Contract up north

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149 John Street, on the market since June and reduced from $3.595 million to $3.495, is reported under contract. Four acres with stables (that are being sold “as is”, which sounds ominous), its interior doesn’t appear to look much like it probably did when it was built in 1855, but then, what 169-year-old’s does?

with horses so near, they probably thought a dead close cousin like a zebra would make them nervous

ABC's Martha Raddatz would say, "it's just a handful, so how dare you mention it?" Tampon Tim says “they’re just Newcomers we haven’t met yet — or at least been formally introduced to.”

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Young and vicious: Baby-faced Tren de Aragua crew at NYC migrant shelter targets Times Square — and they’re getting away with it

…. Nearly two dozen young migrant thugs, some as young as 11-years old, are now part of a dangerous asylum seeking brat pack that has graduated from purse snatchings to gunpoint heists targeting New Yorkers and tourists alike, a top NYPD official told The Post.

But they’re managing to stay out of jail because of their ages and the Empire State’s lenient criminal justice laws, Detective Bureau Assistant Chief Jason Savino said.

“You have individuals that are brazen,” Savino said. “We know they have access to guns, evident by the fact that they’ve done gunpoint robberies and they’ve been brazen enough to showcase pistols in and around their social media.

“This is the first formulated group that we found where this group of about 20 individuals that, in pack format, hang out every day, they post on social media, they boast about their crew,” the chief said. “You see little pockets in and around Times Square and in and around the shelters.

“But as far as a true threshold, it’s been limited to shelters.”

Calling themselves “Los Diablos de la 42” — Spanish for “Little Devils of 42” — the crew of about 21 gang members has been busted for 50 separate incidents, and yet not one is behind bars, Savino said.

“They committed the robberies [in] all the sexy places, in and around Central Park, in and around Times Square, in and around transit,” he said. “And targeting tourists.

The Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown is the main intake center for migrants arriving in the Big Apple — and is the home base for a crew of Venezuelan gang members, according to police.Helayne Seidman

“They kind of had a graduation of sorts, and a progression where originally it started as snatches and then went to strong armed robberies, and then started brandishing knives in a pack format.”

…. TDA, which grew out of the poverty and corruption that has long plagued [socialist — Ed] Venezuela, established a criminal foothold in the five boroughs in little more than a year.

Law enforcement sources said gang members hid among the millions of asylum seekers who crossed the US border with Mexico since 2022, then scattered throughout the country.*

Well, at least they’re not taking over apartment buildings — at least they’re not doing that!

Yet.

*From that link:

A one-time Venezuelan prison gang has erupted into a multinational migrant crime syndicate that is ravaging the US — and is the subject of more than 100 police investigations across the nation.

Tren de Aragua, a vicious South American gang that sneaked into the US among the millions of migrants who have crossed the border, is peddling drugs, guns and women across the 50 states — from urban centers like New York and Chicago to Florida beaches and once-tranquil Middle America.

In Colorado, the gang even got a “green light” to shoot at cops, according to a federal memo.

“I would say that like six months ago, their organized presence wasn’t so obvious on the border,” a Texas law enforcement source told The Post. “But now they’re getting organized and they’re staying.”

Uh huh

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Via The New York Times (emphasis added):

The electorate is faced with a choice, the story goes, between two models for masculinity. Toxic versus positive. In response to the vein-popping, furious, felon model of the right, the left is offering us a more morally upstanding and expansive “positive masculinity.”…

After the cartoon supervillainy of Donald Trump and the smarmy misogyny of JD Vance, the “positive masculinity” of Walz and his ilk is a joyful relief, and these programs are often doing good work. But when it comes to truly shifting cultural norms for the next generation of boys and allowing them to embrace their full humanity without shame, we might do better to ditch the masculinity rhetoric altogether. Because rather than challenging the old stereotypes and patterns, the whole positive masculinity framework actually seems to be reinforcing them…

There is a lurking sexism in the whole positive masculinity conceit. If we have to attach the label “masculine” to a behavior before it can have value to men, then we are subtly communicating that embracing anything associated with women is a demotion, even an indignity. “Positive masculinity” is not about de-gendering universal human qualities, and certainly not about encouraging boys to believe that they could have something to learn from women or female cultural norms. It’s more an attempt to scrub away the humiliating stain of womanhood from any trait or behavior before letting boys anywhere near it.

But there’s also this, which is encouraging:

Because black, gay, transgender hemlocks deserve an understanding ear

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Donecker describes herself as an 'accomplice to marginalized communities' who lives with her wife, Jai, an adopted nine-year-old, and two cats.

