#Rental Unit and Operators

[smlcoid]

Rent a complete solution with our Rental Unit and Operators service. We provide not only top-of-the-line forklifts but also skilled operators to handle them, ensuring smooth and efficient operations for your project or business.

Our rental units are meticulously maintained and ready to tackle any task, while our experienced operators bring expertise and professionalism to every job. Whether you need assistance for a day, a week, or longer, our Rental Unit and Operators service offers convenience, reliability, and peace of mind. Focus on your core business while we take care of your material handling needs, delivering exceptional service every step of the way.

[kids-worldfun]

7 Tips for Streamlining Operations as a Landlord of Multiple Units

As a landlord, streamlining the operations of multiple units can get extremely tough at times. Managing many apartments together involves a lot of responsibilities and complications. However, you can streamline operations and run everything smoothly with a well-organized plan. Do you want to know how you can do that? Follow these tips below: Use a Good Property Management System (PMS) PMS…

[elinorasims]

Lot Tour | Rock Ridge Castle Academy

World | Glimmerbrook Lot Size | 40 x 30 Value | Furnished 753,552 ; Unfurnished 204,816 Beds | 15 Baths | 8

CC | No Packs | Unrestricted

"In response to the Ministry of Occult Sims' astute advice that the tempestuous relations between Vampires, Werewolves, and Spellcasters be mended, and that occult Sims could reap many benefits through co-operation and joint ventures, Rock Ridge Castle has been host to budding occult teens for several generations, aiming to teach them how to harness their powers safely and collaborate to achieve great things together." Residential Rental Ver | 3 Units ; 152 simoleons/day Each unit comprises single occupancy butler's quarters in the basement, two shared bedrooms with space for three teens each on the upper floors, and two rooms on the top floor for YA/Adult occupancy - all other rooms in the building are shared. The gameplay idea I had here was that three 'families' of six teens (3 M, 3 F) with two YA/Adult 'teacher's occupy each of the three "rental units" - making, essentially, a mega academy style lot. I designed each 'unit' for a different occult type - vampire, werewolves, and spellcasters :3 fun or chaotic and stressful I dunno lol

INTERIOR

Ground Floor

Entry and main corridors with central 'winter garden' with domed glass ceiling. Communal library, den, art/music classroom, wc, potions classroom, dining room with shared kitchen facilities, herbology classroom, and meditation/'chapel' room.

First Floor

Four lightly themed bedrooms to sleep three teen sims each, two large communal bathrooms with shower, bath and wc stalls, den area, and candle making/misc classroom.

Second Floor

Divination classroom, woodworking/gemology classroom, two further communal bathroom areas, and two bedrooms to sleep 3 teen vampires each.

Third Floor

Six individual bedrooms for YA/Adults, two shared single bathroom spaces.

Basement

Large swimming pool, changing area, and laundry rooms. Butlers' quarters, storage rooms, and staff kitchen.

GROUNDS

FLOORPLANS + DOWNLOAD >>

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Advocates are calling for more regulation around maximum temperatures in rental housing units. Some municipalities in B.C. have mandated minimum temperatures in rental homes but there are no existing rules for maximum heat levels. Following the heat dome in 2021, when more than 600 people died, extreme heat events have become a health issue as well as a housing one. Emily Rogers, the director of operations with Together Against Poverty, said it is time to look at how hot it has to be before a landlord must install something to keep the heat down. “The burden of action should be on the landlord in terms of equal temperatures,” she said, adding that could mean providing an air conditioner or fans. “At the end of the day, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a home that ‘s safe — and that includes extreme heat.”

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[reticulating-splines]

Olde Mill Inn

17th century timber-framed watermill with tavern, gardens, and rooms to rent.

Olde Mill Inn

One of my favorite books growing up was The Truth-Tellers Tale by Sharon Shinn. The main protagonists were twin girls with magic powers, but even more interesting than one twin being unable to lie while the other was only able to keep secrets, was their house: The parents owned and operated an inn! And it was such a great plot device for the story, with all sorts of people coming and going, enjoying the rooms, food, and drinks, bringing news and goods from far parts of the kingdom. It's no Leaf & Berry Inn, and there's no Truth-Tellers or Safe-Keepers in residence (yet), but I wanted it to have that same cozy, communal vibe the book always gave me, and a good opportunity for storytelling.

Originally made for a reddit build challenge, Olde Mill Inn is a Tudor rental residential with working watermill, quaint stone bridge, and four story tower.

Lot Features

50 x 40 Lot

8 bedchambers, 8 privy chambers (6 rental units, 2 with double beds)

295,357 Simoleons

Off the Grid challenge enabled

Fully furnished and landscaped

Fully playtested in all units/areas

All units come with Natural Well trait

Shared Kitchen, Library, Dining Hall, and Gardens

Ground floor Tavern with bar and separate dining area

Fishable ponds

Animal Shed and Chicken Coop

Firepit and Wishing Well

4th floor abandoned Tower

Packs Needed

! Essential Packs ! (build will be incomplete without these): For Rent, Horse Ranch, Cottage Living, Cats & Dogs, Get Together, Parenthood, Vampires, Spa Day, Laundry Day, Romantic Garden

~ Optional Packs ~ (decor or few items, starred packs have important decor): Growing Together, High School Years, Eco Lifestyle, Discover University*(library shelves), Island Living, Get Famous*(lighting), Seasons, City Living, Wedding Stories*(lighting), Dream Home Decorator, Realm of Magic, Jungle Adventure, Outdoor Retreat, Nifty Knitting, Vintage Glamour, Blooming Rooms

Patreon Download (free)

[halaboyz]

undercover, sangyeon

bff, police detective! the boyz sangyeon x special operation unit gn! reader fluff, angst wc: 3.7k warnings: mentions of minor character death, guns, you know police/detective stuff (ie cults) on kdramas but nothing too deep (ie blood, murder, etc.); reader is not especially on the modest side, i would say tomboyish but just imagine hyojoo's charac in happiness! everything's revolved in there (charac's love plot) a/n: RRRRRRRAAAAAAHH sangyeon FITS detective charac so mUCH you have no idea how much my brain racked this idea ;; kdrama happiness and flex x cop inspired !!! GOD i just canNOT make action fics bffr i do not KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE THINGS networks: @kflixnet

"Public rental unit for police at Gangnam? Won't you need, like, high points for that?" Changmin questions, mouth full of food as he stares curiously at you.

"Mmm, they're giving out three special units to the police." You casually nod, downing a spoonful.

"Really? What are the conditions then?" Changmin perks up, suddenly curious when he senses that you were too nonchalant, conditions may be as simple.

"They score it based on seniority, size of family, marital status, etc. etc. You know, basic requirements. But you know what matters the most? Number of arrests and evaluations," You ignorantly shook your shoulders, making Changmin's drop. You sigh, "I'd definitely get it if those were the only requirements," You shake your head, losing confidence.

"What are you going to arrest, terrorists?" He scoffs, smirking at you.

"In life, Changmin, you never know." You point your chopsticks at him.

"Evaluations are good, but I quit getting them. The apartment's all yours. How are you getting more points?" You had no idea at all, opting to just eat in silence when your phone rings and vibrates in the table.

"Might get married, might not." You slyly smile, slowly widening when you read the caller ID. "Let me get this for a second," You excuse yourself out of the table with a smile, Changmin gawking at your sudden and absurd idea.

"Good morning to my most handsome friend there is," You start as you answered the call, hearing him chuckle in the other line. "You miss me?"

"I think I should ask that. I'm guessing you need something for you to call me something like that," He instigates, and you hear him unlocking his car.

"I don't. At least yet. Why'd you call though?" You pick on your helmet that hung in one of your suit belts, looking longingly at your food. "I got some eating to do, you know."

