A Lot Of People Are Selling And Unfortunately We’re Not Having Enough Buyers
A report from Mises.org. “The apartment investment industry—like many other asset classes—recently experienced a massive bubble. Peaking in the period from 2020 to mid-2022, this particular bubble was driven by multiple factors. As a proximate cause, risky bridge loans came to dominate apartment investment. These loans made short-term, high leverage, floating-rate debt the norm when acquiring apartment properties. As an ultimate cause, however, the American fiscal-monetary milieu of taxation, redistribution, artificially-low interest rates, and easy money—culminating in the creation of trillions of dollars out of thin air in 2020—provided the driving force.”
“Besides malinvestment and mispricing, the apartment bubble of 2020-2022 predictably gave rise to charlatans and crooks of many varieties. Riding high during the bubble, some of the most conspicuous syndicators have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Tides and GVA—led by their respective founders—are just the two most visible cases among apartment syndicators of poor decision-making and lack of moral clarity leading to massive financial loss. In a sector where 95 percent of the underlying property loans are facing some level of distress, innumerable apartment syndicators not only lost billions in equity for their investors, but are seeing their personal finances dissolve as well.”
Lost Coast Outpost in California. “A little over a week ago, the renters living in the Hillsdale Apartments, a three-story, 106-year-old building on E Street in Eureka, found a notice on their doors from the new owner, a corporation called Dwivedi Tower LLC. It says renters who do not agree with quoted fair market rent amounts ‘can choose to vacate the property on or before February 28th, 2025,’ adding, ‘A move out Notice is required by January 31st, 2025’ — a date just a few days after the notice appeared. Don Swall, a retired school teacher has lived in the Hillsdale Apartments for 18 years. Nearly 85 years old (his birthday’s in April), he said he’s been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and only recently finished treatment for esophageal cancer. ‘Everybody in the building is getting f#cked by this,’ he said. Swall has been paying $621 a month for his third floor, one bedroom apartment, and he said the $1,132 fair market rent — an 82 percent increase — would quickly make him homeless. ‘He’s been in the building, but the people I know who are as pissed off as I am just won’t talk to him,’ Swall said.”
“Before moving to the United States about a dozen years ago, Anil Dwivedi was a a Hindu priest and student of Sanskrit in his native India. Late last month Dwivedi closed escrow on the Hillsdale Apartments, which he bought for $1.65 million — more than half a million under the $2.2 million asking price. He said he posted the notices with fair market rent amounts so tenants could see that they’ve been paying way below the going rate. ‘I am struggling a lot,’ he said. ‘You know, my insurance, if I don’t pay the mortgage, which is, like, really huge for that building, if I don’t pay on the first it would go [into] foreclosure. If I don’t play sixty-plus-thousand dollars a year just on that building, it will go in foreclosure. So I am trying to stay afloat, sir.'”
The Washington Post. “It’s too soon to say how many of the thousands of homes destroyed in Los Angeles last month had too little insurance coverage. But surveys done by regulators and consumer advocates after past wildfires in California and Colorado suggest the majority of people who lost their homes in the fires will probably face this problem. ‘We fully expect it to be higher than two-thirds underinsured in L.A.,’ said Amy Bach, the co-founder of United Policyholders, a public interest advocacy group. When William Chandler’s grandfather died last year, he inherited a home in Altadena that had been in his family since the 1970s. He also inherited a roughly $2,700 bill from the insurance company to renew the policy on the house. Chandler said he couldn’t afford to pay it — he was already struggling with nursing home bills and funeral expenses.”
“He decided not to renew, thinking he would find another insurer. But every company he called was uninterested. ‘It was like an automated, ‘Oh, we don’t cover that area.’ he said. Chandler’s house was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, as were the homes of nine of his family members in Altadena. Like many other disaster survivors, he is hoping a combination of support from the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and a federal disaster loan will let him rebuild. Three days after the fire, his wife learned she is pregnant. ‘We’re definitely going to stay,’ he said. ‘I know it’s going to be a long road, but that would be my grandfather’s wishes.'”
From WFLA in Florida. “While many homes sit gutted or vacant because of insurance and funding delays, people who live on Lake Bonny are urging all leaders to work together to prevent another disaster. On Thursday morning, Diana Hoagland received her first payment from her insurance company so she can begin work on her flood-damaged home. She knows her neighbors are not as fortunate. The Lake Bonny Drive area is not part of a flood plain so flood insurance is not required. ‘We don’t want to be stigmatized as flood prone communities and watch our property values tank,’ said Hoagland.”
“Pam Smith provided pictures of her gutted home, which flooded for weeks after the hurricane. She said her homeowners insurance denied her appeal and a $10,000 check from FEMA will not cover the repairs and upgrades required. She said the city of Lakeland is not providing financial relief. Down the road, Misty Wells and her husband are also at a standstill. ‘Our flood insurance company is trying to deny fixing the foundation, and we obviously can’t rebuild the inside of the house without the foundation being fixed,’ said Misty Wells in January.”
From City News. “Quebec snowbird Michel Dubois and his wife Mariette have spent their winters in Florida for the last 14 years. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of a trade war with Canada has left a bad taste in Dubois’ mouth. He says he will change his habits when he leaves his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home in April to return to Saint-Lin–Laurentides, Quebec, about 60 kilometres north of Montreal. ‘We feel like our best friend betrayed us. And for me, when I return to Canada, I will discipline myself,’ said Dubois. ‘I won’t buy any Tesla. I thought about buying an electric car. I would buy the EV from Kia or from Toyota,’ he explained. For now, amid Trump’s mandate, the 78-year-old says he’ll keep his U.S. property, but won’t encourage others to come down south.”
“With a weaker loonie, Montreal-born real estate agent Alexandra Dupont, based near Fort Lauderdale, says snowbirds are trying to get rid of their Florida properties. ‘Right now, a lot of the Canadians are selling, no matter where they’re from, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,’ she said. ‘A lot of people are selling, mainly due to the dollar, the exchange rate, but there’s so many factors right now,’ she added. ‘The tariffs going on this week, Trump, a lot of different factors that I’m seeing, and unfortunately we’re not having enough buyers, especially in the condo market,’ explained Dupont.”
From USA Today. “The last thing Shane Poole wanted was to turn his back on the military life he loves. But Poole, an Air Force veteran who now works as a civilian trainer, says he’s lost all trust in the government as President Donald Trump pushes a now-or-never buyout on federal workers and Democrats seem powerless to stop him. More than a dozen federal employees told USA TODAY about their decisions to stay or go. Few were willing to go on the record, saying they were concerned about retribution. Some said they feared their buyout offers might be rescinded if they are quoted in the media. They’re weighing questions about mortgages, health care and college tuition, versus whether they could walk away with nothing if they stay and the administration follows through on threats of furloughs and layoffs.”
“Tony Yang, a 51-year-old IT specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Minnesota, decided to take early retirement rather than face a 125-mile commute each way to his office. Yang, who has worked for the federal government for eight years, had hoped to hold on until retirement and collect a full pension. Leaving now, he is giving up about $1,000 a month. At first, his wife did not want him to walk away from the security of a government job, worried how they would afford the mortgage, credit cards and other monthly bills. But after late-night conversations, they decided this was the best path forward, Yang said. ‘It was a hard choice. Honestly, I love my job and I didn’t want to leave yet. I am sad to leave my team,’ Yang said. ‘But I feel like I have to settle for this.'”
“A Health and Human Services employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation said some are worried about finding a new job if the market is flooded with thousands of former federal employees at the same time private companies are laying workers off in multiple industries. Even though pressure has increased on federal employees, with some agencies warning that layoffs are likely if not enough people take the offer, she and her husband − who both work for the federal government − don’t plan to do it. She said their work helps the American people. They also need their jobs to cover their mortgage, student loans and other financial obligations.”
Business in Vancouver in Canada. “Mortgage brokers and alternative lenders are playing a bigger role in B.C.’s residential real estate sector, as cost-conscious homebuyers seek more financing options and turn to non-traditional products that suit their needs, goals and wealth strategies. Meanwhile, alternative mortgage products have shed their stigma and are increasingly prevalent, especially for short-term strategies or shortfalls. The disparity between interest rates on traditional versus non-traditional mortgages has narrowed, as industry players grow in size and sophistication.”
“The value of outstanding residential mortgages issued or held by non-bank lenders rose 19 per cent from $338 billion in Q3 2020 to $401 billion in Q3 2024, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. ‘Alternative banks … have been seeing an increase, definitely, in volumes over the years, and I think that trend will continue, especially because qualification is not getting any easier. ‘The alternative space has definitely grown over the years,’ said Eddy Cocciollo, president of Dominion Lending Centres and DLCG Mortgage Group. ‘I think Canadians are becoming more stretched.'”
“Dean Koeller, board chair of Canadian Alternative Mortgage Lenders Association (CAMLA), said alternative mortgage products are intended for what can be called ‘non-bankable’ transactions. Alternative lenders, who must comply with securities, anti-money-laundering (as of October 11 last year) and other regulations, can also provide the capital for equity take-outs, or the funds needed to close on a new home when one’s old place hasn’t yet sold, staving off default and litigation. ‘Mortgage-holders in our products tend to be between 18 and 24 months in length of time that they are using our products, so it’s a much shorter timeframe than you’d be with a bank or a credit union,’ Koeller said. ‘We really focus on the short-term opportunities and then transition people back into the bank where it makes sense and where it’s possible.'”
