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August 6, 1999
CONTENTS:
- The Art of Alarms (Security Management magazine and an
article on museum security in an upcoming issue)
- Tibetan art dealer arrested in attempt to stop relics theft
- FORGERIES, A LONG HISTORY
- Artifacts Illegally Removed
- Concentration camp memorial artist is used to having his work
- News from CPSC - Fire Sprinkler Recall
- Stolen Mayan Artifact Returned
- Antiques dealer 'bought item from grave robber'
- Van Gogh Drawing Returned to Heir
- The Theft From The Louvre of the Diamond Sword of Charles X
- U.S. vs an Antique Platter of Gold (Claire Lyons)
- RE: Omega Sprinkers (William Heidecker)
- fire protection articles
- Breast-Feeding Bill Considered (at the Smithsonian's Museum of
Natural History, a guard told mother to stop breast-feeding her child
or leave.)
- Parole denied for figure in art theft (Isabella Stewart Gardner
heist)
From: "Michael Gips" mgips@asisonline.org
Subject: The Art of Alarms (Security Management magazine and an
article on museum security in an upcoming issue)
Security Management magazine is looking to fill a slot for an article
on museum security in an upcoming issue. The topic is "Museums: The
Art of Alarms." We are looking for any articles within that broad
topic, but perhaps a case study would be easiest for an author to
prepare. In a case study, the author would describe the institution
where he or she works, its collections, its security concerns, etc.
The article would then discuss how the institution designed its alarm
system (and with what consideration We're looking for 2,500 to 3,500
words. Deadline is officially September 1, 1999, but a few days'
leeway is possible. Author guidelines for Security Management are
available at www.securitymanagement.com; click on "Magazine
Highlights," then go to "Writer's Guidelines" at the bottom right of
the screen.
If you're interested in contributing, please contact Michael Gips,
senior editor, 703/518-1458; mgips@asisonline.org. Thanks everyone.
Tibetan art dealer arrested in attempt to stop relics theft
A prominent Tibetan art dealer with extensive foreign connections
has been arrested and imprisoned in Lhasa following a crackdown on
international art theft from Tibet. The arrest of Tsering Tashi, who
has a Nepalese passport and who owns an art gallery in Kathmandu
selling high quality antiques, indicates the determination of the
Tibetan authorities to tighten control over illegal international
trading in religious relics and Buddhist art.
Tsering Tashi was detained in March during the security crackdown
that accompanied the anniversary of the 1959 Uprising in Lhasa.
Measures taken by the authorities to prevent dissent included the
harassment and detention both of Lhasa businesspeople and of Tibetans
with Nepalese papers, reflecting official suspicion of any Tibetans
with links outside the country. According to reports from Kathmandu,
high-level officials came from Chengdu in Sichuan to supervise Tsering
Tashi's arrest, and the art dealer is reportedly being held in Seitru
prison after an initial period in Gutsa detention centre. Reports of
the arrest have appeared in the official media in Lhasa, and it is
widely believed that he will be given a long sentence. At least five
other Tibetans have also been detained in connection with the case,
according to unofficial reports from Nepal, although Tsering Tashi's
Swiss and American partners managed to leave Lhasa without being
arrested.
The detention of such a well-connected businessman is unprecedented
in recent years, and may be intended to convince the outside world
and Tibetans that the authorities are protecting Tibetan religious
art and culture. The arrest of a Tibetan art dealer with a Nepalese
passport may also represent an attempt by the TAR authorities to
close down channels for the art trade between Nepal and Tibet.
Tsering Tashi is an educated, urbane middle-aged entrepreneur who
travelled frequently to Hong Kong on business and had good connections
in the international art world. Together with a Tibetan partner, he
owns Dawa Arts, a shop on one of the most exclusive streets in
Kathmandu, Durbar Marg.
