaracterflaws.Thatallows theopposition towrap itspartisan criticismswithindeepertruths. So, Obamahas beenabadpresidentbecause hehasnoexecu-

tive experience.Hedoesntknowhowtomakedecisionsbecause hehasneverrunanything.Anotherflaw is thathispoliticalsuccesswasbuiltona seriesofgood speeches.Thatshouldhavewarnedusall alongthathewas onlygoodatplayingapolitician,notat actualgoverning.Finally, Obama isa radical.Hecametoprominencewith thesupport ofthe far left thatopposed the Iraqwar.That connectionwith thepartysextremewinghasalwaysdefinedhisessential character.

ThesearethreeofObamas flaws.They arealso threeattributes ofMarcoRubioandRandPaul.Neitherhas reallyrun abig enterprise. Bothwill rise tonational prominence onthestrengthof their speechesthatisall that senatorscan doandbothare seenbyactivists as thetruerep-resentatives of theircore beliefs,thoughobviouslyPaul andRubioarefavoredbydifferentkindsof activ-ists.

Ifa candidateholds thevery attri-buteshispartyhasbeen arguing aresodamaging,youmight think thatwouldunderminehispitch.Fortu-natelyforthesecandidates, politics is

notrational,sopartisanswill juststopbelievingthesearecatastrophicshortcomingswhentheirfavoritefellowhappens tohavethem.Still,these similaritiestoObamaleavefewerways for these twomen todistinguishthemselvesfromtheObama years (andeachother) inanational contest. Itwill be interestingtosee ifbothmenwillmakesharperideologicalpitches, since that is theattribute they canpoint tothat

shows thegreatestdifferentiation.Ifeitherof thesestwosenators

makes a serious goof it, hewill alsochallengethehistoricalpreferenceforgovernors. Both parties havelikedmen thathail fromthe state-house: Carter, Reagan,Dukakis,Clinton,Bush.Four ofour last fivepresidentshave beengovernors.Thats logical:Governorsdoa lotofthingsthatpresidents do. Theyhavetopicka staffanddelegateenormousresponsibility to them,negotiate

with interestgroups, battlewith alegislature, andmakehundredsofdecisionswhen avoidingthem isnotanoption. There are veryfewsena-torswhoprefertheir life intheSen-ateto thesenseofaccomplishmentandagencythey hadasgovernors.

Governorsalsoshootstraighter, iffor noother reasonthantheyarehabituatedto explaining actionswherethey cannotduck account-ability. Thebuck stopsat theirdesk.Legislatorsareexpert atdiffusion.They takemore creditthan theydeserve for thecollective legislativeprocess, andeludeblameoncontro-versialmatters bycitingtheprocess.Iwas for itbeforeIwas against it,as formerSen.JohnKerryoncesaid.

There isalsoa political reasontopick a governor. TheyworkoutsideofWashington.Votersareoftenlooking forfigures unstainedbythesystem.Theauthors of therecentGOPautopsyreportarealso enam-oredofgovernors foranother politi-calreason. They representa syn-thesisbetweenGOPprinciples andareality that hasledto electoralsuc-cess.Thereare30Republicangover-nors,andCongress is less popular

thanheadlice.Which is the betterfarm team?It seemsonly naturalthatGOPvoterswouldpick fromtheirstable ofRepublicangovernorsor former governorssomeonelikeChrisChristie, BobbyJindal,JebBushorScottWalker.

IfRepublicansdonotrallyaroundtheir governors, theywill bemakinga consciouschoiceto ignoreall of


If a candidate holds the very attributes his party has been arguingare so damaging, you might think that would undermine his pitch.