Blog TO in Canada. “Companies like Royal LePage may have wanted to dream that 2025 would be a year of improvements for Toronto’s real estate market after a rough many months, but so far, that wishful thinking has yet to become anywhere near reality. According to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) there were 7.9 per cent fewer homes changing hands over the course of last month than in January 2024, even with an astounding 70.2 per cent more active listings than the same time last year — a total of 17,157. New listings were up by nearly 50 per cent year-over-year. This is not a devastating blow to stakeholders at this point, but more a continuation of a very concerning trend, with dismal sales volumes continuing month by month in an overvalued, overhyped city that seemingly nothing could bring down.”
Domain News in Australia. “Nervous home sellers aiming to get the upper hand in a buyer’s market are starting to avoid holding auctions and choose private sale methods instead. More property owners are selling than usual for this time of year as investors offload assets, interest rates take a toll, and home owners take advantage of a slower market to upgrade, but private treaty sales are coming into favour for sellers. SQM Research founder Louis Christopher said the rise in listings appeared to be concentrated in the private treaty market. ‘It appears as though proportionally auction activity as a percentage of total listings is down,’ he said. ‘Normally in slower markets, or markets where vendors start to lose some confidence, they’ll generally tend to move to list towards a private treaty market rather than the auction market. The start of the year does suggest a little bit of loss of confidence by vendors.'”
“Some owners who decided to sell months ago still have not found buyers, which he said also affected vendor confidence. There are 20.7 per cent more stale listings – homes that have been sitting on the market for more than 180 days – in Sydney than this time last year and 19.2 per cent more in Melbourne. ‘That does suggest an ongoing decline in overall participation,’ he said. ‘So potentially less buyers out there, more than anything else.'”
“Buyer’s agent Nicole Jacobs, managing director at Cohen Handler in Victoria, has also noticed some sellers reluctant to go to auction in a buyer’s market. ‘Vendors are trying to protect their assets because they’re not on one day having a very public showing of what the market thinks it’s worth,’ she said. She said selling a home could be quite emotional for an owner-occupier, and some might take a lack of buyer interest personally.”
From Metro. “Getting on the ladder might seem like the ideal property step, but what happens if the moment the removal van drives away, you’re filled with regret rather than joy? That was just the case for Redditor @Adorable-Ad5715. After initially viewing their one-bedroom flat in Tromsø, Norway, they decided to put an offer in, which was accepted. ‘Everything felt right’ until a few days after they’d picked up the keys. That’s when the grief began to sink in.’ Looking back at the market, they felt that they overpaid and instantly regretted buying a one-bedroom flat, labelling it ‘not the right decision.’ ‘I’ve been extremely depressed. I feel like I’ve made the biggest mistake in my life, mainly due to the feeling of overpaying,’ they wrote in the r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer Reddit thread. ‘[I feel] that I should’ve gone for something larger. Now I just want a way out, [and] if that is paying 10,000 [Norwegian Krone] to cover the expenses of doing a new sale, I would pay that.’”
“They’re not the only buyer who regrets their purchase. @BiscottiTrick6497 is a first-time buyer and completed on their London flat in July 2024. The first few weeks in the flat were particularly difficult, as they discovered ‘various issues that didn’t come up in conveyancing and trouble with neighbours,’ but at the time, they decided to persevere as they simply had ‘no other choice.’ ‘I’ve been here just over six months now and I hate it here,’ they wrote in the r/HousingUK thread. ‘It doesn’t feel like ‘my’ flat, I avoid spending time here, and I’m living paycheque to paycheque because of the mortgage costs [£1,700 per month].’”
“Likewise, @treemun1 instantly hated their flat when they moved in. When they bought a flat three months ago, they paid more than they were expecting to as in their experience, ‘everything was selling quite fast at the time.’ As such, they were able to complete within just over a month – something which initially appealed to them. ‘A flat has gone up for sale in the same building and has been reduced to £7,000 cheaper than what I bought [for] because it isn’t selling,’ they penned. ‘I can’t help but feel like I overpaid now and it’s really affecting me day to day. I’m scared when I come to sell, I’m going to lose £10,000+ because of my own mistakes. I’m lucky that I have a well-paying job so I can probably absorb the loss, but it still hurts. I know I haven’t sold so it’s technically not a loss, but I keep thinking that way. All this is playing in my mind constantly and I just feel like an idiot.’”
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‘She knows her neighbors are not as fortunate. The Lake Bonny Drive area is not part of a flood plain so flood insurance is not required. ‘We don’t want to be stigmatized as flood prone communities and watch our property values tank’
Diana lives in Lakeland Florida.
The Mises.org and Eureka articles are worth reading in full.
‘he inherited a home in Altadena that had been in his family since the 1970s. He also inherited a roughly $2,700 bill from the insurance company to renew the policy on the house. Chandler said he couldn’t afford to pay it’
Again Bill, these poor bashtards in Florida are paying twice what you faced for insurance and their payout would be a fraction of what you would get.
he is hoping a combination of support from the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and a federal disaster loan will let him rebuild.”
Oh good luck with that
More like a “GoSchlongMe” page.
“…he inherited a home in Altadena…”
He’s used to “free,” so the $2,700 bill from the insurance company was ignored. Besides, he’s been lucky,,, nothing will happen.
“The apartment investment industry—like many other asset classes—recently experienced a massive bubble. Peaking in the period from 2020 to mid-2022, this particular bubble was driven by multiple factors.
The REIC shills in the garbage legacy media assure me that it’s different this time.
‘Leaving now, he is giving up about $1,000 a month. At first, his wife did not want him to walk away from the security of a government job, worried how they would afford the mortgage, credit cards and other monthly bills. But after late-night conversations, they decided this was the best path forward, Yang said. ‘It was a hard choice. Honestly, I love my job and I didn’t want to leave yet. I am sad to leave my team,’ Yang said. ‘But I feel like I have to settle for this’
First step to being a winnah! is put a padlock on yer fridge Tony. No eating expensive food! This article is pretty funny with the stamping of little feets.
And then he put down the bong…
“He’s already landed two interviews after just a week of job hunting. Federal employees like him who are taking the buyout are the highly productive and marketable people that federal agencies cannot afford to lose, he said.”
hahahahhahahhahaahaha
snort
maybe to all those NGO’s who just lost all their funding to continue the money laundering, pretty sure those “offers” disappeared, if they ever were.
Lettuce needs picking, get to it
First step to being a winnah! is put a padlock on yer fridge Tony. No eating expensive food! This article is pretty funny with the stamping of little feets.
The President of Brazil is actually telling Brazilians to do that:
https://x.com/disclosetv/status/1888225936031539628
As an ultimate cause, however, the American fiscal-monetary milieu of taxation, redistribution, artificially-low interest rates, and easy money—culminating in the creation of trillions of dollars out of thin air in 2020—provided the driving force.”
We will not have sound money, honest markets, or a future for our children as long as the criminal private banking cartel called the Fed controls our money issuance.
+1
END THE FED.
In a sector where 95 percent of the underlying property loans are facing some level of distress, innumerable apartment syndicators not only lost billions in equity for their investors, but are seeing their personal finances dissolve as well.”
Die, speculator scum.
Realtors are liars.
Realtors are liars.
‘In a sector where 95 percent of the underlying property loans are facing some level of distress’
That’s some sound lending right there.
90% of FedGov workers are Democrat-Bolsheviks, whose Marxist political ideology is incompatible with allegiance to the Constitution or the nation-state. The sooner these termites in the foundations are purged from their FedGov positions, the sooner America can be restored as a Constitutional Republic under the rule of law.
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1888045812594438318
‘Right now, a lot of the Canadians are selling, no matter where they’re from, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,’ she said. ‘A lot of people are selling, mainly due to the dollar, the exchange rate, but there’s so many factors right now,’ she added.
Gosh, I fear this could put downward pressure on property values.
Gold hits new highs as the Fed’s debasement of the currency shows no sign of abating under Trump.
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1887988009603318223
USAID workers who used taxpayer dollars to fund every radical-left organization and agenda on the planet can now collect their pink slips, unburdened by what has been.
https://x.com/liz_churchill10/status/1888060517203210389
Globalists & their political prostitutes are in full-blown panic mode over the shut-down of USAID. The globalists & Deep State might belatedly be figuring out that the 2020 election steal was a massive miscalculation, as Trump 2.0 goes scorched earth on Panem on the Potomac.
https://x.com/Artemisfornow/status/1887930755353035103
I loves me a good schlonged FOMO FB cautionary tale the first thing in the morning.
https://x.com/VladTheInflator/status/1887814761901142428/photo/1
Wow, schlonged is right! LOL
“how do I mentally stop the dark thoughts from the loss in value ?”
Bluto’s Advice to Flounder
https://youtu.be/b-EdiXP87uE?si=Hx1tNZ4oniFU6BJ6
Democrat Party Daddy Warbucks George Soros, who has devoted his life to the destruction of Western Civilization, got $260M from USAID.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/02/06/soros-linked-institute-received-260-million-from-usaid/
A quarter of a billion dollars stolen from U.S. taxpayers. Disgusting.
Once the 2020 election steal is legally acknowledged, I hope the Presidential Medal of Freedom is revoked from both George Soros and Hillary Clinton, seditionists cut from the same bolt of cloth.
I thought that was Sorros”s thing, steal money from countries and then use their own money to destroy them from within.
Rancho Palos Verdes is a bastion of high-net-worth libtard Boomers who have contributed disproportionately to California’s descent from former Golden State to commie-malgoverned dystopia. Now they expect taxpayers to come to their rescue as their multimillion dollar shacks are in danger of sliding into the sea. File this under “Not My Problem.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/real-estate/article-14363911/california-rancho-palos-verdes-landslide-NASA.html
I’m confused as to why this is a government problem????????
I’m also confused by the people that say that government can stop a mountain from moving.
ti’s all worthless and it’s all going to be a “nature preserve”
“Nervous home sellers aiming to get the upper hand in a buyer’s market are starting to avoid holding auctions and choose private sale methods instead.
