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The folks over at Thirteen/WNET have produced three short web documentaries about the decline of manufacturing in NYC. The manufacturers profiled in the pieces are all currently in Brooklyn, and struggling to keep their businesses going. There's Angel's Bakery in Greenpoint (inventor of the muffin top!) trying to find affordable rent now that the area has been gentrified, metal fabricators Milgo/Bufkin (here's a map of their metal work around the city), and beach umbrella makers Embee Sunshade (watch below).
They also take a look at NYC factories in the past/in their prime and in their current state (surprise, surprise...some have become condos!), and have an interview with a planning expert from Pratt about zoning laws.
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Small businesses that supply local products that don't require huge gas outputs to arrive at your local store will win in the long run but hacks like Bloomberg and the hacks in Albany will have to start giving small local businesses a fraction of the breaks they give to the corporate chains that are killing them.
Also there is the element that the society has been educated and "advertized" to the level of consumer needs and wants where we as a people are not "factory laborer" types..The unions have also made it not cost effective to pay someone $20 an hour to sew sneakers or bake bread.
lordy, can you imagine standing all day and setting umbrella spokes? you only got one go around in life, bless the common folk for their hard work
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/obama_promises_to_stop_americas
Take your pick, paying people a decent wage and getting local goods delivered locally or paying OPEC to import and export goods made by "cost effective" laborers.
OPEC makes umbrellas?
I am the proud owner of two Embee Sunshade umbrellas. Had walked by there for years and finally just went inside. The place is amazing and the guys there are super friendly.
These manufacturers are struggling to stay in business because of Bloomberg's rezoning policy. How can Bloomberg be considered a "green" mayor? One of the key elements to having a "green" city is to have local manufacturing. His rezoning policy work against this.
Bloomberg is all about turning M1 into R3 which is why the voters will hopefully end his dreams of T3.
and on the other side of the ocean:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/10/29/yoon.china.workers.life.cnn