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The House Was An Investment As Well As An Assured Source Of Income, It Has Instead Become A Liability

It’s Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. “Real estate developer Mohamed Hadid’s Bel-Air mega-mansion is on the market for $8.5 million. Once the property sells, the house will be destroyed with proceeds of the sale funding the demolition, which will take about six months. The unfinished 30,000-square-foot mansion was crammed onto a 1.2-acre lot, leaving residents worried it would slide down its hillside perch and crush the homes below. Hadid vowed to never demolish the house a few years ago, telling Town & Country magazine, ‘This house will last forever. Bel-Air will fall before this will.'”

“Money troubles continue to mount for one of Manhattan’s most prominent condo developers, this time at its signature development. HFZ Capital Group has been taken to court by its lender this week for failing to make payments on a loan for its 218-unit Chelsea condominium and hotel development, The XI. The lender, a U.K. hedge fund helmed by Christopher Hohn, provided a $1.2B construction loan on the property in 2016. The foreclosure is one of the latest events in a series of financial and legal woes for the development group. In September, HFZ defaulted on four mezzanine loans.”

“HFZ was embroiled in a legal scandal last year when federal prosecutors said one of its executives, former Managing Director John Simonlacaj, allegedly inflated invoices for construction work done for the company by CWC Contracting, which the prosecution claimed was tied to the Gambino crime family. Even as HFZ’s investments in New York City’s troubled luxury condominium market falter, it has been forced to hand over its stake in a national industrial portfolio.”

“The office-sharing company WeWork has outlined drastic steps to survive the pandemic, after aggressive expansion left it with acres of expensive office space just as demand for communal working dived. Accounts filed at Companies House show that the UK subsidiary, WeWork International, racked up losses of £234m in 2019, after signing a flurry of new leases for buildings. The company was valued at $47bn at one stage before its cancelled listing, but SoftBank said it was worth just $2.9bn last year, with its chief executive, Masayoshi Son, declaring his investment in the company ‘foolish.'”

“For 2021 Toronto is ringing in its long-awaited enforcement of regulations on short-term rental sites such as Airbnb. Suman Sarkar, who operates the property management company Sarkar Suites, shares a number of its apartments with a host identified only as ‘Sam,’ who has 22 listings on Airbnb. At his peak, he listed 96 apartments in three cities on short-term stay sites, before the pandemic wiped out most of his tourist business.”

“If you have been contemplating moving out of the family home into your own rented space, then 2021 might just be the year to make the move, as early forecasts by the Realtors Association of Jamaica are that rental prices could continue to trend below usual market levels. ‘Real estate remained resilient throughout the pandemic, but in the higher end of the market we have seen some adjustments. Rental rates have trended down by 10 to 30 per cent, and Airbnb, which is short-term rental, was seriously affected,’ new RAJ’s president, Donovan Reid told the Financial Gleaner.”

“There aren’t many silver linings to the coronavirus pandemic if you live in Spain, but the shakedown of the country’s overinflated property market could be one of them. Back in August 2020 we wrote about how the dramatic drop in tourists was resulting in more property owners making their short-term rentals in central city locations available to long-term tenants who were previously priced out.”

“By the end of the year, 64 percent of these holiday lets had been turned into long-term rental properties, and according to property portal Fotocasa at least half of these are expected to carry on catering to permanent tenants in 2021. ‘Spain’s main markets have experienced falls in the price of properties due to the significant increase in the available offer, which in some markets has more than doubled’ added Spain’s other big rental site Idealista, ‘as for three months hardly any rental transactions were carried out’ due to the strict lockdown.”

“If the landlord isn’t budging, tell them that you’re leaving and how they’ll struggle to find a better tenant than you. It’s an obvious tip but one to always keep in mind: don’t express immediate interest. And take the attitude that the rent is too high no matter how much it is.”

“South Africa’s flat vacancy rates already in double-digits recorded a 13% increase in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 11% in Q3. Oversupply, weakening demand and tenants under financial pressure are the reasons for rentals being under pressure. ‘The market recorded huge increases in rental stock between 2018 and 2019.'”

“Bengaluru’s rental housing market is facing an unprecedented crisis as the work-from-home culture, job losses and the general economic distress caused by the pandemic have pushed many people out of the city. Unoccupied residential units are a common sight in a city that had a booming residential property market just a few months ago.”

“Sheshadri and his wife, who live in Jayanagar, depend on the rental income from a two-bedroom house but haven’t found a tenant despite four months of search. The previous tenants, a young couple from Davangere, left Bengaluru after their employers allowed them to work from home until December 2021. ‘There have hardly been any enquiries since,’ Sheshadri says.”

“Vasu, a home broker in Padmanabhanagar, said his earnings were first hit by housing rental websites. The pandemic has now dealt a crushing blow to it. ‘The landlords that I still deal with are being forced to reduce the rentals by 25%,’ he said.”

“Harsha’s his newly-built house remains unoccupied. The EMI of Rs 22,000 on his home loan is biting into his savings. For him, the house was an investment as well as an assured source of income to pay off the EMI. ‘It has instead become a liability,’ he says.”

“Homes in housing estates catering to middle-income earners offer the best value for bargain hunters in Hong Kong with prices headed for their first drop in 12 years, industry analysts said. Increasing emigration, coupled with shrinking headcounts at multinational companies in the city, could ensure they continue to remain a buyers’ market. The same factors could also depress rates of higher-priced homes, they added.”

“‘The number of emigrants in the last year has risen, and those who are rushing to sell are more willing to negotiate and offer bigger discounts,’ said Derek Chan, head of research at Ricacorp Properties. Rents will also come under pressure as demand wanes, he added.”

