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    admin reacted to Arauna in Special counsel Robert Mueller has launched a grand jury in the Russia investigation, Wall Street...   
    Russia ( it seems ) has created its own Internet to be free om the world internet and its possibilities of hacking.  They are preparing for the future while USA is in chaos. Russia's monetary system may also become totally independent with their partners (their own money exchange on internet ) which will protect them in ways the money of the West is not not. (I am thinking this is viable - there is no way I can prove this! but) - their internet hacking capabilities and disruption of Western business and processes is just the beginning (cyber warfare) and the nationalism in Russia is at all time high.  All kinds of propaganda and false news is circulating the internet with false Russian (government) personas everywhere who is getting into Western systems. This may be the beginning of a different warfare! to weaken the US government ....and the entire West responds with Google and FB just removing all hate speech directed at Muslims!
    Russia is building alliances with strange bedfellows who love power (also behind those so-called religious governments lie a lust for power).  The West is open for chaos..... most people who are not absolutely- blind- militant- far-left are seriously radicalized far -right with militant terrorists hiding in every dark corner doing their business out in the open and no proper Western counter measures in place (or the will) to stop what is going on.  It leaves the West (Europe, UK, Canada, Australia) open for total anarchy in future...
    Satan will use religion to ride the "beast" and then they will turn on her when security is almost impossible for its citizens.
    USA dollar is shaky - it is the dollar exchange rate for oil which is keeping it afloat - and US is not investing in the technologies of the future..... it is inward looking.  Europe is getting rid of electricity production from coal etc and investing in new technologies..... New technologies are being developed in China and other countries.....and will soon be able to sell it cheaply. USA......is running on its glory of the past and it owes trillions of dollars..... and when things get really bad the government will take people's life savings to keep things afloat...... so your savings may be down the tubes.  
    China is already producing its own mobile phones which can compete with anything on the market in USA and they have control in Africa (stripping Africa) for its minerals and trees - anything worth selling from Africa. They also have a relationship with North-Korea - which is sitting on untouched mineral deposits for mobiles etc.
    And finally - we have a leader in USA who is a liar and a crook who has managed to get away with shady business dealings for a very long time.  The establishment wants him out!   And they will hound him until they get the evidence but the far right are just as dumb as the far-left!  They will protect him as much as they can-  and the judicial system is now in their hands.  During his campaign I was telling my husband that Trump was saying treasonous things but no-one called him out on it!
    US has lost the respect it had in the world (the injustices perpetrated is shocking to all) and many other countries will watch with glee when they see her money and pride slowly sinking ...... but like many stupid people (Russia, Iran, Turkey etc.) they never reason that we are all connected in several ways and that we are ONE human race on this planet and we should care for each other...... because all need to have a little spot to survive and thrive.....Their attitude is divisive, egotistical and Satanic!
    The economic migrants from Africa is proof that we are one family on earth and neglect in one part of the earth will bring woe to everyone else!
    I am astounded at the power of the far-left in the universities with extreme Muslim organizations infiltrated in all important organizations everywhere (even in the UN)! So if they manage to bring down alt-Trump,  the next election may bring in the far-left with its humanism philosophies..... which is just as crazily incoherent (as the alt-right) in their alliances with the very people who want to take over the government.  Bernie and his Muslim friends will rule....... So is there a healthy choice for USA to survive the coming..... lamentable catastrophe ?  No - all logic and reasonableness has left the west and chaos is ensuing.....So the longer the steam pot is cooking.... the bigger the explosion.
    Russia's economy is not doing fantastic and it is aggressively pushing nationalism - so it may start acting in unexpected ways to show its power (to satisfy its nationalistic adherents and take attention away from local problems). China is also flexing its muscles to show its power..... so they have nothing to lose once the Western markets have dried up... they will act aggressively too! At moment they are careful because of business interests but both China and Russia are expanding their merchandising tentacles to other more lucrative areas of the globe....
    Drugs seem to be a very large problem in the world - all over.  Recently I read an article that there are thousands of jobs open in USA (many jobs where people must work with dangerous machinery) and they cannot find drug-free people to work these jobs!   Cartels are using the states where marijuana is legal to export it all  over.... 
    The fact that people cannot distinguish between "right and wrong" any more because they do not know the Bible is bringing extreme woe to the earth and a free hand to Satan for total rulership.  He has been ruling behind the scenes but now it is all coming out in the open.... we will see it with our own eyes the difference between the righteous and the wicked.  Then they will persecute those who have a clean decent life...  I cannot help but see all of this in the light of bible prophecy because it proves that they bible has been right all along! Our faith and loyalty to Jehovah will not be in vain!
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  3. Upvote
    admin reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in How long would it take us to build an Egyptian pyramid with today's advancements?   
    In order to answer that question you would need geology and soils reports for the construction site .... and develop from scratch a  complete set of plans of the structure to be built, "greased" the permitting process to a certainty ... surveys of the quarrys where the stone is sourced, and a staff of about 400 people in a building full of computers to do the cost estimates, bills of material, logistics planning, and manpower and tools and equipment acquisition and scheduling .  The list goes on, and on...and on.
    The actual construction could be started as soon as foundation details were firmed up, and the rest of the design could be built as fast as the stone could be quarried. Machines would have to be invented and built to transport those stone up a 37 degree or so slope.
    As an old grey man who has worked on projects that size much of my life, I give a conservative VERY rough guess of 11 years, and a cost of 3 trillion dollars.
    It would be easier and quicker with telekinesis, but those skills have long been erased from the human gene pool.
  4. Upvote
    admin reacted to Arauna in Special counsel Robert Mueller has launched a grand jury in the Russia investigation, Wall Street...   
    Watched a video on Trump's connections with other billionaires who are known for many unscrupulously shady dealings and many of them are also connected to Putin or former Russian states. Son in law Jared Kushner as well. All these baddies have shares in each other's companies and have money laundering services in Netherlands to bring in money from other countries to invest. Trump  apparently has declared bankruptcy 6 times and after this he manages to  immediately open a new business with investors.  Americans do not invest in his companies but secret money comes in from former Soviet states.  There is no way I can verify this .... but these shady people were thoroughly investigated by journalists who have followed their dealings and how they manage to lie and get out of trouble. Trump denies knowing these shady partners but old photos always seem to appear where he has been seen in their company or there are reports of business with them in the news or by friends.......
  5. Like
    admin reacted to Arauna in Cops erupt in cheers as Trump urges officers to use more violence with suspects — by slamming their heads to the ground   
    Seems like we are turning into a state like Philippines! 
  6. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in New Chat / Social Features Added today   
    So as most of you can see I added a new "Conversation". (real-time chat) with typing indicators and FINALLY some threaded replies.
    You should also be able to post photos and I'm not sure yet about videos or emojis
    anyways.... the discussion will show up in the "recirculation" on the right hand side... look for a small blue box with a + sign in it.
     
