June 21, 2017

How Communities Became Commodities

A report from Bloomberg on Brazil. “Brazilian banks are wrestling with a growing pile of assets they’d rather not own: at least 13.8 billion reais ($4.2 billion) of cars, real estate, equipment and other collateral seized when borrowers defaulted on their loans. The total surged 42 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier at eight of the nation’s biggest lenders as fallout from the worst recession in Brazil’s history continues to weigh on banks’ finances, according to the companies’ financial statements.”

“‘With more time, banks can now hold off on selling those assets until they manage to get a better price,” Eric Barreto, a professor at Sao Paulo business schools Insper and M2M Saber, said in an interview. ‘But in the event of a liquidity crisis like we had at the end of 2008, those banks with a lot of real estate assets may face troubles.’”

From Postmedia News on Canada. “Alberta’s boom and bust economy has left Calgary with record numbers of newly built homes and condos that sit vacant as a massive stockpile of housing goes up for sale at the end of a recession. More than 2,000 new housing units were unoccupied in the Calgary area last month, the biggest inventory on record, driven largely by construction of apartment-style condos, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.”

“Many of the residential developments causing the glut broke ground in 2014, which marked the end of a boom with a dramatic slide in oil prices, triggering a prolonged recession. Todd Hirsch, chief economist at ATB Financial, said the major housing glut shows ‘we’re not ‘quite out of the woods’ after a bruising recession.”

From CNBC on Israel. “Israel will hold a lottery starting Saturday night to sell 15,000 apartments at reduced prices under a program to help ease starters into the housing market. One prominent critic of government policy on the subject warns that such measures at a time when prices are already showing signs of falling can lead to a rout in the market.”

“‘They take steps to curb the market but if the market is starting to fall, it will exacerbate the fall,’ says Elli Kraizberg of Barl Ilan university’s Graduate School of Business Administration. ‘Now when you find that the market is starting to fall, to prevent a 30 percent fall in the market, they should take steps that are the opposite of what they’re doing.’”

From Newsday. “President Robert Mugabe has stopped renting a luxury property in an opulent United Arab Emirates suburb, a top government official confirmed. While Mugabe’s spokesperson, George Charamba told the Sunday Times that the Zanu PF leader had been renting the property, in 2015 it was reported that First Lady Grace Mugabe had bought a house in the same neighbourhood for around $1 million, according to a Dubai estate agent, who claimed to have sold her the property.”

“The estate agent, who claimed he sold the Emirates Hills house to Grace, told the Sunday Times ‘anyone with a pile of cash could buy a villa in Dubai in no time, with few questions asked.’ ‘If you’ve got money in the bank, you can do a money transfer. If the money is in cash, which means it’s not legit, we have to find other means. But it’s not a problem,’ the agent was quoted saying.”

“Other famous residents of Emirates Hills include Asif Ali Zardari, husband of assassinated former Pakistani President Benazir Bhutto, who in 2004 was jailed eight years for shady arms deals and money laundering, and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, deposed by the military in 2006 before being charged with tax evasion in absentia.”

From Open Democracy on the UK. “This isn’t a story about the Grenfell Tower disaster. The causes of that are complex, and we don’t yet know them all. But it is the story of what’s happening to the homes and lives of ordinary people in London. It’s a story about how communities became commodities. And as criminal money pumps ever more air into the London housing bubble, driving up the prices in generally expensive areas, it’s no wonder that, to some, the relative value of the lives of the ordinary people who live there seem to diminish by comparison.”

“Writer Roberto Saviano is well-known world-wide as the leading expert in the Calambrian mafia. Saviano has written about crime in Italy and about international drug money. Of all of the places he’s researched, he holds particular contempt for one. Speaking last year, Saviano said: ‘If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth, you might tell me, well it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy and I will tell you it’s the UK.’”

The Dhaka Tribune on India. “According to a rough estimate of industry insider, on average prices of flats have seen 25% to 30% fall in the last couple of years after the bubble burst in 2012. A large reason for the drop in sales in recent years was that prices had remained artificially high in the decade and half before that because of the unregulated use of ‘black money’. Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh executive director Ahsan H Mansur said that ‘Huge black money invested in the property business was one of the reasons behind the creation of housing bubble for the last few years, and it was bound to burst sooner or later.’”

“Seeking anonymity, an economist said that a huge amount of black money is still being pump into housing sector. He argued that prices of flat remains high and beyond the reach of people only for allowing black money in the sector. According to law, untaxed money holders can legalise the money through construction or purchase of residential buildings or apartments by paying a 10% tax. Despite the criticism surrounding the opportunity to whiten black money, the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh wants investment of black money in the sector without questions being raised about its source.”

“The realtor platform claim that the number of unsold flats still remain above 10,000.”

The South China Morning Post. “The market has cooled sharply since March 17, when Beijing’s municipal authorities tightened rules such that those who had paid off previous mortgages would no longer be classified as first-time buyers. In addition, new caps on mortgage lending meant second home buyers had to put up a minimum payment of 80 per cent. A majority of prospective buyers were priced out due to the higher purchasing threshold.”

