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The Intensity Of Competition Can Lead To Buyer’s Remorse

It’s Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. “After a hefty price cut, Italian fashion scion Massimo Ferragamo has off-loaded his Manhattan apartment for $11 million, WWD has learned. Ferragamo found that his Manhattan duplex apartment had become surplus to requirements and put the 5,800-square-foot, 17-room home on the market for $18 million in 2018. With no takers at $18 million, the asking price was subsequently reduced several times. The property was last asking $12.8 million.”

“Since March, rent prices in Boston have dropped 18.2 percent. That’s the third-largest price drop for a city in the United States, lagging behind only San Francisco and Seattle, which are down 24.5 percent and 19.1 percent, respectively. And paired with plummeting rents is an increase in vacancies. ‘Boston is one of the examples of cities where we’re seeing rents move in one direction and vacancies move in the other,’ said Rob Warnock, research associate at Apartment List. In addition to the aforementioned metros, this group includes New York and Washington, D.C.. ‘At least to some degree, it’s people who are leaving, and it’s people who are not coming who are contributing to this excess vacancy.'”

“Housing experts are calling this a seismic shift in the rental market. Chances are, if you’re a renter, you might’ve received emails from apartment complexes offering two or three months free rent, some are even offering free parking. Zillow experts say 49.4% of Seattle metro rental listings are offering a concession. That’s up from 21.5% this time last year. ‘2020 was the first time in recent memory that we’ve actually seen rents fall in the Seattle region. And, in fact, they were falling the fastest in the city of Seattle, where rents are down almost 9% since the pandemic began in March,’ said Jeff Tucker, Senior Zillow Economist.”

“LA’s real estate market is a little confounding right now. While the pandemic is forcing most people to hunker down, some are choosing to move to the suburbs or more affordable locations. Amid the pandemic, Paul Habibi, a lecturer on real estate at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, says he’s seen a shift away from dense housing regions like downtown. He believes that comes down to risks of virus transmission and the cost of luxury rentals and for-sale units. ‘People don’t necessarily need to be downtown at the moment,’ he says. ‘They’re having trouble now with absorption and leasing of those units.'”

“Buyers and sellers in Ontario’s real estate market face uncertainty as 2020 winds down. Mark Weisleder of Real Estate Lawyers.ca LLP, has been spending a good chunk of his time helping owners navigate the complexities of selling a unit. The intensity of competition can also lead to buyer’s remorse, he adds. On occasion, the lawyer is hearing from buyers who fear they overpaid. Typically, a buyer who prevails in a bidding war will have 24 hours to provide the deposit they promised.”

“Some believe that walking away from the deposit will get them out of the deal, but Mr. Weisleder stresses that a person who signs the sales agreement and then tries to walk away may very well be sued by the seller. If the seller has to sell for less to a second buyer, the initial buyer may be sued for the difference, he explains. When he represents sellers who haven’t been able to collect the deposit, Mr. Weisleder will send a letter on the client’s behalf. ‘I would send a letter saying, ‘you’re in breach; if we put the property back on the market, and if we suffer a loss, we’re going to come after you.’”

“Areas like Vancouver have seen a steep dropoff in transactions from foreign buyers ‘There are virtually no foreign investors,’ said Jason Soprovich, a real estate agent with Royal LePage in West Vancouver. ‘There are lots of inquiries, but as far as people following procedures to fly in, quarantine, then start looking, it’s very slim.’ This comes on the heels of more than two years of price drops in the Vancouver area, a response to steep new taxes on purchases by foreign buyers.”

“There are relative deals to be found where in the recent past bidding wars or all-cash buyers may have shut local buyers out. ‘The demand has shifted,’ said Kevin Hardy at Sotheby’s International Realty in Vancouver. ‘If you’re a buyer in the over C$3 million (US$2.32 million) market right now, you’re in a good spot to not be competing and maybe write a lower offer which would not have been considered 12 months ago.'”

“Fuelled by rising concerns of unemployment and the scheduled end of the stamp duty holiday, signs indicate that house prices are set to fall sometime next year. In September, the Centre for Economics and Business Research already predicted that there will be a massive slump in UK house prices in 2021, by nearly as much as 14 per cent. Property experts have also weighed in on the future of British house prices, with many siding with the CEBR’s predictions. Rob Houghton, chief executive of reallymoving, said: ‘It was never sustainable. House prices cannot continue to defy macroeconomic influences such as rising unemployment, shrinking economic growth and the prospect of a No Deal Brexit at the end of the year.’”

“A fairytale castle in Kenmare, Co Kerry that first went for sale at €15million at the height of the property boom in 2007 has been sold. An Culu, a 9,000 sq ft Gothic Revival style castle, has spent nearly 13 years on the market but Savills announced on Wednesday that the property has been sold ‘at a price close to the asking figure of €4.5 million.’ The castle had its price dropped to €10 million in 2010 and then again in 2018 to €4.5million.”

“A new study by property portal Idealista reveals that Barcelona has seen the sharpest fall in rents with prices per square metre slumping 13 percent between May and November. The Catalan capital has seen a glut of short term holiday lets put on the open market as coronavirus restrictions drained the city of tourists. Likewise, the capital Madrid and tourist hotspot, Palma de Mallorca, saw average rents fall around by 8 percent. Sevilla and Valencia, both with large student populations meanwhile saw rents drop 6 percent to 7cent as classes shifted online.”