“12 months into the pandemic, the rental market in Shenzhen is seeing an unprecedented oversupply. The pandemic influence and the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, as well as the annual massive migration from the big city, have contributed to a flood of vacant homes in megacities in recent months. Real estate data indicates that as of mid-December 2020, commercial properties for rent supplied by major real estate agencies in Shenzhen have increased by 40.7% year-on-year.”

“In terms of the rent prices, in the first three quarters of 2020, the average rent of second-hand residential properties in Shenzhen returned to the same level as 2018.”

This Post Has 128 Comments
    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/

      Dominion forensic report from Michigan (PDF):

      https://www.depernolaw.com/uploads/2/7/0/2/27029178/antrim_michigan_forensics_report_%5B121320%5D_v2_%5Bredacted%5D.pdf

      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

        ‘Ruby Freeman Makes Video of herself Showing MOUNTAINS of GA ABSENTEE BALLOTS With NO RETURN ADDRESS’

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFYaxvxdfXY&feature=youtu.be

        Example

        Note the vote spike at the Atlanta treason:

        https://twitter.com/EricTrump/status/1334812236322381826/

        Corrupt Georgia Election Worker Seen Loading Same Ballots 3 Times into Machine

        Poll Worker Ruby Freeman Loads Up The Same Stack Of Ballots To Be Counted 3X

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiREC3Zy20E

        Ruby Freeman – “I need an attorney”

        “This is bigger than me. I need an attorney.” at 4:55.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsU-CXcJ4Lg

        Some videos worth watching:

        https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1341948764068704256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

        Rudy Giuliani Shuts Down Every Single Democrat And Troll In 6 Minutes

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUQqLNmap9c

        Sidney Powell On Her “Elevator Pitch” To The Supreme Court

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJg_E_u-2hM

        Election Fraud – Fulton County, Georgia at State Farm Arena on November 3rd, 2020

        https://www.bitchute.com/video/HrPHkNaYH7As/

        ‘Below are several thousand pages of evidence and hours of video explaining this evidence for your review. This evidence involves admissions by election officials, expert opinions, affidavits of witnesses, and dramatic evidence of the break in ballot chain of custody and the infusion of hundreds of thousands of fraudulent ballots into the counting stream.’

        ‘This lawlessness was made possible by work stoppages, prohibiting bipartisan participation, and early morning ballot drops in consolidated counting centers, all of which undermined election integrity.’

        https://got-freedom.org/evidence/

        1. ‘Georgia election data indicates 17,650 votes were switched from President Donald Trump to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, data scientists testified on Wednesday during a state Senate hearing.’

          ‘A team led by Lynda McLaughlin, along with data scientists Justin Mealey and Dave Lobue, presented the results before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Elections.’

          ‘Mealey worked as an electronic warfare technician in the U.S. Navy for nine and a half years and was a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor as a data analyst and programmer for the National Counterterrorism Center. He currently works for one of the “Big Four” accounting firms as a programmer. Lobue is a data scientist with over a decade of experience in a number of industries.’

          “What we have here is we actually have fraud that we can prove in this election, there was fraud in Georgia’s election, we can prove it with data,” Mealey said. “The voting will of the people of Georgia is not reflected in what was certified by the Secretary of State.”

          ‘According to their analysis on time series election data which was published online as early as Dec. 24, Trump’s votes were decrementing in various counties instead of increasing as they do normally. 17,650 votes were allegedly switched from Trump to Biden as result.’

          ‘A “clear example of vote switching” happened in DeKalb county, they said. At 9:11 p.m. local time, Trump received 29,391 votes as Biden simultaneously received 17,218. However, in the next reported time update, Trump’s votes became 17,218 while Biden’s changed to 29,391.’

          ‘In this single event, 12,173 votes were switched, the data scientists believe. State-certified election results show Trump lost Georgia by 12,670 votes. The Trump campaign is still challenging the results in various courts.’

          “I want to make that very, very clear that at no point in an incremental process, should you decrement it,” Lobue said.’

          https://www.theepochtimes.com/georgia-election-data-shows-17650-votes-switched-from-trump-to-biden-data-scientists_3640670.html

          ‘Pennsylvania election data shows that over 432,000 votes were removed from President Donald Trump during the November election, data scientists say.

          ‘According to an analysis by the Data Integrity Group, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times, votes for Trump—from both Election Day and mail-in ballots—were removed from the totals in at least 15 counties. Time-series election data shows Trump’s votes decrementing in various counties at numerous time points instead of increasing as would be expected under normal circumstances.’

          ‘The group said that Election Day vote removals happened during the vote tabulation process in at least 15 counties, including Lehigh County, Chester County, Allegheny County, Armstrong County, Westmoreland County, Northhampton County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lackawanna County, Dauphin County, Pike County, Carbon County, Washington County, Erie County, and Luzerne County.’

          ‘Meanwhile, absentee vote removals happened in Allegheny County, Chester County, and Lehigh County. At least 432,116 votes—213,707 election day votes and 218,409 absentee votes—were removed in total.’

          “There were vote movements across all candidates. However, we did not see the same type of negative decrements to any of the [other] candidates that we saw with President Trump’s tallies, and they happened repeatedly with no explanation,” Lynda McLaughlin, a member of the group, told The Epoch Times.’

          https://www.theepochtimes.com/exclusive-over-432000-votes-removed-from-trump-in-pennsylvania-data-scientists-say_3642202.html

          Two examples of vote shifting live on-air in Georgia Election

          https://www.bitchute.com/video/r2yK4GsBfhqj/

          1. The Federalist — Media Outrage Over Capitol Riot Isn’t About Defending Democracy, It’s About Wielding Power (1/8/21):

            “elite outrage is not really about what happened at the capitol—about the “sacred citadel of our democracy being defiled” and so on. The outrage, like almost all expressions of righteous indignation from our elites in the Trump era, is performative. It is in service of a larger purpose that has nothing to do with the peaceful transfer of power and everything to do with the wielding of power.

