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shesreligion · 9 months ago

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˘ 。 𝐃𝐎𝐂 : astley - benefield , cameron . . . access granted .

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲𝚂 :

* full name , cameron james astley - benefield , seventh duke of westminster . nickname(s) , cam , the duke , cj . age , thirty four years old . date of birth , february second . place of birth , cheshire , england . hometown , cheshire , england . current residence , london , england . nationality , british . languages , english ( first language ) , welsh ( conversational ) . gender , cis man . pronouns , he / him . orientation , heterosexual / heteromantic . status , married . occupation , aristocrat , businessman : owner of a multi billion dollar real estate company . positive traits , debonair , charismatic , adaptable , patient , logical . negative traits , underhanded , arrogant , guarded , forgetful , perfectionist . character parralels , cameron sullivan , harvey spector , simon basset , tywin lannister , terry benedict , michael gray . zodiac , aquarius .

* face claim , lucien laviscount . race , biracial : black & white . ethnicity , english , german , antiguan . hair , dark brunette nearly black hair , keeps it fairly short but you can still catch a slight curl pattern . eyes , big brown eyes , piercingly so . height , six foot . voice , soothing and calm tone with a strong posh accent . usual expression , a rather smug look , with a permanent smirk lingering . tattoos , none . allergies , shellfish .

* biological father , alexander astley - benefield ( † ) . faceclaim , hugh grant . occupation , aristocrat , former realtor . biological mother , andrea astley - benefield ( formerly williams ) . faceclaim , angela bassett . occupation , aristocrat , philanthropist , and former politician . sister , utp astley - benefield . faceclaim , utp . occupation , utp . pet(s) , and airedale terrier named hugo and a black greyhound named charlie . financial class , upper class : generational wealth . notable family members , king of england ( godfather ) , nora williams ( aunt , oscar winning actress ) , robert astley ( great grandfather x4 , first duke of westminster ) .

𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴 : background . . . access granted .

in 1990 the country home of eaton hall would welcome a new resident , lord cameron astley - benefield , the eldest child of the aristocratic astley - benefield family . his father was the 6th duke of westminster and the ceo of astley group limited ( an international real estate company ) , and his mother was a politician turned philanthropist later in life .

there is no luxury that compares to the one in which he was brought up in : the godson of the king , he was set up for success from the the day he was born . this did not make for an easy life , though , on the contrary – life as the heir apparent to dukedom meant following a slew of rules & always remembering , love was very much so conditional . to make one step out of line was not an option , and so he tucked his head & followed his parents lead with every step he took . the perfect picture of a little lord .

the veil only starting to slip when he left cheshire to attend eaton college . the first few years went by smoothly , sticking true to himself ( or atleast to who he'd always been told he should be ) . time away from home can muddy one's views though and soon enough the security that came with attending eaton transformed into an arrogant confidence that he could act out of character : the partying started , then sneaking girls onto campus grounds , alcohol & drugs soon following closely behind .

things only took a turn for the worse as he went on to university – much more lazy with hiding his antics . tabloids often having a field day , and the young lord found his face on several tabloids throughout the nation : " playboy lord cops a feel " , " drug lord of oxford " , and " cameron tosses copper coins at ' peasants ' on campus " , where only a few headlines that graced covers during his time at oxford univeristy . to say he was on the outs within his family would be an understatement , this was around the time the conditions to his parents love came into play . set himself straight or be stripped of everything ( title and claim to the company ) .

to many's surprise he graduated from oxford , leaving england soon after to lay low . taking up residence in new york city for five years . a necessary evil . during this time he joined the family business , working on the american end of it & it became clear rather quickly he had quite the knack ( be it charm ) to sell a property to just about anyone who would listen to him . slowly but surely finding his way back into his parents good graces – he was a reformed bad boy , american tabloids would claim whenever they could catch a glimpse of him . instead channeling his off color antics into business moves . he would do anything to sell a property , even if it meant screwing over someone else : it didn't matter who you were or what you had . all that mattered was cameron was the one to seal the deal . ruthless to the bitter end .

