HABITATIONAL INSURANCE FOR PROPERTY OWNERS A NATION OF ONE NAME
REAL ESTATE F THE FU URE AMERICA NEEDS TO BUILD MORE HOUSING ARTCH TECTURE
MULTIFAMILY AT AN INFLECTION POINT THE Wonders OF THE WORLD THE BIG PICTURE THE PAGES NOT WANTED! THE RISE OF TENANT UNIONS TR E DAT SQUATTERS ON MY PROPERTY WHERE ARE THEY NOW? STATES WHERE PEOPLE SPEND THE MOST & LEAST ON HOUSING
C NTEST: MEET THE BEATLES POPULATION GROWTH DEADBEATS IN THE BOARDROOM
THE GE GRAPHY PAGES REAL ESTATE IN THE POST-COVID WORLD RENTING VS. BUYING
THE HUMOR OF REDD FOXX
THE BEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS IN 2026
From
The Editor’s Page in is almost totally devoted to humor and wisdom and this is a collection of some of the best of them.
Where I Sit from the pages of also from The CREST Publications Group
The Best Diversions
Give yourself the gift of smiles. J
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Vertical Lines I, II, III, IV and V
Compilations of Sarcasm, Word Play, and Witticisms from the pages of
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“An often off-color (but always entertaining and almost always hilarious) collection of jokes that you will read, enjoy – and probably tell –over and over.”
My Hand Book Leading With My Heart A Book
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"It matters not who we have been, or why, with whom, or how. What matters is that we have met and who we are from now."
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Short, light-hearted, satirical, unrelated vignettes. Episodic. Descriptive. Cryptic. Quixotic. Wry. Sardonic. Sarcastic. Ironical. Unrealistic. Whimsical. And probably a whole lot of other things. But most of all, fun and funny.
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09 INB X | ON THE
12 FACTOIDS
TEN U.S. CITIES THAT CHANGED THEIR NAMES, GEZELIG, ENSHITIFICATION, KEMOSABE, WERDS AND FRAZES, PASSING GAS, SEVENTH HEAVEN | CLOUD 9, THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, FOOT THE BILL, FLYING THE AMERICAN FLAG AT HALF STAFF, BEATNIK VS. HIPPIE, GERRYMANDERING, KABUKI THEATER, ONOMATOPOEIA
17 TR E DAT
THE UNICORN, JOHN ADAMS AND THOMAS JEFFERSON, BONES IN THE HUMAN BODY, THE INVENTOR OF THE ELECTRIC CHAIR, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE DOG MAYOR, NOMOPHOEBIA, THE 1787 FUGIO CENT, THE AUTOBAHN, A JIFFY, RABBITS & HORSES, THE PHILIPPENES
19
PICTORIAL HUMOR
28 POPULATION GROWTH HOLDS STEADY IN MIDSIZED CITIES AMID WIDESPREAD SLOWDOWN A U.S. CENSUS BUREAU STUDY
48 THE PAGES
40 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
THE LIVING FORMER VICE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES REPRESENT A REMARKABLE CROSS-SECTION OF MODERN AMERICAN POLITICS
32 ARTCH TECTURE VADIM ANKUDINOV –META-COSMIC ART
44 DEADBEATS IN THE BOARDROOM
HOW SOME COMPANIES EXPLOIT CONTRACTORS AND THEN REFUSE TO PAY
50 THE GE GRAPHY PAGES THE CANADIAN BORDER -DEFINED BY GEOGRAPHY | THE U.S. MEXICAN BORDER
THE QUEBEC ACT, THE AMERICAN INVASION OF CANADA, AND THE COLONY THAT NEVER JOINED THE REVOLUTION
52 THE PAGES NOT WANTED, A NATION OF ONE NAME, THE MONETIZED PRESIDENCY, MONU-MENTAL: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
56 THE WIT AND WISDOM OF ERMA BOMBECK
57 THE HUMOR OF REDD FOXX
58 THE BEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS - 2026 A WALLET HUB STUDY
60 THE LINK MARKETPLACE, BIDDER’S LIST & DIRECTORY
62 BACKPAGE OUR ADVERTISERS, WINNERS FROM LAST ISSUE’S CONTEST
63 C NTEST: MEET THE BEATLES
DIVERSI NS 61
TEXTING, OLD IS GOLD, ROSES ARE RED, A WOMAN’S POEM, RIGHT TO LEFT 62 THE EXCUSE CREATOR
22 THE STATES WHERE PEOPLE SPEND THE MOST & LEAST ON HOUSING A WALLET HUB STUDY
30 THE BIG PICTURE REAL ESTATE IN THE POST-COVID WORLD
20 HABITATIONAL INSURANCE
GABI STINSON STREET PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THIS SPECIALIZED COMMERCIAL POLICY
36 THE RISE OF TENANTS’ UNIONS RENTERS ORGANIZE FOR POWER IN A CHALLENGING HOUSING MARKET
38 RENTING VS. BUYING HOW THE BENEFITS CHANGE BY AGE GROUP
22 MULTIFAMILY AT AN INFLECTION POINT, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ROXANA TOFAN PROVIDES ANALYSIS
43 AMERICA NEEDS TO BUILD MORE HOUSING THE SOLUTION IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED
41 REAL ESTATE
F THE FU URE ZHUHAI
JINWAN CIVIC ART CENTER IN CHINA
24 THE Wonders OF THE WORLD
OUR TWELFTH INSTALLMENT –THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE BAROQUE ERA
46 LEGAL VIEW - SQUATTERS ON MY PROPERTY A Q&A WITH LEGAL EXPERTS
THE FACTOR
21 ADNOC HEADQUARTERS
21 THE MOHAMMED VI TOWER
JULY/AUGUST 2026 / VOL 34 / ISSUE 4
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ANTHONY BARBIERI: Legal.
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T. J. Edwards
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AT OUR READERS ARE
saying
ADVISORY BOARD
LINDSEY KOREN, Director of Communications, American Society of Interior Designers.
JONATHAN KRAATZ, Executive Director, USGBC Texas.
AIMÉE LEE, National Accounts Director, Recycle Across America.
LESLIE ROBINETT, Marketing and Communications Manager, International Facility Management Association.
LAURA MACDONALD STEWART, RID, FASID, IIDA, LEED AP, Editor of Plinth & Chintz.
JESSICA WARRIOR, Director of Property Management, Granite Properties.
Editor’s note
WE DIDN’T HAVE THE GREEN THING BACK THEN
At the grocery store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she bring her own shopping bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing in my earlier days.”
The cashier replied, “That’s our problem today. Your generation didn’t care enough to protect the environment for future generations.”
She was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk, pop, and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized, and refilled, so the same bottles could be used over and over. They really were recycled. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs because there wasn’t an escalator in every shop and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have disposables. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine running on 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV or radio in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief — remember them? — not a screen the size of the county. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send by mail, we used wadded-up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower powered by human effort. We exercised by working, so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on electric treadmills. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then. We drank water from a fountain or a tap when we were thirsty instead of demanding a plastic bottle flown in from another country. We accepted that much food was seasonal and didn’t expect it to be flown in from thousands of miles away. We actually cooked food that didn’t come out of a packet, a tin, or plastic wrap, and we could even wash our own vegetables and chop our own salad. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn’t it sad that the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?
We don't like getting older in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off… especially from a tattooed, multiple-pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.
BRAS
BY ANDREW FELDER
Managing Editor & Publisher
aafelder@thenetworkmagazine.org
BOWEL MOVEMENTS
Three old men were sitting around at a nursing home, bragging about their bowel movements. The 70-year-old said, “At my age, I'm happy to rely on the fact that I’ll be able to poop every other day right after lunch.” The 80-yearold chimed in, “That's good, but I've been very lucky, as well. Every evening, sometime between 9PM and midnight, I know I’ll be able to go.” The 90-year-old perked up and said, “You guys really think you're something. Every morning at 5:00 AM —like clockwork—I have an enormous poop.”
The other two looked at him with their mouths wide open, wondering if they'd have this wonderful experience to look forward to as well. “That's amazing,” said one. “You’re really lucky!”
“Ehhh, it's not really that great,” said the 90-year-old. “I don't get up until 9:00.”
Jerry walked into the lingerie department of Macy's and said to the saleswoman, “I would like a Southern Baptist bra for my wife, size 34B.”
With a quizzical look, the saleswoman asked, “What kind of bra?”
Jerry repeated, “A Southern Baptist bra. My wife said to tell you she wanted a Southern Baptist bra and that you'd know what she wanted.”
“Oh, I understand,” the saleswoman said. “We don't get as many requests for them as we used to. Most of our customers lately want the Catholic bra, the Salvation Army bra, or the Presbyterian bra.”
Jerry was flustered, and asked, “What are the differences?”
The saleswoman smiled and said, “It's really quite simple. The Catholic bra supports the masses; the Salvation Army bra lifts the fallen; and the Presbyterian bra keeps them staunch and upright.”
The man thought about that for a second and said, “I'll probably regret asking this, but what does the Southern Baptist bra do?”
“Ahh,” she replied, “the Southern Baptist bra makes mountains out of molehills.”
ROXANA TOFAN (P. 42) is the founder and principal broker of Clear Integrity Group, specializing in commercial real estate across Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. With a focus on multifamily and commercial properties, she excels in acquisitions, dispositions, and property management, particularly in transforming underperforming assets through strategic operations and team building. Roxana is a dedicated community advocate and enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and supporting charitable causes. She has also served as a contributing editor for for over 15 years, covering topics including commercial real estate, business ownership, sports, and travel.
Her 6Q feature will resume in the next issue when she returns form her honeymoon with T. J. Edwards. Congratulations Roxana!!
GABRIELA STINSON STREET
(P. 20) is co-owner of Street Insurance Agency, where she oversees the firm's commercial insurance portfolio. She partners closely with business owners to build coverage strategies that protect assets, support day-to-day operations, and enable long-term growth. With experience in commercial property, general liability, workers' compensation, and specialty programs for emerging industries, she brings a practical, forward-thinking perspective to every client relationship. She breaks down complex insurance concepts into clear, actionable guidance and stands by her clients throughout the policy and claims process. Outside the office, Gabi stays active in the community, invests in ongoing professional development, and enjoys collaborating with fellow entrepreneurs across Texas.
Contributing Writers
ADAM MCCANN (P. 22 AND 58) is a personal finance writer for Wallet-Hub who also helps produce WalletHub's weekly 'Best and Worst' studies. At Hopkins he took a wide variety of classes in writing, English, economics, political science, history, and language. While pursuing his education, Adam worked part-time in the Special Collections department of JHU's Milton S. Eisenhower library, where he helped out with the university's collection of rare books and manuscripts.
BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS J. EDWARDS retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years of distinguished service, earning accolades such as the Distinguished Service Medal, five Legion of Merit awards, and the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in combat. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, the Military Officer’s Association of America, and the 82nd Airborne Division Association. T.J. holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and Master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma, the Naval War College, and the Army War College. In May 2022, he relocated to San Antonio, Texas, earned his Texas Real Estate license, and joined Clear Integrity Group (CIG) as a partner, where he applies his leadership expertise to optimize the company's commercial real estate portfolios and operations.
His Thinking Out Loud feature will resume in the next issue when he returns from his honeymoon with Roxana Tofan. Congratulations T.J. !!
I told a bunch of jazz musicians to go forth and multiply, so now I’m on the sax offenders register.
INB X ON THE COVER
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CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATIONS
Did we make a mistake? Or does something we wrote about need further clarification? Let us know. editor@thenetworkmagazine.org
BY VADIM ANKUDINOV
"City of Lights and Shadows" is a visual exploration of the urban night, where architecture becomes a living canvas. Through the contrast of glowing windows and deep silhouettes, the artwork reveals the hidden micro-universes of human lives. Each illuminated window represents an untold story, a pocket of warmth, and a silent connection. It captures the modern metropolis not as cold concrete, but as a vibrant, pulsing symphony of light, harmony, and cosmic mystery.
“CITY OF LIGHTS AND SHADOWS”
‘Sonja’ the Sea Lion Volunteer Spokes-Sea Lion for Recycle Across America®
Dear Humans,™
We need your help. Seriously. Did you know that more than 68 million pounds of waste is dumped into our oceans everyday? And around 60% of that waste could have been recycled and manufactured into something new. Unfortunately, recycling is not doing as well as it should be in the U.S. or worldwide due to public confusion about recycling, which results in tons of trash being mistakingly thrown into recycling bins each day, often making the recyclables useless.
One of the best ways to prevent waste from going into oceans and waterways is to make it easy for people to recycle ‘properly’ to help ensure the recyclables can be used again. That is why displaying the nonprofit society-wide standardized labels on recycling bins have been proven to be the #1 solution to solve the U.S. and global recycling crisis, in turn helping to prevent these materials from being disposed of in oceans around the world or littered. Here’s how you can help. Reach out to your employer, recycling service provider, and elected officials, urging them to display the standardized labels on recycling bins within your community. When everyone recycles more and recycles right, it will help keep the oceans healthier for sea life ... and humans.
Yours Truly,
Sonja
My girlfriend wanted sex on the hood of her Honda Civic, but I refused. I told her, “If we’re having sex, it’ll be on my own Accord.”
FACTOIDS
Betcha didn’t know...
Ten U.S. Cities That Changed Their Names
Los Angeles, California: Spanish settlers who arrived in the 18th century named the area El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, meaning "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels." Over time, the Spanish name stuck, though it was shortened to the more practical "Los Angeles." The city officially adopted this name when it was incorporated in 1850, the same year California became a state.
New York City, New York: In the 17th century, Dutch settlers who arrived in the area named it New Amsterdam. When the English seized control in 1664, they renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York.
Seattle, Washington: When European settlers arrived in 1851, they named their settlement New York and added the Chinook word Alki, meaning "by and by," "someday," or "later," suggesting it would one day rival New York City. In 1852, they renamed the settlement Seattle in honor of Chief Sealth, a Duwamish and Suquamish leader.
Portland, Oregon: Early settlers called the area The Clearing because it stood out from the dense forests typical of the Pacific Northwest. But in 1845, an event changed everything. Portland’s two founders, Asa Lovejoy from Boston, Massachusetts, and Francis W. Pettygrove from Portland, Maine, each wanted to name the new settlement after their hometown. So how did they decide? Simple: they flipped a coin.
Kansas City, Missouri: Kansas City was originally founded in 1850 as the Town of Kansas, named for its location near the Kansas River. As it grew quickly, it was reincorporated just three years later as the City of Kansas. Finally, in 1889, it officially became Kansas City. [Kansas City, Missouri, was founded before the state of Kansas.]
Charleston, South Carolina: When it was first settled in 1670, the English named it Charles Town in honor of King Charles II. Over time, the pronunciation shifted to Charleston. In 1783, after the Revolutionary War, the city was officially renamed Charleston.
San Diego, California: San Diego was the first European settlement on the US West Coast, which is why it's often called "the Birthplace of California." When Spanish explorers arrived in 1542, they named the bay after a different saint: San Miguel. Years later, in 1602, explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno renamed the bay San Diego in honor of San Diego de Alcalá (Saint Didacus of Alcalá).
Orlando, Florida: In 1840, the first settlers arrived in what is now Orlando. They were the Jernigan family, who named the place after themselves. A post office under that name was established in 1850. About 6 years later, the name officially changed to Orlando. One theory holds that it was named after Orlando Reeves, a soldier who
may have died in the area during the Seminole Wars. Another theory suggests the name came from Orlando, a character in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Cincinnati, Ohio: In the 1780s, the first settlement in this area was called Losantiville, a name derived from a blend of words meaning "The town opposite the mouth of the Licking River." In 1790, the first governor of the Northwest Territory, who was also a member of the Society of the Cincinnati (named in honor of the Roman general Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus), disliked Losantiville and decided to change it to its present name.
Atlanta, Georgia: By the mid-19th century, the area where the city stands today had become a transportation hub where several railroad lines converged. In 1837, the area was called Terminus, meaning "the end of the line." In 1843, the name was changed to Marthasville, in honor of Martha, the daughter of Georgia Governor Wilson Lumpkin. Two years later, the city was renamed Atlanta. This name is believed to be a shortened form of "Atlantic," referring to the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
Gezellig
Enshittification
"Enshittification" is a term coined by author and journalist Cory Doctorow to describe the pattern where online platforms and services decline in quality over time. It follows a three-stage process: first, platforms are good to users; second, they abuse users to favor business customers; third, they squeeze both to maximize short-term profits for shareholders, resulting in a "shitty," broken user experience. It is also known as crapification and platform decay.
Kemosabe
Kemosabe is the term the fictional Native American sidekick Tonto used for the Lone Ranger in the Lone Ranger radio program and television show (1949-1957). Derived from gimoozaabi, an Ojibwe and Potawatomi word meaning 'he/she looks out in secret,' it has at times been translated as ‘trusted scout’ or ‘faithful friend.’
Werds and Frazes
in the nick of time:
‘In the nick of time’ is an idiom meaning to do something at the last possible moment, just before it is too late or a negative outcome occurs. It signifies a narrow escape or a timely action that prevents a disaster. It is commonly used to describe saving someone or something at the very last moment. (Example: ‘The police arrived in the nick of time.’) The phrase is believed to date back to the 17th century, stemming from "nick" meaning a precise point or notch. It likely relates to the practice of marking time or scores by cutting notches (nicks) into a tally stick.
agathokakological:
Agathokakological is an adjective meaning composed of both good and evil, often used to describe things with a dual nature, such as human character or technology. Coined in 1834 by English poet laureate Robert Southey, it stems from the Greek roots agathos (good) and kakos (bad). The word is famously rare, functioning more as a lexical curiosity or as a term that captures the world's inherent duality. It is often considered a tongue-twister.
ugh:
‘Ugh’ is an interjection used to express disgust, annoyance, frustration, horror, or aversion to something gross or unpleasant. It is usually pronounced to rhyme with ‘bug,’ though it can also be pronounced as a throaty sound. It originated in 1765 (used by playwright Samuel Foote) and often appears as ‘ugh, ugh, ugh’ to represent a coughing or grunting sound or a visceral reaction to something unpleasant. Synonyms include "ew," "yuck," "argh," and "ick". (Example: ‘Ugh, that smells bad!’)
gauntlet:
The earliest known use of the word gauntlet (borrowed from the French term gantelet) dates to around 1420. The phrase throw down the gauntlet refers to someone—most likely a medi-
eval knight—throwing a gauntlet at an opponent’s feet to issue a challenge to duel. The person on the receiving end was usually expected to accept the challenge by “taking up the gauntlet,” otherwise they’d be dishonored.
The medieval term for a protective glove also appears in the less common phrase “run the gauntlet.” This derives from the English word gantlope, which originated in the Swedish gatlopp (a combination of gata, meaning “road,” and lop, meaning “course”). The term referred to a military punishment in which a person had to walk between two rows of armed men who struck them with clubs or other weapons. Like throwing down the gauntlet, running the gauntlet is associated with a challenge or trial that a person must endure.
egads!:
‘Egads’ (or ‘egad’) is a 17th-century interjection expressing surprise, shock, or dismay. It serves as a mild oath or a euphemistic substitute for ‘Oh God’ to avoid blasphemy. It is rarely used today except to sound old-fashioned or comic. Synonyms include ‘gosh,’ ‘oh my,’ or ‘zounds.’