Fortunately for these candidates, politics is not rational...Continued from Previous Page



POLITICS+

these arguments in favor ofsomeotherattributethey valuemorehighly. Andweseethat happeningasGov. ChristieofNewJersey andGov. BobMcDonnell ofVirginia areheckled fornotbeingconservative enough. Atthemoment, ideologytrumpsexperience intheRepublicanParty,whichisextraordinarysince a lack ofexecutive experi-encehas longbeenpresented asone ofObamassignatureflaws.RubioandPaulhavethreepossible roadsthey

cantake.They canreachtheusualhistorical placeoccupiedbythelikesofSen.HowardBaker, Sen.JohnGlenn,andSen. BobKerrey,menwholookedlike presidentialmaterialuntil a governorcamealong.Or, theycanwinduplikeSen.JohnMcCainandwin theirpartys nomination but flameout in

thegeneral election.Thebest possibleoutcome istofollowObamas route. But it isnot entirelyuptoRubioandRand.Whichroad theyhaveavailable tothemwill dependonhowmuch theRepublicanPartyiswilling to change. +

Dickerson is Slates chief political correspondentand author of On Her Trail. He canbe reached [email protected].

Sen. Marco Rubio speaks at the 2012

Republican National Convention

August 30, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.

DIRKSHADD/TRIBUNENEWSPAPERSPHOTO




CONSERVATION+

Sevenyearsago, I jumpedintoshark-infestedwaters.Threedozen black-tippedreef sharksswarmed aroundmewhile two12-foot tiger

sharkscircledtheperimeter. Therewas nocagejust12diversand aswarmofsharks,sometimesliterally

brushingpast us.Theydartedabove,below, andbesideme inthesilentandshallowbluewatersoffSouthAfrica.

Sharksarein.Whowants tosit onanovercrowdedboat,squintingqueasily through binoculars orstrug-gling toclick yourcameraintimewiththeflipof a humpbacks tail,when youcancome face-to-facewithone ofthetoppredators of thesea?Sharksare the newwhales,myfriends.AndImnotjust talkingabouttourism.

What reallymakessharks thenewwhales isa globalchangeinconser-vationpriorities fromSave thewhales! to Save thesharks! Fivespecies ofsharks and bothspecies ofmantarays finally received traderestrictionprotections atan interna-tionalmeeting inBangkok this

month.TheConvention ontheInternational Trade inEndangeredSpeciesmeetingbringstogether177nations everytwoyears todeterminewhich speciesshouldbe listedinoneof threeappendiceswith varyinglevelsof tradeprotection.ThelastCITESmeetingwas a totalbustforsharks. Four shark-protection pro-posalswere rejected.

This yearwasdifferent. All threehammerheadspecies, theporbeagleshark, theoceanicwhitetipandmantarays have joinedthebasking

shark,whalesharkandgreatwhitesharkonAppendixII,whichre-quires permits toexport these spe-cies. Thatmaynot sound likemuch,butcountriescanissue permits onlyif fishermenprovethey caughtthesharkslegally andsustainablyatallorderbecausemanypopulationsof

these species havedeclinedmorethan90percent injust the lasthalf-century. In fact, aweekbeforeCITESconvened, a study found thatapproximately100millionsharksarebeingkilledeach year, primarilytomeetdemandfor the shark fintrade.Oceanicwhitetip fins canbring in$45 apound;hammerhead finscanfetchdoublethat. Theseseriouslythreatened sharksandrayscanfi-nallyget somebreathingroom to

Save the sharksFrom tourism to conservationism, sharks are the new whales


ByTaraHaelle | Slate


17/24

recover, saysRickMacPherson, theconservationprogramsdirectorattheCoralReefAlliance.

Sharksandwhalessharethe samebasichistory: thesamebadPR,the

same enemies, andevensimilarbiological characteristicsthat con-tributed to theirvulnerability in thefirstplace.

Lets startwith sharks imageproblem. Its originisnomystery:Sharkattacks dohappen, eveniftheyre47times less commonthanbeingstruckby lightning. In1975,Jaws took sharkphobiatonewheights, galvanizingwholegenera-tions intomisbelieving that sharkswere bloodthirstyman-eaters,Mac-Pherson says.Butwhalesonceplayed popculture villains, too:

MobyDick tookAhabs leg(andAhabs vindictive questdidntworkout toowell for himorhiscrew),andMonstroswallowedGeppetto andkilledPinocchio.

