Just Wow

[spenser1058]

The problem with septic tanks: Blue Springs edition -

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/environment/2020/09/05/volusia-county-works-educate-west-volusia-septic-tank-pollution/5662008002/
 

From the News-Journal 

[spenser1058]

Happy Labor Day!

Let’s all sing!

[spenser1058]

The New York Times reminds us the sign on a building can sometimes be the most memorable part of the structure:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/business/building-signs-cities-iconic-signage.html
 

And it reminds us that the Morse needs to figure out a way to make this vital part of Orlando’s history accessible to the public or  pass the collection along to an organization that will. Just one more thing a mayor interested in something besides a paycheck would use his bully pulpit for.

[prahaboheme]

18 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

The New York Times reminds us the sign on a building can sometimes be the most memorable part of the structure:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/business/building-signs-cities-iconic-signage.html
 

And it reminds us that the Morse needs to figure out a way to make this vital part of Orlando’s history accessible to the public or  pass the collection along to an organization that will. Just one more thing a mayor interested in something besides a paycheck would use his bully pulpit for.

Preferably this collection could become a permanent collection as part of a larger installation. Perhaps a public / private civic partnership that incorporates the history of the signs, modern programming for public programs and even private retail / food options (sort of like a BOXI park on steroids.

[spenser1058]

3 minutes ago, prahaboheme said:

Preferably this collection could become a permanent collection as part of a larger installation. Perhaps a public / private civic partnership that incorporates the history of the signs, modern programming for public programs and even private retail / food options (sort of like a BOXI park on steroids.

Maybe we should farm it out to Lake Nona. They actually get stuff like this done...

[AmIReal]

Not sure where else to put this, but I thought it was worth mentioning. "Local philanthropist Ted Haddock is trying to install a monument at Lake Lorna Doone Park." A celebration of the 1st interracial baseball game game played in the south. Here's the sad part... it didn't happen until 1955.

https://bungalower.com/2020/09/08/lake-lorna-doone-to-get-memorial-to-first-integrated-little-league-game/

 

 

[HankStrong]

10 hours ago, AmIReal said:

Not sure where else to put this, but I thought it was worth mentioning. "Local philanthropist Ted Haddock is trying to install a monument at Lake Lorna Doone Park." A celebration of the 1st interracial baseball game game played in the south. Here's the sad part... it didn't happen until 1955.

https://bungalower.com/2020/09/08/lake-lorna-doone-to-get-memorial-to-first-integrated-little-league-game/

 

 

I saw the Norman Rockwell painting of The Problem We All Live With featured earlier this week and its depiction of little Ruby Bridges walking to school in 1960 as a 6 year old first grader.  Ruby is younger than my mother.  My mom lived in a "legally" segregated world.  I use that with contempt, but it's true, it was legal.  Being before I was born, it seems like a million years ago, but it's shocking that regular living people (not the super-aged or anything) were walking around and living when this took place.

Crazy.

Edited September 10, 2020 by HankStrong

[nite owℓ]

5 hours ago, HankStrong said:

I saw the Norman Rockwell painting of The Problem We All Live With featured earlier this week and its depiction of little Ruby Bridges walking to school in 1960 as a 6 year old first grader.  Ruby is younger than my mother.  My mom lived in a "legally" segregated world.  I use that with contempt, but it's true, it was legal.  Being before I was born, it seems like a million years ago, but it's shocking that regular living people (not the super-aged or anything) were walking around and living when this took place.

Crazy.

Some of them are the same people who will try to convince everyone else that "rAciSM iS oVeR" because we elected a "black" president and systemic injustice against minorities do not exist. Meanwhile they delude themselves into thinking they did it all on their own without any help when in reality they are the ones who benefited from white affirmative action for generations lol. Some of them should know better, but they just don't care to see two sides of the coin because they were not the ones being negatively affected. Then it becomes easy to point to groups of disadvantaged folks as failures while disregarding the unfair playing field that led to their demise. Regardless, people still need to take on personal responsibility for themselves and future generations. We rarely hear the stories of successful black, latino, native, Asian, women  etc. who overcame the odds back then and more of their stories need to be told.

For us spring chickens: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

[AmIReal]

13 hours ago, HankStrong said:

I saw the Norman Rockwell painting of The Problem We All Live With featured earlier this week and its depiction of little Ruby Bridges walking to school in 1960 as a 6 year old first grader.  Ruby is younger than my mother.  My mom lived in a "legally" segregated world.  I use that with contempt, but it's true, it was legal.  Being before I was born, it seems like a million years ago, but it's shocking that regular living people (not the super-aged or anything) were walking around and living when this took place.

Crazy.

Very poignant story...

Imagine, those are what may call the "good ol days".

[spenser1058]

This park’s reason for existence is about to slide further and further into the future. Given Comcast’s cable business is going to become more and more obsolete as time goes on and Peacock is hardly the darling of the streaming networks, one has to wonder what their deep pockets will look like down the road.

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2554376/universal-studios-orlandos-epic-universe-theme-park-is-dead-even-if-it-still-happens
 

From Cinema Blend

 Since the park only doubles down on Orange County’s third-world economic model, it’s time for local leaders to use their bully pulpit and suggest a rethink.

Think locals can’t influence a company’s thinking? Ask the folks in Manassas.

No region that exists purely for tourism has ever thrived in the long-term. Take a look at Atlantic City or Daytona Beach. Ask yourself what city regularly falls further than us whenever the economy stumbles or a disaster ensues - it’s Vegas. Also ask yourself how Vegas has diversified its economy to soften those shocks - they haven’t, because no one takes it seriously for anything except its gaming.

