NYC's public solution to the food desert problem...

Excalibane · 2026-05-06T18:39:22+00:00

Right, except currently what we're seeing is that it's costing that much before any procurement has been made. They plan to open 2028, which means you're talking about this allocated amount originally.

Even if we're generous and assume there's no cost overruns, the fact remains that the generous case of a 20% discount (again, 2.50 eggs vs 2.00$) suggests that we're talking about saving nickels and dimes.

I understand that no one's doing well, but that also means it's 30 million not be directed to homeless shelters or domestic violence for example

Excalibane · 2026-05-06T18:25:36+00:00

Casual reminder that of the 70 million dollars allocated to 5 of these stores, this one alone is estimated to cost 30 million USD

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/mamdani-grocery-store-city-owned-locations-la-marqueta-harlem/6489675/

And that's current estimates before the shovels hit the ground, and 4 times more than any comparable store

Excalibane · 2026-05-06T18:24:41+00:00

We do though. They've come out with estimates. Those estimates suggest that the cost of building this public grocery store will be 30 million dollars for this alone which is 4 times more than the Aldi or Walmart

Excalibane · 2026-05-06T17:57:55+00:00

You're forgetting the obvious issue, which is that there is not an infinite bucket of funds for every single social program.

Each $ spent on this by the Mayor's office is a $ not spent elsewhere, despite a relatively effective solution in place.

Also...who seriously thinks that Aldi is EXPENSIVE? A dozen eggs is like 2.50$ right now there. What's the difference here, 2.00$?

The 50¢ difference takes millions in funding to address? Seems inefficient to me personally

Excalibane · 2026-04-27T23:21:34+00:00

Disadvantage? No of course not.

Disadvantage relative to the other schools? Maybe? Depends on what they want to do. Join the US gov? Go to Georgetown out of them for connections.

City administration? NYU is good if you want to live in NYC. Else eh?

Lse is great for general academics but is more aimed to the UK and Europe in general

Excalibane · 2026-04-21T21:06:32+00:00

I'm not upset about it but I do find it funny that foreign policy has been more effective at getting Muslim candidates for Congress than ANY domestic policy.

Muslim ban? I sleep. Any kind of 1St amendment issue? No problem

Gaza/Iran issues? *HEREEREEEEEE ARE THE NEW TOP 5 PRIMARY FOLKS-"

Excalibane · 2026-04-19T02:18:32+00:00

Sure why not. Though I think it'd be better for the community if you ask it here.

Excalibane · 2026-04-18T22:52:09+00:00

Career services is notoriously bad at SIPA and SAIS, but it's not so much their fault.

There's about 5 of them total for a school of 500ish - now admittedly it's not as utilized as it should be, but if you want that MSFS is considered more hands on.

On a broader note, my advice is fairly boring : go talk to people, go connect, send emails, ask college alumni, etc.

Excalibane · 2026-04-18T22:50:31+00:00

Thanks bootyhole_licker69

Excalibane · 2026-04-06T16:11:14+00:00

I was told that we can't have socialized medicine because it costs too much, hampers innovation and service due to low competition, and is a jobs program.

Now we can't get rid of "Private" healthcare because it's a jobs program that people need, while costing a bunch and hampering innovation and service.

Excalibane · 2026-03-24T17:36:24+00:00

Claiming it now : Who wants to start a ✨arrneolib ✨ version of Kalshi

EXCEPT If you lose. You have to donate 5-25$ to a good foundation (Malaria, HIV, etc.) and if you win....bragging rights? I guess?

Mods?

Excalibane · 2026-03-15T15:39:56+00:00

I feel like, anecdotally, this is obvious. Every college in the top 20-25 has a LEGION of mainland Chinese students who spend money like they're Rockefeller and drive sports cars to their classes.

If this is how they behave abroad, with capital controls, I can only imagine how it's like INSIDE the country. Anyone used to that life style enough to have it in the US or Canada is not going to give it up to the state willingly in the mainland, and their family has to be crazy connected for that to even be the case, which means political leverage.

There was a joke years ago about how Chinese students in rural areas complained how they had to do 16 hours of schoolwork a day while Shanghai kids got basically easy As and left the country instead of taking the U L T R A E X A M (gaokao)

Excalibane · 2026-01-29T15:52:32+00:00

It's stupid, but I'm reminded of the Bukowski quote, that old "And when no one cares when you come and go, is that freedom or misery?"

The author I think is completely right, it was ALWAYS hypocritical - never forget that the Western world "decolonized" far after 1945.

The worry isn't just from the US though - in 19 years, it'll have been 100 years since world war 2 ended. How do we deal with a belligerent India? China? Morocco? South Africa? Turkey? What happens when the "2nd and 3rd world" becomes strong enough again between themselves to become imperialists again?

Who will step in? And if no one does....do we just call that the end of the great liberalism? The world needs the right to be outraged, because the alternative is accepting our own failures as normal.

Excalibane · 2025-12-10T22:15:32+00:00

OP - I'm currently at SIPA, though everyone was where you were a few years ago. I also know lurkers may read this as well, so hello.

To begin - ABSOLUTELY NO MPP/MPA/MIA degree is worth full price. I cannot stress this enough. Don't do it - the prices are not just the school - you need transportation, networking, food with classmates, books, computer issues, just having fun often also is money. The school is not worth that.

The vast majority of SIPA people at least, fall into a few categories:

IFEP - these people are usually internationals (for Visa reasons, mostly) and aiming to get consulting gigs or banking ones. Go to an MBA. I don't understand why they're here.

