January-February 2022

AMAZ NG BU LDINGS THE WORLD’S POPULATION BY AGE UNESCO TR E DAT

YOU NEED (OR MIGHT WANT) TO KN W THE INTERNATIONAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION

ARTCH TECTURE THE BLUR BUILDING EGAL VIEW

THE WIT & WISDOM OF ANDY ROONEY

THE ARCHITECTURE OF LONDON

JOSEPH BARTHOLOMEW AND IDA BELL-WELLS BARNETT REAL ESTATE F THE FU URE

THE ARCHITECTURE OF NEW YORK CITY IFMA WORLD WORKPLACE RECAP

EDIFICIO MIRADOR CRYPTO ENTERS THE WORLD OF REAL ESTATE

PROFILES OF SURV VAL ØRSTED GARDENS

The VOICE OF REAL ESTATE IN TEXAS

The Best Diversions

Give yourself the gift of smiles. J

A handsome, artbook-style volume with the best Diversions to appear in over the last decade. A compendium you will treasure for years to come.

"This collection is laugh-out-loud funny!"

Kirkland Review of Books

"Prescription: Read 3-4 pages a day for a month. It’ll brighten your day! And make it last a month."

Susan Carnegie, The Montreal Voice

From Where I Sit FREE

The Editor’s Page in is almost totally devoted to humor and wisdom and this is a collection of some of the best of them. www.crestnetwork.com get the digital book for free!

Vertical Lines

from the pages of

"This is simply genius. I kept on laughing the whole day when I read it."

Maria Tariq

"...absolutely hilarious! I laughed so hard that it brought tears to my eyes."

Randal Maynard

also from The CREST Publications Group

My Hand Book Leading With My Heart

"Incisive yet expansive - as if the psychology of R.D. Laing encountered the self-exploration of Hugh Prather to help readers delve into their own thought, experiences and behaviours."

The Rockford Tribune

"Curiously intense and ironic. This is a work that will make you think and feel and you will revisit it over and over.

Marion Danziger, The Toronto Town Crier

“An often off-color (but always entertaining and almost always hilarious) collection of jokes that you will read, enjoy – and probably tell –over and over.”

Joey Cousins, The Greenwich Times

"It matters not who we have been, or why, with whom, or how. What matters is that we have met and who we are from now."

Original reflections on new love, its flame, intensity, and all-consuming spirit. Short, poetic expressions of heartfelt longing, passion, and desire. Intimate expressions of tenderness and adoration, accompanied by romantic pictures. A wonderful gift for someone you love.

“So simple. So eloquent and beautiful. Absolutely wonderful!”

Allison Templeton

A Book

"A perfect companion to Vertical Lineshumor in bite-sized pieces.”

Ellen Campbell, Sinclair Book Reviews

unite! this!

"Dyslexics of the world, untie!”

Punsters of the world, read shit!" L. Bartow. The Network Bookshelf

16

THE BLUEPRINT

POPULATION BY FOURTHS

Interesting maps depicting population distribution (from Reddit). 20

THE GLOBAL AGE COMPOSITION

With thanks to the Visual Capitalist, Carmen Ang provides a graphic view the pace at which the world’s population is aging.

22

REAL ESTATE F THE FU URE – URBAN SEQUOIA

Architectural giant SOM examines the built environment as a solution to (rather than a contributor to) the climate crisis.

THE INTERSECTION OF CRYPTOCURRENCY

25 27

WHEN WILL REAL ESTATE INNOVATON HELP THE CONSUMER Grant Clayton of 1% Lists advocates for seriously reduced real estate commissions.

INCREASE YOUR NOI Owner of the Clear Integrity Group Roxana Tofan offers advice to property managers.

28

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF REAL ESTATE RETURNS

48

Contributing Editor Rose-Mary Rumbley looks at five Texas tales.

A comparison for investors on the performance of property sectors over the last decade. 50

THE PAGE Ida Wells-Barnett and Joseph M. Bartholomew.

49

EGAL VIEW –LANDLORD’S LIENS

Contributing Editor Anthony Barbieri looks at what you need to know.

52 35 57

ARTCH TECTURE

THE 10 MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES TO LIVE IN A pictorial, based upon findings reported in Travel & Leisure magazine. Lech Walesa and Sandy Koufax

David Maclean creates emotions in vibrant color.

Now in our 30th year, reaches over 50,000 Texas real estate professionals bimonthly, and an additional 100,000+ throughout the U.S. via social media! We proudly serve and service any and all real estate associations in the state of Texas - including (but not limited to) the ones you see here. If your group isn’t shown and you’d like for us to include pictures, information and event-coverage, please let us know. Email: editor@crestnetwork.com or call the number above.

EXECUTIVE STAFF

ANDREW A. FELDER: Publisher/Managing Editor. aafelder@crestpublicationsgroup.com

XENIA MONTERO: Associate Editor and Art Director. xeniam.design@gmail.com

ANNETTE LAWLESS: Social Media Manager. annettelawless@hotmail.com

MARK ANGLE: Director of Business Development. mark@crestnetwork.com

MARIA TARIQ: Technical Director, Book Division. mariatariq070213@hotmail.com

EMILY GREY | DIGITAL WEBSTERS: Digital Marketing Agency. info@digitalwebsters.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

ANGELA O’BYRNE, AIA: Amazing Buildings.

ROSE-MARY RUMBLEY: Herstory.

ANTHONY BARBIERI: Legal.

JULIE BRAND LYNCH: Professionals on the Move.

ROXANA TOFAN: Profiles of Survival.

ADVISORY BOARD

KIM GHEZ: Director of Marketing, Presidio Title.

KRISTIN HIETT, CAE: Executive Director/CEO – IREM Dallas Chapter.

KIM HOPKINS: Executive Director, CREW Dallas.

JONATHAN KRAATZ: Executive Director, USGBC Texas Chapter.

AIMÉE LEE: National Accounts Director for Recycle Across America and a member of its Board of Directors.

DOUG MCMURRY: Executive Vice President, San Antonio AGC.

LAURA MCDONALD STEWART, RID, FASID, ILDA LEED AP: Editor of PLINTH and CHINTZ, an interior design blog.

JESSICA WARRIOR: Director of Property Management, Granite Properties.

STAFF, EDITORS & ADVISORY BOARD

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Andrew A. Felder

Digital Websters

Xenia Montero

Maria Tariq

Rose-Mary Rumbley

Doug McMurry

Kristin Hiett

Kim Hopkins

Julie Brand Lynch

Jessica Warrior

Annette Lawless

Mark Angle

Anthony Barbieri

Laura McDonald Stewart

Angela O’Byrne Jonathan Kraatz

Roxana Tofan Kim Ghez

Aimée Lee

The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you're in the bathroom.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Our Digital Edition is an exact replica of the printed magazine, only better! Browse, save articles, or even check the archives for something you want to read again!

GRANT CLAYTON (P. 25)

together with his wife Kelly, is the founder of 1 Percent Lists - a veteran owned full-service real estate company (since 2015) in Covington, Louisiana that charges lower (1%) listings fee. 1 Percent Lists has doubled in sales volume every year since inception and was ranked as the 3rd fastest growing private brokerage in the country by Inc 5000. They now operate in over a dozen states after franchising 22 locations in their first 12 months.

JULIO GONZALEZ (P. 24) is the founder and CEO of Engineered Tax Services (ETS), the largest licensed tax credits and incentives advisory firm in the U.S. devoted to helping small businesses. In 2020, he acquired The Growth Partnership, The Rosenberg Survey, and ABLE CRM to establish the largest specialty tax and consultative firm to the CPA community nationwide. He is a tax reform expert and in 2017 was appointed by Vice President Mike Pence to the U.S. Tax Roundtable to work with Congress with the goal of creating tax reforms.  Accounting Today recently cited him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.

CARMEN ANG (P. 20) is a writer at Visual Capitalist, focused on tech, business, and general interest. She spends her days sifting through copious amounts of data and boiling it down to digestible bites. When she's not writing, she's either reading, biking, or binge-watching the latest show on Netflix.

ANGELA O’BYRNE (P. 32) is the president of national architecture, design-build, and real estate development firm Perez, APC. She champions the principles of smart growth in her home community of New Orleans and in her frequent travels across the country and abroad. Born in Cali, Colombia, Angela is a licensed architect in over a dozen states, a licensed general contractor in Louisiana, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and a member of the National CREW Network (Commercial Real Estate Women) Board of Directors. A singer, golfer, music-lover, and globetrotter, she relishes spending free time with her three grown children and large extended family. She is a Contributing Editor of and her Amazing Buildings feature appears in every issue.

CHRIS HOLBERT (P. 34) is the CEO of SecuraTrac®, which develops, markets, and sells a suite of mobile safety solutions focused on improving senior and employee health and safety through mobile, location-based technology and state-of-the-art, cloud-based platforms.

ANTHONY BARBIERI (P. 50) is a shareholder at Kessler Collins, where he enjoys a broad legal practice. He has been a speaker for ICSC, IREM, and BOMA, has taught continuing legal education seminars, and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star for many years, as well as being a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He and his wife, Cathy, enjoy traveling and spending time with their extended families, getting involved in their church and supporting the community through various programs – including raising awareness of muscular dystrophy, education and exercise to fight heart disease, providing care and treatment for autism, and counseling domestic-violence victims. He is also a Contributing Editor of and his Legal View appears in every issue.

DAVID DOWNEY (P. 39) is the President and CEO of the International Downtown Association. Prior to joining IDA, he served as the Managing Director for the American Institute of Architects’ Urban Design Center and as Executive Director for the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association. He has been a city advocate since the 1980s having received his degree in Architecture and Design with a focus on Urban Design.

ROSE-MARY RUMBLEY (P. 48) holds a Ph.D. in communications from the University of North Texas. She is a well-known speaker in Texas and enjoys researching each and every topic. She is a Contributing Editor of and Herstory appears in every issue.

ROXANA TOFAN (P. 37) is the owner of Clear Integrity Group in San Antonio, Texas and the company’s principal broker in Texas, Ohio and South Carolina. Her main focus is multifamily commercial brokerage in San Antonio area and property management. She enjoys taking over nonperforming properties and turning them around. She is also a Contributing Editor of and her Profiles of Survival will appear in every issue. In addition to her company, her passion is giving back to the community as she volunteers for various support organizations such as Boy Scouts of America, Special Olympics, Alzheimer’s Association and supporting the military. She loves to travel with her teenage children and supporting their extra-curricular activities.

THE UPSIDE OF DOWNTIME...

Fans of will love these compilations of humor from the last decade. The Best of Diversions is just that – the very best of the hilarious Diversions that have appeared on the pages of the magazine. Vertical Lines is over a hundred pages of wit, witticisms and sarcasm that have appeared between the

the network bookshelf on days off on off-days on rainy Sundays if you’re alone if you need a break to pass the time to brighten your day to sharpen your skills to open your mind to make you smile turn to

www.crestnetwork.com

pages (”in the gutter”, as they say). They are both available at your favorite online bookseller and you can see samples at the link here My Handbook is… well… look at the cover comments and a few sample pages. You’ll know soon enough if it’s for you.

YOU NEED (OR MIGHT WANT) TO KNOW

BY ANDREW FELDER

THE 12 RULES OF MY DIET

1. If you eat somethIng and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.

3. When you eat with someone else, calories don’t count if you do not eat more than they do.

4. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER counts, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast, and Sara Lee Cheesecake.

5. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.

6. Movie related foods do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel. Examples: Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots & Tootsie Rolls.

7. Cookie pieces contain no calories. The process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

8. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something.

9. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples: Spinach & Pistachio Ice Cream; Mushrooms & Mashed Potatoes.

10. Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.

11. Anything consumed while standing has no calories is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

12. Anything consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will ding to his/her plate. (We all know how calories like to ding!)

15 PIECES OF ADVICE TO BE PASSED ON TO YOUR DAUGHTER

(FROM

1. Don't imagine you can change a man... unless he's in diapers.

2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks out? You shut the door.

3. If they can put a man on the moon, they should be able to put them all up there.

4. Never let your man's mind wander. It’s too little to be out alone.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE (THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED)

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

2) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.

3) You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.

4) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.

5) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

6) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

ABOUT LIFE (THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED)

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

2) Wrinkles don't hurt.

3) Families are like fudge ... mostly sweet, with a few nuts.

4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.

6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the taste.

ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

2) Forget health food. You need all the preservatives I can get.

3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.

4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.

5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

6) Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.

My friend was explaining electricity to me, but I was like, ‘Watt?’

5. Go for younger men. You might as well—they never mature anyway.

6. Men are all the same. They just have different faces, so that you can tell them apart.

7. Definition of a bachelor: A man who has missed the opportunity to make some woman miserable.

8. Women don't make fools of men. Most of them are the do-it-yourself type.

9. The best way to get a man to do something is to suggest that he is too old for it.

10. Love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

11. If you want a committed

man, look in a mental hospital.

12. The children of Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Even in biblical times, men wouldn't ask for directions.

13. If he asks what sort of books you're interested in, tell him ‘checkbooks.’

14. Remember that a sense of humor does not mean that you tell him jokes; it means that you laugh at his.

15. Sadly, all men are created equal. n

A WOMAN’S POINT OF VIEW)

I was in a real estate office the other day and I saw the July-August issue of the Network on the reception area table. Thumbing through it, I came upon a marvelous piece with a long list of great fiction first liners. I was absolutely enthralled, particularly because I had read several of these books. You are absolutely right about how that one sentence can pull you in and make you want to read more. In fact, it made me want to read more of the Network, so I got the app, and I am very much enjoying paging through the archives. An extremely enjoyable publication!

Donovan Paulson, Dallas TX

Kal Gajoum (the cover artist for the November-December issue) is my new hero. He knocks me out. Mark Angle, Fort Worth, TX

The Network is well-written, good-looking, eclectic, informative, funny, and full of surprises –all together delightful publication. If it was food, it would be a smorgasbord!

Tanya McIntyre, Oklahoma City, OK

I particularly enjoy the features Real Estate of the Future and Wow Factor(s) – but there is so much there! I may not read every word of every article, but I do at least look at every page (so I don’t miss any of the Vertical Lines). By the way, I just ordered the book. :)

Cheryl Nesbit, New York, NY

…a wonderful and extremely informative issue.

Brooke Raynor, Houston, TX

I am working my way through the magazine, and I'm really enjoying it. (I) got a little teared up with the old-time telephone operator story (in the Editor’s Note) and the Coffee Break Festival in my town (in True Dat).

Jonathan Hajny, Stoughton, WI

ON THE COVER

‘AMSTERDAM WITH LOVE’

by David Maclean

“Amsterdam is famous for its canal system, narrow houses with fabled gabled façades (from the 17th century Golden Age), and the over seven million tulips grown each year. These are a few of the highlights I wanted to include in my artistic interpretation along with bringing out the romance of this world heritage city dating back to the 9th century. I was actually commissioned by a Spanish company to create this work with very little instruction other than to create ‘Amsterdam’. Receiving little instruction brings out the best of me when I am commissioned as it allows for total artistic freedom rather than being restricted to a detailed description from my client.”

Whether

With

You decide which products you want or need.

You install it where you want it.

You control your system.

You choose what songs to play.

Whether your home or away, you can keep an eye on your favorite people, pets, and possessions. When

SOUTHPAW

the word orIgInated In the 1880s when Chicago Daily News sports reporter Finley Peter Dunne coined the term when covering the then-named Chicago White Stockings games. Dunne was known for his colorful play-by-play and when a left-handed pitcher came on the field, he described him as a ‘southpaw.’ Since the ballpark faced east and west, home plate was west and a left-hander would pitch from the south with his ‘paw.’ The term just stuck, and now it's used in many sports.

AMPHIBOLY

An amphiboly (from the Greek, “irregular speech”) is a statement whose meaning is indeterminate in a peculiar way. The statement has an obvious meaning which is false and a hidden or concealed meaning which is true.

THE EIGHT PHASES OF THE MOON

Some nights, the Moon might look like a narrow crescent. Other nights, the Moon might look like a bright circle. And on other nights, you might not be able to see the Moon at all. The different shapes of the Moon that we see at different times of the month are called the Moon’s phases.

Our view of the illuminated part of the Moon changes each night, depending on where the Moon is in its orbit around Earth. When we have a full view of the completely illuminated side of the Moon, that phase is known as a full moon. But following the night of each full moon, as the Moon orbits around Earth, we start to see less of the Moon lit by the Sun. Eventually, it reaches a point in its orbit when we don’t see any of the Moon illuminated. That is when the far side of the Moon is facing the Sun. This phase is called a new moon. During the new moon, the side facing Earth is dark.

�� New: We cannot see the Moon when it is a new moon.

�� Waxing Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waxing crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the right.

�� First Quarter: We see the first quarter phase as a half moon.

�� Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon. Waxing means it is getting bigger.

�� Full: We can see the Moon completely illuminated during full moons.

�� Waning Gibbous: The waning gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon. Waning means it is getting smaller.

�� Third Quarter: We see the third quarter moon as a half moon, too. It is the opposite half as illuminated in the first quarter moon.

�� Waning Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waning crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the left.

The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. It takes 27 days for the Moon to orbit Earth; that means the Moon's cycle is 27 days long.

In ancient Greece, Croesus (King of Lydia) inquired of the oracle at Delphi whether he should go to war against the kingdom of Persia. The oracle responded that if he went to war against the Persians, he would destroy a great kingdom. He then attacked the Persians and lost everything, only to realize that the great kingdom to be destroyed was his own.

Consider the following in a letter of recommendation: "If you can get Sue to work for you, you’ll be lucky."

Many of the hilarious headlines we’ve included in Diversions over the years have been unintentional amphibolies. For example, look at these real headlines: 'Prostitutes Appeal to Pope' | 'Farmer Bill Dies in House' | 'Dr. Ruth to Talk About Sex With Newspaper Editors' | 'Burglar Gets Nine Months in Violin Case' | 'Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant' | 'Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge' |'Marijuana Issues Sent to a Joint Committee' | 'Two Convicts Evade Noose: Jury Hung.'

Last night I played a blank tape at full blast. The mime next door went nuts.