"I'll be fast. I heard there's someone in your team leading drugs associated with child prostitution. Police will be there after some investigations, but right within the day." Sangyeon informs, starting his car and putting you on hold for a second.

"Oh," You coo, nodding. "Who is it?"

"I'm just informing you, not blatantly revealing files to you," Sangyeon teasingly laughs out, and you hiss.

"Then, if I catch them before you do, it will be my arrest, right?" You think of the points for the free special unit that are being given away to the police, making you smile widely.

"Look at you," Sangyeon hisses as well, "I'm actually on the way there now, partner in crime. You will need to sit your ass down because your best friend will be arresting the bad guys. You be the good cop," He chuckles, warning you. He asks you to go back and eat and bid farewell, hopping back to your seat.

You squint your eyes at the contact, pointing at it as if a light bulb just lit up in your mind.

"You're scaring me," Changmin says, pouting at the phone. "What's the face thing doing on your phone?"

"I think I just found my husband."

"What a waste." You scoff as you cross your arms over your chest, glaring at your once favorite student getting arrested right in front of your eyes. Sangyeon mirrors your actions, standing beside you with a smirk.

"Well, we never really know people." He shakes his head, signaling his team to go on without him. "That's how my work goes," He removes his id and tucks it in his pocket, meaning the end of his work. "Should we go for lunch?"

"I just ate, but who am I to decline another round of food?" You give a bright smile, patting him in his arm. "Wait for me here, I know a good restaurant just near here."

You grab your things as you bid goodbye to Changmin, leaving him speechless at your sudden leave in the middle of the training.

"Hey! Where are you going?! What am I supposed to do with the newbies alone?!" Changmin screams as he watches you hop away, glee in your steps.

"You can handle them alone! I'm off to go get more points for my future apartment, I'll just treat you to some delicious food next time!" You wave, even giving a flying kiss which he annoyingly swatted away.

"Let's go handsome!" You drag Sangyeon away as his face contorted as if he just ate something sour.

"Why do you keep calling me that? It's getting on my nerves," He shivers in his place, taking a good look around the restaurant you were arrogant about.

"Let's eat first, hmm? The beef here is so delicious you have no idea." He chuckles at how you acted, all giddy and excited at how the beef was grilling in front of you.

"Hey, hey! That's not yet cooked!" He swats your chopsticks away with the tongs, hissing at you. He glares at you as he points the tongs at you, making you wait.

You shrink on your seat as you nib on your chopsticks, eagerly waiting for it to be, quotation marks, cooked.

When you were finally done, Sangyeon finally waits for you to open up a talk.

You uncomfortably shift on your seat, smiling wryly.

"Sangyeon," You smile a bigger one, "Should we get married?"

It was needless to say Sangyeon almost coughed all his intestines out. You stretch a glass of water out to him, rubbing his back with an apologetic smile.

"Did you lose a screw or?" He coughs out, pointing at your head. You click your tongue, explaining the situation you wanted in. "So let me get this straight, you're short on points, so you want my arrests to be of points to you?" He summarizes, gulping down another glass of water.

"Yeah, that's basically it." You nod shyly, forking another slice of beef to your mouth. "Hey, when you think about it, I'm a decent per-,"

"Okay."

"Huh?"

Silence engulfs the both of you, just silently staring at each other. Yet your heartbeat was ringing in your ears.

"I said okay. We can get married." He nods, now finally calm and collected, repeating what he said.

"Sang... married, as in... married. Living for life," You clear out, clearing your throat.

"You wanted it, and I said okay," He chuckles at your bewildered state, feeling all jittery inside.

"Oh, okay." You shortly reply, nodding. "Wow, okay. I didn't expect that you'll agree like that." You chuckle, finally calming yourself down. "I should've accepted your confession back in high school," You mumble, shaking your head.

"H-hey! Are you still not over that? I didn't mean my confession back then! It was... pressure! Right, pressure only! My friends were there and urging me and-,"

"Fine, fine! Why are you explaining over again..." You mumble, chuckling at his now sheepish state. "I'm sending a form then. We're married." You confirm, stretching out your hand for him to shake. He chuckles, shaking your hand with a hum.

Well, that was easy now, wasn't it?

You know what's not easy? It's suppressing your growing feelings for your best friend.

"I did not even dare imagine I would get to live in an apartment like this," Your eyes roam around the newly renovated apartment flat, on your tippy toes as Sangyeon tailed you with a smile. "i'm planning on changing a lot, but since it was just renovated, we can push that off for a while and enjoy the scent of the new flat," You smile, turning to him as he agrees whatever you want to do with the apartment. You stop when you open a room, spotting two beds beside each other with a table lamp between it.

"Oh, that..." Sangyeon trails off, thinking of any reason. "The other room is packed with storage boxes so... I moved in here first. Don't worry! When we get it cleaned up I'll move," Sangyeon panics, pointing here and there to prove his point.

"It's okay," You nod, glancing at him awkwardly. "We can stay together. To be safe from unit inspection officers, too. We're married. We should be together in one room, at least." You ignore the thumping of your heart as you made your beeline away from the tightening walls of the room, leaving Sangyeon stunned. "Well, I'm satisfied. Are you?"

You both finish wandering the flat, satisfied smiles on your faces as you plan ahead on how the bills would be parted.

Your little bubble of happiness pops while you both were eating your housewarming meal when both of your phones rang together, signaling an emergency.

You both looked at each other curiously, wondering why it had to be the same time your phones alerted an emergency when you had different fields.

So when the police and the special operation units team up to take down a massive cult, Sangyeon and you grow worried about each other.

"You be safe." You mumble to Sangyeon before he drives off after dropping you to your outpost, having to run to his station as well.

"You too. See you later." He nods at you before seeing you off, dashing inside to be on the emergency meeting.

"Oh, y/n. You're here." Changmin pulls a chair for you as the meeting continues, summarized as the SOU will only be a back-up and the police will be leading the operation.

Specifically, Sangyeon is.

You raise your hand immediately to gain attention, silence overtaking the whole room when the supervisor points at you to continue.

"Can't we lead with them? I mean... wouldn't it be the same to go there as back up? Why can't we lead as well so that there are more people to ambush the place?" You suggest, but the supervisor shakes his head immediately to dismiss you.

"It's a case that's been going on for years already. We can't afford to fight with the police to take credit for their hard work. They only asked for back and especially the SOU so that more range of the main post of the cult will be surrounded and ambushed." You nod in response, growing worried of how the case was being approached.

If it was lasting for a year already, wouldn't the suspects already be so cut out to be hard to take down? So why would you have to be at the bleachers when your man is risking his life out there in the fields?

"That being said, yn and Changmin, you'll be with the Tech team of the police in contact with those getting silently in the field in disguises. You'll be together with them for stakeout. Get ready for any alerts and emergencies."

"You mean the police will disguise themself as part of the cult's members?" You clear out, repeating what the supervisor said.

"Yes. It's their plan and we're acting on it." You stayed quiet after that, letting the meeting go on while you were on your head until Changmin gets to the best of you to remind you the meeting's done and you got to move.

"Let me make a quick call." You pat Changmin and excuse yourself to the bathroom, hands shaking as you start looking for that certain contact. "You dipshit! How could you not tell me about this?!" When you hear the line connecting, you immediately curse out Sangyeon which earns you a chuckle.

"I'm a police. Cases are top secret. I think I've told you that a hundred times already." He scoffs, and you hear a lot of background voices in the back, probably getting ready.

"You're going in alone?" You put your annoyance aside to finally get some information from him, he sighs.

