Starting Your Rabbit Farm

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There are many potential businesses that you can consider. If you are certain that you want rabbit farming, there are many things that you need to do to make it successful. Of course a good profit is your goal when you do business but everything will really depend on how you handle things. You may have all the money but you will not be successful if you don’t consider vital considerations like market research and business plans or proposals.

In any business, it is important that you should identify if there is an existing need for the product or service that you want to offer. You will fail if there is no demand, no matter how much money you put on it. In this line, market research is very important when you consider rabbit farming as a business. Aside from market research, you should make business proposals, especially if you want to encourage potential investors.

Business proposals include essential things like how much will it cost you to build a rabbit farm, the techniques, the manpower, the area of the farm, and the projected sales. Let us assume that you are done on that phase; the next phase is more on implementing the proposal or plan. If you are new to this venture, it is crucial that you take it slowly but surely because money is involved. To help you get through this, here are some things that you need to think about to be successful:

1. Make sure that you have the proper equipment or facility. If you are starting small, a small place will do. But when you want to expand, there is a need to secure proper facilities and equipment like rabbit hutch, proper ventilation, heating and cooling systems, feed hopper, watering system and many more.

2. Whether you want to breed rabbits for meat, fur or as laboratory specimens, there is a proper procedure for breeding them. Female rabbits give birth to approximately 50 baby rabbits every year. They can breed when they reach 6 or 7 months. This is no problem because rabbits have higher reproductive rate more than any animal.

3. You should check your local government regarding the laws and policies behind raising rabbits. For sure they will give you sanitary standards and other important regulations. Keeping your rabbit farm clean is essential for the health of your rabbits.

4. You should make sure that they are properly cared. They deserve it more than anything else in the world. You should have a resident veterinarian to help you with this.

Rabbit farming is a lucrative business for those who are interested. If you want to start small, you can start in your backyard. If you want to expand, you should look for a bigger place. Provide them the best place, food and cleanliness so your business will grow.

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Source by David D. Warren

Things to Think About Log House Plans

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Log cabin house plans were the earliest structures which settlers from Europe built when they arrived in America in the early seventeenth century. The abundance of virgin forests in the New World and the utilitarian design made the early log homes functional and practical, even if they weren’t particularly commodious or comfortable. Nonetheless, even today these primitive homes of logs are popular housing options for millions of Americans, although modern log houses are much more efficient and structurally superior to the originals upon which the concept is based.

Modern log home owners have two types of log houses to choose from – handcrafted or milled log houses. Handcrafted log houses are constructed using the same time-honored techniques of log smiths of previous centuries. Using mainly hand tools, logs are cut and shaped by log smiths from trees which have been carefully selected so that each log makes a perfect fit with the log beneath it. As a result, the logs in handcrafted log houses retain the individual characteristics of the trees which they once were, and give a more rustic look than do milled logs. A milled log house is made of logs which have been milled to the same profiles and dimensions, with an interlocking mechanism which lets manufactured logs fit together snugly. Besides handcrafted and milled log homes, it is possible to sheath a conventional stud-framed and insulated house with log siding, which gives the look and feel of a log house without using logs. If they are correctly manufactured and built, log homes offer energy efficiency which is comparable to or superior than conventional framed bungalow house plans. Many independent studies prove that log walls are especially high in thermal mass, which means they are as energy-efficient as any well-insulated frame wall, and in fact are superior to most of them. As many owners of log homes have known for years, a log home is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

When considering log house packages, it should be borne in mind that different manufacturers’ log home packages differ considerably in the completeness of the materials and components included; therefore it can be difficult to compare the different manufacturers’ offerings. For example, the choice of tree species to be used may depend upon structural requirements, environmental conditions, availability and cost, as well as homeowner preference. Although logs of different species of trees dry at different rates, the logs of all tree species shrink as the wood dries and the use of logs which are not fully dry can pose serious structural problems in log house plans, such as settling over time. Therefore, kiln dried or long-dead standing logs are usually used in preference to newly-cut logs. Also, different species of trees yield logs with differing susceptibilities to insects, decay, and weathering. Modern wood preservatives help to extend the lifespan of most logs for well over a century, so treated logs are definitely preferable to untreated ones.

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Source by Alice Lane

5 Beginner Tips For Camping Without Electricity

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Camping is all about taking a break from your routine and just relaxing and recharging in the great outdoors. Many campers right now want to try back country camping where there is no electricity – just you and the outdoors. It might seem overhwelming in the beginning, but when you know what to do and handle different situations, you’ll find that camping without electricity is even more rewarding!