YOU NEED (OR MIGHT WANT) TO KNOW YOU NEED (OR MIGHT WANT) TO KN W

Finley Peter Dunne

KEEP TO THE LEFT… OR RIGHT. In some countries the rule of the road is that people must keep left, while in other countries, people keep right. About 2/3 of the world drives on the right side, with about 1/3 (including Japan, Great Britain, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, and India and many parts of the former British empire) still driving on the left.

What do we mean still driving on the left? Well, according to archaeologists, the Romans walked, rode, and drove (chariots) on the left, and the early tradition of wearing swords may have had something to do with it. Most people are right-handed, and swords were classically worn on the left, so that they could be drawn by the right hand. So, riding or walking on the left made sense for self-defense, since it allowed people to face opponents with their dominant hands, and kept swords from colliding in the middle of narrow paths.

In the United States, researchers trace the beginning of right-hand traffic to the 18th century and the rise of freight wagons pulled by large teams of horses. Since these vehicles often didn’t have a driver’s seat, drivers tended to ride on the left rear horse to control their animal team more easily with their right hand. As the wagons became more popular, traffic naturally moved to the right so drivers could sit closer to the center of the road and avoid head-on collisions. Yet another major influence was carmaker Henry Ford, who mass-produced his Model T with a left-positioned steering wheel, which necessitated driving on the right side of the road.

With the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. (Canada abandoned the left side of the road in the 1920s to facilitate traffic to and from the United States, and, in 1967, Sweden spent around $120 million preparing its citizens to begin driving on the right.)

In most countries, cars are specifically engineered to drive on a specific side of the road. In countries with right side driving, the driver's seat is on the left, while left side driving countries have drivers' seats on the right. In each case, the seat positions the driver close to the middle of the road for better visibility.

IDIOMS “Red herring”

Something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It can be either intentional or unintentional. The term dates back to the 13th century, but was popularized by Englishman William Cobbett, who told a story of having used a strong-smelling smoked fish to divert and distract hounds from chasing a rabbit. (There is no fish species ‘red herring.’)

“Spitting image”

Exact likeness, duplicate, or counterpart. The original phrase was ‘spitten image’ followed ‘spit and image’, and finally ‘spitting image’ began to be used in the 19th century. It was said of a child that he or she looked enough like a parent to have been spit out of their mouth.

WHAT CAUSES CLOUDS?

Clouds are created when water vapor (an invisible gas) turns into liquid water droplets. These water droplets form on tiny particles, like dust, that are floating in the air.

You hang up a wet towel and, when you come back, it’s dry. You set out a bowl of water for your dog and when you look again, the water level in the bowl has dropped even though the dog has been nowhere near the bowl. The water evaporated—which means some of the liquid water in the towel or bowl changed into an invisible gas called water vapor and drifted away into the atmosphere. (Notice that “evaporated” contains the word “vapor.”)

The same thing is constantly happening with oceans, lakes, rivers, swamps, swimming pools – and everywhere water is in contact with air.

Liquid water changes into a gas when water molecules get extra energy from a heat source such as the sun or from other water molecules running into them. These energetic molecules then escape from the liquid water in the form of gas. In the process of changing from liquid to gas, the molecules absorb heat, which they carry with them into the atmosphere. That cools the water they leave behind.

BADGES VS SHIELDS

All shields are badges, but not all badges are shields. There are basically 4 different types of badges: 1) Shields. The most popular type of badge for municipal and state law enforcement agencies. Also, all federal agent badges are shields. They can be topped with eagles (the most common), bears (California) or nothing at all. Another shape for shields is oval. There are a few designs that use oval shapes, some of which are perfect ovals, and some which are wider around the top or bottom: 2) Starbursts. In NYC, these are for the ranks of lieutenant and up; 3) Stars. Whether 5, 6, 7 or 8 points, these are used by departments of all types. For example, the City of San Francisco, uses a 7-point star badge. The Illinois State Police have a 6-point star badge. The 7-point star badge is perhaps the most popular for state and county law enforcement agencies. 4) Crosses. The Maltese Cross is the universal emblem of the fire services.

LET’S GO, BRANDON

The phrase “Let’s go, Brandon” has become code in right wing circles for “F— Joe Biden.” It originated at an October 2 NASCAR race in Alabama at the Talladega Superspeedway. A reporter was interviewing driver Brandon Brown, and the crowd began to chant something that sounded like “Let’s go, Brandon,” but it became clear (from the video that went viral, if not before) that they were swearing at the president. Since then, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) ended a speech on the floor of the House with the phrase, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) wore a mask with it, and Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) posed with a sign featuring the phrase at the World Series. Former President Trumps’ PAC is selling “Let’s go, Brandon” T-shirts for $45. Seriously?!?!?!

The air can only hold a certain amount of water vapor, depending on the temperature and weight of the air – or atmospheric pressure – in each area. The higher the temperature or atmospheric pressure, the more water vapor the air can hold. When a certain volume of air is holding all the water vapor it can hold, it is said to be “saturated.”

What happens if a saturated volume of air cools or the atmospheric pressure drops? The air is no longer able to hold all that water vapor. The excess amount changes from a gas into a liquid or solid (ice). The process of water changing from a gas to a liquid is called "condensation," and when gas changes directly into a solid, it is called "deposition." These two processes are how clouds form.

Condensation happens with the help of tiny particles floating around in the air, such as dust, salt crystals from sea spray, bacteria or even ash from volcanoes. Those particles provide surfaces on which water vapor can change into liquid droplets or ice crystals. A large accumulation of such droplets or ice crystals is a cloud. We usually think of clouds as being up in the sky, but when conditions are right, a cloud can form at ground level, too. Then it’s called “fog.” If you’ve ever walked through fog, you’ve walked through a cloud. n

The doctor refused to write me a prescription for Viagra. He said it would be like putting a new flagpole on a condemned building.

POPULATION BY FOURTHS

Reddit is a very popular social news aggregation website. A subreddit is a focused forum within Reddit with its own rules, moderators, and content themes. There are over 7,000 active subreddits.

In the Data is Beautiful subreddit, you can find map data visualized populations of countries. Each discloses interesting things about the population distribution. Here, for example is a simple map of the United States, which (according to the 2020 Census) has a population of about 331,000,000 people. Each color represents about 25% of the overall population.

California (39.5 million people according to the 2020 Census) and Texas (29.1 million people) are the first and second most populous states in the United States. The importance of large urban areas is evident. On both maps, each color represents about 25% of the overall population.

(The California map is by old_gold_moun and the Texas map is by u/Bob_0101. n

This map by repliers_beware demonstrates just how much of the Canadian population lives within close proximity to the U.S. Border.

Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?

Each color represents about 25% of the population of Canada.

THE FACTOR

EDIFICIO MIRADOR MADRID,

developed by the dutch architectural firm of MVRDV in collaboration with Madridbased architect Blanca Lleó, the Mirador Building is a 208 ft. tall apartment building which looks like a postmodern Lego project with 21 floors and 155 apartments. It was completed in 2005. Rather than follow the standard concept that unites most apartment blocks, the Edificio Mirador was designed as a collection of “mini neighborhoods stacked vertically around a semi-public sky-plaza,” according to the architects

The building was built in nine distinct blocks, with each block containing a different type of

SPAIN

compact housing aimed at integrating different social groups and lifestyles. Each block has a different façade using one of a variety of materials such as stone slabs, mosaic tiles, and cement in various shades of gray, black and white.

The orange sections that can be seen on the exterior are access zones, conceived as vertical alleyways connecting various areas of the neighborhood. And like any good neighborhood, the building has its communal outdoor area. Like a small park in the heart of the building, the open-air “sky-plaza” provides a communal space as well as views of the city and the Guadarrama Mountains beyond. n

DONKEY KONG GOT HIS NAME BECAUSE HIS CREATOR (SHIGERU MIYAMOTO) BELIEVED “DONKEY” MEANT “STUPID” IN ENGLISH AND WANTED TO CONVEY THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CHARACTER WAS A “STUPID APE.”

Astronaut is a compound word derived from the two Ancient Greek words“Astro” meaning “star” and “naut” meaning “sailor”. So, astronaut literally means “star sailor”.

comes from the Latin word

Alexander the Great was the first person to be pictured on a coin.

THE ETHIOPIAN CALENDAR IS 7.5 YEARS BEHIND THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR BECAUSE IT HAS 13 MONTHS. THE INTERCALARY MONTH OR EPAGOMENAL DAYS ARE A PERIOD OF FIVE DAYS IN COMMON YEARS AND SIX DAYS IN LEAP YEARS IN ADDITION TO THOSE CALENDARS' 12 STANDARD MONTHS, SOMETIMES RECKONED AS THEIR THIRTEENTH MONTH. AND ETHIOPIAN LEAP DAYS OCCUR IN THE YEAR PRECEDING JULIAN AND GREGORIAN LEAP YEARS.

IKEA is an acronym which stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, which is the founder’s name, farm where he grew up, and hometown.

Asingle strand ofSpaghetti

Elvis was originally blonde. Born a natural blonde, Elvis Presley began dying his hair black as a teenager. Because of this, only one photo of him with his natural hair color exists – and it is framed on the wall of Graceland. He started coloring his hair black for an edgier look. Sometimes, he would touch it up himself using shoe polish.

Texas didn’t have an official state flag between 1879 & 1933. During that time, the Lone Star flag was the active, but the unofficial flag. For nearly 60 years,

#The “hashtag” key on your keyboard (#) is called an octotroph.

The color red doesn’t really make bulls angry; they are color-blind. Bullfighters (matadors) use a small red cape, called a muleta, during a bullfight. The bulls get irritated by the cape's movement, not its color.

THERE IS A TOWN IN NEBRASKA CALLED MONOWI WITH A POPULATION OF ONE. THE ONLY RESIDENT IS A WOMAN WHO IS THE MAYOR, BARTENDER, AND LIBRARIAN.

In 1994, the company that had a patent on

tried to charge a fee for using GIFS. The PNG was invented as an alternative, and the company backed down.

In English, to leave a party without telling anyone is called a “French Exit”. In French, it’s called a “partir à l’anglaise”, to leave like the English.

“lbs”

“libra,” which means “pound.”

GIFs

The flashes of colored light you see when pressure is applied to the eyes are called “phosphenes”.

IS THE LONGEST WORD IN ENGLISH WITH ALL THE LETTERS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

is calleda “ Spaghetto ”

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BY CARMEN ANG

THE GLOBAL AGE COMPOSITION

accordIng to the unIted natIons, the global median age has increased by 7 years since 1950, from 24 to 31.That said, young people accounted for 33% of the global population in 2020, making them the largest demographic across the globe.

Our global population is getting older, largely because of increasing life expectancies and declining birth rates. In 2020, more than 147 million people around the world were between the ages of 80-99, accounting for 1.9% of the global population.

While that percentage may seem small, that particular demographic accounted for merely 0.05% of the population in 1950, meaning our world has a notably higher percentage of older people than it did 70 years ago. Why is this significant? An aging population typically means a declining workforce and an increase of people looking to cash in their pensions. This can put pressure on the working class if taxes are raised.

In many countries, the old-age to working-age ratio will almost double in the next 40 years.

Of course, an aging population can have positive impacts on society as well. For instance, elderly citizens tend to volunteer more than other age groups. And research has shown that older communities have lower crime rates. By 2050, the crime rate in Australia expected to drop by 16% as the country’s population gets older. To mitigate some of the risks associated with a rapidly aging population, certain countries are working towards more sustainable pension systems, to support aging citizens while taking the stress off the working population.

The intergovernmental Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 38 member countries. It was founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade, and is a forum of countries describing themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members. n

Carmen Ang is a writer at Visual Capitalist.

what If the buIlt environment could be a solution to the climate crisis, rather than part of the problem? What if buildings could act like trees – capturing carbon, purifying the air, and regenerating the environment? Taking inspiration from natural processes and ecosystems, Urban Sequoia envisions “forests” of buildings that sequester carbon and produce biomaterials to create a new carbon economy and a resilient urban environment.

On November 11th at COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) unveiled Urban Sequoia – a concept for buildings and their urban context to absorb carbon at an unprecedented rate. SOM has developed the first step toward achieving this goal on a broad scale, with a prototype for a high-rise building that can be built today. Created by a global interdisciplinary team at SOM, with the advice of industry experts, the concept was presented by Kent Jackson, Partner, and Mina Hasman, Senior Associate Principal, live at COP26 in the Buildings Pavilion in the Blue Zone.

URBAN SEQUOIA

The need to transform the built environment is clear. The building sector generates nearly 40 per cent of all global carbon emissions. As urban populations continue to grow in the coming decades, studies have predicted that another 2.5 trillion square feet of new building stock will be needed by 2060.

The central proposition of Urban Sequoia is that the built environment can absorb carbon. SOM’s proposal transforms buildings into solutions – radically rethinking how buildings and cities are designed and constructed. It is a viable solution that could have a far-reaching impact, with the potential to create a circular economy that absorbs carbon.

Chris Cooper, SOM Partner, explains the strategy: “We are quickly evolving beyond the idea of being carbon neutral. The time has passed to talk about neutrality. Our proposal for Urban Sequoia– and ultimately entire ‘forests’ of Sequoias – makes buildings, and therefore our cities, part of the solution by designing them to sequester carbon, effectively changing the course of climate change.”

“This is a pathway to a more sustainable future that is accessible today. Imagine a world where a building helps to heal the planet,” said Kent Jackson, Partner at SOM. “We developed our idea so that it could be applied and adapted to meet the needs of any city in the world, with the potential for positive impact at any building scale.”

Urban Sequoia brings together different strands of sustainable design thinking, the latest innovations, and emerging technologies and reimagines them at building scale. By holistically optimizing building design, minimizing materials, integrating biomaterials, advanced biomass, and carbon capture technologies, Urban

If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

Sequoia achieves substantially more significant carbon reductions than has been achieved by applying these techniques separately.

These strategies can be applied to buildings of all sizes and types. For cities, SOM’s prototype design is a high-rise building that can sequester as much as 1,000 tons

of carbon per year, equivalent to 48,500 trees. The design incorporates naturebased solutions and materials that use far less carbon than conventional options and absorb carbon over time. Materials like bio-brick, hempcrete, timber, and biocrete reduce the carbon impact of construction by 50 per cent compared to concrete and steel. A progressive approach could reduce construction emissions by 95 per cent.

“The power of this idea is how achievable it is. Our proposal brings together new design ideas with nature-based solutions, emerging and current carbon absorption technologies and integrates them in ways not done before in the built environment,” said Yasemin Kologlu, Principal at SOM.

"This solution allows us to move beyond net zero to deliver carbon-absorbing buildings, increasing the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere over time". After 60 years, the prototype would absorb up to 400 per cent more carbon than it could have emitted during construction. The captured carbon can be put to use in various industrial applications, completing the carbon cycle and forming the basis of a new carbon-removal economy. With integrated biomass and algae, the facades could turn the building into a biofuel source that powers heating systems, cars, and airplanes; and a bioprotein source usable in many industries.

On an even broader scale, the byproducts of building an Urban Sequoia will help revolutionize the way we design and maintain infrastructure. Captured carbon and biomass can be used to produce biomaterials for roads, pavement, and pipes. By converting urban hardscapes into gardens, designing intense carbonabsorbing landscapes, and retrofitting streets with additional carbon-capturing technology, former grey infrastructure can sequester up to 120 tons of carbon per square kilometer. When replicating these strategies in parks and other greenspaces, we can save up to 300 tons per square kilometer of carbon annually.

"If the Urban Sequoia became the baseline for new buildings, we could realign our industry to become the driving force in the fight against climate change," said Mina Hasman, Senior Associate Principal. “We envision a future in which the first Urban Sequoia will inspire the architecture of an entire neighborhood – feeding into the city ecosystem to capture and repurpose carbon to be used locally with surplus distributed more widely.”

If every city around the world built Urban Sequoias, the built environment could remove up to 1.6 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year. With immediate focus and investment in SOM’s prototype, we can start this process now and build the first Urban Sequoia. n

BY JULIO GONZÁLEZ

few topIcs have created as much buzz as the subject of cryptocurrency today. Its widespread acceptance is well-known. Even JP Morgan is trading in crypto! Bitcoin has even become legal tender in the nation of El Salvador. But can you use crypto when it comes to real estate?

It’s already being used. In the U.S., homeowners have been listing their homes for sale with Bitcoin, and Expedia has been accepting Bitcoin for Airbnb rentals.

THE INTERSECTION OF CRYPTOCURRENCY AND REAL ESTATE

ongoing public-like trading of private assets while democratizing access to private market investments.”

Julio Gonzalez: Are you seeing digital securities being used in real estate today? Solomon Tesfaye: We are beginning to see cryptocurrency and real estate intersect during initial capital raises and recapitalizations. For example, when real estate issuers are seeking to raise capital, whether it be a Reg D 506(c) or Reg A private placement, they may accept cryptocurrency alongside traditional currency. Some real estate sponsors may use a third party, such as Prime Trust, as an intermediary to convert the cryptocurrency to U.S. dollars before the real estate sponsor receives the funds. When raising capital, an increasing number of sponsors are seeking to access the cryptocurrency market as a new source of capital and potentially reduce their cost of capital in the process by targeting a broader demographic of investors.

to enable investors to seamlessly invest in private real estate along with other private assets using crypto.

After tZERO digitizes “tokenizes” a private asset (e.g. real estate), it can be traded on a SEC / FINRA regulated trading platform through its regulated broker-dealer subsidiaries, where issuers can offer their investors ongoing liquidity optionality. If you are a real estate owner, you can digitize your asset, portfolio, fund, or non-traded REIT and offer secondary liquidity on tZERO ATS, similar to a public REIT on the NYSE. tZERO is striving to address the liquidity delta between the private and public markets.

HOW ELSE CAN CRYPTO BE USED IN REAL ESTATE?

I recently spoke with Solomon Tesfaye, tZERO’s Head of Business Development & Capital Markets, to discuss where and how crypto and real estate are beginning to intersect and highlighted the key takeaways from our discussion. For background, tZERO Group, Inc. (tZERO) and its broker dealer subsidiaries provide an innovative liquidity platform for private companies and assets. tZERO is a leader in blockchain technology for capital markets and works to digitize / token-ize and trade digitally enhanced securities with the goal of “enabling

Gonzalez: Can you go into detail on the relationship between real estate and crypto in the private secondary markets?