I smell fear. Is that you, FBs?
There are 20.7 per cent more stale listings – homes that have been sitting on the market for more than 180 days – in Sydney than this time last year and 19.2 per cent more in Melbourne. ‘
Get to sawin’ and slashin’ like you mean it, greedheads, iffin’ you want to unload those alligators.
She said selling a home could be quite emotional for an owner-occupier, and some might take a lack of buyer interest personally.”
Mr. Market doesn’t care about your feelings or delusional wish price, greedheads.
John Fetterman: Democrats may not win back white men.
By UnHerd Staff.
https://archive.ph/c9f2x#selection-977.0-985.12
Democratic Senator John Fetterman has claimed that it may not “possible” for the party to win back white men.
In a new interview with Puck’s Tara Palmieri, Fetterman offered a stark assessment of the Democrats’ ability to regain support among white male voters. Asked about how the party could win white men “like himself” back, Fetterman responded: “I’m not sure if that’s possible, to be honest.” He then warned that support among that demographic had been “seriously eroding for a while”. What’s more, “In some cases, people don’t even want to say it publicly […] but they just feel like the other side seems to be saying, ‘Men are the problem.’”
The Pennsylvania Senator, who won a close race in a swing state that backed Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, noted that many working-class white men feel talked down to by the Democratic Party. He argued that the party’s messaging has relied too heavily on “shaming and scolding”, which has driven voters towards the Republican Party, particularly in battleground states.
“Their primary currency was shaming and scolding and talking down to people,” Fetterman said. “Telling them, ‘Hey, I know better than you,’ or ‘you’re ignorant,’ or ‘you’re a bro.’ And then by the way, ‘They’re fascists. How can you vote for that?’”
Fetterman’s remarks highlight a growing concern among Democrats about their ability to remain competitive in blue-collar regions that have shifted Rightward over the past decade. He pointed out that many voters prioritize cultural and identity-based issues over specific policy proposals and that Trump has successfully tapped into those sentiments.
“The 2024 election was not about obscure policies. It was a gut-check kind of vote,” Fetterman explained. “People are asking themselves, ‘Who is going to protect or project my personal view of the American way of life?’”
Fetterman also addressed the broader Democratic response to Trump’s administration, cautioning against overreacting to every move the President makes. “We’re a little over two weeks in and now they’re in full-on freakout mode,” he said. “You have to choose which things you’re going to fight against and which things you’re going to ignore.”
He warned against excessive reliance on protests and social media outrage, urging Democrats to focus on long-term political strategy instead. “If we become a boutique kind of proposition, we’re going to lose the argument,” he said.
Despite his concerns about Trump’s policies and executive actions, Fetterman emphasized that this is what the country voted for. “What has limited our power is democracy,” he said, pointing to Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.
Fetterman is the only person I know who had a stroke…
And got smarter.
The globalist pulpit prostitutes that have been facilitating the Great Replacement are seeing their taxpayer funding cut off.
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2025/7-february/news/world/episcopal-migration-ministries-loses-federal-funding-as-trump-cracks-down-on-refugees
Are mortgage rates finally settling down to levels that make the rate daters happy?
DOW 30 -0.99%
S&P 500 -0.95%
NASDAQ 100 -1.30%
Why bond yields are spiking after the January jobs report
Jennifer Sor Feb 7, 2025, 8:44 AM PT
NYSE trader looking at screen
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
– Bond yields spiked after the January jobs report.
– While hiring in January was weaker than expected, other data indicates a strong labor market.
– Markets increased bets that the Fed will keep rates steady
– Bond yields shot up on Friday as markets took in the January jobs report.
…
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/jobs-report-bond-yields-fed-rate-cuts-unemployment-rate-wages-2025-2
Yahoo Finance
Consumers might finally be accepting higher-for-longer mortgage rates
The share of potential homebuyers and sellers expecting rates to fall dropped sharply in new Fannie Mae survey.
Claire Boston · Senior Reporter
Fri, February 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM PST 2 min read
Today’s higher mortgage rate reality is finally sinking in with potential homebuyers and sellers.
As average 30-year mortgage rates have stayed stuck around 7%, the net share of consumers who believe they’ll fall in the next 12 months declined sharply in Fannie Mae’s latest survey on housing market attitudes.
Just 35% of respondents polled by the mortgage giant in January now expect mortgage rates to drop, down from 42% in December and a survey-high 45% in November. The share of consumers who think rates will rise jumped to 32%, from 25%.
…
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/consumers-might-finally-be-accepting-higher-for-longer-mortgage-rates-153207313.html
HousingWire
Inventory
634,979-1,601
30-yr Fixed
7.10% -0.01
Housing Market
Mortgage Rates
Mortgage rates remain high due to labor market resilience
Otherwise mortgage rates could be near 6% instead of 7% today
February 7, 2025, 3:34 pm
By Logan Mohtashami
The labor market is showing signs of softness but is not breaking down yet, which has kept mortgage rates higher for longer. Since 2022, my guiding principle has been that the labor market is more important than inflation in determining mortgage rates. For those seeking lower mortgage rates, it’s more essential to see the labor market breaking than to just see improvements in inflation.
Today’s jobs report affirms that the labor market, especially in the private market, has been getting softer, but it hasn’t broken yet. This is the reason mortgage rates are around 7% and not around 6% today.
From BLS: Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 143,000 in January, and the unemployment rate edged down to 4.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, retail trade, and social assistance. Employment declined in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry.
Let’s dive into the fascinating world of labor market trends and what my analysis reveals after the revisions for 2024 and today.
In December 2023, we hit a milestone in the labor market: non-farm payroll employment passed 157 million! In my COVID-19 recovery model, I discussed that once we got to 157 million people employed, the natural curve of the labor market should slow down toward 140,000-165,000 new jobs per month as we approach 159 million in total employment.
A natural slowdown seems inevitable as we reach the 159 million employment mark. However, we didn’t see this happen until we got the negative revisions for 2024. Again, the theme holds: the labor market is getting softer but not breaking.
Now, let’s review the data with all revisions applied:
– 2024 jobs: 166,330 monthly jobs, 12-month average. (Slightly above my estimates)
– 2025 jobs: I am looking for a job growth trend of 133,000-151,000 monthly this year.
A significant issue is what happens to government workers this year: how many are laid off or receive buyouts? The situation will be challenging in 2025, especially since a critical growth driver in 2024 was government jobs, while manufacturing jobs were lost during the same year.
Private payroll data, which excludes government jobs:
12-month average: 132,000
6-month average: 145,000
The key metric for me in 2025 is the residential construction workers — not just this year but for the next four years. As you can see below, this sector is vital to economic cycles.
Job openings data
The Federal Reserve has observed a significant decline in job openings data, which is one reason they initiated a rate-cut cycle starting at 0.50% and have already implemented a 1% cut. It’s not just the job openings; the rates of quits and hires are also at low levels. This data came in weaker than expected this week. It’s important to note that the Fed values job openings data, as I do, even though many people have a negative view of this labor market indicator.
Jobless claims data
Among all the labor reports, the jobless claims data is the most significant indicator. Every labor market downturn following World War II has seen this data line drop sharply. Since 2022, I have advised against discussing a potential recession until this data line reaches 323,000 on the four-week moving average and breaks through that threshold. As of today, the four-week moving average stands at 217,000.
Below is the headline jobless claims data.
Overall, this jobs week has revealed a consistent trend that has been apparent for over a year: the labor market is softening but remains resilient. Wage growth has stabilized, and the surprising increase in government jobs created in 2024 has contributed positively to job growth. However, it is unlikely that this trend will continue into 2025.
Additionally, the 10-year yield currently stands at 4.50%. Fortunately, the spreads are better this year; otherwise, we would be discussing mortgage rates approaching 8% instead of around 7%.
…
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/mortgage-rates-remain-high-due-to-labor-market-resilience/
What denialists like Logan don’t mention is that the labor market break they await to produce lower mortgage rates would most likely be accompanied by falling housing demand, due to labor market weakness.
It’s checkmate for the rate daters.
“30-yr Fixed
7.10%”
Still stuck above 7%…
New York Times (via Archive) — As Ground Shifts, ‘Flailing’ Democrats Struggle to Find Footing in Diversity Fight (2/8/2025):
“Just weeks into the Trump administration, Democrats are grappling with how to stand up for diversity and defend marginalized groups that have come under assault from the White House, without allowing their party to be defined or marginalized by those fights.
But Democrats are struggling to marshal an effective response. They are debating, publicly and privately, when to push back, how to push back and what, exactly, to push back on.
“The party is flailing,” said Rashad Robinson, who recently stepped aside after years of leading Color of Change, a progressive civil-rights group.
For years, Democrats believed that they held the moral and political high ground in defending the value of a diverse and multicultural America. Mr. Trump’s exploitation of racial grievances, they assumed, would inevitably lead him to a demographic dead end, by capping his appeal to the growing nonwhite population. But the 2024 election upended those assumptions, as Mr. Trump not only won the White House but also sharply improved his standing among nonwhite voters.”
https://archive.ph/cvAZq
Flailing. Democrat Party has lost the male vote, specifically the young male vote, regardless of ethnicity. Young men are well aware that Democrat Party has nothing for them, nothing but insults and condescension.
When your entire political party is based on blame/shame and playing the race/victim card…
There can be only one top victim and ALL the rest will then hate you for not making them the top victim.
And you implode.
After two months of silence, Hawk Tuah girl bawls out an insincere apology to all the crypto baggies who got scammed out of millions on her crypto pump & dump. How is this scam digital gambling token any different than all the others?
https://x.com/FearedBuck/status/1887672887030501494
Did Elizabeth Holmes cry?
She doesn’t even blink
Do you expect bailouts when the AI bubble pops?
