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coda-90 · 4 years ago

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The Evolution of Social Standards

by Durga Kulkarni.

Psychological Evolution

Why do Social Opinions matter?

Social Expectations

Social Organisations

Psychological Evolution

What is it?

Psychological Evolution, or Evolutionary psychology has roots in Cognitive Psychology and Evolutionary Biology.[1] It focuses on how evolution has shaped the mind and its behavior. It also concentrates on how the main purpose of our lives has shifted, from survival, to contentment. Additionally, it helps us in understanding why we humans behave the way we do, and what are the underlying instincts that we are unaware of which is making us do these things. It also states the importance of human interaction and connection in our lives.

When it comes to human interactions, there are a few default archetypes noticed in each interaction, them being: exchanging information, opinions and expectations. In today's world, during a healthy conversation, we tend to follow these archetypes, for the sake of adding simplicity, purpose and direction to the conversation. This is where social opinions and expectations start affecting us.

Initially, due to the hierarchy that used to exist in the tribes, conversations were very minimal and reserved, but as the tribes kept splitting, and more exchange of information was needed, the people realized that they needed a proper language for their convenience.

The “Pooh-Pooh theory” holds that speech originated from spontaneous human cries and exclamations; the 'Yo-He-Ho theory' suggests that language developed from grunts evoked by physical exertion; while the 'Sing-Song theory/La- La Theory' claims that speech arose from primitive ritual chants and playful songs.[2]

By the time of the Roman civilization, the hierarchy amongst men was very much visible, and was put to use. Along that period, the importance of exemplary words and literature was noticed, and was worked upon by involving a new change bringing item in all the civilians and senators lives; Newspapers (Acta Diurna (Daily Events)). In these newspapers, multiple things were mentioned, including the next political event, the victories. They even had an obituary section in their newspapers. Along with all this information, slowly opinions started seeping into the texts. These opinions helped people in creating a judgment for voting.[3]

By 1600, the social hierarchy was divided into six parts; Monarchy, Nobility, Gentry, Merchants, Yeomen and the Labourers. Due to this, if any judgement was to be made, it would have largely been based on rank.[4]

Then by, about the 1800’s, the social hierarchy was divided into three parts; Upper class, Middle class and the Working class. The Upper class used to consist of the Aristocrats, Nobles, Dukes and other wealthy families working in the Victorian courts.The Middle class consisted of industrial revolutionaries, who have changed our lives. The Working class, lowest among the Victorian social hierarchy were the working class. This class remained aloof to the political progress of the country and was hostile to the other two classes. This working class was further categorised as the skilled workers and the unskilled workers.[5]

In the 2000’s, the hierarchy merged and divided into five social classes; Upper, Upper-Middle, Middle, Working and Lower class. This did not cause as much difference and conflicts as the other classes did in the past. But something else did.

Why do Social Opinions matter?

“Social influence is the process by which individuals adapt their opinion, revise their beliefs, or change their behavior as a result of social interactions with other people.”[6]

When we are in the presence of other people, we like to blend in. To blend in, we abide by a few social norms. These norms help us maintain a calm, mannered and composed personality throughout the day. These norms turn into expectations, expectations turn into opinions and opinions turn into reality. These opinions and expectations, when pondered upon, seem quite irrational, but due to these opinions and expectations being around for a long time, we have grown to accept them, and to some extent, even like them. But then why question it?

The reason being that these opinions and expectations ARE in fact quite irrational and toxic.

Interdependence

We follow these opinions and expectations because we are living in a society that entirely works on being Interdependent. Interdependence is the state of being dependent upon one another (Mutual dependence/Interdependence). For eg. We depend on our neighbours and they depend on us to be welcoming and decent.

To abide by the social expectation of being decent, we usually follow the societal idea of “Decency”, which is being calm, reserved, polite, helpful, straightforward and clean.

Also, other people's evaluations of us is both crucial and necessary to impact behavioral changes, which is what ultimately allows us to gain professionally and personally.

Social Expectations

Each social situation entails its own particular set of expectations about the “proper” way to behave. Social roles are the ‘part people play as members of a social group’. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role. There are 7 main types of societal roles; Leader, Knowledge Generator, Connector, Follower, Moralist, Enforcer, and Observer.[7]

To explain these roles, we will take a problematic social situation into consideration, to show what exactly each role does.

Leader: Proposes strategies and techniques to conquer a problematic situation. (Leader of a country)

Knowledge Generator: Shares information about the status of the situation. (Advisory)

Connector: Transmits the decisions made by the leader or opinions of other roles. (Media)

Follower: Follows a leader. (Politics)

Moralist: Looks for fair shares for all the other roles. (Law)

Enforcer: Punishes the behavior of other roles. (Army)

Observer: Shares information about the compliance of the behavior of other roles, as well as the role who answers to another observer's request about information about other roles. (General crowd)

We as human beings keep on switching between these roles according to the situation. With these roles, there can be unsaid expectations. Most of the time these expectations are rather helpful than problematic, though there are exceptions. But these exceptions occur only when there’s excess of Destructive criticism, Stratification, Peer Pressure and Mass Hysteria.

Destructive Criticism

Destructive criticism is defined as criticism performed with the intention to harm, derogate and destroy someone's creation, prestige, reputation and self-esteem. It's meant to ridicule, damage and bring the person down.

It is very common on social media. Sometimes it even occurs with your closest peers.

Stratification

Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic hierarchy based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, sex, and power. The people who have more resources represent the top layer of the social structure of stratification.

This is also widely noticed in public spaces such as schools.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is the influence displayed by people within the same social group. It is also the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to agree to in order to be accepted by the group. Sometimes peer pressure is used to positively influence people, but most of the time it’s not. Many adolescents fall into the trap of Peer Pressure.

Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is a phenomenon that conveys collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population and society as a result of rumors and fear. Mass hysteria occurs anywhere at any time. This is very common during global pandemic.

Social Organisations

In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and social groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, division of labor, communication systems, and so on.

These are the most noticed basis for the Social Organisations; Religion, Gender, Race and Monetary status.

Religion

Religion affects human beings very much. It is the root and base for our mental growth and morals. Religion is a very controversial topic to talk about. Many of them involve multitudes of intricate rituals.

Religions are based on philosophies by spiritual people. These philosophies are more of lifestyles, and when people follow a religion they completely imbibe it, no matter what. This changes their outlook towards social interactions and social opinions. This causes a difference in everyone’s knee-jerk reactions associated with different situations.

Gender

There has always been inequality between the female and male gender. This is called Sexism. Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles. This means in many countries there aren’t equal human rights for both the genders. Even though in few countries there may be basic equal rights for both the genders there always is one favored gender and things like salary and weight of opinion is not the same for the favored gender.

Race

Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits according to physical appearance and can be stratified based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or hate directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. Modern Racism is often based in social perceptions of biological differences between people. These views can take the form of social behaviour, practices or beliefs, or political systems in which different races are supposed as ingrained superior or inferior to each other, based on assumed similar inheritable traits, or qualities.

Monetary status

The Monetary status of people has an influence on decisions made by law. It also gives them unrequited privilege to commit minor or major crimes, and evade the consequences. This brings a sentiment of power and pride in them, which then gives them a sense of togetherness.

In summary, this write up covers up the basic Evolution of Communication, the importance of abiding to Social Norms, the Seven basic types of Social Roles, Compelling Social Ideologies that change the perspective of the human mind, and the differences that bring humans together.

#Psychology #sociology #random words #women rights #teenagers

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ill-will-editions · 6 years ago

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FULL METAL YELLOW JACKET - Alèssi Dell’Umbria (2019)

This article first appeared in lundimatin #175, January 22, 2019.

Translated by The Vitalist International and Ill Will Editions. For more of Dell’Umbria’s work in English see “Being in the Zone”

***

“Oh, shit!”

– Louis XVI, 21 January 1793.

Let's make the most of a good thing! The Zeitgeist reveals itself in revolt, each time in new forms. With the movement against the Labor Law in spring 2016, there was the cortège de tête; in Spring 2018, it was the defense of the communized rural territory of the ZAD; most recently, in Autumn 2018, the Yellow Vests movement erupted into uncontrolled blockades and demonstrations, which are still ongoing.

An unknown but familiar territory has begun to take on a political existence. The yellow vests have situated themselves in a peripheral space made up of non-places: roundabouts, motorway tolls, shopping center parking lots – the same circulatory axes along which the atomized functions to which neo-urbanites are consigned are organized and distributed. This daily environment of millions of people stuck in early morning and late afternoon traffic jams seemed to have neutralized any possibility of an event. Statistics suggest that half of the French population lives in this periphery. All of these people had been desperately invisible...in order to exist, they had to put on a yellow vest, just as others had needed a balaclava or a black North Face jacket... The fact that the Adama Traoré committee was so quick to call for people to join the yellow vest rallies in Paris is a case in point: Beaumont-sur-Oise, the border point between the Parisian suburbs and what was once the Parisian countryside, embodies precisely this periphery of the metropolis that has taken on a political existence (in this case since the murder of Adama Traoré) and does not intend to give it up.

To use a term that is far from innocent, it could be said that this movement is an essentially provincial one, and in a way that is entirely unprecedented. Demonstrations and riots are erupting in small towns where nothing usually happens - the same places where the state has been busy shuttering train stations, post offices, schools, maternity wards—why spend public money on country bumpkins [parpagnàs] [*1]? Yellow Vests are cropping up everywhere. A riot in Nantes, St Nazaire, Caen, Rouen is plausible enough, but in Beauvais, Bar-le-Duc, Narbonne, Le Puy, Angers? Surprise! It’s a known fact that the vast majority of the rioters who looted the beautiful Parisian districts on December 1 and 8 came from these same provinces. Their wandering through Paris was more like hooligans on a stroll through enemy territory than a traditional trade union demonstration. Contempt for small provincial people, so typical of the Parisian national elites, finally receives a reply. A decade ago, it was already being said that Paris had become so thoroughly pacified and gentrified that nothing is left to do but loot and vandalize it. Never before has this claim been transformed into action in such exemplary fashion.

The province is a typical French construct. In the common parlance, which expresses the hierarchical organization of the nation, we go ‘up’ to Paris and ‘back down’ to the provinces. The capital, whose lights illuminate the entire hexagon, is enthroned at the top of the pyramid. More generally, in the current configuration of capitalism the relationship between the periphery and the center is arranged in a networked, rather than concentric fashion. However, in nation-states as centralized and centralist as France, traffic networks must be superimposed over this concentric organization of the territory, which still remains decisive. By heading ‘up’ to Paris to terrorize the bourgeois of the 8th Arrondissement, the Yellow Vests overturned the pyramid.

The ‘peripheral’ nature of the movement is not only geographical and political. The longstanding centrality of the factory as the axis around which movements revolve here finds itself called into question. It is no longer the company that serves as the initial point of aggregation. The people who are finding each other at blockades generally do not know each other beforehand, which means that their complicities come into being through voluntary acts that can only be described as political. Hence the dismay of the unions, most of whom had already signed a nonaggression pact with Macron’s party at the beginning of December (only Solidaires and a handful of local chapters of the CGT union [*2] refused this explicit gesture of collaboration). All of this indicates well-enough the exhaustion of the trade union movement, already clearly visible in spring 2016.

The Marxian analysis postulates that the genesis of exchange value is to be found in production, a value which the circulation of commodities merely serves to realize. In this dynamic, which literally is capitalism, all moments are dependent on one another and have their reality only in relation to the totality they constitute thereby. Not only does circulation add value to products and itself generate profits (indeed, an entire industry has developed to ensure this fact, including banking, insurance, marketing, transport, storage, mass distribution, as well as their related activities), but it is increasingly difficult to even separate these two moments from each other in the first place [1]. This is blatantly obvious when we consider commodities such as energy. The production of a nuclear power plant is inconceivable without the high-voltage lines that distribute the electricity, as is true of the supply lines and service stations linked to every oil refinery. By the same token, textiles made in China can only be produced there thanks to the giant container ships that will transport the precious T-shirts to Western ports—and no one can claim that maritime transport does not create value. At the furthest extreme, the Internet embodies the pure circulation of value, rendered almost totally independent of the exploitation of living labor – except, of course, for the electronic and computer components that make all of this possible, which must still be produced in factories... It has become difficult to single out a single segment of activity that could be called “production” from the totality of the other kinds of work and exchange that make up what we call society. In the 70’s, the Italian comrades were already talking about the ‘social factory’ – a deliberate oxymoron, given that a factory is not a society but a system. Today it is perhaps more correct to speak of a ‘global factory’, since we live in a moment in which the capitalist enterprise attempts to seize upon and reconfigure all that exists in accordance with the model of the factory or the plant. ‘Hubs’, – whether for land, sea or air traffic – shopping areas, and even highways are only so many cogs in the global factory. The distinction between the private and public spheres that defined the relationship between civil society and the state following the French Revolution has disappeared under the influence of apparatuses that today constitute the real force organizing the circulation of individuals. In the global factory, society has been hollowed out, and the State becomes little more than a service provider.

The great cycles of workers' struggles ended with the crisis of the Fordist system. Since the second half of the 1970’s, most of the struggles in Western Europe have been focused on opposing the closure of companies and the atomization of the workers, and all of them ended in cruel defeats. Steel, mines, shipyards, then other major sectors of industry—all the strongholds of the working class went down the same way. We can date the precise historical moment when everything changed irreparably: it begins with the defeat of FIAT workers in Turin in the autumn of 1980, continues in France with the defeat of the unskilled immigrant Talbot workers in 1983, and ends with the defeat of the British miners in the spring of 1985. The same cycle that has been completed in Western Europe is now resurfacing in India and China…

This eclipse of the factory’s centrality in struggle leads us to hypothesize that the next wave of insurrections will be forced to seize upon businesses from the outside, and not the other way around (formulated in Marxian terms, they will depart from the sphere of circulation, in order to take over production). In other words, they will resemble the Yellow Vests movement, whose movement toward the center departs from the periphery. This will no longer take place within the purview of ‘self-management’, in which workers seize control of their factories, but rather in reverse: through an organized rupture with the logic of the global factory, forces arriving from outside would take over the factory and dismantle it according to their own needs. We are obviously not there yet. Still, the multiplication of revolts in the periphery, from the riots in the suburbs in 2005 to the current Yellow Vests movement, indicates that a new cycle is beginning, very different from those preceding it, and which continues to surprise us.