“Rental prices fell 5.3% in the Balearic Islands in October according to Idealista. It was the biggest drop in the country and much more than the national average of 3.6%. Natalia Bueno, President of the Association of Real Estate Agents in the Balearics says a fall in demand and an increase in supply is behind the slump and that homes renting above the 900 euros a month threshold are the worst hit. ‘The most expensive rents are the ones that are going down in price because there are fewer tenants who can prove solvency,’ she said.”

“‘People are returning to their country of origin or moving to places with better job opportunities,’ said Bueno who explains that owners who wanted to sell their properties have decided to rent them instead because it’s so difficult to find a buyer. On top of that homes and apartments that are usually rented to tourists have also been put on the market as long term rentals.”

“Shoaib Khan had always viewed his flat in central Bengaluru as an investment. After having to relocate to Mysuru, he rented out the flat. But as COVID-19 struck, leading to job loss and pay cut, his tenant requested him to lower the rent, which he did by ₹6,000. However, as work from home continued, in September, the tenant decided to head back to his hometown in a neighbouring State. The flat has been vacant since then, though Mr. Khan has put out ads on real estate portals with a rent amount much lower than earlier.”

“The sudden slump has also had an impact on the rent amounts, with demands for lower rents also being seen on social media platforms. In fact, owner postings that quote ‘pre-COVID-19’ rent amounts are attracting trolls. ‘The number of enquiries has increased since a month or so. But now, the tenant-side scenario is that they are expecting a good deal. If they were paying ₹40,000 for a 2 BHK, they are now looking for a 3 BHK in the same budget,’ explained Sunil Singh from the firm Realty Corp.”

“‘Some owners are now reducing the rent amount by around 20% because it is better than leaving it empty. For example, those who were charging ₹15,000 are reducing it to ₹10,000,’ said G. Dinesh Poojary from S.R. Real Estate.”

“Sydney’s top 10 postcodes with the highest mortgage delinquency rates fall almost entirely in Western Sydney, new data shows. Mortgage delinquency rates were also a reflection of economic conditions in the area, according to AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver, suggesting Western Sydney may show more weakness or vulnerability when it comes to unemployment rates and recovery from the recession. ‘They’re probably the tip of the iceberg. There’s another group of people who are making their payments but are struggling,’ Dr Oliver said. ‘If anything changes slightly, they’ll be tipped over.'”

“Laing+Simmons Merrylands director George Lattouf said the apartment market was suffering more than houses. In one case, one investor owned seven properties with all rents reduced to retain or attract tenants. ‘He is finding it hard. He is getting rent reductions galore,’ Mr Lattouf said, adding that two of the vacant properties were finally leased at a ‘dramatic loss of rent.'”

“Dream Design Property founder and buyer’s agent Zaki Ameer said some property owners were selling at a loss with the view that it could be worse in March. In one case, an investor had sold two apartments in the same building in Liverpool at a loss to offload their debt, according to Mr Ameer. ‘The lady purchased it in 2017 during the Sydney peak for about $470,000 and then she sold it a week ago for $430,000,’ Mr Ameer said. ‘She just wanted to get rid of it and didn’t want to wait until next year and not find a buyer.'”

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    1. The Mechanics Behind the Electronic Vote Steal Operation

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/OJrljwQFcIvc/

      https://twitter.com/tom2badcat/status/1325126091460268032

      https://archive.vn/KPwUa

      https://everylegalvote.com/country

      https://hereistheevidence.com/

      “Dominion-izing the Vote”

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/qlEUbPLvW98w/

      Eric Coomer Explains How To Alter Votes In The Dominion Voting System

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtB3tLaXLJE

      Eric Coomer, Dominion’s head of product and strategy, has disappeared.

      ‘Representatives from Dominion also did not attend a court hearing in Pennsylvania on November 19. Its US headquarters in Denver was also suddenly closed and moved away. Their employees deleted their names from LinkedIn.’

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oYQeeNCzZM

      https://www.theepochtimes.com/poll-watcher-describes-pennsylvania-election-irregularities-including-47-missing-usb-cards_3594549.html

      Here’s the testimony on video:

      “Baggies of USBs” – PA Witness Gives Explosive Testimony

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/AdaglXlcuqYt/

      Dem Ballot Inspector Says She Was Threatened with Violence for Speaking Up About Suspicious Activity

      “The majority inspector threatened to slap me in the face,” said Olivia Jane Winters, a registered Democrat and minority ballot inspector in Pennsylvania, testifying to Pennsylvania State Republicans Wednesday that she had been threatened and harassed by other election officials after she asked about suspicious activities during the 2020 election.’

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/_KrpyDlHTe8/

      Crowd Gasps after Finding out about Absurd Spike of Votes in Favor of Biden

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/jmNUAx8wQYdO/

      Sen. Doug Mastriano closing remarks PA state legislature meeting.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIqujobvDFI

      https://censoredbyjack.com/channel/evidence-of-widespread-election-fraud

      https://www.deepcapture.com/2020/11/election-2020-was-rigged-the-evidence/

      ”We began to look and realized how easy it is to change votes.”

      ‘Election security expert @RussRamsland
      has performed many investigations on US election machines.’