            Specifically, it’s about punishing supporters of President Trump. If the pro-Trump mob can be depicted as “terrorists” and “traitors,” then there’s almost nothing we shouldn’t do to silence them. Right? Rick Klein, the political director at ABC News, said the quiet part out loud on Thursday when he mused (in a now-deleted tweet) that getting rid of Trump is “the easy part” and the more difficult task will be “cleansing the movement he commands.”

            That’s not the kind of language you use when you’re in the business of reporting the news. It’s the kind of language you use when you’re in the business of social control.”

            https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/08/media-outrage-over-capitol-riot-isnt-about-defending-democracy-its-about-wielding-power/

            See also Tommy Robinson 5:45 minute video posted on Parler an hour ago:

            https://parler.com/post/2cb5cbca8ff04b91bf34511aa1483608

          2. ‘elite outrage’

            I’ve got to take exception to this, again. Substitute the words “people who must be hung on the spot” for “elite”. Oh, too harsh Ben!

            Let me explain just one tiny sliver: take the lock downs. Forget the millions of ways it devastates people financially, economically, physically, let’s pick one issue. Cancelling selective operative procedures. In even one city this results in some amount of unnecessary death. But have you seen any talk of how many die from lock downs? Any ongoing consideration of the cost versus benefit? It’s excluded. Now consider that doctors groups have said millions of people are starving right now around the world from this. 100 million are being plunged into poverty as I type. Yet much like one would expect from historical figures like Caligula, it’s not even mentioned.

            So yes, Nancy had to take an ice cream break for a few hours while the overpaid fat asses in DC swept up some glass and one unarmed woman’s body was sent home, as said millions suffer and die. How can we judge such horrors of comparison? “Oh Ben, you can’t just go around hanging people!”

            They got necks, don’t they?

          3. “Oh Ben, you can’t just go around hanging people!”

            They got necks, don’t they?

            I have been saying this for months, but one poster here said “that’s not the kind of country I want to live in.” But he’s fine with living in a country where they’re sentencing people to death, stealing elections, canceling people if they don’t bend a knee, etc. How do we get these lynchings started? Jeff Bezos, comin’ right up!

          4. I have been saying this for months, but one poster here said “that’s not the kind of country I want to live in.” But he’s fine with living in a country where they’re sentencing people to death, stealing elections, canceling people if they don’t bend a knee, etc.

            Yeah, that’s the big dilemma we have right now. The majority of the population is comfortable with the problems the left is causing and very uncomfortable when the right pushes back. So in effect they are like battered wives at this point who just want us all to lay back and take it with them and don’t call the police no matter what.

          5. So in effect they are like battered wives

            As long as they have the credit cards, the shack with the designer kitchen and the SUV, they won’t rock the boat.

          6. In Colorado, i think that it is actually more than that.

            A lot of the upper middle class wives want to be cool in their circle of friends. They will spout off politically correct stuff. A good friend of my wife (in Lowry, Denver) went to a few BLM protests. She and her friends then went for fancy coffee and a snack

            Seemingly a normal person to close friends – they go off track with their neighbourhood friends

          7. “went to a few BLM protests”

            Social media virtue signalling.

            Would any of these rich white hypocrites send their kids to a school that was more than 10% black or brown students? No they wouldn’t.

          8. C’mon Nancy, grab your generals and declare war on Orange Man, lol! I’m sure plenty of door kickers want to back a deranged and corrupt octogenarian led coup after one of the untouchable rabble took a selfie in your throne the other day.

          9. It’s not just BLM. I have flaming lefty friends. To them, marches and protests are like keg parties to a college freshman. It’s a way to socialize, and lift the crushing weight of the guilt for a while. Pro-science, climate change, trans rights, anti-war, you name it. There’s a march, they’re there.

          10. “The majority of the population is comfortable with the problems the left is causing”

            I don’t know if this is true. One thing the voter fraud revelations has shown is the fallacy of “oh, we get what we vote for.” Maybe we didn’t vote for this. We have Dominion machines in San Francisco County, Alameda County (Berkeley), Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley) – why? If everyone is so comfortable with the problems caused by the left, why do we need machines to rig votes in the most heavily-democrat districts in the country?

            I’m tired of this blame the victim crap, and conservative media is especially fond of it. As Ben said yesterday, we didn’t do this, this was done to us.

          11. “upper middle class wives want to be cool”

            Very good point. The class/peer-pressure aspect is under-appreciated, though I think it applies to more than just women or the upper-middle class, and there’s more at stake than coolness. A liberal viewpoint has been a condition of upward mobility for years, no matter who you are. And the economic precarity forced on the 99.9% via globalism and bubble economics has made leftist value signaling a huge factor in success or even survival.

            If you don’t espouse the correct point of view, you don’t get promoted, your kids get bad grades, etc. The only people able to resist are the independently well-off and people who own their own small business. Low interest rates has destroyed the former, and lockdowns is destroying the latter.

          12. So in effect they are like battered wives at this point who just want us all to lay back and take it with them and don’t call the police no matter what.’

            yea that’s what VDH said on his Podcast , they just want it to go away

          13. Substitute the words “people who must be hung on the spot” for “elite”.

            There needs to be justice meted out, but it needs to come from an honest judge and a judicial system that has seen its integrity restored, along with due process for the accused. Of course such a system will probably come about only after post-collapse tribunals have been established to finally bring accountability to the really big criminals.

  1. ‘If the landlord isn’t budging, tell them that you’re leaving and how they’ll struggle to find a better tenant than you. It’s an obvious tip but one to always keep in mind: don’t express immediate interest. And take the attitude that the rent is too high no matter how much it is’

    That’s the spirit!