"Did you not listen on your meeting?" A soft chuckle leaves his lips, "We're five." Opting to just answer your questions, he leans back as the chaos erupts behind him. "Oh, yn. We need to go, they go around picking victims by this time of the day in the park. You should go with your team no-,"

"For how many days will you be inside? When's the attack going to be?" You cut Sangyeon off, wishing you can stop him longer from going.

"Will be there for at least three to five days to offer some comfort to them. Could be earlier, could be later." He hears you heave a deep sigh which prompts pulls the sides of his lips to a genuine smile, appreciating your concern over your friend which is now your husband. "Hey. Listen to your supervisors, okay? I don't want you getting hurt." Because of him.

"Are you kidding me?" You retort, "Then try not going on dangerous missions!"

"It's my job though," He replies calmly, making you weirdly more agitated. "You don't have to worry about me, yn. I'm Lee Sangyeon, I've been awarded as the Honorable Police Detective for three consecutive years now. I have my back."

"If you come out there with the slightest scar on your body you'll die by my hands," You threaten so lovingly, Sangyeon lets out a hearty laugh. "Be safe, Sangyeon. I'm serious,"

"Okay. Thank you, I will. You too, okay! Don't be so rash about making decisions." You hum in reply as you end the call, sighs still coming out of your lips in worry.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." You comfort yourself in front of the mirror as you washed your face, heading bravely now outside to pack your things.

After another briefing of the mission, it is now taken into action. You jump into the van with your bag of protective gear with Changmin.

"Hey, yn. Don't let your emotions get through, yeah? I mean it with no offense," Changmin pats your arm in assurance. "Team work."

"Oh, absolutely." Half sarcastic, half not. Of course you shouldn't be putting your emotions into cases. You're not allowed to do that.

Of course. Okay. You can do that. You can, right? You nod at yourself. That was easy.

You spent the first two days cramped up in the back of the van with another police who handled the tech, the tech, and you and Changmin and only listening to Sangyeon and the other four whatever was happening inside and only when they had something to share to the bud.

"We're going ahead and sneak to the office by night when they announce lights out in bedrooms," You hear Sangyeon say through the speakers, and you nod at Changmin. It was an hour before said takeover.

Both of you changed into your gear and vests, preparing everything you need to prepare. Just as time had passed, you were on standby, You sigh, anxiously picking on your finger.

"He's going to be fine, yn. Loosen up."

"Can you... I'll... stay outside. Call me in if something happens and we need to go. I'll remove the bud."

"You can't do that," Changmin hisses, holding your hand to make you stay. "Stay here. Remove the bud but don't go outside. At least, you'll see what's going on." He suggests, and you remove your bud. Through the small cameras set up by the five inside the 'house', you watch each of their movement.

"Fuck." Right when they were in a blind spot inside the office, the tech exclaims and the both of you perk up and the lights inside the office lit.

"What happened? Do we go inside?" You ask, grabbing Changmin by the shoulder in panic.

"We still haven't gotten any orders, yn." He levels with your panic, but still trying to calm you down.

"The team's silently making their way around and inside. Please don't move unless we tell you so," The police you're with pleads, and you stay put on your sit with a huff and a heavy heart.

Your eyes search for Sangyeon through the cameras but no signs seen. Assuming their buds were taken since no one has then uttered a word, they've been taken by the members into interrogation.

"So what, are we just going to fucking sit here? There are five of your team there! Are you just going to let them die?!" You get loose, grabbing your helmet. Changmin stands up and calms you down once again, and the police doesn't bat you an eye.

He remains seated and eerily busy in his computer, showing that police cars have already surrounded the area.

You wait for any order, any, just to go out of these sickening van. Your husband was out there, not knowing if dead or alive, and you were out here stuck on your sit because they told you so.

"They rang the car sirens," You hear the numerous and loud police car sirens which also alarms your leave, sharing a look with Changmin and getting your gears and guns, rushing out of the van and skillfully making your way to back up the polices, already in their places. Plenty of suspects make their way out of the house in a hurry not knowing they are already surrounded as some detectives fight their way into these suspects and in the house.

After a suspenseful, agitating wait until they've all surrendered, arms and feet get impatient as it shakes in worry and anger. Lastly, who you've been briefed about as the cult's leader, make his way out of the house and handcuffed, one by one, the disguised detectives make their way out of the house honorable, but not quite yet.

Sangyeon was still inside, location unknown.

Another surge of detectives make their way inside to search for said man and you're on the surge of breaking down.

"Where the hell is he..." You mumbled, eyebrows meeting in the middle as you stand up straight and fucked the form up, chucking your gun into your holster and make your way to the front.

Changmin wasn't able to stop you now because of how determined you were and how worried about not seeing Sangyeon. So you immediately ask one of his colleagues that went in. But to no avail. They were separated when the lights lit and since Sangyeon lead them, he was interrogated alone by the cult leader.

Okay. If they're not able to tell them where Sangyeon is, the cult leader will.

You angrily heave a sigh as you stride closer to the handcuffed man, still all dignified and mighty even though he was caught. You remove your helmet to throw aside, grabbing him by the collar aggressively which makes heads turn, the polices and now Changmin gasping, trying to stop you but your hands stayed where it was.

"Where's the other one?" You ask through gritted teeth, glaring up at him. He scoffs, smirks, shaking his head and looks at you with innocent eyes.

"I have no idea. You tell me," He smiles devilishly once again, and you click your tongue in annoyance. You step farther away from them and your face scrunches, annoyance and anger getting the best of you.

You launch a hard kick on his stomach which sent him flying away from the polices hands, and you dashed at him with the intent of then punching him in the face as he folds in pain. You put your foot in his chest and sigh satisfyingly.

"I'm asking you once again. Where the hell is he," He cowardly hides his face under his hands as he groans in pain due to your weight on his chest.

"He's in the walk in freezer in the basement!"

Right as he reveals Sangyeon's location, the police runs to the basement as you tail them, leaving the assailant with a hard, last push of your weight on his chest.

The medical team prepares heaters and hot packs, towels, coats as you wait for it to be opened, tapping your foot as finally, Sangyeon- half conscious and shivering and all tucked up in a corner, comes into sight.

They rush in to usher him out, putting endless of towels and coats over him and handing him hot packs and leading him to a heater. He sighs in relief, seeing your worried face that he oh so loved so much, unscratched and waiting for him, he smiles.

The police, now all done with their work inside with Sangyeon spotted, leaves you both alone and you finally break into tears.

You tightened your jaw, making your way towards him with heavy, angry steps. Sangyeon ineffectively tries to turn around to find someone that can shield him or just run away but the towels and coats limit his movements.

You warm your fingers up as you land a hard punch on his arm, the punch going through the thick layer of towels coats that causes him to groan in pain and lie on his side.

"Oh my god," Sangyeon breathes out, looking at you. "I thought you were worried about me!"

"I said I was going to kill you with my own two hands if you had the slightest scratch on your body." You remind him, fingers folding to a fist to get ready to punch him again.

"Stop! That hurts!" Although it really did hurt (two things he feared for life was death and an angry y/n), a smile was plastered on his face as he shuffles himself to sit, facing you with the biggest smile. "The operation was a success, aren't you happy for me?"

You were silent. You were still glaring at him as he met your eyes, but he knows that you were only worried sick about him. It was indeed a dangerous mission, and the fact that if he wasn't found for another minute, he would've died.

But he didn't, and he get to see how worried you were right when those doors of the freezer opened. He gets to see you.

That was worth it.

Your fist relaxes as you meet his eye level, sighing in relief as you took him into your arms, giving him the tightest (almost deadly), warmest, and sweetest hug that assured him of everything.

"Never do these kinds of operations again," You mumble, burrowing your face in the towels that held him closer than you. "I get worried sick. Being a good cop is boring. I'll be the bad cop now so you don't get to do these kinds of things anymore. How about that?"