      ‘The most *shocking* thing about this interview is it took place just days BEFORE the election. Watch’

      https://twitter.com/kylenabecker/status/1327511568993701888

      Col Phil Waldron Confirms Experts Witnessed Dominion Communicating with Frankfurt on Election Day

      https://www.bitchute.com/video/n7j5lg9fYyzz/

      1. ‘KRAKEN is DOD cyber warfare program.’

        ‘They cheated & got caught!’

        Sidney Powell
        🇺🇸
        ‘Who knew?’

        https://twitter.com/SidneyPowell1/status/1331435411286192128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1331435411286192128%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheadlines360.news%2F2020%2F11%2F24%2Fsidney-powells-kraken-is-department-of-defense-cyber-warfare-program%2F

        I did some digging around and found this (WARNING) PDF:

        https://www.dacis.com/budget/budget_pdf/FY20/RDTE/F/1203110F_294.pdf

        It’s dated Feb. 2019. If you word search Kraken (‘respond’ category), you’ll find it twice on page 4. This unit 305 person is in the affidavits in Powells lawsuit.

        WARNING PDF with filing:

        https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.350905/gov.uscourts.mied.350905.1.15.pdf

        Zuckerberg on page 15. Obammie on page 8.

        ‘Response: Yes, our “White Hat” hackers – they have that traffic and the packets.”

        https://twitter.com/themodalice/status/1333505965857984512

        1. Real Journalists are summarily ignoring the video footage released yesterday showing hidden suitcases full of ballots in Georgia.

          1. Voting Machine USB Drives Had Totals Altered Overnight, Witness in Nevada Election Contest Alleges

            https://www.theepochtimes.com/voting-machine-usb-drives-had-totals-altered-overnight-witness-in-nevada-election-contest-alleges_3604396.html

            Firm That Conducted ‘Audit’ of Georgia Voting Machines Has Long History With Dominion

            ‘Totenberg also singled out Jack Cobb, the director of Pro V&V, for criticism, noting that he “actually claims no specialized knowledge or background in cybersecurity engineering and did not himself perform any security risk analysis of the BMD [Ballot Marking Device] system.”

            ‘Totenberg observed that “Cobb indicated he was not familiar with the fact that malware could defeat or disable the hash values – a concern addressed by all of Plaintiffs’ cybersecurity specialists who provided declarations or testimony in this case.“

            ‘Finally, Totenberg pointed out that “the State Defendants did not present any independent cybersecurity expert to directly address the cybersecurity issues and risk vulnerabilities of Dominions’ QR code voting system raised by Plaintiffs.”

            ‘Instead, “State Defendants relied on Dr. Coomer’s testimony, to address—based on his professional experience—some of the significant cybersecurity issues raised by Plaintiffs.”

            https://www.theepochtimes.com/firm-that-conducted-audit-of-georgia-voting-machines-has-long-history-with-dominion_3604466.html

          3. ‘§2381. Treason Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.’

            (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(2)(J), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)

            https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/part1/chapter115&edition=prelim

          4. Further down:

            §2386. Registration of certain organizations

            (A) For the purposes of this section:

            “Organization” means any group, club, league, society, committee, association, political party, or combination of individuals, whether incorporated or otherwise, but such term shall not include any corporation, association, community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes;

            “Political activity” means any activity the purpose or aim of which, or one of the purposes or aims of which, is the control by force or overthrow of the Government of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, or any State or political subdivision thereof;

            An organization is engaged in “civilian military activity” if:

            (1) it gives instruction to, or prescribes instruction for, its members in the use of firearms or other weapons or any substitute therefor, or military or naval science; or

            (2) it receives from any other organization or from any individual instruction in military or naval science; or

            (3) it engages in any military or naval maneuvers or activities; or

            (4) it engages, either with or without arms, in drills or parades of a military or naval character; or

            (5) it engages in any other form of organized activity which in the opinion of the Attorney General constitutes preparation for military action;

            An organization is “subject to foreign control” if:

            (a) it solicits or accepts financial contributions, loans, or support of any kind, directly or indirectly, from, or is affiliated directly or indirectly with, a foreign government or a political subdivision thereof, or an agent, agency, or instrumentality of a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, or a political party in a foreign country, or an international political organization; or

            (b) its policies, or any of them, are determined by or at the suggestion of, or in collaboration with, a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, or an agent, agency, or instrumentality of a foreign government or a political subdivision thereof, or a political party in a foreign country, or an international political organization.

            Didn’t Dominion just receive hundreds of million$ from China?

          6. Treason is the only crime defined in the U.S. Constitution. According to Article III, Section 3:

            -Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.’

            ‘Article III, Section 3 authorizes Congress to set the penalties for treason, but not to change the definition or create degrees of treason. The federal treason statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2381, mirrors the Constitution’s language and imposes minimum penalties of five years’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. A conviction bars the defendant from holding any federal office and carries the possibility of the death penalty.’

            ‘Because treason must be intentional, someone who unintentionally aids the enemy, or is forced to by duress or coercion, isn’t guilty of treason. (See The Defense of Duress.) There can be no accomplice liability for treason; every participant is considered a principal.’

            ‘Levying war isn’t limited to formally declaring war. It includes any forcible opposition to the execution of a public law. Such “forcible opposition” ordinarily requires actual use of force by multiple people with the common purpose of preventing some law from being enforced. Weapons aren’t always required; sheer numbers can be enough.’

