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Here Yesterday, Gone Today

by Rose Madeline Mula

One indication of your age is the number of things that have become obsolete in your lifetime. Using that criteria, I’m not old, I’m ancient — and getting older every second as technology gallops along, trampling yesterday’s wonder products underfoot and replacing them with even more amazing reincarnations.

Commercial Pattern Archive, Pattern Company Kwik-Sew, University of Rhode Island. Misses Swimsuit, 1991

A notable example is the smartphone, a pocket-size marvel that is more powerful than yesterday’s huge main frame computer that lived in a cavernous, climate-controlled chamber. Because of that smartphone, pay phone booths have all but disappeared. I worry about where Clark Kent can go now to change into his super duds.

But it’s not just cellular flip phones, Walkmen, VCRs, and other technologic gizmos that have are disappearing into the past, so have many of the items that used to live in our closets and dresser drawers.

When was the last time you saw a housedress, for example. Every woman used to have a few of those to wear while doing housework, cooking, laundry … Women still perform these tasks, but nowadays wearing jeans instead of the shapeless, cotton uniform of yesterday.

Also gone is the formerly ubiquitous apron (except for the ‘macho’ version hubby wears while barbequeing).

And every woman ‘of a certain age’ remembers the fancy hats and white gloves we always wore to church on Sunday. Especially notable was the new Easter hat every year to coordinate with the   new spring coat. Come to think of it, whatever happened to the spring coat — and the spring suit? Time was when no wardrobe was complete without one of each.

Other clothing staples that have disappeared are garter belts and nylon stockings. The latter were like panty hose, but without the panty part. Actually, panty hose are also becoming obsolete. Bare legs are now the fashion, even in cold northern winters, so manicured toe nails can peep through the peep-toe stilletos that have replaced what we used to call our ‘high heels.’ Hardly. Three inches was tops. Today five, six—and even higher—are the norm. If I had kids, I’d strongly suggest they become podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons because I predict a huge rush of business in those fields a few years from now when all the women who are wearing this torturous footwear today inevitably become crippled, lame, and cane-dependent.

If you’re as old as I am, you’ll remember the one-piece bathing suit, constructed of enough fabric to make at least a dozen of today’s barely-there bikinis. And to go with that one-piece suit was the inevitable bathing cap — that scalp-hugging, hideous, rubber helmet worn today only by competitive swimmers to reduce drag and increase speed. Back in the day we girls all wore them, even if we just waded in the surf (which was my speed) to keep our hair dry. It wasn’t pretty. The caps made us look like bald old men. Furthermore, they didn’t really keep our hair dry. Go figure. Joining these items in the trash heap are the slips and voluminous, ruffled petticoats we used to wear. God forbid the sun should shine through our skirts and show the outline of our legs! These days that isn’t a concern.   Legs are the least of what’s revealed by back lighting — especially since few women wear panties any more. The string thongs that have replaced them certainly don’t hide anything. (And aren’t they uncomfortable???)

Girdles and corsets have supposedly also gone the way of the dodo bird, but don’t you believe it. They’re still here but are masquerading under the cute name of Spanx, which makes them sound like naughty fun instead of torture.

Also so ‘yesterday’ are jeans without holes in the knees — and elsewhere. What’s that all about?

If the trend continues, I know that nothing in my closet today will be ‘in’ tomorrow. I only hope that birthday suits don’t become fashionable. Mine is all wrinkled, and I don’t think putting it through be Permanent Press cycle in my dryer will work.

©2014 Rose Madeline Mula for SeniorWomen.com

June 13, 2014
The GAO Looks At Airline Competition: Do You Know What ‘Capacity Restraint’ Means? Bet You Do

What GAO* Found

Direction signs at Berlin’s Tegel Airport by Matti Blume. Wikimedia Commons

The US passenger airline industry has returned to profitability following the recent economic recession. From 2007 through 2012, the industry generated approximately $21.7 billion in operating profits despite losing about $5.6 billion in 2008. US airlines maintained approximately $13 billion in cash reserves in 2012. Growth in revenue has driven industry profits, aided by increased passenger traffic, “capacity restraint,” (i.e., limiting the supply of available seats in relation to the level of demand), and revenue from ancillary fees for checking bags and other services. For example, baggage and reservation change fees collected by US airlines increased from about $1.4 billion in 2007 to $6 billion in 2012. Additionally, unlike prior recoveries when airline capacity growth undermined the ability to charge profitable fares, airlines since 2009 have restrained capacity growth even though demand for air travel has risen with the economic recovery.