You hear Sangyeon chuckle as he's now the one burrowing his chin in the crook of your neck, enjoying the warmth you exuded. He definitely was not going to let you do that, but now he just decided to keep quiet and enjoy how he fit right into your arms.

"I missed you."

permanent taglist: @sunlightwoo

[taylorscottbarnett]

What a Fucking Shit-show:

Trump - a convicted felon, a traitor, an insurrectionist and an adjudicated rapist supported by a literal nazi has in just two weeks:

- repealed ethics rules prohibiting executive branch employees accepting major gifts from lobbyists and two year bans on lobbyists seeking executive jobs and vice versa -Rescinded Executive Order 11246 signed by former President Lyndon Johnson forbidding employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin - Froze billions in federal aid only to back-peddle after outrage. - Launched a meme crypto that the entire crypto space shunned it for the money-laundering and bribery scam it was, and holds 80 percent of the coin's supply himself - Withdrew the US from the World Health Organization - Withdrew the US from the Pairs Agreement -- ceding American leadership from both bodies - pardoned 1500 felons who attacked the heart of American power and killed people trying to overthrow his last election loss - separated families - tried to end birthright citizenship - put 13 billionaires in his cabinet - revoked the security clearances of 50 former executive branch employees for crossing him - said to reporters that he would "not feel any responsibility if harm befell the former government officials" - ordered politically charged reviews into his personal grievances against those he sees as enemies - attacked media who reported stories critical of him - ordered his Justice Department to put a freeze on civil rights cases - issued a pardon for Ross Ulbricht - pardoned the operator of the Silk Road who facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services. - raised taxes by 25% on consumers for Canadian and Mexican goods - shut down the Medicaid payment portal - shut down funding for Medicaid, SNAP, funding for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance and student loans before almost immediately backtracking after an uproar. - ordered federal agencies to be loyal to him rather the US Constitution - fired members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - fired members of the National Labor Relations Board - fired over 160 members of the National Security Council - put Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary in exchange for his dropping out of the 2024 race and endorsing Trump in a stunning quid pro quo - talked about ending childhood vaccination programs with RFK Jr - placed a gag order on all communications and reports from HHS and sub-agencies unless approved by his office - gave ICE the power to deport immigrants who came to the United States legally - Trump passed an executive order to ban birthright citizenship in blatant violation of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. - faced backlash from both Democrats and Republicans in cities, states, police departments, school districts and other local governments stated who've stated they will not assist in migrant raids because of public safety and civil rights concerns - compiled a list of military officials involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and investigating whether they could be court-martialed. - refused to rule out military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal

[ofgeography]

Hey molly ofgeo :) just read your reply about addressing homelessness through housing. I agree 100% (though through a less informed viewpoint I'm sure) - I'm currently politically frustrated because my province with screamingly expensive rental housing is trying to address housing insecurity exclusively through building more units. I have feelings for days about renovictions, airbnb, vacant properties with overseas buyers etc... but that's another story.

I'm curious about specifically how your experience with your job informed your understanding of housing / homelessness as you expressed in the post. If you feel like sharing, do you have any examples or situations you'd be interested in expanding on? ✨

hi! this is such a big question that i'm not quite sure how to answer, haha. let me say first that actually people going with the shorthand "the solution to homelessness is housing" is fine. it's genuinely fine. i'd rather have that be the rallying cry than anything else. it annoys me in the ben wyatt "i don't have time to explain this to you, actually it's going to bother me if i don't" kind of way, not because i think people are bad for rallying behind it.

but if you're genuinely interested in my niche expertise, see below the cut!

the long and short of it is twofold: as long as housing is a form of capital it cannot be the solution to homelessness because it needs to be profitable because it is expensive to build and maintain; and saying that "all people need is a house" is deeply misleading because the routes people take to homelessness are actually almost never simply driven by the market. the "solution" to homelessness as a social problem cannot be to get people off the street but to keep people from arriving on the street, because once they're there it becomes exponentially more difficult to get them (and keep them) housed. this is because life on the street is traumatic, and those who arrived without mental health crises or substance dependencies often develop them as a coping response. these then make it more difficult for them to secure or remain housed/employed/etc. so the solution is not housing, it is prevention.

but prevention is difficult both because the roads to insecure or total lack of housing are numerous and thorny and because it requires a bunch of coalitions who often feel they need to fight for resources to work together, and also is less sexy for fundraising campaigns etc because there is no way to definitively measure your success. and of course while you're doing all this prevention you do need to be worrying about the folks already on the street.

my gentle beef with the "solution to homelessness is housing" narrative is that all the studies people are citing are called Housing First Pathway programs, which are, don't get me wrong, extremely effective, both from a cost and a harm reduction lens. but that's a very specific intervention, established by a man named sam tsemberis, which has like 47 specific tenets around how the program has to be run, how the extremely thorough and intensive wraparound services operate, and a million different failsafes and Plan B, C, D, E, Fs in order for it to be effective. also, it's for folks experiencing chronic homelessness, because they have a different set of needs from folks who are (for example) couch-surfing while they figure out their next steps, or who are living in a DV shelter, etc etc. the idea behind Housing First is to remove barriers to housing, which is an unmitigated good, but it's done so that other issues can be addressed to ease mental and physical suffering of the folks living there. the idea is not that "what you need is a house", the idea is that "you cannot address the roots of your trauma & suffering without a house."

anyway. housing first is dope and we know that in much of the west & global north it works incredibly effectively, but it's not just .... giving people a house, and it won't end homelessness. it is a great intervention for people currently experiencing chronic homelessness but it will not erase homelessness as a complex social problem because it does not prevent new people from entering the streets. and we cannot offer it up to everyone forever because, as stated above, housing is capital, and also because we will in that case genuinely eventually run out of houses.

[mariacallous]

RealPage says it isn’t doing anything wrong by suggesting to landlords how much rent they could charge. In a move to reclaim its own narrative, the property management software company published a microsite and a digital booklet it’s calling “The Real Story,” as it faces multiple lawsuits and a reported federal criminal probe related to allegations of rental price fixing.

RealPage’s six-page digital booklet, published on the site in mid-June, addresses what it calls “false and misleading claims about its software”—the myriad of allegations it faces involving price-fixing and rising rents—and contends that the software benefits renters and landlords and increases competition. It also said landlords accept RealPage’s price recommendations for new leases less than 50 percent of the time and that the software recommends competitive prices to help fill units.

“‘The heart of this case’ never had a heartbeat—the data clearly shows that RealPage does not set customers’ prices and customers do what they believe is best for their respective properties to vigorously compete against each other in the market,” the digital booklet says.

But landlords are left without concrete answers, as questions around the legality of this software are ongoing as they continue renting properties. “I don’t think we’re seeing this as a RealPage issue but rather as a revenue management software issue,” says Alexandra Alvarado, the director of marketing and education at the American Apartment Owners Association, the largest association of landlords in the US.

Alvarado says some landlords are taking pause and asking questions before using the tech. Software like RealPage “has made it much easier to understand what is happening in the market,” Alvarado says. “Technology has helped us in so many ways to make all these processes more efficient. In this case, it’s now borderline too efficient.” And members of the AAOA are asking questions about the legality of revenue management, she says. “The first thing landlords typically think is, what is the legal repercussion? Am I going to be in trouble for using this software? If the answer is maybe, it’s usually off the table.”

Dana Jones, president and CEO of RealPage, said in a statement released alongside the booklet that “the time is now to address a number of false claims about RealPage’s revenue management software, and how rental housing providers operate when setting rent prices.” RealPage did not respond to WIRED’s queries asking what prompted the lengthy statement in June. Officials appear to be narrowing in on RealPage, as the Justice Department is allegedly planning to sue the company, according to a report from Politico last week. The company declined a request to comment on the latest in the ongoing Department of Justice probe.