Tech
Paul Krugman says the AI boom reminds him of the dot-com bubble and predicts it may end with a ‘giant tech-bro bailout’
Theron Mohamed Feb 8, 2025, 1:49 AM PT
REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Paul Krugman says the AI frenzy has shades of internet mania — but might not finish with a devastating crash.
Krugman, a winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, said in a Substack post this week that the heady valuations of some technology stocks and the mass excitement about the future reminded him of the internet craze.
Even so, he wrote that “while AI fever bears a lot of resemblance to the dot-com bubble, the end game may be quite different.”
The former MIT and Princeton professor highlighted two key differences. One is that in his view, dot-com exuberance partly reflected investors’ hopes that startups would become “highly profitable quasi-monopolies” that benefited from huge network effects, like Microsoft. Yet the stars of the AI revolution are the Magnificent Seven, a group that largely fits that bill already.
“I don’t know whether people realize how anomalous this is,” Krugman said. “Historically, major new technologies have tended to disrupt the existing market hierarchy; this time, investors are in effect expecting radical new technology to reinforce that hierarchy.”
Krugman, who resigned as a New York Times columnist in December after nearly 25 years, questioned whether AI would make the incumbent tech titans more profitable when they’re already so dominant.
He said they might even generate less income if they have to pour money into AI to defend their positions, especially if they’re overspending.
The other big difference is that Silicon Valley was largely divorced from politics a quarter-century ago, Krugman said, whereas now Big Tech bosses like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have close ties to the government.
Krugman said that Tesla stock — which has surged more than 12-fold since the start of 2020, valuing the company at $1.2 trillion or north of 12 times its annual revenues — “makes sense, if at all, only in terms of Elon Musk’s apparent role as co-president.”
…
https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-krugman-ai-boom-dotcom-internet-bubble-crash-musk-bailout-2025-2
Jamie Dimon issues a warning about the US stock market — says prices are ‘kind of inflated.’ Here’s 3 rock-solid ways to crashproof your portfolio
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., Dec. 6, 2023.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Jing Pan
Updated Feb 7, 2025
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon isn’t one to sugarcoat his views on the economy — and his latest take on the stock market is anything but reassuring.
“Asset prices are kind of inflated,” Dimon told CNBC on Jan. 22 at the World Economic Forum. “I’m talking about the U.S. stock market.”
His concern isn’t without merit. The U.S. stock market has been on a tear in recent years. Over the past five years, the benchmark index has skyrocketed over 80%, fueling fears that valuations may be running too hot.
Legendary investor Jim Rogers also warned last year that America was “long overdue for a problem” and that the next crash could be the “worst” in his lifetime.
If you share these concerns, here are some strategies to protect your portfolio.
Real estate
Dimon also expressed skepticism to CNBC about inflation cooling in the near future.
For investors looking to diversify beyond stocks and shield their wealth from the impacts of inflation, real estate remains a compelling choice.
Historically, property values tend to rise alongside inflation, reflecting the increasing costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income often climbs, providing landlords with a steady revenue stream that adjusts with the cost of living.
Of course, purchasing a property requires significant capital — and finding the right tenant takes time and effort. But thanks to new investment options, you don’t need to own a property outright to gain exposure to real estate.
For instance, platforms like First National Realty Partners (FNRP) allow accredited investors to own a piece of grocery-anchored properties without the hassle of finding and managing deals themselves – starting with a minimum investment of $50,000.
These are a few examples of past properties or acquisitions from FNRP. For a full list of currently available properties, visit the FNRP deal room.
FNRP properties are leased to national brands like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart. The Triple Net (NNN) lease structure of these properties means investors have the potential to collect stable, grocery-store-anchored income every quarter without worrying about tenant costs cutting into the bottom line.
Precious metals
When markets look shaky, investors often turn to gold. The precious metal has a reputation as a store of value and a hedge against inflation, economic downturns and stock market volatility.
Rogers has long been a proponent of precious metals as a hedge against uncertainty. In an October interview with Wealthion, he explained why he continues to hold gold and silver.
“I know from history that the world is going to have problems again … and when the world has problems … it’s nice to have some gold in the closet, or under the bed, have some silver in the closet,” he said. “Because no matter what, many people will turn to gold and silver in times of turmoil.”
Even though markets aren’t in crisis mode, investors have been piling into precious metals. Gold has climbed around 35% over the past year, reaching around $2,800 per ounce, while silver has posted impressive gains of around 36%, reaching over $30 per ounce as of February 2025.
One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is with a gold IRA.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an attractive option for those seeking to ensure their retirement funds are well-shielded against economic uncertainties.
Precious metals retailers might offer free gold, silver or other metals up to a certain amount when you make a qualifying purchase.
…
https://moneywise.com/investing/jamie-dimon-us-stock-market-inflated-crashproof-your-portfolio
Anderson man operated Ponzi scheme, stalked 2 social media content creators, DOJ says
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. —
An Anderson County, South Carolina, man could be headed to prison for operating a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme and stalking two social media content creators.
Michael J. French, 41, of Pendleton, has pleaded guilty and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, according to the United States Department of Justice.
A news release from the DOJ outlined the case:
“Evidence put forth at the plea hearing established that French owned MJF Holdings, LLC and MJF Capital, LLC.”
“Beginning in March 2019, through these companies, French offered promissory notes to investors that projected annual returns of 12 percent. He represented to investors that their funds would be used to provide loans to small businesses and that he had experience in the financial industry, including underwriting the loans in which the investor would be invested. French represented to investors that he would not receive compensation unless the promissory notes earned in excess of the 12 percent guaranteed to investors.”
“These were false representations. French paid previous investors with new investor monies because his investment product was not generating returns. This lulled investors into believing the product was successful, when, in fact, French was spending investor money to maintain a lavish lifestyle that included supporting female social media content creators by paying them thousands of dollars each month.”
“At one point, the content creators stopped communicating with French. He became angry with the women and began harassing them through various “burner” phone numbers and fake email accounts. French claimed that he was a sniper, had killed people, and that the police could not protect them. French traveled to one woman’s home unannounced, forcing her to hide in a locked vehicle in the garage with her 2-year-old child. She called 911 as French attempted to force his way into the home. He was arrested by local police before he could reach them.
“United States Chief District Judge Timothy Cain accepted French’s guilty plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office. French faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
https://www.wyff4.com/article/anderson-man-ponzi-scheme-stalked-2-social-media-content-creators/63705141
Feeding Our Future scheme: Woman sentenced to 3.5 years; 4 more defendants plead guilty
A flurry of new developments in the sprawling Feeding Our Future case came down on Friday, with one defendant learning her prison sentence and four others pleading guilty to their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme.
In federal court, Sharon Denise Ross, 54, of Willernie was sentenced to three and a half years (43 months) on Friday after she had pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud. She was originally indicted on 12 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering.
Ross was the executive director of House of Refuge Twin Cities, a St. Paul nonprofit that enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition. Prosecutors say she claimed to run a dozen meal sites throughout the metro, serving thousands of children daily with food provided by Minneapolis restaurant Brava Café.
The owner of Brava Café, Hanna Marakegn, was among the first Feeding Our Future defendants to plead guilty.
Ross spoke to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in May 2022, a few months after House of Refuge’s sponsors had been cut off from receiving further reimbursements.
“It’s devastating to know that we were doing a program that was benefiting so many families so that their children could eat a good, nutritious meal every night,” Ross said at the time.
Investigators, however, found Ross had grossly exaggerated the number of children her nonprofit served.
From September 2021 through February 2022, Ross claimed to have served 900,000 meals through House of Refuge, receiving $2.4 million in reimbursements. Court documents state she sent thousands of those funds to family members and used the rest to fund a life of luxury, including vacations to Florida and Las Vegas and to purchase her home in Willernie.
At the sentencing on Friday, Judge Nancy Brasel said Ross “used a position of trust in the community” for her own “flagrant personal gain.” At the conclusion of her prison sentence, Ross will be placed on three years of supervised probation.
Also on Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota announced four more Feeding Our Future defendants had submitted guilty pleas throughout the week.
Abduljabar Hussein, 44, of Shakopee, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after he and his wife, Mekfira Hussein, defrauded $8.8 million through the nonprofit Shamsia Hopes. Mekfira Hussein pleaded guilty last week to the same crime.
The Husseins used the money to pay off the mortgage on their Shakopee home and purchase new cars, including a Porsche, a GMC truck and a Tesla. As part of the plea agreement, they will forfeit those vehicles, the $173,438 that was applied to their mortgage and the rest of the money they had defrauded.
Three other defendants, Zamzam Jama, 50, of Rochester; Mustafa Jama, 48, of Rochester; and Asha Jama, 42, of Lakeville, all pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering for establishing shell companies to disburse ill-gotten funds they received through the Federal Child Nutrition Program.
Prosecutors say the trio deposited more than $2.3 million into shell companies and then used that money on personal spending “that had nothing to do with feeding children.” The defendants are accused of using federal funds to purchase properties in Minnesota, Ohio and on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast.
Out of 70 defendants charged in the Feeding Our Future case, 33 have now entered guilty pleas; another five were convicted at trial. Opening statements in the trial of two other defendants — Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and Safari Restaurant owner Salim Said — are scheduled for Monday.
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/feeding-our-future-scheme-woman-sentenced-to-3-5-years-4-more-defendants-plea-guilty/
“From September 2021 through February 2022, Ross claimed to have served 900,000 meals through House of Refuge, receiving $2.4 million in reimbursements. Court documents state she sent thousands of those funds to family members and used the rest to fund a life of luxury, including vacations to Florida and Las Vegas and to purchase her home in Willernie.”
Reminds me of BLM founder Patrisse Cullors.
