Harvard University Rents Out Public Land For Profit

Harvard University likes to think of the "Science Plaza" as their own private property. It is still city owned land, which the city allows Harvard to administer. Harvard not only uses public land for fund raising dinners among alumni, but now it also rents out public land for mobile retail food sales. 

[From article]
With the goal of finding the perfect combination for Harvard diners, Harvard Campus Services continues to experiment with the selection of food trucks serving in the Science Center Plaza under the University’s Common Spaces Initiative.
For years, Harvard has been bringing food trucks from local companies to the plaza, and Campus Services continues to experiment with the diversity of offerings.
[. . .]
The daily combination of food trucks available is determined by a strict schedule controlled by Campus Services. Each individual food truck company is told exactly which days of the week they can operate in the Science Center Plaza. As part of the agreement between Harvard and the trucks, food trucks must pay a $50 fee each day they conduct business in the plaza.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/4/24/food-trucks-science-plaza/

Campus Services Seeks Optimal Food Trucks
By HANL H. PARK and LARA C. TANG
Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
April 24, 2015

Husband of US Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) Set To Earn $1 billion From USPS Sale

Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Photo: AP Photo
[From article]
Ever wonder how lowly paid lawmakers leave office filthy rich?
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is showing how it’s done.
The US Postal Service plans to sell 56 buildings — so it can lease space more expensively — and the real estate company of the California senator’s husband, Richard Blum, is set to pocket about $1 billion in commissions.
Blum’s company, CBRE, was selected in March 2011 as the sole real estate agent on sales expected to fetch $19 billion. Most voters didn’t notice that Blum is a member of CBRE’s board and served as chairman from 2001 to 2014.
This feat of federal spousal support was ignored by the media after Feinstein’s office said the senator, whose wealth is pegged at $70 million, had nothing to do with the USPS decisions.
When the national debt is $18 trillion, a billion seems like small change.

http://pagesix.com/2015/01/16/senators-husband-stands-to-profit-from-government-deal/?_ga=1.168202210.212440808.1402078759

Senator’s husband stands to profit big from government deal
By Richard Johnson
New York Post Page Six
January 16, 2015 | 5:48pm

Boston Mayor Opposes Parking App

The concept of using public property for profit is not a foreign idea to the Boston area. In Cambridge Harvard University conducts major fund raisers every year on city land. Food trucks sell their fare on the same land on the Broadway and Cambridge Street overpass near the Cambridge Fire Department headquarters. Local restaurants serve their customers on city sidewalks without any increased license fees. How is the computer app any different? Is the doctrine of ignoring inconvenient laws not applicable to Boston as it is in Cambridge and Washington DC? 

[From article]
 Daniel Koh, the mayor’s chief of staff, responded by saying the city was concerned about a private company, as well as drivers, profiting from public property.
[. . .]
When the first car leaves and the second takes its place, the driver of the newly parked vehicle is billed $3 electronically. The original occupant gets to keep $2.25, and Haystack takes a commission of 75 cents for facilitating the exchange.
Meyer contends his business does not broker the sale of public property but merely provides a cash incentive for drivers to swap useful information.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/07/15/haystack/ceD8Rcmz2PRd39Gp58gwhO/story.html

Boston mayor sharply rebukes Haystack parking app
By Callum Borchers

Boston GLOBE STAFF

JULY 15, 2014

'Ndrangheta Earns More Than McDonald's and Deutsche Bank Combined

[From article]
the 'Ndrangheta mafia from southern Italy made more money last year than Deutsche Bank and McDonalds put together,
[. . .]

The 'Ndrangheta is thought to have some 400 key "operatives" in 30 countries, but its activities are believed to involve as many as 60,000 people worldwide, the report said.

Extortion and usury last year brought in a substantial 2.9 billion euros, while embezzlement earned the mafia 2.4 billion euros and gambling 1.3 billion euros.

Arms sales, prostitution, counterfeiting goods and people-smuggling were less lucrative, bringing in less than a billion euros together.

The 'Ndrangheta -- whose name comes from the Greek for courage or loyalty -- has a tight clan structure which has made it famously difficult to penetrate.

http://news.yahoo.com/italys-ndrangheta-mafia-earns-more-mcdonalds-185954490.html;_ylt=AwrBJR.tJDNT3D8An.jQtDMD

Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia 'earns more than McDonalds'
March 26, 2014
Yahoo News

Harvard Endowment Profited From Corrupt Foreign Corporation?

[From article]
Scolopax is wholly owned by Phemus Corporation, a subsidiary of the Harvard Management Company that invests on its behalf. According to University tax filings, Scolopax had assets of over $126 million in 2011. Phemus Corporation’sassets totaled more than $4.2 billion in 2012, the last year for which information is publicly available.
University spokesperson Kevin Galvin said that Secu’s relationship with Scolopax and the University ended in December 2012. The alleged transactions occurred between 2007 and 2009.

So does that mean that Harvard University may have profited from illegal transactions? 

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/1/29/harvard-timber-contractor-bribes/#

Former Harvard Timber Contractor Accused of Bribery, Money Laundering
By CHRISTINE Y. CAHILL, 

Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
January 28, 2014

NIckel and Diming Thieves at Amtrak

An individual can purchase 12-packs of brand name sodas for $2.50 and sometimes for as low as $1.99. It is common sense that the food purchasers are thieves working with other thieves. The rest of the products can be purchased cheaply using common sense. This is one more example of what happens when unaccountable people spend other people's money. Just one of many with the current administration's green companies taking the prize for the most theft.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/amtrak-lost-800m-on-cheeseburgers-and-soda/article/2503832

Amtrak lost $800M on cheeseburgers and soda
Joel Gehrke
August 2, 2012
Washington Examiner

Starbucks Supports Same Sex Marriage

http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/starbucks-going-gay-is-profitable/

WND EXCLUSIVE
STARBUCKS: GOING 'GAY' IS PROFITABLE!
Practically dares public to dent bottom line after backing same-sex marriage
Drew Zahn
May 13, 2012

Bulger Free Speech Expert Misinformed

The Massachusetts court system consistently rules in favor of connected criminals. Bulger is classically "connected," and will get a pass in any moral or legal issue. The expert cited may not be familiar with the revised "Son of Sam" law in New York State. The first one did not pass constitutional scrutiny. The revised one withstands court scrutiny. Here is a citation of the history of this kind of law in other states.

http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32469

Notoriety for Profit/"Son of Sam" Legislation
National Center for Victims of Crime

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1396214&format=comments#CommentsArea

Expert: Free speech to shield Whitey flick
By Laurel J. Sweet
Boston Herald
Monday, January 16, 2012

Drug Cartel's Influence

[From review]
"with their 1993 revenues eclipsing $7 billion. Their influence was so great that they not only got their country’s constitution changed — with the help of experts from the US — to outlaw extradition, but also used more than $6 million in political contributions to elect a president."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/books/behind_enemy_lines_hw3vwQrwfpmJ7LP3BeCsWO

Behind enemy lines
How an informant hobbled the world’s deadliest drug cartel
By LARRY GETLEN
New York Post
Last Updated: 11:26 PM, June 25, 2011
Posted: 11:18 PM, June 25, 2011
[Book Review]
At The Devil’s Table
The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel
by William C. Rempel
Random House