    BTW, it’s January and I’ve got to get caught up on financial statements and tax mail outs. I will be posting a bit less and slow down moderation.

  2. ‘Hadid’s Bel-Air mega-mansion is on the market for $8.5 million. Once the property sells, the house will be destroyed with proceeds of the sale funding the demolition, which will take about six months. The unfinished 30,000-square-foot mansion was crammed onto a 1.2-acre lot’

    So 30k sq ft and it’s a tear down. Are we there yet? I could tear this shack down in a week, hiring everybody involved. Not sure why Californians are such can’t do types.

    1. I could tear this shack down in a week, hiring everybody involved. Not sure why Californians are such can’t do types.

      The permits probably take several months. Gotta wait on that bloated government pig to “ok” it. She’s probably on vacation, too, so that’ll push it back.

      1. My thoughts precisely. No doubt an environmental impact report will have to be filed along with some heavy fees. Those pensions aren’t going to fund themselves.

  3. ‘The company was valued at $47bn at one stage before its cancelled listing, but SoftBank said it was worth just $2.9bn last year’

    That’s a lot of poof.

    ‘Son, declaring his investment in the company ‘foolish’

    The “mastermind”!

    1. SoftBank said it was worth just $2.9bn last year

      Given the move to WFH, I’d say that WeWork is probably worthless, utterly insolvent.

  4. ‘allegedly inflated invoices for construction work done for the company by CWC Contracting, which the prosecution claimed was tied to the Gambino crime family’

    I watched a documentary on how organized crime blanketed NYC RE years ago. Still can’t shake it eh?

    ‘Even as HFZ’s investments in New York City’s troubled luxury condominium market falter, it has been forced to hand over its stake in a national industrial portfolio’

    Industrial fire sale alert! What happened to soup line Larry?

    1. amazing – i had not at all considered this aspect of construction – cement, garbage sub contractors.

      So should we assume that much real estate construction in NE cities – Boston, Philly etc have these same characteristics.

      Would it be safe to assume that Seattle, Denver, DFW etc do not have the same level of ‘partners’

      1. Because there’s more to construction than slapping together houses. Houses are 10% of the construction dollar volume.

      2. Would it be safe to assume that Seattle, Denver, DFW etc do not have the same level of ‘partners’

        As a rule of thumb there is less cosa nostra organized crime in the western US. For instance: there is no guy at the office who will place a bet for you.

        What you will find is MS-13 and other similar gangs. But those guys don’t run cement or trash collection rackets.

        1. As a rule of thumb there is less cosa nostra organized crime in the western US. For instance: there is no guy at the office who will place a bet for you.

          One time my ex’s employer in Colorado hired a guy from New York that had to be terminated later for being “that guy”. A local hire might have screwed up too, but it wouldn’t have been in that way.

        2. The smart “Our Thing” guys went West to go legit. Vegas, Hollywood and real estate were all good places to park mob money and help make the transition from goombah to gentry.

          LA’s history with organized crime has been chronicled in many ways and over several timespans. And while not quite as overt as the building engineer’s assistant going around the high-rise with the weekly NFL tote-sheet, like I got a acquainted with in Chicago, you can still find plenty of associates-with-connections that will help you with your betting, dating or short-term loan needs.

  5. Son, declaring his investment in the company ‘foolish’

    I think we will see the results a lot of people’s foolish mistakes soon. However, I think most people will be saying “no one could have seen it coming!”
    Kudos to Son for actually admitting he made a mistake.

      1. It is amusing that it was Tesla and not SpaceX that made Musk the richest man in the world. Tesla makes toys for rich people, while SpaceX is revolutionizing rocketry.

        SpaceX will probably launch a Starship into orbit before NASA’s SLS is ready, and will be able to do it for less than 1/10th of the cost (probably 1/20 the cost per launch). I don’t buy Musk’s optimistic Mars schedule, but I do think he will get there first, probably when NASA and the Chinese are landing astronauts on the moon, though I could see SpaceX hauling supplies to the lunar surface for NASA.

  6. What a flash back to the 60’s when you had MLK and peaceful protest for being judged by the content of charater, not color.
    Now you have a million or more Trump supporter that converged on Washington demanding that they have a free and fair election . 75 to 80 million Voters objecting to basically objecting to their Constitutional right to have a fair election stolen and be represented, a basic Civil rights issue.
    What a failure of Government to promote discrimation against so many Americans by the color of their skin, with a narrative of White Privilege.
    Trump Voters are no different than the marchers 50 years ago. But now the attack is on America itself and White people, on language , and a insurrection against America itself by enemies of the State.
    Government by Media control of narrative and a assault on the First Amendment. What’s next?

    1. to me what really kicked into high gear was obama saying if i had a son, trayvon was on a jail track and you would want hm as a son.

    2. Government by Media control of narrative and a assault on the First Amendment. What’s next?

      The other amendments.

      1. Yep, what amendment comes next? If you ask me the White race is already being denied Civil Rights and being denied equal rights

        All Commie playbook to pit American against American using race.
        24/7 fake news by Monopolies that have screwed up this World so bad already, but they want more power.
        The Looter rioters of the summer lawlessness is who these takeover Entities represent, who attacked America for weeks and months. Commie attack backed by Globalist Monopolies and Foreign enemies.
        The Medical Monopoly teaming up with Government to lock us down and force untested vaccines down our throats , not following the Science. Taking away our breathing by a fake narrative that masks work and lockdowns are effective. It’s criminal really to give older people ,most at risk from the virus ,the falsehood that masks are effective in protecting them. I see the seniors out there thinking they are protected by masks.
        People means to make a living being destroyed by lockdowns and this Medical Scam.

