Occasional Reader 3/1/2020 7:26:44 AM

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Paging Tom Friedman...

https://nypost.com/2020/02/29/china-officials-knew-of-coronavirus-in-december-ordered-cover-up-report-says/

Syrah 3/1/2020 7:36:10 AM

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The rumor mill is suggesting bad things are in store for Iran. 

https://twitter.com/aliostad/status/1233668766124400640?s=21

twitter is great for spreading rumors. It is often, but not always a bad source of information. 

Occasional Reader 3/1/2020 8:03:07 AM

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Laugh or cry?

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/joe-biden-thanks-chuck-for-interview-after-chris-wallace-asks-him-about-his-mental-capacity/

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 8:55:32 AM

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Occasional Reader 3/1/2020 10:53:59 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 4:

But if I test positive, can I stop being an anti-Semite by using this One Weird Trick?

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 11:10:41 AM

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In #4 buzzsawmonkey said: A lame and ill-written article at OZY to "test whether or not you're an antisemite."  Interesting read nonetheless, partly for the comments, and partly because it is interesting that OZY, an NPR organ, felt it necessary/worthwhile to do.

I think 90% of the MWM would fall under the antisemite category by that test. It is lame, only because it should be obvious.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:13:57 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 6:

"MWM?"  Massive Wind Media?

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:16:12 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 5:

What "One Weird Trick?"  I'm not quite getting it.

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 11:24:27 AM

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In #7 buzzsawmonkey said: "MWM?"  Massive Wind Media?

PIMF. MSM

doppelganglander 3/1/2020 11:28:01 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 8:

It's a common clickbait tactic, especially in ads for weight loss and anti-aging products. As in, "Local Mom Loses 80 lbs. with This One Weird Trick."

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:40:18 AM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 10:

Ah.  Again, I'm unfamiliar with the jargon.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:42:01 AM

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Comments invited:

Three proposals for urban renewal:

1. The Urban Conservation Corps.

In the 1930s, a great deal of reforestation was accomplished by means of the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Jobless young men enlisted in the Corps and for their term of service lived under quasi-military conditions and discipline to plant trees in areas which had been devastated by clear-cutting, this being long before logging companies routinely undertook re-forestation to ensure themselves of a continued supply of raw material.

Urban areas in many cities still suffer from the blight of abandoned buildings.  Chicago recently attempted to alleviate some elements of this blight by selling abandoned houses in depressed areas to neighborhood residents for as little as $1, provided that they refurbished them and lived in them for a period of time.  

Restricting the purchases to neighborhood residents was apparently an effort to forestall “gentrification,” but that presumably well-intentioned effort is what dooms such initiatives to failure: “gentrification” is precisely what such depressed areas need, as it brings in more services and capital.  Restricting the acquisition of abandoned, damaged, and dilapidated properties to people of extremely limited means is a guarantee that renovations will be done poorly and shoddily, and will not elevate the neighborhood.  Most important, restricting such efforts to the offloading of abandoned single-family houses does not address the problem of the many gutted and abandoned multiple dwellings—many with groundfloor commercial space—in most older urban areas, and the large abandoned industrial properties which could also be made over into residential and commercial spaces.  

An “Urban Conservation Corps” could address these issues on multiple levels—as a combined temporary employment, job-training, building-renovation, and housing initiative.  Jobless locals recruited to renovate derelict multiple dwellings would learn marketable construction skills while being paid a minimal stipend.  Further, upon the completion of the renovation project, they would be entitled to claim ownership of one of the renovated apartments.  This would create an ongoing incentive for the workers to do a good job on the renovation, and would stabilize an at-risk neighborhood in that the new homeowners would have an incentive to discourage criminal behavior and vandalism.  The newly-employable homeowners would bring money into the neighborhood, which would help improve the business climate.

While it would be wise to coordinate such an initiative at the federal level, it would primarily be a partnership between local authorities, local private construction companies, and community leaders—and could, at least in theory, be financed by private foundations.  

2. The New Urban Homestead Act.

In addition to dilapidated and abandoned buildings which require renovation, most cities now have large swaths of empty land which formerly contained housing and businesses.

In the 19th century, with a virgin continent to populate, Congress passed the Homestead Act, which enabled wagon trains of pioneers to go into these wilderness areas, make land claims, and, if they “proved up” their claims by clearing and cultivating the land and living on it, they received title to that land at nominal cost.

An “Urban Homestead Act” could encourage the re-settlement/development of these now-vacant urban wilderness areas.  “Virtual wagon trains” of settlers could stake claims to lands in these areas, which often cover many square blocks.  The modern-day equivalent of the 19th-century sod house or log cabin could be made from used shipping containers at relatively low cost—a trend which is already underway in many places—and could be built so as to be reasonably secure from crime.  Millennials and other young couples would have income from telecommuting jobs to support the necessary commercial infrastructure to make such communities viable. If encouraged by a new Homestead Act, “virtual wagon trains” and urban homesteading could not only revitalize long-dormant areas of cities, but would begin to address the oft-decried problem of housing costs faced by young couples.