“Housing agents say transactions have slowed dramatically as sellers are reluctant to compromise much on price while buyers are sitting on the sideline waiting for bigger bargains. Meanwhile, more than 80 per cent of Beijing owners are reducing their asking prices, while just three months ago, 80 per cent were raising prices, according to property agent Homelink. In a reversal from three months ago, when home prices were rising regardless of layout, design, and building age, buyers now have a lot more negotiating power.”

From Your Investment Property on Australia. “Mainland Chinese investors are turning their backs on the Australian property market due to a series of measures designed to cool one of the world’s hottest real estate markets. This dip in foreign investment heightens the risk of a damaging correction in house prices. The federal and state governments’ latest moves targeting foreign investors mirrors similar measures imposed in other favoured destinations of Chinese investors, including Vancouver, Singapore, and Hong Kong. However, there are fears that our governments’ latest measures could push an already unstable market over the edge.”

“Sutono Pratiknya, a Sydney-based property sales consultant, said the new measures have sent a clear signal that overseas investors are no longer welcome. ‘We used to do five property tours a month, picking up a dozen investors from the airport and showing them our latest offering. Now, there’s nothing,’ Pratiknya said.”

“‘The fact is that a lot of developments hinge on foreign investment,’ said David Bare, the NSW executive director at the Housing Industry Association. ‘Applying these measures when the market is starting to cool is going to have a much greater effect than it might’ve 12 or 18 months ago.’”




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147 Comments »

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-06-21 05:01:47

‘Fancy a free shop fitout or six months rent free? They are just some of the sweeteners being offered up to potential tenants looking for office space in Brisbane as landlords battle one of the toughest commercial markets in years. High-rise buildings that once leased out at $1,200 per square metre are now going for $400 less.’

‘Raine and Horne commercial agent Hudson Dale said it could be six months between inquiries for office space at present. ‘It can be that ugly. In the city fringe it is a bit of a bloodbath,’ Mr Dale said.’

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-06-21 05:04:50

‘Brazil’s Caixa freezes cheap mortgage line as funds dry up’

‘Brazil’s state-run bank Caixa Econômica Federal, the country’s largest mortgage lender, suspended new low-rate housing loans due to lack of funds, the lender said in a statement late on Monday. Caixa had already suspended Pró-Cotista loans in May, but resumed loans shortly after the government injected it an extra 2.54 billion reais ($773.94 million).’

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 08:02:52

That is interesting. It probably means their central bank has shut down the printing press. Why? Perhaps fear of rampant inflation.

 
 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-21 08:00:51

Great story. What’s your take on the Yellowstone situation? Is it fear mongering or a genuine concern?

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 09:14:03

Regardless of what happens in Yellowstone there isn’t much we can do. It’s not like we can evacuate half the country. If it does erupt, the west coast will be the place to be, unless of course it triggers massive earthquakes there.

It’s kind of like sitting on an airliner barreling down the runway for takeoff. If something bad happens and it crashes there isn’t anything that you as a passenger can do except hope to be lucky.

 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2017-06-21 11:31:27

If it blows in our lifetime, back up the truck on prepper supplies. Wonder if it would disrupt the New Madrid fault too.

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 14:01:19

Depending on your location, you might need the mother of all bunkers.

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Comment by palmetto
2017-06-21 14:29:47

Yep, I dunno, I tend to discount it, especially since Michio Kaku, the granddaddy of all fear mongers, likes to give it a lot of air play, but I was reading the other day that the US actually has billions of dollars worth of contracts in place with Brazil, Argentina and Australia to take US citizens should the event occur. So some people apparently take it quite seriously. And it’s not like similar events haven’t happened before.

It would have made a lot more sense to bleed it off by using it for geothermal power. I once read that Yellowstone could power a good part of the US. But I guess the enviros would go crazy. I understand wanting to preserve the place as it is, but if it’s going to blow, what’s the greatest good? Bleed it off and supply some good clean power at cheap rates and end the need to mess around in the ME. So the petrodollar would go away, so what? Replace it with the volcanodollar.

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 15:28:46

but I was reading the other day that the US actually has billions of dollars worth of contracts in place with Brazil, Argentina and Australia to take US citizens should the event occur

Sounds more like a plan to evacuate the moneyed elite. I suspect that the unwashed would be left to fend for themselves.

Seriously, how could we evacuate tens of millions to the southern hemisphere when we wouldn’t even be able to evacuate them from where they live.

Say the average widebody jet can carry 350 passengers. To evacuate just 1,000,000 people would require almost 3000 flights. There aren’t that many widebody jets in the world.

There are 5000+ airliners in the USA, but most are short range narrow bodies that seat about 150.

Let’s say you can evacuate a million a day. I’m guessing at least 100 million would be affect by a mega eruption. Most would die before being evacuated. And it’s possible no one could be evacuated as the volcanic ash would probably ground the jets.

But the probability of this happening is negligible. It’s entirely possible that a single cone would erupt and relieve the pressure. Who knows?

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 15:33:55

Besides that, Brazil and Argentina are not rich countries. Australia has a population of 24 million and would struggle to take in even a quarter million Americans in a short period of time. I’d love to see the terms of these contracts. Would the US government pay billions to those countries to take in Americans? Would they be given time to do extreme vetting on the relevant Americans?