Similarly, ‘heck’ is a mild, euphemistic interjection for ‘hell,’ used to express annoyance or surprise, or for emphasis. It has been used since around 1865 and is commonly used as a milder alternative to profanity in phrases like ‘what the heck’ or ‘for the heck of it.’
philtrum:
The philtrum is the vertical indentation or groove that runs from the bottom of the nose to the top of the upper lip. While it serves no active biological purpose in humans today, its structure and shape are significant in both facial aesthetics and developmental medicine. The term derives from the ancient Greek word philtron, meaning "love charm" or "love potion," because ancient Greeks considered it an erogenous zone.
I've just discovered an origami porn channel. Sadly, it's only on paper view.
é Jay Silverheels (Tonto) and his horse (Scout) and Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger) and his horse (Silver)
Some people didn't just fall from this stupid tree; they were dragged through the entire dumbass forest.
Passing Gas
The medical term for burping (or belching) is eructation. It is the release of gas or air from the stomach or esophagus through the mouth. Eructation is a normal bodily function, usually caused by swallowing air, eating too quickly, or drinking carbonated beverages.
The medical term for a fart is flatulence. It refers to the passage of gas (or flatus) from the digestive system through the rectum. The average person produces up to 14 farts per day, which is a normal part of digestion and the breakdown of food by bacteria in the intestines.
The Strait of Hormuz
The “Hormuz” part derives from the historic Kingdom of Hormuz, a major trading power in the Persian Gulf
7th Heaven | Cloud 9
If someone says they are in seventh heaven, they are expressing that they are completely delighted, thrilled, or on top of the world. The phrase originates from ancient religious and cosmological beliefs—particularly in Islamic, Jewish, and ancient Mesopotamian traditions—that held the universe consisted of seven distinct layers of heaven.
In these cosmologies, the seventh heaven is the highest and most exalted tier. It is regarded as the dwelling place of God, divine beings, and ultimate perfection. Because the seventh heaven was seen as the closest a soul could come to God, being "in" it became a common expression for being as close as possible to ultimate happiness and perfection.
Similarly, “on cloud nine” is an idiom for a state of extreme happiness, elation, or euphoria—as though you are floating high above the world on a cloud. The most widely accepted theory about the origin of this saying
during the medieval period. Originally, the kingdom was based on the mainland of what is now southern Iran, but it later moved to Hormuz Island for defensive and commercial reasons.
Regarding the deeper linguistic roots, “Hormuz” is thought to derive from Ahura Mazda, the chief god in ancient Persian religion (Zoroastrianism). Over time, “Ahura Mazda” was shortened and transformed in Middle Persian into forms such as “Hormizd” or “Hormuz,”
Foot the bill
An idiom meaning to pay for goods or services, particularly when the amount is substantial or unexpected. It implies taking financial responsibility for an expense, such as dinner, tuition, or repairs. The phrase originates from the practice of tallying up columns of figures and writing the total at the bottom (or "foot") of the page. Over time, "footing" a document to get the final sum became synonymous with settling the final account.
relates to weather classification. In the 20th century, the U.S. Weather Bureau categorized cloud types and assigned them numbers by altitude. Cumulonimbus clouds (often associated with thunderstorms) were classified as the ninth type. Because these clouds rise to the highest altitudes—reaching up to 40,000 feet—being on one meant you were higher than anything else.
which then became the name of the kingdom and, eventually, the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz takes its name from this historically powerful regional center, whose name itself traces back to an ancient deity. In short: Ahura Mazda → Hormizd/Hormuz → Kingdom/ Island of Hormuz → Strait of Hormuz.
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Flying the American Flag at Half Staff
The U.S. flag is flown at half-staff (or half-mast) to signal national, state, or local mourning. Flags are lowered by presidential proclamation, by executive order of state governors, or on federally mandated half-staff holidays.
2026 Federally Mandated Half-Staff Holidays
National Firefighters Memorial Day –May 4th (sunrise until sunset)
Peace Officers Memorial Day – May 15th (sunrise until sunset)
Memorial Day – last Monday in May (sunrise until noon)
Patriot Day – September 11th (sunrise until sunset)
Korean War Veterans Armistice Day –July 27th (sunrise until sunset)
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day –December 7th (sunrise to sunset)
In the early days of our country, no regulations existed for flying the flag at half-staff and, as a result, there were many conflicting policies. But on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower
The Difference Between a Beatnik and a Hippie
These terms are often conflated, yet they describe different generations, cultural attitudes, and historical contexts. Beatnik, coined in 1958 by journalist Herbert Gold and popularized by San Francisco columnist Art Seidenbaum, is a playful spin on the “Beat Generation” and the Soviet “-nik” suffix (as in Sputnik), giving it a slightly cheeky, outsider feel. It was used from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.
Beatniks were part of the Beat Generation, a group of writers and thinkers (such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs) who reacted against post-WWII conformity, materialism, and mainstream culture. They were literary, intellectual, and often bohemian, exploring existential questions, Eastern philosophy, jazz, and poetry. They were often seen as alien-
issued a proclamation on the proper times.
The flag should fly at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the President or a Former President. It is to fly 10 days at half-staff after the death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. For an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a Former Vice President, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the
ated or countercultural, but less politically activist than later hippies, and were often typified by wearing black turtlenecks, berets, and goatees, and by frequenting jazz clubs and coffeehouses.
“Hip” existed earlier in jazz culture, meaning aware or in the know; “hippie” appeared in the early 1960s and was popularized by San Francisco newspapers. By the mid-1960s, it was firmly
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, or the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff from the day of death until interment.
The flag is to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels in the Washington, D.C., area on the day and day after the death of a United States Senator, Representative, Territorial Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials. Upon the death of the governor of a state, territory or possession, the flag should be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in that governor’s state, territory or possession from the day of death until interment.
The President may order the flag to be flown at half-staff to mark the death of other officials, former officials, or foreign dignitaries. In addition to these occasions, the President may order half-staff display of the flag after other tragic events.
associated with the youth counterculture movement. It remained in popular use through the 1970s.
Hippies embraced peace, love, communal living, and anti-war activism, especially opposition to the Vietnam War. They were rooted in the Beat ethos (rejection of mainstream culture) but were more socially expressive and politically engaged. Typical characteristics of hippies included long hair and colorful clothing (often in psychedelic patterns). Their music choices included rock, folk, and psychedelic. (Festivals like Woodstock epitomized the culture.) They placed heavy emphasis on drugs for consciousness expansion (LSD, marijuana) and were often involved in environmentalism, civil rights, and spiritual exploration (Eastern religions, meditation.)
Elbridge Gerry –
Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering isn’t just a modern political tactic—it dates back more than 200 years to a specific moment in early American history. The practice is named after Elbridge Gerry, who served as governor of Massachusetts in the early 1800s. In 1812, his administration approved a redistricting plan intended to benefit his political party, the Democratic-Republicans.
One of the newly drawn state senate districts had a bizarre, twisting shape that critics said resembled a salamander. A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette labeled it a “Gerry-mander”—a mashup of his name and “salamander.” The term stuck, and today “gerrymandering” broadly refers to manipulating district boundaries for political gain.
What Gerry’s allies did in 1812 is essentially the same strategy used today: draw districts to concentrate or disperse voters to maximize your party’s chances. The core idea hasn’t changed since Gerry’s time: whoever controls redistricting can shape electoral outcomes—sometimes dramatically— without changing a single vote.
Ironically, Gerry himself reportedly disliked the oddly shaped district and may not have fully grasped the political backlash it would spark. Yet his name became permanently attached to one of the most enduring—and controversial—features of American politics. To see the full picture—from Elbridge Gerry in 1812 to what’s happening in 2026—you can think of gerrymandering as having evolved from a single oddly shaped district into a nationwide, high-stakes political strategy.
é The political cartoon that gave birth to the term "Gerrymandering."
Traditionally, maps are redrawn once every 10 years after the census. But in 2025–2026, states are redrawing maps again mid-decade, a rare occurrence. As of now, several states have already changed their maps or are trying to, and at least a dozen are in litigation or active fights over districts. Both parties are openly trying to gain congressional seats ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections. What we see now is politicians choosing their voters, instead of voters choosing their politicians.
Kabuki Theater
Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese theater that blends dramatic performance with traditional dance. It is known for its highly stylized performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes, and the elaborate kumadori makeup worn by some of its performers.
It is thought to have originated in the early Edo period, when the art's founder, Izumo no Okuni, formed a female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art later evolved into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theater in 1629. Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the mid-18th century.
In 2005, kabuki theater was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage site of outstanding universal value. In 2008, it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
é Elbridge Gerry.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the creation of a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes. By mimicking natural sounds, these words bring sensory details to life in both speech and writing.
Different languages have distinct sets of sounds (phonemes) and rules for combining them. A language's sound system shapes how speakers approximate natural sounds. For example, the sound a dog makes might be represented as "woof" in English but "wan-wan" in Japanese because the two languages use different phonetic systems
People from different cultures perceive and interpret sounds in different ways. This means that even if two people hear the same sound, they might describe it differently based on cultural norms and language-specific tendencies. For example, the sound of a rooster crowing is often "cock-a-doodle-doo" in English, while in French it’s "cocorico," reflecting different cultural interpretations of the same sound.
Each language has specific morphological and syntactic rules that shape how words are formed. Onomatopoeic words must fit the language's grammatical structure, so they adapt to its rules. This can lead to different representations of the same sound. For instance, in Korean, "meong-meong" is used to represent a dog's bark, which conforms to Korean phonological patterns
Historical development and social influences can also shape how onomatopoeic words evolve across lan-
guages. As languages change over time, so do their onomatopoeic expressions, leading to variations even among closely related languages.
The writing system of a language (orthographic conventions) can also affect how sounds are represented. For example, the same sound might be spelled differently across languages with different alphabets or writing systems, resulting in different onomatopoeic words. n
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
TR E DAT
Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. The mythical creature has been a celebrated symbol for centuries, appearing on the Scottish royal coat of arms in the 12th century and on gold coins in the 1600s. One theory for why the Scots chose the unicorn is that it’s long been regarded as the natural enemy of the lion, England’s symbol. In Scotland, April 9th is National Unicorn Day.
A patriotic coincidence: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third U.S. presidents, both died on July 4, 1826— exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The US coin bearing the phrase "Mind Your Business" is the 1787 Fugio Cent. Also known as the Franklin cent, it was the first official circulating coin authorized by the United States. Designed by Benjamin Franklin, the coin features a sundial and the Latin word Fugio (meaning "I flee" or "time flies") alongside the phrase "Mind Your Business" at the bottom. The reverse shows a chain of 13 linked circles representing the original colonies and the motto "WE ARE ONE." “Mind Your Business” was replaced by “In God We Trust” during the Civil War, primarily in response to heightened religious sentiment.
A ‘jiffy’ is an informal term for a very short, unspecified period, but it also has technical definitions as a unit of time.
It is commonly cited as 1/100th of a second in computing and electronics, and in physics, it is defined as the time it takes light to travel 1 centimeter in a vacuum, roughly 33.36 picoseconds.
In 1881, Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist in Buffalo, N.Y., invented the electric chair after witnessing a freak accident in which a man was electrocuted after touching a live generator terminal. The incident sparked the idea that electrocution might be a quicker, more humane method of capital punishment than the guillotine or hanging.
Running out of gas on Germany’s high-speed autobahn is illegal because it’s considered a preventable situation. Stopping on the autobahn, even driving over the shoulder, is prohibited unless it’s an absolute emergency.
For many people, the anxiety of being detached from their phone or lacking cell service is real. The condition, Nomophobia, stands for No Mobile Phone Phobia and can cause symptoms such as sweating, shaking, agitation, and even breathing difficulties. According to Forbes, Nomophobia can affect up to 73% of people.
Neither rabbits nor horses can vomit.
In L. Frank Baum’s original book, THE WIZARD OF OZ, Dorothy has blonde hair, not brown.
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7641 islands and is home to over 115 million people.
In August 2024, a Great Pyrenees named Khaleesi beat out three other dogs to become the ‘honorary’ mayor of Cormorant, MN, a town with a population of fewer than 1,400. While Khaleesi doesn’t perform any official executive duties, she does make appearances at parades.
The human body has 206 bones. However, at birth, humans have about 300 bones, many of which fuse as we grow, resulting in the 206 bones found in adults. More than half of these bones are in the hands and feet, with 27 bones in each hand and 26 in each foot. Another interesting fact about human bones is that they are as strong as granite. A small piece of bone can support up to 9 tons of weight!
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Give up their nuclear aspirations and destroy their enriched uranium.
A farrago is a jumble of odds and ends—a random collection of items, a disorganized mix of things that don't fit together. Farrago sounds more formal than hodgepodge or mishmash, but it means about the same thing. We hope you enjoy this new feature of
What is the most important thing the other side must do to end this war?
He said, ‘No comment.’
*These damn Americans think they rule the world. Well, not here they don't - not this fucking part of the world! And as long as they stay in this part of the world, we will attack their bases, their ships, their people, and their allies. There will be no end to this war unless and until they leave - and, in the meantime, they will be in deep shit! They will pay a huge price - in lives lost, in money spent, in stature, prestige, and credibility lost throughout the world.
MORON... THIS... LATER.
SWEEPING ACROSS THE NATION
A stressed little old lady at the supermarket asked me to find the least busy checkout for her. After a quick scan, I noticed the queue at the other end looked okay, so I pointed and said, “Far queue”. She hit me with her handbag and stormed off.
BY GABRIELA STINSON STREET
HABITATIONAL INSURANCE
Habitational insurance is a specialized commercial policy designed for owners and managers of residential rental properties, including apartments, condos, and student housing. It safeguards investments by combining property damage coverage, general liability, and loss of rental income into a single, tailored package. This coverage is essential for anyone operating in ‘commercial residential real estate’, including owners of apartment buildings and multifamily dwellings, condominium associations, hotels, motels, timeshares, short-term rental operators (Airbnb, VRBO), senior living communities, student housing, boarding houses, and mixed-use developments with residential units above retail or office space.
INSURAN E
A habitational exposure policy typically includes Commercial Property Coverage, which protects the physical structures (buildings, fixtures) and interior furnishings against wind, fire, and storm damage; General Liability, which covers medical and legal expenses if a tenant or guest is injured on the premises (e.g., a slip-and-fall); and Loss of Rental Income, which reimburses you for lost revenue if a covered disaster renders the property temporarily uninhabitable.
adequate insurance, a property owner's investment and personal assets may be at risk. However, simply purchasing an insurance policy is not enough. Every rental property is different, and coverage needs vary by property type, location, age, occupancy, and ownership structure.
For this reason, it is essential to work with a knowledgeable, experienced insurance agent. A qualified agent can identify potential exposures, explain coverage options, and ensure that policy limits and endorsements are appropriate for the specific property. They can also help owners avoid costly coverage gaps that may not become apparent until after a claim occurs.
Commercial residential real estate generally refers to residential property owned, developed, financed, or operated as an income-producing business rather than as an owner-occupied home. These properties are often classified as commercial real estate because they are purchased and valued primarily for the income they generate through rents, even though people live in them. [The exact classification can vary by jurisdiction, lender, insurer, or regulatory agency. In the United States, properties with one to four dwelling units are often treated as residential real estate for financing purposes, while those with five or more units are usually classified as commercial real estate, even though they are residential in use.]
[Standard homeowners’ policies are designed for owner-occupied homes, not for commercial landlords. Habitational risks are highly dynamic because they involve multiple tenants and varying levels of property turnover. Property owners need a tailored habitational policy to protect their investments.]
Depending on your specific needs, you can customize your coverage to include Equipment Breakdown, which protects essential systems such as central HVAC or boilers; Assault & Battery, which covers legal defense and settlements if a tenant is attacked on the property; Cyber Liability, which safeguards against data breaches and the theft of tenant information; Pollution or Habitability Coverage, which protects owners from claims regarding unlivable conditions, such as mold or toxic substances; and Employment Practices Liability, which shields a business from employee claims of wrongful termination or discrimination.
A single fire, severe storm, tenant injury, or liability lawsuit can lead to substantial financial losses. Without
Habitational insurance should be viewed not as an expense but as a critical component of responsible property ownership. By partnering with a trusted insurance professional and maintaining proper coverage, rental property owners can better protect their investments, income, and long-term financial security. n
Does your asshole ever get jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth?
Gabriela Stinson Street is co-owner of Street Insurance Agency.
Have you ever listened to someone for a while and wondered, ‘Who ties your shoelaces for you?’
ADNOC HEADQUARTERS
ADNoc heADquArters is A skyscraper office complex in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It serves as the corporate headquarters of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
The building, which features a distinctive parallelogram-shaped design and a double-skin façade for energy efficiency, incorporates LED exterior lighting. Designed by HOK, the overall building complex consists of 76 stories (1,222 feet) and includes an office tower, a resort spa club, the Supreme Petroleum Council, the Crisis Management Center, a heritage museum, and other supporting facilities. It is in a prestigious area of the city, highlighting its central role in the UAE's oil and gas sector.
THE MOHAMMED VI TOWER
the MohAMMeD Vi tower, an 820-foot skyscraper designed by Rafael de La Hoz and Hakim Benjelloun, has opened in Morocco, making it the country’s tallest building and the third-tallest in Africa (and the 691st-tallest in the world). Rising 55 stories above the Bou Regreg River between Rabat and Salé, the tower marks a new architectural landmark for the region.
Commissioned by billionaire Othman Benjelloun and developed by O Tower,
THE FACTOR
It is the second-tallest building in Abu Dhabi and the nineteenth-tallest office building in the world. Its helipad is also the highest in the Middle East and the second highest in the world. The building has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in the Building Design and Construction category.
the project began in 2017. Its rocket-like profile—inspired by Benjelloun’s 1969 visit to a NASA simulator—houses offices, residences, exhibition spaces,
an observatory, and a Waldorf Astoria hotel. A photovoltaic double-skin façade on the south side provides both solar energy generation and thermal protection.
Interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon oversaw the building’s material palette, which features marble, bronze, Cordoba leather, zellige tilework, and wood paneling.
The tower surpasses Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque to become Morocco’s tallest structure. It now ranks behind only Algeria’s Great Mosque of Algiers Tower and Egypt’s Iconic Tower among completed African skyscrapers. Egypt’s Alamein Iconic Tower, expected to finish later this year, is set to overtake it.
Morocco’s building boom continues with the Grand Stade Hassan II—a 115,000-seat stadium designed by Oualalou + Choi and Populous for the 2030 World Cup and projected to become the world’s largest soccer venue. n
BY ADAM MCCANN
the cost of buyiNg a home has surged in recent years, far outpacing inflation and making homeownership out of reach for many Americans. Even for those who can manage high mortgage payments, additional housing expenses, such as costly utility bills, can place a significant strain on their budgets.
To highlight where Americans spend the most and least on housing, WalletHub analyzed mortgage and home energy payments across all 50 states. Then, they combined these costs and compared them to each state’s median household income.
In-Depth Look at the States Where People Spend the Most Hawaii
People in Hawaii spend the most on housing as a per-
TRENDI G
States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Housing
centage of their income. The average Hawaiian shells out 50% of their income on monthly mortgage payments and home energy costs. For comparison, Iowa residents spend an average of about 17% of their income on housing costs.