Just asour fearofwhalesturnedtoawe,sohas our attitudeshiftedaboutsharks.Bruce, thesmilingshark inFindingNemo, andfriendschanted Fisharefriends, notfood,and a Shark StanleycampaignattheCITESmeetingportrayed a friendli-erkindofshark. Theresa loud

chorusofpeoplein thescientificcommunityandconservationworlddoing theirbest todispelstereo-types, saysDavidShiffman, a gradu-atestudent inecosystemscience andpolicyat theUniversityofMiami.

Itsworking.Peopleacrossthe

worldarelearningwhysharks, likewhales, areessential tomarineeco-systems andwhyweshouldbecon-cernedas theirpopulationsplum-met.Sharks,manyofwhich arelistedas vulnerableby theInterna-tionalUnionforConservationofNature,arefinallybeing seen thatway. The riseofshark tourism hashelped: TheBahamas, for instance,whichhasoutlawed allshark fishing,haspulledin$800million inshark-related tourismover thepast 20years.Mostpeoplefindsharksfascinating,saysElizabethWilson,

themanager of theGlobalSharkConservationCampaignat thePewCharitableTrusts. Whenthey learnhowat-risk they are,mostwant todosomethingtochangethesituation.

Butnoteveryoneisonboardwithsaving thesharks. For all theirhis-torical animosity, JapanandChinaareunitedintheiropposition torestrictionsonwhaling andsharkhunting.Japanhasargued foryears,first withwhalesandnowwithsharks, thatCITEShasnobusiness

regulatingtradeonmarinespecies,claiming thats thejobofregionalfisheriesmanagementorganizations.China repeatedtheargument; ithasa financial stakeas theworlds larg-est importer ofshark fins,usedinshark finsoup.ButCITESregulates

trade. Regionalfisheriesmanage-mentorganizations regulate fishingandcannoteasilyenforce regulationsonthe openseas. The twogroupscomplement, rather thanconflictwith,oneanother.

JapanandChina touteda secondargument:that shark-trade restric-tionscant be implementedbecauseits too hardtotelldifferentsharkfinsapart.Thats preposterous,saysShiffman. Sayingfishermancant tell thedifference between finsis lyingwhile implying your fisher-menaresignificantly less intelligent

than fishermanacrosstheworld,which isnt true. Its playing dumb togetwhat youwant.That argumentflopped this year. ThedelegatestotheCITESmeeting attended a sharkfinidentificationworkshopgivenbysharkresearcher DemianChapmanbeforethevote, andthey couldal-readytell thefinsapart themselves.

Atpast CITESmeetings,JapanandChinas oppositionwasenough

A whale shark looks for food off

the coast of Tan-awan, Oslob,in the southern Philippines

island of Cebu, March 1, 2013.

DAVID LOH/REUTERSPHOTO



17Chicago Tribune | digitalPLUS Magazine | Section1A | Thursday, April 4, 2013

CONSERVATION+



CONSERVATION+

to shootdownmost proposalsre-strictingshark trade. This year,with37countries sponsoringthesharkproposals,the twoeconomicpower-housescouldntprevent theneces-sary two-thirdsmajority fromadopt-ingtheproposals, thoughtheocean-icwhitetipbarelyscraped bywith68.6percent of thevote.

Weve seen this patternof tri-umphoveroppositionbefore. In the1970s, researchers became awareofhowdramaticallywhalepopulationshadfallenfromanestimated4million inthe13thcentury, at thedawnofcommercialwhaling, toabouthalf that in1975. Thenumberswerestarker forcertainwhales:

About450bluewhalescruisetheseas today, downfromanestimated210,000beforewhalingbegan, andhumpbackwhalesarethought tobeat1percent of theirpre-whalingpopulation.As technologymadewhaling

moreefficientanddevastatinginthe1970sand1980s, theconservationefforts pickedupsteamaswell, andthefamiliar Save theWhales slo-ganwas soononthe lipsofenviron-mentalistsandschoolchildrenacrosstheworld. Yetwhale stockscontin-ued toplummet, to theextent thatthewhaling industry itselfwasindangerofcollapsing if ithuntedthegreatmammals to extinction.Whaletourismhadbegun inthe1950s and

theanimals growingpopularityraised awarenessabouttheirprecari-ous future.