Be one with nature and truly relax at the backcountry with these beginner tips for camping without electricity!

Be Prepared

The key to achieving any successful trip is to come prepared. This is even more important if you’re planning to camp traditionally. Make sure you do research about your chosen campsite. You know there’s no electricity, but is there a source of water? Where’s the nearest place you can ask for help in case of emergencies?

Also, make sure you pack right to cover everything – all the things you’re going to need for sleeping, cooking, eating, bathing and entertainment. It would be helpful if you make a checklist and use it while packing.

Plan Your Meals

Plan your meals ahead and keep everything simple. Consider the lack of power so you’ll be cooking over a campfire, a grill or an electric stove, depending on what you prefer. Plan your food per day throughout your trip and go for recipes that are easy to cook. If possible, do most of the preparation at home. Pack your cooler right and be sure that you cook perishables first.

If you plan to cook over a fire, be sure you have everything needed to create one.

Bring Drinking Water

In the backcountry, when there’s no electricity, there’s usually no source of drinking water, too. It’s important to check if your chosen site has a water source. If there is, it’s usually fine for bathing and washing dishes, but not for drinking.

Bring clean drinking water that will last throughout your entire trip. You can bring water in gallons or in smaller individual bottles.

Bring a source of light

You’ll need a source of light to move around the campsite, especially at night. You can light a campfire, but you can’t move it around or bring inside your tent. Be sure to bring a flashlight, a lantern, some candles and some extra batteries.

Keep warm

No matter what season you’ll be camping, it’s important to prepare for cold nights. Bring a wool sweater, wool socks, thick blankets, extra bedding, sleeping pads and a thermal sleeping bag.

Camping without electricity gets easier over time – just follow these simple but effective tips!

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Source by Daniel J. Smith

Patient Safety: Vigilance, Cyber Awareness, and Take Action

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Regulatory requirements, such as The Joint Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration require safety inspections be carried out at regular intervals to assure patient safety. The Nurse Practice Act also requires nurses to safely operate all equipment and use medical devices properly during patient care. When new equipment is introduced to a patient care area, a competency verification should be conducted of the responsible staff who will be using the equipment. This competency verification is typically maintained in the personnel file of the employee for future reference if necessary.

Nurses are taught at some time during their training to always look at the electrical cords of all equipment because a frayed cord is a potential fire hazard. This remains to be true. The temperature of solutions used in heating and cooling pads or blankets may also pose a risk of injury to the patient if the fluid is too hot or too cold. Burns have resulted from improper regulation of temperature associated with a variety of patient care treatment devices. As crazy as it may sound, a simple non-invasive blood pressure cuff has caused patient harm. The device inflated to extreme pressures intermittently over a period of time that ultimately caused permanent nerve damage to the patient’s arm resulting in a clawed hand. A list of equipment frequently involved in patient care issues includes, but is not limited to, the following: volumetric infusion pumps, patient controlled analgesic pumps, blood glucose testing devices, heating pads, cooling/heating blankets, non-invasive blood pressure cuffs, nasal cannula tubing, leg immobilizers, patient lifts, and continuous positive airway pressure machines. An injury exposing the Achilles tendon of an elderly person resulted from a leg immobilizer. The patient’s skin was not checked on a regular basis and as ordered by the physician for breakdown.

Cyber Risk

It seems obvious that inspecting equipment and / or medical devices on periodic regular intervals is a patient safety issue. Inspecting or evaluating the proper functioning of medical equipment should be an added consideration at the time of, or immediately following a rapid response event. We live in a world where amazing cyber technology exists therefore, health care providers must now consider the possibility that technical equipment may have malfunctioned which may have originated from a cyber source. This possibility would never have been considered before. Hacking Healthcare IT in 2016 was published by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure describing how devices that are blue-tooth enabled and have access to the internet, such as automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and pacemakers, patient controlled analgesic pumps, and insulin pumps are at risk for being hacked or reprogrammed.

Take Action:

1. Be hyper-vigilant and open to possibilities of contributing factors never considered before.

2. Conduct a survey of the equipment in the room at the time of the event and inspect it carefully as soon as possible after a Rapid Response or a Code situation. If in doubt, take equipment out of circulation; send it to biomedical engineering for inspection and record your action on an incident report, occurrence report, or a variance report (whatever your institution may call the form). Let the professionals trained in biomedical engineering determine when to return the equipment of concern back to available inventory.