There are reports in Kathmandu that Tsering Tashi's arrest may be
linked to a theft from Yumbu Lagang palace in Lhoka prefecture in the
Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in February. According to a report on
Tibet Television on 25 February, three men broke into the palace early
in the morning of 18 February and took 37 cultural relics, including a
precious copper statue of a Tibetan deity, Chenresig (the bodhisattva
of compassion). The Yumbu Lagang is of great spiritual and cultural
significance in Tibet; it was the palace of the first king of Tibet,
Nyatri Tsenpo, and according to legend, sacred texts once miraculously
fell from the sky onto the palace roof, heralding the first appearance
of Buddhism in Tibet. At around the same time as the theft from Yumba
Lagang, old statues and a set of thangkas were stolen from Nalendra
monastery, a seat of the Sakya school in Phenpo, TAR.
read the rest of this story at:
http://www.tibetinfo.net/news-updates/nu200799.htm
http://www.artcult.com/Forger.htm
FORGERIES, A LONG HISTORY
By Adrian Darmon
Fakes are an incurable plague for the art market and though
counter-measure techniques have been increasingly modernised since the
second half of the 20th Century forgers have probably some more good
years ahead of them.
read full article at: http://www.artcult.com/Forger.htm
Artifacts Illegally Removed
- (SALT LAKE CITY) --
The dead son of a
woman who donated 316 rare American Indian artifacts to a Nevada
museum apparently got them illegally from public lands in Utah and
Nevada. The "Salt Lake Tribune" reports that the tools, seed bags,
moccasins and other items, which have an estimated value of more than
ten-thousand-dollars, were removed from a remote corner of northern
Utah by Stephan Mueller, who later died of hypothermia with his
girlfriend near the Nevada border. Officials say Mueller's mother
vanished after giving the artifacts to the Nevada State Museum in
Carson City, where they will remain for the time being.
Concentration camp memorial artist is used to having his work
vandalized
By Toby Axelrod
BERLIN, August 3 (JTA) -- When he got the news that his Holocaust
memorial sculpture had been damaged last week in Weimar, British
artist Stuart Wolfe wasn't surprised. Since his installation first
appeared in Berlin four years ago, its components -- 16 tall human
figures of wood and plaster on iron skeletons -- have been ``thrown
over, smashed" and had ``their arms knocked off" many times, says the
43-year-old artist. His work has appeared at or near the sites of
several concentration camp memorials in Germany, including
Sachsenhausen, Ravensbruck and now in Weimar, a few miles from
Buchenwald. The heart of each figure is pierced with an iron stake
that bears the triangles used by the Nazis to identify each
persecuted group -- including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and
political prisoners. Sometimes visitors place flowers in the hands
of the statues. ``The positive feelings are much more abundant," he
says. But ``the headlines are always concerning the vandalism." Most
incidents have not been linked definitively to right-wingers, he
says. But in one case, when the figures were installed at the
concentration camp memorial in Sachsenhausen, ``a 19-year-old
right-wing Nazi was caught and convicted." The vandal owes Wolf $20
a month for the next 30 years to cover the costs of repair. That is
what Wolfe does each time his work is damaged. He picks up the pieces
and starts again. In the latest incident, which occurred on the
evening of July 24, he got a call from the priest at the Jakob's
Church in Weimar where the sculptures are installed. One statue had
been knocked down. ``I said leave it," recalls Wolfe, sitting in his
airy Berlin studio, surrounded by 7-foot-tall, gray figures. ``I
thought that was it. Then on the night before I went to collect them,
the 28th, six others were thrown over." A motive for the vandalism
has not been established, but there is a reward of about $2,300 for
information leading to an arrest. Wolfe now has to repair the
figures for the next installation -- at the Ravensbruck concentration
camp for women. But he doesn't seem to mind. He sees the destruction
as a part of the artistic expression. After all, the figures
represent destroyed humans. So the vandals are ``reinforcing the
point I am trying to make," he says. Wolfe, who is not Jewish, came
to the theme of the Holocaust because he has often felt like a
``stranger in another country." ``Some people are still segregated
as they were during the Nazi time. I identify with any kind of
discrimination." A self-described atheist, Wolfe wanted his work to
represent all victims of Nazi discrimination -- something he wishes
the planned Holocaust memorial in Berlin would do. He also wants to
respond to the fact that there is so much hatred and discrimination
today. Meanwhile, Wolfe hopes the young vandal from the
Sachsenhausen incident won't forget why he is shelling out $20 every
month. ``I've never talked to him and he has never talked to me,"
Wolfe says. ``He owes me for the next 30 years.''