TheInternationalWhalingCom-mission triedandfailedmultipletimesto tightenwhaling regulationsuntil it finally issuedamoratoriumonallwhalehuntingin 1982.Still,Japan objectedandhasissuedsci-entific permits forwhalekills,andIcelandandNorway disregard themoratoriumaltogether. Butwhalesfinally gottheopportunity to recoverfromcenturiesofhunting.

Therearebiological reasonswhysharksareas threatened as theircetaceanneighbors.Sharksarentlikeother fish. Interms ofage tosexualmaturity, lengthof gestationperiods andlittersize,sharksare

more likemarinemammals.Nearlyall fish reach sexualmaturity inayear or twoandthen spawnmillionsofeggs.Sharks, likewhales, cantaketwoorthree times aslong tosexuallymature. Theymateonceevery one tothree years andgestate for uptoayear ormore.Litters include oneto75pups, depending onthespecies.Inshort, fishtend to reproduce quickly.Sharksandwhalesdont, so theycantrecoverquickly fromoverfish-ing.

Soshark researchersandconser-vationistaretakinga page outof theSave theWhales playbookby in-creasingpublicawareness of theissueandtaking itone big stepfurtherwithtechnology. Sharks have

oneallywhaleslacked 30yearsago:socialmedia.For thefirst time,thefull CITESmeetingwaslive-stream-edthis year. TheTwitterversewasaflutterwith commentary fromconservationorganizations,marinescientists,andsharkenthusiasts.What I thinkwas themost inter-estingcomponentof this CITESmeetingwas theextent towhichonlineoutreachplayedapart, saysShiffman,whopulledanall-nightertowatch thelive stream, tweet theproceedings, linkto supportingstudies fordelegatearguments andthenblogabout it. Itmadeiteasyfor peopleall overtheworldtopayattentionandparticipate ina liveconversation.

Its a conversationlong overdue.

Sharksareabsolutely thenewwhales, saysChapman, theStonyBrookUniversitymarinescientistwhotaughtthefinidentificationworkshops atCITES. Before the70s,nobodycaredaboutwhales.Thenpeoplestarted getting inter-ested andwehad amoratoriumonwhaling. In thelast five years,coun-triesallover theworldaresuddenlytakingtheproblemofunsustainablesharkfishingseriously.And finally,peoples fearsabout sharksarefo-cusednotonavoidingorsurvivinganattack bythepredators, but onensuring that thepredatorsthem-selves survive. +

Haelle is a science and health jour-nalist based in Illinois.


A scalloped hammerhead shark

swims near the Galapagos Islands.

FREDBAVENDAM/GETTY PHOTO



HOME+

T

he reign of the trophykitchen is officially over.

The dream kitchens oftoday arent about thesexiest six-burner rangeor

the most exotic countertop material.As cooking has returned to centerstage and remodeling budgets havesobered, the kitchen island is nurtur-ing family togetherness and revivingcasualentertaining.

In kitchens with a small footprint,glass tiles,quartz counters and dishdrawers are adding sparkle and

practicality. The kitchen of 2013 hassoul.

Thatindustrial,commercial stylewaslooking a little cold, says Sa-mantha Emmerling, kitchen editor atHearst Design Group. Peopleare

spending all their time in there,andthey want it warm and inviting, aswell as low-maintenance.

A kitchen renovation is still costly.The average 2013 kitchen remod-eling jobis $47,308, down $3,742from last year, according to the Na-tional Kitchen & Bath Association.Designers say the look today is lesstradition, moretransition. Clients arechoosing more modern touches suchas white or gray cabinets, gray walls

and neutral quartz counters, indi-vidualized with differenttexturesand touches of color.

Ten yearsago, everyoneshowedup with the same photos of whatthey wanted, says Paul Lobkovich,

an architectand kitchen designer atLobkovich Kitchen Designs in Vir-ginia. Now people aremuch morecreative. Theyve seen plenty ofHGTV shows and scoured Houzzand other Web sites. They have aPinterestboard full of stuff they like.This gives people a wide range ofunique looks. And it makes it moreexciting for us designers.