            ‘Treason charges must specify the relevant overt acts, including where they took place. It isn’t necessary that all the participants commit the same overt act; different participants can commit different overt acts as part of one treasonous plan. If the government alleges multiple overt acts, it need prove only one of them by two witnesses. While testimony from two witnesses is required to prove the overt act, the intent to betray can be proved in the same way as intent for any other crime.’

            ‘Treason is related and similar to several crimes. More than one criminal statute can apply to the same conduct, meaning that something falling short of treason may constitute another offense. Misprision of Treason. This crime involves someone knowing a person has committed an act of treason, failing to report it to a proper authority, and taking some action to conceal it.’

            https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/treason.htm

          7. ‘After Thursday’s bombshell security footage that showed vote counting observers being sent home, only for vote counters to pull black suitcases full of votes from underneath a table and begin processing them in the early hours in the morning, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office conceded that “ballots were counted unlawfully and in secret.”

            ‘David Shafer, Chair of the Georgia Republican Party, posted the security camera video from Thursday’s hearing on his Twitter account and wrote, “Not sure why Twitter has labeled this ‘disputed’. It is video from the surveillance camera at State Farm Arena where Fulton County election workers scanned ballots late into the night after falsely announcing they were shutting down.”

            ‘After an NPR and GBP News journalist, Stephen Fowler, falsely reported that the Georgia Secretary of State and Georgia Republican Party engaged in “slight goalpost-moving comments,” Shafer corrected that the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, led by the thus-far unhelpful Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, have amended their stance, and it has always been the Georgia Republican Party’s stance that ballots were counted illegally.’

            “More false reporting from Stephen Fowler of @GPBNews,” wrote Shafer. “Although originally reporting that state monitors were present,” the Georgia Secretary of State “now acknowledges that this was untrue, as video shows.”

            https://nationalfile.com/georgia-secretary-of-state-partially-bends-the-knee-acknowledges-ballots-were-counted-unlawfully-and-in-secret/

          8. ‘A former senior intelligence official who has investigated compromised voting machines for over one decade told The Epoch Times about the results of his study: totalitarian rulers built the voting machines as a tool to cloak them with a coat of democracy. “It’s unconventional warfare. It is basically a 9/11 attack of the electoral system,” said the former CIA official who is an expert in Latin American politics and counterterrorism.’

            ‘His big concern is that compromised voting systems controlled by corrupt transnational organizations will destroy the rule of law and democracies that protects people’s freedom and rights. After figuring out Indra’s voting machines couldn’t be manipulated, Chávez contacted Smartmatic, a voting machine supplier that was first founded by three Venezuelans—Antonio M. Mugica, Roger Piñate, and Alfredo Anzola—in Venezuela in 1997 and then registered in Delaware in April 2000.’

            “There was a bidding for the referendum election [in 2003]. Indra got disqualified and Smartmatic won that. So in the 2004 recall referendum, Smartmatic was taking care of [the counting],” he said.’

            In his eyes, history repeated itself in the U.S. great election of 2020. He said that similar things happened in several states during the 2020 U.S. election, in which the poll results suddenly changed from favoring President Donald Trump to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at 3:00 a.m. on Nov. 4, the day after the election.’

            ‘In the United States, attorney Sidney Powell filed lawsuits in Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia, accusing Dominion Voting Systems used in these states of being equipped with the software designed by Smartmatic and manipulating the 2020 presidential election. The former official believes that Powell’s allegations are true. He said, “This is basically a terrorist attack into the integrity of the United States’ foundation.”

            https://www.theepochtimes.com/voting-machines-are-a-totalitarian-tool-dressed-in-a-coat-of-democracy-ex-intelligence-official_3604150.html

            ‘An investigation into SEC filings has revealed that the firm which owns Dominion Voting Systems received $400 million dollars from a Swiss bank with close links to the Chinese government less than a month before the election. The investigation centers on Staple Street Capital, which acquired Dominion Voting Systems in 2018.’

            ‘“On Oct 8, 2020, Staple Street Capital filed SEC Form D offerings and sales amount of $400,000,000 with the Sales Compensation Recipient identified as UBS Securities,” states the investigation, which also notes that another payment of $200,000,000 was received in December 2014.

            “UBS Securities is a swiss investment bank which owns 24.99% of UBS Securities Co LTD, a Chinese Investment Bank. The remaining 75% of UBS Securities CO LTD is owned by the Chinese government,” states the report.’

            ‘The overall owners of UBS Securities Co LTD are;

            – Beijing Guoxiang (33%)
            – UBS (24.99%)
            – Guangdong Comm. Group (14.01%)
            – China Guodian (14%)
            – COFCO Group (14%)’

            ‘Aside from UBS, the other four owners of UBS Securities are all Communist Chinese front groups.’

            https://summit.news/2020/12/01/firm-that-owns-dominion-voting-systems-received-400-million-from-swiss-bank-with-connection-to-chinese-government-before-election/

          9. How much evidence does the FBI need to start hauling people in for questioning? It has been proven that there was no “water main break,” the guise for shutting down the vote counting. Now we have video that shows the resumption of counting shortly after most are sent home. If that weren’t suspicious enough, said video shows unofficial suitcases stuffed with ballots being hauled out from under a new table that was placed there sometime after the initial counting started. This is nuts.

          10. How much evidence does the FBI need No amount of evidence will work for this issue. The FBI is not a legitimate law enforcement agency.

          11. “not a legitimate law enforcement agency”

            Elected County Sheriffs are the only law enforcement that are truly beholden to their constituents.