A diversity, equity and inclusion expert [Here’s hope: Axios: A Second Donald Trump Term Would Empower Populists to Steamroll Experts — Ed] had her former boss placed on administrative leave for reportedly prioritizing merit over personal identity when hiring new employees, according to a report.

Megan Donecker, who formerly served as the Oregon Department of Forestry’s DEI strategy officer, complained about the agency's management, criticizing her boss Mike Shaw for looking "beyond gender and identity in hiring, seeking only candidates most qualified for the job," OregonLive reported.

Shaw served as the agency's second-in-command under State Forester Cal Mukumoto until he was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 6 after Donecker filed a formal complaint against him, the Daily Mail reported.

…. She also reportedly claimed that six queer staffers didn't "feel safe or comfortable" at work because they could not have "conversation around pronouns" and referred to the department as a "boys club," the Daily Mail reported, citing the formal complaint obtained by OregonLive.

And having fouled that particluar nest, this dreadful person (persx?) has moved on to another grift, because that’s what these people do:

The pink-haired, tattooed Salem resident has left the department and now works as a DEI consultant,

And, naturally, “Oregon's progressive Governor Tina Kotek - who was hit by a corruption scandal for hiring her wife - has also waded into the drama, with her office saying she backs all efforts to 'advance DEI.' “.

They won’t report, lest you decide

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WHEN WAS THIS WOMAN EMBALMED, AND HOW DO THEY KEEP THE CORPSE ANIMATED?

Here’s the exact exchange between ABC’s execrable Martha Raddatz and JD Vance:

Raddatz:

“Senator Vance, I'm gonna stop you because I know exactly what happened,” she claimed. “I'm gonna stop you. The incidents were limited to a handful of apartment conflicts apartment complexes, and the mayor said our dedicated police officers have acted on those concerns. A handful of problems.”

Vance:

Martha, do you hear yourself? ‘Only a handful of apartment complexes in America were taken over by Venezuelan gangs’, and Donald Trump is the problem and not Kamala Harris’s open border.

Americans are so fed up with what's going on, and they have every right to be. And I really find this exchange, Martha, sort of interesting because you seem to be more focused with nitpicking everything that Donald Trump has said rather than acknowledging that apartment complexes in the United States of America are being taken over by violent gangs."

I worry so much more about that problem than anything else here. We've got to get American communities in a safe space again. And, unfortunately, when you let people in by the millions, most of whom are unvetted, most of whom you don't know who they really are, you're going to have problems like this. Kamala Harris, 94 executive orders that undid Donald Trump's successful border policies.

We knew this stuff would happen. That's that's bragged about opening the border, and now we have the consequences, and we're living with it. We can do so much better. But, frankly, we're not gonna do better, Martha, unless Donald Trump calls this stuff out. I'm glad that he did.

PJ Media:

Raddatz, clearly uncomfortable with Vance’s pointed critiques, attempted to steer the conversation back, stating that “the mayor did not seem [to think] they were invading the entire city.” 

That’s when Vance landed the final blow, sarcastically quipping, “A few apartment complexes. No big deal.”

Clearly desperate to move on, Raddatz then pivoted to "women and abortion."

That’s what was aired — Here’s how ABC described what happened:

Let’s go to the videotape:

Bonus material: The NYT did no better against Vance, although its readers won’t know that from its reporting

Of course they did

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California Denies Launching Rights to SpaceX Because Musk Supports Trump--Really

David Strom, HotAir:

The Commissars of California are so concerned about enforcing political uniformity that they are denying the military's right to launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base using SpaceX rockets. 

Why? Elon Musk owns Twitter/X, and he is a supporter of Donald Trump. 

When the Biden administration dropped Starlink from its rural broadband subsidy program, they at least came up with an implausible lie to explain their reasoning. The California Coastal Commission, being in Deep Blue California, can openly admit that they just don't like Elon Musk. 

National Security be damned. Musk is an evil Republican. 

SpaceX’s plans to launch more rockets from the California coast were rejected by a state commission this week, with some officials citing Elon Musk’s political posts on X and raising concerns about the billionaire’s labor record at his companies.

The plan to increase the number of rocket blasts into space up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday despite assurances from Space Force and Air Force officials that they would increase efforts to monitor the effects that rocket launches have on nearby wildlife.

“This is the California Coastal Commission, which ostensibly is supposed to protect the coastal environment, not protect unions or monitor political opinions.”