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-21 15:36:38

I have no clue, that’s why I asked. Like I said, just bleed off the sumbitch and distribute the cheap power, instead of poisoning half the planet. Probably too late, though, now that the earthquake swarms are happening.

There’s gomer tourists falling into the hot mineral springs and turning themselves into soup. Jeebus.

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 15:52:52

There’s gomer tourists falling into the hot mineral springs and turning themselves into soup. Jeebus.

Happens every year, I grew up there. Attempts to pet the buffalo are more entertaining. These days it’s usually caught on video or at least camera.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-21 15:59:43

“Happens every year, I grew up there.”

Are these genuine accidents like an oddball trip and fall, or is it more because of horsing around and being stupid in not observing safety procedures?

 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2017-06-21 16:29:51

‘Replace it with the volcanodollar.’

lol

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 17:33:43

Are these genuine accidents like an oddball trip and fall, or is it more because of horsing around and being stupid in not observing safety procedures?

There’s a variety, and a lot of times the only witnesses don’t say much so nobody knows for sure. But it seems like the majority of adults are intentional stupidity and kids/pets are accidents.

I think there’s part of the human brain that sees pretty blue water and doesn’t really believe it can kill you. They think it’s just kind of hot and you’ll say ouch ouch ouch and climb out and laugh about it later…like somebody flushing while you’re in the shower.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 18:07:43

I grew up near Niagara Falls, and you can walk right up to the water above the falls, where death is one step away. It’s a park.

We did harness that b*tch though Palmy. “Turn the falls back on during the day for the tourists.”

 
 
 
Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 11:58:20

If/when it blows, should be good for a 500 point rally, at least.

Comment by palmetto
2017-06-21 14:14:14
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Comment by nolookpass13
2017-06-22 04:33:30

Actually, the massive amount of volcanic ash released would be good for cooling the planet.
A win environmentally speaking but bad for life in the Northern hemisphere.

Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-22 09:23:43

Actually, the massive amount of volcanic ash released would be good for cooling the planet.

Are you sure that’s a good thing? It might be a tough sell to all the organisms including humans that freeze to death.

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Comment by nolookpass13
2017-06-22 09:37:30

Well, at least it would shut up all the global warming talk. LOL

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Mr. Banker
2017-06-21 06:22:12

“How communities became commodities.”

Hmmmmm … Wikipedia says this about “commodification”:

“Commodification is the transformation of goods, services, ideas and people into commodities, or objects of trade. A commodity at its most basic, according to Arjun Appadurai, is “any thing intended for exchange,” or any object of economic value.[1] People are commodified—turned into objects—when working, by selling their labour on the market to an employer.[2] One of its forms is slavery. Others are, the trading with animals and body parts through formalised or informalised organ transplant.[3]

“Commodification is often criticised on the grounds that some things ought not to be treated as commodities—for example education, data, information and knowledge in the digital age.[4]”

FWIW, and all that.

Comment by Mr. Banker
2017-06-21 06:42:42

If a college degree in needed in order to land a good-paying job then a college degree is something that, IMO, can be considered commodified.

If one has to go deep into debt to get this college degree, this commodity, then so much the better. Debt slaves are made in such a manner as this.

Comment by Mr. Banker
2017-06-21 06:44:57

Bahahahahaha … a puke needs a college degree in order to get a good-paying job and he needs this good-paying job in order to pay off his college degree.

A real Gotcha! situation.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 10:29:43

The more money you spend, the smarter you are. It’s science.

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Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 08:04:03

Except unlike a true commodity, you can’t resell the degree.

Comment by Avg Joe
2017-06-21 08:24:47

Well, what you resell is the labor. The degree itself isn’t the commodity, it’s the education.

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Comment by butters
2017-06-21 08:38:13

It’s NOT the education.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 09:05:04

It’s YOU. The degree is just a certification.

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 09:15:38

It’s YOU. The degree is just a certification.

Exactly, and some certifications are more equal than others.

 
Comment by somedewd
2017-06-21 12:21:25

95% of college degrees are completely worthless, as is the “education” obtained to get those degrees.

Learn a trade; get a job; keep a job.

 
Comment by rms
2017-06-21 12:35:10

“Learn a trade; get a job; keep a job.”

You have to work under the table if you want to earn a decent living in the skilled trades as an entrepreneur.

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 14:06:21

Some subs I know made a killing in the first bubble. One was just an HVAC guy who started his own biz with a couple of employees, he started fitting new construction with HVAC and his business grew a lot . After bubble #1 popped he lost his shirt, as he assumed that the good times and the easy money would never stop. Instead of saving money he bought a McMansion on acreage and had all the requisite toys, all on borrowed money.

 
Comment by butters
2017-06-21 14:32:27

Instead of saving money he bought a McMansion on acreage and had all the requisite toys, all on borrowed money.

They always do. Most people have no self control.

Do you even need self control when you have mommy yelling and papa bernaqe?

 
 
 
Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-21 08:45:45

As for debt slavery, that’s the real issue with making college free. Graduates won’t be nearly as docile and tractable. Indebtedness shuts people up, at least up to a point. We’re going to find out what that point is.

Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 09:07:22

Marriage, Mortgage and little Mouths to feed also tend to make people docile.