In recent years, the average number of competitors has not substantially changed in markets traveled by the majority of passengers, despite several major airline mergers. From 2007 through 2012, the average number of effective competitors (defined as airlines with more than a 5 percent market share) ranged from 4.3 to 4.5 in the markets with the most passengers. During this period, the average number of effective competitors in markets with the fewest passengers decreased slightly from 3.3 to 3 airlines. While these results reflect market changes that have occurred since several airlines merged, the American-US Airways merger occurred after GAO’s analysis. The mergers created larger networks and new connections in some markets. Also, low-cost airlines have expanded since 2007, thereby adding new competitors into some larger markets. The structure of the market will continue to evolve as economic conditions change and the recent airline mergers are fully implemented.

In recent years, consumers have experienced higher airfares, additional fees, and fewer flights in certain markets, but also new services and expanded networks. Consumers paid about 4 percent more in real terms, on average, for air travel in 2012 than in 2007, without considering additional fees. The airline industry has reduced flights, especially to smaller airports, and consolidated service at large airports. Airlines have also invested in new aircraft and introduced new services, such as early boarding and entertainment options, in an attempt to differentiate products and increase revenue.

Most airline stakeholders cited barriers to market entry, especially restrictions on takeoff and landing slots at four US airports— Washington, DC’s Reagan National and three New York City area airports — as a major challenge to airline competition. Barriers that make airline entry more difficult can hamper competition and enable incumbent firms to charge and maintain higher prices. In addition, access to capital and the size advantages of major airlines present a formidable challenge for any new airline. Stakeholders suggested addressing challenges to competition by increasing capacity at congested airports, enhancing fare transparency, and allowing states a greater role in consumer regulation of airlines. However, stakeholders differed regarding the role of the federal government in addressing competition challenges, in part because changes to the airline industry due to consolidation are ongoing.

Why GAO Did This Study

Since 2007, there have been four major airline mergers. As a result of this consolidation, about 85 percent of passengers in the US flew on four domestic airlines in 2013. Certain industry observers have raised concerns that consolidation could have adverse effects on airline competition, such as higher airfares and reduced service. Others argue that consumers stand to benefit from recent changes in the industry as profitable airlines reinvest in new planes and expand their networks.

To assist Congress in overseeing changes in the airline industry, GAO was asked to examine the state of competition in the domestic passenger airline industry. This report addresses (1) changes to the financial health of the US airline industry since 2007; (2) changes to the structure of the market since 2007; (3) how consumers have been affected by these changes; and (4) views of stakeholders on the key challenges to airline competition and actions the federal government could take to address these challenges.

GAO analyzed airline financial data reported to DOT, as well as DOT passenger itinerary data from 2007 through 2012, the latest year available. GAO interviewed DOT and DOJ officials and 26 stakeholders, selected based on prior work and their expertise in the field, from organizations in sectors such as academia, airlines, consumer advocacy, and finance. Their views are not generalizable, but provide perspectives on a range of competition issues. Both DOJ and DOT provided technical comments on a draft of this report, which were incorporated as appropriate.

Airline Competition: The Average Number of Competitors in Markets Serving the Majority of Passengers Has Changed Little in Recent Years, but Stakeholders Voice Concerns about Competition. GAO-14-515, June 11.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-515
Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/664061.pdf

For more information, contact Susan Fleming at (202) 512-2834 or flemings@gao.gov.

*The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the “congressional watchdog,” GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a slate of candidates Congress proposes.