Among the Yellow Vests, everything is situated in the sphere of circulation, not only the initial demands, but also the non-places in which they have been expressed. The demand to rescind the fuel tax may well have been the first time that a movement of such magnitude has emerged from this sphere. Of course, the green “bike path” bourgeoisie made sure to ridicule their ‘retrograde’ demand. However, in a world based on forced mobility, fuel prices are anything but innocent, unless you live and work in the city center (and we know who now occupies the French city centers...). Suburban workers are literally trapped by this apparatus, which forces them to work to buy cars that they can’t do without...if they want to get to work! As a result, their action is centered on roundabouts, toll-booths, car park entrances, all the elements of this apparatus. Two centuries ago, the plebs revolted against increases in the price of bread; today, they are in revolt against the increase in the price of gasoline [2].

That the question of fuel is an eminently strategic one is something our governments have understood for a long time. At the height of the general strike of May 1968, they organized a fuel shortage (although large stocks were still available), so they could suddenly replenish the service stations just before the Pentecost long weekend...and millions of relieved French people, who were following the "events" as spectators, rushed out onto the roads. A machination of this kind probably did more against the movement than half a million pro-De Gaulle demonstrators on the Champs-Elysées [3].

Unlike the mass worker of the Fordist era, today's atomized workers no longer have any room to maneuver on the wage, which consequently stagnates even as everything else gets more expensive. They therefore find themselves struggling against taxes on their incomes. On the left, some suggest that in doing so they are taking up a classic theme of liberal ideology, that of lowering taxes. This is true of some Yellow Vests, small bosses and traders. But the majority are well aware that in this case, if there has been a tax cut, it was applied exclusively to very high incomes, in particular through the abolition of the wealth tax [*3]. Moreover, while the question of wages begins with the company, that of taxes begins with the State, which ensures that it automatically picks up a political resonance (especially given the extent to which fuel taxes feed the State budget) [4]. From this point of view, the fact that toll booths are destroyed and radars sabotaged shows that this racket is increasingly perceived as a system of parasitism worthy of the Ancien Régime. Except that this time it is not the fermiers généraux [*4] who are feeding off people, but the State and companies like Vinci who manage the freeways... Moreover, it cannot escape anyone that, in recent weeks, many Yellow Vests have moved towards demands that are more social than fiscal (increasing the minimum wage in particular) even if the return of the wealth tax still figures at the top of their list.

Under the Ancien Régime, anti-fiscal revolts broke out incessantly, especially in the 17th century, which saw the consolidation of the absolute monarchy [5]. With the French Revolution, a complete reversal took place: paying taxes became a civic act, as did enlisting in the army (whereas previously people fled when the recruiting sergeant turned up). This is the bourgeoisie's historical tour de force, and there is nothing to suggest that it has exhausted all its effects. Since then, refusing to pay tax has been treated as an Ancien Régime gesture. The left, whose only horizon is that of republican institutions, can no longer raise this issue. Within the political binary of right and left, it was customary for this anti-fiscal dimension to be the prerogative of the liberal right, while the Keynesian left advocated redistribution through state mechanisms financed by tax levies. Now that the political left and right hold the same positions, the old tradition of anti-fiscal revolt can reappear... What is paradoxical is that this is taking place explicitly in reference to the French Revolution - tricolor flags, “The Marseillaise”, demonstrators in Phrygian caps...

In a little over a month and a half, the Yellow Vests have achieved what the unions have been unable to do over the past two decades. Since they do not organize within a union framework, the Yellow Vests are not limited by its institutionalized modes of action nor deceived by its subsidized bureaucrats. This has made for some beautiful riots in Paris, to which provincial proletarians flocked (and even if some of the Yellow Vests do not accept this vandalism, their mere presence made it possible, and there were no union marshals around to crush the enthusiasm). The classical demonstration is replaced by a wandering. Whereas the cortège de tête [head of the march, *5] was still dependent on the trade union demonstration, and reached its limits on May 1st, 2018 (where there was a cortège de tête as large as the entire trade union procession, with a huge black bloc in the middle of it, and all this for an insignificant result); once it is freed from any notion of a cortège, the crowd begins to drift! Union parades are disciplined and disciplinary, and keep to the avenues of the city centers, places of representation par excellence. Meanwhile the stampedes of Yellow Vests in Paris in November and December 2018 were marked above all by their diffuse character and freedom of movement.

However, things appear to be taking a turn for the worse. Since mid-December, people in Paris have been declaring march routes to the police in advance, and on January 12 we saw the reappearance of trade union-style protest marshals, although it is unclear who appointed them [*6]. It is no coincidence that these forces reappear precisely at the moment representatives begin to retake control. In provincial cities, however, Yellow Vests have continued their joyfully uncontrolled wandering; as we said above, the heart of the movement is playing out in the provinces. In Marseille on January 12, the Yellow Vests’ wandering drove the people responsible for repressing them completely insane, and their unpredictable zig-zags through the streets (and even a highway tunnel) left the robocops gasping for breath.

The blockades have often taken the form of camps evoking the ZAD. This raises a question: could we not see in them the premises of an "insurrectionary urbanism" to come? What is one to do with all these sites whose only interest is tactical, namely, to be located on traffic routes? Not since the 2005 suburban revolt has the critique of urban planning been so present in practice. Warding off the event [conjurer l’événement]—this was always what this relentless extension of the global factory was about. The tightly-regulated flow of goods that organizes space must above all prevent anything from happening, whether it be an accident, an earthquake, a blockade, or a riot. For the time being, it is extremely vulnerable, just as a Fordist assembly line lay at the mercy of simple sabotage. It is not by chance that in several places the Yellow Vests have blocked access to Amazon warehouses, an emblematic company if ever there was one [6]....

The camps are the elementary form of communication, from Occupy Oakland to Taksim Square, from the saplings on the Oaxaca zocalo (central square) to the Lakota and Standing Rock anti-pipeline camps, from the ZAD to the No-TAV presidio in the Susa Valley. The construction of space comes primarily as a political affirmation. Whereas demonstrations remain indifferent to the space through which they pass, occupations lead to the production of something common that re-configures its place. In this respect, the blockades of the Yellow Vests are the opposite of the assemblies that defined Nuit debout: whereas the latter took place exclusively in central squares, in accordance with the hierarchical injunction that orders urban and suburban space, and gave primacy to speech therein, the Yellow Vest blockades almost always occur in peripheral areas or on major traffic routes. In this case, a primacy is given to the very action of the blockade itself and the relationships it establishes between the participants. This is the great innovation of this movement. Moreover, whereas the organizers of Nuit Debout negotiated with the prefecture to be allowed to remain in their place, the majority of the current blockades are imposed without anyone demanding anything.

There is one demand on which all the Yellow Vests unanimously agree: "Macron démission" [Macron resign!]. The country that guillotined its king is still, two centuries later, the most monarchical in Europe. This explains the typically sans-culotte furor that animates Yellow Vests [7]. But the monarch is no longer accorded the sacred characteristics that he possessed under the Ancien Régime: the French elect one, then hate him after a few months. The fact is that the monarch is a product, obsolete like everything that is produced nowadays. After the coke-head Sarkozy and the manic-depressive Holland, we have the arrogant golden boy who swoops in to bring the bipartisan regime of the Fifth Republic to its spectacular finale. The fact that he had never been elected before made him the perfect person for the job: whereas the political class, composed of mayors, presidents of general and regional councils, deputies and senators, was still mired in relationships of dependence, Macron [*7] freed the government from such a burden. Henceforth, the State coldly declares itself nothing more than a service provider for capital. There will be no more negotiated arrangements, only a pure injunction. In this respect, Macronian governance consecrates the replacement of civil society by the global factory. The presidential arrogance that today goes as far openly spewing insults (‘those ungrateful parasites!’) in fact only reproduces methods employed in the contemporary business world, which were themselves inspired by the training techniques developed by the army’s special forces.

In the Yellow Vests movement, ‘the people’ has thus come to occupy the place of civil society so dear to the citoyennistes [*7]. But this signifier only exists for lack of better term—prior to the French Revolution, one would have spoken of the ‘vile multitude’ or the ‘plebs’. The people only ever comes into being through a game of mirrors with the State, a supposedly-homogeneous entity that faces the monarch (the famous 99%...). This double reflection is today exacerbated by the monarchical character of Macron’s presidency. Yet the people refers to the Nation and therefore to the republican state, both products of the French Revolution. To postulate a truth inherent to this subject, and which a referendum is supposed to reveal—this where demagoguery begins, whether that of the Front National or La France Insoumise [*8]. "Left-wing populism should direct these affects towards democratic objectives," says Chantal Mouffe, who adds that, "the people are always a collective subject, built in a discursive way.” That this construction necessarily implies the exclusion of immigrants, social welfare recipients, and others never seems to bother the supporters of this sub-gramscism. Furthermore, the politicians who try to claim the term ‘the people’ wind up promulgating the same themes as their symmetrical opponents: the demagogue Ruffin praises the confusionist Chouard, while Mélenchon declares his fascination with Eric Drouet... Populism consists in pandering to the affects produced by this world and maintaining them as something positive, whereas a revolutionary attitude places its trust in a future that gives birth to new forms of political sensitivity throughout the course of the struggle. Let’s never lose sight of the fact that the negative is the driving force behind any movement. In fact, in all these rebel camps that are multiplying throughout the world, the transcendent figure of the people gives way to the immanence of the common. [8]

The social classes, clearly identifiable until the end of Fordism, have since been liquefied, a fact which is reflected in the blanket term middle class, which is significant precisely in that it identifies nothing. In rich countries like France, the ‘middle class’ presumably consists of almost everyone apart from the bourgeoisie at the top, and immigrant workers and the unemployed at the bottom! One could say that a Marseilles dock worker, for example, is part of the old working class through his work, and part of the new middle class through his way of life and aspirations (building a house, taking out loans, ensuring that his children go to school and vacationing at dream destinations). The Yellow Vests identify themselves first of all as workers (even if they are retired, and plenty of them in this movement are), but what is paradoxical is the fact that they do so outside the sphere of the workplace, properly speaking. Their recurring complaint is, "we work and we don't get by" (or for retirees, "we've worked all our lives and we barely have enough to eat"). All these people have been led to believe that a life of hard work will sooner or later be rewarded with a certain level of comfort; but they are forced to realize that this perspective is never more than an endless ladder that they will continue to climb all their lives [9].

One of the most interesting texts published on this movement refers to a "middle class tragedy" located in the relationship to money [10]. "The concern for money becomes permanent, particularly at the point where we finally gain access to it. We are middle class once we earn enough money that, whether we directly and consciously thematize it or not, it’s all we think about. (...) We might be in the best social position to know the value of money.” To this, we may add: if the most penniless people experience money only as a necessity, while for the rich it serves as the very expression of freedom, for the majority of workers the relationship to money is constantly torn between these two extremes. It is in this sense there can exist an effectively ‘middle’ class! It belongs to the very principle of the spectacle to constantly dangle such freedoms before us, such as that of being able to drive around in one's own car, for example. That this spectacular freedom should have as its condition an everyday slavery is something we all intimately experience, without always being able to express it. It makes people sick, literally. And we must never overlook the fact that the therapeutic aspect of revolt is also what makes it so politically powerful.

As long as the state occupies the horizon of waiting for popular uprisings, they inevitably prepare the bed for all manner of nationalist demagogues. It is therefore by no means an innocent move for Macron to pull out his wild card now with the proposal for the ‘citizens referendum initiative’ (RIC). As the Yellow Vests move toward social demands (an increase in minimum wages and pensions in particular), an attempt to stifle these developments is being made by presenting the 'RIC' as a miracle solution that would constitute a way out of this incredibly unpopular regime. At the same time, however, the 'RIC' also offers a way for the movement to turn down the heat. That this would lead us into a void by no means prevents the idea of the referendum from functioning as a meta-demand that draws together all the various elements of this extremely heterogeneous dynamic. The people who have drawn their strength only through the assemblies are enthusiastic about this proposal, even though this pseudo-consultation would effectively shove everyone back upon their initial isolation as voters, trapped by binary decisions about trick questions that the sovereign deems appropriate to present to the rabble. The referendum is the highest form of political spectacle [11].

Macron is ready to open up the field of representation so long as this means not having to give up anything concrete. He is therefore quite happy to throw a bone to all those under the sway of Chouard's hare-brained ideas. As Rafik Chekat says: "The problem of the referendum (RIC) is that it maintains the tyranny of the majority. Why should the majority always be right? Even without being too sensitive, belonging to a minority makes you suspicious of the majority, because you know very well that sometimes the majority looks more like a lynch mob. Can you imagine a #RIC right after #CharlieHebdo? It's no coincidence that the demand for the RIC comes from "whites”. But even beyond the question of racism, what does majority-building mean in a consumer society at the time of #BFMTV, #TF1, [both private TV stations] and #Hanouna [a sexist and homophobic TV clown]? Fundamentally, the problem of the 'RIC' is that of voting, a mechanism that arranges our powerlessness into regular intervals. We could try to shorten the intervals and vote more often, but that wouldn’t lead to any change in the matter. If it is necessary to speak in terms of subjectivization, the voting apparatus creates a certain type of individual with a damaged relationship to existence, and particularly as concerns politics and public affairs.” Moreover, it is hard to imagine the government calling a referendum on property taxes (according to surveys, 2/3 of the French are in favor).