From: "Nacheman, Scott" SNacheman@LZAgroup.com
Subject: [Fire Safe Heritage]: News from CPSC - Fire Sprinkler Recall
For Immediate Release Contact: Ken Giles
August 4, 1999 (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1184
Release # 99-152
CPSC, Mealane Corp. Announce Recall of Star Fire Sprinklers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC), Mealane Corp. of Philadelphia, Pa., is
voluntarily recalling up to 1 million "Star" brand fire sprinklers
manufactured from 1961 through 1976. These sprinklers could fail in a
fire, exposing the public to bodily injury or death. These
sprinklers have been installed nationwide, primarily in nursing
homes. They also may be found in hospitals, schools, resorts,
stores, office buildings, warehouses and supermarkets. CPSC reports
that 67 percent of the sprinklers that were removed from locations
across the country and submitted for testing to independent testing
laboratories, such as by Underwriters Laboratories and Factory
Mutual Research Corp., failed to activate as they should. CPSC has
received one report of a Star sprinkler allegedly not functioning in
a bedroom fire in a nursing home. The Star sprinklers being recalled
are dry-type models D-1, RD-1, RE-1,E-1 and ME-1 made from 1961
through 1976. The name "Star" appears on the sprinkler, along with
the model number and date of manufacture. With "dry-type"
sprinklers, portions of the pipe do not have water in them until the
sprinkler activates. The former Star Sprinkler Co., of Philadelphia,
Pa., sold its assets and changed its name in June 1976 and became
known as Mealane Corp. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations, an independent, not-for-profit
organization that evaluates and accredits hospitals and other
long-term-care facilities, is supporting the recall with CPSC.
Consumers and property owners should determine whether their
facilities contain these recalled sprinklers and if so, call the
Star Sprinkler Recall Hotline at (800) 866-7807 or access the website
at www.star-recall.com to participate in the recall. Mealane will
provide free replacement sprinkler heads and reimbursement for the
labor costs of removing and replacing the old units. CPSC is
continuing its ongoing investigation of fire sprinklers. The U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from
unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer
products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous
product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800)
638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's
web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on
CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web
site at http://cpsc.gov/about/who.html. To order a press release
through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your
fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this
release and recall information at CPSC's web site at
http://www.cpsc.gov. To establish a link from your web site to this
press release on CPSC's web site, create a link to the following
address: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml99/99152.html.
From: IntlArtCop@aol.com
Subject: Stolen Mayan Artifact Returned
The Associated Press
By BETH GARDINER
NEW YORK (AP) - When archeologist Ian Graham heard last fall that a
U.S. art collector planned to sell a 1,000-year-old Mayan artifact,
he thought immediately of the saw marks on the front of a limestone
monument he unearthed in Guatemala in 1971. The 7 1/2-foot monument
of a standing man was missing a rectangular section that had once
decorated its chest. The one about to be sold sounded a lot like the
stolen fragment. ``I knew that that was the piece,'' said Graham, who
works at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard
University. He immediately notified the Guatemalan consulate, which
announced today in New York that the piece had been recovered and
would be returned soon to its Central American homeland. ``For us,
it's an invaluable treasure because it is a part of our history,''
said Guatemalan Consul General Fabiola Fuentes Orellana. ``It's
priceless.'' Graham discovered the damaged statue in 1971 in northern
Guatemala. Where its carved stone chest ornamentation should have
been, he found just the flat surface left by thieves' saws. The chest
piece had probably been stolen about five years earlier, along with
other items, he said. The Guatemalan consulate had its lawyers alert
U.S. Customs. Howard Spiegler, a lawyer for the Guatemalan
government, then spoke to the collector, who agreed to return the
piece, Spiegler said. Spiegler would not discuss how the American
collector, whom he did not identify, had obtained the artifact.
Neither he nor Graham could estimate the value of the recovered
piece.