June 11, 2014
The Debate Has Been Resolved: Old Master ‘Selfie’ is a Rembrandt

Editor’s Note: We are supporters of the English National Trust and have frequently visited the houses under their care. Although the Rembrandt will never be sold, it attests to the treasures to be found, great and small, and enjoyed by all those who visit their properties. We have been to Buckland Abbey in the past and the painting will continue to be much admired, now with certainty.

A self-portrait, previously doubted as being a genuine Rembrandt, has now been scientifically verified as being from the Dutch Old Master’s own hand.

After undergoing eight months of painstaking investigative work at the world famous Hamilton Kerr Institute (HKI) in Cambridgeshire — and re-examination by the world’s leading Rembrandt expert — this now famous self-portrait, the original ‘selfie’, is the first Rembrandt in the National Trust’s collection of 13,500 paintings.

Patricia Burtnyk & Cirsty Jones from Buckland Abbey with the Rembrandt. Credit Steven Haywood

Painted by Rembrandt in 1635, the authenticity of the portrait had previously been thrown into doubt by Rembrandt specialist Horst Gerson and the Rembrandt Research Project (RRP) in 1968.

At the time they felt that certain areas of the painting were not accomplished enough to be by Rembrandt, that the date and painting style didn’t correlate and the panel type was unusual.

In 2005 Ernst van de Wetering, one of these experts, concluded that the painting may well be a genuine Rembrandt when confronted with an X-radiograph of the painting and other circumstantial evidence. In 2012 he had a chance to study the painting at the Trust’s Buckland Abbey in Devon where his theory was further confirmed.

His assurance led the conservation charity to send the painting away for further scientific analysis. Christine Slottvedd Kimbriel, Paintings Conservator at HKI said: “When the painting arrived we felt that a thorough technical examination would aid the reassessment of the painting’s authorship and we hoped that the findings could help to verify if it was definitely by Rembrandt.

“The self-portrait went through a series of investigate analyses to include close visual examination under magnification, infra-red reflectography, x-radiography, raking light photography and pigment and medium analysis.

Christine Slottveld Kimbriel, paintings conservator at HKI carefully cleans the Rembrandt. Credit Brian Cleckner

“Careful cleaning and removal of several layers of aged and yellowed varnish which had been added to the painting much later, revealed the original colours and painting style beneath. What was revealed was a true depth of colour, much more detail and a three-dimensional appearance to the fabric in Rembrandt’s cloak which had previously been obscured and detracted from the quality of the work in the eyes of the Rembrandt Research Project.

“Next, it was close investigation of the artist’s signature that gave us one of the biggest clues as to its true authenticity. The signature and date of 1635, inscribed both on the front and back of the panel, had been considered problematic in previous assessments as it was thought that the style and composition was much more akin to the artist’s style slightly later in his career. But, the cross-section analysis left no reason to doubt that the inscription was added at the time of execution of the painting.

“The infrared reflectography and x-ray photography gave further insight into the compositional changes that took place at various stages during the execution of the portrait. For example a white figure-of-eight cuff could be seen in the x-ray, showing how Rembrandt’s left hand was at one stage included in the composition. Changes to the outline of the figure, carried out at a late stage and without much care to perfectly match the surrounding paint, were also present, and again, such alterations are present in many of Rembrandt’s own works, suggesting a dynamic process of painting typical of Rembrandt.”

June 10, 2014
Ferida Wolff’s Backyard: The Lilac Presence, Blackberries and Raspberries and Useful Screening

The Lilac Presence

Purple is a color that cannot be ignored. At least not in nature. I see purple tulips in people’s yards, purple buds on flowering plum trees, purple outlining pansies. It is a dramatic color. And nothing is more dramatic in my Spring garden than the lilac bush. It insists I pay attention to it. It has an intense presence that calls me to come and admire it. And admire it I do, knowing that this will only last two to three weeks before the blossoms fall and all I will see will be green leaves.

But lilacs are just as famous for their scent as their color. The early buds are tight, withholding their smell until the flowers open. Then they release their heady fragrance, filling the air like the perfume sprayers at department stores. It is an imitated scent in perfumes, candles, oils.