The regime has had so much trouble finding interlocutors that it had to go fishing on Facebook. The majority of the self-proclaimed leaders, almost instantly cast off by the Yellow Vests, are carefully staged on television shows, and the media systematically co-opts anyone with dubious affinities – providing ample incentives to self-righteous leftists to begin condemning the movement. Never before have the media been so obviously what they are, namely, the second pillar on which the regime stands (after the police). Their aim is to adjust everyone to the idea that beyond this regime there lies nothing but the extreme right—and in any case, we all know how popular the latter are among the police. Macron already won the presidential elections on this lie, and now the stronghold-against-the-Front-National-president has a new trick, the "Grand débat", and you’ll never guess what the first issue will be...immigration!

The importance of so-called social networks in this case is far from anecdotal. In the periphery, the network socializes. But all these people who found themselves in a yellow vest after heeding a Facebook call had an experience that is not virtual. The question now is whether the Yellow Vests have rejected the political class in order to inaugurate a kind of internet democracy where likes would replace ballot papers, or whether, as the Yellow Vests of Commercy explicitly invite them to do, they will organize themselves into a new type of assembly. Because the network only socializes in a closed circuit that generates its own bubble [générant l’entre-soi] and where the charisma of certain "whistleblowers" has full latitude to capture intensities. A form of media manipulation more fragmented than the mainstream media could indeed function as a technique of governance. A Tunisian friend who participated in the 2011 insurrection mentioned the ability of the insurgents to mobilize quickly via social networks in the first few days, but also the fact that the police very quickly understood these benefits and did not hesitate to intervene by spreading fake news and misinformation. The quantity of false debates circulating on such networks in France is undoubtedly of the same order.

After two months of unrest, the question of the articulation between the roundabouts and the general assemblies now asserts itself. On the one hand, the links of proximity and complicity established on the ground [sur zone] which make it possible to take action without having to deliberate—and we know how demoralizing deliberations in assemblies can be when it comes to direct action!—but which can only be exercised at the local level; on the other hand, assemblies directly linked to each other which could act as a forum for strategic reflection and tactical coordination.

In contrast to this perspective, Yellow Vests could indeed give birth to a demagogic movement like the 5 Stars in Italy. A fraction of the movement will probably be tempted to follow this path, even if it means cutting itself off from the rest of the movement. It should be remembered, however, that the 5 Star movement was produced in an entirely artificial manner - even if it rode the brief wave of the Forconi movement [It: Pitchfork protests]. As things stand at present, the Yellow Vests lack the type of media buffoonery necessary to attract the attention of the crowds, provided in the 5 Stars case by the figure of Beppe Grillo, a public entertainer dressed up for the job by some businessmen who saw that the Berlusconian interlude had spun out and a new trinket urgently needed to be launched. Italy has gone from several decades of secret government (P2, Andreotti, the strategy of tension and alliances with the mafia) to TV show government (Mani Pulite, Berlusconi and Beppe Grillo). The problem with this mode of government is that one has to reshuffle the key characters just as frequently as show-biz does with its star system.

In a time when post-Fordist capitalism owes its survival to the rise of fictitious capital and now operates openly, the denunciation of the excesses of finance—which ignores what is essential, namely the criticism of value, money and commodification—encourages all manner of miraculous solutions and demagoguery. We remember the tired joke of the Tobin tax, for example, or the Dutch candidate who declared, "my enemy is finance" (it was a good joke!). When almost all workers work to pay off their debt (especially on their cars...), it is normal that banks become privileged targets, both in words and in vandalism (shout-out to the Yellow Vests in Toulouse who looted several banks last Saturday!). But there is reason to be wary when the references to Rothschild Bank are so insistent by contrast with those to BNP-Paribas or Société Générale (whose 2008 bailout by the State ended up costing taxpayers 30 billion Euros…). The fact that Macron began his career precisely at this bank obviously excites this anti-capitalism of fools who obsessively point the finger at "Jewish finance" on social networks.

It may be that this regime really is at its end. Protected by its soldiers, it can endlessly multiply its effronteries – the scandalous measures it announced against the unemployed at the end of December, for instance. The headlong rush into repressive escalation has only worsened since spring 2016. The attack on the occupations at the ZAD in Notre-dame-des-landes in April-May provided the occasion for major operations. Serious injuries and mutilations by the dozens, collective and individual humiliations, beatings, police intimidation going hand-in-hand with media exaggeration (the outraged reaction of the entire media caste to the solidarity that followed Christophe Dettinger's beautiful act speaks volumes about the disgusting cynicism of these minions of power, especially when they conveniently fail to mention demonstrators methodically mutilated by the police). Orders are given from on high to inflict severe injuries, as even some police commissioners have admitted. People are learning, and we see more and more demonstrators coming equipped with gas masks, ski goggles, scarves, gloves, etc. to protect themselves. But nowhere does the movement have a sufficient degree of organization to defeat the police, and it is here that the demobilizing nature of pacifist speech can be seen. Which is related to the limited effectiveness of the blockades: the police have so far had no difficulty in restoring access to strategic sites such as oil refineries. At this level, little has changed since the spring of 2016. In addition, self-appointed demonstration marshals have been appearing in the Saturday marches for some time now, whether they be comprised of ex-soldiers or defecting CGT marshals. Even if their ability to control the crowds is limited, this practice cannot be allowed to establish itself....

Since it does not obey any vertical and centralized direction, the current movement has allowed local initiatives to multiply. But these can diverge completely from one place to another. After two months of unrest, the time for a decision is approaching. A party, in the historical sense of the term, proves itself to be the winning party by splitting itself into two parties: it thus shows that it contains within itself the principle it has previously opposed in an external way, and thereby sheds the one-sidedness from which it arose. The opposing elements that coexist within the movement have so far been held together by a common hostility to the current regime. Those in favour of an institutional outcome—which would obviously be authoritarian and xenophobic in nature—will find themselves opposed by those seeking to spread the movement to all the aspects of the global factory, within a revolutionary perspective. In fact, workplace struggles are multiplying, and yellow vests join chasubles rouges [red jackets of the unions during strikes] on picket lines. It is not impossible to imagine that the movement can provide enough momentum that workers decide to begin blocking their companies from within with concrete demands. National trade union leaders would watch themselves be tossed into the dustbin of history, and a new historical sequence could finally open to which everyone would have to become party, and take sides [prenne parti].

The latest news is that in Landes, the Yellow Vests are blocking a Monsanto factory, a keystone in the global factory…

-Alèssi Dell’Umbria, January 21st, 2019.

Author’s footnotes

[1] The circulation of goods is not only about the transport and distribution of products: for example, goods have already begun to circulate in commodity exchanges, even though they have not yet physically moved. Conversely, raw materials sold to an industrial company for processing are thus valued, because they have been purchased, and they will be included in the determination of the value of the finished product: here circulation is preliminary to production. [2] Small business owners who refused to tax diesel fuel, which would increase their overhead costs, did not fail to disassociate themselves from the beggars who intended to sue. A yellow vest from Ales thus denounced the betrayal of certain people on December 20 of last year: "Shame on the ‘apolitical' people pretending to lead the Yellow Vests of the Cévennes by raising the specter of the "anarchist" which the intelligence services have whispered into their ears... (...) Today, I no longer wish to choose my words wisely. But it is with great serenity that I accuse these so-called "coordinators" of being sell-outs and traitors of the worst kind. Because the naked truth is that a fraction of entrepreneurs promised everything to the poor seniors, the unemployed, those surviving off of minimum wage and the precarious in order to get them to join their ranks. Once the tax cancellations were achieved, these people purported to structure the movement so that it would take a new direction, all with the aim of stopping this historical movement in order to stuff themselves with money during the Christmas and New Year holidays.(...) As for you, neighbours and colleagues who have been mobilized for weeks; you who have not given up anything in the wind, cold or rain; you who have rediscovered solidarity and dignity on the roadblocks; you, the anonymous base with no other ambitions than to live properly, I greet you and send you the warm greetings of the Yellow Jackets in Alsace, Franche-Comté, on the A7 and in Bollène!” [3] It was Michel Jobert, then Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, who organized this operation - he bragged about it publicly twenty years later.

[4] In Mexico, for example, the increase in gasoline prices in January 2016 caused a wave of massive demonstrations, often turning into riots and looting, which certainly did not owe anything to neoliberal ideology!

[5] Taxation and military conscription were the main reasons for sedition. For an illuminating analysis of this phenomena, see Boris Porchnev's book, Les soulèvements populaires en France de 1623 à 1648, Paris 1963.

[6] Nevertheless, the impact of blockades must be put into perspective... while trade in city centres may have been affected by the riots, which affected their turnover, the effectiveness of blockades is far from obvious. Supplies continued to be made, gas stations were never short of fuel, supermarket shelves continued to be filled and Christmas squandering was left to run its course as in previous years.

[7] The Constitution of the Fifth Republic grants the President powers that he had never had under previous parliamentary regimes, in particular the power to legislate by presidential decree without the National Assembly. We know that De Gaulle, who was of monarchist sensitivity, thought about establishing a constitutional monarchy in 1958. Which he did, in a way: a monarch, but who would now be elected.

[8] In the great era of anti-monarchical revolts in Occitan countries, revolts identified themselves as “lo comun” [the common], much more than “lo pòble” [the people]. The common is precisely the political concept that corresponds to a revolutionary future for struggles.

[9] The notion of "moral economy" which some have used to refer to the Yellow Vests does not seem relevant to us in this case – not only because E. P. Thompson made this formulation in reference to the English working class that has since disappeared, not to mention the "common decency" so dear to George Orwell. Certainly a work ethic is still widespread in working class circles where, if not enriching oneself by working for the masses, one hopes at least to achieve a certain security, a relative ease and, at the very least, a vague feeling of personal dignity. In this respect, Sarkozy's "Working more to earn more" could find an echo among these people. But now they see that none of this is actually guaranteed—not even a well-deserved retirement after a hard-working life. Macronism is a managerial mindset applied to the whole of society, without any political mediation. Capitalism in its innermost brutality.

[10] “Gilets jaunes : la classe moyenne peut-elle être révolutionnaire?” Lundi matin, December 7, 2018.

[11] We saw in the case of Notre-Dame-des-Landes what this little institutional trick of the referendum was for - and Macron was a minister in the government that had tried this slick trick... Now we see what the confusionnisme [*9] of demagogues like Etienne Chouard is for.

Translator’s Footnotes

[*1] Dell’Umbria uses the term parpagnàs, which suggests something like country hick, as well as those who are part of the surplus economy, undesirables.

[*2] The CGT is the largest labor union in France.

[*3] The solidarity tax on wealth was implemented by the Socialist Party in 1981 as a way to tax the rich. This tax was abolished in September 2017.

[*4] The fermiers généraux were the main tax collectors in a highly unpopular tax farming system in France during the ancien régime.

[*5] Demonstrations in France are traditionally led with labor unions at the front of the march. During the Loi Travail movement, the cortège de tête appeared as an antagonistic block that lead the demonstrations.

[*6] It turns out it was the fascists who organized this, and they were outed online.

[*7] Le citoyennisme refers to a neo-republican discourse centering on the citoyen [citizen] as political actor. It can be broadly characterised as a moderate and reformist tendency, often aiming to use participatory democracy as a means of ‘repairing’ or ‘correcting’ the immoral tendencies of capitalist society.

[*8] Mélenchon’s left-wing populist party, translated as ‘France Unbowed’.

[*9] The term confusionnisme refers to a policy of spreading confusion in people's minds. http://www.confusionnisme.info/

#yellow jackets #yellow vests #France #lundimatin #lundi.am #riots #revolt #revolution #destitution #Alèssi Dell'Umbria

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fluffmugger · 7 years ago

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The problem is that this is an inherently classist issue plaguing the US. We have some of the worst social mobility of the western world and it's due to our "git gud" attitude towards salt-of-the-earth rural populations who don't have the resources to pull themselves up past unskilled labor, nor to even find employment in the regions where they were born and raised. A lot of educated and rural people (like me) care deeply about family, and they have/want to help their families, or get help from them to afford America's exorbitant cost of higher education and training. Add the fact that there's an entire political party hellbent on buttfucking their public education which makes starting college several times harder and more expensive because they have to catch up on STEM education.

For the rural poor it's an issue of money, distance, class, culture, and most importantly, discrimination. Are you going to hire a software engineer who grew up as a modern-minded metropolitan, or a software engineer who grew up as a country bumpkin-yokel Beverly Hillbilly who struggled and fought through college because the only gradeschool they had was running Windows 98 and science classes that had section on how Darwin was full of shit? Don't tell me employers don't do that, as I've overhead a lot of interviewers talk about how stupid some applicants must be because they could only go to community college and their resume had a rural address on it.

Modern America hates the rural poor, and the Republicans jizz in their pants at the thought of keeping them misinformed and frightened of the world. Yes, many of them are not forward thinking, and yes they are themselves discriminatory, but it's important to know that they are being institutionally manipulated into remaining this way!

The Democratic party has been flat-out ignoring many rural Democrats for the past 30 years, and the GOP swooped in and capitalized on this.

This is why their education is so bad. This is why they live on welfare and shit pay. This is why they were drawn by the GOP's "Terk our Jerbs", "Joe the Plumber" rhetoric, and this is why the Heroin epidemic in the countryside is so bad. The nation has institutionally abandoned them, and they understandably resent that, and many of them have just given up because the way of life they've known for generations has been fucked, and everyone except the GOP responds with "Fuck you. Get smart."

As Liberals it should be our duty to wrench the GOP's vice grip on them, and to promise them that their children can be helped move forward in a new and bewildering world, not to repeatedly have educated city folk turn them down when they try, dammit.

I've read so many articles with "The Democrats would have saved you!" rhetoric. Well somebody forgot to tell Clinton that, because she just breezed through the rural swing states during the primaries.

I saw so many Bernie signs in rural houses, and do you know what happened when he lost and they discovered the DNC had been saying "fuck Sanders" behind his back? Trump signs. Trump never gave a fuck about them, but he and Fox pounded it into their heads that he did, while the Democrats shrugged and said "Oh yeah, we care, whatever".

