text:
What's Next for Chapel Hill?
Submitted by Jason Baker on November 4, 2015 - 11:44am
This year's municipal election is over. There were wins I was proud of and losses that deeply disappointed me. Regardless of who you supported in this year's elections, I think we can all agree that everyone who ran should be given our thanks for stepping up to the plate; that the incumbents who lost should be given our gratitude for their years of service; and that the council and mayoral newcomers should now be given our help, advice, and honest feedback to keep Chapel Hill moving forward on progressive issues.
I'm a fan of the TV show The West Wing, and though it ended years ago I rewatch it regularly. Not the least of the reasons why I keep watching is that it portrays a universe in which nearly everyone involved in political leadership is motivated by strong ideals, and works every day with a sense of duty to make their country a better place. And I'm reminded today of fictional President Josiah Bartlett's phrase at the end of every battle, won or lost: What's next?
After the happiness of victories and sadness of losses begin to fade, it's time for us to ask ourselves: What's next for Chapel Hill?
I would answer with two things: governance and organizing.
First, governance. As the yard signs come down and mailings cease, we still have a town to run. I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say that a divided council will mean a return to more split votes and close decisions. Your voice is going to be more important than ever before. Please join me in committing to making sure that the new town council hears your opinions and your priorities on a regular basis.
Politics at the local level is about so much more than growth and development. It's about making sure our public employees are paid fairly and have an opportunity to live in the town they work in. It's about providing leadership at the state and national level on issues from gun control to LGBT issues to local decision-making authority. It's about supporting the state's best public transit systems and getting people to think outside of the car. It's about protecting our homeless, low-income populations, and others of the most vulnerable people in our community. It's about continuing to grow our small local businesses and keeping our retail dollars here at home. It's about finding new ways to use both innovative technology and good old-fashioned person-to-person outreach to make our town's services and decision making accessible to everyone. And it's about so much more.
We need to push our new leaders to make sure these issues that make our community the vibrant, progressive place we're all proud to call home don't fall by the wayside. They can't do it without our help.
To achieve these goals, we need to have a conversation about political organizing.
Undoubtedly, the results of this most recent election were decided in large part by who could turn out the most bodies at the polls. And this was an unusual election. Though I disagreed with the narrative they presented, we saw what started as a small group of residents successfully organize and turn out thousands of voters for their candidates. As we look forward to future elections, it's clear that their outcomes will be increasingly decided not by the issues alone, but by who can get out the vote for their candidates.
If progressives want to keep the council working on their issues, they need to change the face of the electorate. Chapel Hill is a diverse community, made up of people from all ages, all income levels, all races and ethnicities, and therefore all viewpoints and all priorities. Progressives need to expand the voter base. We need to ensure that a 20-year-old college student who has never before voted, a 40-year-old single mother who couldn't imagine finding the time to follow local elections, and a 60-year-old retiree all have an equal vote and that we build a Chapel Hill that works equally well for each of them.
After yesterday's election, I posed a question on social media: What would happen if 5000 young people, students, low-income people, renters, minorities, and other people historically underrepresented in local government showed up to the polls in two years? I don't know, but I'm willing to find out.
To achieve this is going to take organizing of a kind we haven't done before, using tools we haven't used in local elections before. I don't know what this will look like yet, and I don't know what the right vehicle to make it happen will be. But I do know that it has to happen.
I am hopeful that 2016 will bring about unprecedented registration of new voters in Chapel Hill to do our part in making progressive change at the state and federal level. But registering voters for the even years isn't enough. We need to build a movement to engage them at the local level, and turn them out to vote in 2017, 2019, and beyond.
And so, at the end of a long letter, you find my call to action. Help me figure out how to build this movement. Help me figure out the right strategy and the right tactics to make it happen. Now is the time to get started. What tools do we need? What data do we need? How can we grow and educate our local electorate now, so that we have an enormous pool of informed and engaged voters at the next local election? I want to do this. I want you to help.
Jason Baker's blog
What Chapel Hill can Learn from Greensboro
Submitted by czei on November 4, 2015 - 4:12pm
After living in Chapel Hill since 2001, I will soon be moving to Greensboro, not out of any specific dissatisfaction with Chapel Hill, but rather to get married again at the ripe old age of 52. The two towns have really only one thing in common: universities: one in Chapel Hill, and six in Greensboro.
It may be unfair to compare Chapel Hill to the 3rd largest city in North Carolina, but the more time I spend in Greensboro, the more I realize that Chapel Hill has much to learn: how to have both affordable housing and good schools, how to provide plenty of both local and national retail stores while still having good traffic, how to promote local jobs, how to keep taxes low, and how to balance growth with the environment. After this past election Chapel Hill has decided to change course, and I strongly suggest you take a look at Greensboro before turning the clock back to the late 80s.
You can tell a lot about a town by who runs the government, and the Greensboro council shows a healthy diversity in race, age, and gender, while Chapel Hill is represented almost entirely by late middle-aged white people. Not that there's anything wrong with the later, but a city that prides itself on its liberalness would do well to be more inclusive in its government.
On the infrastructure side of things Greensboro invested heavily in transportation, and it really shows. A fiber optic-based traffic control system was installed about seven years ago, and not coincidentally, they didn't have to wait for the Google fairy to drop by with 1Gb/s internet service: a local NC company hooked up 1G service to my new house for the low teaser rate of $39/month. Now they're working on an innovative public/private partnership to make high speed internet as ubiquitous and plumbing and electricity, and available to "rural areas, poor areas, and many that are simply near the bottom of the schedule".
By itself the improved traffic control system would only be a marginal improvement, but Greensboro had the good sense to connect and integrate neighborhoods to each other. This not only creates multiple ways to get around town, but it reduces segregation by race and class. Chapel Hill neighborhoods have tended to cut themselves off from the surrounding areas in a misguided attempt to reduce through traffic, but in reality has ended up making traffic much worse as cars are funneled onto a couple of feeder streets, all clogged with shoppers heading out of town to find stores.
Speaking of shopping, while Chapel Hill residents flood town council meetings to prevent retail from being build close to residential neighborhoods citing traffic concerns, in Greensboro the close proximity of neighborhoods and shopping decreases the amount of time I have to spend in the car, and correspondingly decreases the concurrent number of cars on the road at any one time. The round trip time for an errand will go from 45 minutes down to 10, and that's if I drive. Thanks to the large number of bike lanes and trails I now have the option to safely bike.
The comparison between the two cities in terms of green amenities is particularly striking. In Chapel Hill I remember angry residents showing up to protest building new greenways because the sound of bicycles would disturb the wildlife, create runoff, and otherwise harm the environment, In Greensboro they realized that the sacrifice of building greenways and making streets wide enough for bike lanes is a reasonable tradeoff for the opportunity for other green modes of transportation, and so there is a huge network of roads with bike lanes, twenty seven miles of greenway, and dozens of extensive parks. For the first time I won't have to drive to Durham to ride my bike!
I'm not trying to say that Greensboro is perfect. There are parts with ugly strip malls, there is more crime, and sprawl has been built outside the city limits because of the lack of a buffer. On the whole, though, Greensboro shows there are reasonable options for growth that improve the quality of life, keep taxes low, and protect the environment.
a few responses
Submitted by Geoff Green on November 5, 2015 - 8:42am
So, hey, congraulations on the nuptials!
A couple of random thoughts in response to this message:
- Chapel Hill has installed its own fiber-optic traffic control system; for years now I've seen it occasionally being maintained and extended. Some details here. As to why this hasn't been used as the backbone of a in-town fiber-optic system, I know the Town hasn't been able to start its own municipal broadband service due to NC law, but I don't want to speak to the dteails. As for Greensboro's public/private partnership, the article you link is a couple of years old. It's easy to say you want gigabit internet access available in rural areas, but a lot more difficult to actually do so.
- Greensboro certainly has its nice parts, but the level of sprawl and underdeveloped proprety is stunning. It always strikes me when I drive into town that you go past I-840, the stub of the new northern loop highway around the city, and then you travel several miles into the city without seeing any development beyond one-story strip malls. It's a significant misallocation of resources.
Couple of Points
Submitted by czei on November 8, 2015 - 10:43pm
Good news about the CH fiber system; hopefully in the future that will be able to be utilizied in some way other than traffic signals. The law preventing municipal broadband was struck down, but I'm sure cities are still wary of going that route. The article about the Greensboro initiative is from 10/25/2015, so that is recent. Undoubtedly it is difficult to get utilities to less popular regions: the reason, of course, is its much more expensive, which is why CHALT's allegations that density is more expensive is head scratching. In the past its taken public/private partnerships to bring new-fangled technologies like electricity and phone service to rural areas because of the added costs, and there's no reason why high speed internet will be any different.
There is a lot of sprawl around Greensboro; the area you mentioned isn't actually within the city limits, but its true you have to get well within the city limits to see any density. Its also a good lesson for Chapel Hill as well in the sense that there's a tendency to want to allow lower-density building at the town limits, but eventually, over time, towns grow, and what is now at the edge will someday be well within the city limits.
To be fair there is a whole lot of sprawl in the city limits
Submitted by JamesBartow on November 9, 2015 - 10:06pm
In Greensboro there is a bit of an urban core around where Elm and Market meet between Spring and Murrow and most of the rest is sprawl particularly in North and West Greensboro. You can drive for a solid 15-30 minutes or more down either W. Market or W. Friendly and depending on traffic and see nothing but sprawl and sprawl that goes on north and south of you all of which is within the city limits. Greensboro is actually quite huge something like 130+ sq mi compared with like 21 for Chapel Hill. I don't think I would want to go the route Greensboro has gone, though with that said, Chapel Hill needs to do something, because if we do nothing we are simply going to let Durham, Hillsborough and Pittsboro/NE Chatham dictate regional growth, likely at our expense as far as traffic and commericial goes at the very least.
Give CHALT a chance
Submitted by devans on November 4, 2015 - 8:06pm
How about giving the CHALT candidates and especially the voters a little credit -- they identified issues that they saw as a threat to this community, they cared enough to get organized and inform fellow residents and then everyone acted on their grievances at the polls. Affordability, housing, economic prospects and having a Town Council that listens to the people it is supposed to represent were essential to the CHALT message, and the voters responded to that.
By implying that CHALT doesn't want anything to change, you are insulting way more people than just the CHALT faithful. And you are showing a degree of obliviousness to recent town history that may serve your rhetorical purposes but is just not accurate -- much like what the council incumbents and some business interests tried to pass off as their priorities and accomplishments.
You don't have a monopoly on caring about your neighbors and their chances to share this community as equally as possible just because you are young. CHALT is just as committed to making this a better place to live as you are. Many of its members have shown that commitment in the past and can be credited with actions that have brought about the very qualities of the town that you espouse.
Calling for a mobilization of young voters before the newly elected mayor and council members have even taken their seats is just daft. The least you can do is to give the newcomers a chance to prove the depth of their belief in the community and that they too care enough about it to try to make it an even better place.
What the heck?
Submitted by czei on November 5, 2015 - 6:28am
I found Jason's post to be gracious and not anti-CHALT at all. Calling for greater youth participation in the political process is a perennial goal, especially since the median age on the council is now probably 55, and has little minority's representation. Those are problems the council has faced for years and has little to do with the previous election specifically.
A good point. Speaking
A good point. Speaking entirely for myself, I look forward to seeing the new folks' input on Town Council. It's one thing to portrary yourself as a "Socrates throwing verbal rocks at these mediocrities," another to come up with concrete plans which actually impact the problems you perceive. I'll admit to being skeptical about some of their generalities and how they'll translate into concrete action — for example, I doubt that the best way to lower housing prices is to slow the pace of new construction — but they've certainly earned the opportunity to have their voices heard up on the dias.
Respect good people. Reject bad policy.
Submitted by radiomatt1 on November 6, 2015 - 9:24am
I whole-heartedly agree that all of our newly elected officials deserve our appreciation for their willingness to serve and, as Mr. Evans suggests, we give them a chance to show they are effective policymakers.
However, there are some very real differences in priorities between what many CAHLT backers have endorsed and what many of their critics support. Many of us believe Chapel Hill needs to move away from suburban style development towards creating places where people can live, work, shop, and enjoy our free time in a place where all of these things are within walking distance. Many CHALT backers believe any building taller than 2 to 3 floors is out of character with Chapel Hill and that we should stick with our suburban landscape. Many of us believe light rail is the right choice for moving 49,000+ people on and off UMC's campus. Every single CHALT backed candidate opposed DOLRT, which makes us concerned newly elected officials could undermine the project. Many of us are excited that the Bolin Creek Trail extension will finally make biking downtown possible and believe the environmental benefits of getting people out of cars and on their bikes exponentially outweighs any impact of building the extension. CHALT has been wishy-washy about that project at best, with some supporters vehemently opposing the current work extending the greenway. Many of us believe it is impossible to solve our affordable housing crisis unless we build more housing. Based on what residents heard from those who canvased door-to-door for CHALT told them, they seem more concerned about stopping growth than with adequately meeting our housing demand.
Finally, many CHALT critics are concerned the movement simply wants to bring back the same old anti-growth policies of the mid-1980's to mid-2000's that left Chapel Hill less affordable, less diverse, less economically sustainable, and frankly, more boring. While it's a fair request to ask folks to give newly-elected CHALT candidates a chance, it is not fair to expect us to endorse returning to policies we already tried and saw fail.
Clearly, all of our newly elected officials are highly intelligent people who care deeply about our community. By all means, let's give them a chance to evolve their positions as they become acquainted with the other side of the dais. However, when they advocate for policies that many of us believe are not in our town's best interest, we should, as Mayor Kleinschmidt so eloquently advised, "civilly, offer your advice in constructive ways."
I'm confident Chapel Hillians can be gentle in our critique of individuals, but rigorous in our critique of ideas.
Bad policy was rejected
Submitted by TBlake on November 6, 2015 - 2:43pm
What you say is more what I would hope for and expect from a loyal opposition. However understand that in the words of Danial Patrick Moynihan; you are entitled to you own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
For starters, DOLRT is not moving anywhere near the numbers you suggest by GoTriangles own figures. DOLRT is a economic development plan for Durham NOT a transit plan as it was advertised. If you stop to do the math, many more can be served by public transit in a much broader area for less money. The number of people who support regressive taxation for a 1.8 Billion dollar economic development plan that bypasses existing services, masquerading as transit is dwindling rapidly.
Density and growth just for the sake of it is not desirable or sustainable. I think you are glossing over the main CHALT livability message which I interpret as smart growth. CHALT stands apart by encouraging more commercial tax base that contributes rather than residential that is a net drain on resources. Let's put development where it belongs instead of approving large residential development on parcels that are obviously better for commercial because the builder profit in residential is better. Restated; I do not think height is as much of an issue as other considerations like commercial vs. apartments, land use and storm water and I do not think the previous council stood strong in the face of builder pressures, nor did they have an overall discussion/plan that communicated how all of this development harmonized with the town.
I have not heard a CHALT position on Bolin Creek. Because i don't live there I am not versed on any controversy, but I do know that CHALT supported candidates are very concerned about the lack of connection and coordination and flow on the various bike routes from a safety perspective. See Nancy Oates Blog on her riding experiences. Perhaps you could elaborate?
Affordable housing is such a nebulous discussion. It seems to defy definition. I will say I was very disappointed by the previous council's approval of previously affordable space without any plan to replace them, leaving people out in the cold and exacerbating the problem. I also lament the previous councils decision not to enforce "affordable" ratios, and seemingly acquiescing to builders demands. I also think that simply building units is unlikely to solve the problem. Builders are building more expensive units because that is where the profit is, and at the end of the day there is less and less affordable stock for people with families. I agree we (both county and towns) can and needs to do better in this area.
I don't think its clear who is in the opposition
While CHALT did well, I am not sure that CHALT has a majority, bear in mind as far as the council goes it was a pretty split decision. I do think there was a significant shake up and I certainly congratulate the winners as I think everyone who ran deeply cares about our community.
Submitted by TBlake on November 7, 2015 - 10:01am
James, I agree, people deeply care, and there probably are not enough new votes to reverse bad policies and decisions from the past. On the other hand, the N&O (Fred Naiden) has a fair and compelling post mortem on the recent election: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article43488819.html
If you believe his analysis, it might cause some of the other members on the council think twice before becoming obstructionists to well-reasoned change. Politics makes for strange bedfellows.
What I see happening in Chapel Hill in the past decades is the Prisoner's Dilemma writ large: each neighborhood tries to optimize growth to benefit their own micro interests to the detriment of the entire community. The job of the council is to balance competing interests and do what is best for the entire town, which apparently runs the risk of getting them voted out, thus perpetuating the decades long endless loop of making it more difficult to build, which drives up land costs, which makes high density the only option to recoup land costs, which makes residents put in more restrictions, which makes it more difficult to improve roads, which makes it more difficult to build, which drives up land costs, ad infinitum.
CHALT has stated that the law of supply and demand isn't valid in Chapel Hill, which is ridiculous on its face, but if the election was about keeping the town affordable for the average person, then the CHALT approach is only going to make it worse. The example that New York and San Francisco are bigger and they're more expensive, therefore being a bigger town increases housing costs is just silly to anyone with even a smidgen of experience in economics. THAT is why CHALT failed to get any endorsements.