Yet, as with most things, lilacs vary. The deep purple is only one of its shades. They can be lighter purple, pinkish, sky blue, sometimes yellow or white. And the scent varies depending upon the stage of blossoming, the time of day, and the kind of lilac; there are dozens of varieties that can smell sweet or spicy, cloying or calming. The lilac is a harbinger of Spring and also symbolizes first love.

It isn’t necessary to analyze the lilac to value it though. Each type can be appreciated for its own individuality. It kind of reminds me of babies; they all belong to a specific category, that of baby, but each one immediately exhibits its own personality, preferences, and energy, and every child has a presence from the moment of her/his birth. I find it refreshing that no two of anything is exactly alike – not people, not birds, not animals, not flowers, not even lilacs.

What to know if you want to plant lilacs:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8713963_lilac-smell-like.html

And more about lilacs:

http://flowerstracy.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-common-knowledge-about-beautiful.html

Blackberries and Raspberries – Delicious and Beneficial

We planted two new bushes this season. One is a raspberry bush. It is leafing out nicely with flowers and thorns. The other is a blackberry bush, thornless and self-pollinating and also leafy and green. They both are growing nicely despite not being planted in ideal soil. They like sand and we have marl. We modified the soil as much as we could and hope they can adapt. They are in a sunny spot, which is favorable for their growth, and so far they seem to be doing well.

Berries are full of antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamin C, among other beneficial properties. While these particular berries are not on The Dirty Dozen list (those foods that are the most contaminated by pesticides), organic berries have been shown to have more of the health benefits than non-organic berries.

Dr. Andrew Weil partners with Environmental Working Group (EWG). He advocates eating organic produce but acknowledges that it is not always available and frequently is too expensive. He suggests that we choose as much as we can from the safer foods, or at least choose a mixture of the two.

Our berry bushes are organic because we planted them that way. We also shop at local organic farmstands when possible. I am glad to see that some of the larger supermarkets are including organic fruits and vegetables now as the demand increases. How we shop determines what we can buy. Let’s make our preferences for healthy food known.

Nutrition facts for blackberries:

http://wiki-fitness.com/health-benefits-of-blackberries-nutrition/

Nutrition facts for raspberries:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/raspberry.html

June 10, 2014
Supersurvivors and A Level of Contentment: The Fordham Centenarian Study

Dr. Daniela Jopp of the Fordham University’s Psychology Department (above at the New York City Centenarian Reception)

By Joanna Klimaski

Hitting 100 can come with a cost: loss of health, loss of mobility, and even loss of friends and family — all of which would seem to take any anticipation out of the alleged achievement.

But according to Daniela Jopp, Ph.D., many very old individuals say that they are, in fact, very happy.

Daniela Jopp, Ph.D., plans to compare the participants of the Fordham Centenarian Study with German and Portuguese centenarians to determine cultural aspects of successful aging.

Jopp, an assistant professor of psychology, is studying the “well-being paradox,” or the conceptual incongruity between the decline that comes with old age and the actual welfare of the very old.

“It’s a well-known phenomenon, but we were not aware that this would hold until the end of the life span, and until very old age,” she said. “As a psychologist, I was mostly interested in the mechanisms that may be responsible for this [paradox].”

She first noticed the discrepancy during a centenarian study she was conducting at Heidelberg University in Germany, where researchers were investigating which factors might contribute to longevity. What caught Jopp’s attention, though, was not the age of her subjects, but their level of contentment.

“I was very impressed by the fact that those very long-lived individuals were so happy despite the fact that they’ve gone through many things, and their lives are pretty much characterized by losses and difficulties,” Jopp said.

In 2010, Jopp launched the Fordham Centenarian Study to examine the well-being paradox more closely. Her research marked a turn in longevity studies, which until then mostly analyzed genetic and lifestyle factors that contribute to reaching very old age.

Few, though, had explored whether very old individuals actually led high-quality lives at triple-digits, and if they did, how they accomplished it.