        1. I expect the new constitution to declare that certain protected groups are more equal than others.

      2. They want to tear the constitution the shreds, and if they can stuff enough ballot boxes they will get their way.

        While the bow tie GOPe congratulates itself for playing by the rules and “losing with honor” the left will transform this country into something only formerly seen in dystopian fiction.

        For Pete’s sake, they’re already telling us what they’re going to do: You’ll own nothing.

        1. In Colorado,

          People who think they are going to have their lives improved by the bribes to vote for Commie policies will find out that they are going to have worse and less. The freedom they are going lose is something they don’t perceive.

          1. I think that many are willing to give up their freedom in exchange for some UBI and free rent. But the apartments will fall apart and the government won’t fix them and the UBI won’t keep up with inflation, not to mention that store shelves will eventually be bare, especially after price controls are put into place.

          2. I still predict infighting. They signed on to the Trump hate because it makes them feel good. They might sign on to Klaus’s Great Greenie Reset to ease their enviroguilt and munch on a little globalist cheese. But as the path of acceptability narrows, and as the spectre of Orange Goldstein fades, more and more will fail the purity tests. At that point they will find themselves on the wrong side of the media, maybe even the wrong side of a rigged election. That’s when you’re going to see major splits in the politics. I think it’s going happen within five years.

  7. “,,The office-sharing company WeWork…” “…was valued at $47bn at one stage before its cancelled listing, but SoftBank said it was worth just $2.9bn last year…

    As reported here on the HBB for *years* now, WeWork was/is one of the biggest scams in the history of the known universe.

    Claiming to be still worth $2.9bn? For a pile of worthless office leases?

    Maybe the WeWork accounting staff dropped a minus sign? How about $-2.9bn?

    1. As reported here on the HBB for *years* now, WeWork was/is one of the biggest scams in the history of the known universe.

      It pales in comparison to crypto. At least WeWork was attempting to offer something of value. Crypto is a Ponzi scheme where people buy and sell cutely named air to each other.

      1. “…Crypto is a Ponzi scheme where people buy and sell cutely named air to each…”

        I read somewhere recently that the aggregate value of the worlds crypto is now over $1T (Trillion).

        So lets review all this together: The Fed creates dollars with a computer out of thin air which is used to buy crypto which is created out of more thin air.

        Anybody see a problem?

        1. That’s what’s essentially going on right now. The FED’s pumping money into the banks who are pumping that money into crypto. It’s not that they believe in crypto, it’s just that crypto is where the bubble gains are right now. This thing will melt down in absolutely spectacular fashion.

        2. There used to be this guy who posted every day about Caterpillars PE ratio.

          75 crypto exchanges have closed down so far in 2020
          cointelegraph.com › news › 75-crypto-exchanges-have…
          Oct 7, 2020 — Crypto exchanges are disappearing at a faster rate in 2020 than … between September 30th and October 3rd according to Coin Metrics.

          5 Altcoins That Disappeared this Year | Finance Magnates
          http://www.financemagnates.com › cryptocurrency › news
          Dec 4, 2018 — #1: Pincoin. Pincoin is one of the more famous examples of a token that disappeared this year, most likely because it’s known as the largest ICO scam in history. Together with Ifan, another blockchain company, 32,000 investors were duped out of the equivalent of $660 million.

          Cryptoqueen: How this woman scammed the world, then …
          http://www.bbc.co.uk › news › stories-50435014
          Nov 24, 2019 — Cryptoqueen: How this woman scammed the world, then vanished … blockchain databases are what make cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin work.

          Mystery of the disappearing ‘Cryptoqueen’ Ruja Ignatova …
          http://www.bbc.com › news › technology-49826161
          Sep 25, 2019 — If ever an industry needed a PR makeover, it’s the world of cryptocurrencies. It seems every week brings evidence of scams and fraud, from the …
          What crypto currencies will disappear in 2019? – Quora
          http://www.quora.com › What-crypto-currencies-will-disappear…
          Apr 30, 2019 — All the cryptos have the possibility of disappearing since they are not backed by a reliable organization. Even Libra which is supported by Facebook can be …

          Money Horror Stories – The night my cryptocurrency …
          wealthtender.com › insights › investing › money-horro…
          Nov 27, 2019 — Money Horror Stories – The night my cryptocurrency disappeared … Let’s rewind back to 2017 when cryptocurrencies, led by Bitcoin, were …

          A Crypto-Mystery: Is $136 Million Stuck or Missing? – WSJ
          http://www.wsj.com › articles › a-crypto-mystery-is-140-million…
          Feb 7, 2019 — Two researchers, though, say the money might be missing. … About C$180 million, or about $136 million, is in cryptocurrencies held in a …

          Almost Half a Billion of Bitcoins Vanishes – WSJ
          http://www.wsj.com › articles
          Feb 28, 2014 — Mt. Gox, once the dominant exchange for bitcoin trading, on Friday said more than $470 million of the virtual currency vanished from its digital …

          $400 million of cryptocurrency disappeared on a Japanese …
          markets.businessinsider.com › currencies › news › bitco…
          Jan 26, 2018

          1. Video result for i lost my life savings crypto
            Vlog – QuadrigaCX, how I lost my $500k+ life savings, how I …
            YouTube · Tong Zou
            I Lost My Life Savings in the Bitcoin Crash of 2014 (2015)
            Vimeo

            Bitcoin crash: This man lost his savings when cryptocurrencies …
            money.cnn.com › 2018/09/11 › investing › bitcoin-cra…
            Sep 11, 2018 — An estimated $400 billion has been wiped off the value of major cryptocurrencies since January. Sean Russell’s life savings were among them.