In my opinion the election's small turnout hinged on spreading enough false and inflamatory information to get some people riled up enough to vote. The people who were pretty happy with the town's direction didn't feel as strongly, and thus don't vote in the same percentages. You see the same thing happen in the Republican parimaries. The people who listen to right-wing talk radio get all riled up on a maufactured narrative and end up voting for extreme candidates.
most logical place for UNC student housing is on campus
Submitted by anony on November 8, 2015 - 9:28am
a visionary council would try to get roger perry, together with UNC and convert some of the neglected 2 story graduate student housing on the south side of campus "redeveloped" into highrise nicer living. For those not familiar there are probably 40 or 50 red brick duplex fourplex two story residences spread out over 10s of acres on the south side of campus. They are totally neglected and run down. I know UNC doesn't want to be in the housing business but
that would be a perfect place for 7 story apartments since they are next to 7 story buildings already. And guess what they wouldn't create traffic problems. If the housing was nice and cheap it would have no problem attracting students.
That is an intersting idea,
Submitted by Vicki Boyer on November 11, 2015 - 9:44pm
That is an intersting idea, but it might take an act of the legislature to allow that to happen. Ultimately the university is owned by the state, and as state property, creating affordable housing in that location could be problematic. It might be more realistic to suggest the university reconfigure the buildings for classroom space or offices.
remember homeless shelter, Town can lease land from UNC
Submitted by anony on November 12, 2015 - 9:37am
If UNC wants to do something it can. UNC wanted the homeless shelter far away from campus and agreed to
lease UNC land to the Town for 1$ to make it happen. The main reason UNC students don't always want to live on campus is no amenities (e.g. own kitchen) and in the article gerry cohen posted, it costs ~250$ a month more to live on campus. Why? UNC is required by state law to make all buildings last 100 years, which makes it twice as expensive as private development per Gerry's article. So if UNC and the Town really wanted to house more people on campus in a cost competitive way, UNC would lease land to the Town for 50 years, the Town would sublease to Roger Perry (similar to IFC); and perry could build residential appartments with amentiies. However, even though it sounds like much of this demolished housing isn't going to any near term use, UNC probably doesn't care if it houses its workers/students on campus; particularly if it is offloading transit costs to the Town, the students, and employees. And no one on the council seems to care about this that much either.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/articl...
Chapel Hill Transit
Submitted by Damon Seils on November 12, 2015 - 12:27pm
UNC pays for the campus routes and for the express routes that serve the UNC-operated park-and-ride lots, plus a share of the other routes proportional to its share of the UNC-Chapel Hill-Carrboro population. UNC's contribution to Chapel Hill Transit's annual budget is about 58%, Chapel Hill's is 31%, and Carrboro's is 11%. This is a major investment by UNC and is a key to the success of Chapel Hill Transit.
83% of ridership UNC affiliated what's your point?
Submitted by anony on November 12, 2015 - 2:58pm
no one said UNC pays nothing. Also, as you probably know transit fees are collected from researchers' grants and workers and students. And there are charges to use the park and ride lots. I think literally every CH transit route runs to
the edge of UNC Campus. Although CH transit is a great thing, it's really a shuttle system for UNC. If CH transit didn't exist, UNC would have to contract it out to have it happen, at least for the MLK and Franklin street routes so undergrads could get to campus. Either that or the large apartment complexes would have to higher their own drivers and busses as they already do for LUX
http://luxchapelhill.com/amenities/
I have a better idea.
Submitted by James Coley on December 1, 2015 - 9:37am
I agree that the most logical place for UNC student housing is on campus property, but I have a proposal to integrate that concern with other planning and transportation issues and opportunities in a coordinated development vision.
As noted in a post below, Odum Village is on the chopping block. It has been for decades. It is also located close to the planned terminus of the TTA rail transit line. My idea is for the University to abandon plans to build a research campus on the Horace Williams grounds, and to build a new, larger mixed-use Odum Village there (and as a car-free zone, with dedicated bus transit).
Then the existing buildings south of the hospitals could be razed after relocating the students there to the new development, making way for a compact, realistic research park on that smaller space. It has long been recognized that most of the tenants of a UNC research park would be in biomedical research, so the proximity to the hospitals and the medical school research buildings makes sense.
Also, tearing down the old Odum buildings would allow for a transit transfer plaza, like the one in Durham, near the planned rail terminus to encourage ridership, since with a little careful scheduling transit users will be able to step off the train and get directly to a bus headed for their destination in town, or take a bus that brings them directly to the train. Many of the CHT routes already go along Manning Drive and Mason Farm Road, so diversions would be minimal.
I read it, he seems to be still in campaign mode.
Submitted by JamesBartow on November 7, 2015 - 3:30pm
Honestly I think it will be interesting to see what happens on the town council in the next six months or so. I wouldn't be surprised to see a fair amount of people getting disappointed in unexpected ways.
True of both camps
Submitted by TBlake on November 8, 2015 - 9:37am
James, I think Jason's manifesto and other posts here show that both camps are still winding down from campaign mode. Based on the seeming split in the TC, you may be right about disappointment. I sincerely hope not, because that would mean both camps remain in "campaign mode" in varying degrees until the next election. There is work to be done, discussion to be had, decisions to be made and problems to solve. Everyone benefits when everyone is heard.
OP posters can help by turning down shrill echo chamber rhetoric. Acknowledge that there are some very learned and experienced people with legitimate concerns about current development direction and the so called "new urbanism". Call out the revisionist attempt to brand the opposition as anything but a well-run grassroots campaign. I can tell you progressive has different context elsewhere. Nowhere else would a progressive (or the sierra club) support a regressive tax to support new development for a small number of well-off people and developers through a critical watershed and mislead voters by calling it "our transit future". Take a hard, critical look at the elitism and materialism that has infested the progressive brand being professed here.
Here is hoping that Chapel Hill does not become more of a microcosm of Washington DC.
Unworkable nonsense
Chapel Hill has approximately 29,000 students, while the on-campus housing can fit in approximate 10,135. That leaves around 18,865 students who need to find housing off-campus, and the natural place for them is within walking distance of campus in order to reduce the number of cars on the road and reduce use of the expensive bus system. This is the same in every campus across the nation, and students fan out into a combination of rental homes and apartment buildings.
From a town perspective I agree its best to discourage students from gobbling up the cheaper housing stock, which is why the town council working with the cheapest neighborhood directly closest to campus, Northside, to create a comprehensive conservation district, special zoning regulations, design restrictions, a construction moratorium for more than a year, a Housing Market Action Plan, and just this year the Northside Neighborhood Initiative. What else is Mr. Naiden suggesting the council do for Northside given its right next to a major campus?
If students don't live in rental houses, then where? The best place for everyone is for students to live close to campus so they can walk to class, and given the cost of land right next to campus that means multi-story apartment buildings. Putting up buildings miles away and busing students in would only great more pollution. Unfortunately Mr. Naiden is apparently against putting up apartment and condo buildings as well. Where else does Mr. Naiden think students are going to live? Is he suggesting the town should have put in a city-wide moratorium on renting to students? Or a city-wide ban against renting your property?
The fact that state employees, including workers for UNC Chapel Hill at all levels haven't received raises in seven years is indeed a travesty. But its not the fault of the town council. Its well documented that the infrastucture costs of high density housing is significantly less than the costs of the low density neighborhoods build in the previous decades, so its unclear why this was suddenly an issue given no mention was made of it during the decades Chapel Hill expanded using low density housing patterns.
The existing council also promoted having non-students live downtown, which is part of the standard strategy to revive downtowns: rather than lamenting that there's no grocery store or "place to buy socks", and expecting people to drive downtown from the suburbs, you encourage people to live downtown where they spend more time out of their cars, and create the demand that will support local businesses in a walkable community. There is zero relationship between this building and the bonds, which were targeted at helping to fix other infrastructure problems that have been here for many decades.
Its clear that Mr. Naiden's apparent recommended course of action would in fact have the opposite reaction that he wants, and decrease the available of affordable housing in Chapel Hill.
council didn't follow their own sales points
1) tout affordable but build 7 story residential apartments without affordable in them
2) tout commercial but rezone commercial to residential
3) acknowledge trading "values" (affordable, commercial, environmentally sensitive, quality of life (traffic!)) for density bonuses but then
get very little in return.
carraway village - building mostly residential in a spot begging for commercial; contemplating paving/building in RCD? contemplating 3.5 million in town expenses for that? really? I think Ephesus Fordham first building will be as unappealing as East 54 but with much worse traffic.
If luxury apartments/condos are successful they drive up rents and housing costs near them , not make them cheaper.
Reading your manifesto I tend
Reading your manifesto I tend to think most of the differences you are trying to extoll are not essential and mostly manufactured.
"We need to push our new leaders to make sure these issues that make our community the vibrant, progressive place we're all proud to call home don't fall by the wayside. They can't do it without our help."
- Are you saying that the "old" leaders did not need to be pushed, or did not need your help? I seem to remember a lot of people saying that the decisions made by the council could have been better.
"it's clear that their outcomes will be increasingly decided not by the issues alone, but by who can get out the vote for their candidates."
- Wow. Really? Are you seriously saying this election was not about issues alone? What is it that you think drove the turnout?
"What would happen if 5000 young people, students, low-income people, renters, minorities, and other people historically underrepresented in local government showed up to the polls in two years?"
- That answer of course is "it depends" Are these 5000 voters you call underrepresented, informed? Or is that not a criteria as you seem to suggest?
"To achieve this is going to take organizing of a kind we haven't done before, using tools we haven't used in local elections before."
- A very "Us vs. Them" attitude Jason, You don't define the reasons that you think you are "progressive" and others are not, but I suspect you have more in common than sets you apart and remaining differences are largely tactical. Exactly how are you planning to "help", when your statements resonate with the spirit of Mitch McConnell?
The missing voters
Submitted by gercohen on November 5, 2015 - 12:56pm
the only way to find the missing 5,000 voters who vote in commissioner and national elections but not in odd year stand alone is to switch to even year like High Point has had for a decade and Winston-Salem will go back to in 2016. Another way to have representation is to go to a mixed district and at large system like Raleigh Charlotte Cary and Greensboro have.
45 low density rundown buildings Odum Village
Submitted by anony on November 8, 2015 - 11:08am
these are perfect for 7 story residential buildings. Totally rundown inefficienct use of space.
Next to parking decks and chiller plants on UNC campus no one to upset, no traffic to generate
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.900393,-79.0503036,297m/data=!3m1!1e3
Odum Village plans
Submitted by Geoff Green on November 8, 2015 - 11:19am
According to the DOLRT DEIS, per the UNC Master Plan, the Odum Village buildings are slated to be demolished. See DEIS Section 4.4.2.1, page 4-72.
Odum Village
Submitted by gercohen on November 8, 2015 - 7:10pm
Odium Village will close summer 2016. Plans as of a year ago called for a new dorm on Ridge Rd that will also house the same 275 students. Land likely to be repurposed as more hospital buildings, creek, open space and greenway http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2014/10/unc-plans-for-new-residence-.... I would note another comment that building high rise apartments there wouldn't disturb anyone else. Of course there are LOTS of folks on Purefoy Road and Mason Farm that are hardly nobodies.
No one to upset
No one to upset other than the people who love on Mason Farm, Purefoy, and all the side streets. Also would all the proposed new high rise apartments be free from property taxes as they are on campus? I thought that the official position was that no housing should be built unless it generates positive property tax revenue
roger perry should put Ephesus/Fordham apartments there
Submitted by anony on November 8, 2015 - 6:31pm
that makes sense, even though people still live in them they look like they stopped being maintained 10 years ago.
However, Still would make a great spot for housing. Why can't council ask Perry to put high rises there?
I don't think its that simple
Among other things...
For one there is the issue of land ownership. Secondly I am pretty sure the town council doesn't have that kind of power. Third I suspect if we are talking about Odum village, the university probably has there own ideas about what they want to do, not to mention the amount of investment that has probably already gone into Ephasus Fordham etc.
Edit...I just saw Gerry Cohen already made most of these points.
um - it's a philosophy point
at one point Chancellor Hooker promised a "bed for every head"
http://gazette.unc.edu/archives/02mar06/file.7.html
and as far as plans for the land they will be demolishing buildings for Odum Village.... and...
"Odum will no longer be used as a residence hall, but the land will be used for other purposes, like green space, a creek and storage space."
Read more: http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2014/10/unc-plans-for-new-residence-hall-to-open-in-2017
Quoted from The Daily Tar Heel
pretty bad "green space" next to a parking deck and chiller plant... there's no creek there either maybe they'll build one
anyway the point is I understand the jurisdictional reality, but I wish the council and aldermen would urge UNC to use some of the unused space for housing.
I still question the reasoning
For one this has got to have UNC nervous about residential...
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/08/university-closed-stacy-and-...
With that said I would think there is may be room for collaboration about building workforce housing. Especially for UNC hospitals to avoid issues with important employees living out of town and incliment weather. Granted this likely depends on a number of factors of which I suspect many are beyond my present knowledge.
already 7-8 story buildings on Mason Farm Road
there are already 3 seven and/or eight story buildings on Mason Farm Road:
molecular biomedical research building
Genetic medicine, and Marsico Hall.. Plus there is a huge water tower and chiller building even closer to Odum village.
Isn't it interesting that people who defend seven story buildings off campus where there are none, won't defend them
on campus to house people where they work, next to existing highrises.
Submitted by gercohen on November 9, 2015 - 10:00am
Hey I don't have any objection to high rise housing near the medical complex. I'm just saying that it needs to be analyzed like anything else l, without dismissing current neighbors in that area as unimportant as you seemed to do. I think it's also important to know if such a project would be tax exempt or not. Also such a suggestion also is impacted by expansion plans for the medical research complex. It's not as simple as the town council getting Roger Perry to build the residences on property neither he nor the town owns. A plus for high rise residences there is that the light rail station will be in walking distance
replacing existing residential at UNC w/more is best
seems like replacing existing residential on UNCs campus with more density is the place to do it.
When you calculate the costs the Town absorbs for paying for buses for UNC workers going to work from off campus, plus potential auto/bus emissions into the atmosphere, plus fewer commuters - even if UNC pays no property tax the sum financial and quality of life issues would have broader support than building high rises on already bad roads e.g. franklin/eliot for example. (UNCs share of the bus is not "equal" when you consider 90% of its riders go to UNC).
CH Transit costs
Submitted by Terri Buckner on November 9, 2015 - 12:29pm
Students pay for the CH Transit system with a fee tacked onto their tuition each semester. That's in addition to what the University pays from its budget.
University Housing is a cost center--they do not receive funding to supplement their expenses. Here's the description of how they plan to handle the closing of Odum Village:
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2014/10/unc-plans-for-new-residence-...
83% of Riders are UNC affiliated
I don't think UNC pays 83% of the costs is my point. Even if the town's don't get property tax on UNC workers and students living on campus , they will save money on buses and benefit quality of life (greenhouse gases, traffic)
http://www.ie.unc.edu/for_students/courses/capstone/09/transit_survey.pdf
Submitted by Terri Buckner on November 9, 2015 - 8:41pm
In 2015, UNC paid $8M of the $13.5M budget or about 60% of the total. Then those of us who are Orange County residents also paid with our taxes. http://www.townofchapelhill.org/home/showdocument?id=25761
Sources of CH Transit Revenues
Submitted by Ed Harrison on November 19, 2015 - 12:36am
The only *tax* paid by all Orange County residents that would support CH Transit is the 1/2 cent sales tax on many items sold in the County. Taxpayers in the Carrboro and Chapel Hill Town limits pay for CHT through property taxes. Non-residents of the towns would pay only if they owned property in them. Orange County stand-alone property tax is not a source for CHT. If it were, it would be even higher than it already is.
The University as a whole contributes more to CHT than the Federal and State governments together. That's largely the case because State revenues have dropped so much as a result of the majority party's policies in the legislative budgets of the 2011-12 and 2013-14 biennial sessions. Am not seeing any change in that trend. From my discussions with transit board members and system managers across the nation, that level of contribution to a community-wide transit system is highly atypical.
Please break it down
Submitted by TBlake on November 21, 2015 - 10:08am
Precisely what percent of revenues collected by the combination of the half cent sales tax AND the additional vehicle regitraton tax (both regressive taxes) acually have gone to support CHT? Why wouldn't GoTrangle absorb the cost of keeping Park-n-Ride facilities free? The apperance from my perspective is that they preferred to spend that money on more studies and consultants.
Submitted by TBlake on December 1, 2015 - 8:45am
Why does it if the riders are UNC affiliated?
Submitted by jrees on November 10, 2015 - 10:50am
You are missing a key benefit of transit. It is in eliminating car travel.
Regardless of whether or not a majority of bus users are UNC affiliated. You are eliminating car trips and the need for even more parking by having transit.
Beyond that, some UNC workers could not dream of paying the monthly charges for parking on campus. But they still need to get to work every day.
Less cars is good for all of us
you need to read up thread, I'm advocating even better transit
Submitted by anony on November 10, 2015 - 12:00pm
if workers and students are housed on campus. even better than bussing them. I was simply responding to the comment that if UNC builds more housing the town might miss out on property tax. But yes, I agree the Town benefits from less pollution and traffic even though it subsidizes the busses for UNC since they are not paying at the level of UNC affiliated ridership. Simply saying much like having busses is better than cars, housing people where they work/study is even better than bussing them.
Submitted by ldhintz on October 23, 2021 - 6:52pm
Just took the time to read some posts from 2015. Jason asked about getting the progressive vote out. Turn out for local elections continues to be low. Trump and 2016 showed that nationwide voting matters but still too many people for various reasons dont vote. Without a local print newspaper I think local engagement will continue to be an issue.
Jason Baker
I spent my 20s caring way too much about local politics.