his run in america came to an end in 2017 , with him & his family surrounding his father's hospital bed . with such a great loss came even greater responsibility , now the 7th duke of westminster and the new ceo of astley group limited . this was the time to show the british people just how much of a changed man he was – but does a tiger ever truly change it's stripes ? the partying subsided , the illicit substances gone ( for the most part ) , but the playboy tag remained . a new woman every few months . scorned woman left at every corner of the world , and cameron was more or less left unphased . his focus solely on preforming his duties – to make his late father proud of what he could accomplish .

just years later all that focus was rewarded when cameron was deemed the united kingdoms richest millennial & appointed deputy lieutenant of chesire , a showing that he'd excelled in both the business and in the eyes of his godfather .

the last thing on a long list of changes that needed to be made from his teen years finally comes to fruition when the duke gets down on one knee . a conscious decision , in the eyes of the public , to be faithful to one woman – to get married ( to the perfect trophy wife , he'd claim ) .

𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈 : the duke of charm . . . access granted .

the duality of cameron is one to be studied , on the surface he is charismatic and friendly – disarmingly so . the sort of guy you simply want around . overwhelmingly respectful and courteous at every turn ( especially if there are eyes on him ) but for the most part , if he's allowed you to know him well enough , you can see through it . it's all an act , much like most of his life : when he was younger he acted clean cut to appease his parents , as he grew into his own he acted out for global attention , and now he plays up the act of the honorable duke for the sake of business ventures . everything he does is done for one sole purpose – his own self interest . it's not about caring , it's about winning . there is a certain air he carries himself with some would call it arrogance , he prefers unwavering confidence . he knows when he walks into a room he is the grand prize . his loyalty is a fickle thing to most , outside of his family and country ( not the people in it , the actual country ) . his lack of care for other's shines when it comes to his forgetfulness , you could tell him your favorite color and five minutes later he'd have no clue . he'll claim he's far too busy & hardworking to fixate on mundane details but the truth is he's far more interested in what he has to say than anyone else , unless it's about him . despite his pit falls , there is no doubt there are pros to being in his orbit . cameron knows one speed and it's fast . . . very much so a proponent of work hard , play harder .

𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 :

coming soon . . .

#✹ ᆞ 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡 ﹕ ◟ cameron astley benefield. ◝#✹ ᆞ 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡 ﹕ ◟ about. ◝#tw : mention of parental death #socialitefm:intro

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camhawthornes · 2 years ago

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[ reese witherspoon | 43 | cis female | she/her/hers ] Hey, look! It’s [CAMERON HAWTHRONE] at [HAPPY HOME REAL ESTATE]. Did you know they [WORK] there as a [REAL ESTATE AGENT]? I guess they’re from [OLYMPIA, WA] and have been in town for [SEVEN MONTHS], living in [PRIMROSE HEIGHTS]. I also heard they’re a little [STUBBORN], but also very [RESOURCEFUL] which definitely makes sense.

— basics

full name: cameron elizabeth hawthorne (nee simon)

nicknames: cam, cammie (if you are her parent and want to make her skin crawl).

age & birthday: 43 & january 13th 1980

gender identity: cis female

preferred pronouns: she/her

occupation: real estate agent

orientation: pansexual/romantic

relationship status: separated

children: maisie hawthorne (9); austin hawthorne (13); grace hawthorne (21)

family: john simon (father); prudence simon (mother); ann-marie seigert (sister); brother simon (twin brother)

hometown: olympia, wa

time in east haven: seven months

— appearance

height: 5′1

eyes: blue

hair: blonde

tattoos/piercings: both ears (pierced when she was an infant) / a butterfly on her hip she got it on a dare and has regretted it since (particularly when the pregnancy stretch marks started) but keeps it as a reminder.

style: cam is very pta mom chic, though she’s always got a blazer or two hanging in her office just incase she has a last minute showing. she’s not the sort to leave the house without her face/hair done - even her exercise outfits flattering. all that said she does know how to rock a little black dress and has been known to take the karaoke microphone on a girls night out, particularly if she’s drinking something stronger than wine.

personality: temperamental, stubborn, mama bear, resourceful.