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Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-21 12:42:50

Also true. But debt impedes marriage and the creation of little mouths, at least among the financially responsible. I used to think that the fictional setting of Brave New World, where procreation was an assembly-line, asexual mechanical process under the auspices of the state, was morally impossible. Not anymore.

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 16:01:45

Marriage, Mortgage and little Mouths to feed also tend to make people docile ??

You speaking for yourself ?? Because In my case nothing could be further from the truth.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 18:33:37

I believe you Davey!

When I was young manager at the Moon & Stars place, they had a point system to asses how much a person could be taken advantage of.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by @AltFacts
2017-06-21 07:55:22

“Brazilian banks are wrestling with a growing pile of assets they’d rather not own: at least 13.8 billion reais ($4.2 billion) of cars, real estate, equipment and other collateral seized when borrowers defaulted on their loans.”

Obviously Brazil’s central bank and government sponsored enterprises need to step in to relieve the banks of their bad gambling debt.

Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 09:59:36

Obviously Brazil’s central bank and government sponsored enterprises need to step in to relieve the banks of their bad gambling debt.

That’s what I was thinking too. And if their bank can’t do it then some other central bank should do it for them, in return for the collateral of course. Maybe the Fed could own the whole world, not just the USA.

 
 
Comment by 2banana
2017-06-21 08:08:11

This guy is a piker if he doesn’t mention Philly and Chicago…

++++

‘If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth, you might tell me, well it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy and I will tell you it’s the UK.’”

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 09:19:57

As some have mentioned here, London is the money laundering capital of the world.

Chicago and Philly corruption are basically Tammany Hall varieties. The London corruption involves trillions of dollars/pounds/euros.

There’s a reason why apartments in the London Shard (the tallest building in London) fetch 50-60 million USD.

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 10:03:17

This isn’t because he thinks that the police in Britain generally accept more bribes than others, nor that our politicians stuff their brief cases with brown envelopes more than others. Rather, it’s because of the role of the City of London in laundering the proceeds of crime across the world. It’s because of the place that London takes at the heart of the planet’s biggest network of tax-havens and secrecy areas; which extends to our Overseas Territories, through the Crown Protectorates, and into the imperial metropolis itself.

A week or two ago I mentioned something like, “what do Canada and Australia and…” some other global bubble location have in common, and my answer was London. Maybe is was India? I think it’s interesting that they actually have a legal system for money laundering.

Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 11:01:12

Gibraltar, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are also British possessions.

 
 
 
Comment by 2banana
2017-06-21 08:12:49

What could go wrong…?

+++++

“‘The fact is that a lot of developments hinge on foreign investment,’ said David Bare, the NSW executive director at the Housing Industry Association.

 
Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-21 08:55:48

“Writer Roberto Saviano is well-known world-wide as the leading expert in the Calambrian mafia. Saviano has written about crime in Italy and about international drug money. Of all of the places he’s researched, he holds particular contempt for one. Speaking last year, Saviano said: ‘If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth, you might tell me, well it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy and I will tell you it’s the UK.’”
____________________________/

The West wants dirty foreign money, and the resulting asset price inflation, so badly that it is willing to indefinitely suspend the rule of law to get it.

And the commodification angle is not new; about fifteen years ago we stopped living in communities of people, and started living in communities of investments.

Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 11:03:41

The bankers and brokers also want the fees that they collect for managing funds and making trades and so forth.

 
 
Comment by 5andO
2017-06-21 09:01:16

Interesting video from San Diego, which is still “hot”, although I think the highest tier markets have already turned. The pool in the model home in the first part of the video freaks me out - a good earthquake could make things interdasting. Other thing is how all these new developments are in areas where big fires sweep through about every 3-5 years. Soooo glad I left that ‘burg years ago!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49hL6IyCdNM

Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 10:35:53

That pool does looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Jeeze.

 
 
Comment by PitchforkPurveyor
2017-06-21 10:34:37

“…the worst recession in Brazil’s history continues to weigh on banks’ finances…”

Hmmm, whatever happened to the expat poster in Brazil who constantly yammered on about how strong the Brazilian economy was, and what a great purchase his hovel turned out to be? Crickets… Maybe he’s related to Ibquirkydan.

Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 12:24:43

He’s probably mumbling “I could have sold anytime.”

 
Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-21 12:45:19

It was Rio American in Brasil. I’d like for him to return, even though I sometimes didn’t agree with him, because we share an American perspective on Latin America, and an ex-pat’s perspective on this country.

 
 
Comment by stewie
2017-06-21 12:11:29

YEAH!! ARM’s are making a comeback. T-minus 5 years and counting… BOOM!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/adjustable-rate-mortgages-make-a-comeback/

Comment by Rental Watch
2017-06-21 13:11:47

“It has taken a long time for ARMs to rebound, but that’s the situation today. “They’re about 5 percent of the market right now,” said United Wholesale’s Ishbia, “and we expect it to grow to 17 percent in two years.” That would still be only third of its former size, according to Black Knight Financial Services, which provides data and analytics to the real estate industry.”

So, we are at 5%, and at peak we were at about 50%.

Not much of a comeback.

