The American Bar Association was sued May 24 in a federal case claiming that the LSAT test discriminates against the blind and visually impaired. The alleged problem, according to the suit, is that one-fourth of the test involves “analytical rezoning” questions that require diagramming to answer correctly. Here’s an example of one of the objectionable questions, according to the suit: “A company employee generates a series of five-digit product codes in accordance with the following rules: The codes use the digits 0,1,2,3 and 4 . . .Each digit occurs exactly once in any code; the second digit has a value exactly twice that of the first digit; the value of the third digit is less than the value of the fifth digit.” Test takers are then invited to answer a series of questions about the proper sequencing of the product codes. “A blind or visually impaired applicant is unable to conceive of spatial relationships or diagram answers in the same manner as their sighted peers,” according to the complaint. So, why does the suit target the ABA? Because it allegedly pressures law schools to administer the LSAT; a law school that waives the LSAT exam for a visually impaired applicant could risk losing its status as an ABA-approved school, the suit contends. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/05/24/federal-suit-claims-lsat-discriminatory/ See complaint here: http://www.callsam.com/images/stories/news_docs_pics/Complaint_Benno-vs-ABA_5-24-11.pdf

Celebrating a defining moment for the premier institution of modern and contemporary American art, and a landmark achievement in the public-private revitalization of downtown Manhattan, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the City of New York on May 24 broke ground for the Whitney’s new museum building on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. Scheduled to open in 2015, the downtown building will, for the first time, allow for a comprehensive view of the Whitney’s unsurpassed collection of modern and contemporary American art. It will devote equal space to the Museum’s widely influential special exhibitions and artist projects, as well as provide state-of-the-art facilities for enhanced education and performing arts programs, all within one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The project, which is expected to be New York City’s first certified LEED-Silver art museum, is to be built on a site acquired from the City of New York. To date, the Whitney has raised $508 million of its $720 million project budget, which includes funds for construction and endowment. According to architect Renzo Piano, “The design for the new museum emerges equally from a close study of the Whitney’s needs and from a response to this remarkable site. We wanted to draw on its vitality and at the same time enhance its rich character. The first big gesture, then, is the cantilevered entrance, which transforms the area outside the building into a large, sheltered public space. At this gathering place beneath the High Line, visitors will see through the building entrance and the large windows on the west side to the Hudson River beyond. Here, all at once, you have the water, the park, the powerful industrial structures and the exciting mix of people, brought together and focused by this new building and the experience of art.” The new Whitney building will include more than 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space on a series of rooftops facing the High Line, providing long-awaited opportunities to show more of the Whitney’s collection in tandem with temporary exhibitions. The collection has grown from about 2,000 works at the time of the building’s opening, in 1966, to more than 19,000 works today. An expansive gallery for temporary exhibitions will be approximately 18,000 square feet in area, making it the largest column-free museum gallery in New York City. Gallery space for ground-floor exhibitions (accessible free of charge), two floors for the permanent collection, and contemporary artists’ projects on the top floor will total approximately 32,000 square feet. On Friday, May 27, in celebration of groundbreaking for the Whitney’s future building in the Meatpacking District, the public is invited to enjoy two of the benefits of Whitney membership: free admission to the Museum and a 10% discount at the Whitney store. The Whitney is located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. Friday hours are 1–9 pm. http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=47685

In “The Hangover Part II,” the sequel to the very successful what-happened-last-night comedy, the character played by Ed Helms wakes up with a permanent tattoo bracketing his left eye. The Maori-inspired design is instantly recognizable as the one sported by the boxer Mike Tyson, which is part of the joke. (Mr. Tyson makes an appearance in both films, playing himself.) But S. Victor Whitmill, a tattoo artist formerly of Las Vegas and currently from rural Missouri, doesn’t quite see the humor. Mr. Whitmill designed the tattoo for Mr. Tyson, called it “tribal tattoo,” and claims it as a copyrighted work. He has gone to Federal District Court in St. Louis to ask a judge to stop Warner Brothers Entertainment from using the tattoo in its posters or in the movie, which would amount to stopping the film from being released, as well as to demand monetary damages for what he calls “reckless copyright infringement” by the studio. “Mr. Whitmill has never been asked for permission for, and has never consented to, the use, reproduction or creation of a derivative work based on his original tattoo,” argues the lawsuit, which was filed April 28, and will be taken up the week of May 23. In 2005, Rasheed Wallace and Nike were sued by a tattoo artist, Matthew Reed, over a commercial that outlined a tattoo as he discussed why he had it created; the case was settled. David Beckham and his favorite tattooist, Louis Molloy, had a public dispute that year over his plan to highlight them in an advertisement. The feud culminated in an interview with Mr. Molloy in The Daily Mirror that ran under the headline “I Own Beck’s Tattoo .. and I’ll Sue.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/business/media/21tattoo.html?_r=1&ref=tattoos