— more

likes: her kiddos, being a mom, bossing other parent volunteers around, yoga (though it doesn’t make her very zen), her fur babies, a greasy cheese burger (not that she’ll admit it).

dislikes: her husband.

hobbies: carting her children around to various activities, listening to audio books while running errands (particularly romance novels).

— bio points

Growing up, Cam was the apple of her mother’s eye and she thrived with all the extra attention but when her parents divorced and sides were picked the pressure to keep her mother happy (and often times sober) weighed heavy on her shoulders.

With years of pageant shows Cam had perfected the kind of smile that hides all of one’s worries and pain from the rest of the world.

She went to college to get a degree in journalism but ended up leaving halfway through her senior year pregnant and engaged. The couple moved to be closer to his family where he took a job at his father’s law firm.

Once she’d started her own family, it was easier to excuse the way she’d drifted away from her own. Cam’s mother in law took her under her wing, introducing her to the ‘right’ people at the right parties.

Before she knew it, Cam had become her mother - minus the excessive drinking and obvious child favoritism - a society mom with three kids and a husband in politics.

And she was happy! Or she thought she was. Until news of her husband’s cheating turned her whole world upside down. It’s like something snapped inside of her along with the rose colored glasses.

She tried to move forward in the relationship, for the sake of the children, but as he confessed the extent of his sins she found it hard to look him in the eyes. Her eldest was already in East Haven attending Heywood, so with the pretence of being closer to family she packed up her kiddos and moved to town.

Publicly she and her husband are still together, but as far as she’s concerned the relationship is over.

Cam is the kind of mom that volunteers for all the things at her child’s school, loves karaoke, girls nights and skinny margaritas.

#easthavenintro #// biography #// about #// intro

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bomcasltd · 4 years ago

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mariacallous · 2 years ago

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I am in the midst of a house move. It is not by choice. I am one of the thousands of renters in London facing eviction – although technically our landlord has simply decided not to renew our tenancy, a decision that doesn’t seem to factor into official eviction stats, though it should, given the frequency with which it’s occurring.

My landlord was one of that rare breed: the “good” landlords. You hear about them occasionally. The bar is very low, yet most private landlords (in London, at least) fail to clear it. Not a price gouger; fixes things when asked; doesn’t treat tenants like squatters who happen to be paying half their monthly salary for the privilege of residing in their buy-to-let.

But without proper legal protections and rights for private tenants, such as rent caps, tenancy security even in cases of house sales, and the option of indefinite tenancies, all that separates a good landlord from a bad one is the wafer-thin concept of decency. Tenants are totally reliant on the whims and personal circumstances of their particular landlord. As such, privately renting is not just a financial and psychological burden: it is also a crash course in extensive relationship management.

See: putting off getting the boiler fixed because the washing machine was just replaced, and if you ask your landlord for two costly repairs in a row a little switch in their brain might flip your house from “asset” to “albatross”, and they might decide to sell. Or calling a house meeting to collectively draft an unfathomably sycophantic email two months before your contract renewal essentially begging the landlord to grant you and your housemates the great honour of staying in their beautiful property. Sending them flowers, just because. (There is a housing crisis, and you need them to like you enough to ignore the estate agent in their ear telling them they can collect 30% more in monthly rent.)

And yet, at the slightest pressure decency withers and dies. In September, my “good” landlord asked to increase the rent by a small and reasonable amount, in line with rising living costs (no word, of course, about decreasing the rate to mirror real-terms pay cuts). My housemates and I agreed, but requested the increase came into effect after 90 days, according to the terms of the contract we had signed, rather than immediately. The landlord pushed back, with an undertone of aggrievement that we would repay their kindness in such a fashion, and then went quiet. Days later, we were informed our tenancy was ending. By adhering to the only legal protection we had, we’d become an albatross.

