Kosher Chicken Bacteria
smartertimes.com

There's something not quite kosher about the Times coverage of a scientific study comparing "the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli bacteria on four types of chickens: those raised conventionally; organically; without antibiotics, and those slaughtered under kosher rules."

First, the Times quotes the study's lead author saying: "Every other week for 10 weeks, I would go and spend the entire Saturday buying chicken." Kosher butchers tend to be closed on Saturdays, which is the Jewish sabbath, which raises some unanswered questions about the study's methodology.

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New York Times on Museum Directors' Apartments
futureofcapitalism.com

The New York Times has a front-page article focusing on three New York museums who provide their directors with housing whose value is not taxable as income under the theory that the apartments are the site of business-related entertaining.

In addition to her $877,000 compensation package, Ellen V. Futter, president of the American Museum of Natural History, lives rent free in a $5 million East Side apartment that the museum bought when she came aboard.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses its director, Thomas P. Campbell, in a $4 million co-op that it owns across Fifth Avenue from the museum.

The director of the Museum of Modern Art, Glenn D. Lowry, may have the best deal of all. In addition to the $2 million in salary and benefits he earned last year, he lives in a $6 million condo in the tower atop the museum.

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Nonprofits and Politics
futureofcapitalism.com

Bloomberg's Washington bureau is so left-wing it makes the New York Times look like National Review.

The latest example: The Times and Bloomberg both write the same article about political spending via non-profit groups organized under section 501(c) of the tax code.

The New York Times article at least says the organizations "have been growing in popularity as conduits for large, unrestricted donations among both Republicans and Democrats since the 2006 election." [Emphasis ours]. The Times article also includes a reference to "501(c)(5) labor unions, which have been supporting Democrats."

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Nonprofits and Tax Rates
futureofcapitalism.com

The New York Times has an article about the charitable giving tax deduction in the context of the overall tax policy and deficit reduction debate:

Mr. Minarik, who was the director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton administration, recalled being involved in putting together the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which reduced tax rates on high-income individuals. "One of the things we heard at that time was that reducing the top bracket rates would destroy the not-for-profit sector," he said.

Instead, he noted, the act reduced the value of a charitable gift to the donor by 24 percent, according to research by the nonprofit trade group Independent Sector, but the next year giving rose 10 percent.

Read More...

Kosher Chicken Bacteria
smartertimes.com

There's something not quite kosher about the Times coverage of a scientific study comparing "the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli bacteria on four types of chickens: those raised conventionally; organically; without antibiotics, and those slaughtered under kosher rules."

First, the Times quotes the study's lead author saying: "Every other week for 10 weeks, I would go and spend the entire Saturday buying chicken." Kosher butchers tend to be closed on Saturdays, which is the Jewish sabbath, which raises some unanswered questions about the study's methodology.

Read More...

New York Times on Museum Directors' Apartments
futureofcapitalism.com

The New York Times has a front-page article focusing on three New York museums who provide their directors with housing whose value is not taxable as income under the theory that the apartments are the site of business-related entertaining.

In addition to her $877,000 compensation package, Ellen V. Futter, president of the American Museum of Natural History, lives rent free in a $5 million East Side apartment that the museum bought when she came aboard.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses its director, Thomas P. Campbell, in a $4 million co-op that it owns across Fifth Avenue from the museum.

The director of the Museum of Modern Art, Glenn D. Lowry, may have the best deal of all. In addition to the $2 million in salary and benefits he earned last year, he lives in a $6 million condo in the tower atop the museum.

Read More...

Nonprofits and Politics
futureofcapitalism.com

Bloomberg's Washington bureau is so left-wing it makes the New York Times look like National Review.

The latest example: The Times and Bloomberg both write the same article about political spending via non-profit groups organized under section 501(c) of the tax code.

The New York Times article at least says the organizations "have been growing in popularity as conduits for large, unrestricted donations among both Republicans and Democrats since the 2006 election." [Emphasis ours]. The Times article also includes a reference to "501(c)(5) labor unions, which have been supporting Democrats."

Read More...

Nonprofits and Tax Rates
futureofcapitalism.com

The New York Times has an article about the charitable giving tax deduction in the context of the overall tax policy and deficit reduction debate:

Mr. Minarik, who was the director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton administration, recalled being involved in putting together the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which reduced tax rates on high-income individuals. "One of the things we heard at that time was that reducing the top bracket rates would destroy the not-for-profit sector," he said.

Instead, he noted, the act reduced the value of a charitable gift to the donor by 24 percent, according to research by the nonprofit trade group Independent Sector, but the next year giving rose 10 percent.

Read More...