Is It Time to Bring Back the Boarding House? - Emily Badger - The Atlantic Cities

I think this is an idea whose time has come again, and that New Orleans would be one of the best places to do this. I think it's important that is only allowed in specific areas of the city and with specific house types with detailed regulation to oversee the other issues. But the backlash against sites like airbnb.com speaks to the corporate world's desire to keep the status quo of escalating prices and the unapproachable dream of home ownership for most, unfortunately.

Some of the types of housing he's talking about have in fact been built under the label of "apodments" in Seattle, where clever developers have created neo-rooming houses within the city's eight-person occupancy limit inside what they're legally treating as townhouses. The units, basically a bedroom with a tiny bathroom and a microwave, are even smaller than the micro-apartments New York and San Francisco have begun considering. They're more like dorm rooms, some as small as 120 square feet. And they sell for about $500, half of what studios cost in these same neighborhoods. It's easy to imagine who would line up to oppose these ideas. In fact, opposition would likely include some of same groups who objected to this kind of housing in the first place: well-meaning people who want to protect the low-income, the not-so-well-meaning who don't want housing like this in the neighborhood, and property owners not particularly interested in having rents fall on their existing housing. There would also likely be another class of objections that didn't exist in 1910: If we let 20 neo-boarding house units wedge into a modest building, where will all those renters park their cars?
Is It Time to Bring Back the Boarding House? - Emily Badger - The Atlantic Cities

Brand on revolution

"Now there is an opportunity for the left to return to its vital, virile, vigorous origins. A movement for the people, by the people, in the service of the land. Socialism’s historical connection with spiritual principles is deep. Sharing is a spiritual principle, respecting our land is a spiritual principle. May the first, May Day, is a pagan holiday where we acknowledge our essential relationship with our land. I bet the Tolpuddle martyrs, who marched for fair pay for agricultural workers, whose legacy is the right for us to have social solidarity, were a right bunch of herberts if you knew them. “Thugs, yobs, hooligans,” the Daily Mail would’ve called them. Our young people need to know there is a culture, a strong, broad union, that they can belong to, that is potent, virile and alive. At this time when George and Dave pilfer and pillage our land and money for their oligarch mates, at this time when the Tories are taking the EU to court to stop it curtailing their banker pals’ bonuses, that there is something they can do. Take to the streets, together, with the understanding that the feeling that you aren’t being heard or seen or represented isn’t psychosis; it’s government policy. But we are far from apathetic, we are far from impotent. I take great courage from the groaning effort required to keep us down, the institutions that have to be fastidiously kept in place to maintain this duplicitous order. Propaganda, police, media, lies. Now is the time to continue the great legacy of the left, in harmony with its implicit spiritual principles. Time may only be a human concept and therefore ultimately unreal, but what is irrefutably real is that this is the time for us to wake up. The revolution of consciousness is a decision, decisions take a moment. In my mind the revolution has already begun." Brand on revolution

Voodoo Distillery to open in New Orleans this summer | NOLA.com

I'm a believer in more entrepreneurs selling their products that are appropriate to a well balanced life. Claiborne and Bienville is a great place for more small businesses to set up shop to produce import-replacing goods. Raise a glass....


Voodoo Distillery to open in New Orleans this summer | NOLA.com

Small is Beautiful study group

A good meeting last night at Fair Grinds; the YouTube connection wasn't strong enough to use, so we...talked instead. What an idea.
Susan Witt's essay about the practical matters of local currencies sparked an in-depth discussion of what defines formal (taxable, holding civic power?) and informal (without licenses) and underground (mostly illegal) economies in New Orleans, how our economy differs from Western Mass (home of the Berkshares) and what is the purpose of a local currency. We mostly agreed that it measures the trust level held by neighbors and can add innovation in lending money and could keep a local economy stronger than a national economy (witness scrip economies during the Depression).

Ongoing discussion about worker ownership and cooperatives needing to be a part of any local currency system, as well as sobering reminders that we have a great deal of work to do to include our entire community into the emerging economy.
ALL are invited to join in at any time to this study group as we are quite informal and just pick up the conversation as we see fit; no prior experience in serious economics needed!
All we ask is a chance for everyone to speak and debates to be friendly and without anger.
For the next meeeting in August, we should check out:
http://www.schumachersociety.org/publications/essay_land.html

Small Is Beautiful study group in July (air-conditioned!)

On the last Tuesday of July at 6:00 pm at Fair Grinds Coffeehouse (this runs once a month with the day of the month changing if needed) we are having our second study/discussion group around the principles and strategies of creating communities/economies that are sustainable and human-scaled.

Based on essays, videos and examples of the E.F.Schumacher Society (www.smallisbeautiful.org), we will read or do some (short online) research beforehand and hold discussions, look at examples, hear from those engaged in face to face community organizing around the placement of labor, land and capital in a more dynamic, democratic system that could answer some questions that New Orleans still must answer about its future.
The first essay that was discussed in June was "The Economy of Regions" by Jane Jacobs.

For the second meeting, we are going to try to show some short videos of Jane Jacobs, Schumacher and also talk about Susan Witt's essay that we hope people can find time to read beforehand.
http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/publications/essay_orion.html
(I might have linked another essay on the last email that was not the one i meant, so do check your last email. This is the currency story that I was thinking of). If you are unable to make the meeting, feel free to send comments via email which I will add to the discussion and also to the ning site.

It was also suggested that people start to read Schumacher, most easily to enter is Buddhist Economics: http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.html

The group will alternate between our downtown location at Fair Grinds and an Uptown location, Mockingbird Cafe
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And hey, if you are the kind of person who does not read, then by all means just show up and soak up the talk. We expect it to last just about 90 minutes as a group; if some want to continue the talk, Fair Grinds is open late for the ongoing discussion....
We also have social network group that Iupload comments received between meetings and will also post updates or ideas from other parts of the country. No need to join this to participate in the face to face, but it's there if you want to join; just let me know and I'll send you an invite.

here are some ideas for the framing of the discussion for July, do let me know if there are other ideas to get the talk flowing and to stay on essay discussion. Open to all ideas.
- Will have a short round of introductions
- will show 3-5 minute videos, 2 or 3 of them
- someone will open discussion of the essay from Susan, and any other ideas from last month's talk about Jane Jacobs. We hope to ask ongoing members to help facilitate, so please see Dar if you will assist with pointing out questions, bringing the conversation back to these readings etc.

- any other ideas from the group? This month, a reading list will be sent around that people can add to, and in future months, we can pick readings beforehand online...

how about notes? shall we take some and post on the ning group? large pieces of paper with someone putting ideas up? yes? hell no?

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do RSVP and I hope you can all come as I think we can create an enjoyable time monthly...

Dar Wolnik