Unspoken was the reality that by referencing the vulgar, transactional nature of the landlord/tenant relationship, we had pierced the gossamer veneer of civility. We had reminded our landlord that they were a landlord, and not simply a kind benefactor. It was ungrateful in the face of their generosity. Personal affront sealed our fate.

Where the state has withdrawn, I have noticed an increasing emphasis on interpersonal “decency” to one another, an exhortation to rely on a supposed inherent goodness that will see us all done right by. Perhaps the seeds of this rhetoric were first planted by David Cameron’s vision of a “big society”, which involved the cutting down of actual society, via slashed public spending, and its replacement with voluntarism. There is a cultural emphasis on being “kind” in lieu of solid legislative frameworks and state safety nets to catch us when we fall.

Often, it is those people with the most material power who preach this doctrine: at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the then chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was instructing the public to practise “kindness” and “decency”, and later refusing to overhaul statutory sick pay. Wealthy celebrities and influencers wield the phrase “Be kind” like a get-out-of-jail-free card at the slightest hint of criticism. And there is a reliance on the individual compassion of the likes of landlords, in order to keep a roof over our heads. This “kindness” is a myth: it is bondage of a feudal nature, an exercise in massaging the egos – or should that be the consciences? – of those with assets and access in the hope that they will continue to patronise the rest of us.

Unfortunately, this vague folk concept of “kindness” disappears as soon as those at the top of the totem pole feel a squeeze; see landlords en masse increasing rental rates in line with their own living costs, never mind that some aren’t even grappling with higher mortgage repayments and have more than enough of a financial cushion from the properties they let out.

It is understandable in times of crisis: a scarcity mindset becomes particularly sharp. The perception of being harder up, however, means kindness falls by the wayside. Self-preservation kicks in, and damn objectivity when it comes to assessing actual power dynamics.

“It’s been a very difficult time for landlords, too,” my friend was told earlier this year, after a rent increase on her mouse-infested flat. The landlord in question collects income from 11 properties. Under the decency doctrine, everyone’s suffering is equal.

Keep your kindness. I would rather have housing security or the ability to easily book a GP appointment without relying on a sympathetic receptionist’s pity when I turn up at the surgery in tears at 8am. “Decency” without the backing of robust welfare and legislative infrastructure is nothing but a farce, existing to alleviate the guilt of the haves in relation to the have-nots. It is a finite resource. The UK, it seems, is close to running on empty.

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averagejoesolomon · 3 years ago

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Thank you for waiting! I happen to think that this chapter is worth it. Hope you enjoy the gang, at the beginning of their first real mission. If you're new here, you can read all of Full Circle on ao3.

Chapter Three

Abby wraps her hand around his, then pulls his heart straight through his arm.

Since their very first day of training, Abigail Cameron has been a constant and considerable force in Matt’s life. Her presence punctuates their shared years with the sporadic and unreliable beat of his own excited pulse. She is unforgettable. She is unstoppable. She is always missed, sometimes with an absent mind and others with every ounce of intention he’s got.

The sight of her hand pulling his only amplifies a want he’s never been able to shake, rife with hopeful memories that weave in and out of time—Abby, pulling him onto a dancefloor in Williamsburg each Saturday. Abby, lacing her undercover fingers through his on one of their many honeymoons. Abby, dragging him across the world, and Abby, yanking him in and out of trouble like the expert she is. She’s a guide through a life he was never supposed to have. She’s a feeling, through and through.

He’d follow her anywhere. That’s for certain.

On this particular morning of this particular day, he follows her through an unfamiliar estate. They pass by sprawling floral arrangements, all standing in a row. They weave between uniformed men and women, narrowly avoiding towers of dishware and decor. What isn’t made of wood is made of centuries-old stone or freshly polished gold. Every elegant window, arched ceiling, and waxed floorboard belongs in one of his mama’s magazines.

Matt has infiltrated embassies and palaces with less magnificence than the Cameron estate. As Abby pulls him through lounges, and dining rooms, and corridors of every length, there’s not a single detail out of place.