Among the issues raised were Musk’s decision to insert himself in the presidential race, his spreading of conspiracy theories, the labor record of his companies and derogatory comments he has made about the transgender community.

“We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” commission Chair Caryl Hart said.

Military officials argue that launches by SpaceX, a leading contractor at Vandenberg Space Force Base, should be considered a federal activity because all of its launches benefit military objectives, regardless of whether the payloads being carried by the rockets are for the government or for Musk’s private satellite internet company, Starlink.

As such, Space Force officials don’t have to obtain a permit or permission from the California Coastal Commission for rocket launches; they only need to reach an agreement to mitigate the effects.

“Starlink, by the way, has a significant relationship with the US military, carrying quite a bit of data and providing communications in remote areas where high-bandwidth connections are vital. Ask the Ukrainians or the residents of North Carolina how useful Starlink is. Both the civilians in need and the emergency responders--including the National Guard--depend on Starlink.”

Military officials have gone before the commission repeatedly this year to try to significantly increase the number of SpaceX launches, and officials said they plan to once again ask for another increase — for up to 100 annually — by early next year. But Musk’s recent social media posts, and his growing presence and influence in national and global affairs, have become a concern by commission members considering an agreement that would see SpaceX increase its activities in California.

“This company is owned by the richest person in the world with direct control of what could be the most expansive communications system in the planet,” Commissioner Mike Wilson said. “Just last week that person was talking about political retribution.”

Wilson asked how could members of the commission be assured that equipment being launched would benefit U.S. interests if most of it was for the benefit of a private company.

“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] while claiming his desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said.

The left is quite literally totalitarian in intent. They want to control every aspect of your life, including what you can say and think, where you live, what you drive, what you eat, and what fuel you use to cook. They will cripple national security and try to ruin a business to control the speech of a business owner. 

The CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION wants to control satellite internet availability FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD based on the political speech of Elon Musk. 

Elon Musk is one of the most important partners of the US military. SpaceX launches the vast majority of mass into space and does so inexpensively. Without SpaceX, the United States would be crippled, nearly denied access to orbit. Yet a bunch of leftist environmentalists is holding America hostage because they don't like Elon. 

(FWIW): Meanwhile, Musk continues to revolutionize rocketry and space exploration, accomplishing what NASA has not been able to despite spending billions and billions (and more billions) on its failed attempts.

Space X successfully catches Falcon Super Heavy rocket booster in ‘Mechazilla arms’

Elon Musk’s SpaceX made an incredible advancement in capability Sunday morning when it launched its Starship rocket — and then managed to catch the Super Heavy booster in the “Mechazilla arms” on the launch pad.

The successful test launch — the fifth for the Starship rocket — included the first test of the ability to catch the 20-story tall reusable booster at the Starbase pad near Brownsville, Texas.

I was going to post some pictures of the Northern Lights I captured in Maine Thursday night, but now I'm ashamed to

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Not my photo! Really!

I can’t imagine how unhappy this poor Lindsey Virginia must be, alone, bitter, with only her cats and a permanent state of indignation and shame to keep her company.

Hell, she probably won’t even allow herself to enjoy pictures of sunsets.

Image property of Chief Lakawanna Wigwam and his squaws

A fraud in deed can leave you in need

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Couple left distraught after peaceful $1m plot of land where they planned to retire was stolen from them

Back when I practiced real estate law in the 80s, clients who were already stretching to afford their purchase often balked at paying an extra premium for homeowner’s title insurance, and wanted to just buy the cheaper “lenders’ insurance required by their bank instead (lenders’ policies are limited to the amount of the loan itself because, shockingly, banks only care about getting their money back, not yours.)

I would caution those recalcitrant buyers that they were making a mistake trying to save a few hundred dollars (1980 prices; certainly higher now) by foregoing their own protection. A fence on the wrong side of the property line can be corrected at small expense, and the lender’s policy will cover that, but what if the entire sales transaction was a fraud, and the happy new home buyer learns that seller still owns the house? Assuming a typical 80/20 mortgage arrangement, the bank can get back its 80%, but the buyer’s left sucking wind on the remainder. Or, worse, raw land is purchased and a house built on it, with a title policy that only covers the lender’s loan for the purchase price of the land itself? It happens, and it’s happening more frequently — here’s some of the story from the opening headline above:

A couple received the shock of a lifetime after discovering their million-dollar retirement plot in Massachusetts had been stolen and sold by scammers right under their noses. 