BEIJING — The value of bonds issued in China last month totaled 4.1 trillion yuan (about $606 billion), up from 3.8 trillion yuan in May, official data showed on July 20.
Treasury bond issuance stood at 384.4 billion yuan, while local government bond issuance was 534.3 billion yuan, according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC).
Financial bonds issued last month were valued at 350.5 billion yuan, and corporate debenture issuance was 435.8 billion yuan.
By the end of June, total bonds outstanding reached 79.4 trillion yuan.
China has the world's third-largest bond market, which is growing rapidly and opening wider to overseas investors.
Last year, China issued bonds worth 40.8 trillion yuan, up 12.9 percent from the previous year, according to PBOC data.


JOB! Job at Wal-Mart, but JOB!
And yes, yes you did. ;P Thankee.
Totally random, but I was so sad when iharthdarth ended.
Congrats! Kind of. You're now officially working for the evil empire, you know.
Yeah, well, I'm working, and they're not paying me too badly to do it, either, so I'll deal. A career this is not.
Blah, evil. Still money. I care not for eviltude.
And, really, the only reason I didn't start out working for a major evil overlord company is because rural Maine doesn't really have them. Everyone starts somewhere.
HOSHIT. O.O We buried those, didn't we?
Bills and trinkets are good. Very good.
As long as we didn't miss any of the scattered parts, yeah.
No one actually wanders all the way through Wyuka... right?
Umm...right. Double post. For some reason it didn't log the first one.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace PopForums.Repositories
{
	public interface IUserAvatarRepository
	{
		byte[] GetImageData(int userAvatarID);
		List<int> GetUserAvatarIDs(int userID);
		int SaveNewAvatar(int userID, byte[] imageData, DateTime timeStamp);
		void DeleteAvatarsByUserID(int userID);
		DateTime? GetLastModificationDate(int userAvatarID);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Bruce Western is now Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. You can find his contact information here.
Western received his B.A. with first class honors in government from the University of Queensland, Australia in 1986, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1993. Before moving to Harvard, he taught at Princeton University from 1993 to 2007. Western has been a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute, a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. His book Punishment and Inequality in America won the 2007 Albert J. Reiss Award from the Crime Law and Deviance Section of the American Sociological Association and the 2008 Michael J. Hindelang Award for the most outstanding contribution to research on criminology from the American Society of Criminology. His new book on the Boston Reentry Study is forthcoming with the Russell Sage Foundation in 2018.