Tesfaye: tZERO is one of the few companies that has both an alternative trading system (ATS) for the continuous trading of private securities and a crypto trading business. tZERO plans to offer a unified experience between these two businesses. Already, investors can fund their brokerage account at tZERO Markets, tZERO’s retail broker-dealer, using traditional means, such as wire or bank account connection via Plaid and link their brokerage account to a third-party custodian that can convert USDC, Bitcoin, and Ethereum to fiat USD. The unified tZERO Markets / Crypto experience is expected

A great example of this is the St. Regis Aspen Resort, a luxery hotel located in Aspen, Colorado. In July 2020, tZERO was approached by Elevated Returns, owner-operator of the St. Regis Aspen Resort, to digitize and trade a 19 percent equity interest that was syndicated in October 2018 through a Reg D 506(c) offering. In a matter of roughly six weeks, the asset was digitized, the investors were onboarded, and the asset began trading.

As cryptocurrency becomes more widely used, accepted, and exchanged, expect it to have a major impact on the world of real estate. tZERO is a great example of a company innovating the space that touches both crypto and the real estate sector. As I mentioned, there are a wide variety of use cases that we have seen in the last year, and I believe they are the first signals of the transformation of the real estate landscape as we know it. n

jgonzalez@engineeredtaxservices.com

capitol building baby calf hoist up circle around slippery slime hollow tube reflect back old adage illegal poaching NFL football team very unique merge together old fossil sandwiched between sink down 3 AM in the morning recur again strangled to death old geezer successful escape new beginning fellow countrymen illegal scam total extinction cluster together appreciated in value free of charge enclosed herewith violent explosion disappear from view knots per hour awkward predicament new recruits first priority temporary reprieve invited guest swivel around completely satisfied fellow colleagues

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee Titans?

Solomon Tesfaye

Julio Gonzalez is the Founder and CEO of Engineered Tax Services.

BY GRANT CLAYTON

WHEN WILL REAL ESTATE INNOVATION HELP THE CONSUMER?

I began my real estate career in the spring of 2011 just as the tech boom was really starting to take hold. Smart phones were popping up everywhere and apps were being developed to make a real estate agent's life better, and Bluetooth lockboxes were making houses more accessible than ever. Electronic signature programs were becoming the norm and cloud-based storage made administrative work much less painful. As technology continued to evolve the office changed from a place everyone to which everyone went to a place that only admins and brokers went. Brokerages started to realize the amount of money wasted and “virtual” brokerages became the norm.

At every turn innovation and disruption has taken place. The ‘Blockbuster’ real estate brokerages have paved the way to the “Netflix” brokerages of the future. With every new bit of technology, brokerages and agents have found a way to leverage it to make their lives easier, and their work faster, more efficient, and, most importantly, more cost effective.

A funny thing about this age of technological enlightenment is that the shining light never seems to pass down to the consumer. Real estate agents have been charging 6% since the late 1800s. Stop and ponder that for a moment. The light bulb began illuminating homes and was the latest and greatest invention in the late 1800s. Fast forward 140 years and we are literally 3d printing homes and charging 6% to sell them! This tsunami of technological achievements in the past 140 years has led to almost ZERO dollars in commission savings for the client. Thomas Edison would pay the same commission to sell his home that Elon Musk does today!

How is this possible? The answer is complicated, and it involves greed, protectionism,

and a lot of brainwashing. Cost efficiencies and savings are taking place; they are just not being passed along to the consumer. This is where greed comes into play.

When I began my career, brokerages were often keepng 50% of an agent's check, but now that number has dropped drastically as technology has made everything more efficient. Massive offices are less necessary than they used to be. A huge administrative staff is less necessary as well. The savings created by these efficiencies have created higher broker profit or been used to offer better agent incentives and to do more recruiting. Virtually none of the savings created by technological efficiencies has gone to the consumer

the United States. Some of the smallest states in the country both geographically and from a population standpoint have the MOST MLS boards. The only purpose to having many MLS boards is to make it harder to do business on a larger scale. This makes everything purposely inefficient to continue the status quo.

The final issue is the brainwashing of new and existing agents. Agents are immediately trained to think and act like a small business owner, but then are also immediately instructed not to innovate/negotiate on their fees. Imagine any other business operating this way. Is there another industry in the world in which their peers determine what a new person in their space will charge for their new product or service? This is not just a problem for the public, it's a problem for the agents as well. The issue created is that it is impossible to establish a true value proposition if your fees must match everyone else’s. A brand-new agent with no experience is expected by their broker and peers to charge the same fees as the most experienced agent at their firm with a track record of success. Is it any wonder that so many agents fail?

The next hurdle we have to overcome to achieve real competition in the industry is protectionism. You see, to do business in an area as an agent, you have to be able to access the multiple listing system (MLS). To join that, your broker must be a member in good standing with that MLS board— which takes money and time. In this modern age of efficiency you’d think we would have one nationwide MLS, right? Actually, no, we have a lot. So now you’re thinking we probably have 50 MLS boards right, one for each state? Actually, no, we have a lot more than that, too. Right now, there are roughly 580 MLS boards in

As a real estate agent and brokerage owner, I love the technological advancements that make my life cheaper, easier, and more efficient. My company—1 Percent Lists— believes in leveraging these new tools to be full service, and high value for our clients due to our remarkably low fees. We are bringing that to the masses with our franchising efforts across the country. It's time to let the public enjoy the savings that innovation has provided to us. Embrace the changes coming to our industry. You will be happier for it and so will your clients. n

Grant Clayton is the co-founder of 1 Percent Lists grant@1percentlists.com

AFFILI TE NEWS

IFMA’S WORLD WORKPLACE® 2021 (HYBRID EVENT FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABLE, HUMAN-CENTRIC SOLUTIONS FOR A NEW WORLD OF WORK)

hosted by the InternatIonal Facility Management Association, IFMA’s World Workplace® Conference and Expo has facilitated best-practice exchange between all built environment professionals for the past four decades. Following a successful virtual conference in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Workplace returned in October 2021 as a hybrid event, welcoming in-person attendees to the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL, and online attendees to its virtual platform that included livestreamed sessions, and a virtual facility tour of the resort.

To ensure a safe and comfortable environment, IFMA established on-site health and safety protocols reflecting the latest recommendations for large gatherings. Using a mobile app, participants were asked to show proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arriving at the event, and then complete a health survey on the app each morning. Face-coverings were required indoors, and color-coded wristbands were available to indicate individuals’ physical contact comfort level: red/no contact; yellow/ open to elbow-bumps; and green/open to handshakes and high-fives.

now,” said Ankerstjerne. “We are on the verge of a work revolution. Hybrid models are a part of our new reality – it heralds a complete rethink of the way we work, and how to provide a new purpose for the workplace that goes beyond productivity.”

Since the onset of the pandemic, IFMA has been leading discussions on the “reimagined workplace,” helping the industry navigate rapid organizational shifts and fast-tracked technologies. This year’s conference focused on embracing new mindsets on the new world of work, and among the many priorities defining the future of work and the workplace, optimizing the human experience is at the forefront.

Education Arenas provided practical solutions to workplace challenges, as well as tech how-tos for system integration, automation, and hybrid transformation.

“IFMA is built on and sustained by an active, collaborative community. We need these opportunities to come together,” said IFMA President and CEO Don Gilpin (pictured here). “Sometimes, to see eye-to-eye, we need to be face-to-face.”

Officially opening the conference on the morning of Oct. 26th, IFMA Chair Peter Ankerstjerne, MBA, COP, IFMA Fellow shared that he had been cleared by the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen to travel from Denmark to the U.S. just 10 days before the conference – a perfect example of today’s need for agility and flexibility.

“This year’s hybrid World Workplace is a reflection of the ongoing return-to-occupancy plans and roll-outs we’re all managing right

In his opening keynote address, former sales director of the Disney Institute Simon T. Bailey revealed that the number one concern and focus of the C-suite is the human experience. “The job of a leader is not to care about the results, but to care about the people who care about the results,” said Bailey. “How are you creating the conditions for individuals to bring their best selves to work?”

In addition to sessions on asset management, capital planning, security, connected buildings and IAQ, sessions available to both on-site and virtual attendees included designing workplaces for well-being, how PropTech impacts CRE/FM, planning for business continuity specific to FM functions, and exploring the implications of the hybrid workplace.

Exhibitors in the business of solving facility setbacks were eager to share information with those responsible for sourcing products and services to manage new norms. The expo’s

The final day of the conference featured Dr. Joseph G. Allen, Associate Professor of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a leading voice in the response to COVID19, and Robert Glennon, a preeminent expert on water policy and law, advising governments, corporations and think tanks looking to solve serious challenges around water sustainability. Each speaker emphasized the essential role facility managers play in safeguarding lives and businesses themselves. Underscoring workplace wellness as a fundamental business strategy, Dr. Allen said, “The people who manage our buildings have more impact on our health and well-being than our doctor.” Glennon stated simply, “Without facility managers, the place just shuts down.”

The three-day event also included special recognition for outstanding achievement by association members, corporate and industry partners, and students. Trudy Blight, Steven Ee, Erik Jaspers, Darin Rose, Lena Thompson, and Graham Tier were inducted as the 2021 Class of IFMA Fellows, joining an elite core of respected leaders who serve as association advisors and ambassadors. The IFMA Foundation and sponsoring organizations presented 29 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in FM or FM-related programs. And winners of IFMA’s 2021 Awards of Excellence were recognized in 17 categories.

Next year’s World Workplace will be held Sept. 28-30, 2022, in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit worldworkplace.ifma.org. n

Q: Which sexual position produces the ugliest children?

A: Ask your mother.

let’s be honest. all property owners and managers want to increase their property’s Net Operating Income. The net operating income (NOI) is one of the determining factors in calculating the investment value of your property and showing financials strength. Where should you start and where should you focus? I suggest three strategies: increase your income, decrease your expenses, increase resident retention.

1. Increase your income. Maximize your rent revenue by making sure your rents are comparable with the market and your competition and the leasing staff is staying focused on that occupancy rate. Knowledge of the market is critical to be a leader. As owners and property managers we don’t like vacancies! LEASE-LEASE-LEASE! Review possible solutions to eliminating vacancies from your property. Leasing and closing ratios are both important. Watch marketing activities and ensure you have enough traffic. And having lots of traffic is great but is it qualified traffic? Are the prospects coming out to see your property leasing and moving in? It’s not sufficient to have lots of traffic; you need move-ins! So, if your traffic is not bringing you enough move-ins, review your marketing source and ability of the staff to close a lease. Another way to increase your income is by billing the tenants for all the utilities and ser-

vices you can. You can also raise your income through application fees, late fees, pet deposits and rents, washer/dryer rentals, garage rentals, and vending machines.

2. Decrease your expenses. This is another way to improve your NOI. Review all expenses. Analyze vendor contracts, utilities, insurance expense, marketing and advertising expenses, repairs, and maintenance costs. Look at all your expense line items and identify ways to save money or find alternatives to the way you’re running the property. Determine alternatives for conservation, install water-saving devices and energy savings light bulbs and timers to decrease your utility costs. Check if you’re purchasing parts from the best supplier in terms of quality, price, and delivery. Have a detailed itemized listing of parts so ordering materials is simplified. That saves your staff time that can be spent on other areas on the property. When you’re replacing an older appliance, are you stripping for parts? Do you have a preventive maintenance system in place to help avoid incurring a huge expense later? Depending on the size of your property, having an HVAC technician on staff could save you money versus bringing in an outside contractor. These are just a few of the ways that work. Have a brainstorming session with your staff and you could be surprised at their ideas. After all, they’re on site every day observing all that is going on.

3. Improve your resident retention. Move outs can be expensive. It costs time and money to get units ready, market, find new residents and move them in. Every renewal means continued lease payments and no vacancy loss. Offer incentives to renew, upgrade their units, get creative in offering amenities and holding events. Also, many communities now hold Zoom events

BY ROXANA TOFAN

as opposed to in-person events. Switch from a landline to a cell phone – this will not only save money on your phone bill, it will also enable you to communicate with residents and applicants faster and for emergencies as well. Many people prefer texts over phone calls. Come up with small inexpensive gift items that show residents they matter and that you understand that the community is their home. And communicate, listen, and show that you care. Sometimes it’s not about whether a resident gets what he/she wants, but about their feeling that someone listened and cared about them.

Increasing a property’s NOI has certainly become a tough challenge to overcome with the Great Resignation, shortage of supplies and nonpaying residents. That’s why it’s more important than ever to analyze every line item in your budget and the way you operate in order to meet the property’s financial expectations. n

DIVERSI NS FUNNY THINGS KIDS SAY

the right foot. She said, "Son, your shoes are on the wrong feet."

He looked up at her with a raised brow and said, "Don't kid me, Mom, I KNOW they're my feet."

On the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher said, "If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers."

“My mother can predict the future with cards”, said the first grader.

“Really? “asked his friend, doubtfully.

“Yes. She takes one look at my report card and tells me what will happen when my father gets home.”

A three-year-old went with his dad to see a litter of kittens. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother there were 2 boy kittens & 2 girl kittens. "How did you know?" his mother asked.

"Daddy picked them up and looked underneath," he replied, "I think it's printed on the bottom."

Another three-year-old put his shoes on by himself. His mother noticed the left was on

A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that help?"

A mother and her young son returned from the grocery store and began putting away the groceries. The boy opened the box of animal crackers and spread them all over the table.

"What are you doing?” his mother asked.

“The box says you can’t eat them if the seal is broken," the boy explained. "I'm looking for the seal."

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.’ His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"

A four-year-old girl was learning to say the Lord's Prayer. She was reciting it all by herself without help from her mother. She said, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail. Amen."

Refusing to go to the gym is a form of resistance training.

Roxana Tofan is a commercial real estate and business broker and the founder and owner of Clear Integrity Group in San Antonio. She is also a Contributing Editor of roxana@clearintegritygroup.com

BLUR BUILDING

(YVERDON-LES-BAINZ, SWITZERLAND)

the blur buIldIng was a temporary media pavilion built for the 2002 Swiss Expo in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. Rising out of Lake Neuchatel, a system of rectilinear struts and diagonal rods cantilevered over the water. The rods were fitted with over 30,000 fog nozzles shooting a fine mist pulled from the lake and controlled with a complex weather system. This fog created a man-made cloud that encompassed the metal framework to create the illusion of a vaporous building measuring 300 ft. wide and 65 ft. high.

Before walking the 400 ft. ramp that led to the center of the “building”, visitors were given a personality test and “braincoats”, a raincoat that stored all the personal data collected by the test to create a profile for the wearer. This profile could be identified by the cloud’s computer network, which was able to locate each participant and identify them. As visitors arrived on the structure, when they passed each other, the braincoats analyzed the profiles, and changed colors depending on compatibility with the person next to them. Once inside, visitors could challenge their senses immersed in white noise and white-out visual conditions, or head upstairs through the mist to the Angel Bar, where they were served a sampling of waters from all over the world.

This perception-altering exhibition, the creation of architects Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, was unfortunately not built to be a permanent structure, and no longer exists. n

FIRST

IMPRESSIONS COUNT!

You deserve to work in an eco-friendly, clean, sanitized environment. Your carpet is your largest filter of allergens, dirt, bacteria, and viruses.

When it is truly clean, your flooring promotes your health and that of your staff and clients.

THE FACTOR

ØRSTED GARDENS

egnestuen radically transformed an apartment building in Copenhagen by re-envisioning and replacing its grim concrete exterior with 50 handsome, plant-filled, angular

, Ørstedsparken (Ørsted Park) the six-story slab block in Frederiksberg featured a gaunt

unwelcoming facade with walkways facing the street. The add on maintains the building's original access walkways; the glass blocks simply extend the space outwards. Besides making the building more attractive, the residents get an outdoor space with an area for plants, hence the new name ‘Ørsted Gardens.’ The structure is steel with glass panels that can be opened or closed, and wooden louvres shade some of the glazing.

With a supermarket taking over for a gasoline station on the ground floor, this was truly a renovation that considered and corrected the antisocial nature of the original architecture. n

Each residence gets a new balcony on an open-access walkway, designed to encourage interaction between neighbors.

My blond girlfriend said she was worried that her mechanic migh t try to rip me off, but she was relieved when he told her all she needed was blinker fluid.

WORLD HERITAGE SITES (UPDATE)

In the december 2017 issue of , we introduced World Heritage Sites—landmarks or areas with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific, or other form of significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".

2018 —the time of its withdrawal— officials estimate that the U.S. (which accounted for around 22% of the total budget) had accrued $600 million in unpaid dues, which was one of the reasons for President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw. Israel owed an estimated $10 million.

There have been many calls for the U.S. to rejoin UNESCO, including from Dr. Patrick Mendis a former American commissioner of the United States National Commission for UNESCO at the Department of State and Dr. Antonina Łuszczykiewicz, an assistant professor of cultural studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland writing together in the Harvard International Review. Read it here: The United States Must Rejoin UNESCO for Its Perpetuum Mobile.

UNESCO was co-founded by the U.S. after World War II to foster peace. It withdrew in 1984 because of a growing disparity between U.S. foreign policy and UNESCO goals. After an almost twentyyear absence, the United States rejoined the organization in October 2003. Then President George W. Bush said, “As a symbol of our commitment to human dignity, the United States will return to UNESCO. This organization has been reformed and America will participate fully in its mission to advance human rights and tolerance and learning.”

The Paris-based organization has been denounced by its critics as having an anti-Israel bias because of its criticizing Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011. As a result, in October of 2017, The United States filed a notice of its intention to again withdraw from the organization (at the end of 2018). Israel promptly followed suit.

The withdrawals have not greatly impacted UNESCO financially, since it had been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the U.S. stopped paying dues (after Palestine was voted in as a member state). As of the end of

As of July 2021, a total of 1,154 World Heritage Sites (897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed properties) exist across 167 countries. With 58 selected areas, Italy is the country with the most sites on the list. The World Heritage Sites list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 "states/parties" that are elected by their General Assembly. n

Ed: In the issues ahead, watch for pictorials featuring of World Heritage Sites country by country.

DIVERSI NS

Q. What has a whole bunch of little balls and screws old ladies?

A. A bingo machine.

é Audrey Azoulay has been serving as the Director-General of UNESCO since 2017.

é Antonina Łuszczykiewicz.

é Dr. Patrick Mendis.