            What Happened to the Guys Who Invested Their Life Savings …
            melmagazine.com › en-us › story › what-happened-to-t…
            Sep 6, 2019 — Although he would go on to lose everything once the crypto market began to hemorrhage — he notes in the same reddit post that he’s sitting in …

            I’m broke! Lost life savings Bitcoin (Not Asking Money) | by …
            medium.com › im-broke-lost-life-savings-bitcoin-not-a…
            Jun 30, 2020 — Lost Bitcoin! I felt the sky landed on my head, the earth moving faster, I can’t breathe.. black black… Everything becomes black for a few …

            Is anyone investing their life savings in bitcoin? – Quora
            http://www.quora.com › Is-anyone-investing-their-life-savings-i…
            Investing My Life Savings in Bitcoin Taught Me Some Hard Lessons Much … trend—and almost immediately after watched my life savings lose half their value.

            I lost all my savings in a mistaken Ethereum transaction …
            news.ycombinator.com › item
            Dec 16, 2020 — The most downvoted comment in the Github issue seems totally right.. why did this guy put his life savings in a crypto? Even without making any …

          2. All the cryptos have the possibility of disappearing since they are not backed by a reliable organization.

            “Reliable Organization” = Army that can project power outside their own borders plus nukes.

          3. “Value investor Bill Miller said Friday he believes owning bitcoin becomes a safer investment decision the higher the price of the digital coin gets.

            Bitcoin was trading over $40,000 per coin Friday afternoon, having posted a record high of almost $42,000 earlier in the day. The cryptocurrency has been on a tear since March, which coincides with governments around the world undertaking massive stimulus efforts to offset the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

            “It gets less risky the higher it goes” because it is still early in the adoption cycle, Miller said on “The Exchange.” “That’s the opposite of what happens with most stocks.”

            “Bitcoin’s total supply is growing less than 2% a year and it’s obvious by the price that the demand is growing much, much faster than that. As long as that obtains, bitcoin is likely to go higher and perhaps considerably higher”

            https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/bill-miller-says-bitcoin-becomes-less-risky-the-higher-the-price-goes-.html

        3. By the way, I suggest an exercise for anybody who finds themselves in a conversation with these crypto speculators. Ask them which cryptos they are buying. Then, when they name them, ask them to explain each different crypto to you, and what its utilitarian value is. They can’t. They don’t even know what they’re buying. They simply bought it because they are trying to get rich and thought it would just go up and they could sell it to somebody else for more than they paid.

      2. My favorite part of bitcoin is the imagery they use — gold coins with a “B” inscribed on it.

        Jim Richards said something interesting. He said that no government can use Bitcoin as a currency because the limited supply prevents inflation. With no inflation, there’s no bond market. With no bond market, there’s no way to go into debt. And countries always need to go into debt.
        I still maintain that BtC is a Tulip bulb crossed with a Tide Pod.

        1. “…no government can use Bitcoin as a currency because the limited supply prevents inflation….”

          So, tying the dollar to physical gold [prior to early 1970’s], wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

          1. Since Bretton Woods, they’ve been gradually reducing the gold backing of dollars, allowing for more and inflation. In 1971 when the gold backing was removed entirely, the dollar inflated, fast.

            To use a housing analogy, when banks required a 20% down payment, prices stayed in line. Little by little, down payments were reduced. When the down finally slipped to 0%, there was nothing holding back the Rise of Strawberry Picker.

        2. My favorite part of bitcoin is the imagery they use — gold coins with a “B” inscribed on it.

          I had to explain to some relatives that those aren’t bitcoins. When I explained to them that they are nothing more than a string of 1’s and zero’s on a disk drive, without the backing of any government, corporation or central bank, they were amazed that anyone would invest in them.

        3. Precious metals got monkey-hammered today, as I fully expected was going to happen, given the massive short positions taken out by the Fed’s bullion banker accomplices and market-riggers. I hope it goes lower; I’d like another opportunity to load up the truck.

  8. 3rd Ring Road in Beijing of course is most prestigious. But 5th ring road is close – does she expect to live where the children of CPP officials (princelings) live?

    This is very interesting going forward – will prestigious location still have a big premium? Or will people ‘settle’ for nice enough

    Now I’ve moved closer to the city center with the commuting time per day shortened to 3 hours, but I have to pay more than 3,000 yuan a month for the rent,”said Liu Dan (a pseudonym) who rents a single room in Yizhuang, Beijing. Ms. Liu said that it is even more expensive to rent a whole apartment– a monthly budget of 4,000 yuan can only afford an apartment outside the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads.

    1. I’ve moved closer to the city center with the commuting time per day shortened to 3 hours

      That tells you pretty much all you need to know about the rat race in the Chinese cities. Only 3 hours.

      1. But they show all those gleaming subway stations in their videos. I’m guessing that those trains don’t go everywhere. Heck, in London you can get from Chelsea to Heathrow pretty quickly on the tube, in well under an hour.

        1. You can spend 3+ hours going on the subway in the same direction in some Chinese cities. It’s even crazier when one city’s subway system connects to another seamlessly.

          Cities expand by buying up land and increasing the size of the city’s borders, and of course GDP boosts from subway construction is huge. It’s a win-win for political appointees, at least in recent years.

          1. You can spend 3+ hours going on the subway in the same direction in some Chinese cities

            What kind of distances are we talking about? Even in Mexico City, you can get almost anywhere via the Metro in about an hour. They have light rail for those who live in the sticks. so they could get to downtown in under two hours.

          2. I know in the Guangzhou region the subway goes 100km+ in a single direction from the center of the city. It’s currently connecting nearby smaller-tier cities such as Conghua and Zengceng with the central Guangzhou core.

            The long-term plan is to have the entire Pearl River Delta region connect via high speed and local subway systems. So basically you will be able to go from Hong Kong to Conghua on a normal subway system with a few transfers.