There were a lot of Obama signs in the countryside in '08 because they saw him as a newcomer who would shake up the establishment, and the Democrats are very fucking lucky that he snatched the primary from Clinton, because the rural swing state's enthusiasm for Obama did not wane.

So people need to stop insulting the poor sods and help them beyond of throwing them welfare checks and food stamps then telling them to get the fuck out of the office.

Please, guys.

[x]

This really was a smack in the face when I read it. It really made me stop and look - and I gotta say that as a dirty fuckin’ foreigner? Your “bumfuck idiot hick” trope is so pervasive it actually influences people in other countries. And I should point out , I sure as shit don't think that crap about people who live in rural areas in Australia or NZ, or even the UK.

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gondalgroupofmarketing · 4 years ago

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A Guide to Investments in Pakistan Real Estate

Real estate has traditionally been an avenue for considerable investment per se and investment opportunity for High Net-worth Individuals, Financial institutions as well as individuals looking at viable alternatives for investing money among stocks, bullion, property and other avenues.

Money invested in property for its income and capital growth provides stable and predictable income returns, similar to that of bonds offering both a regular return on investment, if property is rented as well as possibility of capital appreciation. Like all other investment options, real estate investment also has certain risks attached to it, which is quite different from other investments. The available investment opportunities can broadly be categorized into residential, commercial office space and retail sectors.

Best Place for Investment in Pakistan

It is a housing scheme launched under the name of blue world city. It is near the Rawalpindi ring road. The project offers easy installment plans and affordable budgets to own plots within a short time span. If you want to buy property in Pakistan you can contact us.

The Blue world city is located on the main Chakri road near the Chakri interchange at Lahore-Islamabad motorway M2. The best part about its exact location is that it is not so far away from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. So anyone investing or buying land there will be at a hop in to all the surrounding cities.

Investment scenario in real estate

Any investor before considering real estate investments should consider the risk involved in it. This investment option demands a high entry price, suffers from lack of liquidity and an uncertain gestation period. To being illiquid, one cannot sell some units of his property (as one could have done by selling some units of equities, debts or even mutual funds) in case of urgent need of funds.

The maturity period of property investment is uncertain. Investor also has to check the clear property title, especially for the investments in Pakistan. The industry experts in this regard claim that property investment should be done by persons who have deeper pockets and longer-term view of their investments. From a long-term financial returns perspective, it is advisable to invest in higher-grade commercial properties.

The returns from property market are comparable to that of certain equities and index funds in longer term. Any investor looking for balancing his portfolio can now look at the real estate sector as a secure means of investment with a certain degree of volatility and risk. A right tenant, location, segmental categories of the Pakistan property market and individual risk preferences will hence forth prove to be key indicators in achieving the target yields from investments.

The proposed introduction of REMF (Real Estate Mutual Funds) and REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) will boost these real estate investments from the small investors’ point of view. This will also allow small investors to enter the real estate market with contribution as less as INR 10,000.

There is also a demand and need from different market players of the property segment to gradually relax certain norms for FDI in this sector. These foreign investments would then mean higher standards of quality infrastructure and hence would change the entire market scenario in terms of competition and professionalism of market players.

Overall, real estate is expected to offer a good investment alternative to stocks and bonds over the coming years. This attractiveness of real estate investment would be further enhanced on account of favourable inflation and low interest rate regime.

Looking forward, it is possible that with the progress towards the possible opening up of the real estate mutual funds industry and the participation of financial institutions into property investment business, it will pave the way for more organized investment real estate in Pakistan, which would be an apt way for investors to get an alternative to invest in property portfolios at marginal level.

Investor’s Profile

The two most active investor segments are High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Financial Institutions. While the institutions traditionally show a preference to commercial investment, the high net worth individuals show interest in investing in residential as well as commercial properties.

Apart from these, is the third category of Non-Resident Pakistan (NRIs). There is a clear bias towards investing in residential properties than commercial properties by the NRIs, the fact could be reasoned as emotional attachment and future security sought by the NRIs. As the necessary formalities and documentation for purchasing immovable properties other than agricultural and plantation properties are quite simple and the rental income is freely repatriable outside Pakistan, NRIs have increased their role as investors in real estate

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in real estate form a small portion of the total investments as there are restrictions such as a minimum lock in period of three years, a minimum size of property to be developed and conditional exit. Besides the conditions, the foreign investor will have to deal with a number of government departments and interpret many complex laws/bylaws.

The concept of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is on the verge of introduction in Pakistan. But like most other novel financial instruments, there are going to be problems for this new concept to be accepted.

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) would be structured as a company dedicated to owning and, in most cases, operating income-producing real estate, such as apartments, shopping centers, offices and warehouses. A REIT is a company that buys, develops, manages and sells real estate assets and allows participants to invest in a professionally managed portfolio of properties.

Some REITs also are engaged in financing real estate. REITs are pass-through entities or companies that are able to distribute the majority of income cash flows to investors, without taxation, at the corporate level. The main purpose of REITs is to pass the profits to the investors in as intact manner as possible. Hence initially, the REIT’s business activities would generally be restricted to generation of property rental income.

The role of the investor is instrumental in scenarios where the interest of the seller and the buyer do not match. For example, if the seller is keen to sell the property and the identified occupier intends to lease the property, between them, the deal will never be fructified; however, an investor can have competitive yields by buying the property and leasing it out to the occupier.

Rationale for real estate investment schemes

The activity of real estate includes a wide range of activities such as development and construction of townships, housing and commercial properties, maintenance of existing properties etc.

The construction sector is one the highest employment sector of the economy and directly or indirectly affects the fortunes of many other sectors. It provides employment to a large work force including a substantial proportion of unskilled labor. However for many reasons this sector does not have smooth access to institutional finance. This is perceived as one of the reasons for the sector not performing to its potential.

By channeling small savings into property, investments would greatly increase access to organized institutional finance. Improved activity in the property sector also improves the revenue flows to the State exchequer through-increased sales-tax, octroi and other collections.

Real estate is an important asset class, which is under conventional circumstances not a viable route for investors in Pakistan at present, except by means of direct ownership of properties. For many investors the time is ripe for introducing product to enable diversification by allocating some part of their investment portfolio to real estate investment products. This can be effectively achieved through real estate funds.

Property investment products provide opportunity for capital gains as well as regular periodic incomes. The capital gains may arise from properties developed for sale to actual users or direct investors and the income stream arises out of rentals, income from deposits and service charges for property maintenance.

Advantages of investment in real estate

The following are the advantages for investing in Real Estate Investment Schemes

• As an asset class, property is distinct from the other investment avenues available to a small as well as large investor. Investment in property has its own methodology, advantages, and risk factors that are unlike those for conventional investments. A completely different set of factors, including capital formation, economic performance and supply considerations, influence the realty market, leading to a low correlation in price behaviour vis-à-vis other asset classes.

• Historically, over a longer term, real estate provides returns that are comparable with returns on equities. However, the volatility in prices of realty is lower than equities leading to a better risk management to return trade-off for the investment.

• Real estate returns also show a high correlation with inflation. Therefore, real estate investments made over long periods of time provide an inflation hedge and yield real returns

0 notes

historyfuhrer · 5 years ago

Text

Helpful tips to Investments in Indian Real Estate

Parc Canberra has historically been an avenue for considerable investment per se along with investment opportunity for High Net-worth Individuals, Financial institutions as well as those people looking at viable alternatives for investing money among stock option, bullion, property and other avenues. Money invested in property now for the income and capital growth provides stable and expected income returns, similar to that of bonds offering equally a regular return on investment, if property is rented as well as chance of capital appreciation. Like all other investment options, real estate investment in addition has certain risks attached to it, which is quite different from other sorts of investments. The available investment opportunities can broadly possibly be categorized into residential, commercial office space and retail groups. Investment scenario in real estate Any investor before taking into consideration real estate investments should consider the risk involved in it. This funding option demands a high entry price, suffers from lack of liquidity and an uncertain gestation period. To being illiquid, one cannot sell some units of his real estate (as one could have done by selling some units connected with equities, debts or even mutual funds) in case of urgent demand of funds. The maturity period of property investment is without a doubt uncertain. Investor also has to check the clear property heading, especially for the investments in India. The industry experts through this regard claim that property investment should be done by individuals who have deeper pockets and longer-term view of their purchases. From a long-term financial returns perspective, it is advisable to invest in higher-grade commercial properties. The returns from property market will be comparable to that of certain equities and index dollars in longer term. Any investor looking for balancing his account can now look at the real estate sector as a secure means of expenditure of money with a certain degree of volatility and risk. A right renter, location, segmental categories of the Indian property market and even individual risk preferences will hence forth prove to be primary indicators in achieving the target yields from investments. Typically the proposed introduction of REMF (Real Estate Mutual Funds) and REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) will strengthen these real estate investments from the small investors' point of view. That should also allow small investors to enter the real residence market with contribution as less as INR 10, 000. There is also a demand and need from different markets players of the property segment to gradually relax sure norms for FDI in this sector. These foreign investment funds would then mean higher standards of quality national infrastructure and hence would change the entire market scenario in terms of contest and professionalism of market players. Overall, real estate will be expected to offer a good investment alternative to stocks and bonds over the coming years. This attractiveness of real estate investment will be further enhanced on account of favourable inflation and low interest quote regime. Looking forward, it is possible that with the progress towards the achievable opening up of the real estate mutual funds industry and the participation of financial institutions into property investment business, it will pave the way for more organized investment real estate in Asia, which would be an apt way for investors to get a substitute to invest in property portfolios at marginal level. Investor's Introduction The two most active investor segments are High Netting Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Financial Institutions. While the institutions as a rule show a preference to commercial investment, the substantial net worth individuals show interest in investing in residential plus commercial properties. Apart from these, is the third category of nonresident Indians (NRIs). There is a clear bias towards investing in personal properties than commercial properties by the NRIs, the fact could possibly be reasoned as emotional attachment and future security sought-after by the NRIs. As the necessary formalities and documentation just for purchasing immovable properties other than agricultural and plantation real estate are quite simple and the rental income is freely repatriable outside India, NRIs have increased their role because investors in real estate Foreign direct investments (FDIs) with real estate form a small portion of the total investments as you will discover restrictions such as a minimum lock in period of three years, a minimum specifications of property to be developed and conditional exit. Suitable for your outfit conditions, the foreign investor will have to deal with a number of administration departments and interpret many complex laws/bylaws. The concept of Investment Trust (REIT) is on the verge of introduction within India. But like most other novel financial instruments, you can get going to be problems for this new concept to be recognized. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) would be structured as a company devoted to owning and, in most cases, operating income-producing real estate, such as flats, shopping centres, offices and warehouses. A REIT is actually a company that buys, develops, manages and sells real estate property assets and allows participants to invest in a professionally supervised portfolio of properties. Some REITs also are engaged around financing real estate. REITs are pass-through entities or providers that are able to distribute the majority of income cash flows to purchasers, without taxation, at the corporate level. The main purpose of REITs is to pass the profits to the investors in as in one piece manner as possible. Hence initially, the REIT's business hobbies would generally be restricted to generation of property nightly rental income. The role of the investor is instrumental inside scenarios where the interest of the seller and the buyer really don't match. For example , if the seller is keen to sell the house and property and the identified occupier intends to lease the property, in between them, the deal will never be fructified; however , an individual can have competitive yields by buying the property and leasing it out to the occupier. Rationale for real estate investment themes The activity of real estate includes a wide range of activities which includes development and construction of townships, housing and business oriented properties, maintenance of existing properties etc . The structure sector is one the highest employment sector of the market and directly or indirectly affects the fortunes for many other sectors. It provides employment to a large work force as well as a substantial proportion of unskilled labor. However for many purposes this sector does not have smooth access to institutional finance. It is perceived as one of the reasons for the sector not performing for you to its potential. By channeling small savings into building, investments would greatly increase access to organized institutional lending. Improved activity in the property sector also improves the particular revenue flows to the State exchequer through-increased sales-tax, octroi and other collections. Real estate is an important asset class, which is certainly under conventional circumstances not a viable route for buyers in India at present, except by means of direct ownership for properties. For many investors the time is ripe for presenting product to enable diversification by allocating some part of the investment portfolio to real estate investment products. This can be effectively completed through real estate funds. Property investment products provide opportunity for capital gains as well as regular periodic incomes. The capital advances may arise from properties developed for sale to precise users or direct investors and the income stream happens out of rentals, income from deposits and service rates for property maintenance. Advantages of investment in real estate The following are the advantages for investing in Real Estate Investment Schemes • As an possession class, property is distinct from the other investment paths available to a small as well as large investor. Investment in place has its own methodology, advantages, and risk factors which have been unlike those for conventional investments. A completely different list of factors, including capital formation, economic performance and supply things to consider, influence the realty market, leading to a low correlation for price behaviour vis-à-vis other asset classes. • Over time, over a longer term, real estate provides returns that are comparable utilizing returns on equities. However , the volatility in rates of realty is lower than equities leading to a better danger management to return trade-off for the investment. • Real estate rewards also show a high correlation with inflation. Therefore , properties investments made over long periods of time provide an inflation hedge not to mention yield real returns Risks of investment in realty The risks involved in investing in real estate are primarily about future rental depreciation or general property market chances, liquidity, tenancy risk and property depreciation. The fundamental things affecting the value of a specific property are: Location - The location of a building is crucially important and a important factor in determining its market value. A property investment may be held for several years and the attractiveness of a given location will probably change over the holding period, for the better or uglier. For example , part of a city may be undergoing regeneration, in that case the perception of the location is likely to improve. In contrast, a main new shopping center development may reduce the appeal of existing quiet, residential properties. Physical Characteristics - The type and software program of the building will affect its value, i. ourite. an office or a shop. By utility is meant the actual an occupier gets from utilizing space within the making. The risk factor is depreciation. All buildings suffer deterioration but advances in building technology or the requirements in tenants may also render buildings less attractive over time. For example , the need for large magnitude of under-floor cabling during modern city offices has changed the specifications belonging to the required buildings' space. Also, a building which is developed as an office block may not be usable as a Cineplex, nonetheless Cineplex may serve better returns than office space. Renter Credit Risk - The value of a building is a feature of the rental income that you can expect to receive from purchasing it. If the tenant defaults then the owner loses typically the rental income. However , it is not just the risk of downright default that matters. If the credit quality of the tenant were to deteriorate materially during the period of ownership then the selling value will likely be worse than it otherwise would have long been. Lease Length - The length of the leases is also a key consideration. If a building is let to a good quality renter for a long period then the rental income is assured even if current market conditions for property are volatile. This is one of the enticing features of property investment. Because the length of lease is a substantial feature, it is important at the time of purchase to consider the length of lease around the point in time when the property is likely to be re-occupied. Many leases feature break options, and it is a standard market practice to suppose that the lease will terminate at the break point. Liquidity - All property investment is relatively illiquid to the majority bonds and equities. Property is slow to work in normal market conditions and hence illiquid. In very poor market conditions it will take even longer to find a buyer. There is also a high cost of error in property investments. Therefore, while a wrong stock investment can be sold immediately, undoing a wrong real estate investment may be tedious and distress process. Place a burden on Implications - Apart from income tax which is to be paid regarding rental income and capital gains, there are two further levies which have to be paid by the investor i. elizabeth. property tax and stamp duty. The stamp challange and property tax differ from state to state and can result the investment returns ones expected from a property. Big Cost Of Investment - Real Estate values are big compared to other forms of investment. This nature of investment puts it out of reach of the common masses. However, stocks and bonds can now be bought in volumes as small as-one share, thus enabling diversification from the portfolio despite lower outlays. Borrowing for investment throughout real estate increases the risks further. Risk Of Single Place - Purchasing a single - property exposes the real estate investor to specific risks associated with the property and does not deliver any benefits of diversification. Thus, if the property prices come, the investor is exposed to a high degree of risk. Irritation Sales - Illiquidity of the real estate market also brings in danger of lower returns or losses in the event of an emergency need to divest. Distress sales are common in the real estate market and also lead to returns that are much lower than the fair value of your property. Legal Issues - While stock exchanges guarantee, to some extent, the legitimacy of a trade in equities or provides and thus protect against bad delivery or fake and forged shares, no similar safety net is available in the property market. It is difficult to check the title of a property and involves time, money and expertise. Overall keeping an eye on market fads can reduce most of these risks. For instance, investing in properties from where the rentals are at market rates, also, investing in assets that is included in high-credit tenants and looking for lease lock-ins to reuse tenancy risk are simple guidelines to follow. Future View on life The real estate market is witnessing a heightened activity as a result of year 2000 both in terms of magnitude of space staying developed as well as rational increase in price. Easy availability of housing loans at much lesser rates has persuaded people who are small investors to buy their own house, which may most certainly be their second home too. High net worthwhile individuals have also demonstrated greater zeal in investing in readily available real estate with an intention of reaping capital appreciation plus simultaneously securing regular returns. In the wake of powerful economic growth, real estate market should continue to gain momentum ultimately causing falling vacancies in CBD areas and more development through suburbs; it is unlikely that commercial property prices will probably rise or fall significantly, beyond rational reasoning. Because stamp duty on leave and license agreements has long been further reduced, it should further attract to deal this way encouraging the investors and the occupiers. With current spending budget focusing on infrastructure, it will attract quality tenants and grow market growth. Heighten retail activity will give upward force for space requirement. Further, the proposed introduction regarding REMF (Real Estate Mutual Funds) and REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) will boost these real estate ventures from the small investors' point of view. These foreign investments would certainly then mean higher standards of quality infrastructure so because of this would change the entire market scenario in terms of competition as well as professionalism of market players. Looking forward, it is possible that through evident steps of the possible opening up of the REMF market place and the participation of financial institutions into property investment enterprise, it will pave the way for more organized investment on real estate in India, which would be an apt path for retail investors to get an alternative to invest in property portfolios in the slightest levels. Overall, real estate is expected to offer a good investment decision alternative to stocks and bonds over the coming years.