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-06-21 13:34:18

‘Not much of a comeback’

Prices are high compared to incomes, somehow. Vultures like complacency though.

 
Comment by stewie
2017-06-21 13:39:34

Give it time cupcake, give it time. They’re putting up $300k homes down the street from me where the median family income is $45k.

 
 
Comment by PitchforkPurveyor
2017-06-21 13:12:05

Why on EARTH would somebody want an ARM in an environment of extraordinary, historically low interest rates? They really only have one way to go - UP!

Comment by stewie
2017-06-21 13:30:03

Exactly, and the FED’s already raised them 3 times this year.

Comment by stewie
2017-06-21 13:34:06

Well, since December anyway.

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Comment by butters
2017-06-21 14:12:45

And they will lower it in 2019/20.

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Comment by Mr. Banker
2017-06-21 15:08:40

Math is hard.

(snort)

And the word “adjustable” is so … so confusing.

 
Comment by Rentor
2017-06-21 21:58:37

And house prices always go up.

 
 
 
Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 12:16:54

They keep inching closer and closer to the new narrative that “The Russians” actually did change votes. Today, it was 21 election boards got “hacked”, but so far, so far… “no evidence that votes were changed”.

Yet. Give it a few more days, and someone will manufacture the “evidence” they want. Nobody will see it, of course. The Left will then call for constitutional crisis, which means ripping it up and installing a communist dictatorship.

Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 12:29:18

21 election boards got “hacked”…

Maybe such things shouldn’t be connected to the world wide web.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 13:01:03

The Left will then call for constitutional crisis, which means ripping it up and installing a communist dictatorship.

Do you have a date to go with that prediction?

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 14:08:12

Doesn’t mean they will get it. If anyone might have a shot at rewriting the constitution, it’s the GOP.

 
 
Comment by PitchforkPurveyor
2017-06-21 13:14:33

The established political hacks, both Democrat AND Republican, are throwing a hissy fit that a non-insider has successfully been elected President. They won’t quit until they’ve ousted him and stolen back the reigns of power. There’s nothing they won’t do to accomplish this.

Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 13:58:42

+1000

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 14:00:10

Apparently, Trump won’t be making a state visit to the UK anytime soon. I don’t blame him, he would probably be more warmly received in Havana or Pyongyang.

 
Comment by butters
2017-06-21 14:11:29

+10000

 
Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 14:58:04

Yes, both. I think it’s more than just a hissy fit.

Actually I think both Dem + Repub secretly admire North Korea. It’s a perfect society — everyone below the ruling class is a slave, and heck, the slaves only grow 4 feet tall so you don’t have to worry about an uprising.

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 16:14:44

hissy fit that a non-insider has successfully been elected President ??

What BS. You want a non-insider elect someone like Larry Ellison. Instead we have a hate mongering, narcisstic, lying old man.

Comment by Obama Goons
2017-06-21 16:35:09

You sure do love your goons Dave.

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Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-21 16:49:54

That sounds a lot like Larry, except maybe for the hate mongering part (he keeps his mouth shut)

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Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 17:35:18

He’s Ali’s donated 95% of his 50 Bil to charity. Take that Trump.

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 17:40:17

And, nobody stacks up with lying vs Trump. He is the gold medal winner with that one. So, I grant you the narcissistic part on Ellison but at least he is a self made man. Hardly the case with the Buffoon Cheif.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-06-21 18:00:21

“Take that Trump.”

Rage on dave

:)

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 18:10:47

No rage phony. Just responding to the “insider” quote. Trump played the hate card and won. His winning Has little to do with his capacity to function as President. So who are the fools ?

 
Comment by butters
2017-06-21 18:24:44

He’s Ali’s donated 95% of his 50 Bil to charity.

No he hasn’t. Only you were smart enough to known the difference between giving and pretending.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-06-21 18:48:44

“No rage phony.”

If that’s the case, I am going to submit this to Hallmark.

“Instead we have a hate mongering, narcisstic, lying old man.”

Happy Fathers Day

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 18:52:49

“Instead we have a hate mongering, narcisstic, lying old man.”

At least, that an opinion, not an assertion of fact that easily be proven to made up nonsense.

 
 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 17:38:04

What BS. You want a non-insider elect someone like Larry Ellison.

Larry wasn’t on the ballot. Hopefully after what has happened this election we’ll see more real outsider options in the future. But they have to have the right personality to capture the popular imagination. I have no idea what Larry is like, but the fact that I don’t know probably means he doesn’t have it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Trump’s personality. But evidence says it was the right one to take on the R establishment and then Hillary.

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Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 18:03:43

Hate & bigotry won the day. Ellison would not have time for that kind of adolescent behavior. Read his Bio and compare it to Trump.

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-06-21 18:18:43

Doesn’t matter if you can’t get elected.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 18:19:42

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Trump’s personality.

Ignoring personality makes sense, but this whole outsider thing doesn’t. Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and then got extremely wealthy with his father’s backing. If he’s an outsider, most Americans would prefer to be outsiders.

 
Comment by butters
2017-06-21 18:25:58

Hate & bigotry won the day

No it didn’t. Your hate and bigotry lost.

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 18:42:00

Sorry butters. No hate or bigotry here. But you go ahead and “Trump-On” if that’s what lights your wick.