Maybe that’s why the office is such a striking sight.

If the rest of the house is the clean calm before the storm, then the office is the categorical disaster that certainly follows. It looks as though a twister has torn straight through every available scrap of paper. The shelves have been cleared, encyclopedias and file folders splayed out across a disheveled rug. A globe sits tipped in the corner, split by a crack that runs straight through the Americas. A curtain rod has been knocked from its hardware, causing all of the heavy velvet cloth to slouch toward one end. It reveals the morning sunrise across the grounds—the perfect picture of serenity acting as the backdrop to a truly terrifying invasion.

He lets Abby’s hand fall from his own. This is bad, even for the Circle.

In all the mess, Matt almost misses the sight of an older gentleman sitting behind the room’s desk. He scribbles across the only orderly stack of paper in sight, no doubt working through some equation that not even a computer could handle. A pair of golden glasses slide toward the end of his nose, but when he looks up toward the doorway, Matt spots Rachel’s eyes behind them. The resemblance is only outshined by Abby’s smile, spread across a stranger’s face. “Abagail?”

Abby beams, as though her name on his lips is the sweetest sound of them all. “Are you busy, Daddy?”

His eyes flash back toward the paper, finishing up his last line of logic before he finally sets his pen down atop the packet and returns his attention to her. “Am I ever too busy for you, my songbird?” he says, but the answer comes without words when he stands from his desk. He exceeds both of his daughters in height, meeting Matt somewhere in the extra inches. “And this is…?”

Abby opens her mouth to introduce Matt by name, but he knows better than to wait. He holds out his hand before she can say another word. “Matthew Morgan, sir.”

“Henry Cameron.” His hand lands in the spot Abby’s was just moments ago.

The two of them shake. “Mr. Cameron, I—”

And shake some more. “Henry, please.”

It ain’t polite to extend his hand for too long, but it’s still too soon to break away. Henry commands respect with his very presence, letting it stand in his shoulders and his smirk. Matt’s happy to give it to him, just as long as he gives it right back.

The two of them are still shaking hands by the time Joe catches up, Rachel not far behind. Henry breaks his determined stare in favor of the movement over Matt’s shoulder. His eyes dance between Joe and Rachel, as though trying to solve another complex equation. “Rachel?” he says, curious. “I see we brought more friends?”

“Oh.” Rachel is quick to correct, throwing a thumb toward Joe. “He’s not mine.”

“Joe is my colleague, sir,” Matt cuts in, finally letting his hand fall. “He and I flew out when we caught wind of this incident.”

“Caught wind, huh?” Henry echoes. His tone is that of a man who has long abandoned the possibility of coincidence. “And just how did you boys manage that?”

Matt throws a glance toward Joe, and Joe catches it right at the center of his mitt. The two of them have spent years chasing down Circle leads and in that time, they have learned that no good comes of trying to explain themselves. To most longstanding and established agents, the story of Ioseph Cavan is just that—a story. A myth. Even if they could convince Henry of the threat, it would be impossible to explain their involvement without blowing Joe’s cover. It only takes one look to agree that this case is need-to-know.

Matt relays the sentiment, by way of his midwestern charm. “Our own investigations led us here, independent of any recent developments,” he says. “With your cooperation, we’d like to learn more about the break-in. You may find that we have similar interests—”

But a top analyst for the nation’s foremost organization in code-breaking knows lip service when he hears it. He raises his voice over Matt’s with a tired impatience. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems the two of you are here to investigate what kind of agent pulled a black bag job against a key member of the NSA cryptography team—do I have that right?” He pauses, but both Matt and Joe know better than to answer. Henry takes note of their speechlessness with a raise of his eyebrows. “Are you surprised to find that I speak your language? Bear in mind, I am not one of your assets to be manipulated, gentlemen. What could you possibly find that I haven’t already thought of myself?”