In more than 20 years as a professional puzzle designer, Scott Kim has worked on everything from word, number and logic puzzles to toys such as Railroad Rush Hour and computer games such as "Obsidian" and "Escher Interactive," which features interactive puzzles based on M.C. Escher's optical illusions. Lately, he has been developing smartphone game apps and contributing a bimonthly puzzle column to Psychology Today. Growing up in Los Angeles, Mr. Kim was obsessed with magic and mathematics . He began drawing mazes and creating crossword puzzles in the second grade. In the sixth grade, he made his first original puzzle. He began folding letters of the alphabet made out of construction paper to make other letters. He folded the letter F over so that the base covered the shorter horizontal line and formed a U shape. "This excited me to no end," said Mr. Kim, who still uses the puzzle in lectures, asking people to guess the letter underneath. (Most guess L.) He borrows ideas for puzzles from architecture, music, science and art (favorite designers include Milton Glaser and Charles and Ray Eames). See more plus graphics at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576315402235374390.html

Huguette Clark, one of America's wealthiest and most prominent debutantes, spent eight decades in virtual seclusion. Ms. Clark died May 24 at 104 in a New York City hospital where, despite good health, she had taken up residence more than 20 years ago. At the hospital she pursued a passion for antique dolls but rarely saw visitors. Her early life was a whirl of private schools, dance lessons in Paris, and a childhood spent in "Clark's Folly," the 121-room mansion her father built on New York's ritzy Fifth Avenue. But after her brief encounter with high society, Ms. Clark retreated into isolation, living for decades with her mother in 42 art-festooned rooms overlooking Central Park. The apartment—said to be the biggest on Fifth Avenue—was kept in good order, but she never lived there after choosing to enter the hospital. Nor did she spend time at her two other properties, a California mansion valued at $100 million and a Connecticut estate that is on the market for $24 million. It was a solitary ending to the most privileged of lives. Ms. Clark's father, William Clark, was one of the 19th century "copper kings" of Montana, and his United Verde Mining Co. helped vault his fortune alongside those of the Rockefellers and Carnegies. The city of Las Vegas was first established as a maintenance stop for one of his railroads. She leaves a fortune estimated at $500 million, and no descendents. Her lawyer, Wallace Bock, said last September she had signed a will. She once told friends that wealth is a "menace to happiness." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303654804576343781550144232.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

henchman 1 obsolete: a squire or page to a person of high rank 2 a: a trusted follower : a right-hand man b: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage c: a member of a gang Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding First Known Use: 15th century http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henchmen

From 1 May fans of the cult film "The Third Man" can again tour the film's original location in the Vienna sewer system. The guided tours seven metres underneath Karlsplatz (Girardipark/Esperantopark) will leave you with an unforgettable insight into the world of this film classic as well as provide you with information about the Vienna sewer system and the construction works carried out there. Apart from the guided tour of the sewer, the "Third Man Tour" also offers an above-ground walk in the footsteps of the film’s main characters (organised by "Vienna Walks + Talks"), a visit to the "Third Man Museum" and a screening of the film's original version at Burg Kino. See schedules and prices at: http://www.wien.gv.at/english/environment-leisure/third-man.html

Vienna isn't alone in plumbing the depths of tourism. A local chamber of commerce in Brighton, England, in 2007 voted the city's sewers the "Best Place to Visit." Brussels in 2007 renovated its sewer museum, whose exterior resembles a Greek temple. And the wellspring of sewer tourism, Paris's Musée des Égouts, plans a makeover to handle rising traffic, which surpasses 100,000 visitors a year. Tours of the city's sewers, already famous from Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," began in 1867, when a revolutionary, modernized network collected only rainwater. See more plus pictures at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704681904576321044058634186.html

Quotes He who praises everybody, praises nobody. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author and lexicographer