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blue-worlld · 5 years ago

Text

Helpful tips to Investments in Indian Real Estate

Ola has historically been an avenue for considerable investment per se along with investment opportunity for High Net-worth Individuals, Financial institutions as well as those people looking at viable alternatives for investing money among stock option, bullion, property and other avenues. Money invested in property now for the income and capital growth provides stable and expected income returns, similar to that of bonds offering equally a regular return on investment, if property is rented as well as chance of capital appreciation. Like all other investment options, real estate investment in addition has certain risks attached to it, which is quite different from other sorts of investments. The available investment opportunities can broadly possibly be categorized into residential, commercial office space and retail groups. Investment scenario in real estate Any investor before taking into consideration real estate investments should consider the risk involved in it. This funding option demands a high entry price, suffers from lack of liquidity and an uncertain gestation period. To being illiquid, one cannot sell some units of his real estate (as one could have done by selling some units connected with equities, debts or even mutual funds) in case of urgent demand of funds. The maturity period of property investment is without a doubt uncertain. Investor also has to check the clear property heading, especially for the investments in India. The industry experts through this regard claim that property investment should be done by individuals who have deeper pockets and longer-term view of their purchases. From a long-term financial returns perspective, it is advisable to invest in higher-grade commercial properties. The returns from property market will be comparable to that of certain equities and index dollars in longer term. Any investor looking for balancing his account can now look at the real estate sector as a secure means of expenditure of money with a certain degree of volatility and risk. A right renter, location, segmental categories of the Indian property market and even individual risk preferences will hence forth prove to be primary indicators in achieving the target yields from investments. Typically the proposed introduction of REMF (Real Estate Mutual Funds) and REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) will strengthen these real estate investments from the small investors' point of view. That should also allow small investors to enter the real residence market with contribution as less as INR 10, 000. There is also a demand and need from different markets players of the property segment to gradually relax sure norms for FDI in this sector. These foreign investment funds would then mean higher standards of quality national infrastructure and hence would change the entire market scenario in terms of contest and professionalism of market players. Overall, real estate will be expected to offer a good investment alternative to stocks and bonds over the coming years. This attractiveness of real estate investment will be further enhanced on account of favourable inflation and low interest quote regime. Looking forward, it is possible that with the progress towards the achievable opening up of the real estate mutual funds industry and the participation of financial institutions into property investment business, it will pave the way for more organized investment real estate in Asia, which would be an apt way for investors to get a substitute to invest in property portfolios at marginal level. Investor's Introduction The two most active investor segments are High Netting Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Financial Institutions. While the institutions as a rule show a preference to commercial investment, the substantial net worth individuals show interest in investing in residential plus commercial properties. Apart from these, is the third category of nonresident Indians (NRIs). There is a clear bias towards investing in personal properties than commercial properties by the NRIs, the fact could possibly be reasoned as emotional attachment and future security sought-after by the NRIs. As the necessary formalities and documentation just for purchasing immovable properties other than agricultural and plantation real estate are quite simple and the rental income is freely repatriable outside India, NRIs have increased their role because investors in real estate Foreign direct investments (FDIs) with real estate form a small portion of the total investments as you will discover restrictions such as a minimum lock in period of three years, a minimum specifications of property to be developed and conditional exit. Suitable for your outfit conditions, the foreign investor will have to deal with a number of administration departments and interpret many complex laws/bylaws. The concept of Investment Trust (REIT) is on the verge of introduction within India. But like most other novel financial instruments, you can get going to be problems for this new concept to be recognized. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) would be structured as a company devoted to owning and, in most cases, operating income-producing real estate, such as flats, shopping centres, offices and warehouses. A REIT is actually a company that buys, develops, manages and sells real estate property assets and allows participants to invest in a professionally supervised portfolio of properties. Some REITs also are engaged around financing real estate. REITs are pass-through entities or providers that are able to distribute the majority of income cash flows to purchasers, without taxation, at the corporate level. The main purpose of REITs is to pass the profits to the investors in as in one piece manner as possible. Hence initially, the REIT's business hobbies would generally be restricted to generation of property nightly rental income. The role of the investor is instrumental inside scenarios where the interest of the seller and the buyer really don't match. For example , if the seller is keen to sell the house and property and the identified occupier intends to lease the property, in between them, the deal will never be fructified; however , an individual can have competitive yields by buying the property and leasing it out to the occupier. Rationale for real estate investment themes The activity of real estate includes a wide range of activities which includes development and construction of townships, housing and business oriented properties, maintenance of existing properties etc . The structure sector is one the highest employment sector of the market and directly or indirectly affects the fortunes for many other sectors. It provides employment to a large work force as well as a substantial proportion of unskilled labor. However for many purposes this sector does not have smooth access to institutional finance. It is perceived as one of the reasons for the sector not performing for you to its potential. By channeling small savings into building, investments would greatly increase access to organized institutional lending. Improved activity in the property sector also improves the particular revenue flows to the State exchequer through-increased sales-tax, octroi and other collections. Real estate is an important asset class, which is certainly under conventional circumstances not a viable route for buyers in India at present, except by means of direct ownership for properties. For many investors the time is ripe for presenting product to enable diversification by allocating some part of the investment portfolio to real estate investment products. This can be effectively completed through real estate funds. Property investment products provide opportunity for capital gains as well as regular periodic incomes. The capital advances may arise from properties developed for sale to precise users or direct investors and the income stream happens out of rentals, income from deposits and service rates for property maintenance. Advantages of investment in real estate The following are the advantages for investing in Real Estate Investment Schemes • As an possession class, property is distinct from the other investment paths available to a small as well as large investor. Investment in place has its own methodology, advantages, and risk factors which have been unlike those for conventional investments. A completely different list of factors, including capital formation, economic performance and supply things to consider, influence the realty market, leading to a low correlation for price behaviour vis-à-vis other asset classes. • Over time, over a longer term, real estate provides returns that are comparable utilizing returns on equities. However , the volatility in rates of realty is lower than equities leading to a better danger management to return trade-off for the investment. • Real estate rewards also show a high correlation with inflation. Therefore , properties investments made over long periods of time provide an inflation hedge not to mention yield real returns Risks of investment in realty The risks involved in investing in real estate are primarily about future rental depreciation or general property market chances, liquidity, tenancy risk and property depreciation. The fundamental things affecting the value of a specific property are: Location - The location of a building is crucially important and a important factor in determining its market value. A property investment may be held for several years and the attractiveness of a given location will probably change over the holding period, for the better or uglier. For example , part of a city may be undergoing regeneration, in that case the perception of the location is likely to improve. In contrast, a main new shopping center development may reduce the appeal of existing quiet, residential properties. Physical Characteristics - The type and software program of the building will affect its value, i. ourite. an office or a shop. By utility is meant the actual an occupier gets from utilizing space within the making. The risk factor is depreciation. All buildings suffer deterioration but advances in building technology or the requirements in tenants may also render buildings less attractive over time. For example , the need for large magnitude of under-floor cabling during modern city offices has changed the specifications belonging to the required buildings' space. Also, a building which is developed as an office block may not be usable as a Cineplex, nonetheless Cineplex may serve better returns than office space. Renter Credit Risk - The value of a building is a feature of the rental income that you can expect to receive from purchasing it. If the tenant defaults then the owner loses typically the rental income. However , it is not just the risk of downright default that matters. If the credit quality of the tenant were to deteriorate materially during the period of ownership then the selling value will likely be worse than it otherwise would have long been. Lease Length - The length of the leases is also a key consideration. If a building is let to a good quality renter for a long period then the rental income is assured even if current market conditions for property are volatile. This is one of the enticing features of property investment. Because the length of lease is a substantial feature, it is important at the time of purchase to consider the length of lease around the point in time when the property is likely to be re-occupied. Many leases feature break options, and it is a standard market practice to suppose that the lease will terminate at the break point. Liquidity - All property investment is relatively illiquid to the majority bonds and equities. Property is slow to work in normal market conditions and hence illiquid. In very poor market conditions it will take even longer to find a buyer. There is also a high cost of error in property investments. Therefore, while a wrong stock investment can be sold immediately, undoing a wrong real estate investment may be tedious and distress process. Place a burden on Implications - Apart from income tax which is to be paid regarding rental income and capital gains, there are two further levies which have to be paid by the investor i. elizabeth. property tax and stamp duty. The stamp challange and property tax differ from state to state and can result the investment returns ones expected from a property. Big Cost Of Investment - Real Estate values are big compared to other forms of investment. This nature of investment puts it out of reach of the common masses. However, stocks and bonds can now be bought in volumes as small as-one share, thus enabling diversification from the portfolio despite lower outlays. Borrowing for investment throughout real estate increases the risks further. Risk Of Single Place - Purchasing a single - property exposes the real estate investor to specific risks associated with the property and does not deliver any benefits of diversification. Thus, if the property prices come, the investor is exposed to a high degree of risk. Irritation Sales - Illiquidity of the real estate market also brings in danger of lower returns or losses in the event of an emergency need to divest. Distress sales are common in the real estate market and also lead to returns that are much lower than the fair value of your property. Legal Issues - While stock exchanges guarantee, to some extent, the legitimacy of a trade in equities or provides and thus protect against bad delivery or fake and forged shares, no similar safety net is available in the property market. It is difficult to check the title of a property and involves time, money and expertise. Overall keeping an eye on market fads can reduce most of these risks. For instance, investing in properties from where the rentals are at market rates, also, investing in assets that is included in high-credit tenants and looking for lease lock-ins to reuse tenancy risk are simple guidelines to follow. Future View on life The real estate market is witnessing a heightened activity as a result of year 2000 both in terms of magnitude of space staying developed as well as rational increase in price. Easy availability of housing loans at much lesser rates has persuaded people who are small investors to buy their own house, which may most certainly be their second home too. High net worthwhile individuals have also demonstrated greater zeal in investing in readily available real estate with an intention of reaping capital appreciation plus simultaneously securing regular returns. In the wake of powerful economic growth, real estate market should continue to gain momentum ultimately causing falling vacancies in CBD areas and more development through suburbs; it is unlikely that commercial property prices will probably rise or fall significantly, beyond rational reasoning. Because stamp duty on leave and license agreements has long been further reduced, it should further attract to deal this way encouraging the investors and the occupiers. With current spending budget focusing on infrastructure, it will attract quality tenants and grow market growth. Heighten retail activity will give upward force for space requirement. Further, the proposed introduction regarding REMF (Real Estate Mutual Funds) and REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) will boost these real estate ventures from the small investors' point of view. These foreign investments would certainly then mean higher standards of quality infrastructure so because of this would change the entire market scenario in terms of competition as well as professionalism of market players. Looking forward, it is possible that through evident steps of the possible opening up of the REMF market place and the participation of financial institutions into property investment enterprise, it will pave the way for more organized investment on real estate in India, which would be an apt path for retail investors to get an alternative to invest in property portfolios in the slightest levels. Overall, real estate is expected to offer a good investment decision alternative to stocks and bonds over the coming years.