Residents of Hawaii have the fourth-highest median household income in the country, at $100,389. However, housing is so expensive in the state that people spend a disproportionate share of their income on it. The state has both the most expensive mortgage (principal and interest) payments and the highest home energy costs in the country, solidifying its standing as the costliest state in the study.
California
Californians spend the second-highest share of income on housing, with average costs reaching 43% of the state's median household income. Since California has the fifth-highest median household income in the country, at $99,122 per year,
this indicates that the cost of living is extremely high. People in California have the second-highest mortgage payments in the country and the sixth-highest home energy costs.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ranks third among the states with the highest housing costs. The average resident pays about 34% of their income on housing. While that’s a significant difference from the percentages in Hawaii and California, it’s still far from cheap. The state has the second-highest home energy costs in the U.S. and the third-highest mortgage costs, which is why it ranks so high in this study. In addition, Massachusetts has a higher median household income than the other top states, at $103,960 per year, which means that even a higher median household income doesn’t fully offset the state’s high housing and energy costs.
Tips for Saving on Housing
GET A SHORTER MORTGAGE:
You can save a staggering amount on interest by taking out a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year mortgage. Naturally, your monthly payments will be much higher, but if you can afford it, your wallet will thank you in the long run.
IMPROVE YOUR BUDGET-
ING SKILLS: Learning how to budget properly is essential to making sure you have enough money to cover your
monthly housing bills on top of all your other expenses. If you haven’t bought a house yet but plan to in the future, you should strive to budget money each month toward a down payment, after covering your basic needs and paying down existing debt.
MAKE A LARGE DOWN PAYMENT:
The larger your down payment, the less interest you’ll pay over the course of your mortgage and the better interest rates you may receive. Plus, making a down payment of at least 20% of the property’s price will prevent you from having to purchase private mortgage insurance.
Minimize your use of utilities: Utilities won’t be as big a cost as your mortgage, but they still add up quickly. Taking shorter showers, lowering your thermostat by a few degrees in the winter, raising it by a few in the summer, turning off lights when they’re not needed, and other steps to minimize your use of utilities can save you a lot.
IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT BEFORE BUYING: The better your credit score, the better your mortgage interest rate is likely to be. The best ways to improve your credit score include making on-time payments on your existing debts, keeping your credit utilization low, and checking your credit report for errors. You can check your credit score and report for free on WalletHub.
To view the whole report to understand the methodology, and to read expert commentary, click <HERE>. n
I'm not one to brag, but I finished the puzzle in less than a week. It said 2-4 years on the box.
My girlfriend discovered I was cheating on her, having found a pile of letters I’d hidden. She said she’s never playing Scrabble with me again.
The Seven Wonders
of The Baroque Era
this is pArt 12 of our series – 200 Wonders!
Chambord Chateau, France
The Château de Chambord in Chambord, France, is one of the world’s most recognizable châteaux, known for its distinctive French Renaissance architecture, which blends traditional medieval French forms with classical Renaissance elements. The building was commissioned by King Francis I of France and constructed between 1519 and 1547. (Yes, it took 28 years to build it!)
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque of Istanbul, Turkey
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (popularly known as the Blue Mosque) is an Ottoman-era imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I. It attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic monuments of Ottoman architecture. It has a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the prayer hall. It is fronted by a large courtyard and flanked by six minarets.
Chambord (the largest château in the Loire Valley) was built as a hunting lodge for Francis I. The château's original design is attributed to the Tuscan architect Domenico da Cortona; Leonardo da Vinci may also have influenced it.
In 1792, in the wake of the French Revolution, some of the furnishings were sold and timber removed. For a time, the building was left abandoned, though in the 19th century some attempts were made to restore it. During the Second World War, artworks from the collections of the Louvre and the Château de Compiègne were moved to the Château de Chambord, which is now open to the public.
Châteaux in the 16th century departed from castle architecture. Indeed, while they were offshoots of castles, with features commonly associated with them, they lacked serious defenses. Extensive gardens and water features, such as moats, were common among châteaux from this period. Chambord is no exception to this pattern. The layout is reminiscent of a typical castle, with a keep, corner towers, and a moat. Built in the Renaissance style, the internal layout is an early example of the French and Italian practice of grouping rooms into self-contained suites, a departure from the medieval style of corridor rooms. The massive château is composed of a central keep with four bastion towers at the corners. The keep also forms part of the front wall of a larger compound with two larger towers. Bases for two additional towers are found at the rear, but these were never developed and remain the same height as the wall. The château features 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases. Four rectangular vaulted hallways on each floor form a cross shape.
On the inside, it is decorated with thousands of Iznik tiles and painted floral motifs in predominantly blue (which gives the mosque its popular name). The mosque's religious complex includes Ahmed's tomb, a madrasa (the Arabic word for an educational institution), and several other buildings in various states of preservation.
It was built next to the former Hippodrome and stands across from the Hagia Sophia, another popular tourist destination. The Blue Mosque was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985.
The mosque's architect, Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, synthesized his master Sinan's ideas, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty, and splendor. According to the architect's official biographer, the mosque was the culmination of his career. Reflecting the classical Ottoman style of the period, the structure blends elements of Byzantine architecture from the neighboring Hagia Sophia with Islamic architecture. It was the last great mosque of this classical period.
While architectural historians have criticized certain details of the mosque's structure and decoration when compared with Sinan's earlier works,[a] the mosque remains one of the most impressive and widely admired monuments of Ottoman architecture.
GIRAUD
The Hieronymites Monastery of Lisbon, Portugal
The Hieronymites Monastery (a/k/a Jerónimos Monastery) is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus River in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal Aviz dynasty in the 16th century but was secularized in December 1833 by state decree, and its ownership was transferred to the charitable institution Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.
The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style in Lisbon. It was built in the early 1500s near the departure point of Vasco da Gama's first voyage, and its construction was funded by a tax on the profits of the annual Portuguese India Armadas. In 1880, da Gama's remains and those of the poet Luís de Camões (who celebrated da Gama's first voyage in his 1572 epic poem The Lusiad ) were moved to carved tombs in the nave of the monastery's church, only a few yards from the tombs of the kings Manuel I and John III, whom da Gama had served. In 1983, the Jerónimos Monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The construction of the monastery and church began in 1501 and was completed 100 years later. King Manuel originally funded the project with money from the Vintena da Pimenta, a 5 percent tax on commerce from Africa and the Orient, equivalent to 150 lbs of gold per year.
Vatican City
Vatican City, a landlocked ecclesiastical city-state and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is an enclave surrounded by Rome and situated on the west bank of the Tiber River. It is the world’s smallest fully independent nationstate. It's home to the Pope and a trove of iconic art and architecture. The Vatican Museums house ancient Roman sculptures, including the famed “Laocoön and His Sons,” as well as Renaissance frescoes in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling.
é St. Peter's Square as seen from the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, facing east towards Via della Conciliazione
DAVID
Vatican City is considered a country because it possesses all the attributes of an independent nation-state. It is the world's smallest fully independent nation-state. The Lateran Treaty of 1929 recognized Vatican City's independent sovereignty. The government of Vatican City is the Holy See, led by the Pope.
To be considered a country, a sovereign unit needs to have a permanent population, defined territorial boundaries, a government, and the ability to enter into agreements with other states. Vatican City meets these criteria, maintaining diplomatic relations with other independent states. It has its own telephone system, post office, gardens, astronomical observatory, radio station, banking system, and pharmacy.
and His Sons.
The sculpture Laocoön and His Sons, on display at the Vatican since its rediscovery in 1506, depicts the suffering of the Trojan prince and priest Laocoön (brother of Anchises) and his young sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus. It is among the most famous and fascinating statues of antiquity. In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder states that the Laocoön, created by the eminent Rhodian sculptors Hagesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus, “is a work of art to be preferred to any other painting or statuary.”
In 1508, the Pope commissioned the celebrated Florentine sculptor and painter Michelangelo (1475-1564) to paint scenes on the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. The walls of the chapel had already been decorated by some of the greatest Renaissance artists, but in four years of toil, Michelangelo would outshine them all with his ambition and technical skill, producing one of the defining works of Western art in any century. The multi-panel ceiling depicts the story of Genesis, from the Creation to Noah and the Great Flood. Essentially, the scenes show the creation of humanity, its fall from grace, and its ultimate redemption.
The Wieliczka Salt Mines, Poland
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland.
From Neolithic times, sodium chloride (table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka salt mine, excavated in the 13th century, was one of the world's oldest operating salt mines and produced table salt continuously until 1996. Throughout its history, the royal salt mine was operated by the Żupy Krakowskie (Kraków Salt Mines) company. Due to falling salt prices and mine flooding, commercial salt mining was discontinued in 1996.
The mine reaches a depth of 1,073 ft and extends through horizontal passages and chambers for more than 178 miles. The rock salt varies in shades of gray, resembling unpolished granite rather than the white crystalline substance one might expect. It is now an official Polish Historic Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its attractions include the shafts and labyrinthine passageways, displays of historic
“My dog tells me you’re on drugs!” I said, “You’ve got a talking dog, but you think I’m the one on drugs?!”
A policeman with a dog said to me,
JEBULON, CC0 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
é Saint Peter's Basilica facade.
é Laocoön
People are prisoners of their phones. That's why they're called ‘cell’ phones.
salt-mining technology, an underground lake, four chapels, numerous statues carved by miners from rock salt, and more recent sculptures by contemporary artists.
é South view of the Schönbrunn Palace and park.
Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna, Austria
Schönbrunn Palace, the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, is located in Vienna. The name Schönbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring") derives from an artesian well from which the court drew water. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the country's most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans more than 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. It has been a major tourist attraction since the mid-1950s.
In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased a large floodplain of the Wien River beneath a hill and ordered the area to be fenced and stocked with game such as pheasants, ducks, deer, and boar, so it could serve as the court's recreational hunting ground. In a small, separate part of the area, turkeys and peafowl were kept. Fishponds were also excavated.
Centuries later, Franz Joseph, Austria's longest-reigning emperor, was born at Schönbrunn and spent much of his life there. (He died there at the age of 86 in 1916.) After the Habsburg monarchy fell in November 1918, the palace became the property of the newly founded Austrian Republic and was preserved as a museum.
During World War II, the palace was bombed by American warplanes. After the war, during the Allied Occupation of Austria (1945–1955), it was requisitioned to provide office
Versailles Palace, France
The Palace of Versailles is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 11 miles west of the city center of Paris, France.
The palace is owned by the government of France and, since 1995, has been managed, under the direction of the French Ministry of Culture. About 15,000,000 people visit the palace, park, or gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
Louis XIII built a hunting lodge at Versailles in 1623. His successor, Louis XIV, expanded the château into a palace that went through several expansions in phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favourite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who primarily made interior alterations to the palace, but in 1789 the royal family and French court returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted.
Napoleon, following his coronation as Emperor, used the subsidiary palace, Grand Trianon, as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814, but did not use the main palace. Following the Bourbon Restoration, when the king was returned to the throne, he resided in Paris and it was not until the 1830s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace. A museum of French history was installed within it, replacing the courtiers' apartments of the southern wing.
The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for its importance as the center of power, art, and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries.
space for both the British Delegation to the Allied Commission for Austria and the headquarters of the small British Military Garrison in Vienna. With the reestablishment of the Austrian Republic in 1955, the palace once again became a museum.
It is still sometimes used for important events, such as the 1961 meeting between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. UNESCO added Schönbrunn Palace to the World Heritage List in 1996. n
POPULATION GROWTH HOLDS STEADY IN MIDSIZED CITIES AMID WIDESPREAD SLOWDOWN
incorporated places in the New York metro's outer reaches ranked among the country’s 200 fastest-growing places by percentage change, led by Port Chester, N.Y., which ranked 80th with a 4.1% increase. These fast-growing suburbs are all medium-sized, with populations between 25,000 and 40,000.
Growth slowdowns in the nation’s largest cities were most pronounced in the Northeast, where regional trends, including a decline in population gains from net international migration and domestic migration patterns favoring warm-weather destinations, trickled down into these major population centers.
Changes in Householder Race and Ethnicity
AMiD A NAtioNwiDe slowDowN in population growth, midsized cities remained close to their previous-year patterns between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. Average growth declines were steeper among the largest cities, according to U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates released on May 14th.
Even in the largest cities, growth was often outpaced by smaller cities in the outer portions of the same metro area. For example, Charlotte, N.C. — the nation’s 14th-largest city — gained 20,731 residents between 2024 and 2025, more than any other city in the country. However, among cities with populations of 20,000 or more, Charlotte ranked only 7th-fastest in its own metro area by percentage. The fastest was Fort Mill, S.C. — about 20 miles from downtown Charlotte — which grew by 6.8% to 38,673, ranking 20th nationally. The cities in the metro area that outranked Charlotte in growth were all midsized, with populations ranging from about 25,000 to 70,000.
One
Two
Similar patterns, in which the growth of central cities was outpaced by surrounding mid-sized cities, were evident throughout the country. “Big-city growth slowed significantly between 2024 and 2025, with some major hubs even recording small declines,” noted Matt Erickson, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “In contrast, midsized cities found a ‘Goldilocks zone’ where domestic and international migration, paired with new housing, helped avoid the sluggish growth seen in small towns and larger metropolitan centers.” Alternatively, New York City’s population declined by 12,196 between 2024 and 2025, the largest numeric decrease in the nation. Yet four
The slowdown was not confined to the Northeast. Among the largest cities, average growth rates fell by at least half in every region compared with the prior year. This was true even in the South, where cities and towns continued to lead the nation in average growth. Although the greatest declines were among the largest cities, average growth rates were lower across cities of all sizes and in every region compared with the prior year. In the Midwest, midsized cities were no exception. But relative to other regions, they maintained relatively stable population change.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The top five fastest-growing cities in the nation with populations of 20,000 or more were all in Texas, with four clustered in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area’s suburbs and the fifth outside Houston. Celina, Texas (near Dallas), was the nation’s fastest-growing city, surging by 24.6%. Rapid growth is nothing new for Celina, which was also the nation’s fastest-growing city in 2023.
• The South dominates the lists of the nation’s fastest-growing and
JULY 1, 2024-JULY 1, 2025
Note: Data on race/ethnicity, marital status, household social characteristics, age, veteran or active military status, and move-in pertain to the householder (the primary owner, renter, or occupant). Household composition categories are not mutually exclusive. More than one category may apply to a unit. “Extended family” means a relative of the householder who is not their spouse or child. When necessary, variables from 2023 and 1973 were recoded for compatibility. Note that in 1973, the military variable refects householder’s service status as of 1970 (three years prior to the survey), whereas in 2023, the military variable refects householder’s current service status. All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. All comparisons between 1973 and 2023 are signifcantly dierent at the 90 percent level, except for one age comparison. Defnitions and more information on confdentiality protection, methodology, and sampling and nonsampling error are available at <www.census.gov/ahs>. The U.S. Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confdential source data used to produce this product (Data Management System [DMS] number: P-7533599; Disclosure Review Board [DRB] approval number: CBDRB-FY25-SEHSD003-066).
*Not statistically dierent between 1973 and 2023.
More Veterans and Service Members Became Homeowners
Percent of householders with veteran or active military status
Fewer Owners and Renters Recently Moved
Percent of householders who moved in within last 12 months
highest-gaining cities. The region claims 10 of the nation’s 15 fastest-growing cities and 11 of the 12 largest numeric gains.
• Austin, Texas, is now one of a dozen U.S. cities with at least 1 million residents after crossing the seven-digit population threshold between 2024 and 2025.
• Raleigh, N.C., crossed the 500,000-population threshold between
Source: U.S.
Our pet mouse, Elvis, died last night. He was caught in a trap.
Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1973 and 2023 American Housing Surveys.
NATIONAL AND STATE-LEVEL HOUSING STOCKS
Although population growth slowed nationwide between 2024 and 2025, housing growth did not. The nation’s housing stock — defined as the total number of housing units — reached 148.3 million in 2025, up 1.4 million (1.0%) from 2024, nearly identical to the increase over the previous one-year period. From April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025, the housing stock increased by 7.8 million (5.5%).
California continued to lead all states in total housing stock by a wide margin, with little change in the overall rankings. California’s 15 million
BARACK OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
the 19-Acre presiDeNtiAl center opened on Juneteenth (June 19th) on Chicago’s South Side, rooted in the Chicago community where Michelle Obama grew up and where Barack Obama lived as a young man and began his political career. Mrs. Obama insisted that it include a sledding hill for winter. Mr. Obama wanted outdoor barbecue grills. The center features original art and will host community events and leadership programs.
It does not house a traditional physical research library because Barack Obama’s team opted to digitize all presidential records. The official Barack Obama Presidential Library operates digitally, and its physical archives and classified documents are stored and managed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Maryland. This differs from previous presidential libraries in several key ways:
DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY: Rather than using a physical research room, all records and artifacts are accessible online through the Digital Research Room and the National Archives Catalog.
COST SAVINGS : By not including a federally operated research facility on the campus, the Obama Foundation saved tens of millions of dollars in construction and endowment costs. (NARA presidential library buildings are privately funded, and the agency mandates an endowment equal to 60% of the library's construction costs. NARA also has expensive design, security, and structural requirements to meet its
units were followed by Texas (12.8 million) and Florida (10.8 million), while Wyoming (283,800) and Alaska (331,200) had the smallest stock. Idaho consistently had the highest annual percentage growth in housing units from 2020 to 2025. From July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, Idaho recorded a 2.1% increase, followed by Arizona at 2.0% and South Carolina at 1.9%.
Conversely, the District of Columbia and New Jersey had the slowest rates of housing growth, each posting just 0.2% increases, while Alaska, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Connecticut had slightly higher growth rates of 0.3 percent, highlighting the wide variation across the country.
COUNTY-LEVEL HOUSING STOCKS
Jasper County, S.C., had the nation's fastest-growing housing stock for the second year in a row, according to the Vintage 2025 estimates — and by a wide margin. The gap between Jasper County's growth rate (8.3%) and that of the second-fastest-growing county (Dawson County, Ga., at 6.3%) was about the same as the gap between second and 18th on the list.
For the second consecutive year, Maricopa County, Ariz., gained more housing units than any other county: about 42,000 between 2024 and 2025. Rounding out the top five counties by numeric gain in housing units were Harris County, Texas (28,000 units); Kings County, N.Y. (19,000); Los Angeles County, Calif. (19,000); and Tarrant County, Texas (18,000).
The largest numeric decreases in housing units among counties or county equivalents from 2024 to 2025 occurred in St. Louis city, Mo. (202 units); Alexandria city, Va. (127 units); and Newport News city, Va. (123 units).
In June, the Census Bureau is scheduled to release the Vintage 2025 population estimates by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin for the nation, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and counties, as well as population by age and sex for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its municipios. The full release schedule for the Population Estimates Program is available on the Census Bureau’s website n
standards for storing archival materials in perpetuity.)
THE OBAMA CENTER : Instead of a traditional NARA facility, the 19.3-acre campus in Chicago's Jackson Park features the Obama Presidential Center, which focuses on a museum, a community hub, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library rather than federal archival storage.
Under the 1978 Presidential Records Act, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) assumes custody of all presidential records and artifacts when a president leaves office. In May 2017, just months after Barack Obama left office, his team made the surprise announcement that there would be no federal presidential library at the center.