Take your mobile to Netherlands and avoid international roaming charges on outgoing and incoming calls - save £'s on your mobile bill! Need a phone? You can also rent a handset guaranteed to work in Netherlands.
Keep employees connected aboard with Cellhire's international SIM cards. Cellhire provides secure, fast, cost effective mobile connectivity for businesses travelling around the world.


text:
7-Year-Old Sets Up Car Wash To Pay For Flowers At Grandma's Funeral
Andy Murray/Facebook
A seven-year-old boy who wanted to raise money to pay for flowers at his grandma's funeral set up his own car wash to do so.
Little Ashton Murray decided he wanted to buy a bouquet of flowers in memory of his grandma Brenda Husband, who died earlier this month aged 61.
He told his mum and dad on Thursday morning (April 18) he wanted to set up a 'truck wash,' and soon set about setting things up and making a handmade sign to attract customers.
The seven-year-old had help from his parents, Andy, 34, and Toni, 28, who helped him set up his car washing services next to their Newbottle home, near Sunderland, on Philadelphia Lane.
Ashton held a handmade sign offering car washes for just £2, with the message 'I'm seven' written on it to encourage people to take up his services.
The young boy's dad, Andy, posted about his venture to Facebook, advertising the car wash for sale and thanking people in advance for coming along.
Take a look below:
Posted by Andy Murray on Thursday, 18 April 2019
People online soon spotted the advert which Ashton suggested his dad post on Facebook, and have since applauded him for his thoughtful and hardworking ways.
Andy, who works for Nissan, and Toni, a nursery nurse, say they are proud of the effort Ashton put it – alongside his little brother Grayson, five, and his cousin Alfie, eight, who lent a helping hand.
As per the Sunderland Echo, Andy said:
He said he decided he wanted to do a truck wash, in his own words, so he could raise the money for some flowers for his nanna's funeral.
We've since persuaded him to change his mind and that Nanna wouldn't want him to waste it on flowers and that she would want to see him spend it on something he wanted. We've already got flowers all sorted out, but he wanted to do something on his own.
We've been doing it for two days now and he's only seven, so it's great for someone that age to come up with something like this and do something for his own money.
We are definitely very proud of him.
Ashton made a massive £100 from the car wash, with the number of cars and scooters taking him up on his offer currently standing at double figures.
His parents persuaded the seven-year-old to keep the money and save it up for something Brenda would have loved to see him enjoy, rather than spend it on flowers.
A funeral for Brenda, who also lived in Newbottle, will be held on Tuesday (April 23).
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Topics: family,Funeral,News,Sunderland,UK News
Andy Murray/Facebook and 1 other
Sunderland Echo
Sunderland boy sets up car wash to pay for flowers at grandmother's funeral

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The inflation rate in Australia between 1949 and today has been 2,906.2%, which translates into a total increase of $2,906.2. This means that 100 dolars in 1949 are equivalent to 3,006.2 dolars in 2019. In other words, the purchasing power of $100 in 1949 equals $3,006.2 today. The average annual inflation rate has been 4.91%.