Dr. Omar Jaraki and his wife, Halla, bought 1.84 acres of undeveloped land worth $1 million in Concord back in 1991 - where they planned to build a family home to enjoy their retirement.  

But when the couple called town hall looking for their annual tax bill in August, they were told that the future retirement plan had been sold for about half its worth. 

According to a fraud lawsuit filed by the couple, a scam artist used a counterfeit driver's license, passport and fake email address of Halla to dupe a local real estate agent and two other experienced real estate attorneys into letting them steal the land in 2023. 

The empty plot was reportedly advertised as 'a great opportunity to build your dream home in the ultra-exclusive, sought after and prestigious Mattison Farm neighborhood. One of the only remaining lots and nestled on a 1.84 acre parcel. Close proximity to Concord & Nashawtuc Country Club'.

An unsuspecting buyer has since done just that, erecting an almost-completed home on the plot that they'll almost certainly lose.  

The scammers priced the plot at $699,900.00, well below its value. 

An unwitting buyer put in an offer of $525,000.00, which was erected - and construction began soon after. 

….

Richard Vetstein, the couple's attorney noted: 'The minute I saw this deed, I knew it was a forgery. You just can tell by looking at it. Just the handwriting, it looks off. There were so many other red flags.

'A quick half a million for a counterfeit driver's license and passport and sending a couple of emails. That's a day's work.'

Officials also noted that the fake South Carolina driver's license of Halla did not look 'anything like a real one' and oddly, the fake United States passport of her had the same photo as the driver's license. 

'That's not possible because license photos are taken at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The woman in the fake ID's looks nothing like Halla Jaraki.

'This is a disaster. It's not only for us but for other people like it's going to happen to them,' the attorney exclaimed. 

The law is on the Jarakis side and they'll almost certainly get their plot back.

It is unclear what will happen to the unfortunate people who paid the scammers believing they were buying it. 

A settlement may also be reached that allows the new buyers - who have not been identified - to stay there, if they can afford the extra outlay.  

'They're definitely going to get their property back. I think the only question is, what do we do about the house? There's kind of two ways to go. They can deed the property back to the owners or there can some sort of financial settlement,' Vetstein said.

According to the lawsuit, which is filed against the 'new' owner and the lawyers involved in the scam, the couple are seeking damages, attorneys’ fees and costs against each of the accused. 

Deed fraud is increasingly becoming a big deal — readers may recall the case of the doctor who discovered a house being built on his land in Fairfield by an innocent party who’d been sucked with a phony. It settled this past July, with the home builder buying the house again, one hopes with insurance money, but such cases are no longer unusual.

The Realtor Association published an article on this subject earlier this year:

…. [A]ny type of home deed, including more traditional warranty deeds, can be forged by increasingly sophisticated criminals, says David Fleck, a real estate fraud attorney based in Southern California.

“Twenty-five years ago, it wasn’t easy to forge documents. Now, literally every computer has the technology to create a believable forgery, and you can buy a fake notary stamp online. So the technology has very quickly gotten ahead of the systems we have in place to prevent this,” warns Fleck.

…

According to Fleck, the only true protection against title theft is through a specific type of policy, offered by any major insurer, known as a Homeowner’s Policy of Title Insurance. (This is not to be confused with the similarly named Owners Policy of Title Insurance.)

Under covered risks, the policy should include language to the effect of “Someone else claims to have rights affecting Your Title because of forgery or impersonation,” according to a policy template provided by the American Land Title Association trade association.

“All title insurance companies, all the big ones, now offer it,” says Fleck. “Some of them don’t even know they do.”

While traditional title insurance policies protect against fraud prior to the purchase of a property, the Homeowner’s policy adds protection for home title theft after you own the property, says Fleck.

“This is important because if you’re a victim of title theft, a quitclaim deed fraud, or any kind of deed fraud, you just make a claim to your title insurance company, and they handle it for you—and that’s it,” he says.

While insurance also can’t prevent deed forgery in the first place, Fleck says, the right policy will eliminate expense and hassle for the homeowner by putting the onus on the insurance company to resolve the phony title claim in court.

For the illiterate readers of this blog, here’s a video you can watch, instead of struggling through reading this post:

Her performance at her Spanish town hall was included in the previous post, but this bit merits a mention on its own

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  • “How are you going to fix the economy? ““I grew up in a (Toronto) middle-class family.”

  • “How are you going to fix health care?” “I grew up in a middle-class family.”

  • “How are you going to fix the middle-class family?” “I can’t.”

    (Okay, I threw in threw in that last one)