During Obama’s eight years, 1.5 billion pages, including 300 million emails, more than three million digital photos, and other PDFs and tweets, were never on paper, according to NARA, which estimates that 90% of Obama’s records were digitally created. The Obama Presidential Foundation has paid for the digitization of the Obama records. The Obama virtual library model raises the question of whether future presidents will want brick-and-mortar libraries, given that so many documents are born digital. n
BY ANDREW FELDER
REAL ESTATE IN THE POST-COVID WORLD THE
BIG PICTURE
Japan initially adopted remote work during the pandemic but has seen a stronger return to the office than in many Western countries. South Korea has also experienced a significant return to traditional workplace practices. In many developing countries, limitations in broadband access, housing space, and job composition make remote work less common.
Countries with large knowledge-worker sectors (finance, technology, consulting, media) tend to have more remote work. Larger homes and dedicated workspaces make remote work easier. Some countries place greater emphasis on in-person supervision and workplace presence. Long commutes encourage the adoption of remote work.
common in finance, media, and professional services, and daily commuter volumes remain below pre-pandemic levels. Demand for residential space has increased in the outer boroughs and suburban areas; however, the city’s strong concentration of industries and cultural amenities has made it more resilient than some predicted.
In Washington, D.C., federal agencies, contractors, law firms, and consulting firms have adopted extensive telework policies, and downtown office occupancy remains below pre-pandemic levels. The city has explored converting office buildings into residential use.
the shift towArD reMote and hybrid work after the COVID-19 pandemic has been a global phenomenon, though the extent varies significantly by country, industry, and culture. One of the most significant post-pandemic demographic trends across much of the developed world has been the weakening of the traditional link between where people work and where they live. That trend has influenced housing markets from London to Toronto to Sydney, as it has in major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Several countries have maintained substantial levels of remote or hybrid work. The United States is among the world's leaders in hybrid work, particularly in professional and technology occupations. Canada shows a similar pattern, especially in major metropolitan areas. In the United Kingdom, hybrid work remains common among office workers, and in Australia and New Zealand, many employers have retained flexible work arrangements. The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have some of the highest rates of remote work in Europe.
The rise of remote work has affected
real estate markets in many countries: There has been reduced demand for some downtown office space and increased demand for larger suburban and exurban homes. There has been substantial growth in secondary cities as workers no longer need to live near major business districts, and in more than a few instances, office buildings have been converted to residential use.
San Francisco is often considered the city most transformed by remote work. The technology sector has embraced remote and hybrid work more aggressively than most industries. As a result, office vacancy rates have risen sharply, and some workers have relocated to other parts of California or to lower-cost states. Downtown retail and restaurant activity has declined, and residential demand has shifted toward suburban and smaller metropolitan areas.
New York City, the nation's largest office market, has undergone significant changes. Hybrid work remains
Seattle is home to major technology employers. It has seen increased migration to the suburbs and exurbs, reduced office utilization in its central business district, and strong demand for larger homes suitable for home offices.
Chicago's downtown office market has faced substantial challenges. Hybrid work remains common among white-collar employers, and some companies have reduced their office footprints. The city has pursued initiatives
No matter how far you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
to convert office space to residential use.
Austin, Nashville, Tampa, Miami, and Phoenix benefited from remote workers relocating from higher-cost metropolitan areas. These cities attracted workers who could keep their jobs elsewhere while enjoying lower housing costs, warmer climates, or favorable tax environments.
Perhaps the most profound effect has been on metropolitan regions rather than on individual cities. Before 2020, many workers accepted long commutes in exchange for access to urban job centers. Today, workers who commute only two or three days per week can live much farther away. For urban economists and real-estate analysts, this may ultimately be the most significant long-term consequence of remote work: the expansion of the geographic area within which people can reasonably choose to live while remaining employed in a major metropolitan economy.
Three to five years from now, most economists, urban planners, and real-estate analysts expect the United States will not return to its pre-2020 patterns. Instead, a new equilibrium is likely to emerge in which hybrid work remains common among a substantial share of white-collar workers.
Demand in the office market may remain permanently lower than before the pandemic. Many companies are
reducing the amount of space they lease while upgrading to newer, higher-quality buildings. This could create a "flight to quality" in which premium office towers remain desirable while older buildings struggle. Cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington may continue to face significant pressure on older office properties.
Many downtowns have both excess office space and housing shortages. Over the next several years, cities are likely to encourage the conversion of suitable office buildings into apartments, condominiums, hotels, educational facilities, or mixed-use developments. However, only a minority of office buildings are physically wellsuited for conversion, so this will help but will not solve housing shortages by itself.
Many workers no longer need to live near major employment centers every day. This trend could continue to benefit cities such as Boise, Raleigh, Nashville, Greenville, and Bentonville — communities that offer lower housing costs, shorter commutes, and a high quality of life.
The concept of a "commuting zone" is likely to expand. For example, workers in Dallas, Atlanta, or New York City may increasingly live 50 to 100 miles from their workplaces because they commute only occasionally. This could spread housing demand across a wider geographic area and ease some pressure on urban-core housing prices.
One of the strongest housing trends since 2020 has been the demand for dedicated home offices, flexible rooms, high-speed internet access, and multi-functional living spaces, and builders are increasingly designing homes around these preferences.
Many central business districts may evolve from primarily office-based areas into mixed-use neighborhoods. Successful downtowns will likely feature more housing, entertainment, restaurants, cultural attractions, and educational and healthcare facilities. Cities that adapt successfully may become more vibrant outside traditional office hours than before the pandemic.
One often-overlooked consequence is that remote work primarily benefits higher-income, professional occupations. Workers in healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, construction, transportation, and many public-service jobs generally cannot work remotely. As a result, differences in housing choices, commuting costs, and lifestyle flexibility may continue to widen between remote-capable and non-remote-capable workers.
The largest uncertainty over the next five years may not be remote work itself but rather the interaction between remote work and AI. If AI significantly increases productivity among knowledge workers, companies may need less office space and fewer employees while still producing the same output. Alternatively, AI could enable even more geographically dispersed workforces.
The most likely overall outcome is not the decline of cities but their transformation. Major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco are likely to remain economic powerhouses, but they may become less dependent on daily commuter inflows and more focused on being places people choose to live, collaborate, and gather, rather than simply places they must go to work. n
ARTCH TECTURE
VADIM ANKUDINOV META-COSMIC ART
“Every glowing window in a night city is a unique universe filled with human stories, warmth, and cosmic harmony."
VADiM ANkuDiNoV (b . 1965) is a contemporary digital and monumental artist whose work bridges a rigorous classical academic background with modern digital media. He graduated from the pres-
tigious Ural State University of Architecture and Art in Yekaterinburg, (Russia) specializing in monumental and decorative art. This deep architectural foundation shaped his understanding
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
A weasel walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’ve never served a weasel before. What can I get you?” “Pop,” goes the weasel.
of physical space, structure, and human perception. He lives in the Ural Mountain region of Russia—which he describes as “a very beautiful, historic, and nature-rich part of the world that heavily inspires his vision of scale and space.”
Ankudinov’s diverse career spans traditional monumental painting, including Orthodox church frescoes, and technical design. His ability to merge classical precision with large formats and digital tools later led to a collaboration with "Glavkosmos," where he developed futuristic concep-
tual imagery for the space sector.
Today, advanced digital tools serve as the catalyst for Ankudinov’s distinct visual style—Meta-Cosmic Art. His portfolio ranges from futuristic concepts to intricate textural explorations and urban landscapes. In his architectural series, he frequently explores the interplay of light and dark, treating illuminated spaces and glowing windows as unique micro-universes filled with human stories, warmth, and cosmic harmony. n
Where do bad rainbows go?
A: To prism. It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect.
01. The Gilded Highway. / 02. The Vertical Theater: Acts of the Night. / 03. The Amber
Great art is among the most sublime, meaningful, and redeeming creations of all civilization. Few endeavors can equal the power of great artwork to capture aesthetic beauty, to move and inspire, to change perceptions, and to communicate the nature of human experience. Great art is also complex, mysterious, and challenging. Filled with symbolism, cultural and historical references, and often visionary imagery, great artworks oblige us to reckon with their many meanings.
Architects and designers (many of our readers) have a lot of influence on the way we perceive the world. A structure often plays a significant part in how we experience a place. (Think of a restaurant, a museum, an arena, a stadium... even an office building - virtually anywhere!) The interior design impacts our sensory perception, our comfort, and our physical connection and there is also artistry in the exterior design. (That’s why we call it artchitecture.)
in the
/ 04. Chromatic Twilight: Lives on Display. / 05. Windows of the Metropolis: Stories
/ 06. The Path to the Bay: Summer Breeze. / 07. Gilded Devotion. / 08. The Threshold of Night . / 09. The Golden
Sunset Over the
/ 10. Echoes of the Cosmos:
/ 11. Sacred Echoes. / 12. Kaleidoscope of Vision. / 13. Cybernetic Canvas: Mechanical Cassiopeia. / 14. Urban Melody: A Symphony of Shadows. / 15. Snowbound Silence.
Parlor: Whispers
Snow.
Untold.
Path:
Ridge.
Red Zenith.
BY ANDREW FELDER
THE RISE OF TENANTS' UNIONS
Renters Organize for Power in a Challenging Housing Market
for geNerAtioNs, lAbor uNioNs have given workers a collective voice in negotiations with employers. Today, a similar movement is gaining momentum in apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and rental communities across the United States: tenants' unions.
As housing costs continue to outpace wage growth in many metropolitan areas, renters are increasingly organizing to address concerns ranging from rising rents and maintenance issues to evictions and housing insecurity. Once considered a fringe movement primarily in large urban centers, tenants' unions are becoming a significant force in housing debates nationwide.
Why Tenants Are Organizing
The growth of tenants' unions is closely tied to the changing economics of housing. According to housing advocates, millions of renters now spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, the threshold commonly used to define a housing cost burden. In many cities, rent increases have outpaced wage growth for years, leaving households with less disposable income and fewer housing options.
At the same time, ownership of rental properties has become increasingly concentrated. Large institutional investors, real estate investment trusts, and private equity firms now own substantial shares of apartment inventories in many markets. Critics argue that these organizations can be difficult for individual tenants to engage with, making collective action more appealing. ‘When one tenant complains, it's easy to ignore,’ is a common refrain among organizers. ‘When hundreds of tenants speak together, landlords have to listen.’
What Is a Tenants' Union?
A tenants' union is an organization formed by renters to advocate for shared interests. Unlike a neighborhood association or social club, a tenants' union focuses on housing conditions, tenant rights, and negotiations with property owners or management companies. Some unions represent residents in a single apartment complex, while others operate citywide or regionally. Their goals may include seeking repairs and improved maintenance, opposing excessive rent increases, challenging unfair fees, advocating against evictions, negotiating lease terms, and/or pushing for stronger tenant protections in local laws. Many unions are affiliated with broader housing advocacy organizations, while others remain entirely grassroots.
The Pandemic's Lasting Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated tenant organizing across the country. Economic disruptions left millions struggling to pay rent, while eviction moratoriums underscored the precarious position many renters faced. During this period, tenants frequently coordinated through social media, online meetings, and community networks. Organizers developed strategies for collective action, including rent strikes, petition campaigns, and coordinated negotiations with landlords. Although pandemic-era emergency protections have largely expired, many of the organizations formed during that period remain active. In some cities, they have evolved into permanent advocacy groups focused on broader housing issues.
Tactics and Strategies
Modern tenants' unions use a range of organizing tactics. The most common approach is to document residents' shared concerns and present them collectively to property management. Issues may include chronic maintenance delays, pest infestations, safety concerns, or rent increases. Some unions hold building-wide meetings, conduct surveys, and collect petition signatures. Others engage local elected officials, housing departments, or the media to draw attention to problems. More aggressive tactics may include coordi-
nated rent-withholding campaigns, though such actions often carry significant legal risks and require careful consideration of state and local laws. Housing experts note that the most successful unions often focus on achievable goals and sustain broad resident participation.
Landlord Perspectives
Property owners have mixed reactions to the rise of tenant organizing. Some landlords view tenant unions as valuable communication channels that help identify issues before they escalate into major disputes. They argue that organized tenant feedback can improve property operations and resident satisfaction. Others contend that unions can create adversarial relationships that complicate management decisions and delay necessary financial adjustments, particularly in markets where operating costs, insurance premiums, property taxes, and maintenance expenses are rising rapidly.
Industry groups also argue that rent controls and certain tenant-protection policies advocated by some unions can discourage investment in housing development, thereby reducing supply and worsening affordability problems.
Growing Political Influence
Tenants' unions are increasingly shaping local and state housing policy. Organized renter groups have played prominent roles in campaigns for rent stabilization measures, eviction protections, tenant right-to-counsel programs, and expanded affordable housing initiatives.
Politicians are paying attention. Renters now make up a majority of residents in several major American cities, forming a sizable voting bloc. As housing affordability becomes a central political issue, tenant organizations have gained visibility and influence in municipal elections and legislative debates. The rise of renter-focused political organizations suggests that tenant advocacy may become a permanent feature of American politics.
Despite their growth, tenants' unions face significant obstacles. Many renters move frequently, making long-term organizing difficult. Language barriers, demanding work schedules, and fear of retaliation can also limit participation. In addition, housing laws vary widely across states and localities, creating uneven legal environments for tenant activism.
Funding is another challenge. Unlike traditional labor unions, most tenants' unions operate on limited budgets and rely heavily on volunteers. Yet organizers argue that the fundamental pressures driving the movement are unlikely to disappear. Housing affordability remains a concern in communities large and small, and renters increasingly recognize that collective action may offer more leverage than individual complaints.
I know I'll never get down to my original weight, and I'm OK with that. After all, 7 lbs 6 oz is just not realistic.
The Tenant Perspective: A Necessary Counterbalance
Supporters of tenants' unions argue that renters face a significant power imbalance in the housing market. A tenant negotiating alone has limited leverage against a landlord, especially when housing vacancies are low and affordable alternatives are scarce. They contend that collective action enables renters to advocate for safe living conditions, fair treatment, and predictable housing costs.
From this perspective, tenants' unions are analogous to labor unions. Workers organize because employers have greater economic power; renters organize because property owners control access to housing. Proponents cite cases in which organized tenants have secured repairs, prevented unjust evictions, or negotiated more reasonable rent increases.
The strength of this argument lies in the fact that housing is not an ordinary consumer product. A family can easily switch brands of toothpaste, but moving to another home is expensive, disruptive, and often impossible for lower-income households. Because housing is a necessity, advocates argue that tenants need mechanisms to protect themselves from arbitrary or exploitative practices. Critics, however, note that not all landlords are large corporations and that portraying every landlord-tenant relationship as adversarial oversimplifies a complex market.
The Landlord Perspective: Property Rights and Economic Reality
Property owners often view the issue through a different lens. They argue that rental housing is a business subject to rising costs, including property taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance, utilities, labor, and financing charges. From this perspective, rent increases often reflect economic realities rather than greed. Landlords contend that tenant unions sometimes focus exclusively on tenant costs while ignoring the financial pressures property owners face.
Many landlords also emphasize that private investment creates and maintains much of the nation's housing stock. If returns on investment become too uncertain or constrained, developers may build fewer apartments, investors may redirect capital elsewhere, and housing shortages could worsen.
The strength of this argument is that housing cannot exist without capital investment. New construction requires financing, land acquisition, permitting, labor, and entails substantial risk. Policies that discourage investment may inadvertently reduce the future housing supply. The weakness is that economic necessity can sometimes be invoked to justify rent increases or practices that tenants perceive as unfair. In highly concentrated rental markets,
landlords may possess substantial market power, limiting renters' practical choices.
The Housing Advocate Perspective: A Systemic Problem
Many housing advocates argue that the conflict between tenants and landlords is often misplaced because both groups are responding to broader structural forces. According to this view, the primary drivers of housing affordability problems include restrictive zoning regulations, insufficient housing construction, rising land costs, stagnant wages, and decades of underinvestment in affordable housing.
Advocates who hold this perspective often support tenants' unions but view them as only one part of a broader solution. Organizing can help renters address immediate concerns, but long-term affordability requires expanding the housing supply and reforming land-use policies. The strength of this position is its recognition that local housing shortages often stem from factors far beyond individual landlord behavior. A city that produces too little housing for a growing population will likely see rents rise regardless of ownership structure. The challenge is that structural reforms often take years or decades to take effect, while tenants facing rent increases need relief immediately.
The Economist's Perspective: Market Signals Matter
Economists are often divided on tenant organizing, but they generally focus on market outcomes rather than moral arguments. Many economists acknowledge that tenants' unions can improve transparency and help correct information imbalances between landlords and renters. Organized tenants may be better equipped to identify abusive practices or to coordinate responses to unsafe conditions. However, economists also warn that some policy goals associated with tenant movements—particularly strict rent controls—can have unintended consequences. Numerous studies have found that while rent controls can benefit existing tenants, they may also discourage new construction, reduce maintenance incentives, or limit housing mobility.
From a market perspective, affordability problems usually stem from an imbalance between supply and demand. If demand rises faster than supply, rents increase. Economists often argue that the most durable solution is to build more housing. The strength of this perspective is its focus on measurable outcomes and longterm incentives. The weakness is that purely economic analysis can sometimes understate the human consequences of displacement and housing instability.
The Political Perspective: Renters as a Growing Constituency
Politicians increasingly recognize renters as a key voting bloc. In many metropolitan areas, renters make up a substantial share of the electorate, giving tenant organizations greater political influence. Some elected officials view tenant unions as valuable community partners that offer insight into housing conditions and affordability challenges. Others worry that activist demands may exceed what local governments can realistically provide.
Politically, tenant organizing reflects a broader shift in American demographics. Younger adults are renting longer, homeownership is harder to achieve in many markets, and housing affordability has emerged as a major public concern. The strength of this perspective is its recognition that housing policy ultimately reflects political choices. The weakness is that political solutions often prioritize short-term electoral gains over longterm market stability.
A Conflict Without Easy Answers
The rise of tenants' unions highlights a fundamental tension in modern housing markets. Renters seek stability, affordability, and protection against displacement. Property owners seek reasonable returns on investment and flexibility in managing their assets. Policymakers seek affordable housing while encouraging development. Economists seek efficient market outcomes.
Each perspective raises legitimate concerns and valid criticisms of the others. As housing costs continue to rise in many regions, tenants' unions are likely to become more influential. Whether they ultimately serve as a transformative force for housing reform or simply as one participant in an ongoing debate will depend largely on how well competing interests can balance affordability, property rights, and the need for continued housing development. n
RENTING VS. BUYING
How the Benefits Change by Age Group
the DecisioN to reNt or buy a home is deeply influenced by age, financial situation, lifestyle, and evolving personal needs. Below is an analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of renting versus buying, and how these factors shift as individuals move from under 50, to 50–65, and over 65 years of age.
UNDER 50: BUILDING WEALTH, FLEXIBILITY, AND EARLY FAMILY LIFE
BENEFITS OF BUYING
Equity Accumulation: Buying a home allows younger adults to start building equity early, which can be a foundation for long-term wealth. Homeownership is often seen as a key step in financial security and asset accumulation.
Stability: Fixed-rate mortgages provide predictable housing costs, and owning a home can offer stability for raising children and establishing roots in a community.