          12. Elected County Sheriffs are the only law enforcement that are truly beholden to their constituents.

            And you notice they’re usually the only ones pushing back against any of this stuff. All the rest put their energy into explaining to the masses why it’s for the best to just take it instead of actually representing the voters.

  2. ‘the tenant-side scenario is that they are expecting a good deal. If they were paying ₹40,000 for a 2 BHK, they are now looking for a 3 BHK in the same budget’

    That’s the spirit!

  3. “People don’t necessarily need to be downtown at the moment”

    LA, SF, Portland, Seattle, Denver. Nobody wants to be downtown in any of those cities. And it won’t be “momentarily” either.

  4. ‘Typically, a buyer who prevails in a bidding war will have 24 hours to provide the deposit they promised…‘I would send a letter saying, ‘you’re in breach; if we put the property back on the market, and if we suffer a loss, we’re going to come after you’

    The winnah!

  5. ‘At least to some degree, it’s people who are leaving, and it’s people who are not coming who are contributing to this excess vacancy’

    Rob can you explain those last two words? Cuz I’ve never heard of the concept.

    1. And paired with plummeting rents is an increase in vacancies. ‘Boston is one of the examples of cities where we’re seeing rents move in one direction and vacancies move in the other,’ said Rob Warnock, research associate at Apartment List.

      This is why Rob gets paid the BIG bux. Some insights there.

    2. ‘At least to some degree, it’s people who are leaving, and it’s people who are not coming who are contributing to this excess vacancy.’

      What I like is his thought process of realizing that there is a problem with people leaving AND there is a problem with people not coming. Genius. I wonder if he has figured out yet the similar factors could be causing both problems? I know there’s a lot of layers to peel off this onion to get to root cause…but he might get there yet.

  6. ‘2020 was the first time in recent memory that we’ve actually seen rents fall in the Seattle region’

    Jeff is a lion. I’ve documented rent crater in Seattle for a couple of years at least.

  7. ‘This comes on the heels of more than two years of price drops in the Vancouver area’

    Vancouver shacks peaked in the spring of 2016 Jason.

  8. BTW I’ll have a CRE post tomorrow you won’t want to miss:

    ‘This column was going to be titled, “Herb Wesson’s Final Middle Fingers to LA.”

    ‘It was going to suggest nailing down the LA City Councilmember’s office furniture, locking his computer files, demanding the return of his taxpayer-funded S.U.V. and be on the lookout for curiously shifting money in the coming final days of his time in office, like Item #40 on yesterday’s agenda.’

    ‘Then came LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl proving to the entire United States that she is a hypocrite of the highest order. How badly are we in trouble when you write a column with this title and could plug in the name of countless California politicians and still come up with a compelling story to tell?’

    ‘Fox 11’s Bill Melugin told KFI AM-640’s John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou the other day how he got the scoop busting [[[ LA County Supervisor dines at restaurant hours after voting to ban outdoor dining (foxla.com) ]]] Kuehl eating outdoors at Il Forno Trattoria in Santa Monica just hours after voting to shut down outdoor dining in LA County due to COVID.’

    ‘Melugin and John and Ken played audio of Kuehl declaring that eating outdoors is “a most dangerous” activity, explicitly warning that you risk your life dining outdoors in LA County. In doing so, Kuehl gave all of Los Angeles these five figurative middle fingers:

    -She doesn’t actually believe dining outdoors under socially distanced conditions is dangerous let alone a “most dangerous” activity but forced us to stop regardless.

    -She thinks Angelenos aren’t paying attention, like those working at Il Forno Trattoria who were about to lose their jobs, again. We owe them a debt of gratitude and should support this business whenever possible.

    -She had her taxpayer-salaried spokesperson offer a preposterous explanation that she wanted one last meal at her favorite restaurant. Sheila, dear, if dining al fresco is “most dangerous” tomorrow, it is “most dangerous” today.

    -She voted to shut down outdoor dining in the County without a public airing of proof of its danger from County public health chief Dr. Barbara Ferrer.

    -On the precipice of her 80th birthday in February, she is in the highest-risk category to catch COVID and die from it. But you – we – are the ones who need protection?

    ‘Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if the LA restaurateurs win their lawsuit to have her outdoor dining ban thrown out? Making ill-advised policy decisions in a pandemic is one thing because 2020 is a year of uncertainty, and politicians are for the most part trying to do their best to help us. But this isn’t a matter of a flawed policy decision. It is about a politician who has zero regard for the public. Sheila Kuehl is no dummy; she is a graduate of Harvard Law School. But being smart doesn’t make someone wise.’

    https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/cw/los-angeles/20854-sheila-kuehl-middle-fingers-la

  11. Some owners are now reducing the rent amount by around 20% because it is better than leaving it empty. For example, those who were charging ₹15,000 are reducing it to ₹10,000,’ said G. Dinesh Poojary from S.R. Real Estate.”

    Give Dinesh an H1-B for his crack math skillz.

    1. I was thinking the same. Not an math expert but that looks like a 33% reduction, but anyway, it’s the “spirit” that counts.

  13. The Hill, 12/04/20 — Rules for thee but not for me:

    “High-profile elected Democratic officials have apologized for embarrassing instances in which they were caught dining indoors, traveling abroad or celebrating political victories in the streets, contrary to their own guidelines for social behavior during the resurgent pandemic.