DOMENICAMARCHETTI/PHOTO FORTHEWASHINGTONPOST

Home with soulTodays kitchen is the heart of the home, featuring calming colors and practical touches

By JuraKoncius

The Washington Post




HOME+

Yes, thekitchen isstill themost obsessed-about roominthehouse,butitsclear home-ownerswantmorethan just trends. Theyareseeking a calming spacethat makes themhappy.Lately its been less thekindof stars-in-the-eyesapproachanda bit morepracticalwithasimplifiedaesthetic, saysdesignerEricLie-berknecht,whoownsa kitchendesignfirm inAlexandria,Va. Peoplehavea wide portfolioofthings theywant, andnot justwhat their neigh-borhas.

Nadia Subaran, seniordesigneratAidanDesign, calls thedesigndirectionmoderncottage. Itsnotstarkmoderndesign, Subaransays. Ithasnaturalmaterials, texturesandlayering,with lotsofwhitesandgrays. There isnothing fussy or frou-frouabout it. Although

stainlessstill reigns, there is growing interest inwhite rangesandrefrigerators inanewglossyfinish,aswell as soapstonecountertopsandfloating shelves.

Peoplearereally looking tomake themost oftheir space. Theywant practicalandfunctional,saysLizaHausman,a vicepresident atHouzz, ahomedesignWebsiteand mobileapp.

The2013 membersurveybytheNationalKitchen&BathAssociation identified amenuofsomeof todays topstylechoices inkitchens.Here is insider informationonsevenof them:

Whitepainted cabinetsThechoiceofcabinets is arguablythemost importantdeci-

sionwhenredoing a kitchen.The selection sets the look. IntheNationalKitchen&Bath Association survey, 67percent ofre-spondentssaid that whitewastheir firstchoiceforcabinetry, ajumpof20percentage points in thepast two years.Over theyears,white is alwaysa popular colorandtherearetimes it istheNo.1color, says JohnMorgan,presidentof theassociationandownerofkitchenproducts supplierMorganPinnacle inGlyndon,Md. Iwould say thatwhite anddarkcherryare bothtimeless.

Quartz countersConsumersaredemandingproducts that areeasy tocare for,

includingquartzcounter surfaces such asCaesarstone andSilestone. Thesedurable products aremade ofabout90percentnaturalquartzmixedwith pigments,polymersandresins. They

require nospecialmaintenance andcost about$40to$100asquarefoot installed. Silestoneproduces70colorsinpolishedormatte finishandcontainsanantimicrobial agent.AccordingtoLorenzoMarquez,vice presidentofmarketingforCosentinoNorthAmerica, Silestonesparentcompany, themost popularcolorsrightnowarewhiteandgray.

Itsa prettyhonestmaterial,andit functions sonicely, saysWashingtondesignerPaulSherrill ofSolisBetancourt &Sher-rill. If you dont havea tolerance for natural stone andwhat itsgoing todoovertime, gofor it.



ANNSACKS PHOTO



HOME+

ManyshadesofgrayGrayseems tobethecolorof themoment.

Althoughwhiteandoff-whitearestill thetopcolors, graysareshowinguponcabinets,countersandwalls.Gray isanother neutralthatcan bepairedwithmanyaccentcolorsand looks chicandmodern,whether a drift-woodgraywoodfinishorglossygray coat-ing.ColorconsultantJeanMolesworthKee of

the PaintedRoomsays, Imseeinga lot ofquickredoswherethey arepaintingoldwoodcabinets a lightgrayandtotally gettingridofanythingTuscan redoryellow.Butshecautionsagainst gray overload. If thereis toomuchgray, it can lookreallychillyanddepressing. Youll thinkyouarestirringyour

pot inanoperating room. Youneeda lot ofwhite tobalance it out.

LEDlightingMoreandmore remodeledkitchensnow

haveLEDlighting,especially belowcabi-nets. LEDbulbs aremoreefficient and gen-erate little heat.We are doing a lot ofLEDunder-cabinet lighting, saysLarryRosen,ownerofJackRosenCustomKitchens inMaryland.HalogenandXenon lightingactuallyburn veryhot. Ifyouaccidentallytouch abulb, you can burnyourself. LED ismore expensive,butthey saveonelectricity,are cooland lasta really longtime.