Using funding from Fordham and the Brookdale Foundation, Jopp and her team interviewed more than 100 individuals — many of them living in the Bronx [a borough of NYC] — who were at or just below the centenarian mark (half between the ages of 95 and 99, and half over 100 years old). Though varying in race, sex, and socioeconomic backgrounds, the centenarians share four key psychological strengths, Jopp found.

The first of these is meaningfulness: each centenarian has found a sense of meaning in his or her life, though the meaning itself is unique to each individual.

“Some feel they contribute to their families or to their immediate social partners, and that’s certainly one way of experiencing meaning,” she said. “A lot of people just have goals and projects that they pursue, and that’s another source of meaning.”

June 9, 2014
Carla Fernández, The Barefoot Designer at the Gardner

Carla Fernández has gained international recognition for her approach to documenting and preserving the rich textile heritage of Mexico’s indigenous communities by transforming it into beautiful contemporary clothing, and proving tradition is anything but static.

Carla Fernández: Eagle Warrior Suit. Charro Collection Autumn/Winter 2009. Model: Sofia de Lara. Photo: Mark Powell. At Casa Barragan, Mexico City.

This first fashion exhibition at the Gardner Museum explores the development of a new language in visual design that Fernández has built over two decades. She uses a method called “the Square Root” based on the Mexican tradition of making clothing from squares and rectangles. This process emphasizes forms of fabric and delicate, thoughtful construction based on whole fabric, as opposed to cutting in curves and molding to the body.

The Barefoot Designer is multi-faceted exhibition consisting of garments, textiles, drawings, photographs, performance, video, workshops and source materials demonstrating Fernández’s multi-layered design process. A key component of that process is her design workshop Taller Flora, a mobile laboratory that collaborates with Mexico’s indigenous communities, a sustainable business model based on close collaboration with and recognition of local knowledge and talent. During her career, Fernández has worked with many indigenous communities throughout Mexico. The exhibition will highlight the styles and techniques of five states: Chiapas, Yucatan, Campeche, the State of Mexico and Mexico City.

Mobility and collaboration can be seen and felt throughout the exhibition: in its installation, multiple films and monthly dance performances, as well as workshops for the public. The exhibition will include short process videos of weavers, embroiderers, and carpenters by photographer and filmmaker Ramiro Chaves, as well as fashion films produced by Chaves and Pedro Torres in New York City, Boston and Mexico City.

A series of fashion photos by photographer Graciela Iturbide will be on view. A large workshop table adds a hands-on visitor experience to the exhibition which will last through September 1, 2014 in the Museum’s Hostetter Gallery.

Workshops such as √ (Square Root) on Saturday, July 12 will be held at various times during the exhibition: Pre-Hispanic textiles employ an elaborate system of pleats, folds and seams to make an array of garments with only squares and rectangles. The technique Carla Fernández calls “the square root” can be learned by creating doll-sized designs in paper.

“I want people to understand that you can find happiness many different ways, and one way is by creating goods by hand and making things unique to the artist,” Fernández said. “Discovering the process helps people to understand how these different worlds work, because you fall in love with the artisan, and then you fall in love with the piece. You can create a whole economy based on the artists, and how their work is made.”

June 8, 2014
Why Move? A Better Home, Family, Own Household, Job Commuting and Marriage
Among the 36 million people 1 year and over who moved between 2012 and 2013, 5 percent said the most important reason for moving was to be closer to work or for an easier commute, while another 8 percent cited the desire for cheaper housing, according to a report released today by the US Census Bureau. The most common reasons for moving in 2013 were “wanted new or better home/apartment,” “other housing reason” and “other family reason.”

The report, Reason for Moving: 2012 to 2013, presents an in-depth look at 19 reasons why people changed residences during the previous year and is the Census Bureau’s first on this topic since 2001.

The Current Population Survey began asking a comparable version of this question in 1999. Today’s report compares how these reasons have changed over time. In 1999, 3 percent moved to be closer to work or for an easier commute and 6 percent wanted cheaper housing while 21 percent of respondents “wanted [a] new or better home/apartment.” This reason declined to 15 percent in 2013 and was not statistically different from the “other family” reason.