    Now we have our own little social media atop a forum.
    Enjoy!
  7. Sad
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in Cadillac LCD Radio Screen Goes Blank   
    My 2008 Cadillac CTS LCD Radio display went dark this morning. The radio, CD etc.. all still work. I just can't see anything on the LCD to navigate anywhere.
    This and the previous issues in a premium car with less than 100,000 miles.
    Sorry Cadillac, but I am no longer a believer.


  8. Sad
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in Headlight Replacement Cost in a Cadillac CTS   
    My low beam headlight bulb went out today in my 2008 Cadillac CTS.
    I should have known already.... but the replacement cost is going to be $500.
    Is it just me? or is $500 to replace a headlight EGREGIOUS?!?!?!?
    Evidently the genius engineers at Cadillac decided the entire front bumper must be removed in order to replace the bulb.
    Sigh... Here is an example of what I can expect.....

    Ridiculous.
    Tesla wouldn't do this to me.... I'm sure of it. 
     
  9. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in 2008 Cadillac CTS   
    So... after paying through the nose for even small repairs... I am happy to report that my old clunker.... my 08 Cadillac now has 120k miles on it... 
    I just replaced the brake pads, a rattle in the back is gone .... etc....
    The rear shocks are leaking so they will need to be replaced...
    but overall it is still driving like a champ... an enjoyable pretty car... .with very little gadgets compared to the newer stuff out there.
    I just noticed that the front does capture air flow right onto the calipers of the disc brakes.... smart design.
     
    Seems like yesterday when it was "State of the Art".... now I feel like it is just a nice older car that rides nice.