3. Double check the medication rates programmed in the infusion pumps. Sometimes the programming is not correct and guess who is going to held accountable? That’s right You! Double check the pumps by calculating the math yourself.

4. Record the temperature on any equipment or device that displays a temperature. For example: fluid warmers, blanket/pad warmers, heating/cooling blankets, crib warmers, etc. When the temperature is recorded, the medical record conveys that the health care provider was paying attention to details which will support your clinical competence should it be questioned.

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Source by Rachel C Cartwright-Vanzant

Refrigeration Installations Can Be Easy

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Are you a homeowner who is looking to buy a new refrigerator? Are you a business owner trying to install a new walk-in cooler? Refrigeration installations like these do not have to be difficult. In fact, they can be quite easy. There are a few things that you can do to make sure that the job goes as smoothly as possible. First, you should plan ahead in order to ensure that everything is ready for the job. Second, you should hire a company with a reputation for doing quality work. Finally, you should make sure that the company that is installing your unit guarantees their work.

Plan Ahead

When it comes to refrigeration installations, planning ahead is essential. The most important thing that you can do when planning for the job is to make sure that the space surrounding the installation location is clear of anything that might make it difficult to complete the job. Also, you want to make sure that there is sufficient space so that nothing gets damaged during the installation. It is also important to plan for the time that you won’t have a working refrigerator. Installation can be over with quickly, but you don’t want your cold items to go bad in the meantime.

Hire Someone that You Can Trust

Another factor in making refrigeration installations successful is the company that performs them. You want to make sure that you hire a company that is known for doing quality work. You want to be able to trust that the person installing your unit is qualified to do the job and that you will be satisfied when he or she is finished.

Ask for a Guarantee

Finally, nothing makes refrigeration installations stress free like a guarantee from the installer. If possible, you should hire a company who guarantees their work. This will protect you in case anything should go wrong during the installation or shortly thereafter. By hiring someone who guarantees their work you can be sure that you are getting quality work and that you will be protected in the event that things do not go according to plan. You will certainly be glad to have that kind of peace of mind.

All in all, there are several things that can make refrigeration installations easy and headache-free. By planning ahead, hiring someone that you can trust, and getting a guarantee on the job, you will be ensuring that your installation goes smoothly.

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Source by Anders Abadie

How a Home Warranty Benefits Buyers

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Entering into a contract to buy a house is not a small commitment. When entering into a real estate transaction, buyers can utilize numerous tools to protect themselves. A home warranty is one way to ensure that you will not experience unexpected expenses from repairs to your residence.

Reliable Repairs

When something goes wrong with an appliance or system covered by a home warranty, you can simply call the insurance provider to schedule repair service. For example, if the heating or cooling system stops working or the refrigerator begins making a funny noise, you can call to make a claim. The company will handle the situation, stepping in with a professional who will diagnose the problem and resolve the issue. The professionals who provide service under the terms of the home warranty will be pre-screened to ensure high-quality workmanship.

Protection from Expenses

Having a warranty in place will protect you from unexpected expenses. During the initial term of the contract, you can avoid typical expenses that accompany wear and tear on systems and appliances. Once the initial policy expires, you also have the option of renewing it to continue your coverage. In this way, you can insulate yourself from many of the service expenses associated with owning a home. Most policies do not institute service limitations. This means that you can receive repair or replacements for as many components as necessary.

Fast Claims Process

When you call for a claim, you can anticipate a fast turnaround for service. The insurance company will respond quickly with a qualified contractor who will visit to inspect the problem. Once diagnosed, the company will quickly perform the repair or replacement. If a contractor is not available within a specified time period, most companies will allow you to use a different contractor outside of their approved network to ensure fast service.

Replacement

Appliances and systems wear out over time and with use. With a home warranty in place, if a covered appliance or system breaks down and needs to be replaced, the policy will cover the cost to replace and install the new system or appliance.

Locksmith Services

Many policies also offer locksmith services to policyholders. With this service, if you lock yourself out of your house, you can receive free assistance from the locksmith as a service of the contract. Check to see whether the contract stipulates a limit on the number of times per year you can call a locksmith.

Appliance Upgrades

If you opt to upgrade appliances before they wear out, your policy may provide you with significant discounts for your purchases. Check the terms of the contract to learn whether you can receive discounts on future appliance purchases.

Build Your Own Plan

Explore options for building a coverage plan that fits your unique needs. Many companies offer customization options, such as choosing which items are included in the plan and determining the desired level of coverage. This ensures that you don’t pay for coverage that you don’t need.