“We asked people to select the reason that contributed most to their decision to move. Picking one reason can be difficult as moves are often motivated by many different, and oftentimes competing, factors,” said the report’s author, David Ihrke, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Journey to Work and Migration Statistics Branch. “For instance, if one’s primary reason for moving is to be closer to work or having an easier commute, they may have to sacrifice other preferences. This could include forgoing cheaper housing options or settling for a different neighborhood. If they mainly want cheaper housing, they may have to deal with a longer commute.”

In addition to presenting the specific reasons for moving, the report combines these reasons into four collapsed categories: housing-related (48 percent); family-related, such as a change in marital status or establishing one’s own household (30 percent); job-related (19 percent); and other (2 percent).

For people who moved from one county to another, moving because of a job-related reason rose with the distance of the move: 23 percent of moves less than 50 miles and 48 percent of those 500 miles or more. Moving for housing-related reasons showed change in the opposite direction, comprising 42 percent of shorter distance moves and 18 percent of longer distance ones.

Other highlights:
- Men were more likely than women to move for job-related reasons.
- Better-educated people were more likely to move for job-related reasons than those with lower levels of education.
- Married respondents were the least likely to move for family-related reasons.
- Moves within the same county were typically for housing-related reasons, while intercounty moves and moves from abroad were more for job-related reasons.
- Several individual reasons, such as “change of climate,” “health reasons” and “natural disaster,” were each cited as the main reason for moving by fewer than 1 percent of householders.
The data are analyzed by a range of demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, educational attainment, marital status, labor force status, type of move and distance moved. These national-level data were collected by the 2013 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

For people who are seeking to move, dwellr, a new Census Bureau app powered by American Community Survey statistics, can pull up a list of US locations that matches users’ preferences for such variables as city size, geographic region and job type.
June 6, 2014
Father’s Day Gifts: Sunglasses, Monticello Seed Kit and Planter, Golf Laser Rangefinder & Caffeinated Shaving Products

A new shop for us — Kanorado Shop — features bow ties for both men and boys that are good looking, made from varied materials (vintage, new and deadstock fabrics) and must be hand tied; would look good with the vintage Elgin watches. There are home goods with items such as trays for an inexpensive way to entertain friends without needing table space and recycled plastic tableware for home and camping.

My husband lives on coffee and although he has lots of coffee-making supplies, he agreed that Artis’ Frieling French Coffee Press was handsome; it comes in three different sizes and at this site it’s possible to order the coffee to fuel it, too. Elegant, insulated and plastic-free, the french press retains heat four times longer than glass.

Speaking of caffeine, our husband also recommends Pacific Shaving Company’s Caffeinated Shaving Cream and Aftershave. He reports that it lathers well, has a nice consistency and moisture, and in spite of the name sports a minty aroma rather than a coffee scent. it has no synthetic fragrances or no animal testing, is vegan, PBA-free, in a TSA-travel friendly size and made in the US. Apparently, the caffeine helps to reduce the appearance of redness.

For our British readers we’d recommend a company we recently found at a Waitrose: Brew Tea Co; they carry both loose and bagged tea. We purchased English Breakfast and found we could use the bag twice. Not our usual practice as we like it strong but this satisfied.

Portable. Rechargeable. Lumio unfolds, from a book. Simply open the cover to turn on the warm, high-performing LED lamp. From your living room to your backyard, Lumio can be transformed into multiple shapes – big enough to light a dinner party, compact enough to fit in a small bag. With it’s modern minimalist aesthetic, laser cut wood cover and 500 lumens of high-output lighting, Lumio is striking and discreet. Hand manufactured and designed in San Francisco, carried by the De Young and Legion of Honor stores.

A New York Times Store page of cufflinks: A sampling includes links crafted from authentic wooden seats salvaged from Polo Grounds after the stadium’s 1964 demolition, featuring dark green paint. And their longtime … even today … rivals, the Dodgers can claim the same type of item for cufflinks made from Ebbets Field. Set in sterling and featuring the original, weathered dark blue paint. Officially licensed by Major League Baseball. For Yankees fans, sterling silver cufflinks are made from a game-used baseball from a New York Yankees game. “The patina of the game can be found in the seams of the baseballs, each authenticated by a third-party witness under the auspices of the MLB authentication program.”