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coldbrewcat · 5 years ago

Text

Helpful tips to Investments in Indian Real Estate

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steelbuildings12-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Factory Buildings Kelowna Construction And Planning

The selection of the site and the design of the factory buildings Kelowna are vital economic factors in the manufacture, as they contribute seriously to the cost of production, not only on account of the initial outlay of capital required but because of their influence on efficient production. The elimination of waste, whether of material, time or effort, is the chief feature of all manufacturing, and the design of factory buildings plays its part in this elimination.

The haphazard methods of erecting factory buildings are passing and more systematic consideration is being given to their planning and erection, though even at the present time more effort is devoted to providing good machinery than good, suitable buildings. The factors most largely influencing the design of factory buildings are large scale and standardized production; factory legislation, both government and local; building by-laws; insurance conditions and the welfare of the employees.

Regarding the actual design and building of factories, the determining factor is naturally the character of the product, but certain general considerations apply whatever the product. The architect of every new a factory should make himself thoroughly familiar with the processes and products of the factory before attempting his design, which should be made with a view to meeting adequately the future needs of the industry which, under favorable conditions will naturally expand, especially as the present-day tendency is towards amalgamations and the formation of large corporations. One of the best ways of providing for this contingency is to design all buildings on the principle of suitable standardized units which can be increased as necessity arises. These standardized units should represent a complete organization but should be so arranged as to make future extensions possible without interfering with the existing business.

Selection of Site

The effect of location is common to all factory design, and in selecting a site all the following should be taken into account: Nearness to raw material supply is an important factor where raw materials are bulky and cheap, but as the bulk decreases and the value increases this factor becomes less important. It is necessary to study the convenience of existing railway lines, freightage, etc. Proximity to a canal is not an important feature it was formerly. The contour of the land should be studied, not only in so far as it presents a suitably level site for building purposes, but also in relation to canals, railways and other means of transport.

The supplies of electricity, gas, and water are all important considerations, especially where, as in the case of some industries, enormous quantities of anyone are needed, as, for example, in the pulp and paper industry, which requires a vast amount of water; or where the cost of power represents a large part of the ultimate cost of the product. The climate is an important factor in certain industries, as, for example, in the textile industry, where a humid atmosphere is necessary; though in this case, it is becoming less important than formerly because the humidity can be controlled artificially.

Suitable Labor Supply—Where the necessary labor supply is of the unskilled type this is not an important factor, but where skilled labor is essential it is necessary to locate the industry in a district where training and heredity have developed the required type. Skilled labor is not so migratory as unskilled on account of social and family attachments, etc.

Room for Expansion—It would, of course, be futile to place a factory in a crowded and congested area where there is no space for expansion. The present tendency is for factories to be built on the outskirts of existing industrial areas because here land is usually cheaper, taxation lower and working conditions better than in the towns. It is, however, difficult to induce labor that is accustomed to town life to migrate to country districts and this, coupled with the housing question, may be an important factor operating against an otherwise ideal site. Further, some industries may be dangerous or offensive and these must be located well away from congested areas.

Other Factors—Capital available for investment, laws affecting the tenancy of land, sewage, floods, drinking water supply, etc., are all important points to consider in the selection of a site.

Types of Factory Building

The type of building erected for a factory depends entirely on the product to be manufactured, and the architectural form is dominated by this factor, and, in the majority of cases, by the great need for the economy ; but an attractive looking plant buildings Kelowna has a marked effect on employees and has an advertising value.

Main Types—There are, in general, three main types of factory building:—

I. The single-story building of the weaving-shed type, having a saw-toothed roof consisting of a series of unequally inclined ridges, glazed usually only on the north side, which permits of uniform lighting without shadows. In the single-story type when the site does not permit of north lighting, the ridges, which must be equally inclined, can be glazed on both sides. This type is not well adapted for overhead shafting, cranes, etc.

2. The one-story building with large truss spans provided with accommodation for traveling cranes, etc. This is the foundry, forge and machine shop type and is suitable for medium and heavy work.

3. Multi-story buildings for all kinds of manufacture and storage, except in the case of the heaviest industries.

Naturally, each type has its advantages and disadvantages and must be considered in relation to the product of the factory; but generally, when the cost of land is not prohibitive and the product is bulky, the natural choice would be towards a one-story building. Each of these three types of building permits of construction of any one of the following kinds:—

(a) Timber and masonry, known as "Mill construction."

(b) Steel framework.

Details of Construction:

choosing a site an important point is that of levels and a site poor in this respect purchased at a low figure may eventually, prove the most costly one. It is also important to have full knowledge of any mineral workings going on, or likely to go on, as these might cause subsidence. The foundations of buildings which are to house heavy machinery must be ample enough to absorb vibration, and in the case of such implements as the steam and power hammer, or jarring machinery for foundries, the foundations should be entirely separate from all structural steel buildings Kelowna or their foundations. It is important to choose a site where there exists a good subsoil of clay or rock, otherwise, the expense of piling or rafting might make the cost of the buildings very high or even prohibitive.

Floors—These should be designed to provide facilities for future changes, especially if they are of reinforced concrete and ducts should be arranged to accommodate pipes, etc. Conduits should be properly placed and openings provided for belts, shafting and other accessories, properly protected. Where the apparatus must be taken through floors, ample openings and trap doors or removable floor slabs are essential. Floors formed of concrete and merely spade-finished are unsuitable, and their durability should be increased by some form of floor-hardener or by the application of paving. Pavings are of many kinds, metallic, granolithic, cemented, of fir boarding laid on battens, pitch pine boarding, bricking, maple boarding, rock asphalt, woodblocks, etc. Each of these types has its advantages and disadvantages, some being unsuitable on account of dust, others on account of the discomfort to workers, and every building requires separate consideration. Floor areas must be laid out so as to avoid the conflict of travel in opposite directions and to permit easy transport.

Lighting—Windows, while no more expensive in initial outlay than walls, is an expensive item in upkeep, and with a large area of glazing the size of glass forming a unit should be of the order of 'ft. 4in. by aft. or even larger, if of the roughcast or "prismatic" type. It is not usually essential that all parts should be made to open. Steel sashing, although difficult to clean and a source of lost heat, is preferable to wooden sashing as it provides increased lighting facilities, giving 8o% to 9o% light area as against 50% to 70% for wooden sashes and frames. One-story saw-toothed buildings should have roof windows facing north to avoid direct sunlight.

Walls—The thickness of building walls is dictated by building acts and by-laws, and in most countries, there is no possibility of erecting such walls of less thickness than 9in. or i4in. depending on the height and length of the wall and whether the steel framework is used. As already stated in connection with the various types of building construction, various materials are used for walls such as brick, concrete, stone, etc. Where hoists and cranes are fitted these must be provided with ample support.

Roofs—Roofs are one of the large items in building construction. Their particular form is dependent upon the intended purpose of the building; a high pitched gabled the roof is the best for forges, foundries and other shops engaged in hot processes in which large quantities of heat require to be dissipated, and in other cases where a level ceiling is not required ; the glazed saw-toothed form of roof provides the best condition of steady, uniform, natural lighting; the flat roof is the natural type for buildings with interior columns. Whatever the type the essential features are water- and fire-proofed. For general purposes, the best material is mineral rock asphalt, which is unaffected by heat or cold and requires no yearly treatment and is also capable of withstanding traffic without damage. Where sloping roofs are used, steel or reinforced concrete roof principals are employed, and this method of support is now as cheap as steel. Slates as a covering are high in the first cost and heavy for long span roofs, but is of good quality are very durable. Bituminous felts and other corn positions in sheet form are low in the first cost but require special treatment every few years.

Fire Protection—The installation of the apparatus to deal with outbreaks of fire is a necessity in all industrial buildings. The most usual form is by the sprinkler system in which pipes are fixed horizontally along with the ceiling, and supplied with water which is not released until the temperature in the building is sufficiently high to melt the solder which holds the automatic valve of the sprinklers in position. When this is released the water is discharged over the affected area. Where sprinklers are not used, hydrants with lengths of the hose should be fixed near stairs and in easily accessible positions and fire buckets and chemical fire extinguishers should be placed within the reach of anyone in the building. In the case of some trades, buckets of sand are more useful than water. Lightning-conductors should be fixed to all buildings.

#metal buildings Kelowna #farm buildings Kelowna #steel building repairs Kelowna #Agricultural Buildings Kelowna

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iturbide · 8 years ago

Text

Okay you know what I want to talk about Sumia

And in doing so, I want to talk a little bit more about Ylisse’s class system

So Ylisse very clearly has a demarcated system of social classes:

Commoners make up the largest group, and comprise the entirety of the work force in the halidom. They run the spectrum from very poor to fairly wealthy, and consist of both skilled and unskilled laborers: farmers, hunters, tanners, smiths, apothecaries, the list goes on and on. The whole of Ylisse’s economy is based on the work these people do, both for exports and local trade.

Aristocrats make up the next stratum, and they are the backbone of the governing council to the throne. The nobility trace their lineage back through generations, and have accumulated incredible wealth and influence over that span of time, enabling them to live in luxury as they lord over the common folk.

House Ylisse stands at the top of the system: only Naga’s exalted bloodline is seen as fit to rule the halidom. The exalt is the highest power in the land, and their actions and choices determine how commoners and aristocrats both will live.

Now, for the most part these are rigid classes. A commoner cannot work to become an aristocrat, just like an aristocrat can’t work and become ruler, because these strata are based on blood. A noble can’t just suddenly gain exalted blood, after all. So the only way for someone in Ylisse to change classes is by marriage: a commoner who marries a noble will, generally, become a part of the noble family (unless that family disapproves of the marriage and disowns their child, at which point the aristocrat drops to a commoner), and a commoner or noble will only be considered royalty by marrying into House Ylisse.

Each class also has certain career paths open to them. Some these are slightly easier for other groups to access: for example, a commoner can earn the title of knight by joining the Shepherds (the proof being in Kellam and Stahl, a farmboy and an apothecary); however, other positions are impossible to reach: nobles train their children to fill council positions they themselves fill. On top of that, there are certain roles that the aristocracy have jealously guarded as exclusive to the common folk...one of which is the pegasus knight.

The Pegasus Knights, just judging by their role in the early game, clearly have two distinct purposes: they patrol the Ylisse-Plegia border, which is primarily mountainous and difficult to survey without a bird’s-eye view; and they comprise the personal guard of the exalt. Considering their place so close to the ruling family of Ylisse, it doesn’t seem like too much of a leap to imagine that many of the pegasus knights in the Ylisstol guard are from aristocratic families themselves -- likely second-born and later daughters (as the title for each noble line passes to first-born children except in extreme cases).

Let’s look to the game: there are five characters before the Chapter 11 interlude who are pegasus knights or who are capable of reclassing into them: Sumia, Cordelia, Lissa, Maribelle, and a female Robin (Say’ri isn’t obtainable and Olivia isn’t reclassable until after the time skip, and we’re not talking about the future kids here because that’s a whole other matter). Two of those characters are either royal or explicitly noted to have aristocratic heritage, and one is the jack-of-all-trades wild card who’s technically the princess of Plegia but that’s a whole other matter we’re not dealing with right now. And I’m the sort of person to draw inferences from stuff like that.

Now, we never hear about Cordelia’s family in her supports, but given her obsessiveness with perfection, her overall bearing and manner, and some of her more curious skills (playing the harp among them -- she teaches herself smithing on the fly), it doesn’t seem a huge leap to think that she might be from a noble lineage herself, even if it’s just a minor one: after all, Sully is from a long-standing noble lineage full of knights, but only briefly mentions in her supports that she’s uncomfortably familiar with the cut-throat world of the court.

And this brings us to Sumia.

Sumia is not an aristocrat. Her dialogue is more reminiscent of Stahl than it is Maribelle, or even Cordelia. She mentions that her mother taught her folk wisdom about fiddlehead and rhubarb pie (the same thing Chrom’s nan taught him), and even though it takes her a LOT of practice, she bakes them well. Plus Maribelle makes some pointed, snide comments about Sumia’s clumsiness and her crush on the prince, and in general she’s not catty. She’s blunt, yes, but she saves the offhandedly disparaging remarks for her social inferiors (like Robin and Olivia).

Sumia is, however, on the upper edge of that common class. Her father is a groundskeeper with a talent and flair for design. When, by chance, a noble he was working for decided to change his gardens, Sumia’s father proved himself more than capable of the task, and won not only respect but acclaim from his patron. It opened up a world of opportunities for him, as the beautiful work that the aristocrat was so excited to show his peers had them clamoring after the artist. After that, he was never short on work. His wife, meanwhile, is a florist, and the grounds around their little house outside Ylisstol has been full of flowers since Sumia’s earliest memories. Cultivating and harvesting flowers, she sold them in the capital, both to apothecaries as raw materials for use in their medicines, and to individuals to brighten their homes or use as gifts. As her husband gained more business, she began to help out -- and through conversation with his patrons and examples of her own, she earned a reputation of her own for flower arrangement and crafting bouquets.