If at any time during the first 30 days following installation you are not completely satisfied with your new equipment, Fax Express will replace it, if necessary, with a totally different make and model. Of course, if you purchase a more expensive unit, you will pay the difference.
That's the Fax Express Satisfaction Guarantee; no other company can offer it since we carry so many different makes and models. We will always have the right equipment for your application!
2. You must maintain a Maintenance Agreement directly through Fax Express on the original equipment for the full 36-month period.
3. At the end of 36 months, you must use the 50% credit to purchase another unit of equal or greater value than the cost of the original unit.
Fax Express will always match or beat any price on an equivalent model sold by another authorized service dealer located within Fax Express's authorized service area.
* Offer valid only on units purchased directly through Fax Express! Units must be installed by Fax Express and be located within Fax Express's service area. Check with your Fax Express expert to see if you qualify!
** Excludes Xerox models as Xerox provides their own Device Fail Remedy while device is covered by an equipment or maintenance agreement.


text:
Bern Hub, Switzerland
Collaborators & Partners
Transformations to sustainability must address the whole human being. We believe that art, sensory and whole-body experiences of why change is both needed and possible add to our success. This is why we collaborate with artists and 'sense-makers' from all fields.
CURRENT EXHIBITION / CHAPTER 4
Towards a Circular Society: Learning from Nature
Ursula Biemann with Mo Diener, Jon Brown, David Kaiza, Marika Verploegh and Theanne Schiros with Helen Lu, Romare Antrobus and Yueh-Ting Chui
15 December 2021 – 19 March 2022
The current exhibition "Towards a Circular Society" focuses on the reflection of the concept of circularity to go beyond the buzzword circular economy and what we can learn from nature in this regard. To enable such a transformation, we need to look at transforming our society rather than just focusing on changing the economic system. Thus, the Wyss Academy wants to put its own theses on the "Circular Society" out in public for discussion. Together with actors from different sectors of society, we want to reflect on the theses in the context of this exhibition and beyond, adapting them throughout this exhibition, which will continuously change as well.
Ursula Biemann's work "Twenty One Percent" offers a poetic-radical approach to this. Amidst the oxygen-rich forest, a science fiction actress (Mo Diener) manipulates a variety of ingredients: minerals, forest fruits, liquids, and other substances. Some of them are known as potential human food, others are not. Spanning from the cosmos to the kitchen, the video is an exploration of the capacity of chemical elements. It focuses on the materiality and processes by which human and other organic bodies are kept alive, intensifying relationships with the diverse, living world in which all living things are integrated in a circular way.
Materials cannot be reused indefinitely, as their quality and quantity decreases with each cycle. Therefore, the overall material consumption must also be reduced. Lower resource consumption combined with innovation offers possible solutions. Marika Verploegh and Theanne Schiros, a shoemaker/designer and a scientist, take this approach further with their microbial, cyclical sneaker. The entire manufacturing process is sustainable and value-preserving. Verploegh and Schiros found and adapted the processes that make the novel material bendable and workable from ancient indigenous cultural techniques. The microbial sneaker, created in collaboration with Public School: for OnexOne, a New York brand rooted in circularity, is a transcultural ambassador, an object that symbolizes the shift away from "fast fashion" toward a fashion culture of sustainability. This symbol is understood by a young generation from New York to Nairobi, from Bern to Lima. Current scientific research, design and craftsmanship work hand in hand to make natural processes applicable to fashion.
The material innovation and technology was achieved by Theanne Schiros in scientific partnership with Prof. Helen Lu and Romare Antrobus of Columbia University Biomedical Engineering. Schiros was partnered with Public School NY, a brand known for its focus on circularity and sustainable production. They developed a sneaker which is fully biodegradable and colored with natural dyes. Bespoke shoemaker, Anne Marika Verploegh Chassé, built the sneakers.
Collaborative, transcultural and transdisciplinary thinking is also at the heart of Theanne Schiros' search for natural dyes. She joins with traditional artisans from Kindia, Guinea, to learn directly from nature. The process was documented by photographer Jon Brown for the project "6876KM." Writer and poet David Kaiza explores a place in Kampala, Uganda, the Ekilawuli Glass Recycling Community Art Centre, which combines these approaches in an artistic-creative way and tries to find new approaches for a circular society through the recycling process.
Transformation through Art
AUDIO COMMENT
Audio CommentDamian Christinger
PREVIOUS EXHIBITONS
Discover the first chapters of the Habitat
Wyss Academy for Nature
at the University of Bern
Kochergasse 4
3011 Bern — Switzerland


text:
Bonnœuvre (bretonsko Banvre) je naselje in občina v francoskem departmaju Loire-Atlantique regije Loire. Leta 2012 je naselje imelo 558 prebivalcev.

Geografija
Kraj leži v pokrajini Bretaniji ob reki Erdre, 42 km severovzhodno od Nantesa.

Uprava
Občina Bonnœuvre skupaj s sosednjimi občinami Ancenis, Anetz, Belligné, La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur, Couffé, Le Fresne-sur-Loire, Maumusson, Mésanger, Montrelais, Oudon, Pannecé, Le Pin, Pouillé-les-Côteaux, La Roche-Blanche, La Rouxière, Saint-Géréon, Saint-Herblon, Saint-Mars-la-Jaille, Saint-Sulpice-des-Landes, Varades in Vritz sestavlja kanton Ancenis; slednji se nahaja v okrožju Ancenis.

Zanimivosti
 temelji priorstva iz 12. do 15. stoletja, leta 1668 postavljena nova zgradba, obnovljena in razširjena v 19. stoletju,
 dvorec la Cheze iz 15. stoletja,
 most na reki Erdre iz leta 1748,
 vodni mlin iz leta 1820, v bližini ribiški rezervat,
 cerkev sv. Martina iz leta 1863,
 spomenik padlim v prvi svetovni vojni.

Zunanje povezave
 Uradna stran
 Bonnœuvre na INSEE

Naselja departmaja Loire-Atlantique
Občine departmaja Loire-Atlantique

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
May the Fourth Be With Us
May 4, 2021 May 4, 2021 by Michele, posted in Weekly Small Deeds to Do
"We must keep our faith in the Republic. The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it." — Queen Jamillia
"So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." — Padmé Amidala
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you." — Yoda
It's May the Fourth – a special day in the Star Wars world. ("May the fourth be with you…")
And although I can't claim to be the biggest Star Wars fan, I appreciate it for what it is – a classic hero's journey where we follow someone from believing he has no power… to watching him take down an empire.
It's the epic tale of good versus evil.
So naturally, it got me thinking about where we are as a country right now. And I wonder how this moment – our moment – would be portrayed on film.
I have a good sense that the Resistance would be … the Resistance. And, as I considered it, I had no real doubt that Republicans would be "the Empire."
Seem too harsh?
Pull up a chair.
Seventy percent of Republicans do not believe Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
They believe a blatant, dangerous lie because their party will not debunk it, even though it could easily do so … because the lie serves them politically even while it tears at the fabric of democracy.
Our democracy is being hijacked by one political party that is openly gerrymandering and restricting voting to make it harder for the other political party to win.
We have one political party that is openly defying its constituents (see as an example Missouri, where a statewide ballot initiative expanded Medicaid, but the state legislature is refusing to fund it).
We have one political party that has wrapped itself up in "religious freedom" so that anything contrary to what it terms "traditional religious family values" is somehow an infringement on its rights.
We have one party whose members stormed the capitol on January 6 to prevent the transition of power – and whose leaders still defend the people who did so (and ostracize those in their ranks that won't).
We have one party that has turned its back on science and the truth – so much so that nearly half of its members are choosing not to get vaccinated during a global pandemic.
That is breathtaking.
All of that is breathtaking.
But the most breathtaking of all is the reason Republican leadership seems to be willing to take (or not take) these actions.
Power.
The Republican party's Empire-like quest for power at all cost drives so many of the decisions that clearly put our democracy at stake. When the goal is raw power, the ends justify the means. No matter how cruel the means may be.
Now we're at a crossroads. As with any good hero's journey, we're coming upon the scene in our epic Resistance vs. Empire saga when we need to make a decision. As individuals, and as a collective.
What are we willing to do about this power-grabbing Empire?
Do we stand our ground and fight – even in places where we're outnumbered and the odds are against us? Do we flee, and take refuge in a few places where we feel safe – even if that means ceding territory? Or do we try to "patch things up" with the Empire and hope they'll change for the better if we're really nice and inclusive?
I don't think we have much choice in the matter, frankly.
We can't meet in the middle with a party that's openly embraced authoritarianism and outright lying to the American people. There are some things that are not open for compromise – truth and democracy being chief among them.
And we can't just go back into our "safe states" and relax. Joe Biden won the popular vote by over seven million – but we were just 90,000 votes shy of a second Trump term, a Republican House and a Republican Senate. The oddities of our electoral system don't favor us. That's a simple fact.
If our goal is a functioning democracy, our choice is made for us.
We press on, fighting where we must to protect voting rights, civil rights, fairness and democracy. We join together, help one another, and elect leaders that will work to further democracy – not their own power.
And we keep the faith that this hero's journey is one we'll emerge from… Victorious.
May the force be with you, friends.
Now let's get to work.
Actions for the Week Of May 4, 2021
Tuesday: Help Collect Voting Stories
Your voice matters. That's the message that Fair Fight Action is sending in their most recent request for voting stories. "Fair Fight Action is working to protect your freedom to vote and ensure your voice is heard. In the last 10 years, have you experienced any obstacles, difficulties, or issues while registering to vote, casting your ballot, or getting your vote counted? Your story—however big or small—will help Fair Fight Action advocate for voters like you."
BRAVO! Telling the stories of real people is going to be powerful, and persuasive. Head over to Fair Fight Action to share yours, and make sure you forward the project to your network. Here's the link: https://www.myvotingstory.com/?fbclid=IwAR1fOL54yxPjc3-fKo3stCbtxCvylU4AmF6EVoTzds–kNA9K1SMHE3NHQg
AND! You can help make calls to collect these voting stories. From Fair Fight: "We need your help to call voters in states across the country to hear their voting experiences. Through these stories you will help collect, Fair Fight Action and our partners will demonstrate to Congress the need for enhanced federal protections to ensure all eligible voters are able to cast their vote freely and make their voices heard, regardless of where they live.
Each phonebank will start with a brief overview of the goal of these calls, the script and a training on the phonebank system." These story-collection phone banks are happening Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/fairfight/event/384255/?fbclid=IwAR15EC0srxcHjz-2iIOFXujExAjR4-xKNJRv8ZHssURphQpACaplnU3XJZM
Wednesday: Join Fair Fight Action To fight Against Voter Suppression in the STates
The right to vote is under attack in states across the country. Join the charge to protect voting rights in your community! Head over to https://www.stopjimcrow2.com/#national and click your state to learn how to take action today. Don't see your state on the list? You can still provide support at the Federal level by supporting the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act.
Fair Fight has developed specific actions for the following states. Please share with your friends and network! Again, check out https://www.stopjimcrow2.com/#national for more.
Thursday: Join Movement Labs for a Friendly Phone Bank
Per Movement Labs: If you are turned off by the cold-calling you may have done in other phone banks – this is a very different experience.
"The people we are calling are really positive," said Austin Weisgrau, staff coordinator for the program. As we've already talked to them before, "they want to do more to help, it's a rewarding experience."
This Thursday, Movement Labs will be continuing to help Black Voters Matter fight toxic voter suppression bills moving through state houses. Join their Black Voters Matter Call Team, which is calling all the Floridians who indicated they needed to register to make sure they follow through and get registered.
There will be a breakout room for technical support and training on the call, but feel free to get a head start with the training and getting signed up at https://mlabs.link/call
Date: May 6, 2021; time 3:00 PM Pacific (5pm Central, 6pm Eastern)
RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpdeChrDgtGtIOLRkSDcB5b8QT3LheZG5O
Friday: Join the John Lewis Day of Action
Today voting rights are under attack nationally by state legislators introducing and passing laws to put up barriers to our participation in elections. Meanwhile, Billionaires and Big Business are spending unlimited amounts of money to buy our elections. Americans are coming together to fight back.
Join us on May 8 to demand the passage of the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and D.C. Statehood and to address one of the greatest obstacles to the passage of civil and voting rights – and one of the last vestiges of slavery – the filibuster!
Find an event near you at: https://www.johnlewisdayofaction.org
DID YOU KNOW YOU'RE A ROCK STAR? I DID. SUPER PROUD OF YOU!
If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
P.S.: Why don't you make someone's day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
P.P.S.: If you'd like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. We're in this together. Don't you forget it.
Previous postEvery Season (and Session) With a Bit More Experience
Next postNevertheless, We Persisted: Success Often Depends on How Hard-Headed You Are