 
Comment by Obama Goons
2017-06-21 18:53:14

We were gripped by goons for 8 years and it nearly destroyed the country. You guys can’t go 6 months without your heads exploding.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 19:09:50

We were gripped by goons for 8 years and it nearly destroyed the country.

Yeah, and for 8 years we heard that destruction would arrive at any moment.

 
Comment by scdave
2017-06-21 19:14:56

gripped by goons for 8 years and it nearly destroyed the country ??

LOL boy you dudes are really deranged. Bush brought us to 2008 just in case it slippped your mindless mind.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-21 19:17:44

You don’t begin to get it dave. I don’t know anyone who admired the man Trump, like he was a real hero, a Roy Rodgers or something. He was seen as a grenade. That’s exactly what half the country wanted. We had a launch. You defend the ramparts. You don’t hate Trump so much as you hate all of us that want freedom and honesty.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-21 19:33:53

You don’t hate Trump so much as you hate all of us that want freedom and honesty.

You can find a lot of people who will disparage voters, but I haven’t seen scdave do that.

 
Comment by Obama Goons
2017-06-21 20:42:48

C’mon dave. Stamp your little feet some more. You too mike.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 05:19:12

“Hate & bigotry”

Hmm. Now, during the campaign, I saw video of Trump supporters being beaten bloody, egged, screamed and shouted at, having clothing ripped from their bodies, hats and signs snatched out of their hands, cars blocked from entering rallies.

Post election, the inauguration was deliberately screwed up, people prevented from getting into the venue in time to hear the speech. The parties were curtailed due to threats of poisoned gas being piped into the ventilation systems. Vile women jamming the Mall with their “pussyhats”. The first lady slagged and demeaned. Clothing designers threatened for dressing her. Trump’s daughter being screamed at on a plane while she holds her children.People who supported Trump were told to leave their jobs by employers in some cases. Kathy Griffin holding up a bloody Trump head. Shakespeare in the Park acting out an assassination fantasy.

And finally, the attempted assassination of Rep Scalise and others.

And even now, people being physically threatened and attacked if they so much as wear a Maga hat or have a bumper sticker. Old rockers like Todd Rundgren and ugly Fagin telling people not to come to their concerts if they are Trump supporters.

Hatred and bigotry? Get bent, dave.

 
Comment by The Filth
2017-06-22 06:22:27

And your list is an abbreviated one. Never mind all the rioting and burning and looting.

The left revealed their true selves. They say they are all about tolerance and acceptance and all that, but in reality — they are 1,000 times more violent and crazy than anything I’ve ever seen.

Actual, real life, crazy violence.

All because Trump wants to enforce existing immigration laws.

Maybe it’s true, they put something in the water and it made everyone go nuts.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-22 06:45:06

Vile women jamming the Mall with their “pussyhats”.

Those are the hats with little flaps sticking out on top meant to look like cats’ ears. You’ve really identified an important problem there.

 
Comment by rms
2017-06-22 07:09:45

“Maybe it’s true, they put something in the water and it made everyone go nuts.”

The Other Donald
http://picpaste.com/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers.jpg

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 07:21:59

“All because Trump wants to enforce existing immigration laws.”

That’s the purported reason, but the insane don’t have reasons. They just are what they are.

I read a good essay the other day on how Trump is a disruptor, but ultimately he will never be a reformer. Just a step on the way there. I tuned into the rally for about two minutes last night, unfortunately at the exact moment he was praising Gary Cohn and Goldman Sachs to the heavens. I dunno which was worse, that or the cheering from the crowd. Geez. Surprised the MSM isn’t all over that one, since their favorite blood sport is demoralizing Trump supporters.

In any case, the most important thing here is not Trump, but the idea of nationalism, populism and anti-war around which many people gathered. People are learning that the financial/intelligence complex has the strangle hold on nations. We can break that.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 07:44:43

“You’ve really identified an important problem there.”

They were vagina hats, and in some cases full on angry red vagina coats, as well. One of the local dried out old skanks proudly demonstrated hers to me.

However, I thought I told you to quit stalking me, ya creep. What you don’t get (or maybe you do) is that what many of us are fighting for is the right to be left alone by bluenoses like you.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 07:55:22

Lol, reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Wide Open Beavers” meme from Breakfast of Champions. Not gonna post a link. You can do a google image search if you like.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 07:57:40

“One of the local dried out old skanks proudly demonstrated hers to me.”

Jeebus, I need some more coffee. I can just feel some of you mokes trying to think up a zinger to that one.

The hat, the hat. I’m talking about THE HAT! Don’t tase me, bro’!

 
Comment by The Filth
2017-06-22 08:20:42

Yeah, the first thing I usually do when I’m upset.. I strap on a giant penis on my head, then torch some businesses..

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-06-22 08:30:40

LOL boy you dudes are really deranged. Bush brought us to 2008 just in case it slippped your mindless mind.

Brooksley Born wanted to regulate derivatives while Larry Summers and Bill Clinton were at the helm. Larry Summers and his banking cronies put a stop to that. Clinton signed the Commodities Futures Modernization Act, which exempted CDS from regulation.