Allegations of price-fixing that may constitute antitrust violations have dogged the software company since late 2022, when ProPublica published an investigation alleging that RealPage’s software was linked to rent rises in some US cities, as the company used private, aggregated data provided by its customers to suggest rental prices. (In response to ProPublica's reporting, RealPage commented that it “uses aggregated market data from a variety of sources in a legally compliant manner.”)

RealPage’s software is powerful because it anonymizes rental data and can provide landlords and property managers with nonpublic and public data about rentals, which may be different from that advertised publicly on platforms like real estate marketplace Zillow. The company contends that it’s not engaging in price-fixing, as landlords are not forced to accept the rents that RealPage’s algorithm suggests. Sometimes it even recommends landlords lower the rent, RealPage claims. But antitrust enforcers have alleged that even sharing private information via an algorithm and using it for price recommendations can be as conspiratorial as back-room handshake deals, even if landlords don’t end up renting apartments at those rates. The reported antitrust investigation is ongoing.

RealPage’s algorithmic pricing model is among one of the first subject to scrutiny, perhaps due to its involvement in housing, a necessity that has ballooned in price as housing supply languishes. Typical rent in the US is just under $2,000, according to Zillow, up from around $1,500 in early 2020. “Housing affordability is a national problem created by economic and political forces—not by the use of revenue management software,” Realpage says. But renters can’t tell whether their rates are rising because of algorithms or not.

“It’s almost impossible to know if you are just a spectator or a victim,” says Shanti Singh, legislative and communications director with Tenants Together, a California-based coalition of tenants activists. If tenants call a hotline over raised rent or fees, “we’re not necessarily going to be able to see or connect that their landlord is using RealPage.”

The state of Arizona sued RealPage and nine landlords in February, claiming a conspiracy between the company and landlords led renters in Phoenix and Tucson to pay “millions of dollars” more in rent. That followed a similar lawsuit out of Washington, DC. In the capital’s greater metropolitan area, more than 90 percent of rental units in large apartment buildings were priced using RealPage software, according to DC’s attorney general.

The cases against RealPage puts algorithmic pricing to the test; as the technology becomes more common, antitrust law has yet to keep pace. Officials have other concerns around algorithms used for alleged hotel price fixing, as well as e-commerce algorithms. “The concern of regulators that algorithms can be used in ways that harm competition—that idea is here to stay,” says Ed Rogers, a partner at law firm Ballard Spahr who focuses on antitrust cases. “RealPage could end up really being a test case, not just for the real estate rental industry but for this aspect of AI and software and its role in a competitive landscape.”

The impact of algorithmic pricing varies greatly. Amazon has been accused of pushing up prices with a secret algorithm. (Amazon has said the “allegation that we somehow force sellers to use our optional services is simply not true.”) But others operate in plain sight, like dynamic pricing for rideshare costs, and don’t involve multiple companies sharing information. Not all of these algorithms are engaged in activity that may be considered anticompetitive. A Nevada judge in May dismissed a suit brought by hotel guests against several Las Vegas hotel operators, finding there was no agreement among them to fix prices using shared algorithms.

Yardi Systems, another US property management company, is also facing a class action suit regarding antitrust violations for artificially inflating rent prices. The company has said it did “nothing illegal,” as it does not mandate rent prices through its software or make “collusive pricing decisions.”

Typical rental costs in Phoenix have increased by more than about $500 a month from April 2020 to 2024, and by around $400 in Washington, DC, in the same period, according to Zillow.

Renters have also filed numerous class action suits against RealPage and property owners that have been consolidated. Some landlords named in those settled claims earlier this year. The court threw out a lawsuit regarding price fixing for student housing but has said the class action from renters can go forward. Attorneys representing some of the plaintiffs in the class action did not respond to requests to comment.

RealPage laid off about 4 percent of staff in June. “RealPage is hyper-focused on innovation and accelerating its business growth in 2024 and beyond, and as a result has made the decision to eliminate a small number of roles within the company,” Jennifer Bowcock, a spokesperson for the company, says. The layoffs were not connected to the antitrust lawsuit, she says. Thoma Bravo, the owner of RealPage, did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

As of 2020, RealPage said it was collecting data on some 16 million rental units across the US. There are 44 million renter households in the US, and nearly 22 million rental units are owned by for-profit businesses. RealPage grew when it acquired Lease Rent Options (LRO) in 2017, after clearing antitrust scrutiny by the Justice Department. The DOJ did not comment on questions from WIRED about its reported investigation into RealPage or its approval of RealPage’s acquisition of Lease Rent Options in 2017.

When asked about the latest in the probe, RealPage referred to a portion of its recent lengthy statement, which said: “The DOJ extensively reviewed LRO and YieldStar in 2017, without objecting to, much less challenging, any feature of the products.” RealPage also says that its “products are fundamentally the same today” as they were when the acquisition received approval.

In June, The New York Times asked assistant US attorney general Jonathan Kanter, the Justice Department’s top antitrust official, if he would view an AI tool communicating pricing information as the same as humans colluding, with the question referencing the reported RealPage investigation. Kanter replied: “I often say that if your dog bites somebody, you’re responsible for your dog biting somebody. If your AI fixes prices, you’re just as responsible.”

The Justice Department also last year filed a statement of interest in the RealPage combined class action lawsuit, as the case could become a precedent setter in algorithmic pricing. The statement mirrored Kanter’s argument that the method of price setting doesn’t matter, and algorithms are just the latest evolution in information gathering and sharing.

“In-person handshakes gave way to phone and fax, and later to email. Algorithms are the new frontier,” the Justice Department argued in a statement of interest it filed in the class action lawsuit against RealPage and landlords. “And, given the amount of information an algorithm can access and digest, this new frontier poses an even greater anti-competitive threat than the last.”

[sirpuntine]

Are you aware of ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ?

"This site is a multigenerational home for the Indigenous peoples of Florida, and it is not the home of a harmful and unnecessary prison." - Friends of the Everglades

Source

“Alligator Alcatraz” is an immigrant detention center being built illegally in the Big Cypress Preserve of the Florida Everglades to house 5,000 people in tents in summer, with plans to use alligators and snakes as opposed to walls and buildings as a deterrent to the people being kidnapped, trafficked, and contained.

“State authorities project that the center will be operational at the beginning of July, with an initial capacity of at least 1,000 detainees and a gradual expansion thereafter”

As of 6/26: Construction has already started and has been connected to LOGISTIC EVENT CORPS and US TENT RENTAL. FL National Guard and Highway Patrol have been sent to “secure the perimeter and entry points of Alligator Alcatraz”. Homeland Security is largely funding it with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) using its Shelter and Service Program, which usually allocates money to governments and nonprofits to “provide migrants with temporary shelter, food and transportation”.

There are 15 Miccosukee and Seminole villages in Big Cypress, which also supplies 40% of their drinking water, but the tribes WERE NOT CONSULTED and EXPLICITLY OPPOSE construction.

The Mayor of Miami is opposing construction until environmental impact assessments are done and is reportedly considering legal action

“Levine Cava also reported that the state of Florida offered only 20 million dollars for the property, while its most recent appraisal exceeds 190 million”

DeSantis has claimed the project has zero environmental impacts, which has been vehemently denied by environmentalists:

"There will be impact because sewage will be generated, water will be used, and it will create light pollution affecting the habitat” - Eve Samples, Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades

“She also contends the state failed to follow proper procedure by skipping a required environmental review before building a federal facility. Samples raised additional alarm over the threat to endangered species, noting that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) maps show panthers living in the area.”