Some WA electric vehicles programs suspended by Trump administration
The Washington State Department of Transportation stands to lose $102 million in federal grant money earmarked to install chargers for electric vehicles (EV) on highways across the state after a directive issued by the Trump Administration and the Federal Highway Administration Thursday for state transportation directors to suspend their parts of the $5 billion federal program.
Todd Myers, with the Washington Policy Center, a non-profit think tank that promotes sound public policy based on free-market solutions, said the suspension is good news after a recent study conducted by WPC showed the state’s EV program has cut transportation-related CO2 emissions by only 0.03%. “And what our research found was that the $45 million that Washington State spent on subsidizing EV purchases did almost nothing,” said Myers.
“I think the challenge has become that EV’s have become very political because they’re a symbol of doing something about climate and some people don’t like them because they’re a symbol of a climate agenda they don’t like,” said Myers. “Especially if you think climate change is serious, you shouldn’t want to waste money on things that don’t work.”
https://mynorthwest.com/local/wa-electric-vehicles-program/4042078
San Francisco Fillmore Safeway store closes for good after one-year reprieve
Despite the outcry of the neighborhood over the past year, the Safeway grocery store on Webster Street in the Fillmore District is officially closing its doors on Friday.
Local residents said they are devastated that the store they have been going to for decades will be gone.
“I’m picking up my prescriptions, because this is the last day they are going to be open for prescription pickup,” area resident Palmer Sessel told CBS News Bay Area.
He added that walking past all the empty shelves in the mostly deserted supermarket gave him an eerie feeling.
“It was a great blow to me, and people in the neighborhood. Particularly people with lesser incomes,” Sessel said.
Safeway had said theft and safety concerns prompted them to close the location. The closure was initially announced over a year ago in January 2024 when officials said the land would be purchased by Align Real Estate and used for a housing development.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/san-francisco-fillmore-safeway-store-closes-for-good-after-one-year-reprieve/ar-AA1yD5n8
That was a nice store too. <—clickable
Another London Breed success story!
Sacramento Report: War with Trump Overshadows California Legislature
I wanted to preview upcoming state legislation for this week’s newsletter. But a look at our local delegation’s offerings shows slim pickings, other than bills we’ve covered earlier this month. The rollout of new legislation is slower this year than last. And many of the first batch of bills are essentially placeholders, signaling the lawmakers’ intent to address topics such as housing or homelessness, without providing details.
There are a few reasons for that. It should surprise no one that the chaotic first weeks of the second Trump administration has taken up much of the real estate on news pages. It’s also monopolizing the time and energy of California politicians.
Gov. Gavin Newsom convened a special session on “Trump-proofing” the state but then softened his tone after the Los Angeles fire forced him to negotiate for disaster aid. Nonetheless, the legislature passed a $50 billion bill package Monday, including $25 million to fight President Donald Trump’s policies in court and another $25 million to assist immigrants facing deportation.
Republicans balked at the legislation, saying it distracts from those bread-and-butter priorities and is also really bad timing.
California Senate Republicans protested that it was foolish to spend “$25 million waging legal warfare against the newly elected president, while we simultaneously beg for his assistance with wildfire recovery.”
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/02/07/sacramento-report-war-with-trump-overshadows-california-legislature/
Before the Trump administration closed USAID’s doors, the agency regularly routed funding to causes aligned with George Soros’ nonprofit empire, terrorists and drag queens.
In recent days, the Trump administration identified USAID programs ranging from contraceptives for Afghanistan to LGBT diversity programs for European countries as clear evidence that foreign aid needed to be paused and reevaluated, a task that fell to the Rubio State Department.
The development agency for years also funneled money to several nonprofit groups that also received substantial backing from components of George Soros’ empire. Some previously came under scrutiny during the Obama administration for “democracy promotion” and judicial reform efforts in European countries that critics claimed promoted leftist politics.
For example, U.S. government spending records show that the East-West Management Institute, which is in part backed by Soros’ Open Society Foundations, received more than $260 million over the years in grants from USAID to, among other things, promote the rule of law in Georgia, strengthen civil society in Uganda, and advance Serbia’s accession talks with the European Union.
That same nonprofit group came under scrutiny during the Obama administration after Judicial Watch uncovered government records and communications showing that the East-West Management Institute’s “Justice for All” campaign in Albania received $9 million in funding from USAID.
The assistance concerned several GOP Senators, who sent a letter to the newly appointed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2017, alleging the campaign funded by the U.S. government helped craft an Albanian judicial reform proposal that may “give the Prime Minister and left-of-center government full control over the judiciary.”
Other Soros-backed organizations that received funding from both his Open Society Foundations network and USAID include the Anti-Corruption Action Center in Ukraine and Transparency International.
According to the group’s own records, the Anti-Corruption Action Center began receiving funding from USAID the same year the Maidan Revolution overthrew Ukraine’s elected, Russian-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. The group, by its own admission, was heavily critical of Yanukovych’s government and ministers, which aligned with U.S. State Department policy at the time. During the 2014 Maidan Revolution, then-Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland visited Ukraine and was recorded on a leaked phone call discussing how the United States could influence the formation of a new government in Kyiv.
House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., also flagged other examples of USAID funding, including $15 million for condoms sent to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and over $3 million for “being LGBTQ in the Caribbean.”
The government watchdog overseeing the agency also warned USAID’s leadership in a stinging January memo that it had created serious “vulnerabilities” by doling out billions of tax dollars to overseas countries and groups without fulling vetting for terrorists. That inspector general’s report also determined that USAID grants were being insufficiently monitored.
In one egregious example, a Syrian national was charged by the Justice Department last year for diverting more than $9 million worth of humanitarian aid paid for by USAID to a designated terrorist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The suspect, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, was the head of a Syrian nongovernmental organization that employed 160 individuals and was awarded $122 million by USAID between January 2015 and November 2018, according to the Justice Department. That money was designated to pay for food kits for Syrian refugees fleeing conflict zones.
During this contract, the Justice Department alleges Al Hafyan worked with co-conspirators to funnel “millions” in food kits on the black market to the Al-Nusra Front, a local Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria that is also designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
In another example, food aid in Ethiopia was diverted to warring armies in the Tigray region. According to reporting from Reuters, the UN’s World Food Program — a close partner of USAID — was aware that aid was being stolen from its programs for years before the discovery. In all, thousands of tons of USAID-funded grain shipments meant to feed the hungry in the midst of the civil conflict were diverted.
https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/it-was-shuttered-usaid-routed-funds-soros-causes-terrorists-and
The Hill — Congress must prevent a mass-amnesty for COVID fraud (2/8/2025):
“You were the victim of a crime over the past five years. We all were. And today, the person who committed that crime is about to get away with it.
That’s because this March, the five-year statute of limitations on COVID-era fraud prosecution is set to expire. Criminals are about to walk away with hundreds of billions of dollars, and Congress has just weeks to make a simple fix to demand accountability.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has introduced legislation to extend the statute of limitations on these crimes from five years to 10. This same extension was already passed in 2022 for fraud in two other COVID programs, and allowing this reform to cover unemployment fraud already has the support of prosecutors and senior Republicans.
But if Congress fails to act, criminals will walk away with as much as $135 billion in government checks the recipients aren’t eligible for. That’s more than the entire budgets of 48 states, and twice the annual spending of the State Department. It’s more money than Bank of America, Target or AT&T make in a year.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/5130998-covid-era-fraud-statute-of-limitations/
There’s nothing green about the ‘green’ agenda
Now that the Democrats have lost their lock grip on power, what’s a green activist to do? It’s almost comical how the climate left is trying to cloak their agenda in terms they think will melt in Republicans’ ears.
For example, Jennifer Granholm, energy secretary in the Biden administration, recently penned an opinion piece arguing that President Donald Trump is playing right into Communist China’s evil hands by killing off America’s green economy.
Translation: The left is furious that Trump has halted the flow of billions of taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize electric vehicles that nobody wants and only the well-off can afford. The new president is killing the “green economy,” as Granholm puts it.
If the climate movement was truly sincere and intellectually honest in its desire to stop actions contributing to global environmental degradation, it would stand fast against solar panels and electric vehicles. There is nothing green about the climate left’s solutions.
There is nothing environmentally friendly about using enslaved children in the Congo to mine cobalt for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in EVs. They labor with crude tools and bare hands, breathing in cobalt’s toxic dust in cramped pits. Runoff infused with cobalt and other chemicals contaminate the water supply. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, green activists sit blithely unaware or unconcerned in the comfort of their own homes. They are saving the world, they smugly assure themselves, while children suffer in an environmental hellhole.
Far removed from U.S. environmental standards, Indonesia is the center of mining and refining nickel, an essential component in EV batteries. Pea soup-thick brown emissions shroud nickel smelting operations in the Indonesian island of Sulawesi as well as the coal-fired plants that fuel them. Processing waste and chemicals potentially leach into the ground. Dust residue from both ubiquitously blanket nearby communities, while waterways tainted by mining operations have red cast.
Whatever else climate activists may try to tell us, there is nothing green going on here.
In Brazil, near the mouth of the Amazon River, a factory refines bauxite into what eventually becomes aluminum. It had been the source of aluminum in the Ford F-150 Lightening, the company’s now cancelled all-electric pickup truck. A lawsuit alleges that toxic elements, including aluminum and other heavy metals emanating from the refinery, have been responsible for cancer, birth defects, neurological dysfunction, digestive disorders, skin conditions, and increased mortality.
How can an EV be called green or good for the environment when it’s making thousands of Brazilians sick?
Elsewhere in Brazil this past Christmas season, Brazilian authorities shuttered construction of an EV factory when it was discovered that its builders were working under “slavery”-like conditions. How is that a green virtue? Perhaps green dogma holds that human worth and dignity are small sacrifices that must be made for the common good.