Clinton rewrote the CRA in order to put more pressure on banks to lend to low-income neighborhoods.

Likewise, Glass Steagall was repealed long before GWB took the White House.

So, what precisely did Bush do that allowed the madness of the mortgage industry to bring our economy to its knees?

GWB did push for tighter controls for Fannie and Freddie, but failed to convince Congress. Was there anything that he did to alter the trajectory set by the prior administration?

Yes. He was “driving the car” when it crashed into the ditch. But he was handed the wheel with an umbrella jammed on the accelerator, and a belt holding the steering wheel in place.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-06-22 08:33:32

Yeah, the first thing I usually do when I’m upset.. I strap on a giant penis on my head, then torch some businesses..

Is it Friday night already? (tip of the hat to Usual Suspects)

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-22 08:47:49

You can Google the hat. They have flaps on the top meant to look like cats’ ears. Even if there were a few others that didn’t match that description, you would be the bluenose if you were so easily offended by articles of clothing worn by people that you observed on television.

And what’s all this about?

However, I thought I told you to quit stalking me, ya creep. What you don’t get (or maybe you do) is that what many of us are fighting for is the right to be left alone by bluenoses like you.

You just want to spout nonsense and never be challenged, as if you were King Donald himself.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-06-22 08:50:54

If you look up the history of suffragist movement that was going on 100 years ago, there were probably a lot guys complaining about vile women marching around in cities, blocking traffic when they should have been cooking for their husbands.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2017-06-21 16:48:08

Summertime song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM9VeN9GSoY

memories of putting the stereo loudspeakers in the windows facing the backyard and listening to WNEW FM New York as we swam in the pool.

Uggh, and just googling WNEW found this:

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/retired-new-york-dj-busted-child-sex-sting-officials-article-1.1495924

Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 06:32:59

Good catch on Dave Herman there, AB. Used to listen to his show back in the day, he’s dead to me now. I hope they put him in a dungeon with bread and water.

The most interesting aspect of this, however, is that it illustrates the efforts of the DOJ and Homeland Security to bust up the child trafficking, which does involve many high profile figures from the entertainment, political and financial world.

As I understand it, they’re working from the ground up, going through layers, turning the minor players on the more upper level players. Herman would be a minor to mid level guy. He probably knows a few people in entertainment that can be ratted out.

Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2017-06-22 08:09:11

Herman died in prison, Palmetto. Weird, last week I was looking at a few Youtube videos on Jimmy Seville, Johnny Lydon, Gary Glitter.. until I was too sick in the stomach to look at more. Then this thing with WNEW. All I wanted to do was listen to Eric Burdon and War.

Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 08:17:44

Shoot, that’s what I get for not looking at the dateline. Glad he died in prison, though. Good place for a piece of crap like that to shuffle off the mortal coil.

I’ve been reading a bio on Cary Grant and I don’t think I’m gonna finish it. Aside from the fact that the so-called great star was essentially a major degenerate, I’ve learned a lot about the extent to which the Hollywood community has been involved with goobermint, especially the intelligence services. Fooking propaganda mouthpieces.

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Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 18:23:30

My music contribution for the day. An uplifting track from the mid 90’s, a decade of great electronic experimentation. Great with headphones or good full standing speakers. (no, it ain’t the Uber ride company.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQaJynvG1Qw

Comment by rms
2017-06-21 19:19:49

“An uplifting track from the mid 90’s, a decade of great electronic experimentation.”

Ha… my favorite period for B movies.

Comment by The Filth
2017-06-21 19:25:00

lol rms. :) oh, there is definitely a lot of “cheese” from that era, but good stuff too.

 
Comment by rms
2017-06-21 21:45:09

The lean-n-leggy 90’s femme fatale. Schweet.

 
 
Comment by aNYCdj
 
Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-22 07:07:06

I was never a fan of electronica, but it’s great music to run to, especially if you can find a piece whose tempo matches your stride cadence.

Comment by The Filth
2017-06-22 07:40:36

Yes, exercising, or driving, or as a faster-tempo “ambient” for background music while working…

Comment by Tarara Boomdea
2017-06-22 11:21:05

The Electric Daisy Carnival just ended here in Las Vegas. My daughter worked retail selling EDC gear in the Luxor (among the thongs, etc., a $40 bottle of vitamins for energy). She really enjoyed it, except for some of the store lights that set off her sensory problems and the usual anxiety. Not one customer was unpleasant, but she said you could tell some were a bit altered mentally.

Before the store opened, the management made a point of warning the workers that there’d be a lot naked people around. I took her to work a couple of times and there were way more than the usual bare buns on parade.

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Comment by The Filth
2017-06-22 12:18:57

I’d never heard of EDC, just checked out the web site for it.

Wow, looks like a full on festival. Pretty lights!

I’m too old for it now, but back in the day I used to attend psychedelic trance parties way out in the desert, around and beyond Ben’s favorite area, Joshua Tree. Middle of nowhere. They were very fun! Small. More like, going on a camping trip, and having music. No tickets or vendors or anything. DJs spinning their tunes out the rear of a U-Haul truck with a power generator. They were very good! People would bring extra food and water and give away for free to people. (Communism works great in small groups! LOL). Everyone looked after each other and was pretty responsible about the drugs, especially considering there was no medical facility anywhere remotely close by. I never saw any problems. Got to be careful though — there’s some big spiders out there!