The earth comprises of 75% of water, yet we face water problems. The industrialization, factory discharge and smoke leave the air and water polluted. Unfortunately, we breathe the polluted air and drink the contaminated water. Due to the rising temperature, the water in the sea and ocean also turns to steam to form clouds, leaving the impurities and salt inside these water bodies. When more and more cloud forms, it leads to rainfall. This rainwater is the distilled water. But, every time we cannot be dependent on the rain water, hence artificial machines are built to fetch the distilled water.
Distillation is different from filtering water. In distillation, the water is set to boil and the steam that generates is stored in the condensed tube which later gets converted into pure water. It is free of impurities and germs. The distilled water has ample benefits to health. The distilled water is said to remove the water contaminants that would cause lots of diseases in the body. The distillation process helps in removing these contaminants from the water, thereby safeguarding the body. THe water can be soft and hard. Drinking hard water is never recommended as it has chlorine and fluoride in it. This affects the tooth enamel and other organs of the body. Thus, municipal water is used only to carry out chores and not for drinking purpose. The distilled water is free from these harmful chemicals. The flip side of drinking distilled water is that it will rip you away form the essential minerals that the natural water contains.
1. It boosts your energy level, thereby increases your stamina.
2. It reduces anxiety and stress in the body which is a major reason for depression these days.
3. It helps in weight loss.
4. It helps in smoothening the digestion process as it eliminates the toxins form the body.
5. It improves the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood cells.
6. It can cure headaches and dizziness.
7. It strengthens the immune system, preventing the body from contacting the disease.
8. It eliminates toxins from the body.
9. It deals with asthma and other respiratory diseases.
10. It saves the body from infections.
11. It stabilizes body temperature.
12. It brightens the skin complexion, improving your skin texture and adds glow to it.
13. It strengthens the hair roots and improves the hair texture as well.
14. It increases nutrient absorption in the body.
15. It reduces the risk of kidney stone in the body.
Hope this article has been useful to you. It is always a wise decision to choose pure water. There are many diseases that are borne due to impure water. Drinking boiled water is the best way to build a good health. However, we many not like the taste of it. Thus, the next option is to go with distilled water. There are many water purifiers in the market that carries out water distillation process. Do go for a branded machine that will serve your purpose. Let us know your opinion on distilled water.
Is Peppermint Tea Good for Bloating?
The earth comprises of 75% of water, yet we face water problems. The industrialization, factory discharge and smoke leave the air and water polluted.


text:
[[File:Nomenclatura Fortificazione alla moderna.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Éléments composant la fortification bastionnée : 1. flanc du bastion - 2. courtine - 3. gorge du bastion - 4. face du bastion - 5. ligne de feu - 6. capitale du bastion - 7. glacis - 8. chemin couvert - 9. contrescarpe - 10. fossé - 11. cunette - 12. escarpe - 15. parapet - 16. banquette - 18. mur interne - 19. glacis - 21. contre-garde - 22. ouvrage à cornes - 23. fossé - 24. bastion à orillons - 25. demi-lune ou ravelin - 26. bastion à flancs droits - 27. ouvrage à cornes - 28. place d'armes - 29. chemin couvert - 30. couvre-face - 31. courtine - 32. tenaille - 33. ouvrage à cornes - 34. ouvrage à couronne<ref>Voir aussi le même plan avec la légende complète en langue anglaise [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Table_of_Fortification,_Cyclopaedia,_Volume_1.jpg Table of Fortification, Cyclopaedia, Volume 1]</ref>]]

La fortification bastionnée ou tracé à l'italienne (improprement traduit en trace italienne ;  en italien) désigne un type fortification qui s'est développé en Europe lorsque l'artillerie rendit caduque la fortification médiévale.

 Histoire
 Origine et développement
L'enceinte circulaire passive qui dominait l'architecture militaire au Moyen Âge s'avérait vulnérable aux tirs de canon effectués de but en blanc. La forteresse bastionnée, au contraire, était un ouvrage bas sur l'horizon, formé de murs de revêtement à pans inclinés enserrant des bastions d'où l'assaillant pouvait être bombardé, lorsqu'il installait ses batteries, et, surtout, permettant le flanquement parfait des abords de l'enceinte. Avec ce système, il devenait très difficile de poster des canons frappant perpendiculairement la muraille : les boulets étaient déviés à l'impact, perdant une partie de leur énergie cinétique ; en outre, les défenseurs des bastions se couvraient les uns les autres, et pouvaient mieux viser les fossés. De nouveaux éléments architecturaux comme la demi-lune, l'ouvrage à cornes ou la contrescarpe, ainsi que les redoutes furent adjoints peu à peu à la conception initiale, donnant naissance à des structures symétriques complexes qui façonnèrent l'urbanisme de plusieurs villes européennes à l'époque moderne.

Les fortifications angulaires ou à plan en étoile se développèrent graduellement en Italie entre le milieu et la fin du  sur la base des idées de plusieurs ingénieurs, dont Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Giuliano et Antonio da Sangallo, Michele Sanmicheli et Le Filarète.

Cette mutation de l'architecture militaire prit naissance principalement en réaction aux multiples intrusions des Français dans la péninsule italienne. Dotée d'une artillerie considérable et moderne, l'armée française disposait à la fois de canons et de bombardes capables de détruire en l'espace de quelques jours des fortifications dont l'édification avait nécessité des années durant le Moyen Âge. Afin de déjouer la force de ces nouvelles armes, on construisit des remparts moins hauts (ils offraient ainsi moins de prise aux impacts) et plus épais. Devant la relative faiblesse de la maçonnerie aux impacts de projectiles en fer, ces remparts étaient désormais composites, mêlant remblais en terre et revêtement en maçonnerie. La maçonnerie était souvent faite de brique, un matériau offrant une meilleure résilience que les moellons de pierre. Une autre innovation capitale fut le bastion, une avancée de la muraille de plan pentagonal, dont les parements obliques permettaient un feu croisé sur les assaillants tout en déjouant la force des projectiles, dont seule une fraction de l'énergie accablait la muraille, par suite de l'angle d'impact. L'adjonction des bastions sur le pourtour des murailles engendra le plan en étoile, ou « tracé à l'italienne » ou « à la moderne ».

Les bastions mis en œuvre par Michel-Ange pour défendre les glacis en terre de Florence furent améliorés au  par Baldassarre Peruzzi et Scamozzi.

La nouvelle architecture militaire se diffuse hors d'Italie à partir des années 1530 et 1540 et poursuit son développement jusqu'au début du . Pendant trois siècles, constituée en système, elle sera la doctrine de base de la fortification, non seulement en Europe, mais dans presque toutes les colonies européennes outre-mer. Les ingénieurs italiens seront longtemps les seuls experts de ce système, et on les trouve employés dans toute l'Europe jusqu'au milieu du .