            This region has about 58 million registered residents over hundreds of kilometers. It’s just massive and keeps expanding. It’s also one of the few legitimately productive parts of the PRC.

    2. 3rd Ring Road in Beijing of course is most prestigious. But 5th ring road is close – does she expect to live where the children of CPP officials (princelings) live?

      But…but…I thought socialism was supposed to usher in an egalitarian classless society where all shared equally in the prosperity and no one’s needs went unmet.

      “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
      –George Orwell, ANIMAL FARM

  9. The Traitors in Washington DC with the Entities they sold out to are already planning on how they can stop the people in the future from rebellion against this takeover. The American people have become the enemy of this Power Grab.
    This is how a invading force would treat people they want to conquer. This is how China would treat anything that opposed their self serving interest. You have a CNN talking head saying we should be more like China.
    24/7 fake news by Traitors and Invaders of the USA.
    Where do you draw the line on a free press verses a mouthpiece for invasion of the US? They attacked Trump 24/7 and non stop demeaning of his Voters, fake news, and projection on to Trump what they do.
    The censoring of news and anything that disputes their fake narratives is now the norm. They just took Michael Savage off the radio, after 26 years on the air who had a big following.
    Savage switched to a podcast under Michael Savage. com. But I wonder when are they going to come after podcasts,
    Their narratives are so stupid and offensive and one sided , and anti American and anti white. A bunch of fear mongering non stop.

    1. Michael Savage. com. But I wonder when are they going to come after podcasts,

      As of today, they can’t take your domain from you. But they can make sure that nobody can post any links from it on any of the big social media sites. And they can try to relentlessly hack your domain and as soon as it gets hacked then it gets blacklisted and everybody using any kind of anti-virus/firewall software will get a big warning if they try to visit your site. You can talk all you want and nobody can hear you.

  10. This lady is freakin’ nutso. And look at Coma Joe in the picture. Just WOW.

    Politics live updates: Pelosi says she spoke to Joint Chiefs chair about how to ensure ‘unstable’ Trump doesn’t launch strike

    In a letter to House Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she had talked with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the country’s highest-ranking military officer, about taking precautions to prevent President Donald Trump from launching a nuclear strike.

    This woman is psychotic and deranged.

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/08/politics-live-updates-donald-trump-joe-biden-capitol/6590781002/

    1. Why were these senators and staffers silent when private business owners across the country were getting their businesses and real property destroyed during riots, but so vocal when it came to the DC?

      1. Anarcho-tyranny

        Its purpose is to hammer home the notion that the people are powerless and at the mercy of the state. And you’d better comply, or our shock troops will pay you a visit. And don’t even think of defending yourself. If you do we’ll arrest you, lock you up and throw away the key.

      2. Colin Powell calls for Trump’s resignation ‘as quickly as possible’: ‘He should be totally ashamed of himself’

        Isn’t this the guy who lied to the UN regarding Iraq’s supposed aluminum centrifuge tubing and yellow cake uranium in order to justify a US military invasion?

        1. Yes, but Iraq is now a thriving Jeffersonian democracy, as AIPAC’s neocon stooges promised it would be, so the tremendous sacrifice in American blood and treasure was worth it.

          Oh, wait….

    2. If anyone will launch a strike it will be the Dems, after their attempt to invade Russia fails.

    3. .@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as “a beautiful sight to behold” — it remains yet to be seen whether she will say the same about the recent developments in Capitol Hill.’

      China and others having a field day with this

    1. The FBI wants video footage of anyone and everyone inside and outside the Capitol so they can identify participants. But they didn’t care about video footage of election workers resubmitting stacks of ballots to be counted multiple times. WTF?

      1. You would think the arrest of the 22-year-old “SoHo Karen” who falsely accused a black kid of stealing her iPhone (after leaving it in her Uber) was national law enforcements’ top priority. Meanwhile, blatant, systemic electoral fraud takes place, and the cognizant law enforcement and judicial authorities don’t even pretend to investigate. Talk about misplaced priorities. That mentally unstable “Karen” can look forward to a wrecked life, while the architects and enablers of the election steal face zero consequences, at least in a court of law.

    1. I created a Parler account yesterday so I could follow people I was previously able to follow on Twitter without an account.

      1. I’ve been on Parler since early November. I don’t post my own content but I enjoy following people who have been banned or censored on globalist social media, and sometimes comment.

    2. Redhead, the article you linked talks about Apple potentially banning Parler from its App Store. One of the comments has a work-around:
      ————–
      “Open Safari
      Go to Parler web site
      Click on the Bookmarks icon
      Scroll down and select ‘Add to Home Screen’
      Bada Bing… FU Heir Cook, you scumbag… Had to do the same for InfoWars.”
      ———–

      1. Tucker Carlson just had on Parler’s Chief Policy Officer. It sounds like Google has already removed Parler from its App Store. It’s only a matter of time before the censors target the companies hosting the website.

    3. I’ve been following Sound of Hope. Last night they said utube has announced they will delete any content that mentions election fraud. They are setting up a platform on “safe chat” for when they get banned.

  11. Lindsay Graham At DC Airport Finds Out In No Uncertain Terms What His Future Holds

    https://www.bitchute.com/video/KlZxRJA3038X/

    ‘You Traitor” “Lindsay Graham you’re a traitor to the country” “You garbage human being” It’s is going to be like this forever where ever you go for the the rest of your life” “Piece of shit” “You son of a bitch” “You better enjoy gitmo” “F*cking asshole”

    1. The Establishment GOP accessories to the election steal might earn the fawning adulation of the corporate media and collect their 30 pieces of silver from the Deep State, but they better get used to hostility from the people they sold out.