 
Comment by Tarara Boomdea
2017-06-22 13:44:59

When I see your name, I think of this ;-)
Saved by The Filth

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2017-06-21 19:16:37

Watching Iron Man, this song seems to fit in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EofwRzit0

 
Comment by agent orange
2017-06-21 19:50:42

I’m an agent in OC and I’m already having deals fall apart or not meeting at all and inventory backing up. We’re a smallish storefront but our counterparts express the same.

Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 04:31:34

Thank you for an on-the-ground report. And also for admitting to the situation.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-06-22 12:15:27

Is there a noticeable cause of the deals falling apart? Appraisals not coming through, buyer cold feet, realization that the price was too high?

 
 
Comment by Mike
Comment by rms
2017-06-22 07:16:55

Wallison is another Zionist. Obfuscate.

 
 
Comment by Taxpayers
2017-06-22 03:55:40

https://www.zillow.com/burke-va/home-values/
Wow,Burke crash vs 2 zip codes away zillow say +2%

 
Comment by Taxpayers
2017-06-22 04:11:27

Zillow is calling some hoods negative around me. My hood still positive as everyone wants to live near me 😬

 
Comment by Taxpayers
2017-06-22 04:52:43

July 2005
July 2017
Not as big, but I’m calling the peak

Comment by Rental Watch
2017-06-22 08:37:11

We’ve been at prices that are at effectively cyclically peak levels for well over a year. What will cause them to decline this time around?

My guesses:

1. Recession/economic downturn;
2. Overbuilding (and we aren’t there yet).

How long until either of these things occur?

 
 
Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 05:41:23

Things are so bad in Illinois, the Chicago Tribune has an editorial calling for the dissolution of the state.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-dissolving-illinois-kass-met-20170620-column.html

Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-06-22 06:40:04

They better ring-fence it to keep amoral, stupid D-voters from infesting red states.

 
 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-06-22 06:31:32

When the sheeple finally wake up and realize how badly they’ve been screwed over by the central bankers, their rage is going to be epic.

http://www.businessinsider.com/albert-edwards-on-central-banking-and-populism-2017-6

Comment by snake charmer
2017-06-22 07:13:38

I generally agree with that piece. Anger at unelected judges is a staple of our own politics. But unelected central bankers have an equal, if not greater, effect on our daily lives.

But I’m not sure politicians will turn on central banks, because that would mean they’d actually have to do their jobs. Our own Congress happily has delegated economic policy to the Fed.

Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 07:31:02

“I’m not sure politicians will turn on central banks”

They don’t have to. But we can. I once called out a teller at Wells Fargo for working for a criminal organization. In public. Recently saw her at a local swap meet, she took one look at me and slunk off in the other direction. Good. Small victory.

Comment by Blue Skye
2017-06-22 08:05:56

In my opinion, a greater insult to the banks would be to get out of debt.

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Comment by palmetto
2017-06-22 08:22:14

I don’t have an account there, and I was on an errand for a friend, who was laid up at the time. I also gave him what-for when he recovered. He’s actually in the process of switching banks now. Apparently it’s a real b*tch when you’ve got direct deposit SS.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-06-22 06:39:00

It’s beginning to dawn on the sheeple that the Oligopoly and its supra-national projects are turning formerly sovereign countries into Goldman Sachs looting colonies.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/simmering-discontent-across-europe-eu-new-poll-finds/

 
Comment by aNYCdj
2017-06-22 06:50:27

https://www.thestreet.com/story/14191196/1/buffet-s-berkshire-hathaway-loans-1-5-billion-to-canada-s-home-capital.html

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) will loan Home Capital Group’s (HMCBF) Home Trust Co C$2 billion ($1.5 billion) to end Canada’s biggest non-bank lender’s strategic review process, Reuters reported.

Berkshire is also set to purchase C$400 million worth of Home Capital common stock in a private placement through its Columbia Insurance Co. Berkshire will hold a nearly 40% equity stake in Home Capital following the deal.

Home Capital is short on near-term liquidity as the company works to trim outstanding debt and settle cases with the Ontario Securities Commission and a class action lawsuit related to the company admission that they misled investors.

Home Capital shares are down over 50% since the start of the year after dropping dramatically in April at the company’s announcement of a strategic review. That review concluded with Berkshire’s loan.

Comment by rms
2017-06-22 07:19:16

“Where there is blood on the streets, buy property” —Baron de Rothschild

 
Comment by taxpayer
2017-06-22 07:53:46

I bet Canadahhh gov is backing him up

 
 
Comment by taxpayer
2017-06-22 07:00:23

zillow homes w price reductions looks like 15% or higher is a bear and under 12% is flat w under 10% still strong (rare)

 
 
Comment by taxpayer
2017-06-22 07:37:06

Zillow predicts crash -2.9% in DC area
Ben Dover

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-06-22 08:24:17

Just read that the City of London is going to permanently house people displaced by the Grenfell fire in luxury flats that cost 2 million dollars each.

As Margaret Thatcher once said, it works great until you run out of other people’s money.

 
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