3. The Artisan Revival.

Many 19th and early-20th century buildings, public and private, and many public works, such as the New York subways, are damaged and dilapidated, and need skilled repairs done to stonework, mosaics, cornices, etc. which they do not receive.  The New York subways are a prime example; the system is filled with magnificent mosaics which the authorities neither maintain nor competently repair.  There are many examples, too, of relatively-simple tilework which have been allowed to deteriorate, and which, if repaired at all, are “repaired” with cement or with prefabricated tile panels instead of being restored.

Art schools teach many of the skills need to perform these tasks, but seldom trouble to teach their students any sort of practical application of these skills.  Most cities have art schools; an apprenticeship program which would enable art students to restore municipal structures—and, possibly, work on private buildings as well—would not only address this widespread deterioration but teach students practical applications for their skills.  

lucius septimius 3/1/2020 11:54:23 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 12:

Another option involves napalm.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:54:25 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 12:

An addendum to the above: Ideally, the first two proposals would work in tandem, in that if one had people in, or graduates of, the Urban Conservation Corps" fixing up dilapidated structures in an area adjacent to an "Urban Homestead" area, the latter could hire the former to assist with the construction of their "homestead" structures---which would ideally pump more money into the area and ease potential hostility between the existing residents and the newcomers.

lucius septimius 3/1/2020 11:55:17 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 12:

As part of number 2, how about adding a bounty on rats, sort of like they had on buffalo.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:56:50 AM

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In #15 lucius septimius said: As part of number 2, how about adding a bounty on rats, sort of like they had on buffalo.

I have advocated, for some time, that the fur industry could be revitalized by using rats to create "urban fashion," which would create a financial incentive for trapping the beasts and selling the hides.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 11:59:32 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 16:

I've even come up with a trade name for furs made of rat pelts: vERMINE.  The name of the company would be "BuboNYCs."

Syrah 3/1/2020 12:01:32 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 12:

There are things I could like and dislike about this. 

The Conservation Corp, as a quasi military type organization, could help a lot of young people get their heads rights. In California, if I recall correctly, they helped build many of the campground facilities, such as Big Basin and a number of others.  

I am nervous about the federal government expanding. 

The homesteading thing has some positives to it, so long as the government doesn’t use the act to seize people’s property. That could lead to political corruption that resulted in the Kelo decision. 

I like the idea of allowing people to make this kind of investment with idea that it is possible to make great heaping tons of money renovating these properties and bare lots.  With enough real market incentive, I think this kind of thing could be  a very good thing. 

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 12:04:43 PM

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In #16 buzzsawmonkey said: I have advocated, for some time, that the fur industry could be revitalized by using rats to create "urban fashion," which would create a financial incentive for trapping the beasts and selling the hides.

Call them "urban minks"

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 12:10:50 PM

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The decayed urban areas have something in common - generally cities where jobs declined and people moved out. 

Other cities (like Boston) have the opposite problem - the economy is so good developers are grabbing up whatever they can and building luxury buildings. In downtown Boston, a studio apartment can go for close to $2000.

And with land scarce, no one wants to buy expensive land and build affordable housing unless they are forced to build affordable units for permission to build expensive ones, which of course drives up the cost of the luxury units.

There would have to be some incentive for companies to locate in these cities to hire people who are living in the newly renovated buildings.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 12:12:19 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 18:

Your concerns are well taken; there are, no question, a number of things that would need to be fine-tuned.  

Nonetheless, the above admittedly broad-brush proposals are an attempt to do a number of things I think worthwhie; save many buildings now in decay and facing destruction; teach people work skills, and give them a stake in their neighborhoods they don't have now; create new neighborhoods where the old ones have disappeared, and address the housing crisis for the young middle class as well as for slum dwellers; and give art students practical skills via apprenticeship.  

Properly done, such initiatives would help to break the back of the inner-city poverty-pimp organizations, which would be another advantage.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 12:21:08 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 20:

The first proposal deals with dilapidated housing/industrial buildings in undesirable neighborhoods.  Chicago and Detroit, to name two cities, are full of such places.  The vacant land I mention also exists in those cities, though possibly less than formerly, and surely exists in other medium-to-large-size cities. 

The renovation proposal deals with what's there---and, if one teaches construction skills to an unemployed populace in a boom town like Boston, they will be able to get jobs elsewhere after they've fixed up their own neighborhood.

As to "incentives to companies," if one can organize a "wagon train" to fix up 10 square blocks in Detroit, it should be possible to negotiate with a company to establish an outpost to take advantage of a concentrated work force.  Worth a try, anyway.  And, since many people telecommute, there's no reason why they can't telecommute from Point X rather than Point Y.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 12:44:43 PM

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In #19 Kosh's Shadow said: Call them "urban minks"

...and every urban minx will want to wear them.

lucius septimius 3/1/2020 12:48:38 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 23:

Reminds me of a cartoon I saw years ago -- "Look at that!  A mink that types like a secretary!."