“In addition to the criticisms of the immigration plan itself, construction in this region -considered ecologically sensitive- could cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem of the Everglades, one of the most important natural reserves in the United States.” [x]

In 1969, Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades to stop construction in the same location based on the findings of the 1st ever environmental impact study done in FL and was successful

"Development of the proposed jetport and its attendant facilities will lead to land drainage and development for agriculture, transportation, and services in the Big Cypress Swamp which will inexorably destroy the south Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park."

US President Ford established Big Cypress National Preserve in 1974 In order to “assure the preservation, conservation, and protection of the natural, scenic, hydrologic, floral and faunal, and recreational values of the Big Cypress Watershed”

Call Scripts:

Use these exactly, or use pieces, or base your own message on them - as long as you contact ASAP

Friends of the Everglades: “Dear Gov. DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier, Don’t make the same mistake Florida avoided 55 years ago. I’m urging you to STOP the reckless plan to build an “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in the heart of the Everglades. This land is critical to the future of the Everglades — that’s why thousands of Floridians joined forces to stop the Everglades Jetport from paving over this very ground in 1970. Now Attorney General Uthmeier wants to do what even President Nixon’s administration knew was wrong: open the door to development in one of America’s most fragile and iconic ecosystems, surrounded by Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. You have the power to stop this anti-Everglades proposal, and I’m calling on you to use it. NO AIRPORTS. NO ROCK MINES. NO PRISONS on this land. ONLY EVERGLADES! Sincerely, [your info here]”

Jessica Namath: “My name is (name] and I'm calling to ask that you help protect our nation's FIRST National Preserve - Big Cypress - and stop "Alligator Alcatraz". The Everglades are no place for ANY 1,000 person facility. The infrastructure can't support it, and the impacts to the indigenous community and ecosystem would be catastrophic. Please oppose this terrible idea!”

Sierra Club FL Chapter: “Dear Governor DeSantis - You have repeatedly claimed to be a defender of the Everglades. Now is the moment to back up those words with action. The proposed “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE facility would devastate a vital part of the Everglades — undoing decades of restoration progress and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars already invested in protecting this unique ecosystem. This project threatens to destroy the very heart of the River of Grass, undermining the hard work of generations of advocates and scientists dedicated to restoring Florida’s natural heritage. I urge you to listen to the thousands of Floridians who stand against this plan. Show real leadership by rejecting this harmful project and fully committing to protecting and restoring the Everglades for future generations. The time to act is now. Stop Alligator Alcatraz, and stand by your promise to protect the Everglades. Sincerely, [your info here]”

Friends of the Everglades provide this to contact DeSantis and Uthmeier. You can also email DeSantis through his website, or use the contact info below:

DeSantis Mailing Address: The Capitol / 400 South Monroe St. / Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 | DeSantis Phone: (850)717-9337 or (850)488-7146

Uthmeier Mailing Address: Office of the Attorney General / State of Florida /!PL-01, The Capitol / Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050 | Uthmeier Phone: (866)966-7226

Call the companies involved and confront their complicity, demanding they stop their service

US Tent Rental (Sarasota, FL): (941)727-3311

Logistics Event Corps (SweetWater, FL): (305)232-8368

BTW DeSantis has already said he wants to build another detention center at Camp Blanding, 30 miles West of Jacksonville, in Northeast FL

[mbta-unofficial]

If your city is a Brand, it’s already too late

Long post time. What is it that drives gentrification? Also, what is gentrification? Is it when a city gets blue hair and pronouns? No, it probably already had those.

Gentrification is the result of concentration of wealth in the hands of business owners, including landlords, over and above the hands of residents.

Let’s start with rent. Rent, like any good, is priced according to the laws of supply and demand. Supply of available rental housing is primarily determined by construction costs and estimated return on investment for new construction, and property management costs and estimated return on investment for existing units.

Breaking that down a bit, the higher construction costs get the higher the rent needs to be to break even on new construction. Construction costs include labor (which can always go down but you want it high for moral and practical reasons), materials (highly variable depending on the project) and bureaucratic costs. A bureaucratic cost is a cost that is based on how projects fit into the legal and practical environment, and are usually non-negotiable. Dig Safe, a program which requires three days of surveying local records before breaking ground, is an example where the function is to prevent crews from flattening a neighborhood by puncturing a gas main. Environmental Impact Statements, Fire Codes, Habitability Guidelines, and other regulations increase costs to projects. These programs are good and need to exist, but do stop smaller projects from happening at all because the capital investment required just to actually break ground on a new house might cost as much as the land and materials put together at which point you might as well build another 120$/sqft luxury midrise.

Property management costs for existing units are largely dependent on age and wear. A unit with no occupant is going to depreciate little, and may also appreciate in value. Depreciation and appreciation here are sort of unintuitive because they can happen at the same time. Imagine an old luxury sports car with a high resale price. Driving depreciates the value because it’s literal condition is poorer, even as the resale value goes up over time. The appreciation needs to beat both inflation and the value of depreciation for it to go up in real value. For companies with large capital holdings however, losses such as through the upkeep of empty apartment buildings are useful to a point because they reduce these organizations’s tax burdens. A company that makes a killing on the stock market only has to pay taxes if they keep it: if they buy houses they then don’t rent, they can claim they “lost” their stock market earnings with “bad investments” and then pay no tax while saving the real estate to rent later. Again, this favors the largest possible projects and the largest possible operators because small companies can be killed by an unprofitable quarter or 4 while large ones explicitly benefit from unprofitability in reducing their tax burden.

Expected ROI is the final piece of this, which affects both new and existing units. Every private developer and landlord wants to make as much money as they can, unless they are explicitly are renting as a service. An example of renting as a service would be families, who will rent to each other at favorable rates or for free, privileging people with large and/or wealthy families that are friendly with each other. Now, ROI is also subject to supply and demand. Everyone wants to build 120$/sqft luxury apartments but once everybody does nobody can sell/rent for those prices without setting a price floor and waiting for buyers to catch up. If you are a small developer, you can’t afford to do this. Your expenses will eat you alive. If you are a big developer, though, those expenses are offsetting the gains you make and serving to reduce you tax bill. Units at prices nobody can pay are effectively furloughed, meaning off the market, and, so long as they remain cheap to maintain, will remain that way, artificially restricting supply. It doesn’t matter if it’s for sale or not when it’s at a price you can’t afford. (Sidebar, anyone who tells you that the minimum wage depresses hiring because it artificially restricts demand is lying to you. It’s not strictly false, but like the above it’s a multi-variable equation and blanket statements about cost of labor are aimed at killing wages.)

What this alludes to also is a need for greater income equality. In order for rental to be a competitive option with furlough, not only does the price of furlough have to be increased, the real value of wages have to be increased in order to create opportunities for people to splurge. This is a twofold strategy, of both increasing the rewards of putting units on the market and increasing the costs of keeping them off. If real wages barely cover cost of living, or don’t cover cost of living, nobody can realistically spend more real wages on rent regardless of the percentage of their income it is. (Real wages here refers to the political power implied by dollar wages. A dollar is really worth whatever it can be exchanged for, whether that is a candy bar or a square inch of a 144$/sqft condo) The real value of everything except time and land are also constantly going down because of constant improvements in manufacturing. The cost in acres of land and hours of labor of a pound of beef, a bolt of cloth, or a pint of beer have dropped dramatically in the last century. Unfortunately, land is one of the few things that remains in marxist terms uncommodifiable, because it cannot be fully abstracted from the physical properties that make it valuable and we can’t make more of it just by making a better machine. This means that as the real value of things goes down because of supply and demand, the value of land only goes up because the supply is hard capped. If the value of everything under capitalism must go down because of increased production, while the value of capitalist assets must go up, or the system collapses, it makes sense that land would become a fixed point in that equation, the marxist speed of light observable from all reference points. The best approximation of land as commodity is, what else, apartments, which make available as living space the empty air above us. Because production never stops, the value of everything but land must go down. Therefore, as time passes, the price of land, and hence the price of housing, must tend upwards. Therefore, in order for housing to remain affordable, real wages must grow. This is the opposite of what is currently happening, as real wages have gone down for decades.