AMAZ NG BU LDINGS

BY ANGELA O’BYRNE

A STATE-OF-THE-ART RUIN: RESTORING THE COLOSSEUM

In the realm of historical architecture, perhaps no question is as perplexing as that of restoration. To put it simply: where do you stop?

The clichéd goal of restoring a structure to its “former glory” isn’t as straightforward as it may sound. First you need to decide which version of the building you’re trying to recreate. Buildings evolve over time—adding features, removing components, and adapting to current trends. Restoration, then, can sometimes be a matter of undoing unwanted renovations to better suit your target period.

Next, there’s the question of just how extensively to restore. Do you want to return the building to pristine condition? Careful. If your building is old enough, its deterioration could be part of its charm. For instance, while scholars have fiercely debated certain renovations to the Acropolis, few of them would advocate for a truly period-accurate renovation of its buildings. Such a makeover would see the Parthenon painted in eye-popping bold and bright hues. Despite our visions of gleaming, sun-bleached stone, the Ancient Greeks embraced color in ways that would shock a modern sensibility.

The truth is that when it comes to our oldest buildings, many of us prefer the aesthetics of ruin. While we’re enamored with the idea of an enduring icon, we also need to see the patina of time written on its face. And so, restoration is always a fine balance. It freezes buildings in the amber of our imagination in a way that both conjures a bygone era and evokes the gulf of time between then and this moment.

This precarious balance between persistence and decay has brought millions of visitors to Rome’s Colosseum. Completed in 80 A.D., the building persists as Italy’s most popular tourist attraction. And over the past decade, it’s been the object of extensive renovations.

At peak use, the 80,000-spectator amphitheater hosted dramas, gladiatorial matches, animal hunts, and was even flooded for mock sea battles. Despite its subsequent uses as a cemetery, as living quarters, as a fortress, and a shrine, it is the era of bloodsport and spectacle that captures our imagination. To visit the Colosseum is to picture fighting for one’s life in front of thousands of eager spectators.

Thanks to a three-stage, $29.8 million effort, this kind of speculation should become easier. Funded by the Italian fashion brand Tod’s in a private-public partnership, the restoration seeks to let visitors to stand where gladiators once did, fulfilling their cinematic Gladiator fantasies

This past summer, after an extensive, years-long cleaning effort, a team of archeologists, engineers, and topographers completed the renovation’s most extensive phase: the excavation of the hypogeum, a warren of underground tunnels and chambers beneath the Colosseum. In this once-hidden, candlelit area, enslaved gladiators prepared for battle and workers prepared props, animals, and scenery to be raised on elevators to the arena’s wooden floor. Today, tourists can wander the exposed passageways, illuminated by natural sunlight.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.

Q. What do you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?

A. A speech impediment.

Soon the hypogeum will be covered once again. The third phase of the restoration will replace its floor with a cutting-edge solution by 2023, permitting visitors to imagine themselves at the heart of the action. Fully retractable, the carbon fiber and wood floor will also let visitors see the hypogeum’s corridors from above.

Critics of the renovation deride the proposed floor as an excessive and indulgent architectural gesture—a triumph of experiential tourism over archeological integrity. After all, for the past few centuries, the charm of the Colosseum was how open-ended it seemed to be. Thanks to centuries of earthquake damage and “quarrying,”

in which builders pilfered its stone for other projects, the building resembled a kind of cross-section of itself. Any attempt to fill in the gaps will always feel absurd when you remember what’s left is a mere skeleton of the original building.

However, the soul of the Colosseum was always one of artifice, theatre, and myth making. It hosted elaborate scenarios aided by lavish set dressing that included real trees, exotic animals, and thousands of people. While an $18 million vantage point isn’t period-accurate, it will serve the same impulse that the Colosseum once did: to indulge fantasies.

Ultimately, all restorations are works of fiction. While the Colosseum was a state-of-the-art facility in its time, boasting running water, an elaborate sun-shade mechanism, and marble facades, the recent renovations still serve an important function. They give us a better view of what we want—a beautiful ruin. n

Angela O’Byrne, FAIA, is President of Perez, APC, a 70+ year-old architecture, planning, interior design, and construction firm. She is also a Contributing Editor of aobyrne@e-perez.com

BY CHRIS HOLBERT

REAL ESTATE AGENTS’ SAFETY WITH

SMART TACTICS AND TECHNOLOGY

whIle beIng a real estate agent might seem like a safe job, that is not always the case. According to a NAR survey, 40% of agents said they felt unsafe every few months or more often, and only 5% said they NEVER felt unsafe while doing their job.

Most real estate transactions follow a normal flow without risk of danger. But, when a new client makes contact, you are hosting an open house, or are showing a property that has been vacant, the risks multiply. A new client could be a criminal searching for an easy victim, an open house invites in anyone off the street into a situation where they expect to find an agent alone, and vacant buildings could be used as crash pads for the homeless or party venues for derelicts.

Most real estate agents are well aware of the potential dangers of the job. Many carry self-defense devices or have taken self-defense training courses. It is easy to get rusty and fall into a rut if nothing happens to put you on edge. Which is why it is best for agents to follow certain safety protocols during all parts of the selling and buying process.

CREATE A CHECKLIST

For starters, agents should create a checklist to identify any potential threats a new client, who is not a referral or personal relationship, might pose. It can be surprising what can be turned up in an internet search. Asking for a client to show identification or to meet in a neutral location first like a coffee shop is also a good way to verify intentions and that a person is who he or she is claiming to be.

INSTALL ALERT SYSTEMS

When hosting an open house, consider installing door open alerts on entrances so you can easily hear whenever anyone enters or exits. Set up portable security cameras in the area of the property where you will be sitting and post a notice at the entry to alert visitors that video surveillance is in use. Lock all your valuables out of site in your car and do not wear any flashy, expensive looking jewelry. Always keep your cell phone on your person. And, set a fire extinguisher within easy reach of your workstation in the property. Visitors will not think twice about it, but in a pinch, you can use it to defend yourself against an attacker.

CHECK THE PROPERTY BEFORE ENTERING

When showing a property that has been vacant for a while, before entering the property walk around the exterior and check windows and doors for forced openings. If the property has boarded windows or doors and it is difficult to determine if someone might be squatting inside, walk in prepared. When you enter leave the front door open. Bring a large high-power flashlight. Call out loudly and make a lot of racket as you enter. Finally, consider carrying a device that you can wear on your belt or carry in a pocket that you can press for immediate help if attacked.

STAY ALERT

Being aware of your surroundings when working with unfamiliar people is crucial to your safety. No matter what neighborhood the property is in, or whether you’ve spoken briefly to

or for an extended period with the potential buyer, you should know where any and every potential exit is and where you could go if you find yourself in a dangerous situation. Attacks typically happen during daylight hours and even in upper-income neighborhoods so you should never rule out the possibility of danger. When greeting potential buyers, a good tip can be to take note of their license plate number if you need to report an attack.

LET SOMEONE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE

This can either be a co-worker, family member or friend that knows who you’re meeting with, where it will be, and at what time. This should not only be done when you’re feeling nervous about a showing, but always. That way if a showing is taking longer than usual, or you could potentially be in danger, someone will know when you should be done and leaving the property.

PRACTICE SELF-DEFENSE

Not only can you be physically prepared to fight off an attacker, but by taking selfdefense classes you can also become more aware of body language that can tell you when someone is planning on attacking. Whether your self-defense tactics involve punches and kicks or carrying pepper spray and a taser on you at all showings. Taking this extra towards ensuring you are safe and secure and can physically remove yourself from a violent situation is important. n

Chris Hobert is the CEO of SecuraTrac®. chris@securatrac.com

THE 10 MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES TO LIVE IN AROUND THE WORLD*

1. Tel Aviv, Israel

2. Paris, France

3. Singapore

4. Zurich, Switzerland

5. Hong Kong

6. New York City, USA

7. Geneva, Switzerland

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

9. Los Angeles, USA

10. Osaka, Japan

*According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) as reported for 2021 by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

TEL AVIV

HONG KONG

SINGAPORE

GENEVA

LOS ANGELES

PARIS

NEW YORK CITY

ZURICH

COPENHAGEN

OSAKA

socIetIes all over the world are getting older; the result of the fact that we are living longer and having fewer children. At some point in the near future, much of the developed world will have at least twenty percent of their national populations over the age of sixty-five. Bradley Schurman calls this the Super Age. Today, Italy, Japan, and Germany have reached the Super Age, and another ten countries went over the tipping point in 2020. Thirty-five countries will be part of this club by the end of this decade. This seismic shift in the population can portend a period of tremendous growth and opportunity—or leave swaths of the population behind.

AFFILI TE NEWS

ç The chapter swore in its 2022 Board of Directors:

(L-R) Cindy Chalker-Williams (Secretary/Treasurer), Terri Liles, Jennifer Ryan, Adrian Contreras (President), Christy Rhone, Laurie Montgomery, Rebecca Hutchins. Not pictured are Michelle Bolt, Krista Dorn, Max Hosford (Past President), Daryn Mieure (Vice President), and Damon Skelly.

BOOK REVIEWS

Schurman explains how changing demographics will affect government and business and touch all parts of our lives. Fewer people working and paying income taxes, due to outdated employment and retirement practices, could mean less money feeding popular programs like Social Security and Medicare—with greater numbers relying on them. The forced retirement or redundancy of older workers could impact business by possibly creating a shortage of workers, which would likely drive wages up and result in inflation and higher prices.

Corporations, too, must rethink their innovation and marketing strategies—older consumers are already purchasing the majority of new cars, but they are a growing and vitally important market for health technologies and housing. Architects and designers must reimagine creating homes and communities that are more inclusive of people of all ages and abilities.

If we don’t prepare for the changes to come, Schurman warns, we face economic stagnation, increased isolation of at-risk populations, and accelerated decline of rural communities. Instead, we can plan now to harness the benefits of the Super Age: extended and healthier lives, more generational cooperation at work and home, and new markets and products to explore. The choice is ours to make.

PRAISE FOR THE SUPER AGE

“His insistence on a more thoughtful approach to an aging society is buoyed by his optimism and his dedication to justice and care for all citizens: ‘The future may be gray,’ he writes, ‘but it’s incredibly bright.’ Policymakers and business leaders, take note.”

—Publishers Weekly

“An intelligent warning to pay more attention to your elders... Good insights for right now, ‘the first time in...history... in which older populations will outnumber younger ones.’”

–Kirkus Reviews

Bradley Schurman is a demographic futurist and opinion maker on all things dealing with the business of longevity.

A copy of this work is available to one lucky contest winner.

(Please see the inside back cover.)

“The Super Age is upon us. Bradley Schurman inspires and challenges us to confront head-on the implications for the economy, business, how we live and how we treat one another. He offers a roadmap for seizing the opportunities that are ahead and offers a clear view of the risks of inaction.”

—Almar Latour, CEO, Dow Jones n

You come from dust. You will return to dust. That’s why I don’t dust. It could be someone I know.

ç The passing of the gavel. è From Chapter Events.

Q. Why did God create alcohol?

A. So ugly people could have sex, too.

PROFILES OF SURV VAL

BY ROXANA TOFAN

for those of us fortunate enough to have made it through this pandemic, it’s as if we barely remember how things were before. We all just know to do better, be better, be healthier and enjoy life more. We wondered how to stay or get healthier with the gyms being closed and trying to find motivation. This is what gave me the idea to interview Sissy Maroney who runs her own fitness company. How did the fitness industry make it through after gyms being closed?

Getting through the Sissy Maroney boot camp is painfully fun. “The more we move, the better we feel,” she’d say. Really? Because all I feel is pain and more pain. “Movement and physical activity improve memory and brain function, Roxana”, she would say, along with a list of so many other benefits of exercising she would go on about. Sissy always wants to help people, but what really makes her a unique trainer is her sass, joy, witty humor, facial expressions that say what she is really feeling, lots of giggles, a pinch or two of sarcasm, and a whole lot of faith. Who wouldn’t want that in a personal trainer?

Roxana: Tell me how you came to be running your own fitness business. Sissy: I started teaching group fitness classes when I was in college at Texas Tech where I got my degree in nutrition. I worked for different organizations like Aramark, USAA and Citicorp as a food service director and fitness manager and learned about corporate wellness and how it impacts the bottom line with employees that are happy and healthy. When I became a mom, I started doing personal training and taught classes at the YMCA for 12 years. I lost my job during COVID

at the YMCA and started to look for other opportunities. I decided that I could reach more people and make a little bit more money by expanding my business and taking it online.

Roxana: What does your business look like today?

Sissy: I am an in-home and online Personal Fitness Trainer. I teach in-person and online group fitness classes, Barre and Pilates. I also teach active aging senior fitness classes at a senior center in Bulverde and on-demand on my website.

Roxana: How has COVID changed things?

Sissy: During the pandemic, I was forced to train my clients online via Zoom or FaceTime on my phone. I would also record workouts and send them to clients who wanted a workout for the home since all the gyms were closed. With extra time on my hands, I started researching how to make and edit fitness videos. I also found a platform that makes it easy to house videos, add programming/coaching, and run challenges for clients. The platform also helps with the backside of technology with setting up your website, integrating email services, and taking payments on a secure website.

Roxana: What opportunities do you see ahead?

Sissy: In the new year, I’m hoping to grow my business online and begin marketing my new classes on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I think Facebook and Pinterest are where my senior population spends most of their time online. I’m also hoping to offer some other classes on my website for my friends and people who

want to do classes that may be a little bit harder. I will also add some online one-on-one coaching and some challenge groups so my clients can have that accountability needed to make “healthy" a lifestyle. My goal is to offer practical tips and ideas for making small consistent changes today that can make a huge difference in their fitness and nutrition goals for 2022 and beyond. What makes my business unique is that I don’t market to the mainstream exerciser. My goal has always been to help the novice, the beginner, the one who feels lost in a gym environment, the person who wants to gain strength, balance, mobility, faster reaction time, and improved focus.

There you have it! If you’re looking for a personal trainer who believes exercise has the power to heal, empower, and change people both mentally and physically, if you’re wanting an on-demand or live zoom fitness class, a fun upbeat and funny personal trainer, Sissy is the one to work with. If she can get me to focus and to exercise, she can do that miracle with anyone. n

Roxana Tofan is a commercial real estate and business broker and the founder and owner of Clear Integrity Group in San Antonio. She is also a Contributing Editor of roxana@clearintegritygroup.com

POOR LANDSCAPING DECREASES PROPERTY VALUE

home was not well-maintained. They set a value of the home in their mind based on that, and it’s usually not a good price. On the other hand, a neat, clean lawn puts the buyer’s mind at ease.”

home prIces In the U.S. surged within the last year, the result of pandemic-related relocations, low mortgage rates, and a lack of new and existing housing inventory. According to Zillow, the median home value in the U.S. is $303,288 as of August 2021, a 17.7% increase from 2020. However, according to a new Trees.com survey of 1,250 licensed U.S. real estate agents, there’s one way to decrease a home’s value— neglect your home’s landscaping and hardscaping.

KEY FINDINGS

• 78% of agents say poor landscaping and hardscaping negatively affects property values

• 59% of agents say trees are the landscaping element that adds the most value to a home

• 20% of agents say that adding one healthy tree can increase property value by 30% or more

There’s no question that landscaping elements like trees, grass, and flowers add a lot of visual appeal to a home, but just how much does their absence affect what a home is worth? According to 43% of real estate agents, poor landscaping has a “very” negative impact on a home’s value. Another 35% say it will “somewhat” impact how much a home is worth.

Real estate agents have differing opinions on exactly how much a home’s value decreases with poor landscaping. 24% say a home’s value decreases by 10%, while 22% estimate the value decreases by 20%. 18% predict that a home’s value drops by 30% or more if the property lacks an appealing landscape.

In today’s hot real estate market, even a 10% price decrease means a seller could be leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table if they don’t bring their lawns up to snuff before putting their homes on the market. Hardscaping, which refers to all the non-living aspects of an outdoor design, such as structural or decorative elements, is also important. 40% of agents say poor hardscaping has a very negative impact on a home’s value, while 38% say it has a somewhat negative impact.

According to Chicago-based real estate investor and developer Bill Samuel, a well-designed outdoor space is even more important now due to how much time families are spending at home.

“Today’s homebuyer expects the home they purchase to be move-in ready and prefers not to have to do any work,” he says. “Exterior hardscape upgrades that allow for outdoor entertaining are becoming even more desirable as most homeowners prefer to entertain at home and outdoors during the pandemic.”

There are also the practical benefits of having trees on a property. “Big, healthy trees help improve the home environment and make it more sustainable,” Quance says. “Trees contribute to a functioning home ecosystem by helping with stormwater management, pollution filtering, and soil fertilization. During warmer months, trees are a natural cooling system, providing shade. Then, in colder months, trees that lose their leaves let sunlight filter through to warm the home.”

Those who are selling their homes shouldn’t forget about having greenery inside, too. 54% of real estate agents say it’s very important to have indoor plants when showing a home for sale; another 28% say it is somewhat important.

Home prices vary widely by location, and the impact of poor landscaping does as well. Real estate agents in the Midwest are most likely to say that poor landscaping will have a very negative impact on home value (51%). By comparison, 44% of real estate agents in the Northeast say poor landscaping has a very negative impact on what a home is worth.

VALUE-ADD

The landscaping elements that add the most value to a home include grass (64%), trees (59%), and flowers (52%). As far as hardscaping goes, real estate agents recommend adding or improving decks (58%), driveways (54%), and an outdoor kitchen (47%) to add the most value.

91% of agents say adding even one healthy tree to your landscape will increase a property’s value. 20% of agents say that the presence of one healthy tree in the front yard of a property increases the home’s value by 30% or more. 19% of agents estimate an increase in value of 20%; and 19% say it raises the value by 10%.

Having indoor plants during a home showing is most important in the South (67%) and the West (65%), whereas 57% of real estate agents in both the Midwest and the Northeast think this is very important.