Solar energy, long the prize pig of the climate crowd, isn’t green either. The fact that destroying forest land for solar arrays is bad for the environment should be obvious. Studies have found “the loss of carbon-dioxide gobbling forests for solar installations results in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.” Nor should wind farms be considered remotely green when wildlife is being killed and habitats are being disrupted. The same is true offshore, with a number of whale deaths associated with mammoth wind operations.
The same folks pushing “green” have been disingenuous from the start. In 1970, they assured us that human activity would cause an ice age by the 21st century and that we’d be under food rationing by 1980. Acid rain was a crisis until it wasn’t. Then global warming became the crisis, with much of New York City to be underwater by 2019.
In 2008, Al Gore prophesized that the North polar cap would be gone in five years. It wasn’t. In 2009, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown proclaimed,” We have fewer than 50 days to save our planet from catastrophe. Spoiler alert: We’re still here and thriving.
Their seemingly endless lies have been accompanied by Orwellian word games, moving from “global warming” to “change.” Now the Newspeak has shifted to “extreme weather and “overheating.
The truth is there is no green energy. No energy is clean. No energy is dirty. There are only challenges, solutions and tradeoffs. At the time of already high energy costs, choosing reliable, fossil fuel-backed energy is of paramount importance.
Word sophistry from our friends on the left won’t change that.
https://www.oleantimesherald.com/commentary/theres-nothing-green-about-the-green-agenda/article_b1ccec9e-e58d-11ef-b63b-cbffe6ee0127.html
Florida depends on Canadian visitors. Will Trump’s trade war turn them away? | Column
The U.S. and Canada are sparring over trade policy. The fact that the two countries are close allies makes the fracas seem all the more nasty.
Thankfully, the adversaries agreed to retreat to their respective corners for 30 days, but they haven’t left the ring. The trade fight is delayed, not over, not yet, at least. There’s a chance the rhetorical tussle will begin again soon.
When our friends fight, one common reaction is, “What the heck just happened?” The second is, “How is this going to affect us?” In this case, “us” is Florida.
Locally, Tampa International Airport boasts 70 nonstop weekly flights to Canadian cities during peak tourist season, the most to any foreign country. About 350,000 people flew on those flights last year, and the airport plans to add a nonstop flight to Vancouver in June.
Ron Valbracht sees the dispute as mostly Trump talking tough, and Canadian leaders feeling obligated to respond. The longtime snowbird from the Canadian province of Ontario, who spends part of the year in Dunedin, thinks the two sides will work it out without imposing draconian tariffs
“There is trouble enough in our world without making trouble between two great friends,” said Valbracht, 76, who has wintered in Florida for 28 years. “I think it will all go back to normal soon.”
Steven Fine wasn’t as sure. He is president and managing editor of Snowbird Advisor, a Toronto-based organization that provides tools and services for Canadians who want to spend their winters abroad. Many of his members aren’t happy with the heated language and talk of “wars” and retaliation, he said.
In dealing with the U.S., Canadians can feel like the underdogs, picked on by a vastly larger superpower. The U.S. economy is more than 12 times the size of Canada’s. No one likes to feel bullied or disrespected.
“There is definitely a large number of snowbirds who have a negative sentiment at the moment,” he said. “How that will translate, we won’t know for a while.”
Remember, they are here for a reason. Canadian winters are long, dark and cold. It was 8 degrees in Montreal last week and 2 degrees in Winnipeg. Valbracht had to travel back to Ennismore, Ontario, for a few days recently. He found 2 feet of snow on the ground. The temperature plunged to minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
“I never want to feel that cold again,” he said. “It’s too much.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/florida-depends-on-canadian-visitors-will-trump-s-trade-war-could-turn-them-away-column/ar-AA1yE0Bc
Elon’s DOGE | A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity 8 min
I worked at Tesla starting in July of 2017 as an Operations Analyst out of the Bethlehem, PA distribution center facility and left as a Program Manager based out of Austin, TX as of September 2021. I spent most of my time in the distribution and supply chain organizations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34OSNilRsdE
Interesting point of view.
Reduce our dependence on the U.S.? Sure, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds
Bliss is it in this dawn to be alive! The onset of the (temporarily suspended) War of Twenty-Five has produced a surge in Canadian patriotism and national feeling, of a kind not seen in many decades.
Recognizing both the gravity of the Trumpian threat and the opportunity in the public passions it has unleashed, a bevy of commentators, left and right, have emerged with prescriptions for what Canada can or must or will do in response. As always, these prescriptions tend to be restatements of whatever the speaker had previously believed, only more so.
Thus, if you are on the left, the current crisis just proves the need for an industrial strategy, with subsidies for targeted industries and tighter restrictions on foreign takeovers and forced repatriation of pension funds’ overseas investments, and so on. And if you are on the right, it clearly confirms the need to slash taxes, cut red tape, speed up approval of energy projects etc., etc.
But what everyone seems to have concluded is that our world has changed, irrevocably. The country we thought was our friend and ally has turned, inexplicably, into our enemy. Our great national advantage, the foundation of our economic, defence and foreign policy for decades – proximity to the world’s biggest superpower and largest consumer market – has turned into our biggest liability. Never have we been more vulnerable, or alone.
The sense of shock has been palpable: shock, followed by fear, followed by resolve. In the short term, there is a debate over what mix of emollience and retaliation can stave off disaster, buy us time. But in the longer term, everyone now recognizes that things must change.
Not only can we no longer rely on the Americans to defend us, or even to live by the trade agreements they sign with us, but we must at least entertain the possibility that they will seek to dominate us, to use their size and might to harass and threaten and attack us, to exploit our dependence upon them for narrow national advantage.
Perhaps the sort of overt bullying we have experienced under Donald Trump will pass when he does. But it’s also possible that it will not – that the damage he has done will be permanent, that America will never again be the guarantor of the peaceful, law-abiding, trade-based international order of which both we and they have been such beneficiaries, but instead will constitute one of the main threats to that order.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-reduce-our-dependence-on-the-us-sure-but-its-a-lot-harder-than-it/
America will never again be the guarantor of the peaceful, law-abiding, trade-based international order
Everyone thinks they are entitled to a trade surplus with the USA
A surplus on stuff we already have in this country, and we pay for their defense to boot.
the damage he has done
Ironically, the damage is self inflicted. Given the choice of seriously helping stop the drug gangs in North America or take tariff sanctions, Canada apoplectically jumped at the tariffs as first choice.
Trump’s pursuit of a ‘golden age’ jolts Canada to confront its growth problem
For the Trump administration, tariffs are part of a plan to reshore manufacturing jobs and finance tax cuts on the backs of trading partners. In a speech to the World Economic Forum days after his inauguration, Mr. Trump laid out how he intends to use both carrots and sticks to usher in a “golden age” for the United States.
“My message to every business and the world is very simple: Come and make your product in America, and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth,” he said. “But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.”
There’s little that can be done in the immediate term to offset a trade shock. Emergency supports will help cushion the blow for affected industries and workers, but permanent policy changes will be needed to keep the country competitive.
In many industries, Canada can be a difficult place to invest and get things built, whether that’s expansive energy projects or simple apartment buildings.
Canada ranks well behind most other developed countries when it comes to how long it takes to obtain construction permits, for example. The latest international comparison by the World Bank, from 2020, found it took 249 days to obtain a permit to build a warehouse in Canada, more than three times longer than in the U.S.
Three years ago, investment lawyer Jesse Goldman was in Singapore when he met with representatives from a mining company that had received approval for a mine in Australia in just 36 months. By contrast, the company had been waiting 13 years to get approval for a much smaller project in Canada.
“They’re still waiting. We have all the elements of a good economy to invest in, but then we tie up capital for decades at a time,” said Mr. Goldman, a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP who specializes in competition and international investment.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-trumps-pursuit-of-a-golden-age-jolts-canada-to-confront-its-growth/
In many industries, Canada can be a difficult place to invest and get things built, whether that’s expansive energy projects or simple apartment buildings.
We thought things were bad under FJB (and they were), but in most of what is left of the first world it is far worse. Regulations piled upon regulations, huge taxes (20% VAT in the UK), etc. It’s like they want to fail.
they want to fail.
Consider that our failure may be their success.
I wonder what went through the Euro leftist leadership’s minds when Cameltoe’s campaign went down in flames.
I’ll bet MexPrez and red diaper baby Claudia Sheinbaum spent most of November cursing her bad luck and then planning how she would bend the knee to Trump while saving face in Mexico. She probably spent some time reassuring cartels that she is on their side.
EDITORIAL: Thanks, but Canada is full
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to have devised a solution for the Middle East that sounds more like a real estate deal than foreign policy.
At this point, with a fragile ceasefire in place and Gaza laid to waste, this could be another of Trump’s opening salvos in a negotiating war in which only he knows the ultimate goal.
Buried deep in the discussion about Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians be removed from Gaza and that it be rebuilt and turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” was a proposal by an Israeli cabinet minister that should be deeply troubling to Canadians.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X that he’s instructed Israel’s military to draft a plan to evacuate “any residents of Gaza who wish to leave,” to be resettled to willing countries abroad.
“Countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration program, have previously expressed willingness to take in residents from Gaza,” he said.
Well, thanks, but no thanks. Canada is full right now. We have a housing shortage, a doctor shortage and a youth unemployment rate of 14.4%. We certainly aren’t going to welcome people who cheered Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Canada’s resettlement program for Gazans is limited to those who have relatives here and is capped at 5,000.
Last October, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally realized he’d botched immigration and put a sharp pause on it, saying, “We didn’t get the balance quite right.”
Canada will reduce the number of permanent residents this year by 21% — from a previous target of 500,000 to 395,000.