Electronic faucetsWhenpeoplerenovatetheirkitchen, its notjust functionalityand

beauty, saysHouzzsLizaHausman.Theyarethinkingabouthowto include thelatesttechnology.Oneof thesenewtoys is thetricked-outfaucet. Both touch-activated faucets andhands-free faucets arebeginning to appearinkitchen remodelingcontracts. According toTomTylicki,Moens seniorproductmanager forkitchen, theMoenMotionSensehands-freefaucet responds to consumerskitchenworkstylesand helps prevent thespreadofgerms.Its alsoa goodchoiceforgardenerswhosehandsarefrequently coveredindirt.MoenhasthreeMotionSensestylespricedat$399 to$690.

Satinnickel finishesSatin nickel is thenewoiledbronze, Sherrill says.Forhim, the

mattenickel finishreflects theincreasinglymodernistkitchen look.Thesurvey foundthatpolishednickel andpolishedchromewere

less requested thanlast year, andthedullerfinishwasgrowing inpopularity. Somedesignersfeel that this finishbest complements

stainlesssteelappliances; otherssaythegraymetal colorsets offgraycabinets,countersandwalls.

Glass backsplashesGlass tilesarethejewelry of a kitchen for interiordesignerTynesia

Hand-Smith. Theyaddgreat shimmer, shesays.Withneutral colorsrulingincabinets andcounters,glass tile isone

waytoaddcolorandpersonality. Reds, greens andblues,vibrantcolorsaretrending rightnow, as is iridescent glass, saysDeeDeeGundberg, anAnnSacksTile product developmentmanager. Insteadofusing theubiquitouswhite subway tile backsplash, shesuggestssubstituting newlarge-formatglass tile ina similar shape.Lightblueglass tilesarestill very traditionalwithwhitecabinetsbut look veryfresh,Gundbergadds. +


DAVIDPHILLIPICH FORAIDANDESIGNS



ENTERTAINMENT+

E

va Mendes is lost inthought, staring into theface of the devil.Hmmm Interesting,

she mutters, twirling apainted wooden Satan on a stickthatcaughther eye while brows-ing the macabre wares at Obscura

Antiques & Oddities in the EastVillage, her favorite home-decorstore. Whatsso interesting?Sorry! she says, her trance bro-ken. Its a private moment.

Mendes hasnt sold her soulshed just been thinking of herfavorite devil of all time, TimCurry in1985s Legendbutsheknows that, right now at least, itlooks like Hollywood owns it. Shesays shesembarrassed by the

black SUV that brought her here,and self-conscious about beingso conspicuous a presence amongObscuras vampiric clienteleinher bright-tangerine dressandseventies-glam smoky eyes. Themakeup and the outfit are forwork,she explains.Todays workseems to include courting thepaparazzi whom she usually triesto avoid. Its all in the name ofputting attention on The PlaceBeyond the Pines, the ambitiousnew indie drama she shot withnow-boyfriend Ryan Gosling in

Schenectady twosummers ago(they reportedly started datingafter it wrapped). In it, a carnivalstunt motorcyclist (Gosling)learns he fathered a child withMendes character, then turns to

bankrobbery until his fate be-

comes entangled with that of arookiecop(Bradley Cooper) whohas his own son and family issues.

And thats just the first act.

At least Mendes isnt dauntedby complexity or messinesswhich helps when perusing Ob-scuras cluttered shelves. Shesteersclear of the taxidermied

birds and gets bored quickly byturn-of-the-twentieth-centurymedical journals with instruc-tions on the soft,easy passage offecal matter. (Thisis allthesame subject? Why? Give us some

variety here!) Beforewe leave,though, she buys a $225 papier-mache skull that she sees as amemento mori, a reminder thatwe all die someday. I just fell inlove with him, says Mendes. Theshopkeeper tells us that the skullcomes from an OddFellowslodge, where he waslikely usedduringinitiation ceremonies tofrighten blindfolded inductees,and probably dates back to1910.Mendes gasps: He doesnt look aday older than 1925!