While the majority of real estate agents in the Northeast say having a healthy tree in the front yard will increase property values, 10% say that it won’t. Comparatively, only 6% of real estate agents in the West and Midwest, and 5% of real estate agents in the South think having a healthy tree won’t increase a home’s value at all.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

Much of it has to do with perception, according to real estate broker Kimo Quance, owner of the Kimo Quance Group in Santee, CA.“Landscaping provides potential buyers with a first impression of your home,” she says. “When they observe a neglected lawn, or a home without any additional curb appeal, potential buyers immediately get the idea that the

“A tree is one of the most natural and interesting ways to add color, texture and contrast to any home’s yard,” says David North, a real estate broker in Redmond, WA. “The natural beauty of a tree can be especially powerful when it distinguishes one property from others, whether by different shape, color, or size.” Location is key, North says, encouraging homeowners to plant trees where they will provide needed shade, privacy, and noise protection.

Trees.com was founded in 1997. With horticulture experts, arborists, and tried-and-true gardeners, they offer a wealth of knowledge and actionable guidance. All data found within this report derives from a survey commissioned by Trees.com and conducted online by survey platform Pollfish. They are reprinted with permission. For full survey data email Julia Morrissey at julia@trees.com n

IF YOU CONVERT IT, THEY WILL COME

“there are no workers downtown.” That’s the sentiment from Pittsburgh small business owner Chas Schaldenbrand and many others in cities across the country.

“Without the offices being open, we’ll have less business," says Trevor Shults of Crawdads on the River, a restaurant in Sacramento, who temporarily closed his business for a few months before reopening earlier this year.

According to research published in November, the downtown office vacancy rate across the U.S. is 16.3%–the highest since 1994. Nationwide, employee visits to the office stood at roughly a quarter (27%) of pre-pandemic levels. Other surveys found that consumer spending in Central Business Districts of major cities is projected to decrease significantly relative to their pre-pandemic baseline.

Fortunately, this year Congress introduced a bill that can help reinvigorate downtowns and reimagine business centers nationwide in the wake of the pandemic. The Revitalizing Downtowns Act, introduced by Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and Reps. Jimmy Gomez, John Larson and Dan Kildee, provides a tax credit equal to 20% of conversion expenses to developers aiming to repurpose vacant office space into mixed-use or residential properties

Further, the Revitalizing Downtowns Act is a key step to solving the problems of lack of

small business consumers and the absence of downtown visitors. It is an incentive for developers to convert obsolete or vacant office structures into new retail properties, apartments, or other mixed-use spaces. If the developers choose to include housing, the bill ensures that a portion of the apartments must be considered affordable housing per the local municipal standard. This bill then could bring not only new visitors to City Centers who may stay just a few hours, but also more diverse, longer-term residents as well.

The legislation will help to ensure that the vibrancy of downtowns nationwide return post-pandemic. The International Downtown Association believes in the power that city centers have in functioning as cultural and communal hubs. This legislation supports our long-term efforts to support our member organizations and the small businesses in their cities.

This bill could also be a lifeline for small businesses in the area, which have been forced to close or have seen their customer base decrease significantly in the past year. Small business owners such as Christine Bane of Roanoke Restaurant in Chicago, for instance, are already considering “ new ways ” to bring people to the Loop. Roanoke Restaurant is focusing on different ways to increase business, including brides-to-be through events such as bridal showers and rehearsal

BY DAVID DOWNEY

dinners. The Revitalizing Downtowns Act can contribute to this process by drawing real estate developers to remake and reshape vacant buildings.

Such largescale conversions can be costly and time consuming, however. Developers need to convert offices, with their lack of robust kitchens, plumbing, and electrical infrastructure, into individual residential and mixed-use developments. It is these costs and their difficulty that make the likelihood of these conversions, without incentives, rare. One San Francisco architect described the likelihood of these projects happening on their own as needing “the stars to align.” It is for these reasons why passing the Revitalizing Downtowns Act is so crucial.

By helping offset the expenses of these projects, investors will be incentivized to develop projects that foster new, vibrant city centers, support small businesses, and grow the local economy.

The Revitalizing Downtowns Act could be this century’s landmark downtown legislation. The bill can mitigate the California housing crisis, bring more customers to small businesses run by hard-working Americans such as Trevor Shults and Chas Schaldenbrand and bring the liveliness to city centers that have greatly missed it. The International Downtown Association urges the swift passage of this bill to revitalize and reinvigorate our nation’s city centers. n

My boss is going to fire the employee with the worst posture. I have a hunch it might be me.

David Downey is the President and CEO of the International Downtown Association. david@downtown.org

THE ARCHITECTURE OF LONDON

london's rIch archItectural herItage involves a wide variety of architectural styles from different historical periods. This eclecticism stems from its long history, continual redevelopment, destruction caused by the Great Fire of London and The Blitz, as well as state recognition of private property rights which often prevented large scale state planning. This sets London apart from other great European capitals such as Paris and Rome which are more architecturally homogenous and adhere to a universal plan.

The broad range of styles includes the Romanesque central keep of (2) The Tower of London, the great Gothic church of (3) Westminster Abbey, the Palladian royal residence (4) Queen's House, Christopher Wren's Baroque master-piece (5) St Paul's Cathedral, the High Victorian Gothic of (6) The Palace of Westminster, the industrial Art Deco of (7) Battersea Power Station, the post-war Modernism of (8) The Barbican Estate and the Postmodern skyscraper

(9) 30 St Mary Axe.

Relatively few structures still exist from London's medieval past due to the city's near-total destruction in the Great Fire of 1666, but (in addition to those noted above) notable survivors include (10) Guildhall, (11) St James's Palace, and (12) Lambeth Palace. After the Great Fire, London was transformed as it was rebuilt and greatly modernized under the direction of the baroque architect Sir Christopher Wren.

After a period of dramatic expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, London reached its zenith as the world's largest and most populous city from 1831 to 1925, as well as being the capital of the British Empire at its great-est extent and power. Infrastructure projects set London apart as the pre-eminent city of the industrial age

Being the capital of the United Kingdom, London contains the most important buildings of the British state. In addition to the Palace of Westminster (#6) and Westminster Abbey (#3),there are (13) Buckingham Palace (the official residence of the British Monarchy), (14) 10 Downing Street (the official residence of the British Prime Minister) and numerous monuments such as the (15) Monument to the Great Fire of London, (16) Marble Arch, (17) Wellington Arch, the (18) Albert Memorial, (19) Royal Albert Hall, and (20) Nelson's Column

Throughout most of London's history, the height of buildings has been restricted. These restrictions gradually eroded in the post-war period and high-rise buildings have become ever more numerous since. A new financial district created in the 1980s and 90s (21), including (22) 20 Fenchurch Street and (23) 122 Leadenhall Street and (24) Canary Wharf.

Notable recent tall buildings include the 1980s skyscraper (25) Tower 42, the radical (26) Lloyd's Building, and (27) One Canada Square: the centerpiece of the Canary Wharf district. (28) The Shard (completed in 2012) is the tallest building in London.

No look at the architecture of this magnificent city would be complete without mentioning (29) the Tower Bridge over the River Thames.

/1/ Queens House (1633) Indigo Jones (center) and Old Royal Naval College (1712) are Christopher Wren's poignant examples of Palladian and baroque Architecture in London.

/2/ The White Tower is a central tower at the Tower of London. It was built by William the Conqueror during the early 1080s, and

subsequently extended. It was the castle's strongest point militarily, and provided accommodation for the king and his representatives, as well as a chapel. Henry III ordered the tower whitewashed in 1240.

/3/ Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church and one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for monarchs. It was built in the 13th and 14th century, and one of only a handful of substantial buildings remaining in London from the Middle Ages (due to the Great Fire of 1666).

/4/ Queen's House is a former royal residence built between 1616 and 1635. Its architect was Inigo Jones by/for whom it was a crucial early commission, for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I. It is one of the most important buildings in British architectural history, being the first

The Old Royal Naval College by Christopher Wren (1712) and Queens House (1635) by Inigo Jones viewed from the River Thames.

Animal testing is a terrible idea. They get all nervous and give the wrong answers.

consciously classical building to have been constructed in the country.

The palace is owned by the monarch, and for ceremonial purposes, retains its original status as a royal residence.

example of brutalist architecture. It contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, and the City of London School for Girls.

/5/ St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London—the highest point of the city The original church on this site was founded in AD 604. The present structure, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognizable sights in the city. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, has dominated the skyline for over 300 years. At 365 feet (high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 until 1963.

/6A/ Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The 316 ft. structure was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world.

/9/ 30 St Mary Axe (previously known as the Swiss Re Building and informally known as the Gherkin) is a 591 feet tall commercial skyscraper which opened in April 2004. It was designed by Norman Foster and has become a landmark—one of the city's most widely recognized examples of contemporary architecture. It won the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper Award.

/6/ The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, its name, derives from the neighboring Westminster Abbey (#3) refers to the Old Palace (a medieval buildingcomplex largely destroyed by fire in 1834) and its replacement the New Palace, an archetypal work of the Victorian gothic revival movement (which was built between 1840-1870 and stands today).

/7/ Battersea Power Station is one of the world's largest brick buildings and notable for its original Art Deco interior fittings and decor. The two power stations have been decommissioned and the building and the overall 42-acre site development is owned by a consortium of Malaysian investors.

/8/ The Barbican Estate (or Barbican) is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats and houses in an area once devastated by World War II bombings. Originally built as rental housing for middle and uppermiddle-class professionals, it is a prominent

/10/ Guildhall is a municipal building, the first documentary reference to which is dated 1128. The current building began construction in 1411 and completed in 1440.

don’t suffer from insanity—I enjoy every minute of it.

/11/ St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom. It was commissioned by Henry VIII on the site of a former leper hospital dedicated to Saint James the Less and was constructed between 1531 and 1536 as a smaller residence to escape formal court life.

British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

entrance of Buckingham Palace; It stood there until 1851, when it was relocated to its current site—a large traffic island cut off from public access. Only members of the Royal Family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are said to be permitted to pass through the arch.

/12/ Acquired by the Diocese in around AD 1200, Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The oldest remaining part of the palace is the Early English chapel. Lollards' Tower, which retains evidence of its use as a prison in the 17th century. It dates from 1435 to 1440. The front is an early Tudor brick gatehouse built by Cardinal John Morton and completed in 1495.

/14/ 10 Downing Street is the official residence and executive office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who, since 1905 has invariably also been the prime minister. It is over 300 years old, and along with the adjoining Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall, is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom and contains approximately 100 rooms. A private residence for the prime minister's use occupies the third floor and there is a kitchen in the basement. The other floors contain offices and conference, reception, and sitting and dining rooms where the prime minister works, and where government ministers, national leaders and foreign dignitaries are met and hosted.

/17/ Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or (originally) as the Green Park Arch stands on a large traffic island with crossings for pedestrian access. At the time of its construction (1826–1830) the arch stood in a different location nearby; it was moved to its current site in 1882–1883. It originally supported an equestrian statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington (as a result of which it has acquired the name "the Wellington Arch"). A bronze quadriga (an ancient fourhorse chariot) has surmounted it since 1912. Like Marble Arch, it was planned by 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars.

/13/ Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Originally known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the

/15/ The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known simply as “the Monument”, is a fluted Doric column near the London Bridge. Designed by Christopher Wren, it was constructed between 1671 and 1677 on the site of St. Margaret, the first church to be destroyed by the Great Fire.

/18/ The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic Revival style, it took over ten years to complete, the £120,000 cost (the equivalent of about £10,000,000 in 2010) was paid for by public subscription. The memorial was opened in July 1872 by Queen Victoria, with the statue of Albert ceremonially "seated" in 1876.

/19/ The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall (which can seat 5,272) and one of the United Kingdom's most treasured and distinctive buildings. It is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity

Q. Why did the gym close?

A. It just didn't work out!

/16/ Marble Arch is a white marble-faced triumphal arch designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the formal

which receives no government funding. It was originally supposed to have been called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall's foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband, Prince Albert, who had died six years earlier.

of London" by capitalizing City) and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (716.80 acres) in area.

Q. What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant? A. "Are you sure it's mine?"

/20/ Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the center of the city, built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843; it was designed by William Railton of the Corinthian order. The statue of Nelson was carved by sculptor Edward Hodges Baily. The four bronze lions around its base, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer, were added in 1867.

/22/ 20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper nicknamed "The WalkieTalkie" because of its distinctive shape, said to resemble a two-way radio handset. Construction was completed in 2014, and the threefloor "sky garden" was opened in January 2015. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly (see Jan-Feb 2021), it has 38 stories and is 525 ft tall.

/23/ 122 Leadenhall Street (a/k/a the Leadenhall Building), is 738 ft tall skyscraper that opened in 2014. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, it is known informally as “The Cheesegrater” because of its distinctive wedge shape similar to that of the kitchen utensil with the same name.

/26/ The Lloyd's Building (sometimes known as “the Inside-Out Building”) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It was designed by the architect company Richard Rogers and Partners (now Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners) and built between 1978 and 1986.

/27/ One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf (#24 above). It was completed in 1991 and is the third tallest building in the United Kingdom — 50 stories, 770 ft tall.

/28/ The Shard (formerly London Bridge Tower) is a 72-story, 801 feet tall skyscraper designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano,

/21/ The City of London is the primary central business district. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the modern city named London has since grown far beyond the City of London boundary. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London. The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City (differentiated from the phrase "the city

/24/ With the City of London (#21 above), Canary Wharf constitutes another of the main financial centers in the United Kingdom, containing 16,ooo,ooo sq ft of office and retail space.

/25/ Tower 42, commonly known as the NatWest Tower, is a 600 ft building built between 1971 and 1980. Seen from above, the shape of the tower resembles that of the NatWest logo (three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement).

/29/ Tower Bridge is a drawbridge with two (200 feet tall) Victorian style towers; it was completed in 1894. It is 800 feet in length and provides an opening 250 feet wide. Between the towers stretch a pair of glass-covered walkways that are popular with tourists. The walkways were originally designed to allow pedestrians to cross even while the bridge was raised, but they became hangouts for prostitutes and thieves and so were closed from 1909 to 1982.

London is the Sister City of New York City (featured on the pages that follow). n

THE ARCHITECTURE OF NEW YORK CITY (MANHATTAN)

the buIldIng form most closely associated with New York City is the skyscraper. Surrounded mostly by water, the city has amassed one of the largest and most varied collection of skyscrapers in the world.

New York has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles spanning distinct historical and cultural periods. These include the (01) Woolworth Building (1913), an early Gothic revival skyscraper with largescale gothic architectural detail. The Art Deco design of the (02) Chrysler Building (1930) and (03) Empire State Building (1931), with their tapered tops and steel spires, reflected the zoning requirements. Early influential examples of the International Style in the United States are (04) 330 West 42nd Street (1931) and the (05) Seagram Building (1958). (06) The Condé Nast Building (2000) is an important example of green design in American skyscrapers.

The character of New York's large residential districts is often defined by the elegant brownstone rowhouses, townhouses, and tenements that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930. The borough of Manhattan has two main concentrations of high-rise buildings: Midtown Manhattan (see a time-lapse video HERE) and Lower Manhattan (see a zoomed in video HERE), each with its own uniquely recognizable skyline. Midtown Manhattan — the largest central business district in the world — is home to such notable buildings as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, (07) Citigroup Center, (08) Rockefeller Center, (09) the United Nations headquarters and, of course, (10) Broadway and Times Square.

Lower Manhattan comprises the third largest central business district

in the United States (after Midtown and Chicago's Loop). Lower Manhattan was characterized by the omnipresence of the Twin Towers of the (11) World Trade Center from its completion in 1973 until its destruction in the September 11 attacks in 2001. In the first decade of the 21st century, Lower Manhattan saw reconstruction to include the new (12) One World Trade Center. The Downtown skyline received new designs from such architects as Santiago Calatrava and Frank Gehry. In 2010, a 749-foot (228 m), 43-story tower named (13) 200 West Street was built for Goldman Sachs across the street from the World Trade Center site.

New York City has a long history of tall buildings. It has been home to 10 buildings

The George Washington Bridge as seen from New Jersey.

They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a typo.

that have held the world's tallest fully habitable building title at some point in history, although half have since been demolished. The first building to bring the world's tallest title to New York was the (14) New York World Building in 1890. Later, New York City was home to the world's tallest building for 75 continuous years, starting with the (15) Park Row Building in 1899 . (The Park Row Build-ing, one of the world's earliest skyscrapers, is still standing.)

/01/ The Woolworth Building, designed by architect Cass Gilbert was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, with a height of 792 feet. More than a century after its construction, it remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States. F. W. Woolworth, the founder of a brand of popular five-and-ten-cent stores, conceived the skyscraper as a headquarters for his company. It consists of a 30-story base topped by a 30-story tower. Its facade is mostly decorated with architectural terracotta, though the lower portions are limestone, and it features thousands of windows. The ornate lobby contains various sculptures, mosaics, and architectural touches. The structure was designed with several amenities and attractions, including a now-closed observatory on the 57th floor and a private swimming pool in the basement. The Woolworth Building has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966.

/02/ At 1,046 feet, the Chrysler Building is the tallest brick building in the world with

a steel framework. It was the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930. It was constructed by Walter Chrysler, the head of the Chrysler Corporation. Although it was built and designed specifically for the car manufacturer, the corporation did not pay for its construction and never owned it; Walter Chrysler decided to fund the entire cost personally so his children could inherit it. There have been numerous owners since then. It is a paragon of the Art Deco architectural style; and in 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. (See the March-April edition of the network for more on this.) It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

/03/ The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the state of New York. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet and stands a total of 1,454 feet tall, including its antenna. It was the world's tallest building until the construction of the World Trade Center in 1970; following the latter's collapse in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the city's tallest skyscraper until 2012. Around four million tourists from around the world annually visit the building's 86th and 102nd floor observatories. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

/04/ 330 West 42nd Street (a/k/a the McGraw-Hill Building) and formerly the GHI Building, is a mixture of the International Style, Art Deco, and Art Moderne styles,. The 485-foot-tall building has 33 stories and was completed in 1931. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a National Historic Landmark.

/05/ The Seagram Building is 515 feet tall with 38 stories and a public plaza, in the International Style. Completed in 1958, it initially served as the headquarters of the Seagram Company, a Canadian distiller. It is one of the most notable examples of the functionalist aesthetic and a prominent instance of corporate modern architecture. It was home to the famous Four Seasons Restaurant (which closed in 2019) and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

/06/ 4 Times Square (a/k/a 151 West 42nd Street and formerly the Condé Nast Building) is an 809 ft 52-story skyscraper (1,118 ft to its antenna) designed by Fox & Fowle. The building contains 1,600,000 sq ft of floor space, much of which was originally taken by publishing company Condé Nast and law firm Skadden Arps. The lowest three stories contain retail space while the fourth story has a food hall for tenants, originally designed by Frank Gehry for Condé Nast. It is an early example of green design in commercial skyscrapers in the United States.