  10. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in 2008 Cadillac CTS   
    Standard safety equipment includes four-wheel-disc antilock brakes and an electronic stability system with traction control. In addition to the required frontal pair, there are side-impact airbags for the front occupants and side curtains that protect all occupants. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes.

  11. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in 2008 Cadillac CTS   
    Some of the CTS' notable standard and optional features include adaptive headlights that swivel in the direction of a turn, remote start, Easy Key keyless access and ignition and a 5.1-channel digital surround-sound stereo.In addition to an analog auxiliary input jack for an MP3 player, the CTS lets you attach a player that uses a USB cord and control it through the stereo and steering-wheel controls.
    I do not have the following two options on my car: 
    The playlist appears on the optional navigation screen.
    This 8-inch touch-screen telescopes out of the top of the dashboard. For parking assistance, the CTS offers a sonar system that beeps with increasing frequency as the rear bumper approaches an object.
  12. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in 2008 Cadillac CTS   
    The big news is that a new version of the 3.6-liter V-6 engine generates 300 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque, partly through the use of direct fuel injection. The original 258-hp, 3.6-liter engine is the base powerplant.The standard manual transmission is a six speed, as is the optional automatic, which also provides a manual-shift mode. Steering-wheel shift paddles aren't offered. Also new is optional all-wheel drive, which mates with either V-6, but only with the automatic transmission. This helps the CTS join the ranks of the Infiniti G35 and BMW 3 Series models with an "x" in their model name, and is sure to increase sales in snowy regions.The CTS offers two suspensions: standard and performance. The latter provides a firmer ride, (claimed) improved roadholding, larger brake discs, two-piston rear calipers where the regular suspension has one, and 18-inch wheels with lower-profile summer or all-season performance tires.
  13. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in 2008 Cadillac CTS   
    And the real kicker is.... look how cheap it is to ride in this luxury car....
    used car prices are very low...
     

  14. Sad
    admin reacted to admin in Headlight Replacement Cost in a Cadillac CTS   
    So... a quick update.... the High Intensity Bulb (and burnt out connector) went out on the OTHER SIDE of the car.
    Costing me another pretty penny.
    Riding in comfort and style will cost you dearly folks.

  15. Confused
    admin reacted to TheWorldNewsOrg in Lawmaker To Remove $26 Million Dollars From Evergreen College...   
    Lawmaker To Remove $26 Million Dollars From Evergreen College After Racist Students Takeover Campus