Tax Advantages: Mortgage interest and property tax deductions can be significant, especially for higher-income taxpayers who itemize deductions. The capital gains exclusion on the sale of a primary residence is also a valuable benefit if the home appreciates.
Customization: Owners can renovate or modify their homes to suit their preferences and needs, which is especially important for growing families.
DRAWBACKS OF BUYING
Upfront and Ongoing Costs: Buying requires a substantial down payment, closing costs, and ongoing expenses
like property taxes, insurance, and maintenance.
Reduced Flexibility: Homeownership can make it harder to relocate for career opportunities or lifestyle changes, which are common in this age group.
Market Risk: Home values can fluctuate, and there is no guarantee of appreciation.
BENEFITS OF RENTING
Flexibility: Renting offers mobility, which is valuable for those who may need to move for work, education, or personal reasons.
Lower Upfront Costs: Renters avoid the large down payments and closing costs associated with buying.
No Maintenance Responsibility: Landlords handle repairs and maintenance, reducing both financial and time burdens.
DRAWBACKS OF RENTING
No Equity: Rent payments do not build wealth or provide a financial asset for the future.
Rent Increases: Rents can rise annually, sometimes outpacing inflation and straining budgets.
Less Control: Renters have limited ability to customize their living space and may face the risk of eviction or non-renewal.
AGES 50–65: RETIREMENT PLANNING, STABILITY, AND CHANGING FAMILY DYNAMICS
BENEFITS OF BUYING
Equity and Financial Security: By this stage, many homeowners have built significant equity, which can be tapped for retirement needs through downsizing or reverse mortgages.
Stable Housing Costs: Those with a paid-off mortgage enjoy low, predictable housing expenses, which is advantageous as retirement approaches.
Tax Benefits: Mortgage interest and property tax deductions still apply, though their value may decrease as the mortgage balance declines and more people take the standard deduction.
Control and Customization: Owners can adapt their homes for accessibility or multigenerational living, which is increasingly relevant as they may support both children and aging parents.
DRAWBACKS OF BUYING
Maintenance and Upkeep: As homes age, maintenance costs can rise, and physical upkeep may become more challenging.
Liquidity Issues: Home equity is not easily accessible without selling or borrowing, which can be a drawback if cash is needed for emergencies or healthcare.
Mobility Constraints: Selling a home can be time-consuming and costly, making it harder to relocate for retirement or family reasons.
BENEFITS OF RENTING
Flexibility: Renting makes relocation easier, which is valuable if you anticipate moving for retirement, health, or family reasons.
No Maintenance Costs: Landlords are responsible for repairs, reducing both financial and physical burdens.
Liquidity: Selling a home and renting can free up equity for investment or retirement spending
My girlfriend really takes my breath away.
She’s inflatable.
My dog ran off in the park last night. I walked around for 30 minutes but couldn’t find him. My wife said I should look harder, so I shaved my head and got tattoos.
I still can’t find him!
DRAWBACKS OF RENTING
No Equity Accumulation: Rent payments do not contribute to net worth.
Rent Increases: Rents can rise, potentially outpacing fixed retirement incomes.
Potential Instability: Renters may be forced to move if the property is sold or rents become unaffordable.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Multigenerational Living: This age group may support both children and aging parents, leading to complex living arrangements and estate planning needs. Retirement Planning: The decision to rent or buy should be integrated with broader retirement and estate planning strategies
OVER 65: HEALTH, ACCESSIBILITY, AND ESTATE PLANNING
BENEFITS OF BUYING
Stability and Security: Homeownership provides protection from rising rents and offers long-term housing cost predictability, especially if the mortgage is paid off.
Equity as a Safety Net: The home can be a valuable asset for funding longterm care or leaving an inheritance. Reverse mortgages can provide income without selling.
Control and Customization: Owners can modify their homes for accessibility (e.g., ramps, grab bars) without landlord approval.
Potential Tax Relief: Some states offer property tax relief programs for seniors, and the step-up in basis can reduce capital gains taxes for heirs.
DRAWBACKS OF BUYING
Maintenance and Upkeep: Physical and financial burdens of home maintenance can become significant as one ages. Average annual hidden costs can reach $14,000.
Liquidity Issues: Home equity is not easily accessible without selling or borrowing, which can be problematic if cash is needed for healthcare or emergencies.
Reduced Flexibility: Selling a home and moving can be challenging, especially as health or mobility declines.
BENEFITS OF RENTING
Flexibility and Mobility: Renting allows for easier moves to be closer to family, access better healthcare, or downsize as needs change.
No Maintenance or Property Taxes: Landlords handle repairs, and renters avoid property taxes and often pay lower insurance premiums.
Access to Amenities: Many senior rental communities offer amenities, social opportunities, and accessibility features that can enhance quality of life.
Liquidity: Selling a home and renting can free up equity for retirement, healthcare, or travel.
DRAWBACKS OF RENTING
No Equity Building: Rent payments do not build wealth or provide a financial asset for heirs.
Rent Increases and Instability: Rental prices have risen significantly in recent years, and retirees should expect annual increases of 3–5%, which can strain fixed incomes.
Limited Control: Renters have limited ability to modify their living space to change health or mobility needs.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Estate Planning: Homeownership can simplify or complicate estate planning, depending on how the property is titled and whether it is held in a trust. LongTerm Care: The home may be a source of funds for long-term care, and Medicaid planning may influence whether to keep or sell the home.
TAX IMPLICATIONS
Under 50 and 50–65: The main tax benefits of homeownership are mortgage interest and property tax deductions, but these only apply if you itemize. The capital gains exclusion on the sale of a primary residence is also significant. Over 65: The higher standard deduction often eliminates the need to itemize, reducing the tax benefits of homeownership. However, local property tax relief programs may help. Renters receive few, if any, federal tax benefits, though some states offer minor credits for seniors.
CONCLUSION
The benefits of renting versus buying shift significantly with age. Under 50: Buying is often favored for wealth-building and stability, but renting offers valuable flexibility for career and lifestyle changes. 50–65: The decision becomes more nuanced, balancing the security and equity of homeownership with the flexibility and liquidity of renting, especially as retirement approaches. Over 65: Renting gains appeal due to reduced maintenance, increased flexibility, and liquidity, while buying offers stability and control but can become burdensome as health and mobility decline. Ultimately, the best choice depends on individual financial circumstances, health, lifestyle preferences, and local market conditions. Consulting with financial and estate planning professionals is recommended to tailor the decision to your unique needs. n
AMericAN Vice presiDeNts occupy a strange corner of history. They are close enough to power to be globally famous, yet often far enough from the presidency to drift into a kind of political afterlife once their term ends. Some quietly retire. Others become elder statesmen, bestselling authors, television commentators, university lecturers, or unexpected internet personalities. A few continue to shape national debates long after leaving office.
The living former vice presidents of the United States represent a remarkable cross-section of modern American politics. Collectively, they span nearly half a century of political history, from the Reagan era to the present. Though they once shared the same constitutional role, their post-vice-presidential lives have unfolded in dramatically different ways.
Dan Quayle, who served under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, has largely embraced the role of a semi-retired Republican elder. Once relentlessly mocked by comedians and late-night television for verbal gaffes, Quayle has seen his reputation soften over time. In the age of nonstop political outrage and social media chaos, many Americans now look back on him almost nostalgically, as a comparatively conventional politician from a less combustible era.
Today, Quayle spends much of his time in Arizona and remains connected to Republican political circles, though mostly behind the scenes. He occasionally appears on television or at political forums, offering commentary on constitutional issues and presidential power. During moments of national tension, reporters sometimes rediscover him as a voice from an earlier generation of conservatism. Time has granted him something rare in politics: perspective, and perhaps even a little redemption.
Al Gore, vice president under Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, took one of the most unusual paths among former vice presidents. After narrowly losing the disputed 2000 presidential election, Gore gradually transformed himself from a politician into a global climate activist. In many ways, he became more influential after leaving office than while in office.
Gore remains deeply involved in environmental advocacy. He continues to speak internationally on climate change, renewable energy, and environmental policy. His documentary An Inconvenient Truth reshaped public discussion of global warming and earned him an Academy Award and, alongside the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a share of the Nobel Peace Prize. In recent years, Gore has also become active in investment and technology circles, supporting sustainable business ventures and green technologies.
There is a certain irony in Gore’s career arc. During his vice presidency, he was often por-
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
trayed as stiff and overly serious. Yet history may remember him as one of the earliest major American political figures to sound sustained alarms about climate change, long before it became central to public debate. He now occupies the role of a global advocate more than that of a traditional politician — part activist, part lecturer, part warning siren.
Joe Biden occupies perhaps the strangest position among all living former vice presidents because he later became president himself. Biden served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2017, then won the presidency in 2020 and left office in 2025.
Former presidents are often overshadowed by their vice-presidential years, but Biden’s identity remains closely tied to his time alongside Obama. During those years, he cultivated an image as a working-class, empathetic political veteran — a contrast to Obama’s cool, intellectual style. Their partnership became one of the defining political relationships of the early twenty-first century.
Since leaving the presidency, Biden has settled into the familiar yet complicated role of former commander in chief. He continues to make speeches, work on his presidential library and foundation efforts, and comment selectively on national issues. Like many ex-presidents, he walks a careful line between public engagement and political restraint. Age and health naturally limit the intensity of his schedule, yet he remains a symbolic figure within the Democratic Party and in modern American political history.
Mike Pence, vice president under Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021, left office carrying both loyalty and rupture. For most of the Trump administration, Pence was regarded as one of Trump’s most disciplined and steadfast allies. Yet the events surrounding January 6, 2021, permanently altered that relationship.
Pence’s refusal to interfere with the certification of the 2020 election put him at odds with Trump and parts of the Republican base.
Since leaving office, Pence has sought to define himself as a traditional constitutional conservative grounded in Reagan-era principles, evangelical Christianity, and institutional respectability. He briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination but struggled to gain traction in a party increasingly shaped by Trump-style populism.
Today, Pence remains active through speeches, advocacy organizations, and political commentary. He often speaks about faith, conservatism, and the Constitution. His public image has become almost paradoxical: a politician criticized by Trump supporters for insufficient loyalty and by Trump opponents for years of excessive loyalty. Few modern political figures better embody the internal divisions of contemporary American conservatism.
Kamala Harris, vice president under Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025, is now adjusting to life after one of the most prominent vice presidencies in American history. As the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American to hold the office, Harris held immense symbolic significance from the moment she was sworn in.
After the 2024 election, Harris entered the uncertain territory many defeated national candidates face: deciding whether to remain an active political contender or to transition into another public role. She continues to speak on voting rights, reproductive rights, judicial issues, and democracy reform. There is ongoing speculation about whether she may seek office again, whether for president, governor, or another national role.
Now, Harris appears to be balancing political visibility with strategic patience. Former vice presidents often spend years redefining themselves after leaving office, and Harris is still early in that process. Her long-term place in American political history remains unwritten.
Taken together, these former vice presidents illustrate how unpredictable political afterlives can be. Some become activists. Some become guardians of institutional memory. Some retreat from public life, while others reinvent themselves entirely. The vice presidency itself may be constitutionally limited, but life afterward rarely is.
In the end, perhaps the most fascinating thing about former vice presidents is that they persist in the national imagination as echoes of earlier Americas. Each one reflects the anxieties, priorities, and political style of the era from which they emerged. Watching what they do now is, in a way, watching recent American history continue to argue with itself. n
The headline said someone was shot with a starter pistol at the local athletics track. Police believe it may be race-related.
I did my junior year of college abroad, but I never got used to wearing high heels.
ZHUHAI JINWAN CIVIC ART CENTER
the ZhuhAi JiNwAN ciVic Art Center is a cultural complex in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, it was completed in 2023. The complex integrates a performing arts center, a science center, and an art museum. It is arranged around a central plaza and measures approximately 890 feet north-to-south and 560 feet east-to-west. The roof features latticed steel canopies over the building's four wings, based on chevron patterns associated with migratory birds.
The center comprises five structurally separate buildings, primarily concrete, with external steel canopies supported by 22 columns. It is 115 feet tall, with 521,200 square feet of above-ground gross floor area and 554,800 square feet below ground. It includes sustainability systems such as solar shading, double-insulated glazing, rainwater management landscaping, water recycling, and energy and indoor air quality monitoring. The surrounding landscape and lake are part of Zhuhai's sponge city program—a massive ecological infrastructure initiative that transforms hard urban surfaces into permeable environments. (Covering over 44.4 square miles, this nature-based stormwater management system reduces flooding and mitigates the urban heat island effect by absorbing and reusing rainwater.)
There are three main cultural institutions. The Performing Arts Center includes a 1200-seat Grand Theatre and a 500seat multifunctional Black Box Theatre with retractable seating. The Art Museum features exhibition spaces, and the Science Center offers interactive exhibits and a lecture hall. The central plaza serves as a shared outdoor foyer with glazed walls. An outdoor amphitheater on the west side hosts performances. n
BY ROXANA TOFAN
MULTIFAMILY AT AN INFLECTION POINT
fresh off AtteNDiNg the 2026 Multifamily Conference in Dallas, Texas—part of Colliers’ 8th Annual Multifamily Forum—it’s clear the conversation across the industry has shifted. This year’s event marked a milestone as the first forum hosted by Colliers, bringing together professionals from across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Owners, investors, brokers, and operators filled the room—not just to network, but to make sense of a market that feels fundamentally different from what it was just a few years ago.
The takeaway was consistent: today’s environment isn’t shaped by a single disruption. It’s driven by what many call the “5 I’s”—interest rates, immigration, insurance, inventory, and international conflicts. Together, these forces are redefining risk, compressing margins, and demanding a new level of discipline across the multifamily sector.
INTEREST RATES: THE RESET OF CAPITAL
At the center of today’s distress is the rapid rise in interest rates. In a short period, borrowing costs have nearly doubled. Loans once financed in the 3% to 4% range are now refinancing closer to 6.5% to 8%, dramatically altering deal economics. Lenders are underwriting more conservatively, focusing on in-place income rather than future growth. Business plans built on aggressive rent growth and favorable refinancing assumptions are now being tested in a far tighter capital environment.
Many owners are facing a new reality: refinancing often requires additional equity, not a return of equity. This gap is driving difficult decisions about recapitalizations, extensions, or sales—often under pressure.
IMMIGRATION: DEMAND SLOWS AT THE MARGIN
While Texas continues to benefit from population growth, a key shift has emerged in immigration trends. Migration from Mexico into Texas—historically a meaningful driver of demand—has declined significantly, from approximately 250,000 in 2024 to closer to 50,000 in 2025. That has affected occupancy rates. Domestic migration into cities such as Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio remains
steady, supported by job growth and relative affordability.
At the same time, the renter profile is evolving. Earlier in the cycle, higher-income households relocating from coastal markets helped fuel rent growth. Today, demand is increasingly concentrated in workforce housing, where affordability is the primary driver. The modern renter is more disciplined—comparing options, evaluating concessions, and making decisions based on total cost.
INSURANCE: THE SILENT MARGIN KILLER
Insurance has quietly become one of the most disruptive forces in the current cycle. Across markets such as Texas and Florida, premiums have risen 20% to 50% over the past two years, driven by higher catastrophe risk, reinsurance costs, and tighter underwriting standards. For many properties, these increases translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected annual expenses. Unlike other costs, insurance offers little flexibility—operators must absorb the cost.
When combined with rising property taxes— often up 15% to 25% year-over-year in highgrowth markets—the impact on net operating income is significant. These expenses are resetting the baseline rather than creating one-time spikes, making long-term planning more challenging.
INVENTORY: SUPPLY MEETS A SOFTER MARKET
New supply continues to enter many highgrowth markets, adding another layer of complexity. Cities like Austin have seen a surge in new Class A units coming online, many still working through lease-up. To drive occupancy, these communities are offering aggressive concessions—often six to eight weeks of free rent. While effective for leaseups, these strategies ripple across the market. Existing properties, particularly Class B and C assets, are being forced to compete not just on rent, but on value. Concessions at the top of the market effectively compress pricing across all asset classes. Even stabilized properties are feeling the pressure, as increased options give renters more leverage. The result is a more competitive leasing environment in which occupancy must be actively defended.
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS:
THE EXTERNAL PRESSURE
Global instability is also playing a role. Ongoing international conflicts have contributed to inflationary pressures, supply chain
disruptions, and volatility in energy markets— all of which feed back into operating costs and capital markets. These macro forces influence everything from construction costs to investor sentiment. While not always visible at the property level, their impact is embedded in the broader economic environment in which the industry operates. For lenders and investors, uncertainty breeds caution. Capital becomes more selective, underwriting tightens, and fewer deals pencil—further slowing transaction volume.
THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT: HOW DISTRESS IS FORMING AND A SHIFT TOWARD DISCIPLINE
What makes this cycle unique is not any single factor, but how these five forces interact. Interest rates raise the cost of debt. Immigration slows demand at the margin. Insurance and taxes compress margins. Inventory intensifies competition. International conflicts create broader economic uncertainty. Individually, each pressure point is manageable. Together, they create cumulative strain that is driving distress across parts of the market. This distress is not uniform. Well-capitalized assets with conservative leverage and strong operations continue to perform well. By contrast, assets acquired at peak valuations with aggressive assumptions are far more exposed. Success is no longer driven by momentum—it is driven by execution. Operators are shifting focus to fundamentals: leasing strategy, expense control, maintenance efficiency, and resident retention. Small operational wins now have outsized impact. Retaining a resident, for example, can save thousands in turnover costs—directly improving the bottom line in a flat rent environment. This is a return to discipline. The market is rewarding those who operate efficiently, adapt quickly, and make data-driven decisions.
LOOKING AHEAD: OPPORTUNITY THROUGH REALISM
The multifamily sector is not in decline—it is resetting. Housing fundamentals remain intact. People still need places to live, and markets such as Texas continue to grow. But the path forward is different. It requires conservative underwriting, operational excellence, and a clear understanding of local dynamics.
This is no longer a market for assumptions. It is a market for discipline. For operators and investors, the message is clear: performance will not come from relying on past playbooks. It will come from adapting to a new reality— one defined by precision, resilience, and relentless execution. n
Roxana Tofan is a commercial real estate and business broker and the founder and owner of Clear Integrity Group in San Antonio. She is also a Contributing Editor of roxana@clearintegritygroup.com
If life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life, then let's all get wasted together and have the time of our lives.
Remember, it's not, “How high are you?” It's “Hi, how are you?”
AMERICA NEEDS TO BUILD MORE HOUSING
oN A wArM spriNg morning in Austin, the cranes start moving before the coffee shops open. Their silhouettes cut across the skyline — dozens of them — swinging steel and glass into place as if the city were trying to outrun the rest of the country. In a way, it is. Over the past decade, the city has built 140 homes for every 1,000 households, a pace almost unheard of in modern American cities. The results show up not only in the skyline but also in the numbers: home prices here have actually fallen 13 percent in recent years, and rents have dipped as well.
Far away, in San Francisco, the mornings are quieter. The fog arrives first, then the silence — a kind of civic stillness that feels less like peace than like paralysis. Here, the median home price is 12.4 times the median income, a figure so out of proportion it reads like a misprint. The city’s cranes, when they appear at all, seem tentative, as if unsure whether they’re welcome. The mismatch between supply and demand has driven home prices to soar in the 21st century. In the Bay Area, that mismatch feels less like an imbalance and more like a chasm.