    The transgressions come after Democrats campaigned on being the party of science and personal responsibility”

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/528695-democratic-figures-accused-of-hypocrisy-on-covid-19-precautions

    The party of science?

    The party that encouraged burn loot murder for months, because smashing out the windows of Starbucks grants instant immunity?

    The party that tells us the CCP Flu becomes 100 times as deadly between the hours of 10pm and 5am?

    You’ve lost all credibility on this. Only guillotines are the answer now.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/528695-democratic-figures-accused-of-hypocrisy-on-covid-19-precautions

    P.S. there’s only two genders, biology is real.

  16. I think what we are dealing with right now goes WAY beyond election fraud. I think we are dealing with a massive slice of the American population who have no moral compass whatsoever, and think nothing of cheating, lying and breaking the law. “The end justifies the means” is their mantra.

    1. They’ve gone Machiavellian, that’s for sure. Today I decided that I am not giving to any more charities. Why should I give up money that I earned by work, when the recipients cheated in order to install a gov that will simply hand out limitless printed money to people who didn’t work? You could argue that we don’t need charities at all.

    2. “The end justifies the means” is their mantra.

      Correct. And there is evidence to suggest once you reach a critical mass of that sort of thinking in your society, rule of law becomes impossible.

        1. The rule of law has been steadily sliding, but really went downhill this year. When the AOC types are in charge I fully expect them to confiscate everyone’s savings and property.

          Remember the World Economic Forum 2030 prediction: “You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy”

          Think about it. They’re already telling us what they’re planning on doing.

          1. They’re already telling us what they’re planning on doing.

            They always do. We just don’t believe them.

      2. And secession becomes inevitable.

        It feels like it’s getting worse every day. I don’t want to live in the same country with these people, but there’s nowhere left to go.

        1. I don’t want to live in the same country with these people, but there’s nowhere left to go.

          I am starting to feel the same way. I despise these lying liberal fraudulent globalist deep state scum and their little puppets with their “orange man bad” rhetoric on high the past 4 years.

        2. Reading the Mexican media you’ll see where we are heading: One party rule with no accountability. Even before the pandemic investment in Mexico, both domestic and foreign, was reduced to a trickle.

          1. There’s literally NOWHERE LEFT TO GO.

            Western Europe? Canada? Australia? New Zealand? No freedom and no liberty in any of those.

            Secession is the only way out.

          3. What’s really sad is that Mexico was heading in the right direction. After decades of corrupt, one party rule by the PRI, Mexico actually elected the opposition PAN into power, and things were improving. The PAN’s one mistake was to pick a fight they couldn’t win, with the drug cartels.

            So Mexico swung left and hard, and now after just 2 years everything is falling apart. AMLO’s one saving grace is that he hasn’t yet tried printing his way out of the mess, but as the situation becomes more dire his hand might be forced.

  17. “A fairytale castle in Kenmare, Co Kerry that first went for sale at €15million at the height of the property boom in 2007 has been sold. “
    The Irish country side is littered with erstwhile fairy tale castles. You can’t stand in a field and launch a sliotar with a hurl without hitting one. Most of them have fallen into disrepair or ended up in the hands of the state due to the cost of maintenance. No one wants them.

    1. This castle was built in 1992, so it’s normal maintenance. I’m no appraiser, but $5 million doesn’t seem a bad price for it. But it’s in the low-population boonies. Who would you get to maintain the pool?

      1. Who would you get to maintain the pool?

        Actually it’s not hard to get help out in the boonies. It can be difficult to get really compliant help though. There are good old boys who can and will do the work for a fair price…but if you try to treat them like slaves they’ll disappear…and perhaps even reappear at a most inconvenient time. They’ve got this pesky habit of thinking of themselves as your equal.

        1. Is that true in Ireland? I have no idea. From what I have heard Ireland is flooded with Eastern Europeans who will work for peanuts, though I suspect they are few and far between in the countryside.

          1. I realized just after I hit send that we were talking about Ireland. But I’d bet money the same principle applies there.

          2. Of course, in places like Ireland, “the sticks” is just 10 km from the cities. There is no “flyover”.

          3. Of course, in places like Ireland, “the sticks” is just 10 km from the cities. There is no “flyover”.

            The population of Ireland never recovered after the famine and total population is around five million. There is only one major city by US standards, Dublin. The second most populous city Cork only has about 200,000 people. Galway, the second largest city on the west coast has a population of less than 100,000. The land area is about the size of the state of Maine. Areas of the west coast like Connemara have very low population density. There are some very isolated places in Ireland and with roads the way they are in the countryside you could drive 2-3 hours before finding anything resembling a city.

            Here is drone footage of some of those places.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSUATQUwmUI

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCdXD2oxIws

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0-LxziqLVc

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43D-ZOOKxpg

          4. My grandmother, when she was well over 100, often went back in her mind to the days of her youth playing in a field of heather.

  18. “so it’s normal maintenance”

    9000 sq ft on 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of grounds and comes with a moat and a drawbridge, turrets and towers, a minstrels’ gallery, grotto-style swimming pool in the basement and gas-fired torches that can be activated by remote control.

    Yeah that’s totally normal. A drawbridge is a standard feature on Irish homes. At least it oughta be with the amount of rain.