      Snakes on a Plane: Mitt Romney edition.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O1j4sJIFzg

      1. Cops don’t allow convicted pedos to use smart phones or to have Internet access while on parole. So most use flip phones. Just sayin’….

    2. Ben Jones, can we have a post, maybe a weekend sub-thread, dedicated to educating the HBB about alternative social media platforms, censorship, privacy protection, and the use of sites like archive dot is to deny revenue to corporate globalist websites?

      I think this could be very helpful, and you could curate the thread into a guide / instruction manual, linked off the main site and linked in the sidebar of all future HBB posts you create.

      We are in a rapidly evolving online landscape, and in the interest of maintaining the primary focus of this blog on housing and the economy, this could serve as a useful reference point, to be edited in the future as needed.

      If you are interested please let me know how I can help.

        1. Related: given the MSM’s complete lack of credibility, and some of the more sensational yet BS information being spread around on the Internet, what truth-tellers on the Internet have gained a solid reputation for integrity and putting out accurate, meaningful information?

      1. We are in a rapidly evolving online landscape, and in the interest of maintaining the primary focus of this blog on housing and the economy, this could serve as a useful reference point, to be edited in the future as needed.

        I am steadily weaning myself off of Youtube. I want to starve all of these globalist election-frauding mothertruckers to death.

      2. I’d put money on the entire net being shut down around Jan 20. Start networking now with a plan if you dont have one already, gonna get spicy. My neck of the woods the plandemic is being used to shut down all social gatherings for the next two weeks. Uh, sure. Of course the statistics show this is a nothingburger and its just more fake over reaction just like the bleating over the rally on wednesday.

        I’d stock up on food too just in case.

      1. That BLM POS instigator was right there when Ashli Babbitt was killed? Son of a Bitch! Well if that’s the case he’s right about one thing, it’s time for a revolution.

    1. Where is this going? What is the end game of all of this?

      https://i.4cdn.org/pol/1610148806979.jpg

      Your blog has done so much, for so many of us. Getting on the path to personal financial freedom and life without debt is only the first step. But there’s more beyond that, it’s not just about money, it’s about autonomy, and striving toward what each own individual, citizen, taxpayer, and human (what’s left of it, what we’re allowed to have) defines for themselves as self-actualization…

    2. Comment

      Dukes
      Uhhhh, yeah.
      Law enforcement was in on it.
      And who else gained?
      The entirety of the criminal clown Congress.
      Surprise, surprise.
      Law enforcement Escorted 4 buses of ANTIFA straight in like they were celebrities.

  12. Dan Bongino is saying Parler has been shut down. It is long past time to recognize that the tech giants are the “domestic enemies” of the Constitution that every military member and veteran has sworn to defend the Republic against.

    1. The video I posted here described what I thought would be most people’s reaction to the CBS Evening News airing a story about John Sullivan, BLM extremist from Utah participating in the US Capitol undertaking.

  13. One of my neighbors got a pet Myna bird. My News Years resolution for 2021 is to teach it to say, “Realtors are liars.” Ben, if I succeed in this most noble of undertakings, you must promise to post the video I send you.

    1. Tucker Carlson just said that CNN wants to take FOX NEWS off the air, and they attacked Tucker.
      These power hungry fake journalist want one narrative and one narrative only , the fake narratives . Unreal

        1. Boo, ha ha.
          I think it’s important to teach birds to speak the truth, because humans won’t be allowed to.

      1. I can’t believe this is happening in America, “Home of the Brave, land of the free..”
        It’s amazing how the information society of high tech smart phones is now using fake narratives and censoring information as a weapon of mass destruction.
        Bill Gates who actually delivered a defective product that was hackable is now leading the charge on World wide vaccine taking.
        Maybe the people all at once should turn off these clowns in every way. Than they can just talk to each other.

  14. Talked to several people today about what has taken place, if I had to choose one word to describe them it would be seething.

    1. Seething at Trump (who they say is the root of all evil) or seething at the stolen election (which is the biggest crime in US history)?

      1. Seething at the stolen election which is the biggest crime in US history, having seen many of the same videos and witness statements that have been posted here and being told there is no evidence of voter fraud, the media being complicit in the cover-up, the Supreme Court not stepping in, what they (and I) perceive as a setup in what took place breaking in the US Capitol led by paid instigators is what seemed to be the major cause of their anger.

        I personally did not see any Trump seething.

      2. Seething at the stolen election which is the biggest crime in US history.

        I posted a much more in depth response but it and my info had disappeared when I came back to see if it posted.

        1. Biden is part of the Great Reset. He is in with Gates, Soros and Klaus Schwab. The ” Build back Better” is a Davos saying that Biden is using. Biden is into lockdowns until his Masters tell him what’s next.
          They actually intend to crash the economy and set everything up to their madhatter vision of some kind of top down control, One World Order. I heard that it will hit Europe first and World Leaders are on board with this plan. Trump was standing in the way of this plan that involves the resetting of debt.
          Schwab is a Commie, Soros wants UN to rule with open borders, and Bill Gates is just plain nuts. Gates wants
          to block out the Sun and force vaccines on the World.
          So, no doubt these control freak nuts had a hand in rigging the election.
          These are Hilter type weirdos that want their vision of a World.
          They are willing to cause all kinds of destruction, poverty, you name it , without firing a shot ,but by takeover.
          American people are standing in the way , so a total take down of the free speech is in process .
          How is this any different than a Hilter, Stalin or Mao type power grab?
          They no doubt corrupted Washington DC and all American institutions. The Medical Cartel is being used
          as a means to force control.
          Their narratives are false and absurd .
          Everything they accuse Trump of is what they are doing. Watch, they will pit vaccine takers against non vaccine takers, just as they pitted ethnic groups against each other.
          No doubt their 4th industrial revolution plan is they control resources and force their creepy control of life for the sheep.

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