It wasn’t always this way. In 1950, the median American home cost $7,400, or 2.5× the median income — a ratio that suggested a national equilibrium and a belief that shelter was not a luxury but a foundation. Even in 1985, the ratio was only 3.1. For decades, the dream of homeownership wasn’t a dream at all — it was a milestone most families could reach before their kids were out of diapers. Then the 2000s arrived, and the line between aspiration and
impossibility hardened. Today, the national ratio hovers near 5×, and in the country’s most dynamic metros, it has broken the scale entirely.
The reasons are not mysterious. America kept adding people but stopped adding homes. Cities that once grew outward ran out of land; cities that could have grown upward refused to. Zoning codes — originally upheld by courts to prevent nuisances — morphed into tools for preserving “neighborhood character,” a phrase that often meant “no new neighbors.” The 1974 Supreme Court case Belle Terre, which allowed towns to restrict unrelated people from living together, opened the door to decades of exclusionary policies disguised as aesthetics and community.
The consequences are visible everywhere. In Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, where construction has lagged for years, prices have soared. In San Francisco, the permitting process can drag on for months and cost so much that developers hire consultants just to navigate it. In Los Angeles County, those delays add 30 percent to development costs and two years to project timelines. Meanwhile, mandates — from excessive parking requirements to overly ambitious affordable-unit quotas — can render projects financially impossible before the first shovel hits the ground.
But the crisis isn’t only about policy. It’s also about preference. Americans are living larger than ever: the average home has grown from 1,500 square feet in 1960 to nearly 2,200 in 2025, even as family sizes have shrunk. Living
space per person has jumped from 400 to nearly 700 square feet. We want more room, more light, and more distance — even as the country struggles to provide the basics.
And then there’s the labor force — the invisible backbone of the entire system. Immigrants make up 23 percent of the construction workforce, including 38 percent of drywall installers, 32 percent of roofers, and 29 percent of painters. In Texas alone, 337,000 construction workers are undocumented. Reducing the labor supply while demand remains constant drives up costs. Deportations don’t just reshape communities; they slow construction, raise prices, and deepen the crisis.
The irony is that the solution is not complicated. Cities like Austin, Phoenix, Orlando, and Raleigh have shown that when you build — aggressively, consistently, and unapologetically — prices stabilize. When you don’t, they don’t. America needs to build more homes. Loosen zoning. Allow multifamily housing near transit. Shrink minimum lot sizes. Streamline permitting. Stop treating construction workers as disposable. Stop pretending scarcity is a natural disaster rather than a policy choice.
The cranes in Austin are not symbols of ambition so much as symbols of permission — a city allowing itself to grow. The absence of cranes in other cities is its own kind of symbol, a quiet refusal. The country knows how to build; it simply chooses not to. America needs to build more housing. The question, as always, is whether it will. n
Austin, Texas
behiND the polisheD websites, mission statements, and corporate slogans of some businesses lies an ugly reality. While they publicly celebrate integrity, partnership, and professionalism, their private conduct tells a very different story.
The pattern is simple. A company hires a contractor. The contractor performs the work. Deadlines are met, and deliverables are accepted. The company benefits from the labor, expertise, and time invested on its behalf. Then, once the work is complete—or nearly complete—the company abruptly terminates the relationship and refuses to pay what it owes.
It is difficult to find a more blatant violation of basic business ethics.
The contractor has already taken the risk. Time has been spent. Resources have been consumed. Opportunities to pursue other work have been sacrificed. Yet the company, having received the benefit of the bargain, suddenly acts as though its own obligations are optional.
The excuses, when they come at all, are often predictable. Accounting delays. Internal reviews. Executive approvals. Questions that somehow never arose while the company was eagerly accepting the contractor's work. Sometimes there are no excuses. Just silence.
Silence can be a strategy.
Many companies understand that pursuing unpaid invoices is costly and time-consuming. They know that contractors and small businesses often lack the resources to engage in prolonged legal battles. They gamble that frustration, delay, and financial pressure will eventually force the contractor to walk away from the money that is rightfully owed.
In effect, they are attempting to use their financial strength as leverage against those with fewer resources. Such behavior deserves to be labeled what it is: corporate bullying.
DEADBEATS IN THE BOARDROOM
How Some Companies Exploit Contractors and Then Refuse to Pay
Business ethics are the moral principles that guide how a company should operate.
The damage extends far beyond a single unpaid invoice. Contractors rely on cash flow to pay employees, vendors, taxes, insurance premiums, and operating expenses. When a company refuses to pay legitimate debts, it can create financial hardship that ripples throughout the business.
What makes this conduct particularly offensive is the hypocrisy it often involves. Many of the same companies that delay or withhold payment demand strict compliance from everyone else. Miss a deadline by a day, and they complain. Make a minor administrative error, and they threaten consequences. Yet when it comes to paying their own bills, they suddenly expect patience, understanding, and flexibility. Apparently, accountability is for everyone except themselves.
The marketplace depends upon trust. Contracts are not suggestions. Invoices are not charitable requests. When a company knowingly accepts services
and then refuses to compensate the party that provided them, it is not engaging in hard-nosed business. It is undermining the very principles upon which legitimate commerce depends.
Companies that engage in such practices should not be surprised when their reputations suffer. Word travels quickly through professional communities. Contractors remember who pays fairly and who does not. Vendors remember. Industry partners remember.
A reputation for refusing to honor financial obligations may save money in the short term, but it can become extremely costly over time. Trust, once lost, is difficult to regain.
Businesses have every right to terminate contractors when circumstances require it. They do not have the right to keep the benefits of another party's work while refusing to pay for it. Businesses build reputations over years and lose them in moments. Vendors talk. Contractors talk. Industry professionals share experiences. A company that develops a reputation for failing to pay its obligations may find that qualified contractors become reluctant to work with it or demand more stringent payment terms before doing so.
Any company that chooses that path sends a clear message about its character, its values, and the worth of its promises. People should listen carefully. n
A NON-TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO BUSINESS COLLECTIONS
It’s easy as ABC
Business-to-business debts require specialized expertise and finesse… and selecting your commercial collection service is an important decision. It revolves around Service, Trust, and Recovery. Rates matter, and recovery is the objective (the bottom line) … but there is more to it.
The company you choose will handle your money, communicate with your customers, and represent you in the marketplace. As we all know, idiomatically speaking – but in a very real sense – you are judged by the company you keep.
At Arsenal Business Collections, we understand that your accounts receivable are a key part of your business. Ensuring timely payment for goods or services is critical to any successful business. Whether you’re a small business owner with one past-due invoice or a multi-state corporation with a large volume of delinquent accounts, we are equipped to handle your collection needs. We assist companies across the country in collecting accounts receivable.
It’s simple. At ABC, you’re never out-of-pocket for our services We collect on prearranged terms, and we get paid only when we succeed (i.e., once we collect the money owed to you). There is no fee unless and until we collect.
The initial communications between a bill collector and a debtor are often contentious. Yet those communications often determine the
success of the effort. Our experienced and knowledgeable professionals (including attorneys) work with you to customize an approach that accomplishes your objectives. We create individualized correspondence to address the specific circumstances of your delinquent account. Often, early contact with delinquent accounts increases the likelihood of returns and maximizes them.
We use faxes, courier services, registered mail, first-class mail, and/or e-mail, mindful of the sensitivities of the situation. Sometimes a delinquent account results in the termination of business relationships, a referral to collections, and perhaps legal action – somewhat akin to a bitter divorce. Occasionally, however, an invoice is a particular dispute that should not disrupt an otherwise beneficial and ongoing relationship. We are discreet; we are not a clearinghouse for companies that generate hundreds of accounts receivable weekly. We view each delinquency individually; we take the time to understand and care – and we maintain regular contact with you.
We provide verbal and written status reports and will refer the matter and supervise judicial collection efforts when you choose. Our payment is contingent upon your recovery –so our success is integrally tied to yours.
We enter the picture at whatever stage you consider most appropri-
ate. In certain exigencies, we can work with your Accounts Receivable Department to make calls from the earliest stages of delinquency. We make prompt contact with the customer to determine the reasons for non-payment and assess ability (and willingness) to pay. Skilled in communicating with customers, we structure and monitor payment plans where appropriate. We know the delaying tactics some customers use, how to counter them, and how to negotiate payment with a blend of sensitivity and assertiveness.
We know you may not be the only creditor seeking payment from a delinquent debtor. We vigorously represent your position, and our ethical approach to collections protects your relationship with the customer. As a privately owned company, we make decisions based on what is best for clients, not shareholders or outside investors. Our focus is exclusively on improving your bottom line.
We have the knowledge and experience to deliver exceptional results. Contact us for a free consultation.
EGAL VIEW
‘SQUATTERS ON MY PROPERTY’
Q&A With Legal Experts
property owNers NAtioNwiDe Are increasingly confused about “squatters’ rights,” unlawful occupants, holdover tenants, and adverse possession claims. A surge in squatter-related disputes has become a real source of anxiety, especially in states where vacant homes, investment properties, and short-term rentals create more opportunities for unauthorized occupation. Several factors drive this concern: rising housing costs, increased mobility, and the visibility of high-profile squatter cases circulating online. All of this leaves landlords understandably worried about how quickly an unlawful occupant can take hold — and how slowly the legal system sometimes responds.
But here’s the crucial point: squatter laws are not uniform across the United States. Each state — and sometimes each city or county — has its own rules governing trespass, eviction procedures, notice requirements, and when police can intervene. What’s considered a straightforward trespass in one state may require a full unlawful detainer action in another. That variability means a landlord must understand the rules where their property is located rather than relying on general assumptions or viral stories.
The information provided here is not a substitute for consulting a qualified attorney in the jurisdiction where the issue arises. Squatter situations can escalate quickly, and the right legal guidance can make the difference between a swift resolution and a prolonged, costly dispute.
A landlord’s rights when dealing with squatters begin with one core principle: property owners are legally entitled to control, use, and reclaim their property, but the process for removing unauthorized occupants must comply with state and local law. Squatting isn’t merely “trespassing”—once a person occupies a property, even unlawfully, the law often requires a formal eviction process rather than immediate removal. That tension between ownership and due process protections is what shapes a landlord’s rights.
Here we’ll walk through common situations involving rental homes, vacant houses, commercial properties, vacation homes, and more.
LANDLORD: People keep using the term “squatter.” What does it legally mean?
LEGAL EXPERT: A “squatter” is generally someone who occupies property without the owner’s permission. But the law distinguishes several distinct categories, which are often confused:
Occupant Type Legal Status
Trespasser Entered unlawfully; few rights
Squatter Occupies without permission over time
Holdover tenant
Tenant at sufferance
Adverse possessor
Former lawful tenant who stayed after lease ended
Tenant remaining without renewed lease
Occupant claiming eventual ownership after statutory period
LANDLORD: I own a single-family rental home. Between tenants, someone broke in, changed the locks, and claims they “live there now.” Can I remove them myself?
LEGAL EXPERT: Usually, no. Even if they entered unlawfully, many states prohibit “self-help eviction,” meaning you cannot physically remove them, shut off utilities, throw out belongings, or forcibly lock them out. You generally must involve law enforcement or file an eviction or unlawful detainer action. The key issue is whether police classify them as criminal trespassers or as civil occupants requiring eviction proceedings. If they have fake leases, utility bills, or mail delivery, or claim tenancy, police often refuse immediate removal and direct the owner to civil court.
LANDLORD: Can someone literally steal my property just by living there?
LEGAL EXPERT: Not quickly and not secretly. The doctrine is called adverse possession. In every state, the occupant generally must prove possession that is open and notorious (not hidden), actual (physically occupying), exclusive, hostile to the owner’s rights, and continuous for many years. Most states require between 5 and 30 years of continuous occupation. Many states also require payment of property taxes and either color of title or a good-faith belief of ownership. A few months— or even a few years—rarely creates ownership rights.
A landlord always retains the right to reclaim possession — a squatter never gains an automatic right to stay simply by entering the property. Even in states with strong adverse possession laws, those rights arise only after many years of continuous, open occupation. The landlord also always has the right to initiate legal eviction. They can file an unlawful detainer or forcible entry action to remove squatters through the courts. If the situation qualifies as criminal trespass, police may remove the occupants without a civil eviction. Owners can also take preventive steps, such as boarding windows, installing cameras, or posting no trespassing signs.
LANDLORD: My tenant stopped paying rent six months ago and refuses to leave. Is that squatting?
LEGAL EXPERT: Usually not. That’s typically a nonpaying or holdover tenant, not a squatter. Former tenants often have significantly greater legal protections because they originally entered lawfully. You almost always must serve statutory notices, file eviction paperwork, obtain a court judgment, and use a sheriff or constable to remove the tenant.
LANDLORD: If they aren’t paying, can I shut off electricity or water?
LEGAL EXPERT: In most jurisdictions, no. Doing so can expose landlords to wrongful eviction claims, statutory penalties, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and even criminal liability in some states. Courts strongly disfavor “self-help” tactics.
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LANDLORD: The tenant has stayed month-to-month for years. Do they gain ownership rights?
LEGAL EXPERT: Generally, no. Continued occupancy with the owner’s knowledge is typically considered permissive possession, not adverse possession. Adverse possession usually requires occupation hostile to the owner’s rights—not a continued tenancy.
Although the property belongs to the landlord, most states require due process before removing someone who has taken up residence. Courts want to avoid wrongful evictions, so they treat squatters similarly to tenants until a judge rules otherwise. That means no changing locks without a court order, no shutting off utilities, and no threats or self-help removal. These actions can expose a landlord to civil penalties, even when the occupant is there illegally. A landlord’s rights are strong, but they operate within a structured legal process. The law aims to balance ownership rights with procedural fairness, which is why reclaiming property from squatters requires documentation, proper notices, and—often—a court order. Understanding these rights helps landlords act quickly, legally, and effectively.
The biggest misconceptions about squatters’ rights are 1] Most squatters are not on the verge of stealing ownership. Adverse possession usually requires many years and strict proof, and 2] Assuming that ownership alone permits immediate physical removal. In many jurisdictions, once occupancy is established—even unlawfully—the legal system requires a formal process before removal. The law generally prioritizes preventing violent confrontations, maintaining public order, and ensuring due process—even when the occupant ultimately has no lawful claim to remain.
HOMEOWNER: I only visit my lake house a few times a year. Someone has moved in and claims residency. What now?
LEGAL EXPERT: Vacation homes are especially vulnerable because they may appear abandoned, neighbors may not notice activity, and owners are absent for extended periods. The sooner you act, the better. Early intervention often determines whether police treat the matter as trespassing or a civil dispute. Owners should inspect regularly, maintain utilities, install cameras, secure entrances, and document occupancy.
HOMEOWNER: The squatters changed their mailing address to my house. Does that make them tenants?
LEGAL EXPERT: No. Mail alone does not create ownership or tenancy rights. However, mail, utility accounts, IDs, or fake leases can complicate police response because officers usually avoid deciding disputed property claims on the spot.
HEIR: My mother died, and while probate is pending, distant relatives moved into the property. What rights do they have?
LEGAL EXPERT: Probate situations are common sources of occupancy disputes. Their rights depend on whether they had permission, whether they contributed financially, whether they previously lived there, and on state inheritance law. Courts are often reluctant to treat family disputes as mere trespass cases.
COMMERCIAL LANDLORD: Someone is using vacant office suites in my building. Is commercial property treated differently?
LEGAL EXPERT: Yes, often significantly so. Commercial occupants generally receive fewer consumer protections, less sympathetic judicial treatment, and faster eviction procedures. Courts recognize that commercial property disputes affect businesses and the broader economy. Still, formal removal procedures usually remain necessary.
INDUSTRIAL OWNER: People are living in my vacant warehouse illegally, and some are operating businesses there.
LEGAL EXPERT: That creates multiple overlapping issues: trespass, zoning violations, fire-code exposure, liability risks, and potential criminal activity. Commercial owners may face insurance problems if
they knowingly allow unauthorized occupation to continue. Immediate legal action is advisable.
COMMERCIAL OWNER: Could a business eventually claim ownership of part of my land?
LEGAL EXPERT: Potentially, yes. Classic examples include parking lots that extend beyond boundary lines, fenced storage areas, driveways, loading docks, or encroachments maintained for decades. Commercial adverse possession claims often arise from boundary errors rather than intentional squatting.
APARTMENT OWNER: The leaseholder disappeared, but relatives remain in the apartment. Do they have any rights?
LEGAL EXPERT: Those occupants may acquire certain tenancy protections even if they never signed the lease. Courts sometimes recognize an implied tenancy, lawful occupancy, or rights based on the landlord's acceptance of rent. Evicting unauthorized occupants still generally requires court procedures.
INVESTOR: I bought a distressed building and found multiple occupied units without leases.
LEGAL EXPERT: That becomes very complex. Occupants may include former tenants, subtenants, licensees, family members, trespassers, or holdover residents. Mass removals require careful legal strategy because procedural mistakes can invalidate entire eviction actions.
LANDOWNER: I own acreage I rarely visit. Someone has fenced part of it and grazes animals there.
LEGAL EXPERT: That is a classic adverse possession scenario. Longterm fencing, farming, grazing, maintenance, or tax payments can strengthen adverse possession claims if left unchallenged for the statutory period. Rural owners should periodically inspect and document property boundaries.
LANDLORD: The police told me it’s a civil matter. Why?
LEGAL EXPERT: Officers are cautious because wrongful removals can violate constitutional protections, landlord-tenant statutes, and due process rights. If occupants present leases, IDs, mail, utility bills, or evidence of long-term occupancy, police often defer the matter to the courts.
LANDLORD: What’s the best prevention strategy?
LEGAL EXPERT: The most effective protections are: Residential Property: frequent inspections, prompt eviction action, monitored alarm systems, visible occupancy, secure locks, exterior lighting, camera systems, and attentive neighbors. Commercial Property: active property management, fencing, monitored entry systems, regular maintenance, and rapid response to unauthorized use. Rural Land: surveys, boundary markers, fencing inspections, posted notices, and periodic physical presence. n
THE PAGES
THE QUEBEC ACT,
THE AMERICAN INVASION OF CANADA, AND THE COLONY THAT NEVER JOINED THE REVOLUTION
the story of the American Revolution is often told as the tale of thirteen colonies breaking away from Britain. Yet in 1774 and 1775, there was a real possibility that a fourteenth colony—Quebec—might have joined them. The fact that it did not profoundly shaped the future of North America. Understanding why requires examining the Quebec Act of 1774, the failed American invasion of Canada in 1775, and Britain's controversial decision to expand Quebec's boundaries deep into the Ohio River Valley.
BRITAIN INHERITS A FRENCH COLONY
The story's roots lie in the aftermath of the Seven Years' War. Britain defeated France and, through the Treaty of Paris, acquired New France, including Quebec and much of modern-day Canada.
Britain suddenly found itself governing approximately 70,000 French-speaking Catholics, a situation that posed a dilemma. The British Empire was overwhelmingly Protestant, and British law had long discriminated against Catholics. Many British officials initially hoped that the French Canadians would gradually
assimilate into English culture and Protestantism.