    World News
  16. Upvote
    admin reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in What is a Christian Man's MORAL responsibility to protect his own life, or that of his immediate or spiritual family?   
    SCENARIO:  You are at a packed Kingdom Hall on Memorial night, and ten minutes into the remembrance talk, six masked people with weapons enter the Kingdom Hall and begin shooting everyone they can, without any conversation.  
    You are shot in the left side of your face and most of those teeth are gone.
    Before you know what is going on twelve Brothers and Sisters have been shot, screaming and panic ensues, and there is blood and bodies and brains all over, and the shooting continues.
    Would it be fitting for a Brother  to use his handgun to return fire on the murderers to try and save his own life, or the lives of his Brothers and Sisters?
    Or, in PubSpeak ... "Would it be fitting for a Christian to keep a firearm, such as a handgun or a rifle, for protection against other humans?" ( July 2017 Watchtower )
    This raises MANY Theocratic, moral, ethical, legal, and Societial policy questions ... all of which have REAL answers. 
    What is the RIGHT thing for a responsible Christian to do?
  17. Upvote
    admin reacted to Arauna in Violence breaks out at anti-G7 march   
    The world is changing all the time and so are the movements.  I see two movements - a militant far-left and a militant far-right (polarization of nations by the propaganda of Satan Rev 16 -14-16).  Both sides have fascistic elements and a middle of the road "common sense" approach has disappeared.
    The far left has cultural socialism as its goal. The idea that all religions and sexes are equal (even the deviant ones) and one should regard everything and everyone as equal (part of multi-culturalism).  There is no right and wrong and there is a strong humanist/humanitarian ideology.  It is also part of the idea that there should only be one equal human society on earth based on humanism/humanitarianism.  (I now suspect that parts of this movement has been high-jacked by the anti-islamophobia movement.  For example, Linda Sasour (muslim- feminine activist) is leading feminist rallies. (Women do not have equality in islam).  Many black power movements have also been infiltrated by islam. The racism of the far-right has been insufferable and has been justifying the perpetration of acts of racial injustice and killings. But these violent acts have been providing fuel for the far-left movement, giving additional momentum when the muslim undercurrent incites riots and resistance for human rights. 
    These justified causes unfortunately serve the purpose of an ulterior agenda. Islam is using this far-left movement for its own goal of gaining control of Western society and promoting islam - which has one society under islam as its goal. We already see many school campuses giving the Islamic "culture" preferential treatment by providing education regarding this culture (and young children recite the Islamic Shahadahs- which makes them a Muslim when recited in front of  witnesses), while all other religions are not allowed on campus or do not receive special treatment.  Universities have been taken over by this far-left anti-islamophobia movement.  All this "equality" sounds very great until one looks at the building blocks it is made of  - it is very deceiving. 
    Only the future government under Jehovah god can bring true equality, equity and justice because it will not be based on any man-made philosophies or an imperialistic religion but on the willing adherence of believers to the principles/laws provided by Jehovah: true self-sacrificing love of every fellow human from the heart and a collective responsibility for each other and also the earth and its creatures.
    To the militant right we see the militant neo-Nazi movements, the neo populists, and alt-right alliance and anti-multi-culturalism. Included in this is a Christian movement (in USA) which  believes that taking up arms is OK for a Christian. ... or manipulating the system to get their Christian goals enshrined in law. ( I read an interesting report today which confirmed my suspicion that Trump won the election because he was the only one addressing the problem of Islamic infiltration. There has been a great undercurrent of fear of islam driving many far-right movements). Europe too has an anti-multiculturalism movement in many countries because of the threat of loss of national identity and culture. There is a rise of nationalism to try to save the status quo of decades ago. Governments have been making too many concessions to the Muslim agenda because of the sheer pressure of Islam and the growing Muslim population. Governments also need Muslim votes.  In England we already have more than 10 city mayors from the Islamic faith and there are many cities in Europe where the police dare not go in.  These areas have Islamic courts dispensing Sharia law. Voters of the far-right are afraid of losing their independence.  They are frightened of Sharia and its values
    To sum up: The iron-like governments cannot control and hold back the power of the clay (Daniel 2) -  the combined humanism ideologies fuelled by a one world-wide government agenda which is also (to some measure) espoused by the EU and the UN - for different reasons.
    How far Jehovah will allow this to go on - only he knows.   Soon the governments will tire of religions which are running their own agendas (riding the beast) and turn against their bedfellows by taking back all authority.   Many countries already have laws in place by which they can hold any person indefinitely in prison without the right of access to a lawyer.
    Will we see an ISIS movement in Europe or Canada?  We do not know.... only god knows.   All I can see is a buildup of religious undercurrents and tensions all over the earth which will lead to the eventual annihilation of the control by false religion.  In Asian cultures the same thing is happening.  Japan is going back to emperor worship - teaching it in schools again.  Militant Buddists are killing Muslims in Myanmar.  In India the Hindu faith has been declared the religion of the far-right government and we know that the official religion of Russia is the old bedfellow of communism - the Russian orthodox church - which is behind the persecution of all other faiths with a special hatred for Jehovah's Witnesses.
     
     
     
     
     
     
  18. Confused
    admin reacted to JW Insider in FBI questions Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, buyer of WTBTS properties   
    At about 4:50 pm, yesterday, WNYC introduced a story with a lead that included something like: 'Next, we'll discuss the purchase of the Watchtower buildings and Jared Kushner.'
    At the time it was on the radio, Kushner had not yet been made a part of the FBI story that gained traction to be a bigger part of the political news just a couple hours later.
    This story does not reflect negatively on the Watchtower, of course.
    But there is no doubt that if this particularly venture fails as one of Kushner's bad deals (he's made other bad deals along with good ones) the Watchtower will continue to be mentioned. (A comedian, John Oliver, spoke of these bad deals while making fun of the Watchtower deal just a couple weeks ago. He used Kushner's quotes about what he wanted to do with the Watchtower buildings, but Oliver never mentioned the "Watchtower" itself.) What makes some people worry about Kushner's deal, is that Kushner buys the Watchtower's multi-block complex down by the Brooklyn Bridge for more than a third of a BILLION dollars. Then he gives the Watchtower Society even MORE, another third of a BILLION, for a single parking lot!
     