Yes, we have a strong private refugee program. That was also paused in November to clear a backlog.
Trump has expressed major concerns about security along America’s northern border. Does he really want to import two million angry Gazans to live across the 49th Parallel from him?
We hear Greenland and Panama are nice at this time of year.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/editorial-thanks-but-canada-is-full/ar-AA1yClCN
We certainly aren’t going to welcome people who cheered Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
No one wants those MF’s. Everyone knows they’re bad news.
Manitoba Tory candidate won’t apologize for joking that polar bears could deal with homeless
A candidate for leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives says he won’t apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Wally Daudrich made the comment earlier this week in the Manitoba capital while speaking at one of the meet-and-greet events he has held recently.
Daudrich, who runs an ecotourism and polar bear tour business in Churchill, Man., said there’s no homelessness issue in the northern town for obvious reasons.
He told the event that his plan is to bring 10 polar bears to Winnipeg and release them in front of the legislature.
A party member who was at the event, Thomas Rempel-Ong, says there’s no reason to joke about vulnerable people becoming bear food.
Daudrich’s comment, first reported by CBC, came at the start of his speech Wednesday evening.
“I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don’t have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?” Daudrich is heard saying on a video of the meeting posted on social media.
“When there’s serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the (legislature) … and let them have at ’er.”
In an interview Friday, Daudrich said he won’t apologize.
He said homelessness is primarily caused by drug addiction, and he’s against drug addiction.
“Obviously being out on the streets has serious repercussions and that is the point of the comment,” he said.
“It’s a joke. There’s no apology. I’ll probably say it again next week.”
Rempel-Ong, a Winnipeg resident who volunteers with an agency that serves the homeless, said he was taken aback when he heard the comment.
“In my world, you don’t joke about feeding homeless people to the polar bears.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-manitoba-tory-candidate-wont-apologize-for-joking-that-polar-bears/
Manitoba Tory leadership candidate jokes about letting polar bears loose to combat homelessness
Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party leadership candidate Wally Daudrich joked to a group of party members this week he could reduce homelessness in Winnipeg by letting polar bears loose downtown.
Daudrich, who operates ecotours to view polar bears east of Churchill, on the coast on Hudson Bay, made the comment as a joke during an appearance at a Winnipeg hotel on Wednesday night.
He made the comment about homelessness and the dangerous land carnivore minutes into a speech at the Park West Inn in Winnipeg’s Charleswood area.
“We have a homeless crisis here in Winnipeg. I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don’t have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?” he asked, eliciting laughs.
“When there are serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the Ledge,” Daudrich said, referring to the Manitoba Legislature.
Churchill, which bills itself as the polar bear capital of the world, sits alongside a stretch of Hudson Bay coast where the large, seal-eating mammals congregate every fall before the bay freezes over.
Daudrich, who operates the ecotourism company Lazy Bear Expeditions and the hotel Lazy Bear Lodge, said he made it very clear he was joking.
“I don’t feel like I try to style my speech or my exact words to be 100 per cent locked solid tight, that I can never be criticized,” the candidate said Thursday in an interview from his home near Morden, in southern Manitoba.
“If people want to criticize me on that, they have to understand obviously nobody’s going to be moving polar bears around.”
Daudrich cited addictions when asked to clarify what he meant when he described homelessness as a lifestyle.
“Homelessness largely is a result of drug addiction and we need to deal with the drug addiction issue in Manitoba, especially in Winnipeg,” he said.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization, said Friday in a statement Daudrich’s comments “trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent” are hurtful and perpetuate stereotypes.
Such statements “ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity,” CEO Jason Whitford said.
“Homelessness is not the result of a ‘bad lifestyle,'” he said, but of issues like a lack of affordable housing, mental health challenges, trauma and systemic inequities. “These issues require solutions, not ridicule,” his statement said.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/manitoba-tory-leadership-candidate-jokes-about-letting-polar-bears-loose-to-combat-homelessness/ar-AA1yAoYa
In Canada , you can’t refer to a person who drinks too much ,as a drunk, because they consider that condition as a disability,that would be disrespecting them , and they cut big monthly checks for that , between 2-3 K a month , think the idea is to supply a drunkard with the means to do themselves in…..
think the idea is to supply a drunkard with the means to do themselves in
It’s what the FJB regime was doing with the fentanyl “trade”
75% of fentanyl overdose victims are white males. That is a demographic Biden & the Democrats wish view as disposable.
Prince was an exception.
As Victor Davis Hanson said the other day, fentanyl has claimed the lives of 750,000 Americans.
Foolproof Ways To Avoid Getting Deported
The Babylon Bee
23 hours ago
ICE is no joke. If you want to avoid getting caught and deported, use one of these 10 clever tricks to slip away undetected. Very bueno!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTN6M1EtPuc
2:39. “Take off your sombrero.”
Don’t deport my mother in law!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rdtil7uOMFA
ROTFLMFAO!!
Too funny, 🙂
ICE raids Liberty restaurant and detains at least 12 workers, Clay County sheriff confirms
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a Mexican restaurant in Liberty on Friday, detaining at least 12 employees and impounding two boxes of employment documents, according to a network of Kansas City immigration nonprofits and attorneys.
Multiple ICE agents showed up to El Potro Mexican Restaurant at 116 Stewart Court and told managers that they were searching for a child sex offender, according to Kansas City immigration attorney Michael Sharma-Crawford.
“As far as we can tell, they didn’t find anyone that was a child sex offender,” Sharma-Crawford told The Star Friday afternoon. “But then they decided that they needed to check the fingerprints of at least 12 employees.”
Sharma-Crawford, through his role with advocacy organization Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance, is part of a local team responding to and sharing information about ICE raids organized by the nonprofit Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR).
Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said he learned of the ICE activity at the Liberty restaurant from a family friend, after the individuals had already been detained. He said his office was not part of the operation.
After the operation, Akin was able to speak with HSI agents. He said they told him that they were there to locate a person who had federal warrants for child sex crimes and that the person was not a legal U.S. citizen.
While at the restaurant, agents told Akin that they conducted a “worksite enforcement operation,” which is an investigation to ensure businesses have I-9 documents for every employee.
Agents detained the person accused of sex crimes and 12 other employees, according to Akin. He said he did not know if these individuals would be deported.
As far as AIRR and the response team know, agents did not provide a search warrant or any documentation proving they were searching for a sex offender, Sharma-Crawford said. Agents also confiscated two boxes of employment papers from the restaurant.
“They say they got consent from an owner,” Sharma-Crawford said. “But we’re not sure if the consent was predicated on the fact that there was a sex offender there, or if that person really had the ability to give consent.”
Heightened anxiety around ICE sightings have led to some false reporting spreading through online communities in recent weeks, Sharma-Crawford said.
“The community is on tenterhooks,” Sharma-Crawford said. “They’re all nervous, so they see ghosts everywhere.”
“This is again an example of knowing what your rights are,” Sharma-Crawford said. “The right to remain silent…the right of a business owner to refuse entry to people, to demand documents. If someone shows up at your business and says, ‘I’m here to arrest a sex offender’ – who is that? Especially when you’re conducting your lunch business and people are still sitting there eating lunch while this all occurs.”
The detained workers were placed in ICE custody and “taken downtown,” Sharma-Crawford said. He said he still has several key questions about the agents’ behavior and the people detained on Friday.
“Who are they looking for?” Sharma-Crawford said. “What gave them the authority to just round up 12 people, other than they were brown and working at a Mexican restaurant? That’s not sufficient.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-raids-liberty-restaurant-and-detains-at-least-12-workers-clay-county-sheriff-confirms/ar-AA1yCU1a
Agents detained the person accused of sex crimes and 12 other employees, according to Akin. He said he did not know if these individuals would be deported.
This is what Border Czar Homan said would happen if local gov’t provided “sanctuary” protection to violent felons who are also illegals: they would detain all other illegals present when the felon was present.
I’m sure the local mayor, city council and other local officials decried the detentions and deportations as actions that spread fear in the “community”. The mental gymnastics required to label illegal invaders as part of the “community”, often prioritizing them over citizens, are mind boggling, but I guess that as long as local voters keep re-electing it will be business as usual.
Dumver spent over $300M in 2024 on helping illegals, money that could have been spent on making Denver safer. I wonder how much of that money began as USAID money.
USAID money
or FEMA money. Cookie jars all the way down.
Pretty sure that commercial operations don’t have the right to refuse to be searched. I know it’s true with trucks. cars yes (I refuse to be searched). Trucks no (commercial vehicles), you can cry all you want, they are searching it simply by being used in commerce.
Is it possible to have a complete collapse of housing demand with no effect on prices?
Time will tell…
US housing market faces historic decline
“We’re witnessing the biggest collapse of homebuyer demand in US history”
By Jonalyn Cueto
06 Feb 2025
The US housing market is in the midst of a downturn, with mortgage applications plunging to historic lows and home affordability reaching critical levels, president and CEO of First American Properties Michael Eisenga noted.
“We’re witnessing the biggest collapse of homebuyer demand in US history,” said Eisenga in a recent analysis. Mortgage applications have dropped by 63% since their pandemic peak, a figure that surpasses the declines seen during the 2008 financial crisis. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, applications remain down by 52%.
The “crisis” has been attributed to the combination of high home prices and elevated mortgage rates. During the pandemic, low mortgage rates spurred demand, pushing prices higher. However, in today’s market, those same homes have become unaffordable for many potential buyers. A home purchased for $400,000 in 2019 with a 3.5% interest rate resulted in a monthly mortgage payment of $1,796. That same home today, priced at $500,000 with a 7.26% mortgage rate, would cost $3,416 per month—an increase of $1,600 that many households cannot afford.