(Daily Telegraph London)
Antiques dealer 'bought item from grave robber'
By Philip Delves Broughton in New York
A NEW YORK thief who specialised in robbing cemeteries has been
explaining the secrets of his trade to a Manhattan court in the trial
of an antiques expert accused of dealing in stolen objects. Anthony
Casamassina, 40, told the court that he spent 15 years stealing from
New York's cemeteries and selling some of the objects to dealers. He
has been called as a witness in the trial of South African-born
Alastair Duncan, a former adviser to Sotheby's and the FBI's art
theft division, who has been charged with selling Tiffany windows
stolen from cemeteries. Mr Duncan, author of several books on Tiffany
glass, is said to have bought a 9ft-tall window stolen from a
mausoleum in Brooklyn by Mr Casamassina and to have sold it to a
Japanese collector for UKP.120,000. Mr Duncan denies knowing that it
was stolen. Mr Casamassina told the court that for the past 15 years
his principal source of income had come from selling items stolen
from cemeteries. After dropping out of school, he found a job as a
caretaker at a cemetery in Queens, New York. In 1991, however, he
was fired for stealing a marble pedestal. Over the years, he said he
had stolen more than 80 objects from cemeteries in New York's five
boroughs, including pedestals, statues, windows and urns. Mr
Casamassina said that he chose the Tiffany window which Mr Duncan is
accused of handling because it was in a mausoleum that was overgrown,
damp and unvisited.
The trial continues.
Van Gogh Drawing Returned to Heir
By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press Writer
BERLIN (AP) - German officials returned a van Gogh drawing and two
other pieces of art on Wednesday to the heir of a Jewish collector
forced by the Nazis to sell the works for a fraction of their true
value. The van Gogh drawing, titled ``Olive Trees,'' has been in
Berlin museums since 1935, the year the original owner, Max
Silberberg, was forced to auction off his collection. The drawing and
two other pieces were the first from Silberberg's extensive
collection returned to his only surviving heir, daughter-in-law Gerta
Silberberg, now 85 and living in Britain. ``The return of these
artistic and valuable drawings can send a signal'' for future returns
of Jewish property, said Karl Brozik, director of the Conference of
Jewish Material Claims against Germany. The Claims Conference, which
identified the van Gogh drawing in 1997, has found at least 1,000
more pieces of art in former communist nations that were looted by
the Nazis from Jewish owners. About half are in Berlin. Silberberg, a
factory owner in what was then Breslau, present-day Wroclaw in
Poland, was forced to sell his art collection, house and eventually
his factory. The art alone would be valued at $60 million today, said
Konrad Matschke, a Claims Conference spokesman. ``It was an important
collection of Impressionist and Expressionist art, including works by
Cezanne and Pisarro,'' Matschke said. Two more paintings from the
Silberberg collection have been identified, one in the United States
and one in Russia, Matschke said. Terms for a handover, however, have
not been reached. Returned with the van Gogh were two other pieces: a
drawing by Caspar David Friedrich seized by the Nazis from Silberberg
in 1940 and a painting by Hans von Marees sold at the same 1935
auction. The painting is being loaned for an exhibit in Bremen. Like
the van Gogh, the other pieces had been in museums in Berlin and
neighboring Brandenburg states under control of the Foundation for
Prussian Cultural Collections. Gerta Silberberg and her husband,
Alfred, emigrated to Great Britain ``under difficult circumstances''
in 1937. Max Silberberg remained in Silesia and later died in a
concentration camp.
From: "Robert Blackwood & Peter Gribble" menelik@infinet.net
Subject: The Theft From The Louvre of the Diamond Sword of Charles X
To Whom It May Concern, I was fascinated to discover your website
today and all that it contains. I am particularly intrigued with
finding out all there is to know about the theft of the magnificent
diamond sword of France's last king Charles X which he had made for
his coronation in 1824. I believe it disappeared from the Louvre in
the late 1970's or the early 1980's. Was it ever recovered? Do you
have any relevant information or know where I could obtain it? I
would be most appreciative of any assistance. I can read French if
any of the info is in that language.
Thank you. Yours sincerely,
Peter
From: "Claire Lyons" CLyons@getty.edu
Subject: U.S. vs an Antique Platter of Gold
Members of this list may be interested in the outcome of the recent
legal case involving an ancient gold phiale, looted from a site in
northern Sicily, illegally exported, and illegally imported into the
United States. The phiale was seized by U.S. Customs from Michael
Steinhardt, an antiquities collector and former hedge-fund manager in
New York. The summary below was prepared by Professor Patty
Gerstenblith, DePaul University College of Law, co-author of an amicus
brief submitted in support of the Republic of Italy by the
Archaeological Institute of America and five other national academic
organizations. Following the summary is a translation of an article
that appeared in the Sicilian journal Kalos, providing additional
details on the case. Further background on this and related issues of
the illicit antiquities trade (with particular reference to other
unprovenanced Sicilian antiquities in U.S. public and private
collections) can be found in "The Looting of Italy," Archaeology
May/June 1998, and "Head Found on Fifth Avenue," The New Yorker, May
24, 1999.