This income inequality which is one facet of capitalism is not new. For as long as people have lived in urban areas there have been issues between the abject class, the working class, the ruling class, and the professional class, a four part distinction I will seriously argue for in opposition to a lot of marxist theorists. The ruling and working classes ought to be familiar, or at least self explanatory. However, the other two classes I identify, the professionals and the abject, are useful to this analysis because they fill both a racial gap in the primarily marxist analysis I put forward and identify the two most likely groups to rent, which is to say the worker who works to produce but owns without governing and the professional who works to govern but does not own. The ruling class both governs and owns, but its court is full of courtiers who are there to push various agendas from within the rule of law without per se producing. Likewise, the working class pensioner exists in opposition to the abject who is denied the opportunity or the resources to be productive explicitly as a means to manufacture a threat against which inter-class solidarity between the workers and the rulers is developed. The textbook nazi conspiracy theory about “elites” doing a great racial replacement picks out perfectly what I mean by both the racial character of the professional and the abject and their utilization to foster solidarity between your plumber uncle and Elon Musk. This is relevant to both the broad theme of gentrification and the narrow theme of rent because gentrification is a wedge issue that divides the working class and the professional class far more than its impact on any other. The working class’ disidentification with doctors, lawyers, PMCs and other yuppie types, as well as the professional class’ disidentification with union politics, illegalism, and radicalism in general is brought to firecrackers in virtually any conversation about gentrification which seems in passing to be more about tapas bars than about real politics. Likewise, these groups shared distrust of and disdain for the abject, who are explicitly labeled by the state as constitutionally guilty, is the basis for the very broken windows policing strategy that empties neighborhoods of minorities regardless of class. The Rent is Too Damn High, and excluding homeless people from the “working” working class is a big part of how we got here specifically because the interests of small time owners and small time government functionaries, carried to their conclusions, are necessarily self defeating. These two groups eliminate the presence of the abject from their spaces at their own financial peril.

In addition to class, there is also a specific historical movement that is crucial to the understanding of gentrification as it exists, which is the movement of factories in search of cheap labor. The United States is not a good place to find cheap urban labor. You build a factory and suddenly everyone complains about air quality and labor violations and you can’t just kill them because everyone has lawyers. You kill one (us citizen) organizer and the NLRB is trying to get you in court for intimidation. What’s the country come to? But a shipping container costs a quarter cent per mile and the goods aren’t perishable so you go to Guangzhou or Cape Town where you can kill union bosses in peace. But for the American city, that’s a loss of what once made land prime real estate. What jobs can replace the insatiable demand for labor that a 24 hour paper mill once produced? Service labor, which crucially is site specific and therefore not outsourceable, is what the US has predominantly turned to. (and arms manufacturing which is not outsourced for very different reasons) However, service labor is only in demand if there is already a stable population that can be served, which requires a constant influx of capital holders in demand of service. This is why Airbnb exists and is hollowing out rental availability, why Boston as a college town is the way it is, and why there are in fact so many damn tapas bars. Fred Salveucci talked about being able to go north of the expressway in the 70s and being able to get a plate of mac and beans for half a buck. I went looking for a 5$ slice of pizza on my lunch break today around Government Center and found two places that were boarded up and ended up spending 20$ at Chilacates. Cities are being slowly turned into Cancun, complete with the fences to keep out the homeless.

What can be done about this? Obviously the factors we’ve discussed that favor consolidation of housing are mostly either contained within a gordion’s knot of tax policy or intrinsic to capitalism/goods as commodities. But, given that we narrow our objectives to making the rent lower, some obvious weaknesses jump out: increasing the cost of vacancy forces units out of furlough, because companies are no longer able to justify the losses, and increasing real wages increases the availability of capital for workers to spend on rent. These are the prongs I talked about earlier.

Legal means to pursue each prong exist. Both a minimum wage and a maximum wage, depending on their implementation, can potentially increase real wages, and vacancy taxes directly increase the costs of vacancy. The government can also ignore the market and directly mandate maximum rents within certain parameters. This tends to decrease the long term supply of housing for the reasons discussed at the outset, given that if the revenues from house building don’t cover the costs of building, less gets built. However, any political movement that exists exclusively within the white lines of the law fails to genuinely threaten change. Landlords, like bosses, break the law constantly with the impunity that a lawyer provides them against consequence. This is why a healthy dose of illegalism is an important part of any effective political movement. The most direct action one can take is property occupation, or squatting. Squatter’s rights are nearly non-existent in the United States. The most leeway that any state grants to any unknown persons occupying a dwelling is 60 days notice to vacate the property, and there are states that allow no notice evictions or lack statutes governing squatting at all. Every single state regards the occupation of owned property as trespassing, meaning most kinds of squatting are prosecutable offenses. However, squatting, even temporarily in ways that don’t expose the squatter to liability provided they don’t get caught, can seriously impact the value of properties. You have heard of rent lowering gunshots. This is the serious version of that. At the same time, illegal action needs legal defense, both in terms of non-compliance with police to protect those willing to take illegal actions from arrest and in terms of legal, 1st amendment protected disruption to keep focus on the issue. The most effective movements have a radical wing and a institutionalist wing who do not acknowledge each other but share the same tactics and objectives.

If you are housed, you need to be willing to protect and support homeless people because they are your front line. Start or join an Occupy movement, where they are your peers in occupying a public space illegally in a way that is too public to prosecute. Give to people on the street, and smash anti-homeless architecture if nobody is watching. Be willing to distract cops if you see someone doing something dodgy so they can get away. Remember that following the law is a tactic, and so is breaking it.

The case for this being on my transit blog is arguably weak, but I felt compelled after a particularly hateful experience looking at facebook memes about homeless people on the T. You should want those people there. You should want those people breaking down the doors of luxury apartments and setting up shop. You should want them keeping your city safe because the cops you hire to separate you from them will train their guns on you next.

And for gods sake, don’t let your city become a brand. Branding is marketing. Branding is clean, and bloodless, and a gloved hand around your throat that leaves no fingerprints.

[lost-boy-into-the-upper-heavenly]

Sylvan Lake in Custer Star Park, South Dakota, 🇺🇲

Sylvan Lake is a lake located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States. It was created in 1891 when Theodore Reder built a dam (the Sylvan Lake Water Dam) across Sunday Gulch Creek.[1] The lake area offers picnic places, rock climbing, small rental boats, swimming, and hiking trails. It is also popular as a starting point for excursions to Black Elk Peak and The Needles. A hotel was operated on the shore of the lake in the early 20th century .

The lake was featured in Disney's 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The film made the lake appear to be located directly behind Mount Rushmore when in reality it is actually five miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

[transgenderer]

The Mount Hermon ski resort (Hebrew: אתר החרמון) is situated on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Hermon, a few kilometers off the Purple line, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel. The site is surrounded by the Hermon nature reserve. While the nature reserve is open year-round, the ski resort is open only at the peak of winter (usually January–March), when enough snow is accumulated on its ground.[2] It has a top elevation of 2,040 metres (6,690 ft), going down to 1600 metres, with an area covering about 2,434 dunams (243.4 hectares).[3]

The first lift was installed in 1971, largely with assistance from the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the resort first opened to skiers in December 1971.