When you have a home warranty, you can relax after a home purchase knowing that you have coverage in place that will protect your budget from unexpected expenses and costly repairs.

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Source by Aaliyah Arthur

Affordable and Expert Server Management Through Colocation Hosting

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Colocation hosting means placing your server machine in someone else’s data center. Most facilities also offer server rentals. This option is ideal for small businesses that need the benefits of a comprehensive IT department without the costs. You install your machine in their rack, and your service provider will render the IP, bandwidth, and power. When you’re all set, you access it like you would access the website of a hosting service.

The biggest advantage of colocation is the bandwidth for money. For the price, or even a lesser amount, of a low-cost business DSL plan, you can already place a single server in a center that provides greater bandwidth capacity and better redundant connections. This should improve your web access speeds significantly. To boot, you get to cut down on your traffic back-haul costs and free up your office-based internal networks for other uses.

These data centers also offer reliable, uninterrupted power, through a stable system of power grids, generators, and expert maintenance practices. A carefully kept backup structure like this can save your business (and a lot of money) during unexpected outages, especially in the storm season. Remember that natural disasters can be just as damaging to your web presence and business as technological ones.

One other important advantage of colocation hosting is the cooling system. Facility operators provide controlled air conditioning for the computer and telecommunications equipment in the building. This ensures the stability of airflow, temperature and humidity to keep your server in optimal condition. Stringent fire prevention and protection systems are also usually in place so that your server can thrive in the most secure conditions possible.

Additionally, colocation facilities provide physical security to your equipment. They usually have high-level security measures. Some employ CCTV cameras and a PIN code or proximity card access system. More modern facilities use biometric security measures, such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition and “weight matching.”

People who run small sites for personal use or blogs probably do not need the advantages offered by colocation and will do better with web hosting. But if you require more robust features yet cannot afford the cost, colocation hosting is best. The usual customers of this service are web commerce businesses that need a safe environment and cost-effective, redundant internet connections, sizable enterprises that need a center for disaster avoidance, offsite data backup and operational continuity, and telecommunication companies that use the facilities to interexchange traffic with other businesses.

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Source by Sammy Gates

Top 8 Features to Look for In an Emergency Water Purifier

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A healthy source of drinking water is the single most important item to have on hand in the likely event of an emergency or disaster, second only to breathable air. Food, of course, would be second on the most needed items in natural or human-made disasters or emergency. In most cases, after a disastrous event, the stores quickly empty out of the most crucial items such as water and food, next would be generators, flashlights, batteries, toilet paper, propane, cook stoves, etc.

Water is always the first to go. Not just from the shelves in the grocery stores and convenience stores but along with the electric and gas utilities, water is also turned off. When the water stops flowing from your tap, and you were not able to find any in the stores, what is your plan? In an extended crisis of weeks or even months, neighbors will be draining sources like swimming pools, spas, and water features. They will be knocking down property fences and gates to get at it hauling away buckets at a time and drained in days for sure. Now what?

Martial Law and curfews will eventually be enforced, resulting from wide spread riots and looting, starting first in the cities and then slowly migrating to the suburbs and then into the rural areas. Gangs and small marauding bands of thugs will start taking what ever they need or want, more than likely at gun point. You can quickly start to see you should have planned for such a time as this.

My purpose of writing this article is to alert and warn you that everyone who wants to survive a major crisis or disaster needs to stock, water, food, and protection. Protection? What am I saying? I’ll be blunt, and straight forward, only those that have planned will survive. Are you a pacifist or a Christian zealot? Are you willing to stand by and watch a female member of your family raped and murdered? Get a gun and learn how to use it! That said, let’s move on.

If the neighborhood is on fire, burning from house to house, you need to bug out. Do you have a bug-out plan in place or are you going to jump in your car and head for the nearest grid-lock? What about buckets of beans and rice, wood burning camp stove and cooking utensils. Water? You can only carry so much, and water weights 6-lbs per gallon. What you need is a way to purify any polluted water source using any heat source. Can’t I just use a filter? If you did your homework in advance, you would know that the American Red Cross, FEMA, Homeland Security and the CDC all recommend a non-electric water distiller, and strongly warn against any type filter in an emergency or disaster. Why a non-electric distiller? First, you will not likely have electricity. Second, they recommend boiling water to kill disease germs, bacteria, viruses, cysts and waterborne diseases. Distillers do just that! Plus all non-electric distillers can use any heat source, electric or gas stove, propane stove, barbeque grill, charcoal, camp stove or even a camp fire. There are only four or five non-electric survivor stills available.