Le « tracé à l'italienne » ou « tracé bastionné » atteint son apogée à la fin du  avec les réalisations  des ingénieurs Menno van Coehoorn et Vauban :

{{Citation bloc|Les forteresses... se dotèrent de  demi-lunes et de redoutes, de bonnettes et de lunettes, de tenailles et tenaillons, de contre-gardes, de courtines, de cornes, de curvettes  et de fausse-brayes, de murs d'escarpe, de cordons, de banquettes et contrescarpes... toute une profusion baroque qui faisait les délices d'un Tristram Shandy| The Oxford history of modern war de Charles Townsend
}}
Le tracé italien influença la morphologie de la cité idéale de la Renaissance :

Fin
Au , l'apparition des obus changea la nature des dispositifs défensifs et la fortification bastionnée va être abandonnée au profit de la fortification polygonale.

Principes

Le château fort médiéval, prédécesseur de la citadelle bastionnée, se dressait généralement au sommet de hautes collines. Du haut des tours et des remparts, on tirait des flèches sur les assaillants ; plus les postes de tirs étaient élevés, plus les projectiles portaient loin. L'assaillant pouvait tenter d'enfoncer une porte, grimper sur les remparts grâce à des échelles, ou enfin faire s'effondrer un rempart par un travail de sape ; dans tous les cas, les sièges étaient longs et coûteux, de sorte que les châteaux, forts de leur avantage défensif, contrôlaient les territoires.

Lorsque le canon de siège, devenu une arme mobile, bouleversa la stratégie militaire au , les ingénieurs entreprirent de disposer les remparts en retrait de fossés et d'y adosser des remblais profonds de façon à rendre impossible le tir direct, de loin le plus destructeur, et de rehausser les murs de revêtement de remblais, les courtines, qui absorbaient l'énergie d'impact des tirs plongeants. Lorsque les circonstances l'imposaient, comme au Fort Manoel à Malte, les « tranchées » étaient taillées à même le roc, et la roche elle-même faisait contrescarpe.

Inconvénient plus sérieux, les formes circulaires des murs et des tours médiévaux, efficaces contre les sapes, laissaient des angles morts à l'assaillant : il n'était pas possible de couvrir une tour depuis un autre point de la même tour. Pour y remédier, on substitua aux anciennes tours rondes et carrées des saillants, les bastions, qui ne laissaient plus aucun espace couvert à l'ennemi. Les tranchées et la géométrie des remparts canalisaient l'assaillant vers un champ de tir méticuleusement conçu pour que l'artillerie puisse balayer toute la zone avec un maximum d'efficacité.

Amélioration plus subtile, le système inaugurait le principe de la défense active. En effet, les murs, plus bas qu'autrefois, étaient aussi plus facilement envahis, et la protection offerte contre les tirs de canon par les courtines disparaissait si l'ennemi parvenait à occuper le talus extérieur du fossé et à y mettre en batterie ses propres canons. On dessina donc la ligne de rempart de façon à maximiser les positions de tir en enfilade (ou « tir de flanc ») contre un adversaire parvenant au pied des murs. Des indentations pratiquées à la base de chaque bastion permettaient d'y loger une batterie : celle-ci bénéficiait d'une visée directe sur la base des remparts adjacents, la pointe du bastion étant elle-même couverte par les batteries des bastions adjacents.

Les place-fortes se métamorphosèrent ainsi en édifices aux contours polygonaux caractéristiques, permettant aux canons de la place de coordonner leurs tirs. Les batteries avancées couvraient les glacis, lesquels protégeaient les ouvrages intérieurs de la citadelle du tir direct. Les canons ne servaient pas seulement à couvrir les remparts des voltigeurs ennemis, mais pouvaient aussi bien faire feu sur les batteries ennemies, et les empêcher de se poster à portée des murailles les plus vulnérables.

La clef du système défensif devint bientôt le contrôle de la ceinture extérieure des fossés entourant la place, qu'on appelait le « chemin couvert ». Les défenseurs pouvaient évoluer avec une certaine sécurité à l'abri des fossés, et pouvaient y entreprendre des ripostes pour conserver le contrôle du glacis, ce large talus découvert et de faible pente qui prolongeait l'extérieur des fossés : il s'agissait de dresser des remblais pour empêcher l'ennemi de prendre position en des points du glacis d'où la muraille serait à portée, ou de creuser des contre-sapes pour intercepter les propres sapes de l'ennemi.

Les citadelles devenaient plus basses et beaucoup plus étendues que les place-fortes médiévales, offrant une défense en profondeur, avec des lignes de défense que l'assaillant devait neutraliser avant de pouvoir poster ses batteries vers les œuvres intérieures.

Les batteries défensives étaient couvertes des tirs de canon ennemis par un feu soutenu depuis les autres bastions, mais elles étaient sans protection depuis l'intérieur de la place, tant pour en rendre l'usage périlleux au cas où l'assaillant parviendrait à s'en emparer, que pour permettre aux fumées de poudre de se dissiper et de libérer le champ de vision des artilleurs.

Les fortifications bastionnées conservèrent leur efficacité aussi longtemps que les assaillants s'en remirent au canon traditionnel, dont la puissance tient à la force d'impact des projectiles. Dans la mesure où l'on ne disposait que d'explosifs noirs comme la poudre à canon, les grenades explosives et les bombes ne pouvaient pratiquement rien contre les maçonneries. Le progrès des mortiers et des explosifs, avec l'accroissement du pouvoir de perforation des obus et l'emploi systématique du tir plongeant provoquèrent l'obsolescence de ce système. La guerre redevint une guerre de mouvement : il fallut cependant plusieurs décennies pour que l'idée de fortification soit réinventée (système Séré de Rivières, ligne Maginot, etc.).

Construction

Le coût de construction extrêmement élevé de ce nouveau système incita très tôt les ingénieurs à les adapter aux défenses préexistantes partout où cela était possible : on perçait les murailles médiévales sur la longueur requise, et un fossé était creusé à une certaine distance devant elles. Les déblais ainsi récupérés étaient mis en remblai derrière les murailles pour en faire un massif compact. Si la plupart des fortifications neuves étaient revêtues de briques (ce matériau offrant la meilleure tenue aux tirs d'artillerie), les fortifications adaptées faisaient généralement l'économie de cette précaution, en compensant le défaut de maçonnerie par un complément de terre. L'adaptation pouvait aussi consister à diminuer la hauteur des anciennes tours et à combler leurs pièces de terre pour en faire des appuis compacts.

Il s'avérait aussi souvent nécessaire d'élargir et d'approfondir les douves pour opposer un obstacle plus efficace aux assauts et interdire les manœuvres de sape. Dans les années 1520, les ingénieurs italiens imaginèrent de recourir à des remblais en pente douce appelés glacis, placés vis-à-vis des fossés de façon à masquer entièrement les murs aux tirs d'artillerie. Le principal avantage des glacis fut d'empêcher les canons ennemis de tirer de but en blanc sur les remparts. En effet, plus les artilleurs élevaient la hausse, moins les impacts étaient puissants.

Un exemple de dépense excessive dans la fortification est offert par la ville de Sienne, qui en 1544 fit banqueroute en tentant de financer les travaux.

Un autre exemple de ce type de construction est le Fort George en Ecosse.

Origines

Une des premières réalisations d'un dispositif à la moderne eut pour théâtre Civitavecchia, un port dépendant des États pontificaux, où les remparts d'origine furent arasés et épaissis parce que la pierre éclatait sous les tirs d'artillerie.

Le premier grand siège où parut l'efficacité du nouveau système dit « à l'italienne » fut celui de Pise en 1500, qui mettait aux prises la ville contre une coalition franco-florentine. Les remparts médiévaux commençant à céder sous le feu des canons français, les Pisans élevèrent un remblai en terre en arrière de la brèche. On s'aperçut alors que, non seulement il était facile d'empêcher les assaillants d'escalader le talus du remblai, mais qu'en outre cette butte résistait infiniment mieux aux impacts que les murs de pierre.

Le second siège révélateur fut celui de Padoue en 1509. Giovanni Giocondo, un moine auquel on avait confié le soin de concevoir le système défensif de cette place vénitienne, fit ouvrir les enceintes médiévales et entourer la ville d'un large fossé qu'on pouvait contrôler par des tirs croisés depuis des batteries postées sur des plates-formes avancées de part et d'autre du fossé. Constatant que leurs canons avaient peu d'effet sur ces ouvrages bas, les Français et leurs alliés entreprirent une série d'assauts aussi sanglants que vains, puis durent se replier.

Efficacité
Malgré les avantages du nouveau dispositif sur les châteaux médiévaux, la plupart des meilleures forteresses pouvaient être conquises en l'espace de six à huit semaines . Quand Machiavel, écrit dans son « Art de la guerre » (1510) : « Il n'est aucune muraille, quelle que soit son épaisseur, qui ne succombe aux tirs d'artillerie en quelques jours... » il a raison ; mais ce n'est plus vrai 30 ans plus tard à cause de la "forteresse d'artillerie" avec ses murs épais et bas et ses bastions à angle d'après la préface à l'édition française de "La révolution militaire" de Geoffrey Parker.

Pour autant, comme le souligne l'historien britannique Geoffrey Parker, « l'émergence du concept de tracé à l'italienne dans l'Europe de la Renaissance et la difficulté à s'emparer de ces fortifications amenèrent une modification profonde des méthodes de guerre ». Il poursuit : « Les guerres se muèrent en une succession de sièges coûteux, et les batailles rangées devinrent des décisions incongrues sur les théâtres d'opération où les villes étaient fortifiées ». « En fin de compte, conclut-il, la géographie militaire, c'est-à-dire l'existence ou l'absence de tracé à l'italienne dans une certaine région, décidait de la stratégie à suivre... ».