The first attempt to govern the new colony came through the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation established a government for Quebec but confined its territory primarily to the St. Lawrence River valley. It also reserved much of the interior west of the Appalachian Mountains as Indigenous territory and limited colonial expansion. Neither British settlers nor French Canadians were entirely satisfied. French Canadians opposed restrictions on their religion and legal traditions, while American colonists increasingly resented limits on western settlement.
THE QUEBEC ACT OF 1774
To stabilize the province, Parliament passed the Quebec Act in 1774. The act was one of the most important—and controversial—pieces of legislation in colonial North America. It granted French Canadians significant concessions, including the free practice of Roman Catholicism, the Catholic Church's right to collect tithes, and the restoration of French civil law in matters involving property and private affairs. British criminal law remained in force, but French legal traditions were preserved.
Most dramatically, the act vastly expanded Quebec's boundaries. Instead of being confined largely to the St. Lawrence Valley, Quebec now stretched southward and westward into the enormous Ohio Country, reaching toward the Ohio River Valley and encompassing lands that several American colonies claimed for themselves.
To French Canadians, the act was largely a practical compromise. To many Americans, however, it seemed outrageous.
WHY THE COLONISTS HATED THE QUEBEC ACT
The Quebec Act became one of the measures Americans called the "Intolerable Acts," even though it was technically separate legislation. American colonists objected for several reasons.
First, many Protestants viewed official toleration of Catholicism with deep suspicion. Anti-Catholic sentiment was wide-
spread across the colonies, and some Americans portrayed the act as evidence that Britain intended to undermine Protestant liberty.
Second, colonial land speculators and settlers were furious at Quebec's expansion into the Ohio Valley. Colonies such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut claimed portions of the region. Many colonists expected western lands to become available after Britain's victory over France. Instead, Parliament appeared to place those lands under Quebec's administration.
Third, the act seemed to reinforce fears that Britain favored rule by appointed officials rather than elected assemblies. Quebec received no elected legislature, which critics claimed demonstrated Britain's increasingly authoritarian tendencies. While the Quebec Act was intended to secure loyalty in Canada, it simultaneously inflamed revolutionary sentiment in the thirteen colonies.
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS
When fighting erupted at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, American leaders immediately turned their attention to Canada. Many revolutionaries believed French Canadians would welcome liberation from British rule. They assumed opposition to Britain was nearly universal across North America. The Continental Congress even sent letters urging Canadians to join the revolutionary cause.
The Americans also had strategic reasons. If Canada remained British,
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it could serve as a base for attacks on New York and New England. Capturing Quebec would eliminate that threat and potentially add another colony to the rebellion.
THE INVASION OF CANADA, 1775
In the fall of 1775, the Continental Congress launched an ambitious invasion. One army, under Richard Montgomery, advanced north from New York through Lake Champlain. Montgomery captured Montreal with relative ease. A second force, led by Benedict Arnold, undertook one of the most grueling marches in American military history. Arnold's troops struggled through Maine's wilderness, suffering from hunger, disease, and exhaustion before finally reaching Quebec. The two armies joined forces outside Quebec City in December 1775.
THE ASSAULT ON QUEBEC
On New Year's Eve 1775, amid a snowstorm, the Americans launched a desperate attack on Quebec City. The assault failed catastrophically. Montgomery was killed almost immediately, and Arnold was wounded. The defenders, under Guy Carleton, held the city.
The Americans maintained a siege through the winter, hoping that reinforcements and local support would eventually bring victory. Instead, disease ravaged the army, enlistments expired, and the expected Canadian enthusiasm never materialized. When British reinforcements arrived in the spring of 1776, the Americans retreated. The invasion collapsed. Canada would remain British.
The failure was not merely military. The Americans had badly misjudged French-Canadian opinion. Several factors explain why Quebec did not join the rebellion.
Many French Canadians appreciated the protections the Quebec Act granted. Britain guaranteed their religion, legal traditions, and cultural institutions. The American revolutionary movement offered uncertain alternatives. French Canadians spoke a different language, practiced a different religion, and had a distinct historical identity. They did not automatically view their interests as identical to those of English-speaking colonists to the south.
They also suspected that American revolutionaries opposed the very religious and legal protections the Quebec Act had granted. Given the strong anti-Catholic rhetoric circulating in some colonies, those concerns were understandable. The political culture of Quebec differed significantly from that of the thirteen colonies. Americans had long experience with elected assemblies and local self-government, whereas French Canadians had lived under French royal administration and were generally less inclined toward revolutionary politics. British Governor Guy Carleton skillfully maintained loyalty among key religious and social leaders. The Catholic clergy often encouraged neutrality or loyalty rather than rebellion.
WHAT IF QUEBEC HAD JOINED?
Historians have long debated the consequences if the invasion had succeeded. A revolutionary Quebec would have transformed the geography of the rebellion.
The British would have lost control of the St. Lawrence River corridor and of a major base for operations in North America. The United States might have emerged from the Revolution with territory extending far into what is now Canada. The eventual boundary between the United States and Canada could have been very different. French-speaking Catholics would also have become a substantial population within the new republic from the outset. American politics and constitutional development might have evolved differently to accommodate linguistic and religious diversity.
The War of 1812 might never have taken the same form, since British Canada would have been greatly reduced or perhaps eliminated altogether. Most significantly, modern Canada as we know it might never have emerged. The later development of a distinct Canadian identity depended heavily on the continued existence of British North America after the American Revolution.
THE LEGACY OF THE QUEBEC ACT
Ironically, the Quebec Act achieved one of its primary goals. By accommodating French Canadian culture and religion, Britain secured the loyalty—or at least the neutrality—of most Quebecers during the Revolution. The expansion of Quebec's boundaries into the Ohio Valley angered the thirteen colonies and fueled revolutionary sentiment. Yet the same act reassured French Canadians that their way of life would be protected under British rule.
In this sense, the Quebec Act helped create two separate futures in North America. South of the border, the United States emerged, founded in revolution. North of the border, British Canada survived and eventually evolved into a distinct nation.
The failed 1775 invasion marks one of history's great turning points. Had Quebec joined the rebellion, the map of North America might look radically different today. Instead, the Quebec Act and the successful defense of Quebec City ensured that the continent would develop not as a single English-speaking republic stretching from Georgia to the Arctic, but as two nations whose histories would remain forever intertwined. n
THE GE GRAPHY PAGES
A BORDER DEFINED BY GEOGRAPHY
there Are two iNterNAtioNAl borders between the United States and Canada—the border with the northern tier of the contiguous United States (3,987 miles) and the border with the U.S. state of Alaska (1,538 miles). The section between Canada and the contiguous United States is the second-longest continuous international border in the world (after the Kazakhstan–Russia border), and the two sections together form the longest border by total length. The total boundary (including the Pacific, Great Lakes, and Atlantic coasts) is 5,525 miles long. The bi-national International Boundary Commission handles marking and maintaining the boundary, and the International Joint Commission addresses issues concerning boundary waters. The agencies responsible for facilitating legal passage through the international boundary are the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The primary U.S.-Canada border extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Much of it follows natural geographic features rather than purely artificial lines. The eastern portion passes through the vast waterways of the Great Lakes system, including Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
These lakes have long been both a blessing and a challenge. They provide
major transportation routes and abundant freshwater resources, but they also require ongoing cooperation on shipping, fishing rights, pollution control, invasive species, and water management. The international boundary often runs through the middle of the lakes, making coordination essential.
Farther west, the border cuts across the open prairies of North Dakota, Montana, and the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Here, the challenge is almost the opposite. Rather than barriers, there are few natural obstacles. The border is largely an artificial line crossing farmland and grassland, making it difficult to monitor and easy to cross by accident. Farmers sometimes own land on both sides, and roads occasionally run close to the boundary.
The western section traverses the rugged Rocky Mountains and the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest. Here, steep terrain, heavy snowfall, and remote wilderness complicate transportation and border management. At the same time, mountain watersheds and ecosystems transcend political boundaries, requiring cross-border cooperation on environmental issues.
THE ALASKA BORDER: GEOGRAPHY ON A GRAND SCALE
The second U.S.-Canada border separates Alaska from Canada's Yukon and British Columbia. Unlike the heavily populated southern border, this frontier runs through some of the most remote and dramatic landscapes on Earth. Much of the boundary follows mountain ranges, glaciers, and wilderness that remain largely undeveloped. The immense distances and harsh climate have historically limited settlement and transportation. Even today, large portions remain accessible only by air, boat, or seasonal roads.
Access to the Pacific coast has been one of the most significant geographic issues. When the border was established in the nineteenth century, the precise interpretation of the coastal
boundary became controversial. The dispute centered on the Alaska Panhandle, a narrow strip of land that extends southeast along the coast. Both the United States and Canada claimed portions of this region because control of coastal access would greatly affect trade and transportation routes into Canada's interior. The disagreement was ultimately settled by an international tribunal in 1903, largely favoring the United States.
TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES
Geography has also shaped transportation in unique ways. The main U.S.-Canada border includes numerous highways, railways, bridges, and tunnels connecting major cities such as Detroit and Windsor, or Buffalo and Fort Erie.
Alaska presents a different situation. Most overland travel between Alaska and the rest of the United States passes through Canadian territory. The historic Alaska Highway runs through both Yukon and British Columbia before reaching Alaska. As a result, the movement of people and goods depends heavily on cooperation between the United States and Canada.
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Both border regions face environmental challenges shaped by geography. Climate change is rapidly altering northern ecosystems. Melting glaciers in Alaska and western Canada affect river systems, wildlife habitats, and sea levels. In the Great Lakes region, shifting water levels and temperatures affect shipping, fisheries, and coastal communities.
Wildlife management presents another challenge. Animals such as caribou, grizzly bears, and gray wolves routinely cross the international boundary without regard for political borders. Conservation efforts therefore require binational planning.
The geography of the U.S.-Canada border shows how natural landscapes shape international relations. The
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eastern waterways require cooperation over shared resources. The prairie regions underscore the challenges of managing an almost invisible boundary. The western mountains create transportation barriers while protecting vast ecosystems. Meanwhile, the Alaska border illustrates how remote geography can influence sovereignty, trade, and access to the sea.
Despite these challenges, the two borders are widely regarded as among the most peaceful and cooperative international boundaries in the world—a testament to how neighboring nations can work together across landscapes that are often far more powerful than the lines drawn on maps.
GEOGRAPHY AND THE UNITED STATES–MEXICO BORDER
the borDer betweeN the United States and Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles, from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. While political debates often focus on immigration, trade, and security, geography itself plays a major role in shaping the challenges and opportunities along the border. Mountains, deserts, rivers, ecosystems, and climate all influence how the border functions and how the two nations interact.
One of the most significant geographic features along the border is the Rio Grande, known in Mexico as the Río Bravo. The river forms much of the boundary between Texas and Mexico. Although rivers can serve as natural dividing lines, they are not always stable. Over time, erosion, flooding, and changes in the river's course have occasionally led to disputes over the exact location of the international boundary. Maintaining bridges, dams, and water-sharing agreements requires ongoing cooperation between the two countries.
Water availability is another major geographic issue. Much of the border region lies in arid or semi-arid environments, where water is scarce. Growing cities, expanding agriculture, and industrial development place increasing demands on limited water resources. Competition for water from the Rio Grande and the Colorado River has intensified as populations on both sides of the border continue to grow. Periodic droughts, intensified by climate change, further complicate water management and raise concerns about the long-term sustainability of regional development.
The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts dominate large sections of the borderlands. These harsh landscapes feature extreme temperatures, limited water supplies, and rugged terrain. These conditions make transportation, construction, and law enforcement difficult. They also create serious humanitarian concerns, as migrants attempting to cross remote desert areas face the risks of dehydration, heatstroke, and exposure. The geography itself has become one of the most formidable obstacles along the border.
Mountain ranges also influence border issues. Areas such as the Sierra Madre foothills and the rugged terrain of Arizona and New Mexico create natural barriers that complicate transportation routes and border infrastructure projects. Building roads, surveillance systems, or physical barriers in these regions can be costly and environmentally disruptive. Steep terrain often limits access and increases maintenance costs.
Environmental concerns extend beyond individual geographic features. Many ecosystems span international borders, regardless of political boundaries. Wildlife species such as jaguars, ocelots, pronghorn antelope, and numerous bird species rely on habitats that span both countries. Physical barriers, urban expansion, and infrastructure projects can disrupt migration routes and fragment habitats. Conservation efforts, therefore, require binational cooperation to protect ecosystems that function as a single geographic unit.
Rapid urban growth poses another geographic challenge. Border cities such as San Diego and Tijuana, as well as El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, have grown into large metropolitan regions that are economically interconnected despite being separated by an international boundary. These urban areas face common challenges in transportation, air quality, waste management, and water supply. Geographic proximity often requires solutions that transcend national borders.
Climate change is introducing new dimensions to existing geographic challenges. Rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, heightened wildfire risk, and shifting precipitation patterns threaten both natural ecosystems and human communities across the border region. As environmental pressures intensify, cooperation between the United States and Mexico may become increasingly important for managing shared resources and adapting to changing conditions.
The geography of the United States–Mexico border is far more than a backdrop to political events. Rivers, deserts, mountains, ecosystems, and climate patterns shape life along the border and influence everything from resource management to economic development and environmental protection. Understanding these geographic factors is essential to understanding the challenges and opportunities that define one of the world's most dynamic international boundaries. n
GONE GONE
GONE
A Nation of One Name
Trump's Monumental Quest to Rename
historiANs MAy soMeDAy DebAte
Donald Trump's political, economic, legal, and hair-related legacies. But there is one achievement that stands above all others, towering over the landscape like a 900-foot gold-plated self-portrait: his relentless determination to name absolutely everything after himself.
Most presidents are content with having an airport, library, or elementary school named after them after they leave office. Trump apparently views this as amateur hour. According to sources familiar with the matter, Trump's ultimate vision is not merely to leave his mark on America but to transform it into a giant personalized gift shop. The first phase would begin with obvious landmarks. The Washington Monument would become the Trump Monument. The Lincoln Memorial would become the Trump Memorial to Trump's Greatness. The Jefferson Memorial would become the Trump Memorial to Trump's Even Greater Greatness. The reflecting pool on the National Mall would be replaced by the Apprentice Reflecting Pool, where visitors could stare into the water and hear a recording say, "You're fired," every seven minutes.
Washington, meanwhile, is preparing for what supporters call the natural next step in American architecture: the Arc de Trump. Rising majestically from the National Mall, the triumphal arch would reportedly commemorate the Trump era's greatest victories, including several that historians are still struggling to identify. Traditionalists object that triumphal arches were built to celebrate military conquests. Supporters counter that no previous conqueror ever achieved such dominance over cable news, social media, and the naming
Reality
rights to consumer merchandise. Plans allegedly include gold trim, escalators, and an eternal flame fueled entirely by presidential grievances.
Geographers fear the implications. The Rocky Mountains could become the Trumpy Mountains. The Mississippi River could become the Big, Beautiful Trump Water Feature. The Gulf of Mexico would likely be renamed the Gulf of Tremendous Success. Yellowstone National Park could become Trumpstone National Golf Preserve, complete with complimentary gold-plated geysers and a gift shop selling commemorative cans of "Authentic Presidential Air."
Transportation infrastructure would not be spared the rebranding campaign. Imagine boarding Air Force One only to learn it has been renamed Trump Force One. The Lincoln Tunnel would become the Trump Tunnel. The Holland Tunnel would become the Other Trump Tunnel. Interstate highways would be renumbered based on Trump's approval ratings, creating widespread confusion and occasional paradoxes.
The nation's capital itself could become Trumpington, D.C., short for Donald's Capital. Experts predict that under a fully realized Trump naming initiative, Americans would routinely give directions such as: "Drive north on the Donald J. Trump Memorial Trump Parkway until you reach the Trump Circle Rotary. Then turn left at the Trump Fountain, pass the Trump Center for Advanced Trump Studies, and you'll see the Trump Statue of Trump on your right."
The Moon? Trump Moon. Mars? Future Trump Territory. The Milky Way? The Trump Galaxy, featuring billions of stars, all claiming to have voted for him. Astronomers worry that celestial maps would
become difficult to read. One draft proposal reportedly labels the entire observable universe "Trump Space Plus."
Even language itself may not be safe. January would become Trumpuary. Friday would become Trumpday. The letter T would become "The Presidential Letter." Dictionaries would require annual updates. The word "humility" would simply redirect readers to a blank page.
The educational implications are staggering. Schoolchildren might someday memorize: "In 1492, Columbus sailed the Trump Ocean Blue. In 1776, the Trump Colonies declared independence. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Trump Moon and say the immortal words: 'One small step for man, one giant leap for branding.'"
Meanwhile, architects are already envisioning future projects. Among the rumored proposals: The Trumpoleum, The Grand Trump Canyon, The Donald Dome, The National Museum of Trump Achievements and Other Things, Trump Rushmore (with all four faces replaced), The Trump Institute for the Study of Trumpology, The Trump Memorial Clock Tower
BY ANDREW FELDER
of Timeless Trumpness, The Center for Strategic Trumping, The International Trumpport, Trump Station, Trump Harbor, Trump Beach, Trump Falls, Trump National Arboretum and Wedding Venue, and The Donald J. Trump Center for Advanced Naming Rights.
The crown jewel, however, may be the proposed Trumpisphere—a massive golden sphere visible from space. Visitors would enter the Hall of Unprecedented Greatness, pass through the Gallery of Perfect Phone Calls, and end in the Atrium of Historic Self-Regard, where an animatronic Trump would spend eternity complimenting another animatronic Trump.
At some point, observers suspect, practical problems could arise. If every building, bridge, airport, park, roadway, mountain, river, moon, and sandwich were named Trump, how would anyone distinguish one from another? Simple, supporters explain. Each would receive a unique designation: Trump, Trump Plus, Trump Ultra, Trump Premium, Trump Executive, Trump Signature, Trump Elite, Trump Deluxe, Trump Magnificent, Trump Extremely Magnificent, Trump Very Extremely Magnificent, and, for truly special occasions, Trump Platinum Gold Diamond Presidential Reserve Edition.
In the end, the dream is elegantly simple. Why should history remember thousands of names when it could remember just one? Future archaeologists, brushing dust from the ruins of civilization, may uncover a plaque that reads: "Welcome to Trump."
After careful study, they will ask the obvious question: "Which Trump?" To which the plaque will proudly reply: "All of it." n
BY ANDREW FELDER
The Monetized Presidency Power, Loyalty, and Profit in Trump's Second Term
oNe of the DefiNiNg characteristics of Donald Trump's second presidency (along with its policies, rhetoric, and repeated clashes with America's traditional allies and democratic institutions) is the unprecedented fusion of governmental power, personal loyalty, and private enrichment. What has emerged is a presidency that increasingly resembles a family business run from the Oval Office, in which public authority appears less a sacred trust than a commercial asset to be leveraged. Many Americans who expected a more disciplined Donald Trump after his return to power have instead seen a president freed from the constraints that frustrated him in his first term. Massive tariffs imposed with little regard for economic consequences, attacks on longstanding alliances, harsh immigration crackdowns that often test legal boundaries, and military actions undertaken with minimal consultation have reflected a White House operating with fewer restraints than at any point in modern American history. Yet these policy choices may ultimately be less significant than the transformation of the presidency. The central story of Trump's second term is not governance but monetization.