On March 14th, 2011, Palestinian children diagnosed with cancer visited Israel's only ski resort located in Mt. Hermon, northern Israel. The children, accompanied by parents and family, enjoyed the snow and slopes along with IDF soldiers from the Alpine Unit. Their trip to the Hermon was made possible by Civil Administration, the Israeli body responsible for administering and coordinating civilian and humanitarian needs in the West Bank. The children are undergoing treatment at the Augusta Victoria hospital in Jerusalem. The Civil Administration's Health Coordinator, Dalia Bassa and the Commander of the Alpine unit jointly organized the trip. The Alpine Unit is an elite unit of reserve soldiers who undergo intensive training particularly in the Mt. Hermon region. The unit carries out regional defense tactics, shooting while skiing at high speeds, snowmobiling, and riding Sno-Cats

Ownership of the resort is controversial. The resort is operated and held by 32 families of the Israeli settlement of Neve Ativ. The families have no property rights in the land and they have not paid the Israel Land Administration for its use in over a decade.[6]SPNI accused resort operators for charging illegal fees.[7] In 2010 the Movement for Quality Government in Israel appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel against the Israel Land Administration. In the appeal Neve Ativ was accused of holding the area of the resort without any valid contract, violating the public's interest and the Israel Land Administration law.[8]

In 2004 police arrested four senior workers at the resort for allegedly ordering the arson of a competing snow equipment rental business in Majdal Shams.[13] According to allegations the four offered two fellow resort workers a sum of 40 thousand Israeli new shekels each for setting fire to the competing business. Additionally resort workers allegedly harassed visitors who rented equipment from the rival shop.[14]

[myfuels]

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Nationwide Reach and Growing Presence

With operations in 130+ cities and serviceability across 18,000+ pin codes, My Fuels has built one of the most extensive energy support networks in the country. This broad reach enables the company to serve both urban hubs and remote locations with the same level of consistency and quality.

Comprehensive Service Portfolio

1. Fuel Management and Delivery My Fuels provides doorstep delivery of multiple fuel types with real-time tracking and safety compliance. The platform supports industries that rely on high-volume and timely fuel access for uninterrupted operations.

2. Lubricants, Additives, and AdBlue The company supplies a wide range of performance-optimized lubricants, emission-reducing additives, and certified AdBlue solutions for industrial and commercial vehicle fleets.

3. EV Charging Infrastructure As India accelerates its transition to electric mobility, My Fuels provides integrated EV charging stations and infrastructure support for commercial and residential projects.

4. Genset and Machine Rentals My Fuels offers generator sets and machine rentals for construction sites, events, and emergency operations. These include dual fuel converters and RECD (Retrofit Emission Control Devices) to support both efficiency and environmental compliance.

5. Repairs, Spares, and Emergency Services The company offers 24/7 roadside assistance, certified spare parts, and expert repair services to reduce downtime and ensure operational continuity. Their RSA services span thousands of locations nationwide.

6. Renewable Energy and Battery Solutions In addition to conventional fuels, My Fuels provides hybrid energy solutions including battery backup systems and integrations with solar and clean energy sources.

End-to-End Digital Platform

From discovery to delivery, My Fuels manages the entire customer journey via a centralized digital interface. Businesses can schedule deliveries, monitor usage, request maintenance, and manage energy assets through a single vendor.

Industry Use Cases

Fleet Operators reduce fuel wastage and increase uptime through scheduled refuelling and roadside assistance.

Construction Companies rely on Genset rentals and machine support across dynamic project sites.

Manufacturing Units benefit from bulk fuel delivery and long-term equipment leasing.

EV Developers access turnkey infrastructure planning and implementation.

Conclusion:

My Fuels is not just a fuel supplier — it’s an operational partner that helps businesses manage energy needs efficiently and sustainably. By consolidating multiple services under one platform, My Fuels offers unmatched convenience, cost control, and nationwide reliability.

To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit www.myfuels.in.

[spaghett-onaplate]

Oscar my good fellow, does your house include a fan system? how do you stay cool in the summer?

We don't have any built in fans! There is an aircon system but this is a rental that has remained largely unchanged since the 70s so it does not work, probably has not ever worked during this century. Ok so granted all the following will be from anecdotal experience, but as far as I can see this is how other houses in the area operate:

Well apparently the ideal Australian house has a metre wide wraparound porch and awning to keep the heat out. Don't think I've ever seen a house meet this, inner city at least. More rural areas maybe? And that is where they'd need it more

So to keep cool in the summer my house has a lot of tabletop fans and a big fan on a floor stand. Also use wet washers on the back of our necks and just experience general suffering. Most houses aren't well insulated for the cold or the heat!! Even tho our winters aren't nearly as bad as many places, my brother's gf from Siberia and my family that moved between here and Canada find Australian winters unbearable compared to the Russian or Canadian winters just bc the houses are barely warmer than the outside!! Often in the morning it's colder inside than out

A lot of houses (from anecdotal experience I would say maybe half? most new houses would) do have aircon tho, which is enough to keep things cold or warm enough. By aircons I mean these ones, units rather than built in ones

But houses do have the inbuilt aircons too, the nonfunctional one in my house has vents in each room like this (in ceilings other than the tile ones pictured here tho)

It's not uncommon but I'd say not a massive amount of houses have them? I think newer builds would be more likely to have these ones. Tho idk all new houses kinda look the same like. Wait I remember a further out gross looking suburb I'll find it on Google maps

this is like, 2 hours out from the CBD?? a lot of developments are popping up further out as the city expands. cheap* and uglay housing it reminds me of the american suburbs tbh

anyway. that is mostly unrelated to aircon and fans. yeah i dont think we have thermostats? at least i've never seen anyone call it that but im assuming the built in aircons work like that. bc they do can do heat or cool temperatures

i did have one friend who lived in a big house that had all three - an aircon unit in the parents room, inbuilt aircon throughout the house, and fans in most/every room. never seen that anywhere else tho and i considered her to be pretty rich, plus i'm sure they did renovate to include some of those.

yeah overall to stay cool in the summer people without aircon kinda. don't. i miss my first house with its aircon unit </3

*cheap to build, expensive to buy.

1mil AUD for a house hours away from the inner city!! for a very soulless, gross, not particularly big (all those rooms look pretty tiny) house. our housing market is absolutely fucked

anyway yeah a lot of houses have aircon to help endure the summers and winters, a lot do not. prolly the same most countries? lmk how the US does compare tho

i think my second/previous house was better in summer than this current one bc it was an old (by our standards - 100 years?) house with double brick walls that somewhat kept the heat out, whereas this one isn't as old so the inner walls don't have brick. summer is a big blur of lying down with a fan constantly pointed at me with a wet washer on the back of my neck rip

[nice-bright-colors]

The Tale Of Two Projects:

San Antonio: we are waiting (have been waiting) for 2.5 months for (2) 300-ton chillers to replace (2) old, antiquated tank style 400-ton chillers. Meanwhile, a 300-ton temporary rental chiller has been in operation for 2 years at $26K/ month. Lots of cranes, lots of moving parts in the next two weeks. Live horse racing starts at the end of June.

New Orleans: we are about to have (2) 400-ton chillers ship (in mid May), yet we will not be ready for them until maybe August. So we need to find a place to store them. Meanwhile, (3) 20-ton and (1) 80-ton temporary rental chillers are currently blowing air into the boat. We will soon get another 250-ton temporary rental chiller to park landside to blow more cold air. All the while we remove and replace (2) Air Handling Units from the belly of the fucking boat.

Did I forget to mention the concrete pad we need to build right next to the Intercoastal Waterway? That fucker is going to have deep foundations that go down 80 ft.

Why can’t I work on the easy new shit?