John Coté, Matt Bigelow, Daniel B. Honigman, Special to The Chronicle
Saturday, September 8, 2007

Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu was behaving erratically as he fled the Bay Area on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, at one point stripping off his shirt and shoes, before paramedics were called to take him off the train in western Colorado, passengers said Friday.

Hsu, 56, on the run for the second time from a 1992 grand theft conviction in San Mateo County, was arrested Thursday after the paramedics took him to a hospital from the train station in Grand Junction, Colo. A spokesman at St. Mary’s Hospital said Friday night that Hsu was in fair condition but would not say what was wrong with him.

Hsu boarded the train in Emeryville about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Amtrak said, two hours before he was to have appeared in a Redwood City courtroom in connection with his grand theft conviction. He had touched down earlier that morning on a charter jet flight to Oakland, his lawyer told prosecutors. Amtrak said he boarded the Zephyr with a ticket for Denver.

Passengers interviewed Friday when the Zephyr reached its final destination of Chicago said it appeared that something was wrong with Hsu.

Alberto Dee, 21, who boarded the train in Truckee, said Hsu “freaked out” when Amtrak personnel approached, and was roaming a train car “without shoes and no shirt. … I thought he had a suitcase full of crack or meth.”

Another passenger disembarking in Chicago, who declined to give his name, said Hsu appeared disoriented and was having trouble opening a door on the train. Several other passengers said they were told Hsu was behaving oddly but did not witness it themselves.

Hsu’s attorney, Jim Brosnahan, said Friday, “a great many friends of Norman Hsu have expressed concern about his mental health and physical well-being” since he disappeared. Paramedics were called to the Grand Junction station about 10 minutes after the Zephyr pulled in Thursday at 11:05 a.m. with “a request for a backboard to assist someone who had fallen on the train,” said Mike Page, a spokesman for the Grand Junction Fire Department.

Paramedics helped Hsu off the train and took him to St. Mary’s Hospital. “He was assessed on the train but was able to get off the train on his own with assistance,” Page said, adding that the backboard ultimately was not needed.

Dan Roberts, 57, a furniture maker from Grand Junction, said Hsu had been sitting up on a stretcher on the station platform and appeared to be moving.

“We just figured he had a heart attack or something,” said his wife, Cheryl Roberts, 52, a nurse.

Federal agents arrested Hsu at St. Mary’s Hospital about 7 p.m. Thursday. Hospital officials would not say how authorities had been alerted that Hsu was there.

Brosnahan said he was “pleased and relieved” that Hsu was now being cared for at the hospital. “We will be getting him the best medical care available.”

“The strain he has been under during the last week has been enormous and, perhaps, unbearable,” Brosnahan said in a prepared statement.

On Wednesday, after Hsu failed to show up for his court hearing, Brosnahan said he was concerned about his client. But when asked whether Hsu posed a danger to himself, Brosnahan replied, “I have no basis for that speculation.”

Hsu was under armed guard at the hospital on federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office sought federal authorities’ help after Hsu failed to appear at Wednesday’s hearing to surrender his passport.

Hsu had been a fugitive for 15 years since skipping his sentencing on the grand theft conviction, transforming himself during that time into one of the Democratic Party’s more prolific donors.

The federal charges will be dropped once Hsu is returned to California to face sentencing in state court in the grand theft case, FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler said. A timetable for his return to California has not been established.

Hsu was facing up to three years in state prison and restitution payments after pleading no contest to a single count of grand theft in 1992 in what prosecutors described as a $1 million fraud scheme involving the supposed resale of latex gloves.

In fact, prosecutors said, Hsu was running a Ponzi scheme, in which early investors get returns on their money through funds that subsequent investors put in, and the later investors lose their shirts.

After he fled sentencing in San Mateo County, Hsu appears to have spent time in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan, before emerging in recent years as a New Yorker who donated generously to Democratic political campaigns, regularly attended fundraisers and was photographed with party leaders.

Hsu has given an estimated $600,000 to Democratic political campaigns since 2003, money that many candidates are now pledging to donate to charity.

Hsu surrendered to San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies last week after press accounts linked him to the grand theft case. He spent a few hours in county jail before posting $2 million bail and agreeing to relinquish his passport.

After Hsu failed to show up in court Wednesday, a judge issued a no-bail warrant for his arrest.

Chronicle correspondents Matt Bigelow and Daniel B. Honigman reported from Chicago, and staff writer John Coté reported from San Francisco. E-mail John Coté at jcote@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

August 22, 2007
By DANIEL HONIGMAN Contributor

Going green may never have looked so good as it does now. Nau, one of the newest clothing boutiques in Lincoln Park, is probably one of the most environmentally-friendly stores in a city where eco-savvy is in.