Summary:
On July 12, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals handed down its
decision in U.S. v. An Antique Platter of Gold (the "Steinhardt"
case). It affirmed the decision of the District Court which held that
a 4th-century BC Sicilian gold phiale purchased by New York collector
Michael Steinhardt should be forfeited. The District Court based its
decision on two reasons: first, that the misrepresentations on customs
forms concerning country of origin and value of the phiale were
material to the importation process and therefore violated customs
statutes; second, that the phiale is stolen property under the
National Stolen Property Act (because of the Italian law vesting
ownership of antiquities in the Italian government).
In its decision, the appellate court relied on the false statements
and specifically declined to address the second issue. The court also
held that there is no innocent owner exception that would excuse the
false statements and prevent the forfeiture of the phiale. Much of the
opinion focuses on the standard of determining materiality of false
statements. However, in determining whether the false statements were
material, the court did discuss the relevance of the country of origin
to the evaluation of a customs official in deciding whether to allow
an object to be imported. The court stated:
"For a trier of fact to determine whether a statement can
significantly affect the importation process, it need ask only whether
a reasonable customs official would consider the statements to be
significant to the exercise of his or her official duties. ...Customs
Directive No. 5230-15, regarding the detention and seizure of cultural
property, fatally undermines Steinhardt's contention that listing
Switzerland as the country of origin was irrelevant to the Phiale's
importation. The Directive advised customs officials to determine
whether property was subject to a claim of foreign ownership and to
seize that property. *An item's country of origin is clearly relevant
to that inquiry."
"Steinhardt contends, however, that the Directive does not cover the
Phiale and, therefore, the misstatements could not have been material
because there was no legal basis for the Phiale's seizure. We
disagree. The Directive provides a basis for seizing cultural property
under the NSPA in the seizure provisions of 19 U.S.C. section
1595a(c). Seizure of the Phiale would clearly be authorized by this
provision under United States v. McClain, ... which held that
violations of a nation's patrimony laws are covered by the NSPA.
Because Steinhardt asserts that McClain was improperly decided, he
claims that the customs officials lacked a statutory basis to seize
the Phiale."
"This argument, however, misperceives the test of materiality.
Regardless of whether McClain's reasoning is ultimately followed as a
proper interpretation of the NSPA, a reasonable customs official would
certainly consider the fact that McClain supports a colorable claim to
seize the Phiale as having possibly been exported in violation of
Italian patrimony laws. Indeed, the Directive explicitly references
the McClain decision and informs officials that if they are unsure of
the status of a nation's patrimony laws, they should notify the Office
of Enforcement. ...Knowing that the Phiale was from Italy would,
therefore, be of critical importance."
From Kalos, spring 1999, reprinted in the Catania newspaper La
Sicilia, March 11, 1999:
"U.S. Collector and museums challenge Italian law"
The case of the gold phiale purchased by New York financier Michael
Steinhardt was argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second
Circuit on October 14, 1998. As reported in a previous issue of Kalos
(n. 1/'98), this splendid example of Sicilian Hellenistic metalwork
was reportedly removed from the archaeological zone of Caltavuturo
(Prov. di Palermo) in the course of construction work. The phiale was
in the private collection of Enzo Cammarata, a noted Sicilian coin
dealer, who sold it in turn to New York dealer Robert Haber, through
intermediaries in Switzerland. Purchased by Mr. Steinhardt in 1992 for
$1.2 million, the gold phiale was seized by U.S. Customs agents in
1995 in response to a request for assistance brought by the Republic
of Italy. Citing false statements on U.S. customs forms and the fact
that the phiale is considered "stolen property" under Italy's cultural
patrimony law of 1939, the Federal District Court for New York ordered
forfeiture in November 1997. Furthermore, the Court decided that there
is no exception to the customs regulations for an owner who is
ignorant (or innocent) of the misrepresentations. Mr. Steinhardt
currently faces criminal charges in Italy, along with two antiquities
dealers, according Aldo de Negri, the assistant magistrate in charge
of the case at the Regional Court of Sicily in Termini Imerese.