  19. Thanks
    admin reacted to JW Insider in FBI questions Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, buyer of WTBTS properties   
    From http://www.wnyc.org/story/trump-kushner-little-known-business-partner

    Donald Trump and Jared Kushner Meet With Business Leaders, January22 2017
    (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press / Associated Press)     May 25, 2017 · by Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz The Watchtower in Brooklyn Heights is one of the most noticeable edifices in New York. It’s a complex of buildings on a bluff above the East River, with a sign on top that flashes the time and temperature. It used to be the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
    But today, workers are preparing to give it a makeover. Like so much else in Brooklyn, the Watchtower has been sold to developers. It changed hands last August, shortly after Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for President.
    The timing is relevant, because the buyer was Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. At $340 million, Kushner’s purchase of the Watchtower was one of the biggest real estate transactions in Brooklyn history.
    Kushner didn’t buy the Watchtower alone. He had help from a company called CIM Group, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles. Over the years, documents show, CIM has done at least seven real estate deals that have benefited Trump and the people around him, including Kushner. Those deals included stabilizing the scandal-plagued Trump SoHo hotel, a key Manhattan holding for Trump and his children Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr.
    At the same time, records show, CIM Group, with approximately $19.7 billion under management, has pursued an array of lucrative government contracts, pension investments, lobbying interests, and a global infrastructure fund, all of whose fortunes could benefit from a Trump presidency.
    While both Kushner and Trump have distanced themselves from their businesses, neither man has divested. Ethics experts including Kathleen Clark of the Washington University School of Law say that because of the two men’s ongoing business interests, the web of connections with CIM is troubling, even if no laws are broken.
    “Trump gives new meaning to the idea what’s good for Donald Trump is apparently good for America,” Clark said. “He doesn’t actually seem to have a conception of the public interest outside of himself or his company or his family. That’s astounding.”
    The White House declined to comment for this story, but in the past has defended Trump and Kushner’s business ties, saying they’ve been vetted and are in compliance with laws and regulations. CIM declined to comment on potential conflicts.
    What is CIM?
    CIM Group is certainly known at the top echelons of New York real estate. But the company itself — its character, its founders — seem to leave few traces beyond the properties in which it invests.
    “CIM stands out as being very secretive,” said Konrad Putzier, a reporter for the Real Deal magazine and website who has covered the company for several years. “The fact that we don’t even know what CIM stands for says it all.”
    A spokesman said in an email "CIM stands for CIM…that is all."
    CIM was founded in Los Angeles in 1994 by Shaul Kuba and Avi Shemesh, two Israelis, and Richard Ressler, a former New Yorker with private equity in his family — his brother Tony Ressler co-founded industry giant Apollo Global Management with his brother-in-law, Leon Black.
    CIM’s strategy is to get good returns for investors by investing in undervalued urban real estate. The firm quickly became known in California for courting influential politicians and donating tens of thousands of dollars to a series of statewide political action committees.
    In 2004, the firm acquired a package of properties that included the Kodak Theatre (now the Dolby Theatre) in Hollywood, where the Academy Awards are held. They purchased the real estate at a deep discount, after the previous owner ran into financial difficulties.
    A few years later, CIM persuaded the city of Los Angeles to arrange a $30 million HUD loan to reconfigure the theater to stage shows from Cirque du Soleil. The arrangement was supposed to last a decade and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new economic activity. Cirque’s show, however, fizzled after little more than a year.
    CIM has plenty of friends in Los Angeles, but it also has plenty of critics. Dennis Zine, a retired police officer and former city councilman, helped the company win the right to develop the derelict Reseda Cinema, which appeared in the opening sequence of Boogie Nights. Zine said CIM promised big things, but then neglected the project, embarrassing him in the process.
    “They burned their bridge with me,” Zine said.
    CIM Moves into New York
    Throughout the early 2000’s, CIM kept rolling up cash, in part by drawing investments from public pension funds like those in New York State  and California. In 2010, when CIM made its first foray into New York, the two states had more than a billion dollars with CIM. Neither pension fund would discuss the reasons for their investments.
    It was a great time for investors with an appetite for risk and the potential big payouts. The financial crisis had wiped out big banks like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Those that were still around were barely lending, and many New York developers were struggling to pay their bills.
    One of those was Harry Macklowe, who had acquired the site of the old Drake Hotel in Midtown Manhattan but lacked the money to build. Court records show Macklowe had tried to work out a deal to finance the project with Paul Manafort, who would later become Trump’s campaign manager, and a Ukrainian oligarch named Dmitry Firtash who had friendly relations with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But those negotiations went nowhere.
    Then, in January 2010, CIM partnered with Macklowe to erect what is now known as 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere.  One unit later sold for $95 million.
    Later that year, CIM saw another opportunity: the Trump SoHo.
    Though the condo-hotel project had been announced on “The Apprentice” finale in 2006, it was troubled from the start. Neighbors were immediately alarmed and upset with the idea of an outsized tower in the low-rise, chic district.
    Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, recalled that the project was plagued with problems. He said there were “deadly construction accidents, bodies being exhumed on the site from a 19th century abolitionist church, falling objects from the building.”
    Just after a gala ribbon-cutting for the Trump SoHo in the fall of 2007, the New York Times reported that one of principals in the building partnership, Felix Sater, had been convicted of assault for cutting a man with a broken margarita glass in a bar fight. He’d pled guilty to a stock fraud scheme. Another principal, Kazakh-born Tevfik Arif,was arrested on child-prostitution charges in Turkey. He was later acquitted.