The Place Beyond the Pinesis ofa piece withher recent im-pulse toward dark,idiosyncraticroles.Mendes, 39, is still probably

best known for her racy CalvinKlein ads andplaying hot girl-

friends to Denzel Washington(in2001s TrainingDay),WillSmith (2005s Hitch), and Joa-quin Phoenix (2007s We Ownthe Night). Butfollowing a 2008

Eva Mendes stars as Romina in Derek Cianfrances sweeping emotional

drama, The Place Beyond the Pines.

In searchof darkness

Eva Mendes likes shopping for skullsand playing against type


ByJadaYuan | New York Magazine



ENTERTAINMENT+

stint inrehab (for reasons thatre-main undisclosed), shestarted send-ing upherimage, ina FunnyorDiecommercial forEvaMendesSexTapethepunch line isthat its anadfor adhesivetapeandinTheOtherGuys as theoblivious-to-her-good-lookswife toWillFerrell,whocomplainsabouthowdowdy sheis.

Mendes doesnt regretherearlierwork.I love everything Ive done, inaway. But right now, I justwant toworkwith amazing directorsandchallengemyself.DirectorslikeWernerHerzog, forwhomshestarred in2009s BadLieutenant:PortofCallNewOrleans; PedroAlmodvar,MikeLeigh, andDavidLynchare allonher bucket list. Do-

ingfilms that reallymean somethingtome, thatsbeenmyjamlately.Alsoamong those films is lastyearsbizarre HolyMotors, fromFrenchsurrealist directorLeosCarax,inwhich she playedamodel carried offinto theParisiansewersbya goblin,who licks her armpit, eatsher hair,andprances aroundherwitha pros-theticerection. I letmymomknowitwas a fakeright away, saysMen-des. Ididntwant tofreakher out.

Bynowwevemoved fromObscu-ra tonearbyMotorino,whereMen-des unscrewsthe lid ofa jar ofred-pepperflakes anddumpsa pileontoherpizza.Shesneezes, poursmorepepper, andsneezes again.I love it

somuch I dontwanttonothaveit!shesays. Itsworththesneezes.

Fightingfor the partsshewantshasbeenworththeoccasional battle,too.When sheheardthat PinesdirectorDerekCianfrance (whohadpreviously directedGoslingin BlueValentine)didntseeherasa girlwhod get knockedupbya carnivaldaredevil, shearrived toherauditionin ill-fittinghigh-waisted jeans,herlipssurroundedbybrowneyeliner.Shewas tryingherhardest tobeunattractive,andshewasfailingmiserably, saysCianfrance. But itmeant somuch tome.I could tell shewasreallynervous. (Asimilar trickinvolvingsweatpantsandaunibrowhelped secureher roleasa formerlyoverweightwoman inLarryDavidsupcomingHBOmovie, ClearHis-

tory. Comeon, itspretty hideous,shesays, showingmeapicture.)Instead of reading lines forCian-

france,Mendes tookhimona driv-ing touroftheLosAngelesneigh-borhoodwhereshegrewup(SilverLake,pre-gentrification), thedaugh-terofdivorcedCuban immigrants.Sheshowedhimthelaundromatwhere shed gowithhermother, ahomemaker, andtoldhimaboutmeetingherfather, ameat distrib-utor, afterwork,notknowing thatthatwas blood all overhis clothes.Mendes no longereatsmeat. Evaalwayssays shesplaying a versionofwhatshecould havebecomeifhermomhadntbeensohardonher,

saysCianfrance.Bytheendof the tour,Mendes

had the part.Toprepare,sheput infull shiftsat

thedinerwherehercharacter, Romi-na,waitresses. Sheshavedbackhereyebrowsandlost fifteenpoundsbecause shewantedto look stressedandmalnourished. Shehelpedpickherownwardrobe, too. Notwearinga brawasa reallyconsciouschoice,saysMendesofanearlyscene.Ithought itsaida lot aboutherwith-out verbalizing it; itwas raw, notsexy. Iwantedhertobe a realgirlwhodidntmake thebest decisionsinher lifebutwasdesperately tryingto figureitout.