Eisenga highlighted that while mortgage rates around 7% are not historically abnormal, they are now compounded by home prices that are 80% above long-term averages. This results in the highest inflation-adjusted housing costs seen in 134 years. Even during the 2008 housing crisis, price levels were not as extreme as they are today.
…
https://www.mpamag.com/us/news/general/us-housing-market-faces-historic-decline/523686
Red counties who have no voice in states run by the Party of Soros can opt out of the corruption & Communism by breaking away and joining up with the free states.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/illinois-counties-secession-vote-indiana-j-b-pritzker-todd-huston-5a93d624
I wanted to give you all an update on our community efforts to shut down an annexation and development in Colorado Springs. It’s called the Karman Line Development and the city council voted 7-2 in favor of annexing and approving this development. Well, our citizens group has got a petition going to gather signatures. We need over 18K to get it done, and we have collected a few thousands signatures in the first 2 days. If you are a resident of Colorado Springs, seek out the petitioners that have safety yellow to sign the petition. We are doing our best to overturn the ordinance and if necessary give the citizens the ability to vote on it in a special election.
OMG!! Taylor Swift BANGED her head on the glass as she GOES CRAZY CELEBRATING Travis Kelce touchdown
https://youtu.be/qDdvBXrPYZQ?si=y641pa5mKT2Zn3k6&t=36
I can only wonder (hope?) if Taylor Swift would dislocate something in a premature celebration if what happened to Jackie Smith in the Super Bowl years ago happened to her boyfriend tomorrow on the last play of the game leading to a 6 point loss.
Jackie Smith drops sure touchdown in Super Bowl
https://youtu.be/VbO2wlxYeWw?si=zuX8dBmb7LOLCpaA
It occurred to me with all this news lately that Soros didn’t get pardoned. With these fantastic amounts of money he received, I hope he crossed all the T’s in the paperwork, etc.
It occurred to me with all this news lately that Soros didn’t get pardoned.
Very interesting point. Spending the rest of their lives in court.
‘Dwivedi was a a Hindu priest and student of Sanskrit in his native India. Late last month Dwivedi closed escrow on the Hillsdale Apartments, which he bought for $1.65 million — more than half a million under the $2.2 million asking price. He said he posted the notices with fair market rent amounts so tenants could see that they’ve been paying way below the going rate. ‘I am struggling a lot,’ he said. ‘You know, my insurance, if I don’t pay the mortgage, which is, like, really huge for that building, if I don’t pay on the first it would go [into] foreclosure. If I don’t play sixty-plus-thousand dollars a year just on that building, it will go in foreclosure. So I am trying to stay afloat, sir’
You gave the seller an a$$ pounding and yer still losing yer a$$ Anil. How do you like those 8% cap rates now?
‘Wells and her husband are also at a standstill. ‘Our flood insurance company is trying to deny fixing the foundation, and we obviously can’t rebuild the inside of the house without the foundation being fixed’
They found a loop hole to fook you Misty. Insurance doesn’t work if they have to pay out.
‘I think Canadians are becoming more stretched’…alternative mortgage products are intended for what can be called ‘non-bankable’ transactions. Alternative lenders, who must comply with securities, anti-money-laundering (as of October 11 last year)…funds needed to close on a new home when one’s old place hasn’t yet sold, staving off default and litigation. ‘Mortgage-holders in our products tend to be between 18 and 24 months in length of time that they are using our products, so it’s a much shorter timeframe than you’d be with a bank or a credit union,’ Koeller said. ‘We really focus on the short-term opportunities and then transition people back into the bank where it makes sense and where it’s possible’
Most corrupt real estate market on the planet
Crosby Stills Nash — Long Time Gone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS3l_TwPNRY
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — Almost Cut My Hair:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lk2KHajp4Y
‘Jacobs, managing director at Cohen Handler in Victoria, has also noticed some sellers reluctant to go to auction in a buyer’s market. ‘Vendors are trying to protect their assets because they’re not on one day having a very public showing of what the market thinks it’s worth,’ she said. She said selling a home could be quite emotional for an owner-occupier, and some might take a lack of buyer interest personally’
Most FBs take an a$$ pounding personally Nicole.
‘everything was selling quite fast at the time.’ As such, they were able to complete within just over a month – something which initially appealed to them. ‘A flat has gone up for sale in the same building and has been reduced to £7,000 cheaper than what I bought [for] because it isn’t selling,’ they penned. ‘I can’t help but feel like I overpaid now and it’s really affecting me day to day. I’m scared when I come to sell, I’m going to lose £10,000+ because of my own mistakes. I’m lucky that I have a well-paying job so I can probably absorb the loss, but it still hurts. I know I haven’t sold so it’s technically not a loss, but I keep thinking that way. All this is playing in my mind constantly and I just feel like an idiot’
Ennio Morricone – the ecstasy of gold
theItalyWiki
14 years ago
Ennio Morricone conducting his own composition, “The Ecstasy of Gold” from the film, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKFpaCMRWgU
3:45.
USAID NOT THE BIGGEST SCAM:
MUSK’S DOGE TEAM REVEALS THE BIGGEST FRAUD IN U.S. HISTORY—$100 BILLION STOLEN FROM TAXPAYERS THROUGH MEDICARE!
https://x.com/sxdoc/status/1887980348761333860
Elon Musk has detonated the most explosive revelation in history, A staggering $100 BILLION—siphoned from the American people, funneled through a system designed not to provide healthcare, but to fuel covert operations, line elite pockets, and sustain an agenda that was never meant to be uncovered.
With Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) peeling back the layers of corruption, Musk’s team has gained limited yet damning access to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency responsible for over one billion Medicare claims annually. What they’ve uncovered isn’t just a broken system—it’s a well-oiled criminal empire.
Medicare serves 68 million Americans, Medicaid another 73 million—one in four citizens trapped inside a system designed for plunder. Between June and October 2024, CMS was forced to suspend 850 agents and brokers for fraud, from unauthorized enrollments to illegal plan switches. These were not isolated incidents. They were part of a larger, calculated financial attack embedded in the very core of government healthcare.
The Justice Department has been aware for years. In June 2024, the DOJ indicted 193 defendants—76 of them medical professionals—in a $2.75 billion Medicare fraud operation. Yet these were only the foot soldiers. The true architects remain untouched, operating above the law. Since 2007, over 5,400 defendants have been charged, with more than $27 billion stolen.
The missing $100 billion isn’t missing at all. It’s been redirected into black ops funding, financing CIA shadow programs, experimental weapon development, and covert global influence campaigns. Big Pharma’s role is undeniable, using fraudulent Medicare payouts to keep hospitals, doctors, and insurers locked into their control. Stolen funds also grease the wheels of political machinery—untraceable slush funds financing election interference and opposition suppression. The laundering mechanisms are intricate, cycling through shell companies, offshore accounts, and private equity firms, ensuring those at the top remain untouchable.
Now, the Deep State is preparing its counterattack. The media is mobilizing a disinformation blitz, branding Musk’s findings as “exaggerated” and dismissing his team as “unqualified.” The DOJ and intelligence agencies are poised to retaliate, likely fabricating an investigation into Musk’s access to CMS data under the guise of “national security concerns.” Expect sudden SEC probes into Tesla, antitrust pressure on SpaceX, and government threats against Starlink—all calculated moves to silence him.
The evidence itself is in danger. Cyber warfare and “system glitches” could conveniently erase key data before the public ever sees it. If that fails, personal attacks are inevitable. Expect leaks, “anonymous sources,” and strategically timed scandals designed to discredit Musk before the truth fully surfaces.
This is the moment that will determine who truly controls America. The $100 billion Medicare heist is more than just financial fraud—it’s a revelation that threatens to unravel the entire power structure. If the full extent of this operation is exposed, it won’t just shake Washington—it will collapse the entire corrupt establishment.
This is the war Trump’s DOGE was created for.
The Media Is Lying to You About Their Government Funding.
https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/02/08/the-media-is-lying-to-you-about-their-government-funding-n2185377
Earlier this week, a scandal hit the political-journalism complex that was on par with the way the “payola” scandal rocked the popular music world in the 1950s; see NEW: Massive Press Scandal As USAID Funding for ‘Politico’ Revealed, and It Gets Worse From There. Analysis of open-source federal documents showed that many news organizations had received obscene amounts of money from the federal government in the guise of “subscriptions.”
[This is all you are going to get from me. The rest of the article contains some important charts; Hit the link to see the chats and read the rest of the article.]
[According to this article it was Hunter Biden who was running the White House during the Biden administration.]
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2025/02/08/report-who-was-really-running-things-for-joe-biden-n2185369
“some are worried about finding a new job if the market is flooded with thousands of former federal employees “
They won’t be your competition. Because private businesses are looking for people that can and will actually do something. They don’t have the luxury of taxing their customers or printing money.
These fat lazy federal welfare pigs need to find out what the real world is like.
Then there’s the odor of mendacity.
You can find that add for the apartment building in Eureka easy……
“Beautiful grand old building with very good rental history. Very well maintained and lots of updates. 29 units. 6 one bedrooms and 23 studios, plus 2 potential units (1 big studio and 1 two bedroom) in the basement to turn into more future rents. Basement is partially finished with 13 storage units. All units are separately metered for gas and electric. Laundry place inside the building. Good management team in place. Unit 1 is for on-site manager, no rent on it.”
It’s 106 years old so who knows what maintenance issues might lurk below the surface, but setting that aside he may have bought it at a good price. Separate electrical meters, but I assume water is on the landlord, but heck, 30 units, even at the $600-$700 per month is a good start. Once he throws all those old people out on the street, and fills it with immigrants that have good incomes from California handouts paid by the taxpayer, he will be just fine.
As for the old people, there is always gofundme
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