Eight features to look for in a non-electric survivor still

1. Determine the volume of water it will purify per day. The production of distilled water from the available non-electric water distillers varies from 8 gallons per day to 18+. ( Take care you pick a model that will supply your family’s needs.)

2. Choose a survivor still based upon the gauge of the stainless steel boiling pot and the one with the sturdiest construction and heavy-duty materials and components. Especially since yours and your families lives will be depending on its performance under the roughest circumstances and conditions.

3. Most non-electric distillers are a severe scalding hazard capable of causing 3rd-degree burns. A child can quickly pull the boiling pot onto themselves as well as an adult. That is the last thing you need is a life-threatening injury during a disaster when hospitals may not be accessible for burn treatments. Pick a survivor still that uses a condenser cooling system and has the boiler snap-latched to the condenser preventing accidental scald injuries and the condenser water always remains at room temperature also preventing scald accidents.

4. Pick a survivor still that is automatic, so there is no need to manually add water to the boiler or continually dump and replace the condenser water as needed with some units. It is tedious and dangerous work handling the boiling pot and condenser. Most models require the condenser water to be dumped and replaced with cooler water for the still to function and if not replaced regularly, the condenser water can reach temperatures of 140- 150 F hot enough to cause third degree burns with just 2 seconds of skin contact. One survivor still model uses a 9-volt pump 5-watt solar panel with battery back-up to keep the condenser cool at all times, rain or shine, day or night and also automatically adds water to the boiling pot as needed.

5. Pick a survivor still that does not need to be level to operate as some models do. If you are in an outdoor camping situation and require a campfire as your heat source, you cannot be worrying about whether the survivor still is perfectly level or not as some brands need.

6. Some models do not have a closed system to prevent outside contamination from the air or debris from a fire. Pick a survivor still that is completely enclosed from the boiler through the cooling coils and the post filter and into a closed collection container. You will never need to worry the distilled water will ever get contaminated in the distillation process.

7. Choose a survivor still that can easily be packed up and transported with ease, in the event you need to bug out fast. You do not want to be dealing with a bulky boiling and condenser pot, especially if you’re on foot!

8. The greatest amount of distilled water is produced using a stainless steel cooling coil inside a condenser full of cool water. For this reason, avoid models that utilize pots of cool water and use the bottom to condense the steam. In this method, the steam is subject to contamination from the air and the lower surface of the pot. Pick a model with a cooling coil suspended in a condenser of cool water, the steam contained inside the coil, is protected from outside contamination. This method also produces three times more distilled water. That feature accounts for the greater cost of a non-electric survivor still with a stainless steel cooling coil and automatic features. The quality of the automatic model, the high volume of pure water and ease of unattended operation and the peace of mind knowing it cannot scald anyone justifies the increased cost. This model also comes in a 7-gallon bucket with a screw on Gamma Lid which houses all parts and has a handle for easy transport.

Which ever model or brand you choose, you will know that regardless of the source of water you will be able to turn it into healthy pure drinking water in any emergency or disaster.

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Source by Douglas Hoover

Four Home Improvement Projects to Consider For the Right Season

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If you have ever been about to approach a home improvement project but were foiled by the weather or time of year, you have seen the necessity of planning repairs and renovations according to the proper moment. It’s a little more complicated than not painting the fence in your backyard during a snowstorm: sometimes, the wrong move could set you back a lot of time or, worse, a lot of money. If you want to make the most of your home improvement budget and limit the amount of frustration you experience while you handle the projects, follow this list of jobs listed according to season.

Spring: HVAC repair. Naturally, the seasons in which you don’t want to be caught performing an HVAC replacement job are summer and winter. Getting such a job going in the spring is ideal for a number of reasons. First, there is nothing like the remarkable weather of the late spring in many cities around the country. As long as you are not susceptible to pollen allergies, you can often leave the windows open and enjoy the birth of life in nature while the technicians hack away at your heating and cooling systems.

Summer: Backyard and landscaping renovation. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who dislikes being in their backyard during the summer. For this reason, the sooner you get out there and take care of the scenery, the more enjoyment you’re going to have. Start with any work you need to perform on a deck, whether it be repairs or just weatherproofing. Next, get the landscaping work you want done early in the season, so you can watch it settle into the picture and make your backyard the ultimate gathering place all summer long.