This controversial case, of considerable importance for the
international trade in art and cultural objects, has been on appeal
since 1997. Concern over the implications of the lower Court's
finding, that violation of foreign nations' patrimony laws can make
objects "stolen" under the laws of the U.S., led a coalition of
American museums to file an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief
in support of Mr. Steinhardt. The American Association of Museums has
asserted that if the forfeiture of the phiale is upheld, foreign
governments will be able to seize cultural objects from museums with
no "innocent owner" defense. The AAM document has become a source of
disagreement among American museums, a number of which adhere to
strict codes of ethics when considering acquisitions of antiquities.
Challenging the AAM's position, the Archaeological Institute of
America and five other archaeological and academic associations have
filed an amicus brief in support of the Italian claim for restitution.
AIA attorneys emphasized the importance of original context for the
preservation of archaeological heritage, and cited numerous legal
precedents for the restitution of looted objects to nations having
well established archaeological patrimony laws.
Attorneys representing Steinhardt, the U.S. government, and the
Republic of Italy argued before the Federal Court of Appeals in New
York in October, presenting opposing interpretations of U.S. Customs
and Italian laws. According to U.S. Attorney Evan Barr, the phiale was
imported by means of false statements on the customs documents, which
indicated the country of origin as Switzerland and listed the value of
the phiale at less than a quarter of the price paid. Steinhardt's
lawyer maintained that the false declarations were not material, that
Italian law does not clearly assign ownership of archaeological
objects to the State, and that Steinhardt is a good faith purchaser.
Representing the Republic of Italy, Steven Skulnik, of Harcourt &
Pavia in New York, pointed to section 826 of the Italian Civil Code,
which specifies that archaeological objects found beneath the soil are
part of the non-disposable patrimony of the Italian State. He noted,
in addition, that Article 44 of the cultural patrimony law of 1939
provides that "things discovered belong to the State." Questioning
Steinhardt's attorney closely, the panel of judges asked whether false
statements on customs forms are not clearly material, and suggested
that such an argument offers people "an incentive to lie." Another
judge on the panel noted that great care had been taken to remove the
phiale from Italy via Lugano and to ascertain its authenticity, while
little care was given to proper importation into the U.S. Most of the
questions posed by the judges concerned the false statements on the
customs declaration. It is possible that if the Court of Appeals rules
against Mr. Steinhardt on this issue, it would not have to rule that
the phiale is also subject to forfeiture on the grounds that it was
"stolen" in view of Italy's ownership under Italian law. A decision is
expected within the next six months.
C.L. Lyons
[former] Vice President for Professional Responsibilities
Archaeological Institute of America
From: "William A. Heidecker" heideckerwa@worldnet.att.net
Subject: Omega Sprinkers
This is in response to the query from Roxana Adams about Omega
Sprinklers. I will try to be brief; the problem is not simple.
Only certain sprinklers manufactured by Central Sprinkler under the
Omega brand name have been recalled. Check the web site
www.omegarecall.com . The problem involved an innovation not used in
other types of sprinklers.
In my judgement, the specific type of sprinkler recalled should not
have been used in museums (or the White House, government office
buildings, etc.). The type recalled were specifically designed for
use in residential occupancies. To reduce residential fire deaths,
certain compromises in sprinkler design were permitted to
accommodate this specific problem. Some misguided individuals,
noting that the residential sprinklers could be installed at lower
cost, took the residential sprinkler concept and used it in
locations where it was never intended to be.
If sprinkler heads (of any design or manufacture) have been properly
installed, the heads can be unscrewed and replaced (after draining
the system!) without disturbing the ceiling. Any replacement work
should be done by a reputable sprinkler contractor.
The real cost of replacing the defective Omega heads is labor.
Especially in buildings with high ceilings (e.g., many museums)
replacing the defective heads will be a labor-intensive job.
+++++++Moderator's message++++++++++++
fire protection articles
William A. Heidecker (heideckerwa@worldnet.att.net) has had the
opportunity to go through nearly a years' worth of fire protection
magazines. Those of you who are interested in getting information
about cultural property fires are invited to get in touch with
William off list at:
heideckerwa@worldnet.att.net
TC
From: IntlArtCop@aol.com
Subject: Breast-Feeding Bill Considered
.c The Associated Press
By SHANNON McCAFFREY
WASHINGTON (AP) - Noel Marie Taylor says she was shocked when on a
family outing to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, a guard
told her to stop breast-feeding her child or leave.