Using materials as diverse as organic cotton, PLA – polylactic acid, a biodegradable material derived from corn – and recycled soda bottles, Nau’s clothing is good both for people and the planet. And although the Portland, Oregon-based company prides itself on its outdoor apparel, much of its collection makes a bold statement in almost any setting.

The Chicago location at 2118 N. Halsted St,. which opened in April, is one of only four Nau stores nationwide. The other three are in Portland, Boulder, Colo., and Bellevue, Wash.

“Our clothing is used in four seasons, and Chicago is definitely a four-season market,” said Ian Yolles, vice-president of marketing at Nau. “Chicago also has a growing reputation as a city that cares about sustainability issues, so we thought it was a great city to expand to.”

Using fabrics as simple as organic cotton and merino wool to more scientific polyesters like PLA (polylactic acid, a corn-based derivative similar to polyester) to materials made from recycled soda bottles, Nau clothing looks and feels great.

“Nau clothing is a mixture of sustainability and style,” said Kevin Henry, coordinator of Columbia College’s Product Design program. “If you’re going to do something sustainable, you have to make it desirous. The folks at Nau are smart.”

But going green isn’t always cheap. A single pair of pants from Nau can cost almost $150, but Yolles says that while higher quality products necessitate higher prices, it all evens out in the end.

“One of the key attributes in any product when it comes to sustainable clothing is its durability, and I know this is counterintuitive, but while another product may be cheaper on its first purchase, our products are extremely durable and last a long time,” he said.

But while Henry believes that while higher costs are worth the bottom line, shoppers may need further convincing.

“There’s an implied obsolescence in fashion,” he said. “Companies say, ‘We need this garment to fall apart in two years to sell them another garment.’ You have to tell them to spend $150 and not look at it as a fashion statement, but as an investment in craft, quality and the environment, because if something is going to be thrown out in six months, it’s a waste of energy.”

In addition to higher-quality materials, if you notice the company’s use of more muted blues, greens and reds, well, that’s planned too, said Yolles.

“Before we designed a single style, we developed an extensive banned substance list, probably around 70 or so, which goes well beyond that of other apparel companies,” Yolles said. “There are seasonal color palates, but the next season they’re out of style. Even the way we’ve thought about our color palate is sustainable.”
Green from day one

In fall 2004, company brass from Patagonia and Nike sat down to plan Nau, and they ended up making one of the nation’s “greenest” companies.

“It was a rare opportunity to design, really from scratch, an entire company,” said Yolles. “Sustainability was at the forefront of our thought process from day one. Companies should have a much larger responsibility to the community than the singular pursuit of profit.”

Customers who walk into Nau are also in for a new retail experience. The shops, called “Webfronts,” blend in-store and online shopping experiences. One size of each clothing style is available to try on, and if a customer wishes to make an in-store purchase, they can. But Nau encourages customers to make transactions through Web-enabled booths and have the clothing shipped to their homes for a 10 percent discount.

Why the discount? It’s cheaper to house the clothing elsewhere, said Yolles. Stores can be smaller, making electric and heating bills cheaper. Also, because less clothing is actually in the stores, costs associated with store deliveries clothing are whittled down nearly to zero.

“If we were a traditional apparel retailer, our stores would have to be 3,400-to-4,500 square feet,” Yolles said. “Our Chicago store is 2,200 square feet, so theoretically, it’s about 40 percent more efficient than your traditional retail store, and that’s why we’re choosing to share our savings with customers.”

In addition, 5 percent of every purchase is donated to a charity of the customer’s choice in Nau’s Partner for Change program. There are 10 organizations to choose from, half of which work on social issues, half on the environment. And Windy City residents will be able to keep their money local, as six are in Chicago.

“I think Nau is fabulous,” said Jenna White, director of development at Christopher House, one of the local organizations. “We’re very thrilled to be working with Nau. It’s rare to see a corporation giving back like they do, and we’re hoping it’s a partnership that builds.”

(The story originally appeared in four Pioneer Press newspapers: Skyline, Booster and two editions of the News-Star)

By Daniel B. Honigman
Rating: 3 (out of 5)

There are very few acts in hip-hop today that are really a throwback to its “Golden Age” of 1988-1992 (or even 93/94). While I wasn’t the biggest hip-hop head at the time (I was about five years old) I did a bit of catching up in my more formative years. But when I think of what was on the airwaves – and on The Box – those days, I think of Rakim, Tribe, De La, KRS-One and the early years of a duo comprised of a DJ named Premier and an emcee named Guru.

Hailing from Boston and Houston, Guru (Keith Elam) and DJ Premier (Chris Martin) each brought something special to the table: Guru brought his smooth, if not monotonic, lyrical approach to hip-hop, while Premier was a top-notch producer and DJ who incorporated a lot of funk, jazz and soul samples into his beats.