Fortunately, we’re not a one-trick pony so it’s not too late for us to move in another direction. Now is the time to do it, not later when even more media like The Florida Project and the recent in-depth in The Washington Post about the disaster that is US 192 sends well-paying industries scurrying anywhere but toward us.

The state of Florida already is running its government based on a model that’s closer to  Wyoming’s than the nation’s urban states, so  we simply do not have the infrastructure or safety net to add more economically-challenged citizens to the mix.

As far back as 1991, the “Orlando” lead story in Time magazine featured a cover photo not of us, but Disney-MGM Studios. It should have been a warning.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

As Milton Friedman’s theory of “maximizing shareholder wealth” turns 50, it is rapidly being discredited, even by major business leaders.

Someone needs to send a memo to the out of touch cabal  driving the bus locally:

https://www.businessinsider.com/milton-friedmans-theory-role-of-business-feels-emptier-than-ever-2020-9

From Business Insider 

 

[AmIReal]

Can you explain this? I mean I understand Friedman's theory, but I'm unclear on who the "cabal" is that you mention. Any detail would be appreciated.

[JFW657]

2 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Can you explain this? I mean I understand Friedman's theory, but I'm unclear on who the "cabal" is that you mention. Any detail would be appreciated.

What do you think the odds are the initials BD are involved? 

[jack]

16 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

As Milton Friedman’s theory of “maximizing shareholder wealth” turns 50, it is rapidly being discredited, even by major business leaders.

Someone needs to send a memo to the out of touch cabal  driving the bus locally:

https://www.businessinsider.com/milton-friedmans-theory-role-of-business-feels-emptier-than-ever-2020-9

From Business Insider 

 

Fake news. It should be more important now than ever. 

[spenser1058]

DealBook weighs in with major business leaders as to whether Friedman’s theory was flawed:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/business/dealbook/milton-friedman-essay-anniversary.html

[dcluley98]

There is no Free Market. 

Feedback loops exist that create dis-equilibrium. 

[spenser1058]

11 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

There is no Free Market. 

Feedback loops exist that create dis-equilibrium. 

Those pesky externalities!

[spenser1058]

Did you notice we have four moderators now? Do you suppose @Neo decided it takes four to keep us in line these days? :-) Oh well, it’s all good. Charge On!

[Neo]

55 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Did you notice we have four moderators now? Do you suppose @Neo decided it takes four to keep us in line these days? :-) Oh well, it’s all good. Charge On!

The number of mods hasn't changed, I just display the mods on the site now to make it easier as it was difficult to find before. Note that two of the four mods listed for Orlando are global mods. @sunshine and @bic are still your Orlando mods. 

[spenser1058]

35 minutes ago, Neo said:

The number of mods hasn't changed, I just display the mods on the site now to make it easier as it was difficult to find before. Note that two of the four mods listed for Orlando are global mods. @sunshine and @bic are still your Orlando mods. 

Very Cool. Thanks!

[spenser1058]

OK, so we’re headed up to @orange87 ‘s stomping grounds this weekend - taking the boat up to DeBary and lunch at the Swamp House. Just hangin’ out like a native! I’ll send back a report...

Edited September 16, 2020 by spenser1058

[AmIReal]

On 9/14/2020 at 7:34 PM, JFW657 said:

What do you think the odds are the initials BD are involved? 

I wasn't joking when I asked the question, but you may be right. Since Freidman's theories were about business and not politics I didn't think even that particular poster would think the Orlando Mayor drives the local economy. I assumed he was talking about the parks or maybe the convention center or maybe a combination of all the above.

[spenser1058]

I got to thinking as @orlandouprise was posting about bringing retailers like Brooks Brothers downtown (a feat much smaller cities like Charleston have pulled off and one I’d give a kidney for) that, with mall owners like Simon (Florida Mall and the two big outlet malls) and Brookfield (Altamonte Mall) now owning BB, Forever 21 and JCPenney (among others) will they tend to be proprietary about locating them in their properties?

We also know that our two biggest local employers have a strategy of keeping their guests on property during their stays. (It was a major reason Pleasure Island was first developed - to combat the success of CSS. We should add that made perfect sense for Disney even though it was at cross-purposes with the interests of folks closer to downtown).

Is it possible, for example, that one reason the Magic are slow-walking their entertainment complex is that Disney is one of their primary corporate sponsors and whose NBA Experience at its own similar complex has not been been seeing the turnstiles spin, even before COVID? Universal’s CityWalk also has a similar facility even closer to town and so benefits from local residents as well as tourists.

Given that our current local government leaders are following a model where they have yet to ever challenge a corporate entity on any topic, why would they have any incentive to improve downtown? 

Ask yourself in the next city and county elections: are my elected leaders representing me or corporations whose goals may be quite different? It’s likely a big reason our downtown keeps adding residents but the ancillary activities that should follow simply haven’t. Vote your interests.

 

Edited September 19, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Repurposing malls:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/18/business/malls-repurpose-empty-stores/index.html

From CNN

”As mall operators, we can’t just sit on our hands and wait for people to come to us. We have to go out there and sell our ideas...”

The same is true of downtowns if not more so. That, however, is exactly what’s been happening in Downtown Orlando retail for years.

Edited September 20, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

OMG - this scares me:
 

https://fox2now.com/news/dewgarita-how-to-make-the-mountain-dew-margarita-red-lobsters-now-serving/

From FOX 2