    1. I mean it’s normal maintenance compared to, say, those thousand-year old ruins with walls half gone, no insulation, no utilities or HVAC, and state-of-the-art Crusades-era plumbing. If you can deal with the weather and get deliveries, I’d rather live there than some $5 million airbox in Miami. 18 hectares grows a lot of potatoes.

      1. Being an Irish citizen and owning property in Ireland and having followed the Irish property market for twenty years, I thought I had some insight into owning and maintaining property in Ireland. But I guess I’m being schooled on HBB. There is a fairytale mansion in a field next to my uncle’s farm that lies in ruins. It belonged to an English land owner and was constructed in the 1800s. It’s been unoccupied since around World War II. Once lavish and now dilapidated countryside estates litter the countryside like weeds. This fairy tale countryside castle will suffer the same fate as all the others. It’s half life is about 50 years. In 20-30 years it well sell for half again what it sold for this year. In a hundred years it will likely be abandoned. The modest surrounding farm homes built long before it will still be standing and still in use.

        There is no such thing as normal maintenance on such a structure.

      2. Thanks for the input, John. I wasn’t sure what kind of ruins you were talking about. I had the privilege to visit Ireland some years ago, and the ruins I saw were much older than 1800s. And don’t they fall in because they’re abandoned? What if you kept up normal maintenance? The house would last longer, like all the 300(?)-year old rowhomes in the little towns.

  19. Stevie Nicks closed a deal to sell a majority stake in her publishing catalog late last month, on the heels of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” hitting the Billboard charts for the first time since 1977.

    Music publisher Primary Wave purchased an 80% interest in the copyrights, which are valued at about $100 million, according to people familiar with the deal.

    The deal, which includes hits “Edge of Seventeen,” “ Rhiannon ” and “Landslide,” highlights the soaring value of music in the streaming era. Ms. Nicks’ sale coincides with recent buzz around “Dreams” fueled by a viral TikTok video of a man skateboarding while listening to the Fleetwood Mac former No. 1 single. The song, written by Ms. Nicks, landed at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October, logging its best-ever week of streams and download sales in the U.S.

    Ms. Nicks and Primary Wave plan to partner on marketing, branding and digital strategies to generate more revenue from her catalog, according to the publisher. Outlets for music are rising in new corners of the digital world, from videogaming to social media to advertising.
    Music Rights Soar

    Songwriter catalogs, meanwhile, have been commanding sale prices that amount to 10 to 18 times their annual royalties, compared with eight to 13 times in earlier years, according to people involved in the deals.

    The coronavirus pandemic has fueled the frenzy in part because music has proven to be a stable, recession-proof asset that produces returns largely untethered from the broader economy. Older hits, such as those found in Ms. Nicks’s catalog, are commanding higher prices than they were pre-Covid-19, because they are generally perceived as the safest bet, thanks to a long record, and have seen a surge in streaming during the pandemic.

    “Stevie’s music, while exceptionally well known, is still very undercommericalized and undermarketed,” said Primary Wave Chief Executive Larry Mestel. “There’s enormous upside potential for her songs to be reinvigorated and introduced to youth culture.”

    Ms. Nicks laced up roller skates for her own version of the viral TikTok challenge. In the original, Idahoan Nathan Apodaca lip syncs to “Dreams” after sipping from a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice while longboarding down the street. The song and various copycat videos were then featured in a commercial by the social video platform.

    Such visibility generates powerful spurts of interest in older music, helping drive streams on music platforms such as Spotify Technology SA, YouTube and Apple Inc.’s AAPL -0.31% Apple Music. Every time a song plays, that is revenue for the artist, or whoever owns the catalog’s rights.

    As part of the deal, Primary Wave will also market Ms. Nicks’s name and likeness, and form a joint venture that will allow her to sign new songwriters.

    Ms. Nicks is the only woman who has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac, and again last year as a solo artist.

    “Artists who are as talented and fortunate as Stevie to have such long and successful careers have the right to dictate the legacy of their music,” said Sheryl Louis, Ms. Nicks’ longtime manager, who helped negotiate the deal.

    1. Even more proof that today’s music is bottom-feeding dreck. Really, is there anything new and good out there, at all?

    1. Do not underestimate the following tweet. A high-profile defamation attorney accusing a public figure of a crime is a YUGE deal!

      https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1334882356495343616:

      I do not mince words.

      GA Governor Brian Kemp @BrianKempGA is a traitor.

      Kemp stole our money & our votes & gave both to China after stuffing some of our money in his own pockets.

      Kemp needs to resign IMMEDIATELY. GA Patriots have had enough of his corruption, lies & inaction.

      1. From that link:

        ‘Sam Girgis
        Dec 3
        .@RudyGiuliani has 5,000 sworn affidavits… Five Thousand!’

        Number of affidavits saying there was no fraud – zero.

    1. The budget cuts will also include furloughs and wage reductions for some employees who remain at RTD. Those making more than $120,000 will see a 3.5% pay cut for 2021, and those making more than $180,000 will lose 7.5% of their pay.

      I found this on the Denver Business Journal:

      While the Regional Transportation District’s median salary of $81,366 for full-time workers is lower than several departments within the City of Denver, 37 full-time employees of the transit agency made more than $150,000 per year, according to a new Denver Business Journal analysis

      As the saying goes: Pay has gotten better at city hall. Of course, Denver voters have chosen to forego their TABOR protections and repeatedly vote to have their taxes raised. RTD is partially funded by a 1% City of Denver sales tax.