In its heyday, Gang Starr was one of the most influential and important duos and helped create the New York sound. The two inspired each other, pushing the genre to new heights.

On the side, Guru was keeping busy with his real passion, it seemed: finding a way to fuse hip-hop and jazz, a perfect supplement for Gang Starr fans. His first Jazzmatazz release in 1993 featured Branford Marsalis, Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Lonnie Smith.

Much like previous albums in the series, Guru’s guestlist for Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: Back to the Future (7 Grand/Koch), stays top-shelf. Hip-hop’s Common, Blackalicious and Slum Village rub shoulders with jazz and R&B VIPs like David Sanborn, Ronnie Laws and Vivian Green. On the first Jazzmatazz album, Guru held his own with the jazz greats. Unfortunately, the quality cameos this time around overshadow Guru, who barely skates by.

His partner in crime, the New York-based DJ Solar, is charged, along with Guru with the difficult task of finding a way to combine hip-hop and jazz. Unfortunately, they fall flat on most of the album, giving plenty of “matazz,” but not too much jazz. (Hardy har-har.) In fact, Guru and Solar fail to really connect the two until the last track, Living Legend, which features a turbo-charged alto sax performance from Sanborn. And instead of closing the album on a high note, it makes one wonder about what could have been.

Case and point, State of Clarity, which features Common and Bob James. Guru is clearly outshined on this track, and Common is more Guru than it seems Guru can be: “My mind blows decisions/at times indecisive/you think about the paradox that life is/keep my head to the sky/and understand where Christ is/turn off the news/’cause every day is a crisis/lifeless, on the couch weeded out/ a certain type of n***a in my life I weeded out/I believe in the route of soul before paper/no gold before labor/truth told with no blazers.”

This album doesn’t feature the hard-hitting rhymes (You Know My Steez, Take It Personal) or the adroit storytelling (Soliloquy of Chaos) we’re used to from Guru. But he’s all business on Fly Magnetic, the album’s best track, as he nonchalantly explains what would happen – check that, will happen – once your girl takes one look at him. This may be the best we’ve seen from Guru in a while: “Loving my charming wit/don’t want no part of this/no time for tricks/I’m in the mix like Spartacus/More like Hannibal/With thoughts like Confucius/sending her home to you/but I seen how it’s useless/I told her to back away/Left now she’s back today/thought you had her in check/Got my own chicks on deck.”

If you haven’t checked out any of the Jazzmatazz series before, you would be better served by starting from the beginning. Picking up this album now would be like tuning into “The Sopranos” just as Meadow walks into the diner in the series finale. This album’s worth checking out, at least given Guru’s track record. There’s enough here to groove to, but just don’t expect to be blown away.

(This review originally appeared on HipHopDX.com)

BY DANIEL B. HONIGMAN
Times Correspondent

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger may have hoped for a quieter return Tuesday, his first County Board meeting since he underwent surgery for prostate cancer.

But in the sweltering fifth floor of the Cook County building, about 200 county prosecutors staged a rally in and outside of the board meeting.

Holding signs that read “12.75 percent,” the prosecutors protested their latest salary offer. The number represented the raise Cook County public defenders received in a cost-of-living adjustment retroactive to 2004.

County prosecutors, on the other hand, were offered a 3 percent raise and a lump-sum payment of $1,000.

En route to the meeting, Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine received thunderous applause from the lawyers, who played hooky — albeit legally — to help sway the commissioners inside.

About two-thirds of the 520 prosecutors staffing Cook County’s felony courtrooms were expected to attend.

Dolton resident Dianne McCollough, one of the assistant state’s attorneys lined up outside Stroger’s office, remained “cautiously optimistic” that a deal could be reached.

“We’re just hoping to achieve parity with the Cook County public defenders,” she said.

The county would need about $8.7 million to pay the prosecutors and has identified several ways to pay for the raises, said 13th District County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston. One option includes the sale of a 300-acre parcel of land at Oak Forest Hospital, he said.

Fifth District County Commissioner Deborah Sims, D-Chicago, pointed out that vigilance and creativity will be needed if and when the money is found.

“Nobody wants to hear the three-letter word: tax,” Sims said, adding the situation is potentially a sticky one. “Money doesn’t fall out of the sky. We’re going to have to find ways to raise revenue.”

While some commissioners raised questions about how the full total would be raised, but 16th District County Commissioner Anthony Peraica, R-Westchester, stressed the importance of reaching an agreement.

“Just because the public defender’s office happens to be under the jurisdiction of (President Stroger) doesn’t mean they should get more money for comparable work than the state’s attorneys who prosecute these cases who are not under the president’s jurisdiction,” he said.

(NOTE: I contributed this to the Times of Northwest Indiana. You can check out the story on their Web site as well.)