/07/ The Citigroup Center (formerly Citicorp Center and a/k/a 601 Lexington Avenue) was built in 1977; it is 915 ft tall and has 59 floors and takes up much of a city block. it a 45° angled top with a base on four stilts, as well as a six-story office annex to the east. The tower overhangs St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and also at the base is a sunken plaza and a shopping concourse.

/08/ Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller

family, span the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, split by a large sunken square and a private street called Rockefeller Plaza (see picture 8A). The core of the complex was completed by 1939. The original center has several sections. Radio City, along Sixth Avenue and centered on 30 Rockefeller Plaza includes Radio City Music Hall and was built for RCA's radio-related enterprises such as NBC. One of the greatest projects of the Great Depression era, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is noted for the large quantities of art present in almost all of its Art Deco buildings, its expansive underground concourse, and its (8A) ice-skating rink. The complex is also famous for its annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

/09/ The United Nations Headquarters (completed in 1951) is a complex built on 18 acres overlooking the East River. It holds the seats of the principal organs of the UN, including the General Assembly and the Security Council, but excluding the International Court of Justice, which is in The Hague. Although it is in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations Headquarters and the spaces of buildings that it rents are under the sole administration of the United Nations and not the U.S. government. They are technically extraterritorial through a treaty agreement with the U.S. government. However, in exchange for local police, fire protection, and other services, the United Nations agrees to acknowledge most local, state, and federal laws. None of the United Nations' 15 specialized agencies (such as UNESCO) are located at the headquarters.

/10/ Broadway is a thoroughfare eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is also closely identified

with Times Square. Only three of the theaters are actually located on Broadway itself; the rest are located on the numbered cross streets over a 12-block span. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the Englishspeaking world

/11/ The original World Trade Center was a large complex of seven buildings in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. (The city itself originated at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1624, at a point that is now Financial District.) It opened in 1973 and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. At the time of their completion, the Twin Towers —the original 1 World Trade Center [the North Tower] at 1,368 feet and 2 World Trade Center [the South Tower] at 1,362 feet—were the tallest buildings in the world. Other buildings in the complex included the Marriott World Trade Center (3 WTC), 4 WTC, 5 WTC, 6 WTC, and 7 WTC. The complex contained 13,400,000 square feet of office space. The core complex

was built between 1966 and 1975 at a cost of $400 million (equivalent to $2.27 billion in 2021).

/12/ One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (and the seventh-tallest in the world) at 1,776 feet and the lead building for the new complex, opened in November 2014. It is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan and has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center.. The new skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center. The building's architect is David Childs, whose firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) also designed the Burj Khalifa and the Willis Tower.

/13/ 200 West Street is the LEED gold certified global headquarters of the Goldman Sachs investment banking firm. It is a 749-foot-tall 44-story building designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

/14/ The New York World Building (a/k/a the Pulitzer Building) was a building in the Civic Center of the city, across from City Hall. Part of the former "Newspaper Row", it was designed by George B. Post in the Renaissance Revival style. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in New York City.

/15/ The Park Row Building (a/k/a 15 Park Row, is a luxury apartment building and early skyscraper on Park Row in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The 391-foot-tall 31-story building was designed by R. H. Robertson, a pioneer in steel skyscraper design, and engineered by the firm of Nathaniel Roberts. The architectural detail on the facade includes large columns and pilasters, as well as numerous ornamental overhanging balconies. Until the completion of the Singer Building in 1908, it was the city's tallest building and the world's tallest office building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

I know they say that money talks, but all mine says is ‘Goodbye.’

THE WIT AND WISDOM OF ANDY ROONEY

andy rooney (1919 – 2011) was an American radio and television writer, most notable for his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney," a part of the CBS’s program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on 60 Minutes aired October 2, 2011; he died one month later. A few of his classic lines:

I've learned... that love, not time, heals all wounds. I've learned that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned that when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. I've learned that just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day. I've learned that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. I’ve learned that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've learned that when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you... More I've learned that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. When it comes to educating all of us about the most basic things in life, it seems to me we need more kindergartens and fewer graduate schools. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong. Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game. Half the cookbooks tell you how to cook the food and the other half tell you how to avoid eating it.

The two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food, and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it!

I didn't get old on purpose, it just happened. If you're lucky, it could happen to you.

Death is a distant rumor to the young.

Teachers who have plugged away at their jobs for twenty, thirty, and forty years are heroes. I suspect they know in their hearts they've done a good thing, too, and are more satisfied with themselves than most people are. Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.

Democrats believe people are basically good but must be saved from themselves by their government. Republicans believe people are basically bad but they'll be okay if they're left alone.

It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone.

I'd be more willing to accept religion, even if I didn't believe it, if I thought it made people nicer to each other, but I don't think it does. Nothing in fine print is ever good news. I'd like to be rich enough so I could throw soap away after the letters are worn off.

ANDY ROONEY ON SEX (READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.)

Small daily happenings make life spectacular... start enjoying the small things in life!

Being kind is more important than being right. Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe.

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage! Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

When I was born, I was given a choicea big pecker or a good memory... I don't remember which I chose. Your birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory.

A wife is a sex object. Every time you ask for sex, she objects. Impotence is nature's way of saying: "No hard feelings..."

There are only two four letter words that are offensive to men - 'don't' and 'stop', unless they are used together.

Panties: Not the best thing on earth, but next to the best thing on earth.

There are three stages in a man's lifeTri-Weekly, Try Weekly and Try Weakly.

Virginity can be cured.  Virginity is not dignity; it's lack of opportunity.

Having sex is like playing bridgeif you don't have a good partner, you better have a good hand.

I tried phone sex once, but the holes in the dial were too small.

Marriage is the only war where you get to sleep with the enemy.

Question: What's an Australian kiss? Answer: The same thing as a French kiss, only down under.

A couple just married were happy with the whole thing. He was happy with the Hole and she was happy with the Thing.

A cartoonist was found dead in his home.  Details are sketchy.

BY ROSE-MARY RUMBLEY

TEXAS TALES

can good come from bad? Sometimes! Here are five Texas stories that prove this to be true.

Some years ago, the principal of James Butler Bonham Elementary School called me. "Would you come and speak to the children about Jim Bonham?" I answered with great sincerity, "My dear, most of your students are Hispanic. Bonham was at the Alamo!" he quickly replied, "They know that. They don't care."

I cared! I prayed, "Dear Lord, send me some information about Bonham that would interest these children." And the Lord did just that. In my research, I discovered that when Bonham was a senior at South Carolina College, (in 1827), he had led a student protest over poor food served in the school cafeteria. The kids all cheered, "Yeah, Bonham!" They were impressed by his fortitude. I was so thrilled that this rocky situation turned into a positive learning adventure.

Do you remember Pearl Harbor? I'm old, so I remember that harrowing day. And I also remember President Roosevelt’s unforgettable speech to Congress on "December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy!"

It was a Sunday morning. My father and I were in church. Mother was not feeling well, so she’d stayed home. When we got into the car, I immediately turned on the radio. Not many people had radios in their cars then, but we had one and I always turned it on. Then we heard the shocking news. "Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor. Many of our ships are destroyed. Many (have been) killed!"

When the bombs began to fall, the navy men stationed there manned the machine guns which were there for the defense of our ships. One husky, black sailor, Doris Miller, was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. According to Jim Crow laws, Doris (who was called Dorie) could not use a machine gun. He could only serve in the kitchen. Seeing the catastrophe, Dorie began carrying wounded crewmen to safety, and when he saw that one machine gunner had been killed, he quicky took his place and began to gun down the Japanese planes. His navy buddies later asked, "How did you know how to fire the gun?" His answer: "I watched you guys!"

Dorie was awarded the Navy Cross; he was the first back American to receive this honor. He was sent home as a hero and sold war bonds for several months. However, as the war continued, Dorie was sent to the war zone in the South Pacific. He was killed on an escort carrier (the Luscome Bay) when it was sunk by the Japanese, in November of 1943. This was all bad, but good came on January 20, 2020the Martin Luther King holiday, when a navy aircraft carrier was launched, The USS Doris Miller!

cans were ready to "See the USA, in your Chevrolet” as Dinah Shore sang on that new form of entertainment— the television. Little towns were not considered vital entities to the post war economy. Interstates were.

The first interstate that opened was the New Jersey Turnpike between New York and Washington. On it there are thirteen rest stops, all named for prominent New Jerseyans. I drove it when it was celebrating my 50th birthday, and I stopped at the Joyce Kilmer exit. He was the poet who wrote the well-known poem, Trees I entered the only eating establishment there— Macdonald’s—where I met a trucker from Texas. We sat together, and I mentioned that we were at the Joyce Kilmer exit. "I don't know her," my new friend said. I replied, "Joyce is a guy!" The Texas trucker came back with "The hell he is!" I could never forget that conversation! Nevertheless, Hitler the horrid indirectly gave us our interstates.

Williams. He was thought to be a sure win. But he lost because he told a bad joke, one so well-known and so degrading of women that no one ever repeats it anymore. Someone needed to give Clayton that information.

Ann was elected and we had four years of fun. Her hair was always in the news--nary a hair was ever out of place because of the large amount of hair spray she used. Ann's good buddy, Mollie Ivans, was always around with a hysterical statement.

General Eisenhower, commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, WWII, came home the victor in 1945, and in 1952, he was elected President of the United States. One of the first items on his agenda was the building of interstate highways. He told the country of the magnificent highways, the autobahns, he’d seen in Germany. Hitler was a monster, but he knew how to build perfect roads.

Of course, the interstates were going to bypass the quaint little towns all over the country. All those little hamlets were going to die. However, with the new cars made after the war, Ameri-

Ann Richards became Governor of Texas because of a bad joke. She first drew national attention as Texas Treasurer, when she gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1988. George Bush was running for president on the Republican ticket. "Poor George," she wailed. "He was born with a silver foot in his mouth!" This was a memorable statement. George Bush took it kindly and had a jeweler create a brooch of a sterling silver foot, which he sent to Ann to wear on her lapel. This she did--always! Now, that's pure class! Wish we had that sort of behavior today instead of the hatred that is abounding! Enough of that. I will not get political!

Ann was running against an oil man from west Texas—Republican Clayton

This last story is way more than bad. It's beyond tragic. It's horrific! In 1937, in the little east Texas town of New London, the economy was booming despite the depression. Why? Because there was OIL. Lots of it! The little town was so rich, they built a fabulous schoolhouse for the kids. Because the building was right there by the oil fields, to heat the schoolhouse, natural gas was pumped right from the fields. Unbeknown to all, gas was accumulating in the basement. One day the schoolhouse blew up, killing the kids and the teachers of the town. The New London Explosion! Texas has never experienced such a disaster.

I was a small child, but I remember it, because it was the first time I was ever afraid. If a child is living in a good home as I was, there is no fear. But I remember being worried. I also remember my mother assuring me that all the children were in heaven! So what good could come from this? Well, there was one good thing. Smell was added to gas! Now, one can detect a gas leak. You can smell the gas! n

Rose-Mary Rumbley has written three books about her native city – Dallas. She has also written “WHAT! NO CHILI!” and a book about the 300th anniversary of the invention of the piano. She has appeared on the stage at the Dallas Summer Musicals and at Casa Mañana and was head of the drama department at Dallas Baptist University for 12 years. Today she is on the speaking circuit and teaches drama classes at Providence Christian School. Her loving views of Texas history appear in every issue of rosetalksdallas@aol.com

When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?

éJames Bonham

é Dwight David Eisenhower

é Ann Richards and George Bush

é New London Explosion

My wife just found out I replaced our bed with a trampoline; she hit the roof!

IDA WELLS-BARNETT

Ida bell wells-barnett was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, the daughter of a White man who impregnated an enslaved Black woman. One of eight children, she was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. At the age of 16, she lost both her parents and her infant brother in the 1878 yellow fever epidemic.

Over the course of a lifetime dedicated to combating prejudice and violence, and the fight for AfricanAmerican equality, especially that of women, Wells arguably became the most famous Black woman in America. In the 1890s, She documented lynching in the United States in articles and through her pamphlet called Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in all its Phases, exposing lynching as a barbaric practice of Whites in the South used to intimidate and oppress African Americans. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 1n 1909.

JOSEPH M. BARTHOLOMEW

born In 1885, Joseph M. Bartholomew was the first African American man to ever build a public golf course. At the age of seven, he worked as a caddie at the Audubon Golf Course that was located near his home and, eventually, he became a greenskeeper there.

While working as a hired assistant to Scottish-American professional golfer Fred McLeod, Bartholomew learned how to make golf clubs. As he became more skilled at playing, he began to teach others. At the Metairie Golf Club, he met a wealthy club member (H.T. Cottam) who persuaded the club to send him to New York to study golf course architecture. There he learned course design with architect Seth Raynor, who was well-known in the industry.

In 1922 Bartholomew returned to New Orleans where he began construction of Metairie’s new golf course. He cleared the land and often worked overnight to protect his design ideas from those who might steal them. This precaution disturbed club members who demanded assur-

While it contains extensive documentation of lynchings, her work is also notable for its realtime reporting on the prevalent incendiary propaganda about Black rape that was used to justify the practice. She traveled nationally and internationally on lecture tours.

In 2020, Wells was posthumously honored with a Pulitzer Prize special citation "[f]or her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching."

Wells began writing her autobiography, Crusade for Justice (1928), but never finished the book; she died of kidney failure at the age of 68 in 1931. The book was posthumously published, edited by her daughter Alfreda Barnett Duster, in 1970, as Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells

Watch a 6-minute biography here: youtube.com/watch?v=8f7TUBvbgrI

ance that their investment money was being spent wisely.

With pressure from investors building, he loaded his doubters into wagons and showed them the progress that he was making in developing the course. So overwhelmed were they by what they saw, they left Bartholomew to complete his work and increased his salary. When the project was finally finished after several long months of physical labor and mental anguish, because of the laws of segregation, its creator (Bartholomew) wasn’t even allowed to hit one single golf ball on the course that his mind and hands had shaped. Nevertheless, after the course opened, he began teaching and making golf clubs there.

Years later, he was hired in 1933

to design New Orleans’ City Park No. 1 course with landscape architect William Wiedorn. Bartholomew designed and built Pontchartrain Park’s golf course, which opened in 1956. The course was renamed for him in 1979. Bartholomew designed and constructed many other courses in several cities across the South; however, because of segregation, he could only enjoy his creations from afar, but unable to play them.

Later, Bartholomew started his own construction company and expanded his business into other areas, including landscaping, real estate investment, and asset diversification. In his later years, wise yet aged, he was a fixture at Pontchartrain Park. He died in 1971, and the following year, his significant contributions to the game of golf were recognized when he became the first African American to be inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame

é Joseph Bartholomew in 1956 on the first golf course in Louisiana that permitted African- Americans to play (Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans). He designed the course, which was later named after him.

é Ida Wells-Barnett c. 1893 “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

BY ANTHONY J. BARBIERI

LANDLORD’S LIENS

when a landlord sIgns a commercial lease, it expects the tenant to keep its promise: pay the rent - on time and in full. As we know, it’s never that easy. When tenants break this promise, landlords and property managers have to scramble to recover their losses. Often, the security deposit is not enough to cover the amount owed, and if the tenant is destitute, then lawsuits are fruitless. Another option is to go after the tenant’s personal property in the premises. If it has any value, a landlord may use it for a replacement tenant or sell it. However, the landlord must first determine if it has a valid first lien on any of the tenant’s personal property in the premises. There are two kinds of liens available to a commercial landlord: a contractual lien and a statutory lien per the Texas Property Code. This article will discuss how to perfect a contractual lien, the differences between the two liens and typical issues related to landlord’s liens.

The Contractual Lien. A typical commercial lease provides for a security agreement where the tenant grants the landlord a contractual lien on its personal property

in the premises. Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code governs these contractual liens. While the lease acts as the security agreement creating a landlord's lien, the lien must be “perfected” by filing a financing statement, which is commonly called a “UCC-1”. Perfecting the lien puts the world on notice that the landlord claims a lien on the tenant's property described in the UCC-1. The security agreement (i.e., the landlord lien section of the lease) describes the specific property subject to the lien. This description of the property in the lease should be the exact description on the UCC-1. Once the lease containing the security agreement is signed, and the UCC-1 is filed, the contractual lien is perfected. You typically file the UCC-1 with the Secretary of State’s office of the state where the tenant entity was formed, and, for good measure, the state in which the premises is located. However, if the lien applies to tenant’s fixtures or any real property, the UCC-1 should also be filed in the county clerk’s office where the premises is located.

The Statutory Lien. Under the Texas Property Code, a commercial landlord has a preference lien on all the tenant’s prop-

erty in the premises to secure the certain past and future rent due. The lien arises as a matter of law and there the landlord does not have to file a UCC-1 or put any special language in the lease. The Texas statutory lien gives the landlord a preference lien for rents accruing during each lease year. This has been interpreted to grant priority to a landlord’s lien over a competing UCC lien where the UCC lien was perfected after the beginning of the lease date or anniversary date, but it only has this priority for the first year of the lease. For example, if the lease term commences on January 1, 2019, and a third-party creditor files a UCC-1 on February 1, 2019 covering property in the premises, and if tenant defaults prior to January 1, 2020, the statutory landlord's lien prevails. However, if the default occurs during the second year of the lease, then the statutory landlord lien is inferior (second-in-line) to the other creditor’s UCC lien. A statutory lien is valid for 30 days after a tenant vacates the premises and to preserve it, a lawsuit must be filed within such 30-day period.

The statutory lien is limited to the rent due during the current twelve-month period succeeding the date of the lease, or an anniversary of that date. In addition, the lien is enforceable for rents that are up to six months past due. If rent for a commercial property becomes more than six months past due, the lien is unenforceable unless the landlord files a verified lien statement with the county clerk where the property is located stating: (i) the amount due; (ii) the months for which rent is claimed; (iii) the tenant’s name and address; (iv) a description of the premises; and (v) the commencement and termination dates of the lease. Unlike a contractual lien, a statutory lien must be foreclosed by filing a lawsuit seeking collection of the defaulted rent and foreclosure of the statutory lien.