    It was, as Berman described it, “just an endless array of scandals and connections between the financiers and Russian and Central Asian mobs.”
    Condo buyers sued Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr., saying they lied about how many units had been sold. The Manhattan District Attorney began investigating whether there had been criminal fraud. The lawsuit was eventually settled, with the plaintiffs required to sign non-disclosure agreements. With few witnesses, the D.A. dropped its probe.
    By 2010, the partners behind Trump SoHo, were falling behind on their construction loans, and the lenders were threatening foreclosure.
    That’s when CIM stepped in with a reported $85 million lifeline.
    Important Partners
    The same month CIM saved Trump SoHo, December 2010, CIM bailed out the project’s  co-developer, Tamir Sapir, on two other properties he owned: 11 Madison Avenue and the William Beaver House in Lower Manhattan. In all, CIM spent more than a half-billion dollars and gained a stake in some prime New York City properties.
    “There was a short window of opportunity that they just seized,” said the Real Deal’s Putzier.
    CIM also soon embarked on its first venture with Kushner, an office building at 200 Lafayette Street. The New York Post reported that when they sold the building in 2013 — after $30 million in renovations — the new buyer paid three times as much as Kushner and CIM had initially invested. CIM and Kushner also appeared to turn a quick profit on another jointly-purchased office building, 2 Rector Street.
    “The connection with Kushner, it’s very fitting,” Putzier said. He noted that the Kushner Companies own 20,000 apartments and 13 million square feet of office and industrial space, “but...they’re a family company, so when they do a lot of deals they usually need a partner with a lot of equity to help them, and that has often been CIM Group.”
    Kushner Companies agrees. In a statement, President Laurent Morali — who replaced Jared Kushner as the firm’s top executive after Kushner went to work in the White House — said “CIM is a strong longstanding partner with a developer’s DNA. They can work through complicated situations, are thorough and strategic, yet also make quick decisions.”  The feeling is mutual: CIM said in a statement that it has “strong, collaborative relationship with the team at Kushner, which has proven to be a valuable local partner.”
    CIM also said it “has only one business relationship with a Trump-related company” — the Trump SoHo. The Trump Organization declined to comment for this story; it manages the property under the terms of a licensing agreement.
    "The headline attraction of being somehow even tacitly aligned with the President of the United States could provide an incredible fundraising opportunity if they play it right, if they spin it the right way," said Serge Reda an adjunct professor at Fordham Business School. While the specifics of CIM's pitch to investors are unknown, Reda said it would be expected that a private equity firm would discuss its record.
    When CIM started making deals with the Trumps and the Kushners, its executives had no idea their business partners would one day occupy the Oval Office. But now they do, and ethics experts say that puts CIM’s connections to the First Family and its significant government business dealings in a new light.
    The full extent of CIM’s government ties is not known; much of its business is private, though some investments are publicly traded. In public disclosures, CIM said it received annualized rent of $37.7 million from the General Services Administration and other federal agencies. The company said that losing business from a downsized government "could have a material adverse effect."
    CIM also depends on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which provides a path for foreign investors in American real estate to obtain U.S. green cards. According to the non-partisan research group Opensecrets.org, CIM spent $430,000 on federal lobbying in 2015, putting it among the top ten real estate firms lobbying on that issue. CIM listed preserving the EB-5 program as a major lobbying priority.
    This is the same program that Jared Kushner’s sister Nicole Meyer, one of his siblings who now runs the family business, was recently promoting in China.
    There’s one more program CIM might benefit from, which could dwarf its profits from EB-5, rents or pensions. According to SEC disclosures, CIM has an infrastructure investment fund which it acknowledges is sensitive to “regulation” and “political events.”  If Trump gets an infrastructure bill passed, funds like this could earn many millions from projects like roads and tunnels.
    Kushner is at the center of the administration’s building plans. In March, the White House announced that he would head an “Office of American Innovation” whose mandates include “creating transformational infrastructure projects.”
    "Whether the parties are doing something untoward or not, the situation creates doubt, and it will follow the President throughout his term as long as he owns his business," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington or CREW. "It’s a question we shouldn’t be having to ask.” His group is suing the president for violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.
    Last December, as the president-elect was preparing to move to the White House, the firm did one more deal with Trump-world: CIM helped Kushner Companies buy 85 Jay Street, a parking lot in Brooklyn, for an eye-popping $345 million.  
    Watch that space.
    http://www.wnyc.org/story/trump-kushner-little-known-business-partner
  20. Like
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in A Fancy Restaurant   
    A man is dining in a fancy restaurant, and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He had been checking her out since he sat down, but lacked the nerve to talk with her.Suddenly she sneezes and her glass eye comes flying out of its socket towards the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back."Oh my, I am so sorry," the woman says as she pops her eye back in place. "Let me buy you dessert to make it up to you."They enjoy a wonderful dessert together, and afterwards, the woman invites him to the theater followed by drinks. After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for a nightcap...and stay for breakfast the next morning.The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed! Everything has been incredible!"You know," he said, "you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?""No," she replies...... "You just happened to catch my eye
  21. Upvote
    admin reacted to Queen Esther in In the rainy season its very hard, preaching in Nicaragua ;-(   
    In  the  rainy  season  its  very  hard,  preaching  in  Nicaragua
    But  I  saw  difficult  area's  also  in  Honduras,  on  the  Philippines,  etc.
    May  Jehovah  always  watching  and  bless  our  dear  Brothers & Sisters  on  their  way's  to  the  humans ❤
     