“The Fire Store About Us text includes: No matter how much we grow, a large percentage of our staff will always be active or retired firefighters, policemen, EMTs and Paramedics. That’s how we operate … and it’s how we live. We know our products. ” The website carries an incredible range of work gloves and ‘everyday bags’ including those for a small tool bag, a Small General Purpose Gear/Medical Bag and a Panel Pack.

June 5, 2014
For a Respected Prosecutor, An Unpardonable Failure

Evidence of a convicted murderer’s possible innocence sat buried in a case file for more than two decades. Now, a prosecutor in Brooklyn will have to answer for the mistake.

by Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, June 4, 2014

In the late eighties, James Leeper was a fast-rising prosecutor known for his fairness and loyalty. Decades later, his alleged misconduct in Fleming’s case has shocked colleagues and adversaries alike.

On the afternoon of July 18, 1990, James Leeper, a newly minted homicide prosecutor in Brooklyn, had to make a challenging closing argument. The man he had charged with murder had mounted a substantial defense — offering plane tickets and video footage indicating he had been vacationing at Disney World when a man named Darryl Rush was shot dead in front of a Brooklyn housing project. Leeper acknowledged to the jury that it seemed like the “perfect alibi.”

Nonetheless, Leeper confronted the defense straight on: Yes, the defendant, a man named Jonathan Fleming, could have been in Florida around the time of the murder, Leeper conceded to the jury. But Fleming had ample opportunity to fly back to New York, kill Rush and return to his family vacation, Leeper argued. In fact, Leeper told the jury, there were 53 possible airline flights Fleming could have taken to do just that.

Leeper’s presentation won the day. The jury returned a guilty verdict. Fleming, 27, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

It took 24 years, but eventually it became clear that there had been much more to Fleming’s alibi defense, and that Leeper had failed to disclose it to the jury.

The original case file from 1990 contained a time-stamped receipt showing that Fleming had paid an Orlando hotel phone bill just hours before Rush’s murder. The file also contained a letter from the Orlando Police Department informing Brooklyn detectives that Fleming had been seen at the hotel around the time of the killing. By law, Leeper was obligated to turn that material over to Fleming’s lawyer. But he had disclosed none of it.

In April, Fleming was set free, the latest victim of a string of wrongful convictions involving the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. But Leeper’s role in the case has packed a distinctive mix of shock and dismay.

Interviews with an array of current and former Brooklyn prosecutors, his adversaries in the defense bar, and at least one former Brooklyn judge have uniformly produced glowing testimonials to Leeper’s skill, compassion and integrity. People, even those with unflattering views of Leeper’s longtime boss, former District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, and the office he ran, find it close to impossible to accept the fact that Leeper knowingly hid vital evidence in a murder case.

“He was universally thought of as a model prosecutor,” said Dan Saunders, now a Queens Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney, who once worked with Leeper in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. “You’ll hear that from everybody. He was a trustworthy and reliable guy. The kind of guy you want to entrust with the difficult work of being a government prosecutor. I hope people say something like that about me one day.”

To date, the district attorney’s office has said nothing about the Fleming case, other than to acknowledge that its Conviction Integrity Unit had discovered the receipt and additional evidence in recent months. The office offered no explanation for how or why the evidence had remained buried for so long, and, with respect to Leeper’s role in the case, has said only that it is “under review.”

ProPublica spent several weeks exploring Leeper’s career as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, and found an amalgam of genuine respect and personal troubles. Interviews with several current and former colleagues detail his quick, initial rise in the office, but also a long-standing struggle with alcohol. Those interviews with people who worked with Leeper show that eventually his drinking earned him a demotion two years ago.

ProPublica’s review also shows that Leeper’s career included a 1997 case in which he and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office were accused of withholding evidence that might have established the innocence of a convicted murderer.

Leeper, in a telephone interview, refused to comment. He did not respond to further requests to discuss the Fleming case, his career or any issues with alcohol.

