The 234 Apartment

T wo weeks ago, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge handed down a decision designed to strike fear in the hearts of landlords. Justice James d’Auguste ordered that an independent receiver be appointed to manage two Midtown residential buildings where the landlords allegedly allowed illegal Airbnb rentals to occur. The case, which began when the city sued the landlords in February 2015, has become one of the battlegrounds in a larger war between city enforcement agencies and short- term rental sites like Airbnb. Airbnb, which was recently valued at $31 billion, refuses to release the exact addresses of hosts who break the law by renting their entire apartment for less than 30 days without being present. Without the addresses and names of Airbnb violators , the city mostly targets the owners of buildings that rack up the most illegal hotel complaints from 311 calls and the New York City Department of Buildings. “This entire model—and it was intentional [by the city]—is complaint-drive...

By Phillip Garjay Innis What lessons can African countries learn from Sierra Leone ’s devastating mudslides? Was the disaster due to natural events or is there a social dimension? Is there anything such as a ‘ natural disaster ’? What can be done to reduce risks? On August 14, 2017, torrential rainfall caused a hillside to collapse in Sierra Leone ’s capital city. This torrential downpour triggered mudslides that killed hundreds of residents and destroyed properties. As of August 19, 2017, the death toll is placed at 467, with approximately 600 still missing. Heavy rainfall is not a strange phenomenon in Sierra Leone . The country experiences heavy annual rainfall and is  ranked 12th globally  in annual precipitation by rainfall. Sierra Leone received  over 2,500 mm of rain from 2013 to 2017, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Sierra Leone is therefore familiar with heavy rainfall . Torrential downpours are common in August and September. The country has ...