  22. Like
    admin reacted to Queen Esther in CAN YOU READ THIS?   
    CAN  YOU  READ  THIS ?
    In  few  days,  I  will write  the  correct  text  here ! 
    Now  the  text  for  all.....
    FIGURATIVELY  SPEAKING ?
    THIS  MESSAGE
    SERVES  TO  PROVE
    HOW  OUR  MINDS  CAN
    DO  AMAZING  THINGS !
    IMPRESSIVE  THINGS !
    IN  THE  BEGINNING
    IT  WAS  HARD  BUT
    NOW,  ON  THIS  LINE
    YOUR  MIND  IS
    READING  IT
    AUTOMATICALLY
    WITHOUT  EVEN
    THINKING  ABOUT  IT,
    BE  PROUD !  ONLY
    CERTAIN  PEOPLE  CAN
    READ  THIS.
    PLEASE  FORWARD  IF
    CAN  READ  THIS.....
    E N J O Y  !!   ;-)
  23. Sad
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in Sky News Live TV   
    Replies below will be split off to form separate topics as needed.
    Enjoy!
  24. Upvote
    admin reacted to Domingo Martin Estrada in link   
    ¡Viva Vancouver Festival18 y 19 de Agosto de 2017 en Vancouver, WashingtonComida, Musica y Cerveza Mayores de 21 años
    Viva Vancouver Festival!August 18 & 19, 2017 in Vancouver, WashingtonFood, Music and Beer21 & overVancouver Landing Amphitheater 100 Columbia St; Vancouver, Washington #vancouver #salsa #vivavancouver #craftbeer#salsadancing #cerveza
    https://www.facebook.com/Viva-Vancouver-Festival-344781304400/
  25. Thanks
    admin got a reaction from Queen Esther in Forum Upgrade to IPS 4.2 beta   
    Yes  we are still working on the RSS problem 
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