Fall: Window replacement. Much like the spring, the fall has the most perfect days of the year, right after it stops being hot and before it starts getting cold. If you are going to have a lot of extra air coming and going while you replace old windows, you couldn’t have it enter your home at a better time of year. Of course, the idea of replacing your windows before winter is ideal, because of the extra energy your heating system will have to expend when poorly insulated windows are draining at your energy sources.

Winter: Kitchen counter replacement. It is obvious why so many great feasts occur during the winter months – when else do you want to be cooped up inside your home? Allow your family to enjoy this activity in the kitchen with some new countertops. When you are making all of these meals and heating up the cocoa for a long winter’s night, you will appreciate the pleasure of using new counters. It is difficult to complete this job without adding a certain amount of value to your home.

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Source by Alexander Fishback

The Phantom Growth of China’s Ghost Cities

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Bloomberg has a new video series out called “China’s Ghost Cities.”

The reporter, Adam Johnson, describes how the Chinese government is building massive cities that no one lives in yet. The expectation is that China is going to “grow” into these cities.

A remarkable idea, really. The authoritarian planners in Beijing or wherever decide it would be good if, say, a million people or more could relocate to a pre-planned area.

Then they build out the infrastructure — or rather the entire metropolis, skyscrapers, stoplights and all — and wait.

Stop for a moment and ponder how nutty this is. The last time your editor checked, central planning was not a huge success. According to history, bureaucrats wielding directives over long distances tend to allocate resources poorly.

But are ghost cities a recipe for a bust? Some say no. The Bloomberg reporter, for instance, assures us that China’s economics are different — that is to say, “it’s different this time.” (Where have we heard that before…)

It is supposedly OK that these ghost cities, built for millions of inhabitants, have only tens of thousands of people living in them — because all that deserted square footage will eventually be put to good use.

As a bonus, building ghost cities is great for economic growth.

Via running superhighways out to the middle of nowhere, erecting steel and glass towers in the boondocks, China generates new jobs in construction, civil engineering, city planning and the like. All this construction looks fabulous on paper. The ghostly infrastructure gets counted as productive output, and the super-aggressive GDP target is maintained.

But what is wrong with that picture?

For one, there is the central planning problem. Growth and development are free market forces, with signature markings of trial and error. Successful cities are built from the ground up, not decreed by bureaucrat stamp. So how does the government know where a new metropolis should go, or what its optimal size should be?

Then you have the accounting problems. Should the promise of tomorrow be so readily reflected on balance sheets today?

Imagine if a public corporation said, “We are going to grow 20% per year by building idle factories in the middle of nowhere, that no one is going to use for quite some time. Don’t worry though, the demand for these factories will show up. We’ll make a profit on them eventually. Just don’t ask when.”

Such a plan would be brutalized by the market, because public companies are held accountable for profits and return on investment (ROI). (At least most of the time — in bubble times investors will happily suspend their rational faculties.)

The Chinese government, of course, does not have to seek profit in its actions. Or it can measure results in some entirely non-traditional way, via “how many jobs did we create” or “how do the GDP numbers look.”

At the end of the day, the “ghost city” mandate is directly channeling John Maynard Keynes, who once suggested digging holes, then filling them up again as a way to put men to work.

China is being more sophisticated. Rather than digging holes, it is putting up buildings. The effect is the same though. “Some day” the empty skyscrapers will have value — if they are not condemned as worn-out structures first — but until then they are just holes.

China bulls are not bothered by the ghost cities for at least three reasons.

First, they have convinced themselves (with more than a bit of faith) that the empty metropoli will one day (sooner rather than later) be full.

Second, they figure China has a lot of money to burn even if the ghost cities don’t work out.

And third, as the old saying goes, “a rolling loan gathers no loss.” As long as the speculative music is playing, the property developers can keep dancing.

The trouble, as always, comes when the music stops. If China turns out to have built, say, 20 years of excess capacity by the time that happens, then hundreds of billions’ worth of stagnant projects will have to be written off.

Tougher still is the idea that China’s “economic miracle” is actually a heavily leveraged bet on mercantilism… propped up by runaway construction… with the tail end of the boom pulled recklessly from pie-in-the-sky projections for future growth.

That is another favorite tactic of investment manias: Along with the embrace of forever skyward growth curves, mortgaging tomorrow (and borrowing against it) for the sake of today.

Even if China can write checks to cover the write-off costs of all those cities, there is a big multiple built in to the global economy right now on the assumption that China growth is the real deal. When it sinks in that much of that growth is actually “ghost” or “phantom” growth — in keeping with these empty monuments to nowhere — the collapse of that multiple could hurt.

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Source by Justice Litle