From Expertise to Obedience
During Trump's first administration, there were still adults in the room. Republican leaders, economic advisers, military commanders, and career officials frequently slowed, modified, or blocked some of his most impulsive ideas. They provided friction, imposed process, and occasionally forced him to confront inconvenient facts. Trump appears to have drawn a different lesson from that experience. He didn’t conclude that expertise was valuable. He concluded that independent thinkers were disloyal.
The result has been the creation of an administration in which loyalty often takes precedence over competence. Independent voices have largely disappeared. Decision-making increasingly flows from personal allegiance to the president rather than from institutional expertise. The traditional mechanisms that once restrained executive excess have been weakened, bypassed, or openly ridiculed. What remains is a government increasingly shaped by one man's instincts, grievances, and interests. This is not merely a management style. It is a governing philosophy. Institutions exist not to serve the public but to serve the leader.
The Presidency as a Revenue Stream
The erosion of the boundaries between public office and private profit is alarming. The Trump family's business empire has grown dramatically while Trump has been in office. New real estate ventures, cryptocurrency projects, foreign investments, licensing agreements, and government-adjacent business opportunities have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Foreign governments, corporations, and wealthy investors now have more avenues than ever to direct money toward enterprises associated with the president and his family. Even when no explicit quid pro quo can be proven, the appearance is devastating.
The American presidency was never intended to be a profit center; yet Trump has normalized conduct that would likely end the career of almost any other public official. Activities that would trigger ethics investigations, congressional hearings, and potential criminal scrutiny if undertaken by a Cabinet secretary are increasingly treated as routine when associated with the president. The issue is not simply legality. It is corruption of purpose.
products. According to reports, Trump personally intervened in the discussion, contacting senior health officials and expressing dissatisfaction with the FDA's regulatory approach. Days later, the FDA announced a policy shift that could substantially benefit major tobacco companies by easing restrictions on flavored vaping products and allowing higher nicotine concentrations in nicotine pouches. The White House maintains that the decision was based solely on science. There is no publicly available evidence proving a direct link between the donation and the policy change, but the problem is larger than any single legal standard.
A corporation gives millions of dollars to a political operation tied to the president. Corporate representatives then receive direct access to the president. The president personally pressures health officials. Shortly thereafter, the corporation receives the regulatory outcome it sought. Even if every action technically complies with the law, the sequence embodies exactly the kind of influence-peddling Americans are supposed to find unacceptable.
The question is no longer whether special interests influence Washington. They always have. The question is whether that influence has become so naked, so immediate, and so visible that the distinction between lobbying and purchasing access has begun to blur!
The Collapse of Democratic Guardrails
Public officials are supposed to ask what benefits the country. The recurring question surrounding Trump's second term is whether official decisions are increasingly intertwined with what benefits Trump.
The Reynolds Tobacco Case: Pay-to-Play in Plain Sight
Few episodes better illustrate the ethical decay in Trump's Washington than the Reynolds American controversy.
Campaign finance records showed that a Reynolds subsidiary donated $5 million to MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump's political operation. Within days, company executives and lobbyists met with the president at his Florida golf club to complain about FDA regulations that limited the tobacco industry's ability to market flavored vaping
The Reynolds episode is not an isolated controversy. It is a symptom of a broader institutional failure. Throughout Trump's second term, wealthy donors, corporate interests, cryptocurrency investors, foreign governments, and politically connected businesses have repeatedly operated in an environment where access to power appears increasingly tied to financial support for Trump, his family, or their associated enterprises.
The pattern is hard to ignore. A tobacco company contributes millions to a Trumpaligned political organization and, shortly thereafter, receives a favorable hearing and the regulatory outcome it sought. Cryptocurrency investors purchase large stakes in Trump-linked digital assets and gain access to exclusive events attended by the president. Foreign investors channel enormous sums into ventures associated with the Trump family while simultaneously seeking favorable relationships with the United States government. Real estate developers, licensing partners, and corporate executives continue to pursue business arrangements bearing the Trump name, fully aware that the brand now belongs not merely to a businessman but to the world’s most powerful political figure.
Doctor (to new elderly patient): “How long have you been bedridden?” (Patient (with confused look) “Why not for about 20 years, when my husband was alive.”
The man who invented throat lozenges died recently. There was no coffin at the funeral.
None of these episodes, taken alone, necessarily proves a criminal conspiracy. That’s not the point. The danger lies in their cumulative effect. Together, they create a political culture in which influence appears for sale, access becomes a commodity, and public office increasingly resembles a revenue-generating enterprise. For generations, American presidents at least pretended to maintain a firewall between public duties and private financial interests. Trump has largely abandoned that pretense. The ethical concern is no longer concealed behind shell companies, secret meetings, or obscure lobbying arrangements. It is often visible in plain sight.
Corruption Without Consequences
The cryptocurrency dinners may be the clearest example. In previous administrations, wealthy donors might attend a fundraising event or a private reception. Under Trump, critics argue, financial participation in ventures linked to the president's family can itself become a pathway to prestige, access, and influence. The line between investing in a business and currying favor with the government becomes increasingly difficult to draw.
The same concern applies to the vast pools of money and discretionary spending authority that Trump has sought to concentrate under executive control. Critics warn that when unprecedented financial resources are combined with weakened oversight and a governing philosophy rooted in personal loyalty, the result is not merely an expansion of executive power but also opportunities for favoritism, patronage, and political reward on a scale rarely seen in modern American history. This is why critics increasingly describe Trump's second administration not as a traditional presidency but as a system of transactional governance. The operating principle seems simple: loyalty is rewarded, critics are punished, donors receive access, and institutions primarily serve the interests of those who control them.
The Founders created a system designed to prevent the concentration of power. Congress was expected to defend its authority. Political parties were expected to protect institutions rather than individuals. Public officials were expected to place constitutional responsibilities above personal loyalty. Those assumptions are increasingly failing.
Congress has often shown little appetite for challenging a president who dominates its party. Oversight has become sporadic, timid, or openly partisan. Many officials who once would have defended institutional independence now seem more concerned with preserving favor within Trump's political movement. The result is a government in which accountability mechanisms remain on paper but often fail in practice.
Political corruption in advanced democracies is usually subtle. It hides behind committees, consultants, lobbying firms, and legal loopholes. Trump's second term has brought something different: corruption that often seems to operate in broad daylight. Meetings occur openly. Donations are disclosed. Business deals are announced publicly. Government actions follow. The extraordinary becomes ordinary through repetition.
Supporters dismiss criticism as partisan hostility. Opponents see evidence of systemic corruption. The greater danger is that the public grows numb. Conduct that once would have sparked national outrage now survives a single news cycle. A democracy cannot effectively police corruption if large portions of the electorate no longer recognize it as such when committed by their own side. That may be Trump's most enduring legacy: not merely weakening ethical standards but lowering public expectations of ethical behavior.
The Urgent Need for Reform
The challenge facing the United States extends beyond Donald Trump. His presidency has exposed vulnerabilities that have existed for decades but were rarely exploited so aggressively. It has revealed how dependent American democracy is on voluntary restraint, unwritten norms, and assumptions of good faith. Those assumptions can no longer be trusted.
donors will fully fund the project, presenting it as a “gift” to the United States.
In addition to the ballroom, President Trump has said his fundraising has been so successful that any surplus might be used to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch in Washington, a project he is personally commissioning. He has also indicated that private contributors will support other initiatives on his extensive construction agenda, which may be the most ambitious building spree ever undertaken by a president.
Future reforms must eliminate presidential exemptions that shield against conflicts of interest. Financial transparency requirements must be strengthened. Congress must reclaim its oversight role. Ethical standards once based on honor must be codified into law.
The lesson of Trump's second term is not merely that one president pushed the system's limits. It is that the system proved far weaker than many Americans believed. A republic cannot survive indefinitely if public office becomes a vehicle for private enrichment, if loyalty eclipses competence, and if political power can be converted into personal profit with little fear of consequences. The danger is no longer theoretical—it’s unfolding in real time. n
Monu-MENTAL: President ConstructionTrump'sProjects
President Trump has consistently assured the American people that his proposed White House ballroom will not require any taxpayer funding (that it will not cost taxpayers “one dime.”). He has pledged that he and private
erMA louise boMbeck (1927 – 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her syndicated newspaper humor column (1965 –1996). Fifteen of her humor books
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
SEIZE THE MOMENT. REMEMBER ALL THOSE WOMEN ON THE 'TITANIC' WHO WAVED OFF THE DESSERT CART.
Given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it... live it...and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff. Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
MY IDEA OF HOUSEWORK IS TO SWEEP THE ROOM WITH A GLANCE.
THE ODDS OF GOING TO THE STORE FOR A LOAF OF BREAD AND COMING OUT WITH ONLY A LOAF OF BREAD ARE THREE BILLION TO ONE.
Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.
In two decades I've lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.
Kids need love the most when they're acting most unlovable.
have been published; most became bestsellers. She wrote more than four thousand newspaper columns, using broad, sometimes eloquent humor to chronicle the ordinary life of a Midwest-
THE WIT AND WISDOM OF
Erma Bombeck
Someday, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I'll tell them: I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home. ... I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your friend was a creep. I loved you enough to make you return a Milky Way with a bite out of it to a drugstore and confess, 'I stole this.' ... But most of all I loved you enough to say no when you hated me for it. That was the hardest part of all.
When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out.
If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
Some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet, you don't even know it's there.
ern suburban housewife. By the 1970s, her columns were read semiweekly by 30 million readers across nine hundred newspapers in the United States and Canada.
I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.
Shopping is a woman thing. It's a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase.
No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed.
It's [motherhood] the biggest on-the-job- training program in existence today.
Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn't even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned-on cheese from the grill of the toaster oven.
If I had my life to live over I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS IS A VEGETARIAN AND LOOKS LIKE A WALL. LIONS WHO EAT ONLY RED MEAT ARE SLEEK AND SLIM. ARE NUTRITIONISTS ON THE WRONG TRACK?
Success is outliving your failures
Encourage independence in your children by regularly losing them in the supermarket.
It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.
If the nest is truly empty, who owns all this junk?
A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE SLAPPED A NAME TAG OVER MY LEFT BOSOM. "WHAT SHALL WE NAME THE OTHER ONE?" I SMILED. SHE WAS NOT AMUSED.
JohN elroy sANforD (1922 – 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He gained success with
his raunchy nightclub act before and during the Civil Rights Movement. Known as the "King of the Party Records," he performed on more than
50 records in his lifetime. He portrayed Fred G. Sanford on the television show Sanford and Son and starred in The Redd Foxx Show and The Royal Family.
Beauty may be skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone.
IF YOU CAN SEE THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL... YOU'RE ON THE TOILET.
DO YOU REALIZE THAT IF THE PILGRIMS HAD BEEN CHASING BOBCATS INSTEAD OF TURKEYS, WE'D ALL BE EATING PUSSY ON THANKSGIVING?!
What's the difference between a pickpocket and a peeping tom? A pickpocket snatches watches.
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
The definition of indecent –when it’s in long, and it’s in hard, and it’s in deep –it’s in decent.
Hey! Leave the door open will ya? The flies haven't been out all day.
You make me wish that birth control was retroactive.
Music played a large role in the survival of the black people in America — that and a sense of humor that just couldn't be enslaved.
A girl's legs are her best friends... but even the best of friends must part.
I feel sorry for people who don't drink or do drugs. Because someday they're going to be in a hospital bed, dying, and they won't know why.
What's an archive, son? Is that anything like a closet?
I CARRY A KNIFE NOW BECAUSE I READ IN A WHITE MAGAZINE THAT ALL BLACK PEOPLE CARRY KNIVES. SO I RUSHED OUT AND BOUGHT ME ONE. The food here is so tasteless you could eat a meal of it and belch and it wouldn't remind you of anything.
I'm a Sagittarian, see, I can't be fenced in. I been living in Las Vegas, greatest city in the world. I look out my window for 100 miles. In Vegas, there's nothing to do but gamble, drink or have sex. I have two of 'em.
I've been trying to get into the Royal Box in New York for years. They say I'm too dirty, my material is too blue. But I think Redd, the whites and blue can be a nice combination.
It's some chopped liver. That's Jewish soul food.
BY ADAM MCCANN
Best Real Estate Markets (2026)
Whether you’re entering the real estate business or simply looking for a place to call home, it’s important to understand the housing markets you’re considering before investing in a property. This year, the housing market has been more balanced, with mortgage rates relatively stable compared to last year and home values rising modestly by 0.3% on average.
If you aim for long-term growth, equity, and profit with your housing purchase, you’ll need to look beyond tangible factors like square footage and style. Those factors certainly drive up property values. From an investor’s standpoint, though, they hold less significance than historical market trends and the economic health of residents.
To determine the best local real-estate markets in the U.S., WalletHub compared 300 cities of varying sizes across 17 key indicators of housing-market attractiveness and economic strength. Their dataset ranged from median home price appreciation to job growth.
In-Depth Look at the Best Real Estate Markets
McKinney, TX, has the best real estate market in the U.S., in large part because of its recent growth. McKinney has the second-highest share of houses
built between 2010 and 2023, at roughly 38%, which means that new buyers have many options for homes that may not need major maintenance for a while. There are also plenty more new housing options coming, as McKinney has the third-highest number of
building permits per capita. While it isn’t necessarily the cheapest city to move to, it’s also far from the most expensive. The median home price in McKinney is about 365% of the median income, making it the 74th-cheapest of the 300 cities in the study. In
addition, it ranks among the 40 least expensive cities for maintenance, telephone, and energy costs. To top it off, McKinney has a strong job market alongside its healthy real estate market. It has the 11th-highest job growth rate in the nation, at nearly 21% annually.
Cary, NC, has the second-best real estate market, largely because of its low cost of living. The city has the fourth-lowest home energy costs in the country, as well as the fifth-lowest phone service and home maintenance costs. It can be a bit pricey to buy a house to begin with, as Cary ranks 96th for housing affordability – but that’s still in the cheapest third of the 300 cities in our study. In addition, once people buy a house in Cary, its value is forecast to rise by 0.1% per year. Although this may not seem like much, it’s the 45th-highest increase among the 300 cities in our sample. Cary residents also seem able to keep up with their housing costs. The city has the 29th-lowest mortgage delinquency rate and the second-lowest foreclosure rate. Cary’s low unemployment rate and strong job growth also help residents make their payments on time.
Irvine, CA, has the third-best real estate market, with the third-highest share of homes built between 2010 and 2023, at nearly 32%. That’s good news for people who want the benefits of a recently constructed home, such as not having to put in a lot of work right away. In addition, it’s the 11th-cheapest city for phone service and the 20th-cheapest for maintenance and energy. It also has the 15th-lowest mortgage delinquency rate and the 16th-highest median credit score, affirming residents’ financial responsibility and ability to meet payment deadlines. Finally, Irvine has one of the best job growth rates in the country, which helps attract new residents to its growing housing market.
To view the whole report (including 250 more cities and their rankings), to understand the methodology, and to read expert commentary, click <HERE>. n
Adam McCann is a personal finance writer for WalletHub.
DIVERSI NS
THE KENNEDY CENTER
TEXTING
THE BACK PAGE
ANSWERS FROM THE MAY/JUNE CONTEST: MATCH THE NICKNAME TO THE CITY
1. C — New York City / 2. B — Chicago / 3. A — Dallas / 4. D — Fort Worth / 5. E — Las Vegas / 6. F — Pittsburgh / 7. G — Detroit / 8. G — Detroit / 9. H — St. Louis / 10. I — Seattle / 11. J — Denver / 12. K — Los Angeles / 13. L — Nashville / 14. M — New Orleans / 15. N — Baltimore / 16. O — Houston / 17. P — Miami / 18. Q — Sacramento / 19. R — Philadelphia / 20. S — Charlotte / 21. T — San Jose / 22. U — Minneapolis–St. Paul / 23. V — Boston / 24. W — San Antonio / 25. X — Santa Fe / 26. T — San Jose / 27. Y — Tampa / 28. Z — Huntington Beach / 29. AA — Anaheim / 30. K — Los Angeles / 31. AB — Phoenix / 32. AC — Indianapolis / 33. AD — San Francisco / 34. AE — Toledo / 35. AF — Holyoke / 36. AJ — Minneapolis / 37. AG — Grand Rapids / 38. AH — Manchester / 39. AI — Rochester / 40. AJ — Minneapolis.
DIVERSI
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will receive a copy of the book The Best Diversions. Coral Johanssen, Atlantic City, NJ Spencer Heyward, Chesterfield,
C NTEST: MEET THE BEATLES — 35 SONGS
the beAtles were AN English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, and they remained together until their breakup in 1970. During that decade, they became one of the most influential and successful musical groups in history, redefining popular music with groundbreaking songwriting, studio innovation, and cultural impact that helped shape the 1960s. After the band dissolved, each member went on to highly successful solo careers: John Lennon pursued acclaimed solo work and activism until his death in 1980, Paul McCartney formed Wings and continued as one of the most commercially successful songwriters of all time, George Harrison achieved critical and commercial success with
solo albums and the Concert for Bangladesh, and Ringo Starr built a steady solo career while also acting and touring with his All-Starr Band. Together and apart, their influence on music and culture has remained enduring and global.
Can you complete each song title with the correct word from the list below? (Each word is used only once.)
Scan or copy this page and send your entry to editor@thenetworkmagazine.org or fax it to 817.924.7116 on or before August 30, 2026 for a chance to win a valuable prize.
...BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S WHAT YOU KNOW
We Speak Real Estate
The Arsenal Companies are a diversified consulting, educational and publishing group, dedicated to service in the real estate industry. With national reach, regional strength and local sensibilities, we serve and service large and small companies as well as governmental entities in acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, licensing, contracting, procurement, insurance certificate tracking, educational program development, mediation services and collections.
Our Contracts and Procurement Services Division provides solutions and services that help real estate owners and companies effectively manage their contractual needs and commitments. We provide industry knowledge and we practice deal facilitation rather than obstruction Whether you are a property, facility or asset manager, your functions are integrally related to real estate contracts. Quality management is all about contracts.
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Are the contracts for services and supplies which your organization uses prepared for your organization – or are they the vendor’s or contractor’s agreement forms? Wouldn’t you be better off if those agreements and purchase orders were revisited from your perspective? Isn’t it time you fortified your real estate related contracts?
Contract Negotiation and Drafting Services
Do you have contract issues that call out for review, interpretation and the advice of a specialist? Do you have a service contract which is about to expire and will need to be renewed or replaced? Do you have oversight of a real estate or facilities function which has been given savings targets? Have you considered ‘outsourcing’ this part of your real estate function but fear a loss of control?
We analyze the details of your proposed service contracts before they begin - while you still have leverage. Or, we can review your existing service contracts, help reveal cost efficiencies and/or savings opportunities. We look for pragmatic solutions that are sensitive to your business interests, anticipating issues that may arise, and we assist in minimizing those risks that cannot be avoided.
Don’t assume that problems won’t occur. Plan what you can do to avoid them. A small reduction in costs can be the equivalent of a substantial increase in value. We suggest ‘refinements’ to improve language and reduce direct and indirect costs. Our attorneys have successfully resolved leasing issues for both small and Fortune 100 corporations – effectuating $millions in savings. The Arsenal Companies 4240 Hazelwood Avenue Frisco, TX 75034 Tel: 214-755-2277 Fax: 817.924.7116 www.thearsenalcompanies.com
