Cost of rent
Other factors are regulations that add "content" to units and market pressure from recent migrants.
Hat-tip to the tireless Lucas Machias
Climate Change
Blue areas were covered with spruce "parkland" forest 13,000 years ago. Green areas are covered with spruce "parkland" forests now. The distance from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Kapuskasing, Ontario is approximately 600 miles.
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| Range map American Larch |
To put the most optimistic spin on this, nature can be incredibly resilient and make adjustments if the rate of change is not too fast. The corollary to that is that even if there ARE very rapid changes, small islands of "stranded" plant communities exist with the genetics to survive extreme changes. There are hundreds of bogs in southern Michigan, for instance, that contain aspen, tag alder and American Larch.
%20-%20USGS%20Forest%20Service%20Native%20Range%20Map.jpg) |
| Range map Bur Oak |
There are also countless Bur Oak trees in southern Michigan. Bur Oak, as a species, can withstand drought, heat and fires. It is native as far south as Corpus Christi, Tx.
Hat-tip to Lucas Machias for the map of spruce parklands.
Things that make you go "Hmmmm?"
One of the puzzles that stumped scientists for a long time was the high mercury levels in some Asian populations AND their high IQs.
The general belief was that heavy-metal poisoning severely impacts intelligence and brain function. Lead poisoning, for instance, is linked to poor, standardized-test scores.
So it was jarring that Chinese, Japanese and Korean populations in the United States had high blood-mercury levels and high IQs.
Cutting to the chase, the mercury came from the fish they ate AND so did the selenium that protected them from the effects of mercury. Moderately high levels of mercury is a problem ONLY if you also have a selenium deficiency.
Selenium, and its organic synergist Vitamin E, appear to have very broad protective effects against a wide range of heavy metals (cadmium, inorganic mercury, methylmercury, thallium and to a limited extent silver with Vitamin E being a rock-star at protecting against cognitive damage from lead) and carcinogenic organic compounds (3-methyl-4-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene, 2-acetylaminofluorene, diethylnitrosamine, aflatoxin, 7,12-dimethylben (a) anthracene, benzopyrene and 3-methylcholanthrene).
If you are getting older and are concerned about mental decline, you could do worse than adding some brewer's yeast to your diet. Brewer's yeast is a good source of selenium since barley grown in the plains provinces of Canada is rich in selenium.
That mercury/selenium assumption is interesting!
ReplyDeleteVERY INTERESTING. Brewer's Yeast. I wonder if that might have been the blessing of drinking small beer instead of the tainted water in coal burning nasty ole England.
DeleteHistory always something new to learn.
Selenium is beneath sulfur on the periodic table and burning coal and smelting metals release selenium to the atmosphere. The soil downwind of Gary, Indiana is rich in selenium, for instance.
DeleteSo that nasty, dirty coal was also releasing selenium.
Since I started following the news in the 80s, I've been periodically warned that China and India are graduating millions of engineers and PhDs and omg how can we compete. I'm still waiting for some sign of that genius.
ReplyDeleteFor all normal humans, IQ is just a sign of how doting your parents were. Despite how smart you make a child, they're still going to be regular-IQ adults that didn't have a normal childhood.
That's controversial today only because we're collectively edging back towards 'I don't need to see a transcript, just a picture of the guy.' territory. The pendulum is swinging.
There is plenty of evidence that it's the quality of the education that matters, not the quantity.
DeleteWhile there are plenty of smart people in Asia, the push for numbers has lowered the averages. When combined with a rote system in many countries, the results are less than stellar.
In China, currently, an experienced factory worker makes more than a college graduate.
In Eastern Europe after the Wall fell, some jobs had ridiculous education requirements - because those areas had way more advanced degrees than were needed.
We're seeing it in some areas in the US as well - look at building trade incomes versus liberal arts incomes.
Jonathan
Same people crying about rents are the same people pushing open borders and "no human is illegal". Over 30 million illegals all needing housing is a factor in creating a shortage, along with squatters and people that don't pay causing the landlord to evict. Gov't regulations/courts that favor tenants don't help, covid for instance. I'm not saying all regs are bad, just some.
ReplyDeleteI'll say it; most regs are bad. Who writes the policies and regs? What could you expect of a politician elected because of looks, better script writers, making promises he cannot keep?
ReplyDeleteCA got rid of its last economist in 2016. For nigh a decade before that, he was the only legislator possessing financial understanding above, say high school econ.
To add to what Brian said, everything is connected. So much so that to show one or two graphs is disingenuous. A continuous devout study is needed to even marginally understand the why and how. Then layer in the year over year.
My body no longer is making, keeping vitamins I need. Mid 80's and Doc keeps saying eat more salt. Not only salt but 4 others so at what strength for selenium . Is 600/1000/1200 enough or too much. Split the difference and take the lower to start and slowly increase?
ReplyDeleteI am not a doctor.
DeleteYour body has the ability to store selenium in the liver, muscles, kidneys and in your blood. Excess selenium is excreted mostly in the urine but gross excess can outrun your body's ability to excrete the extra. Like all things age related, not only does our ability absorb minerals drop, but so does our ability to get rid of excessive amounts. That means we are walking a tight-rope rather than strolling down a wide boardwalk.
Signs of excessive selenium include breath that smells like garlic or onions. Brittle finger nails and hair (or hair loss). Not a lot of help because I can look in the mirror and see those same symptoms and don't think I am suffering from too much selenium.
Trust your gut. There are blood tests for selenium levels (https://www.labcorp.com/tests/081034/selenium-whole-blood)