But for all this patronage, success, and the comfortable life he and his family lived, they were still not aristocrats. So when Sumia joined the Shepherds, she wasn’t aiming for the pegasus knights. She might have been aiming to be an infantry lancer. But she wasn’t aiming for the pegasus knights, because that was a route apparently closed to her based on her heritage. So when the Shepherds chanced across that pegasus on the road to Ferox, Sumia wasn’t expecting to become a pegasus knight herself: she expected that they would take the pegasus back to Ylisstol and that would be the end of her involvement.

But that’s not what happened.

She managed to bond with the pegasus, well enough to ride her into battle. And with so many questions about what happened to the original rider, not to mention tensions on the border disrupting the normal training routines, Sumia was given at least temporary leave to keep her -- but she was not inducted into the pegasus knights until much, much later, when Cordelia took over and started relaxing the old restrictions on who could join in order: both to replenish their decimated ranks, and to bring a little equality to the guard since she absolutely recognized Sumia’s talents (even if Sumia herself sometimes doesn’t).

#fire emblem: awakening #headcanon #fanfiction #sumia #tl;dr #future built upon the past #yet another reason why i should not be playing this game

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kingdoms-of-fate · 8 years ago

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Kalithan

Setting

Mordeadus - homebrew

Country

Kalithan

Race

Human,vampires Note: Vampires are playable in this setting.

Terrain

Vast rolling fields, thick blood birch forests Note: Blood birch appears to look like regular birch except instead of white and black bark, they have red and black bark and a deep red blood sap.

Vampire clan - The Kalithan

They are a clan of slick talking vampires who run a large scale thief guild across the continent with many sub thief guilds under their wing

Patient and smooth but very greedy, they come off as charismatic and charming.

Vampire Abilties

Counts as undead vs turning They do not eat or drink Immune to poison/disease No CON bonus to hit points D12 hit points per level Damage resistance 1/blunt per 4 class levels Vampires cannot be healed with healing spells and instead ,regenerate 1 point of damage a day per level Healing/holy deal double damage Sunlight deals D6 damage per round. Note: Because vampires are overpowered compared to someone playing a human, consider awarding less XP to vampires per encounter.

Blood Pools

Each vampire has a blood pool which they use to live and grant themselves abilities. If a vampire's blood pool reaches 0, they die and turn to dust. Every day a vampire loses 1 blood point automatically. Every vampire has a number of blood points in their pool with a maximum number of 10 plus 2 per class level. To gain 1 point in the blood pool vampires must drink blood from a human, draining 1 CON point from their victim per blood point which the human can regenerate at a rate of 1 CON a day. If the victim reaches 0 CON, they die.

The Kalithan Specific Vampire Abilities

To create a Kalithan vampire, a human must be drained of blood, given 1 Kalithan blood point and then have a 500 gold piece gem destroyed in their honor.

Kalithans get plus 2 DEX and CHA and minus 2 CON and STR.

Anyone who becomes a Kalithan vampire loses all previous classes and replaces them with thief levels.

Using 1 blood point heals 1 hit points per class level Using 2 blood points can increase open locks, diplomacy, pickpocket, move silently, set traps, hide, climb or tumble by 2 for the Kalithan's remaining blood pool in rounds. Using 2 blood points can increase their DEX or CHA by 2 for rounds equal to their remaining blood pool.

Clan Culture

The Kalithan group together in clans called guilds. They love treasure, gold,jewelry, magic items anything of value and will con, cheat and steal their way to get it.

They will always try to get the better bargain in a deal, get the highest percentage of a treasure and are not above stealing from their own friends.

Within the clan is the vampire who owns the most treasure who is at the highest station with every member being one enormous haul away from ruling the nation.

Kalithans will use their charisma to get close to someone and then take what they want from them when their guard is down.

The clans strongest vice is smoking tobacco gathered and harvested from the farms. No vampire is ever caught without a pouch of tobacco because it is bad manners to not end a deal or conversation with a smoke.

Settlements

The plains are sprawling with failing cities and towns of run down building and beggars. Out in the country, the region is dotted with a numerous small ranches and farms with the people more well-off.

The forests tend to be wild with few inhabitants except for a few logging villages that exist on the border.

Architecture Style

Kalithan vampires

Each guild lives within a villa built in the center of each city. The villa is built of polished white stone and blood birch with dark red clay tile roofs.

The insides tend to be a maze of false tunnels, hidden rooms and doors with many halls lined with traps keeping intruders at bay.

Secret tunnels run behind walls used for peeping on guests through holes cut into paintings. Secret doors are hidden behind bookcases and cupboards leading to a system of tunnels that run to the sewers in the city.

Human

The people build with blood birch leaving the bark on the wood for texture and design.

The rooftops are made of dark brown clay towers with the poorest using straw tied into bundles.

Clothing Style

Kalithan vampires

They wear leather tunics and leggings often with vests and caps. Leather belts holstering knives and daggers run across their arms, legs and chest and most have a pipe placed in an open loop on their tunic.

Humans

Both women and men tend to wear dark colored dyed leather tunics and leggings of browns, blacks and maroon.

To cover for the cold, they wear black furred cloaks held closed by leather strips knotted through loops. Very few wear dresses.

Every human citizen of Kalithan is required to wear a blood birch bead necklace or bracelets. The blood birch jewelry is crafted by the Kalithan vampires and have their guild crest scratched into the beads. This is a symbolic sign of being owned, the necklaces being collars, the bracelets akin to shackles.

If any citizen is found to not be wearing their beads ,they are stripped and flogged with a second offense being death by hanging. If any non citizen is found wearing beads, they are killed outright.

If any sub-thief guild, more on these in issues, finds someone who is not a Kalithan citizen wearing the beads, they are tortured and killed with their head being sent back to the Kalithan guild whom the beads belonged to.

Religion

There is no central religion.

Government

The Kalithans rule over the people as dictators. The guilds together form one massive guild that stretches across the entire nation with their sub-factions extending to every nation on the continent. The richest guild has the height of power, ruling over the nation while the other guilds each have control of their city and surrounding lands.

The Kalithans keep the riches of their guild deep below their villas hidden in the maze of tunnels and guarded by legions of undead and beasts with no human ever allowed to see the extent of their wealth.

Penny pinching, the Kalithans rarely spend their money to improve the quality of life for the humans instead rather having them live destitute in squalor than spend a copper to raise the standards of living.

Being a thief guild, they have no reason to steal as they only need to collect taxes to obtain the people's gold and treasure. However, they do tax everything, having the highest tax rates on the entire continent.

The Kalithan clans squeeze as much as they can from the people to the point of almost collapse, letting the citizen keep just enough to buy clothing and food and repair their shelters.

Anyone who lies about their wealth or hides it is punishes severely with beatings, whippings and even being skinned alive. This has created a local saying, “Better to eat the dirt then have no teeth.”

Economy

The nation has few exports except for some small crafts traded independently by small business, merchants and tobacco.

The main import is stolen treasure gathered by the 100s of sub-guilds throughout the continent. The main resource the nation produces is steer hide and tobacco. The ranches and farms employ most of the unskilled labor and it is what keeps the peasants from going completely broke and homeless.

The steer ranches provide the people of Kalithan with most of their protein and clothing material and the tobacco farms the main crops.

These two industries are under the protection of the Kalithans, being one of the few things the vampires put money into, hiring troops of Glongia mercenaries, they pay them to keep an eye on the ranches and farms looking for theft and poachers, having full authority to punish those caught in the act.

Issues

Sub-clans

As the Kalithan branched their influence to other nations, they either allied themselves or killed rival thief guilds. As a result, now the Kalithans are the only thief guild on the continent with others always being sub-guilds.

A sub-guild, usually being human, must pay a tithe to exist or be wiped out.

The sub guild is the lightning rod, the fall guy in the region they exist. The Kalithan, having no wish to start a war - a government finding out their citizens are losing half their wealth to a foreign thief guild who is also the heads of states would lead to a lot of wars very quickly - never run a sub-guild themselves instead staying far away, keeping their hands clean.

The only proof the Kalithan run these sub-guilds are humans who have confessed or shipments of gold sent to Kalithan that have been intercepted.

Some sub-guilds do become greedy or have grown tired of foreign powers controlling their black market and sometimes guild wars do break out. In cases like that the Kalithan will hire Glongia mercenaries to wipe out the leadership or request other sub-guilds take over.

The average foot thief just getting their lock picks dirty will know their guild is the tip of the iceberg, but rarely ask how far it goes, knowing the things in the dark should stay there.

Blood Gremlins

There is a vampire race of gremlins that feed off of blood to survive.

They live in swarms and will drink anything with blood, humans, animals and even vampires, becoming like locusts devouring anything they can come across.

The swarms are created by fat queen imps who can lay dozens of eggs a day with each eggs only taking a week to hatch. Killing a queen does not ensure the death of the swarm, once one queen is dead, a new one will form within days from the survivors. Not much is known how this occurs but most wizards tend to agree it is the magical nature of the creatures with some sort of hive connection that alerts the swarm a new queen is needed.

Dangerous to the villages, farms and ranches, sometimes swarms can grow to such sizes even the cities and vampires fear their numbers. Wihtin the citie,s they are like vermin and constantly hunted down. The gremlins mostly feed on the rats but do often feed on the sleeping as well, even making their way into the villas.

On the countryside, they live in giant dirt mounds similar to red ant hills with even a slight disturbance of the nest bringing out the entire swarm.

Travelers have been known to have been attacked at night on the roadside and entire cattle herds have been wiped out.

To deal with the threat, the Kalithan do what they never do and offer rewards, from imp heads making a few copper, destroyed nests dozens to 100s of gold and queen sacs making platinum. The Kalithans even hire Glongia mercenaries battalions to sweep the forests and plains regularly, destroying nests and having kill teams search the sewers daily. Still despite the efforts, the blood gremlin infestations seems to be growing, suggesting something more than breeding is causing them to appear.

No one knows how or where the blood gremlins started, but everyone does agree they are spreading with nests now being found on the borders of the Vierillim, Allvien, Lycanthrope forest and the Storm Plains. If not stopped, it is reasonable to assume the blood gremlins could sweep across the continents, eventually wiping out entire ecosystems even civilizations.

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gnusnoteunuchs · 8 years ago

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What exactly is racist about libertarianism? Keep in mind too that the American Libertarian Party doesn't represent what all if libertarianism has to offer. I can't imagine how an ideology that offers belief in personal liberty for everyone is racist

Okay. First off, a little clarification: when I refer to libertarianism, I mean specifically the libertarian right, whose basic tenets are personal liberty, deregulated economics, and limited governmental influence in the day-to-day functioning of the country, being largely limited to matters of law and justice. This is the understanding of libertarianism that I have.

My primary issue with libertarianism is not the first point I mentioned-personal liberty, privacy, and human rights are of the utmost importance. I take issue with libertarianism because of the second two points. I’ll put it simply; capitalism as a system is fundamentally incapable of providing fairly and ethically for the people, at least when unregulated. Capitalism is a system that uses the labor of the majority to consolidate all forms of capital (not just monetary! also social and cultural) upwards in the social hierarchy. Capitalism requires a socioeconomic stratification to function (unskilled labor

If we want to fairly and ethically provide food, jobs, healthcare, housing, and equal human rights to the entire populace, we need a market that is regulated so as to minimize or remove altogether the internal forces that make capitalism unethical and unequal. What we need, then, is an economy with substantial antitrust laws, a livable (or more) minimum wage, equal opportunity employment without exception, substantial taxes on the rich and the economic activities of the executive and upper classes, and regulations/policy initiatives that foster small businesses and their competitiveness on the local scale.

When capitalism is unregulated (as libertarianism would dictate), businesses and the upper class can consolidate capital (and therefore power) away from the working class. Contemporary examples of this include the placement of high-ranking executives from large companies in the highest echelons of our government, minimum wages below what is livable, predatory lending practices, and the undermining of unions. Large businesses exert control over policy and over economic matters and use that power to better themselves at the cost of the majority of the people. When capitalism is unregulated, businesses are free to enact whatever discriminatory practices might better themselves. Libertarianism ignores the economic effects of structural racism, and simply assumes that powerful players in the market will not be racist or otherwise bigoted. Keep in mind that it has been experimentally proven that the rich feel less empathy; libertarianism gives the upper class carte blanche to structure the socioeconomic order as they like, and such structuring is already in place. The placement of large factories and other users of unskilled labor in places like the American South and Southeast Asia is no mistake; their owners use these locations to prey on the poor and desperate in order to pay as little as possible for their products. Libertarianism, by its very definition, is incapable of protecting the people from the executive class and the harmful side of free enterprise, and because it fails to protect the lower class, is racist, because it ignores the mechanisms by which people of color are forced into the lower class/working class.

The only way to remove racism from our economics is to regulate economics in such a way that such bigotry is impracticable.

While I do not agree with their entire point, rametarin did effectively point out how libertarianism is tainted by racism, saying

"It’s the culture and the people that traffic it that makes the culture [of libertarianism] seem that way.

And it is true, economic libertarians tend to be the kinds of people, predominantly white, that will happily leave large groups of people to die under the guise of natural selection. They tend to love free markets, but the racist ones love free markets best when there’s no government to tell them whom they have to hire to fill quotas, and they happen to have a racial preference in whom they want to pay to work.

The freedom to choose can be used to choose with prejudice or preference. And many do. That part isn’t false. It just so happens that if libertarianism were the lay of the land, the south would be in a much, much worse situation racially, as they willingly sacrifice financial gain for the gain of refusing aid to people causing demographics to change.

Libertarianism itself may not be racist, sexist, anti-LGBT, religiously bigoted, but if the people who own businesses have their own bias and bigotry, the freedom to do so means they will do it. And libertarianism also makes sure that the government won’t have as big a say as it does now.”

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nathanielburgos · 5 years ago

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Employment Based Green Card Timeline | I-485 Processing Time

Getting an employment-based green card can be a long but rewarding process. There are many advantages to using your employment to gain lawful permanent resident status in the U.S., and there are many ways to go about getting this status. One such way is through adjustment of status through the use of an I-485 form. Keep reading to learn how long you can expect to wait to get a green card using adjustment of status and what goes into the employment-based green card timeline as a whole.