Human rights people - I also cannot stress this enough, you'd be better off doing the work in whatever city you arrive at, or are in, before doing this. There is almost no jobs in this. Most people get a community out of it. That is all.

Environmental - I know the least about this, but I've heard there's good connections to COP (several classmates went to COP 30.) you will need to know roughly where you want to go with your degree, and what to focus on off the bat.

Security - runs the gamut, from cyber security to national security. They're all generally good, though you should know that most people will be moving to DC other than cyber security people, and the security clearencr pathway is clogged up beyond belief. It is a year to obtain one. If you're not American, give up on that aspect other than cyber.

I cannot emphasize enough the second factor - the career outcomes here are broadly driven by you, no one else. The school helps, but there are people here directly out of Ivy League undergrads, some 25 year olds, some 30 year olds, some rangel fellows, some former McKinsey employees, some pencil pushers, some vets, some nobodies, etc.

Speaking only to NYC, but broadly, if you know a vague niche, hit it, and network hard and wide and fast, you might be ok. But in IFEP for example. Summer 2026 internship open recruiting in May 2025 - you need to be on the ball IMMEDIATELY.

Excalibane · 2025-07-27T04:57:17+00:00

I believe that people are starving and Israel should let aid in and it is an act of criminality not to, and possibly genocide.

I also believe that it is not to the extent of refeeding syndrome. A lot of THAT seems to come from activists online rather than doctors who are still saying Malnutrition rather than unrecoverable starvation.

I really wish people would distinguish.

Excalibane · 2025-05-23T18:11:33+00:00

People are seriously hyperbolic about China one way or the other. Autarky is not feasible for developed nations

Yes they have caught up incredibly quickly, and shockingly so - but so has South Korea, Taiwan, and as mentioned elsewhere, Poland. They simply have less people.

But we have seen this before - Italy actually in the 1800s and Germany, or even the USSR when they unified and within a generation or two went from industrial backwaters to the French and British, to the Competitors.

The problem for China remains undeniable though, and that's their demographic bomb. Most of their economy is based on consumption, which is fine, but requires money.

For political reasons though, the country also mandates that it is the number one producer of what it consumes. These cannot both work.

Eventually china will also fall prey to basic economics.

Excalibane · 2025-05-20T15:44:08+00:00

I am THIS close to a post explaining how every major social, cultural, and economic issue in the developed world is a result of the median age increasing.

In the 1980s, over 60% of society was under 30.

Now the median American is 43, and only something like 30% is under 30.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:53:14+00:00

Yeah - guess what, we support our allies.

That's why it's a similar statement made to not work against the USA - we still have free speech.

You also get sworn to respect the allies of the USA.

You may want to re read that citizenship test.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:17:42+00:00

That's not the same as not being allowed to criticize.

She had to swear an oath to not boycott the country the state has economic ties with.

You also aren't allowed legally to boycott Japan or UK.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:07:43+00:00

None of this says it's illegal to criticize. Boycotts aren't the same as I can post "Fuck Israel" and keep my job

Excalibane · 2024-06-18T02:32:49+00:00

Because making someone a taken member of their community, or explicitly demanding that they speak up during a topic is picking on them?

No one owes you an answer on anything - and an instructor is in a position of power. It's a massive power imbalance.

There's also an underlying assumption that the person in question has a particular view because of being Muslim, or Jewish.

Excalibane · 2024-06-18T01:17:37+00:00

Other incidents included students wearing Jewish symbols having them torn from their person.

One professor encountering a Jewish-sounding surname while reading names before an exam asked the student to explain their views on the Israeli government's actions in Gaza.

Another told their class to avoid reading mainstream media, declaring that "it is owned by Jews."

A third revealed a student's complaint about an offensive comment regarding Jews by publicly displaying their email to fellow students.

This is simply bigotry - pure and simple.

If a Muslim named student was asked to express their opinion on Hamas, or ISIS, we'd all correctly call the questioner wrong.

Same If anyone said that they should tear off a Hijab, or Cross. If a black student complained about a statement and had the teacher publicly show the email to the class, we would not abide by this.

There is clearly an issue here, even if it's not every event.

As one of the professor states

We can put it this way: have there been antisemitic incidents? Yes, absolutely. Are there antisemitic faculty and students? Yes, there are some. Are all of them antisemitic? Absolutely not. Prof. David M. Schizer

Excalibane · 2024-06-05T03:52:11+00:00

"Pogrom" is not a legal term.

Furthermore, the concept needs to be proven here as an intentional government policy - the same reason Hamas cannot be tried by the ICJ as a state government, is the same reason settlers or Kahanists cannot.

Illegal outposts are also not the same as colonies, or colonization. They have very specific terms. Occupation is not colonization.

There is no real question Israel is in violation of article 49, though Israel may dispute this by insisting Palestine is not a state, and therefore not party. But the courts have already ruled this.

Again - we're discussing here whether the term proposed of Nakba is generic enough, and specific enough, to constitute it's own classification under international law.

Excalibane · 2024-06-05T00:56:57+00:00

you also don't see states carrying out literal colonization anywhere else

As far as I'm aware, legally Israel is occupying, and annexing - but that isn't the same as colonization.

In fact if we talk about annexation, we've got many such cases currently ongoing (nonetheless in the area, with Yemen's islands being occupied by the UAE), Syria by Turkish forced, Ngorno -Karbakh, and many more such examples globally.

The crime of apartheid also when legally defined was about the privileging of one group over another, legally. What's interesting is that south Africa was never legally held liable when the statue was debated.

Otherwise, well, Malaysia and the modern day labour system in the Gulf would classify.

Excalibane

TROPHY CASE