Syrah 3/1/2020 1:22:46 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 21:

I think that Kosh has a key point to take into consideration.

Many of the blighted neighborhoods are not accidental. 

Something is happening or has happened there that have made these places undesirable to invest in. 

If the underlying reason that these places declined is not addressed and reversed, refurbishing these places would have a hard time succeeding past the renovation. 

Would these renovations be putting the cart before the horse?

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 1:53:29 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 25:

Well, my belief---and it could, of course, be wrong---is that inner-city neighborhoods with crumbling buildings are in the state they're in partly because the people who live there do not own the property, so have no interest in keeping it up or preventing vandalism, and that many of them not only do not have jobs, or the skills or work ethic to get a job, in part because they do not see the benefits that result from work.

Proposal #1 is intended to address all of these things; the Urban Conservation Corps would teach these job skills, and the work ethic as well; the things they'd be working on would be familiar to them, so they could see the change that they themselves have wrought, and there would be the promised payoff at the end of actually owning something which they themselves had worked on, and which they'd then have an interest in maintaining---plus the job skills acquired could then be marketed elsewhere.  

Proposal #2 is intended to create new settlements from scratch, in a manner that would both enable the "wagon train" organizers to elicit a pre-settlement promise of company investment in the pioneer community, much as towns in the 19th century West tried to get the railroad to come, and create a community that would attract other investment later.  In some sense, the Israeli "settlements" did this in modern times, in that they went into areas which were underpopulated and built towns from scratch, but the 19th century American pioneers did much the same. 

The idea is both to get people living amidst decay to see their surroundings as a place of possibility, and to bring in more possibility by re-arousing the American pioneer spirit in an urban setting.

@PBJ3 3/1/2020 3:02:11 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 3:50:29 PM

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Reports say Mayor Pete dropping out of the race.

We won't have Buttigieg to butt around any more.

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:27:08 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 26:

I like the spirit and intent of the proposal. 

What I think needs to be added to it is something that will remove existing impediments, such as rent controls and excessive regulation. If the zone could be designated a rent control free zone and require some kind of local super majority (3/4 vote) to ad new regulation and a simple majority to eliminate regulation, all for a minimum of a fifty year period, I think the proposal would have a much greater chance of success. 

I think that “enterprise” zones with low regulation incentives are being tried in some places. 

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:27:38 PM

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Reply to @PBJ3 in 27:

Aloha!

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 4:29:39 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 29:

In Mass, they are trying to re-institute rent control. I need to write a letter to the editor saying if that is done, the property tax needs to take that into account, and can go up no faster than rents minus increases in other expenses.

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:31:11 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 28:

I am glad he has thrown in the towel. 

I had thought t he was one of the most dangerous of the Democrat candidates since he had the knack of talking about extreme ideas in a calm and well modulated tone that was too easily mistaken for being a “moderate”.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 4:34:03 PM

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In #32 Syrah said: I had thought t he was one of the most dangerous of the Democrat candidates since he had the knack of talking about extreme ideas in a calm and well modulated tone that was too easily mistaken for being a “moderate”.

Absolutely.

buzzsawmonkey 3/1/2020 4:36:07 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 29:

Rent controls would be moot in the proposals as I initially made them, insofar as ##1&2 are aimed at home ownership for the participants. 

I hadn't really considered economic regulations, but I agree there should be some sort of abeyance in that area.

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:36:17 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 31:

Rent controls make rent increases an imperative for the land lord, in that if the land lord skips an opportunity to raise the rent by the allowed percentage, he loses that opportunity forever.  

Also, when the costs of maintenance and improvements rise faster than the rents, maintenance and improvements become neglected. 

Rent controls create slums. 

Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 4:36:25 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 3/1/2020 4:38:08 PM

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In #35 Syrah said: Rent controls create slums. 

Rent control is an attempt by the government to repeal the law of supply and demand.

They might as well try to repeal the law of gravity, or the law of conservation of energy.

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:40:10 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 36:

i think that there are high chances of riots when Bernie enters the convention with a plurality of the delegates, and gets passed over for a ringer. 

Echos of 1968. 

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:45:14 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 38:

if Sanders gets a majority of the delegates, will he lose the General as badly as did McGovern?

Syrah 3/1/2020 4:56:24 PM

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Buttigieg is still on the Super Tuesday ballots and the ballots for Washington State. 

He will still get votes, particularly in states that have mail in ballots, like Washington state. The ballots have been out for over a week and are not due until March 10. They will have a lot of Pete votes from people that voted before he dropped out and number of votes from people will go for him by people that won’t be aware and or won’t care that he dropped out. 

@PBJ3 3/1/2020 5:58:30 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 28: Hah!

@PBJ3 3/1/2020 6:01:12 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 30: Aloha to you!