BecausesheandGosling playstar-crossed lovers,Cianfrancetriedtokeepthemapart formostofthe

production.Buthepurposelysched-uleda sex scene between themonthe first day tocreateanimmediateintimacy.MendesandGosling haveknowneachother for years;herec-ommendedhertoCianfrance forPines. ButwhenI askhow thecouplemet,Mendes cutsmeoff.Thatswhere I start toshut down,because itgets intopersonal territorythat I dont feel comfortable talkingabout.Sosorry. Shewishesthattabloidswouldblurthefaces oftheirdogs,Hugo (hers)andGeorge (his),inphotos, likeBritish papersdotokids faces.Ill gosomewhereandtheyllbe like, Hey,Hugo!andImlike, HowdoyouknowHugosname?Thatssocreepy!Pushingmyluck,I ask ifshewants kids. Imsoout ofhere!shesays, laughing.Youknow thecartoonwherethesteamcomes out andit says, Boop-beep-boop. Systemdown!?Shedisappears intothebathroomforalongtime, but returnsjustasI begintowonder if Ive beenditched.

Shesreluctanttodiscuss evenherpart inGoslings upcomingdirectori-aldebut,HowtoCatchaMonster.Idontwant todiscloseanything

because I feel like therearenomoresurprisesanymore,whether its infilm, about theendingofa story, orwhat a characterlooks likeby thetimewesee themovie,weve seenpaparazzishotsof theactorwearingthewig.Wheres themystery?Whered itgo? Iwant itback. +

www.nymag.comDistributed by Tribune Media

ServicesRyan Gosling stars as Luke and Eva Mendes stars as Romina in Derek Cian-

frances film The Place Beyond the Pines.



24/24

For supermarket shoppers,the tomato symbolizes whatwehave lostin terms oftaste andtexture, in ex-change for being able to buy

cheap vegetables and fruit yearround.Buta fightback forflavorisunder way, andits scientific champi-on is HarryKlee, horticulture profes-sorat the University of Florida,Gainesville.

The big problem with the mod-erncommercial tomato is that grow-ersare not paid forflavor, theyrepaid foryield andshelf life, says

Klee. Thereis a complete discon-nect between breeders and consum-ers.

Theanswer, accordingto Klee, isto put together an integrated systemthat starts with consumersandwhatthey want. We have come up with arecipe to breed a reallygreat tomato

but a lotof work will be needed togetit into the commercial system,which is loaded against the con-sumer.

TheFlorida researchstarted withheirloom tomatoes, which date backto the periodbeforemass commer-cialization.In general the loss offlavor coincides with the intensive

breeding that began after World WarII. Since flavorstarted going down,

yieldsof tomatoes have gone up by300 percent, saysKlee.

Biochemical analysis of the best-flavored varietieswith inputfrommanytasting panelsidentified 68flavou-associated compounds.Mostimportantarevolatiles,many ofwhich also contribute strongly to the

enticing scent of freshly picked to-matoes. Some chemicals(such ascis-3-hexanal)which scientists hadpreviously thought important fortastewere not. Others (such asgeranial), which had been regardedas marginal contributors, wereactu-ally key to good flavor.

At the same time, scientists arediscovering the genetics of tomatoflavor, appearance and durability.One particular mutation, favored

because it gives ripe tomatoes abeautifully even scarlet surface,turns outto reduce the biosynthesisof flavoring compounds.

Nowthe Florida researchers havebred hybrids between great-tastingheirloomsand modern commerciallines, which consumerslove andwhich are easierto grow, Klee says.Id say wehave 100 pe cent of theflavor [of oldvarieties] and80 percent of the performance [of modernones], but we need100 per cent ofthe performance before commercialgrowers will take them up.

Although Klee worked forMon-santountil1995, developing geneti-cally modified crops, he does notseea role forGM technology in breeding

bettertomatoes, because of con-sumer resistance and because itwouldbe too costlyand time-con-suming to obtain regulatoryapprovalfora transgenic tomato.

We cando it through conven-tional breeding, usingmodern genet-ics and flavor chemistry, he says. +

ROSSHAILEY/MCT PHOTO

Savor the flavorIn pursuit of the perfect tomato

ByClive Cookson | Financial Times

FOOD+

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