Notes et sources

Notes

Bibliographie

Crédits internes

Références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Glossaire de la fortification bastionnée, pour la liste des termes utilisés en fortification bastionnée.
 Liste de fortifications bastionnées
 Bastion
 Ville fortifiée
 Francesco di Giorgio Martini
 Les forteresses médicéennes d'Arezzo, de Sansepolcro...
  Menno van Coehoorn et Vauban qui  y apporteront plusieurs innovations, deux siècles plus tard.
 Liste d'ingénieurs militaires
 Fortifications et constructions de Vauban

Liens externes
 CRDP Aquitaine : Hugues Paucot, Les ingénieurs militaires pré-Vauban

Architecture militaire
Architecture en Italie
Construction en cercle

de:Festung#Ursprünge des Bastionärsystems


The Indian Medical Association (IMA) actively participates in World Medical Association (WMA), Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO), Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) and World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) meetings. Internationally, WMA deals with all policies related to health, education and regulations related to all the countries in a broad base. Policies with regard to the above issues in Asia and Oceania regions are broadly dealt by CMAAO and that in Commonwealth countries are dealt with by CMA.
Of late many have criticized why IMA should participate in such meetings.
International interactions play a major role in deciding most National or International policies.
World Medical Association (WMA) with the help of 112 National Medical Associations periodically develops concurrence statements, concurrence declarations and resolutions on subjects of common interest. Such Statements, Declarations and Resolutions are revised based on the current-day requirements. There are two types of Revisions: Minor revision (which can be made any time) and major revision (which can be made after 10 years of a Declaration / Statement).
What are the sections under which the patients can claim damages?
Epidermodysplasia veruniciformis is caused by which of the following HPV serotypes?
2. Why do people suffer?
New Delhi, 27 November 2017: A recent study has indicated that about 35% to 40% Indians carry a set of genetic variations putting them at a higher risk of acquiring heart diseases. The carriers of a set of genetic variants in the chromogranin A (CHGA) gene called 'CHGA promoter haplotype2' may be at higher risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. This haplotype is found more frequently in those of South Asian origin. Heart diseases are striking young and old Indians alike and this disease is slowly turning out to be a silent killer.
Apart from this genetic susceptibility, what exacerbates the situation is the kind of lifestyle people have today. Increasing dependence on processed food, lack of physical activity, and stress are all contributing factors.


text:
GUEST OPINION: Youth voices are needed in the basic income debate
The vice-chair of the Basic Income Canada Youth Network says the youth case for basic income is dynamic and multi-faceted, and ignoring it would be a mistake. - 123RF Stock Photo
Chloe Halpenny
Special to The Guardian
Chloe Halpenny is the vice-chair of the Basic Income Canada Youth Network.
In April, Conservative Senator Claude Carignan made a comment in the red chamber that should make young people from coast-to-coast-to-coast furious. Pointing to the supposed work disincentives of benefits such as the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the senator described a scenario in which students did not pursue summer jobs, but were instead "hanging out by the pool, most likely at their parents' house." As a recent graduate with pool-less parents, I think something about this doesn't add up.
In the same chamber, another group of nearly 50 senators has called for an alternative approach to the frequent announcements of new benefits by a government scrambling to respond to COVID-19. Less concerned with the imagined sunbathing habits of today's youth, these senators propose a guaranteed livable income – and they're not alone.
The idea isn't new, but it's having a resurgence. With op-eds in major newspapers, endorsements from the federal Greens and NDP, and despite the cancelled Ontario pilot project, a basic income is seemingly on everyone's radar.
As a long-time supporter of basic income, I'm thrilled. But in all this, I'm left wondering: what are young people thinking?
The youth case for basic income is dynamic and multi-faceted, and ignoring it would be a mistake. Earlier this year, I joined forces with a group of young people to establish the Basic Income Canada Youth Network. Over the past few months, we've been speaking with youth across the country.
For many youth we've encountered, the logic behind supporting a basic income is straightforward. It could provide a much-needed foothold in housing and rental markets that feel increasingly inaccessible. With collective Canadian student debt a whopping $28 billion as of 2018, it would make it easier to enter and remain in post-secondary education. And given that young people are disproportionately concentrated in precarious work, a basic income responds to the reality that having a job doesn't necessarily mean being able to put food on the table.
Others pointed to equally important arguments. A basic income could be life-saving for youth aging out of care who are cut off from other supports. It could relieve financial pressure on those expected to care for parents or guardians, or provide a cushion for LGBTQ2S+ youth to leave non-affirming or unsafe living situations. Youth in Canada are on the front lines fighting for everything from climate justice to reconciliation, yet the activism which pushes for systems change rarely pays the bills. A basic income, however, would.
Of course, some remain wary of basic income. But for young people living with the consequences of the generations before us, an income floor is common-sense policymaking – especially given its proven affordability in Canada. We're grappling with climate change, under- and unemployment, and rising costs of living – and that was before the ravage of a pandemic.
Others will fail to see the relevance of youth to this argument. I'd remind them that 15-to-34-year-olds made up more than one-quarter of Canada's population as of 2019, with recent public opinion research finding that youth are the age demographic most likely to favour a basic income. We bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives that enrich the case for a basic income – not to mention the energy and voting power to make it happen.
Youth in this country are powerful, intelligent, and resilient. Many of us will live through not one, but two economic crises before turning 25. We deserve to be heard in conversations where decisions that will drastically affect our lives are made.
Now is the time for a basic income in Canada, and youth are mobilizing to make it happen. Our concerns, experiences and needs must be valued as we work towards a country where this is a reality. Until then, don't go looking for me at any pools.
Chloe Halpenny is the vice-chair of the Basic Income Canada Youth Network. She holds a master's degree from the University of Cambridge, where her research focused on participant experiences in the Ontario Basic Income Pilot. This piece was submitted with permission to The Guardian by Marie Burge, P.E.I. representative on Coalition Canada: basic income/revenu de base.
More local perspectives stories
PODCAST: Sheldon MacLeod on inauguration day in the USA
MY TAKE WITH SHELDON MACLEOD: Is Peggy's Cove development spoiling nature or making attraction safer?
ANDY WALKER: Cannabis will prove profitable for the government in the long run
Published 13 hours ago
EDITORIAL: Cheers & Jeers for Jan. 20, 2021
BRUCE EVANS: Cancel culture runs riot in ominous sign for Biden era
GEORGE EMERSON: American insurrections interwoven with racism since 1775
LETTER: Potato board shows sense of entitlement
GUEST OPINION: The hidden cost of that little pet gecko


Donate On Our TicketPeak Page!
Your support keeps our local art alive.
Producing quality community theater with a committed team of volunteers is a costly endeavor. Roughly 60% of our budget is raised through ticket sales. Another 20% is raised through fundraising events and through rentals of our facility and our parking lot. The rest must come via donations from generous friends like you, helping to ensure that community theater will survive and thrive in Menomonie and Dunn County for another 60 years!
As an MTG member, you help bring quality entertainment to thousands.
MTG is a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to producing and promoting community theater in Dunn County.
MTG is a separate organization from the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. We are committed by charter to supporting the existence of Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. Because of this, we rent the theater to rehearse and perform four productions each season.
Please contact the office PRIOR to bringing in any items for donation.
We will arrange a time to meet with you to view the items before accepting any pieces. Photos attached to an email are appreciated. While we are very grateful to be considered, we do not have the space to take in every piece that comes our way.


Military Intelligence Officers also assess risks associated with friendly and enemy courses of action and act to counter or neutralize identified intelligence threats. The MI Officer also uses intelligence systems and data to reduce uncertainty of enemy, terrain and weather conditions for a commander.
Commanding and controlling the Military Intelligence Soldiers and combined armed forces during combat and intelligence gathering operations.
Coordinate employment of Military Intelligence Soldiers at all levels of command, from platoon to battalion and higher, in U.S. and multi-national operations.
Commanding and controlling company-sized Military Intelligence units (200-300 Soldiers).
Coordinate employment of Military Intelligence Soldiers at all levels of command, from company to division level and beyond, in U.S. and multi-national operations.
Develop doctrine, organizations and equipment for unique Military Intelligence missions.
Instruct Military Intelligence skills at service schools and combat training centers.
Serve as a Military Intelligence advisor to other units, including Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve organizations.


Ohhhhh boy😳 Sometimes it scares me to think about all the travel money I've given away, simply from not knowing tipping standards across the globe.
Don't get me wrong, I love giving generous, well-deserved tips to those assisting and serving me, but giving 15-20% more than what's expected?! That's just unnecessary.
Study up. Save it to your desktop or phone. Do whatever. Just want to help you save those travel dollar$!!


Needing basic or advanced web hosting for your clients?
We strive to provide the best service possible and the most flexible web hosting offerings.
Our hosting & Cloud services make it easy for you to provide additional services and look after your customers. We offer competitive cloud solutions and service that is exceptional.
Our Premium Email service excels in any business. Having the option to share emails, contacts and calendars has an important place in any business.


When The Growth of the Modern West Indies appeared in the late 1960s, it was among the first publications to provide a comprehensive view of the British Caribbean, including Bermuda, the Bahamas and the small Leeward and Windward islands. The book covers the crucial inter-war years from the 1920s to the period of the 1960s and provides an in-depth analysis of the forces that contributed to the shaping of West Indian society. Among the most outstanding features of the book is Lewis s use of a wide variety of written sources including recently published monographs, articles in obscure places and an array of newspapers from almost all the islands discussed in the study.


Dirty Channels have a sturdy catalogue of lively party jams behind them now for Athens Of The North, Crosstown Rebels and Ovum Recordings to name but a few. Now they inaugurate the Take It Easy label with a killer EP of bright and bold disco edit house tracks. "Born In Douala" marches out of the block with a heavy dose of vintage funk guiding its every move. "Those Days" gets even more heated with its strict house rhythm section and joyous sample sources, before "The Lord" finishes the EP off in a dreamy, filter-sweeping reverie that looks ahead to the summer months with glee.


OFA-Cardiac, Elbows, Patellas - Normal, OFA Hips - EXCELLENT!
Finished #12 UKC Weight Pull All Stars 2005!
Otto comes to us from OFBA.
We can't say thank you enough for this wonderful addition to our lives and our breeding program.
OTTO IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC STUD!
Otto's first weekend of Weight pulling he brought home his UWP title and pulled 1460 pounds!.
Shortly after getting Otto, he was injured while working on our agility equipment.
He took a hard fall off the High Walk and shattered his rear leg.
After a long recovery he is now fully mended and back in action.
Thank you to Valley Vet Hospital in OR. for all you help.
This was taken during the first weeks after the accident. The purple dots are to show the ends of the pins. He also had an internal pin through the center of the bone.
Photo taken about 3 weeks after the last pin was taken out.