As per the Immigration and Nationality Act, adjustment of status from a nonimmigrant visa to an immigrant visa (aka green card) is only possible if the beneficiary meets all of the necessary requirements for permanent residence. Understanding what makes someone eligible for a green card will help you determine what your timeline will be in obtaining one.

Benefits of Employment-Based Adjustment of Status

There are many benefits if you’ve reached the employment-based adjustment of status phase. In particular, this is the final step before actually receiving your green card. Unlike other categories, like family-based immigration, which require an interview, once your adjustment of status application is approved, you’re usually ready to go.

Simultaneously Apply for Advance Parole

The second benefit of an employment-based adjustment of status is the ability to simultaneously apply for advance parole. Essentially, advanced parole permits you to reenter the U.S. without an immigrant/non-immigrant visa after traveling overseas. It also protects your pending AOS application from being considered abandoned. This is very advantageous since the interim waiting period for some employment-based green card timelines can span several years.

Apply for an Employment Authorization Document

Another benefit of an employment-based adjustment of status is the ability to file for an EAD. This document allows you to work legally in the U.S. for a temporary period (typically a year).

Change Employers After Filing

If your I-485 petition is sponsored by an employer, for instance, some EB-1 green cards, EB-2, or EB-3, you have the option to change employers six months after the adjustment of status has been filed. The only exception is if your EB-2 is filed under a national interest waiver (NIW).

Employment-Based Green Card Types and Process

There are five major categories for employment-based immigrant visas with the three below being the most popular. The timeline will depend on the specific requirements for the category you are seeking. These three categories are:

EB-1 Green Card for Those with Extraordinary Achievements

Known as the first preference employment-based immigrant visa, the EB-1 category is for foreign professionals who possess extraordinary achievements in their fields as well as outstanding researchers and professors.

This is perhaps the most prestigious employment-based green card application, in that it comes with requirements that are not easily obtained. Due to this, few applicants qualify for it. However, if you can meet these requirements, the EB-1 can sometimes have the shortest processing timeline out of all U.S. employment-based green cards depending on your country of origin. It doesn’t require PERM Labor processing and the EB-1A can be self-sponsored without the need for a U.S. based employer.

EB-2 for Those with Exceptional Ability or Advanced Degrees

The EB-2, second preference employment-based green card is for applicants who possess advanced degrees or exceptional ability in science, business, or art. It also has a National Interest Waiver option, which allows qualified applicants to circumvent the PERM Labor Certification requirements, provided they can prove it would be in the nation’s best interest to do so.

The EB-2 processing time will depend on whether you are applying for the regular EB-2 or opting for the National Interest Waiver (NIW). If you qualify for the NIW, keep in mind that you will be ineligible for premium processing, likely resulting in a longer wait time.

EB-3 Green Card for Skilled Workers, Professionals, or Other Workers

The EB-3 green card covers a wide range of applicants and has less stringent requirements compared to the two categories above. To qualify as a skilled worker, you must demonstrate that you have at least two years of job experience or training in the job you are applying through.

To qualify as a professional, you must have at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign degree equivalent in the field you are working in. Other workers are usually unskilled workers who are able to demonstrate the ability to perform unskilled labor that is not seasonal or temporary in nature.

An EB-3 applicant must have a job offer from a U.S. employer and fulfill the PERM Labor Certification requirements, which will likely mean a longer application timeline than other categories where the PERM can be waived.

Employment-Based Green Card Timeline Requirements

In most cases, the following documents are necessary as part of the adjustment of status requirements:

I-485 Application to Adjust Status

I-693 Medical Report and Vaccinations

A copy of I-797 showing that the I-140 has been received and approved by USCIS. Is your priority date current? If so, you can file both the I-485 and I-140 at the same time.

Copy of approved Labor Certificate

Employment letter from the employer confirming that the position/job is still available. This letter should be on official employer letterhead and also include details pertaining to the salary.

Copies of recent pay stubs

Copy of approved I-140 if not filing concurrently

Note that since some cases require additional paperwork to be filed, it’s best to contact a qualified employment immigration attorney.

Employment-Based Green Card Timeline

The employment-based green card timeline varies depending on the category you qualify for. Generally, however, here are the steps you need to take if you are working toward getting an employment-based green card:

Have a U.S. Employer

Unless you qualify for the EB-1A green card or EB-2 NIW that allow you to self-petition, you will need to have a U.S.-based employer to sponsor your petition. You will either ask your employer to sponsor you for a green card or find a different employer who is willing to do so. Also, keep in mind that not all job positions qualify for a green card. If you are already on a nonimmigrant work visa, you may also need to change your job position before you begin the application process. Your immigration attorney is in the best position to guide you on this.

Complete PERM Labor Certification Process: Average of Six to Nine Months

Once you have a qualifying job offer and an employer who is ready to sponsor your green card, the next step is to complete the Program for Electronic Review Management (PERM) Labor certification. This is a process that requires your employer to demonstrate that the foreign worker (you) is not taking a job position away from qualified U.S. workers.

Your employer will need to obtain a PERM Labor Certification on your behalf. This involves a recruitment process to ensure that you are not displacing any qualified U.S. workers. However, a PERM is not required for the EB-1 green card or the EB-2 with a National Interest Waiver.

The PERM can take between six months and a year and a half to obtain depending on whether or not your employer is subjected to an audit. Here is the breakdown of the timeline for PERM Labor processing times:

Prevailing Wage Request: two weeks

Recruitment Process: eight to nine weeks

ETA-9089 Application: 24 weeks

Complete the I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker

After your employer successfully completes your PERM Labor certification process, the next step is for your employer to file an I-140 petition on your behalf. The purpose of the I-140 is to demonstrate that you meet all the job requirements on the PERM application and to verify that your employer has the financial ability to pay you the prevailing wage for the position.

The timeline for the I-140 will depend on whether your employer is using the regular processing or premium processing service. Regular processing for the I-140 typically takes an average of six to nine months to process. On the other hand, premium processing will only take 15 calendar days. The good news is that many U.S. employers prefer premium processing, which will expedite the overall processing time. Once the USCIS receives the petition, that date will be your priority date. You must wait until your priority date is current with the final action dates posted by the Department of Homeland Security.

The employment-based green card timeline for this stage is dependent on which preference level you qualify for and which country you hold citizenship. Some preference levels have no wait time while others have a wait time of several years. To get a better idea, check the latest Visa Bulletin.

File the I-485, Adjustment of Status Petition

Once your priority date is current, you can file for an Adjustment of Status by submitting an I-485 form. The I-485 is the last stage along the employment-based green card timeline, but in most cases, it has the longest waiting period. While actually processing the form takes an average of six months, there is an annual limit to the number of green cards available to each country.

Applicants from countries with fewer green card applicants usually have a much shorter waiting time compared to those from countries with a large number of applicants. Due to this, the I-485 waiting time can take several months or even several years. Another factor that may influence the timeline is the workload at the service center in charge of your case.

Get Your Employment-Based Green Card

After your I-485 is approved, the USCIS will issue you an employment-based green card and you will have successfully adjusted your status.

The full employment-based green card timeline can range anywhere from ten months in the best scenarios to several years in the worst scenarios. Your immigration attorney can give you a better idea of what you can expect.

How Much Will It Cost?

Aside from the costs involved with obtaining a nonimmigrant visa, which could be substantial, there are a few fees that come along with adjusting your status.20

I-140 Filing Fee – $700

I-485 Filing Fee – This fee varies depending on how old you are and whether or not a biometrics service charge is applied. For a full table detailing the costs for the I-485, you can visit the USCIS website.

Premium Processing Fee – $1,440

Fortunately, the Department of Labor requires no fees for a PERM Labor Certification. However, there may be costs associated with running an ad campaign and recruitment process.

Green Card Interview for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status

While in most cases, the adjustment of status interview is waived for employment-based cases, there are scenarios in which you may receive an interview notice. If this is the case, it’s important that you show up in professional attire and bring the necessary paperwork.

This includes originals of passports, current or expired EAD cards, interview letters, pay stubs, tax returns, transfer notices, permissions to travel (advance parole), etc. Be aware that if any employment-related circumstances have changed since the time of filing it’s imperative to bring the appropriate documents during the interview.

Green Card Processing Time – PERM

The PERM is made up of several steps which can range in the amount of time it takes to get through each one. The initial recruitment period must last for a minimum of 30 days. After this, your employer will have to wait an additional 30 days to allow an appropriate number of candidates to apply. Then your employer will need to conduct interviews with qualified candidates to ensure that you are not displacing any U.S. workers. If all goes well, and there are no qualified candidates for your position, then it may take as little as six months after that to process your PERM.

However, there are two major hiccups that can delay this process. The first is an audit by the Department of Labor. There are two kinds of audits: random and targeted. You can’t avoid the random audits, but following the required rules and keeping everything above board can help your employer avoid targeted ones. During an audit, your employer will have to send all documents and receipts regarding the recruitment process to the DOL. This can add as many as nine months to the processing time.

The second obstacle is the supervised recruitment. If your employer has a history of receiving targeted audits or attempting to circumvent the system, they may be subjected to supervised recruitment. If this is the case, your employer will have to go through the recruitment process with a DOL certifying officer working alongside every step. Avoid attempting to cheat the PERM process to steer clear of supervised recruitment. If your application is e audited, the processing time may be extended up to 18 months.

Do I Need To Maintain My Nonimmigrant Status?

There are a few disadvantages in the overall adjustment of status process. One significant drawback is that processing times may not be consistent. Another disadvantage is the risk of having your I-140 denied. For that reason, many recommend that AOS applicants maintain their non-immigrant status until the I-140 is approved.

Premium Processing

Premium processing is an optional service that allows petitioners that are using the I-140 petition for certain visas to expedite the processing times of these petitions from the typical average of six months to just 15 calendar days for an extra fee of $1,140. This involves filing an I-907 Request for Premium Processing.

However, keep in mind that premium processing can only be used for the I-140 petition and is not able to be used with the I-485 or any other form in the employment-based green card timeline. It also does not increase your chances of having your petition approved and it does not affect your priority date waiting time. However, if you are on H-1B status and you would like to reap the benefits of having an approved I-140 filed with the USCIS, premium processing may be for you.

Lastly, premium processing is not available for the EB-1C green card for multinational executives and managers and the EB-2 green card with a National Interest Waiver.

Employment-Based Green Card Porting

One of the biggest factors contributing to your employment-based green card timeline is your priority date waiting time. As we’ve already mentioned, your priority date is the day that the USCIS receives your petition. Green card petitions are processed in order of when they were received, so your priority date essentially tells you what your place in line is. These dates are divided according to the type of green card and the country of origin for the petitioner. Therefore the dates for a Chinese citizen applying for an EB-3 green card are going to be different than that dates for a Colombian citizen applying for an EB-1.

In many if not most cases, you will find that the priority date waiting time is much shorter for green cards of higher preference levels (e.g. the EB-3 takes longer than the EB-2 for the same country). So is there a way to shorten your employment-based green card timeline by “porting” your green card from a lower to a higher preference level?

Unfortunately, the answer is “not really”. You are able to retain your priority date from your first petition so that you do not need to start over in terms of your place in line, but in all other regards, you will be starting over and re-petitioning for the green card in the higher preference level.

You will first need to gain the required qualifications for the new green card (e.g. earning a master’s degree, becoming an extraordinary alien, etc.). Then, you will need to find a new job that requires your new qualifications. This job can be with your current employer or with a new one, but it cannot be the same job that you used for your lower green card. After that, the employer who is sponsoring you for your higher green card will have to obtain a new PERM (if necessary) and file a new I-140 petition for you under the new preference level while indicating that you would like for the priority date from the lower green card to be retained.

If the new I-140 is approved, then you will have successfully “ported” your green card, which can drastically reduce your priority date waiting time.

What to Do While Your Employment-Based Green Card Application Is Being Processed by the USCIS

To guard against missing important information while your green card application is pending with the USCIS, you need to observe the following instructions:

Update Your Address

If you move to a new place after submitting your application, you will need to update your address with the USCIS. You may not get important notices about your application if you fail to do this. This USCIS “Change of Address Information webpage” has the full details on how to update your address.

Check Your Case’s Status

You can always check this USCIS Processing Time Information webpage to know how long it will take for your I-485 to be processed.

Travel Precautions

If you need to travel outside the U.S. while your employment-based green card application is pending, you will need to apply for an I-131, otherwise known as an Application for Travel Document. Without this, you may be considered to have abandoned your application and may forfeit the entire green card application process.

Alternatives to Adjusting Your Status

If you are unable to obtain a nonimmigrant visa to enter the U.S. before adjusting your status, the other option for obtaining an employment-based green card is to go through a process called consular processing.

This means that, instead of adjusting from nonimmigrant to immigrant status, you can go straight to your green card by traveling to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy to participate in a one-on-one interview with a consular officer. Instead of an I-485, this method requires a DS-260 online immigrant visa application to be completed and brought to the appointment.

Keep in mind that consular processing is still an option for those that are under a nonimmigrant visa status. However, if you are not, then you have no choice but to go through consular processing. This method may be faster and less expensive than adjustment of status, though that varies from case to case.

However, be sure to speak with an immigration attorney before deciding to use consular processing as there are some disadvantages that may impact your case.

How Our Employment-Based Green Card Attorneys Can Help

As a final note, be aware that an adjustment of status is ultimately up to the discretion of the USCIS officer. Are you ready to get the process started? Our employment immigration lawyers can quickly identify the documents you’ll need to begin filing as well as the fastest course of action for your employment-based green card timeline.

If you would like to get in touch with one of our attorneys, contact us to schedule an initial consultation and learn exactly which options are at your disposal.

EB-1 Processing Time

Extraordinary Ability EB-1 Category

Outstanding Professor and Researcher EB-1 Category

Multinational Executives and Managers EB-1 Category

EB2 National Interest Waiver (NIW)

EB2 NIW Frequently Asked Questions

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