Lien Waivers/Subordinations. Oftentimes, your tenant’s lenders will request that the landlord subordinate or waive its landlord’s lien. Before you agree to this, you need to analyze the impact. For

The person who created autocorrect has died. Restaurant In Peace.

“Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.” (George Carlin)

example, if you were relying on the value of the tenant’s personal property in order to mitigate damages upon a tenant default, then you may need to ask the tenant for additional security deposit or a letter of credit. Further, many lenders will want to camp out in the premises for a protected period of time while they utilize the collateral, or otherwise try to sell it. A landlord must also be mindful of the tenant’s lender damaging the premises by tearing out the collateral.

Priority of Contractual Liens. A tenant may have other secured creditors. If that is the case, the date the landlord’s lien is perfected establishes priority of its liens. The earlier filed UCC-1 takes priority over the subsequently filed UCC-1s. Financing statements are good for five years from the date the UCC-1 financing statement is filed. In order to retain its perfected priority, the landlord must file a continuation statement, called a UCC-3, in the same places the original UCC-1(s) was filed, within six months prior to the expiration of the five year period. Failure to file a continuation statement before the expiration of the five-year period will result in loss of the landlord's perfected status and basically loss of the lien if the tenant has other secured creditor.

Key Issues in Completing the UCC-1. Completing the UCC-1 accurately is extremely important – the simple misspelling, or listing a tenant's trade name rather than the correct legal name, may invalidate a filing if it is seriously misleading to the public. A landlord must be careful to identify the tenant properly on each UCC-1. For individuals, the correct, full legal name should be used. If the individual goes by another name, include the "also known" name (a/k/a). For married couples, include both parties' legal names. Do not use "Mr. and Mrs." If the tenant is an entity, use the correct legal name as it is filed with the secretary of state. Be sure to use the full legal name, identify the type of organization, and identify the state of organization. If the entity conducts business under a d/b/a, list that information as well, although, legally, it is not always necessary. Make sure to include the address of the leased premises in the description of collateral or a legal description.

If There is a Default. If there is a competing lienholder, then the priority of its lien versus the landlord's lien will be determined generally in favor of the party who

filed first. Thus, each priority question must be evaluated separately and on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, before any action can be taken against the tenant’s collateral, the landlord must:

• Take inventory of all personal property in the leased premises. You need to decide if the collateral’s value outweighs the effort and cost of trying to sell it;

• Conduct a UCC search at the Secretary of State's office in Texas, the state where the tenant entity was formed, and at the county clerk's office to determine any competing liens;

• If a competing lien is located, its priority must be determined;

• The competing lienholder must be contacted;

• Determine if the tenant filed bankruptcy. If so, the bankruptcy rules may require all creditors (including the landlord) to cease all collection efforts. At that point, the landlord will have to pursue the claim in bankruptcy.

• If a third party has a higher priority on certain collateral than the landlord, that party may be entitled to remove their personal property. Be sure to monitor this carefully so that party only removes what they are legally entitled to remove, and have them sign an appropriate indemnification agreement.

• After notifying all secured creditors and after all third-party personal property has been claimed and indemnification agreements executed, notices should be sent to secured parties and any other party that may be interested in the personal property (for example, the IRS or the State of Texas if there are any tax liens on the tenant).

Foreclosing a Contractual Lien. The initial step is to determine what property is covered under the lien. Does the tenant own the property? Is it leased? Is it a capital

lease versus an operating lease? These are difficult questions and counsel should be consulted on them. Once the issues of what property is subject to the lien and the conflicting priorities of lien claimants have been determined, a sale of the goods may be held, but only under the specific rules. The UCC allows the landlord to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any or all of the collateral by public or private sale, as long as every aspect of the sale or disposition, including the method, manner, time, place and terms are “commercially reasonable”.

Further, there must be notice given to the tenant and any guarantor or other person whom the landlord will attempt to hold responsible under the lease. Depending on whether the sale is to be public or private, the notice must state the date, time and place of sale and whether or not the sale will be a public or private sale. It is imperative that proper notice be given since the failure to give proper notice may result in a complete discharge of liability under the lease.

Therefore, it is appropriate that the Notice of Sale be drafted for each public or private sale under the landlord's contractual landlord's lien and due care must be given to the choice of sale as between public and private. Actually, the UCC favors a private sale under most circumstances, since a private sale will generally bring more money than a public sale or auction. In any event, the landlord must be careful to ensure that the sale is conducted in a commercially reasonable manner.

Conclusion. Proper use of any landlord’s lien starts before the lease is signed. Many landlords wait until after the tenant defaults before they examine their lien rights. At that point, it may be too late if you don’t have the proper lease language or if you have not properly perfected your lien. It is also important to monitor your tenants to spot any warning signs. If you suspect a tenant may be in financial trouble, then start examining your lien rights immediately. n

Ed. Note: This piece originally appeared in the September/October 2019 issue of .

Anthony J. Barbieri is a shareholder of Kessler Collins, PC in Dallas, Texas. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is also a Contributing Editor of ajb@kesslercollins.com

“When I envision a new work, my goal is to have the viewer be a part of it—inviting them in, as if they could walk around and feel what I was feeling and experience the life of the scene breathing through you. For me, creating art is very fulfilling as it represents a place I visually and emotionally create, and each piece becomes a part of me.”

ARTCH TECTURE

DAVID MACLEAN IMAGINATION RUNNING FREE

davId maclean’s work has been described as art that is filled with passionate feelings, vibrant colors and Easter egg skies. It puts you in the scene and creates a deep connection that cannot be ignored. It pulls you in and makes you feel, smell, and experience it. One visitor to his gallery wrote, “I came by a couple of days ago, and couldn’t get his art out of my head, so I had to come back.”

David describes the process as not creating a scene but rather creating an emotion that the viewer can feel and become a part of. After 26 years of owning and operating an art gallery chain, he sold the business in 2015 to become a full-time artist.

“I was a traditional brush and canvas artist for 25 years before switching to become a digital artist 15 years ago. I realized all the things I

could do with a brush and canvas I could do with a computer, using the same stroke techniques but with a much larger palette. It also allows for more layering, which was always something I used when I was using traditional methods.

Creating art for me after all these years has grown to become a privilege and a part of me that started as far back as I can remember. As an artist most of my life I have experienced my share of struggle through the years to the point where I tried different career paths several times, but it was like I was blocked and guided back to my art. There is no doubt that my journey here was intended for me to be an artist and I couldn’t be happier about this now. These days I get out of bed every morning with an excitement to get back to the art I’m working on or creating something

At what age is it appropriate to tell my dog that he’s adopted?

A book fell on my head the other day. I only have my shelf to blame.

To see David Maclean’s art visit: www.artofdavidm.com

WHY ARTCH TECTURE ?

Great art is among the most sublime, meaningful, and redeeming creations of all civilization. Few endeavors can equal the power of great artwork to capture aesthetic beauty, to move and inspire, to change perceptions, and to communicate the nature of human experience. Great art is also complex, mysterious, and challenging. Filled with symbolism, cultural and historical references, and often visionary imagery, great artworks oblige us to reckon with their many meanings.

a client has commissioned me for. I also enjoy the research that is needed at times and every time I start a new work of art, I have a drive and passion to what I’m working on.”

Currently living among the vineyards and orchards with his wife of over 35 years (Maryse), he has three grown children whom he uses as subjects in his creations along with their dogs and cats. He is represented by one of the world’s leading art licensing agencies and has become one of their most requested artists. His art is now in such demand that he must decide which commissions to do.

"Art for me is a place that I go to be lost in a world of dreams. My mind falls deep into the scene where my ego cannot go, and my imagination runs free. Time stands still and I feel the letting go to a place that I belong" n

Five winners in our contest (on the inside back cover) will win jigsaw puzzles of David Maclean’s beautiful paintings!

Architects and designers (many of our readers) have a lot of influence on the way we perceive the world. A structure often plays a significant part in how we experience a place. (Think of a restaurant, a museum, an arena, a stadium... even an office building - virtually anywhere!) The interior design impacts our sensory perception, our comfort, and our physical connection and there is also artistry in the exterior design. (That’s why we call it artchitecture.)

IREM Houston was able to resume its holiday party this year.

/01/ Raven Livingston of Kimco Realty and Melissa Horn, CPM of Braun Enterprises

/02/ Grant Gerber of United Protective, Tammie Norris, ACoM of CP Group and Kris Haller of Fujitec.

/03/ J. Blanchard of Guard Texas and Kaci Hancock, ACoM, CPM of REIS Associates.

THE FACTOR

2021 ANNUAL AWARDS

President’s Medal in Recognition of Outstanding Achievement and Service to the Profession

Peter Darby, AIA

2021 Young Architect of the Year

Clemente Jaquez, AIA

2021 Associate of the Year

Elizabeth Jones, Assoc. AIA

2021 Allied Member of the Year Campos Engineering

2021 Allied Volunteer of the Year

Jonathan Brower, P.E.

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Contributions to EP!C Series & Path to Licensure Scholarship

Sonya Shah, AIA

Tess Haverstick, AIA

Lucas Downes, AIA

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Contributions to E/D/I Initiatives

Bradley Fritz, AIA

Alex Quintanilla, AIA

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Contributions to AD EX + AIA Dallas Housing Summit

Vince Tam, AIA

Derwin Broughton, AIA

Presidential Citation for Exceptional Programming –SFRT Office Stories

Thad Reeves, AIA

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Service in Advocacy and Outreach

Norman Alston, FAIA

Kate Aoki, AIA

Ben Reavis, AIA

Peter Darby, AIA

Presidential Citation for Outstanding Contributions – Northeast Texas Video Series

Paige Engel, AIA

Corey Guidry, AIA

Mary Alice Guidry, AIA

Kyle Whitehurst, AIA

AUSTIN’S NEWEST JEWEL

trammell crow company (tcc), one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate developers and investors, and MSD Capital L.P. have topped out 601 W. 2nd Street (formerly known as Block 185), a 35-story office development in Downtown Austin. The 814,081 sf Class A building rises 590 feet and will be Austin’s largest when completed in May 2022

Pelli Clarke & Partners and STG Design served as the architects for the project which is situated on a 1.26-acre site. The tower features an iconic curved facade that gracefully emulates a sail. Programmable outdoor terraces appear on every floor of the building, offering an immersive setting with unencumbered 180-degree views of Lady Bird Lake, Austin’s abundant urban green spaces and the city’s southern districts.

Ed: As we go to press, we couldn’t confirm the rumors surrounding a nickname heard for the building—Google Tower— because it (you know who) could be the major (or perhaps sole) tenant. n

If you don’t pay your exorcist, do you get repossessed?

When the cannibal showed up late to the buffet, they gave him the cold shoulder.

THE FACTOR CIUDAD DE LAS ARTES Y LAS CIENCIAS

the cIty of arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain is a unique complex devoted to science, culture, nature, and art. Its main elements are shown here. The beautiful architecture is a credit to the outstanding work of two Spanish architects of international prestige: Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela.

L’Oceanogràfic is the biggest oceanographic center of Europe. It features the largest aquarium tank in Europe and houses more than 45,000 marine creatures.

The Hemisfèric IMAX (for cinema and digital projections) was the first building and is a singular and spectacular structure which represents a great human eye— the eye of wisdom. It symbolizes the view of the world that visitors discover through surprising audiovisual projections.

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is the largest opera house in Europe and also a cultural center. The roof resembles a feather plume consisting of two ‘shells’ that embrace the building.

L'Umbracle is a promenade—a sculpture garden and landscaped walk with plant species indigenous to Valencia. (It is above a large car park.)

El Museo de las Ciencias is one of the most popular science centers in Europe, also famous for its futuristic architecture. It allows visitors to learn about the evolution of life, science, and technology in an educational, interactive and enjoyable way. Its slogan is: “It is prohibited not to touch, not to feel, not to think.”

The Ágora is a multi-functional facility for the staging of conventions, concerts, performances; it can also be converted into an exhibition area and has even been used to conduct a major tennis tournament. n

Enter the contest on the inside back cover to win a puzzle by David Maclean—this issue’s cover artist.

San Francisco Trolley Las Vegas Twilight

YOU NEED (OR MIGHT WANT) TO KNOW PROFESSIONALS ON THE

BY JULIE BRAND LYNCH

/01/ Charlotte Scott joined The Retail Connection as Accounting Manager.

/02/ Dan Bergeron joined Weitzman as Controller.

/03/ Grayson Hughes joined Stream Realty in Dallas as Director of Industrial Development Services.

/04/ Jason Williamson was promoted to Chief Operations Officer at Dunaway in Fort Worth.

/05/ Sarah Blackburn was appointed CEO of Bspoke Title Holdings in Houston.

/06/ John Mangess was named Chairman of Bspoke Title Holdings in Houston.

/07/ Patricia Rissanen was named President of Bspoke Title Holdings in Houston.

/08/ Michael Neary, Jr. was named CFO/CIO and Executive VP of Bspoke Title Holdings in Houston.

/09/ Britt Naponic was named General Counsel and Executive VP of Bspoke Title Holdings in Houston.

/10/ Vincent Hunter joined Streetlight Residential in Dallas as Sr. VP of Design.

/11/ Tobin Ezekwesili joined KAI as Director of Electrical Engineering in DFW.

/12/ Juan Fernandez joined Gensler as Client Strategy Director.

/13/ Audrey Conley joined Mohr Partners as Director of Human Resources in Dallas.

/14/ Elle Grant joined Weitzman in Houston as an Associate.

/15/ Stacey Saathoff joined Bevoir Real estate Group as an Associate.

/16/ Keith Sitzman was promoted to Vice President of Operations at Skanska USA in San Antonio.

/17/ Lindsey Yasso joined Wilson Cribbs + Goren PC in Houston.

/18/ Rachel Woodman was promoted to Associate Broker at The Retail Connection.

/19/ Sarah Kelly joined The Retail Connection in Dallas as a Property Ac countant.

/20/ Karen Kim joined NewPoint Real Estate as Managing Director.

/21/ Bryan Dixon joined NewPoint Real Estate as Managing Director.

/22/ Dominic Padilla was promoted to Vice President of Relationship Management at White Construction Company.

/23/ Rick Croasdale was promoted to Sr. Vice President of Sales at RentSence in Houston.

/24/ Nicole White was promoted to Chief Legal Officer for Avison Young in Houston.

/25/ Jeremy Reed joined MLB Title as Sr. Vice President and Commercial Closing Attorney.

/26/ Hannah Kiem was promoted to Vice President of Development for the Southwest at CRG.

/27/ Jon Leach joined Tangram in Dallas as Director of Business Development.

/28/ Logan Shrout joined ML Realty Partners in Dallas as an Acquisition Associate.

/29/ Stan Nowak joined Avison Young Capital Markets Team in Austin.

/30/ Randall Stebbins was promoted to Executive Vice President at Weitzman in DFW.

/31/ Jennifer Chandler was promoted to Senior Vice President at Weitzman in DFW.

/32/ Bernard Shaw was promoted to Senior Vice President at Weitzman in DFW.

/33/ Branon Pesnell joined NAI Partners as Senior Vice President and managing Director.

/34/ Brian McNally joined Legacy Partners as Vice President of Development & Acquisitions.

/35/ Elle Morris joined The Retail Connection’s Office Team in Dallas.

/36/ Nikki Mann joined The Retail Connection’s Office Team in Dallas.

/37/ Brooks Chapman joined Layne Property Partners as a Senior Associate.

/38/ Jeff Nebrat was promoted to Executive Vice President | City Partner at Weitzman in Austin.

/39/ Erin Morales was named Managing Director of Avison Young’s Austin office.

/40/ Kate Rhodes joined BECKREIT as a broker.

/41/ Kelly Cloud joined BECKREIT as a broker.

/42/ Mark Epple was promoted to Partner at Weitzman in Austin. n

Julie Lynch is the principal of LYNOUS, a talent management firm that provides recruiting, interim staffing and training to the real estate industry. She is also a contributing editor of julie@LYNOUS.com

Q. What is sticky and brown? A. A stick!

I saw a sign the other day that said, ‘Watch for children,’ and I thought, ‘That sounds like a fair trade.’

IN THE N WS

é homelessness Is a huge global problem. With an estimated 100 million people currently homeless, the fact that there are millions of homes around the world lying empty is shocking. To find out which countries are the worst offenders when it comes to leaving properties vacant, the mortgage experts at money.co.uk analyzed OECD data to reveal the countries with the most empty homes compared to their homeless population. The United States ranks 9th. The US has an estimated homeless population of 580,466, in comparison to 15,549,000 empty homes, meaning that just 3.73% of empty homes would be needed to house the countries homeless population.You can view the full research here: money.co.uk/mortgages/ empty-homes .

ç Architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli (known for designing some of the world’s most iconic buildings including Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the International Finance Center in Hong Kong, and Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco and whose work was featured in our July-August 2020 edition) has changed its name to Pelli Clarke & Partners. See a video about their design heritage story at: www.pcparch.com/firm .

ç The availability of warehouse space fell to record lows in the third quarter of 2021. The national vacancy rate dropped to 3.6% (from 4.3% in the third quarter of 2020) according to CBRE. In Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, the rate is down to 1%. (These ports have been very much in the news as major chokepoints in the global supply chain.) Space has been particularly difficult to find near ports, as shippers and logistics companies are looking for storage space, the demand for which has been driven by the surge of online shopping (caused by the pandemic and efforts by retailers to position goods closer to customers for faster delivery). On the East Coast, ports from Boston to Charleston showed a 1.9% vacancy rate. Cushman and Wakefield reported that the national industrial vacancy rate was 4.1% in the third quarter—the lowest since 1995, and the asking rent rates were up 10.4% (to $8.92 a square foot) over the previous year. n

SH UT-OUTS

/01/ more than 400 guests in creative black-tie attire attended the Impact Dallas Gala on November 4th to honor three award recipients. The Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Architecture and Design Foundation honored: Larry Good, FAIA, who received the AIA Dallas Lifetime Achievement Award; Deedie Rose, Hon. AIA, who received the George Foster Harrell Award; and Jubilee Park and Community Center, which received the AD EX Community Cornerstone Award.