The reputation of prosecutors in Brooklyn has been battered in recent years.

Earlier this week the New York City Department of Investigation issued a scathing report finding that Hynes, among other violations, received political advice from a top New York state judge and misused public money to fund his ultimately failed 2013 re-election campaign. In a lawsuit, he’s also been accused of having long overseen an office of rogue prosecutors, where misconduct was condoned, even encouraged. Hynes has denied the charges in the lawsuit.

One of Hynes’s top lieutenants, Michael Vecchione, has been accused of railroading an innocent man on a murder charge, a claim he has vehemently denied. Another senior prosecutor left the office in 2012 after she was accused of having withheld exculpatory evidence in a high-profile rape case that soon was abandoned. Some 90 murder convictions involving the office are under review, many involving a retired police detective, any one of which might hold additional trouble for current or former prosecutors.

For all the accusations and embarrassments, however, few in the New York legal world would have predicted Leeper would be at the center of the latest tumult.

Until last month, Leeper still had a portfolio of cases he was prosecuting. On May 5, he was due in court to make another closing argument in a murder case. The family of 23-year-old Nikita Grebelskiy, a passenger in a livery cab who was shot in the head during a botched robbery, was awaiting justice. Leeper had already laid out all the evidence against 21-year-old Michael Magnan. When he was arrested the night of the crime, Magnan had a .380 caliber shell casing in his shoe, the casing matched the bullet lodged in Grebelskiy’s head, a gun found near the crime scene matched both the bullet and the casing, and there was DNA found on the gun that matched the shooter.

All that was left for Leeper to do was sum it all up in one final statement to the jury. But he didn’t show up.

He was nearly 40 miles away, in a hospital, recovering from a damaging bout with alcohol, according to numerous current and former colleagues.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before,” said Martin Goldberg, Magnan’s defense attorney, who has worked on New York criminal cases for more than 30 years.

Three weeks ago, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, now run by former federal prosecutor Kenneth Thompson, announced that Leeper had been suspended. The office did not say why, and refused to answer any questions about Leeper’s career or his role in any possible misconduct.

Taylor Koss, a former Brooklyn prosecutor who spent years working alongside Leeper, has said Fleming intends to sue2014both to learn the truth of what happened and to be compensated for the loss of more than two decades of his life.

“This man suffered behind bars for 25 years because this information wasn’t turned over,” Koss said.

A Pupil Becomes a Foil

Taylor Koss joined the Brooklyn District attorney’s office in September 2001. He was a young, ambitious lawyer, eager to realize his long-held dream of being a top prosecutor, one that he said harkened back to his teen-age days watching hours of Law & Order on television.

June 4, 2014
The Music of an Auction

Auction Room, Christie’s, 1808, by Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827) and Augustus Charles Pugin (1762–1832). Microcosm of London, Plate 006. Wikimedia Commons

by Sandra Smith

I am a long-time fan of Antiques Roadshow, American Pickers, and the Lovejoy mystery books and television show. I only wish I hadn’t waited until I moved to Washington state to attend my first auction.

Driving through winding roads lined with pine, fir, and deciduous trees set the mood. I never saw so many shades of green, from the palest to the deepest. One could think that nothing but green might be less than exciting, but the contrast and beauty was breathtaking.

I chose an estate sale, partly because it’s fun to visit different houses and look around, partly because of the variety of items for sale. Merchandise included a violin and clarinet; some antiques; furniture; pictures; kitchen items; and other miscellaneous goodies.

After walking down a street lined with cars, I sat down next to a woman named Caroline. It turned out that she knew the San Francisco Bay Area where I was from. When I explained it was my first auction and I was nervous, she told me not to worry, she would help. She explained that I needed to go to the trailer to get my bidding tag and — most important — not to start bidding until the price came down. It was an education sitting next to the generous Caroline.

Waiting for the auctioneer is something like being present at a stage musical while the orchestra warms up. My stomach was a little fluttery. Would I understand? How fast would he talk? What if I scratched my nose and he thought I was bidding?

June 4, 2014