The guard, she said, told her no food or drink was allowed on the
premises.
Under legislation headed for congressional approval, Ms. Taylor's
dilemma may soon be a thing of the past. The bill, sponsored by Rep.
Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., would allow breast-feeding in public areas on
federal property and in national parks.
Maloney says it's part of a push to make breast-feeding, which has
been shown to have numerous health benefits for children, socially
acceptable.
Dr. Michal Ann Young, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said
children who are breast-fed appear to be healthier on average than
other children. Still, only an estimated 54 percent of new mothers in
the Unit.
``It is unthinkable that women would be stopped from doing the most
natural thing in the world - feeding their baby,'' Maloney said
Wednesday at a Capitol Hill news conference packed with strollers and
scampering children. The event was billed as a ``Lactation
Celebration.'' Ms. Taylor's 4-year-old, Maura, hoisted aloft a sign
saying ``I Love Mommy Milk.''
Ms. Taylor, of Columbia Md., said she was confronted by a museum
guard in 1995 when she was discreetly feeding 10-month-old Maura.
``If I had been less confident about breast-feeding imagine what
would have happened. I might have stopped altogether,'' she said.
David Umansky, a spokesman for the Smithsonian Institution, said the
institution did not prohibit breast-feeding and had no record of the
incident that Ms. Taylor described.
Paulette Roberts of Washington, D.C. told of a similar experience at
the National Gallery in Washington. She said she was giving her child
milk while standing next to paintings of nude women and mothers
breast-feeding when a guard told her she was ruining the museum
experience for others.
``The guard told me other patrons would find breast-feeding
offensive,'' said Ms. Roberts.
Deborah Ziska, spokeswoman for the National Gallery, said the
incident was ``probably a misunderstanding.'' She said guards at the
museum have been told that breast-feeding is permissible.
Maloney said her office had received numerous calls from women who
say they've been asked to leave federal buildings, including the U.S.
Capitol, and national parks.
While breast-feeding is not specifically outlawed, some laws
governing public nudity could be applied, supporters of the
legislation say.
The breast-feeding rights act is contained in appropriations bills
that have passed in the House of Representatives. The Senate is
expected to support the legislation as well, Maloney said.
Parole denied for figure in art theft
By Stephen Kurkjian, Globe Staff, 08/05/99
The Massachusetts Parole Board has rejected a bid by William P.
Youngworth III - who claimed last year that he could recover the
priceless artwork stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - to
be released from prison a year before completing a three-year
sentence.
The board cited several reasons in turning down Youngworth's
application: his criminal record, which spans 25 years, his failure to
enroll in drug rehabilitation courses while in prison, and that he
remains a threat to public safety.
In 1997, Youngworth was convicted in Norfolk District Court for
possesion of a stolen motor vehicle and sentenced to three years in
prison. He had petitioned for parole last month.
While awaiting trial during the summer of 1997, Youngworth boasted
that he could help authorities recover 13 pieces of artwork, including
rare paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer, which had been stolen from
the Gardner Museum in March 1990.
But negotiations between Youngworth and the authorities broke down,
with each side accusing the other of dealing in bad faith. Still, some
officials privately believe that Youngworth knows where the artwork is
hidden.
As recently as June, a former top FBI official, who is now working
for a private security company on retainer to the museum, wrote
Youngworth asking him to renew his cooperation. Larry A. Potts, the
former head of the FBI's criminal division and now vice president of
Investigative Group International Inc., of Washington, asked
Youngworth to meet with him.
''It is clear to me, as it is to those associated with the museum,
that you remain the key to bringing this to a successful resolution,''
Potts wrote. ''You have the capability, with my help, to put this
behind you and be a hero.''
Youngworth declined Potts' request for a meeting, but hinted he would
be willing to help - if the museum paid him the $50 million in reward
money and secured an immunity agreement from the US attorney's office
that pledged not to prosecute him for arranging the artworks' return.
This story ran on page A34 of the Boston Globe on 08/05/99.
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