/02/ CBRE and Salesforce/ Stōk each won the H. Bruce

Russell Global Innovator’s Award given by CoreNet Global at its Global Summit in Seattle in November. The award recognizes companies that demonstrate best-in-class practices in advancing thought leadership in corporate real estate. CBRE received the award for its program, “Office Ready: A Quick Design-Deliver Solution for Office Space,” and Stōk was honored for its “Salesforce Sustainable Global Real Estate Program.” Prior to the Summit North America in Seattle, WA, judges drawn from senior leaders in the association had selected winners in the following categories: Professional Excellence winners: HKS, Inc (for Historic Adaptive Reuse Corporate Office in Fort Worth) and Siemens Ltd - Siemens Real Estate (for India Bangladesh

-AVATAR: Remote Monitoring Center for Real Estate Infrastructure, Utilities and Security Systems). Sustainable Leadership winners: Genentech (for Genentech/City of South San Francisco Master Plan) and Salesforce/Stōk (for “Salesforce Sustainable Global Real Estate Program”).

/03/ The DFW area division of Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. (PRMI) was ranked No. 5 in the Top 100 Places to Work in the small company category by The Dallas Morning News. PRMI is a nationwide mortgage lender (licensed in 49 states ) with over 300 branches and more than 2,500 employees,

/04/ WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst College Towns & Cities in America, as well as accompanying videos to help college-bound high school seniors determine their future home for the next several years, They compared more than 400 U.S. cities – also grouped by city size – based on 30 key indicators of academic, social and economic growth potential, with a data set ranging from the cost of living to the quality of higher education to the crime rate. Austin topped the list of Best Large College Cities and College Station came in a strong sixth on the Best Small College Cities.

Salesforce Transit Center

THE RES URCE PAGE

é Research from Filter King has discovered the best beach house locations across the US, based on factors such as air quality, rainfall and more, along with locations with the lowest Airbnb & house prices. Galveston was ranked the #1 beach house location in the U.S. and Port Arthur and Freeport were ranked #1 and #2 respectively as the least expensive place to buy a beach house. Port Arthur also topped the list of where to rent an Airbnb beach house. View the full research here

é New research by money.co.uk has revealed the world’s best places to relocate to and six USA cities rank in the top 10. The best city in the world to relocate to is Austin, Texas. Austin has the third-best internet speed of any city in the rankings, at 87.5 Mbps. Additionally, the city scores highly in terms of average temperature (68.72°), and high average monthly salaries at $5,347.72. Charleston (3), Los Angeles (5), Miami (7), San Francisco (9), and Las Vegas (10) were the other American cities that made the top ten. The study analyzed factors that are often taken into consideration when deciding where to relocate to — including house prices, living costs, average salary, weather conditions, number of restaurants and green spaces, internet speed and life expectancy. View the research in full here

é A new study by Living Cozy analyzed the median property value in each American city, revealing the most affordable cities for Gen Zers to buy their first home. [Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years. Most members of Generation Z (a/ka Zoomers) are children of Generation X; they are the successors of Millennials and the predecessors of Generation Alpha.] The cheapest major city in the US when it comes to property prices is Detroit. In second place with a median property price of $97,439 is Cleveland, Taking the bronze medal is Toledo, OH. El Paso (with a median home price of $173,839) was the only Texas city to make the top ten. The study also examined the best places for Gen Zers to live based on factors such as health care providers, job prospects and equality. Oakland, CA topped that list – and west coast cities took the top five spots. See the full research and results by clicking here.

é A lack of skilled construction labor is a key limiting factor for improving housing inventory and affordability, according to a new report by the Home Builders Institute (HBI). Additionally, the report cautions that the required number of construction workers to keep up with demand is approximately 740,000 new workers per year for the next three years. “The construction industry needs more than 61,000 new hires every month if we are to keep up with both industry growth and the loss of workers either through retirement or simply leaving the sector for good,” said HBI president and CEO Ed Brady. “From 2022 through 2024, this total represents a need for an additional 2.2 million new hires for construction. That’s a staggering number.” The report shows home sales outpacing home construction, resulting in a growing backlog and supply-chain bottlenecks. More than 12 million new households have been formed since the beginning of 2012, while approximately only 10 million new homes for ownership and rent were built during the same time. See the HBI Construction Report here.

é BOMA International has released Getting Creative With Vacant Spaces, the sixth installment in its series called BOMA Deep Dives. It explores some of the issues experts are seeing out in the field today, as well as the variety of factors driving this trend. See the study HERE.

é The highest rate of inflation seen in the past five years has caused disruptions to many of the cities ranked in The Economist’s Intelligence Unit biannual Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 survey. (See companion article on page 35.) The Middle East is now home to both the top and bottomranking cities, and in a survey first, the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, earns the “most-expensive” title. Due to currency shifts, most US cities have become less expensive to live in. That said, two US cities remain among the most expensive ten. EIU compared 400 prices across 200 products and services per city, using New York as a baseline to measure the cost of living and create a ranking that is globally relevant. Download a summary of the report HERE

ç RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, a leading national real estate advisory firm based in Bethesda, MD, published its 2021 STEM (a/k/a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Job Growth Index (STEMdex), which projects which metro area will have the strongest outlook for growth in STEM jobs. Published annually in partnership with office investment management firm CapRidge Partners, the index tracks and projects STEM job growth trends across the country by analyzing the economies of the 50 largest metropolitan areas to understand which regions are attracting the jobs and employees of the future. The ten cities topping the list this year are Denver, Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., San Jose, Raleigh, Boston, Portland, and Salt Lake City. Austin, after recently celebrating the news of a major Tesla headquarters relocation, ranks #3 and Texas has three in the top 20 (the others being Dallas at #11 and Houston at #20). See the whole report here: RCLCO's STEM Index (STEMdex) n

“I have a split personality,” said Tom, being Frank.

Ed. We thought of calling this new feature ‘I’ll Never Forget Old What’s His Name’ or ‘Where Are They Now?’ but this seemed to say it best. In words and pictures, we’ll look back at people (performers, athletes, politicians) you’ll remember (by name or appearance) but whom you haven’t heard about in a long time. If there’s someone you’re curious about seeing on this page in the future, just let us know.

Last night my girlfriend was complaining that I never listen to her… or something like that.

Lech Wałęsa (born in 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the first democratically elected president of Poland from 1990 to 1995. A shipyard electrician by trade, he cofounded and became the leader of the Solidarity movement (which membership rose to over ten million people), and led a successful pro-democratic effort which in 1989 ended the Communist rule in Poland and ushered in the end of the Cold War.

Since 1980, Wałęsa has received hundreds of prizes, honors and awards from many countries of the world. He was named the Time Person of the Year (1981) and one of Time's 100 most important people of the 20th century (1999). In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He has received over forty honorary degrees, including from Harvard University and Columbia University, as well as dozens of the highest state orders, including: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Knight Grand Cross of the British Order of the Bath, and the French Grand Cross of Legion of Honour. In 1989, Wałęsa was the first foreign non-head of state to address the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. The Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport bears his name (since 2004).

After losing the 1995 election, Wałęsa traveled around the world on a lecture circuit. In 1995, he founded the Lech Wałęsa Institute a think tank with a mission "to popularize the achievements of Polish Solidarity, educate young generations, promote democracy, and build civil society in Poland and around the world". In 1997, he founded a new party, Christian Democracy of the 3rd Polish Republic, hoping it would help him to successfully run in future elections.

Wałęsa's contention for the 2000 presidential election ended with a crushing defeat when he polled 1.01 percent of the vote. His humiliation was increased because Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who was re-elected in the first round with 54% of the vote, is a former Communist apparatchik. Wałęsa polled in seventh place, after which he announced his withdrawal from Polish politics.

In 2006, Wałęsa quit Solidarity in protest of the union's support of the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party. In 2014, in a widely publicized interview, Wałęsa expressed his disappointment in another Nobel laureate, US president Barack Obama.

In 2019, Walesa was indicted for perjury in a case of alleged cooperation with and ties to the communist intelligence services during his leadership of the trade union Solidarity. The charges are still pending. He is a prominent critic of Poland’s current government and has claimed that the accusations against him are politically motivated.

In early 2021, he underwent heart surgery to replace the battery in his pacemaker. Today, at 79, he lives in Gdańsk, Poland with his wife (since 1969) Danuta; they have eight (grown) children.

sandy koufax (born sanford Braun in Brooklyn, NY in 1935) is a former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. The wielder of an overpowering fastball and a drop-off-a-table curveball, he has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, having pitched 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. At age 36 in 1972, he became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Koufax joined the major leagues at 19 years old in 1955. His career peaked with a run of six outstanding years from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis in his left elbow ended his playing days prematurely at age 30. He was an All-Star for six seasons and was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He won three Cy Young Awards (1963, 1965, and 1966) by unanimous votes, making him the first three-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win three times when a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball instead of one for each league. Koufax also won the NL Triple Crown for pitchers those same three years, leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

He was the first major league pitcher to pitch four no-hitters and the eighth pitcher to pitch a perfect game in baseball history. Despite his comparatively short career, Koufax's 2,396 career strikeouts ranked 7th all-time as of his retirement (trailing only Warren Spahn (2,583) among left-handers). In four trips to the World Series Koufax won three rings, twice being named the Series' Most Valuable Player. His number 32 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972.

He is also one of the outstanding Jewish athletes in U.S. sports. His decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur garnered national attention as a conflict between religious calling and society, and remains a notable event in U.S. Jewish history.

Since retiring, Koufax lived in California and Maine; he now resides in Vero Beach, FL and has taken up fishing, golf and marathon running. He has worked, at times, as a minor league coach. “Koufax didn’t want to grow old being Sandy Koufax,” being famous for being famous, Jane Leavy wrote in her biography. Now 87, he rarely grants interviews and notoriously avoids making himself a celebrity, an elusiveness that has undoubtedly added to his mystique.

THE BACK PAGE

ANSWERS FROM THE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

CONTEST – FIND A NEW PLAN, STAN!

10 United Arab Emirates

11 Qatar

12 Bahrain

13 Kuwait

14 Iran

15 Turkmenistan

16 Uzbekistan

17 Kyrgyzstan

18 Tajikistan

19 Afghanistan

20 Pakistan

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR CONTEST WINNERS!

Lynn Leveridge of Los Angeles, CA won BEEM earbuds.

Rose-Mary Rumbley of Dallas, TX won a copy of Gone to Dallas by Laurie Moore-Moore.

Tony Rutherford of Lubbock, TX won a Kinivo mini speaker.

Leander Checkers of Beaumont, TX won a ChargeHub home base

Karina (KC) Maldonado of New Orleans, LA won a copy of Housing for Humans by Ileana Schinder.

DIVERSI NS HE SAID | SHE SAID – PART VI

“If you didn’t have feet, would you wear shoes?”

“LOL. No.”

“So why do you wear a bra?”

“For the same reason you wear pants.”

· · · · · · · · ·

“I just ate a fish taco; it reminded me of you.”

“You must be wearing space pants because your ass is out of this world.”

“Actually, they’re softball pants cause my ass is so out of your league.” · · · · · · · · ·

“Every kiss begins with ‘K’:)”

“Too bad ugly begins with ‘U’.” · · · · · · · · ·

“Do you remember when I asked for your opinion?”

“Me neither.”

“What a coincidence. I just ordered a pizza and it came in 20 seconds. Thought of you!” · · · · · · · · ·

“I think I could make you very happy.”

“Why? Are you leaving?”

BOLO (BE ON THE LOOK OUT) FOR WHAT'S COMING NEXT

On the cover (and in Artchitecture) we’ll feature the amazing digital photographic artistry of Kasia Derwinska. In Herstory, Contributing Editor Rose-Mary Rumbley asks: How are you shopping? Are you picking or clicking?  Do you go into a store and pick? Or do you stay at home and click? Then she tells the story of retail with John Wanamaker and the story of Amazon with Jeff Bezos.

We’ll have our 6th annual installment of the Wayne State Warriors and the words they would like to retrieve from the linguistic trash heap and our 6th installment of Lake Superior State’s annual list of Banished Words Contributing Editor Roxana Tofan will talk to Humberto Vega of Power Engineering Services in her Profiles of Survival The History Page will look at the Mann Act, which, in its original form the act made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose". And

we’ll look at Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (better known by her pen name Nellie Bly), an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days (in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg).

Contributing Editor Angela O’Byrne’s Amazing Buildings will keep the restoration/renovation conversation going with a look at the ongoing repairs to Notre Dame in Paris. Buildings that are over 980 feet tall are classified by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat as supertall skyscrapers, and some of the world's best-known architecture studios, including  BIG, Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects and Dorte Mandrup, are designing new ones right now. We’ll show you 10 of them. Also, the 2,230 foot-tall Merdeka 118 skyscraper designed by Australian studio Fender Katsalidis has topped out in Malaysia, becoming the world's second-tallest building. We’ll show you pictures.

The USA is home to 23 of over 1000 UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the globe. They are in 19 states and Puerto Rico and, in the first of a new series, we’ll bring them to you in pictures. We’ll also begin coverage of America’s Favorite Architecture according to the AIA and take a pictorial look at the residences provided to heads of state around the world. (The royal palace and the British prime minister’s residence are in the Architecture of London in this issue.)

Want more? Of course, there will be other specially contributed articles from various segments of the real estate industry as well as our affiliates’ awards and special events, Real Estate of the Future, You Need (or might want) to Know, the Wow Factor, Diversions, True Dat, Vertical Lines, Professionals on the Move, The Resource Page, Shout- Outs, and much MUCH more. We get a lot into 64 pages!

C NTEST: A CAPITAL IDEA

When you were young, you probably knew all the state capitals. They haven’t changed – but chances are that you have. J Can you correctly pick out the state capitals from the choices below? Circle the correct answer. The pictures tell you what state the capital building is from—but that won’t help you much. It’s the capital city we’re looking for.

Of course, you can refer to a map—and, after you do, scan or copy this page and send your entry to editor@crestnetwork.com or fax it to 817.924.7116 on or before January 29th for a chance to win a beautiful 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of David Maclean’s work or another valuable prize.

Montana: Billings, Helena, Butte

Nebraska: Lincoln, Omaha, Scottsbluff

Nevada: Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City

New Hampshire: Manchester, Concord, Hanover

New Jersey: Newark, Brunswick, Trenton

New Mexico: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces

New York: New York City, Buffalo, Albany

North Carolina: Raleigh, Asheville, Greensboro

Alabama: Mobile, Birmingham, Montgomery

Alaska: Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau

Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff

Arkansas: Fayetteville, Little Rock, Pine Bluff

California: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento

Colorado: Colorado Springs, Boulder, Denver

Connecticut: Stanford, Harford, New Haven

Delaware: Dover, Wilmington, Newark

Florida: Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee

Georgia: Columbus, Atlanta, Albany

Hawaii: Hilo, Honolulu, Oahu

Idaho: Boise, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls

Illinois: Chicago, Peoria, Springfield

Indiana: South Bend, Indianapolis, Muncie

Iowa: Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids

Kansas: Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City

Kentucky: Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville

Louisiana: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Monroe

Maine: Bangor, Augusta, Portland

Maryland: Baltimore, Annapolis, Chesapeake

Massachusetts: Salem, Boston, Cambridge

Michigan: Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor

Minnesota: St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth

Mississippi: Jackson, Biloxi, Tupelo

Missouri: Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Louis

North Dakota: Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks

Ohio: Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Enid

Oregon: Portland, Salem, Eugene

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg

Rhode Island: Providence, Newport, Charlestown

South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia, Greenville

South Dakota: Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre

Tennessee: Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis

Texas: Austin, Dallas, Houston

Utah: Salt Lake City, Provo, Brigham City

Vermont: Montpelier, Burlington, Manchester

Virginia: Alexandria, Richmond, Arlington

Washington: Spokane, Olympia, Seattle

West Virginia: Charleston, Beckley, Wheeling

Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay

Wyoming: Casper, Cheyenne, Sheridan

South Carolina

Arkansas

California

Texas

...BECAUSE SOMETIMES IS WHAT YOU KNOW

We Speak Real Estate

The Arsenal Companies are a diversified consulting, educational and publishing group, dedicated to service in the real estate industry. With national reach, regional strength and local sensibilities, we serve and service large and small companies as well as governmental entities in acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, licensing, contracting, procurement, insurance certificate tracking, educational program development, mediation services and collections.

Our Contracts and Procurement Services Division provides solutions and services that help real estate owners and companies effectively manage their contractual needs and commitments. We provide industry knowledge and we practice deal facilitation rather than obstruction. Whether you are a property, facility or asset manager, your functions are integrally related to real estate contracts. Quality management is all about contracts.

Leasing

Acquisitions, dispositions, renewals, surrenders, amendments, abstracting, administration, interpretation – our professionals are experienced in residential, commercial, industrial, professional and retail leasing issues of all kinds.

Highly specialized.

Highly respected.

Don’t assume that problems won’t occur. Plan what you can do to avoid them. A small reduction in costs can be the equivalent of a substantial increase in value. We suggest ‘refinements’ to improve language and reduce direct and indirect costs. Our attorneys have successfully resolved leasing issues for both small and Fortune 100 corporations – effectuating $millions in savings.

Procurement

Supply Chain Management

Procurement Administration

Supplier Recognition Programs

RFI, RFP, RFQ Administration

Vendor/Supplier Resourcing

Vendor Reduction Programs

Customized Purchase Orders

Are the contracts for services and supplies which your organization uses prepared for your organization – or are they the vendor’s or contractor’s agreement forms? Wouldn’t you be better off if those agreements and purchase orders were revisited from your perspective? Isn’t it time you fortified your real estate related contracts?

Contract Negotiation and Drafting Services

Do you have contract issues that call out for review, interpretation and the advice of a specialist? Do you have a service contract which is about to expire and will need to be renewed or replaced? Do you have oversight of a real estate or facilities function which has been given savings targets? Have you considered ‘outsourcing’ this part of your real estate function but fear a loss of control?

We analyze the details of your proposed service contracts before they begin - while you still have leverage. Or, we can review your existing service contracts, help reveal cost efficiencies and/or savings opportunities. We look for pragmatic solutions that are sensitive to your business interests, anticipating issues that may arise, and we assist in minimizing those risks that cannot be avoided.

Leases are highly specialized documents. A few words can make a world of difference.

Anyone with experience.