  22. Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti has banned *walking* outside.

    It’s guillotine time. These people have to go.

    1. The people who vote for these clowns are the problem, though it has become clear that stolen elections are on the menu.

    2. Draconian restrictions for months and yet their infection rate is allegedly zooming up faster than a Falcon 9 rocket.

      1. Seth Riched

        Loeffler campaign staffer dies in car crash:

        A 20-year-old campaign aide to Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) died Friday in a car crash in Georgia ahead of Loeffler’s campaign rally with Vice President Pence.

        The campaign staffer, identified as Harrison Deal, was also a family friend of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and a former intern for Sen. David Perdue (R), according to Fox News.

  24. For some odd reason the pukes at ZeroGuts put The Big Fat Bastard in a RageCage for a few hours. I’m far more productive here anyways.

    Franklin, MA Housing Prices Crater 21% YOY As Boston Area Rental Rates And Housing Prices Plummet

    https://www.movoto.com/franklin-ma/market-trends/

    As a national broker shared, “Mortgage crime has gone prime time.”

    1. You won’t even own the dirty pair of underpants you’re wearing … and you will like it! – World Economic Forum

  28. .gov can wreck things quickly. Help, on the other hand, takes forever to arrive.

    https://www.reporterherald.com/2020/12/04/colorados-stimulus-aid-to-businesses-could-take-months-to-distribute/

    Too little, too late?
    The bureaucratic process in distributing the legislature’s funds could mean those dollars won’t arrive for several more months, leaving the aid coming late for businesses who may not be able to avoid permanently closing down.

    I can’t begin to imagine the carnage in California. LA Mayor Garcetti is telling everyone to stay home and not go outside at all. I sure wonder how Angelinos are going to pay the bills.

      1. On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced stay-at-home orders for when regions fall below 15% remaining ICU capacity.

        The Denver Convention Center was converted into a Covid hospital, with 250 beds. It has never been used.

        1. when regions fall below 15% remaining ICU capacity

          My impression is that 15% is approximately the business target. If vacancy is much higher than this, beds will be unstaffed, and are therefore not in the calculation. So when they say they are at 15% remaining capacity, we don’t know if they have a lot more beds than that and could staff them on short notice.

          If LA is in such dire straights, why aren’t they calling for the Navy Hospital ship?

  30. Posting below the dotted lines are copied pasted comments from Canadian blog, Ben your counterpart (not politically though) based in Toronto gteaterfool.ca
    I’m a dual citizen so I can bash. Suffice it to say Canada is further along down the Marxist road than the US.
    ……………………….
    “”Got back from lunch w/ wife, we were asked for ID to show we lived together so we could sit at the same table. The couple that came in after us said they lived together but couldn’t prove it so they were forced to sit apart. Lots of open tables luckily…@Gov_NB

    [In] New Brunswick, Canada. There is not one coronavirus patient in the hospital in the entire province.””

    …..

    “”Last night picking up take out)only 5 @ restaurant @ a time After ordering I had to write name & contact info With 1 Community PEN & No Hand wash provided It’s getting annoying. We have 117 cases No hospitalization Majority ppl are following protocol why the nanny state then””

    …..
    “In our town there are four employees at the local A & W.
    Three of them live together. They were taking a lunch break when the covid police came in asking for id. The one who worked with the others all day long was asked to go sit at a different table. People need to wake up

  31. Ben while I’m taking an opp to post: I read multiple times daily never post.
    Want to just say HUGE thank you for posting the list of links at top of comments daily. I have shared many of the links with overseas friends whom I know are seeing European news that’s worse bias than USA. One with rabid TDS had been rather quiet now after I bombarded him with Truth of Proof

  32. Thought I’d share though it’s depressing. Husbands uncle in BC diagnosed with stage 4 cancer sometime past year. 2 of his sons live stateside. Uncle was denied entry at US border for summer visit. Last weekend one son and family were so desperate to see him (he’s begun treatment and quite sick) family was denied entry into BC. And son is of course dual citizen! however his wife isn’t. Haven’t heard yet if that had anything to do with it or wtf the border guards excuse was. Heartbreaking.
    …………………..
    2nd and worse: acquaintances living in northern BC: she US/dual citizen, he Canadian. Her 20yr old brother committed suicide last week. They drive down to the states. At border were told that he (the non US citizen) would have to be driven to Vancouver to fly down. Additional 4 hrs away. But she could drive across. UNBELIEVABLE.
    I’m described as a hippy peacemaker amongst my friends but make no mistake I’ve done my hunters safety courses and am proficient in firearms if a bit rusty…

    Just wanted to share these things b/c sad as it is, people have got to wake up. This moment in America is beyond crucial before we’re all speaking Mandarin. No, nothing personal against China per se. But I’ve got lots of bones to pick with the CCP.

  33. “‘People are returning to their country of origin or moving to places with better job opportunities,’ said Bueno who explains that owners who wanted to sell their properties have decided to rent them instead because it’s so difficult to find a buyer.”

    Muy bueno! The model of snapping up extra residences in foreign countries as investments never made sense, and merely served to price locals out of affordable housing in their own cities. I would encourage government leaders elsewhere to take a close look at the Vancouver model of levying a massive tax on foreign real estate investors. It discourages foreign criminals from laundering money into real estate, and protects the residential housing stock for locals who just need a place to live in.

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