His eyes match Rachel’s exactly, not just in color and shape, but also in severity. At once, Matt learns where Rachel got her silences from, filled with expectation and demand. The familiarity of it catches Matt off guard, leaving him empty and uncertain.

Thankfully, Abby isn’t so easily deterred. Her hand falls to Matt’s shoulder now, sending warmth down to his fingertips, up to his brain, and flooding into his chest. “Daddy,” she says, gentle. “Matt’s got a good gut. I mean, we’re talking about the guy who disarmed three KGB agents before I even realized they were in the room and who kept me from getting kidnapped on the Slovenian Riviera—both in the same week, no less.”

There is no surprise in Henry’s tone, but the alarm sneaks through. “Kept you from what?”

“Kidding!” She is not kidding, but Matt doesn’t feel that this is the time to say so. “All I’m saying is that I totally trust him. Don’t you think you might be a little too close to this one? How can you expect to be objective when your office looks like this?”

Most of the time, Matt is meeting people on their worst days. It’s horribly inconvenient to try getting to know someone after they’ve just been lied to, stolen from, or otherwise violated. At least in this case, Abby is an expert in her father’s behavior. At least Abby is on his side.

His daughter’s words prompt Henry to take another look around the room, eyes scanning the toppled books and the shattered bottles atop the bar cart. He takes one, two, three meandering steps back toward his desk, then falls back into his chair with a barely concealed exhaustion and a sigh that admits defeat.

He glances up at Matt and Joe, straight over the tops of his glasses. “You’re CIA?”

They both nod and Matt answers, “Yessir.”

“And you don’t have anything better to do than investigate my office?”

“Trust me, sir,” says Matt. “I hope I’m wrong. I hope this is a waste of time.”

Henry nods for just a little too long, studying the two of them. Matt takes his turn with the silence until Henry finally comes around. “What is it you’d like to know, Mr. Morgan?”

“Just Matt, sir. I insist.” This, at least, seems to earn Matt some slight favor. He rolls with the momentum before it runs out. “It’d be mighty helpful to start with your security systems. Do you know how this room is protected?”

Henry huffs. “Do you mean the model 5500XD alarms that trigger every time that door is opened, unless I type in the correct daily code on that keypad just behind you?” Matt looks over his shoulder, but Joe is already examining the pad, trying to figure out how he would circumvent it. “Or did you perhaps intend to ask about the security on the entire house? The CSM pressure pads on every window? The automatic sensors scattered beneath select the floorboards throughout the halls? Maybe you’re curious about the 24-hour gate service?”

“Sneaking out of this place at night was a blast as a teenager,” Abby says, mischievous breath rolling over his shoulder.

“And yet none of it seemed to deter you too much, did it?” Henry teases, his smile only just reaching his eyes. “I assure you Matt, there are few places safer than this house and there is no place in this house safer than this office, so what is it you believe I have missed?”

“Not missing a thing, sir,” he says. “Sounds like a real fortress.”

“Sounds like an inside job,” Joe mutters at his side.

Matt couldn’t agree more. “Who has access to this room?” he asks. “Do you have cleaners come in?”

Henry gestures toward the floor. The walls. The entire room. “You’re the field agent—you tell me,” he says. “Does it look like I have cleaners come in?”

Admittedly, Matt likely could have pieced that one together on his own. “Is there anyone who could have had access to the code? To any of the security systems?”

Rachel has made a spot for herself in the doorway, leaning up against the jamb with a single shoulder and crossed arms. “Until 48 hours ago, we thought Dad was the only person who could get into this room,” she says, voice hard. “Obviously we were wrong.”

“Honestly Rachel.” Matt has never heard anyone speak to Rachel Cameron in the way that her father does in this moment. “Haven’t you had enough of this?”

“Dad, I’m not trying to be difficult—”

“Aren’t you?”

She swallows whatever words she was going to say next, then stores her thoughts in the set of her jaw. Matt finds an entirely new sort of silence in Rachel now. One that he never thought he’d see. Something about the moment keeps him from looking away, locked on Rachel with some deep-down sense of helplessness. This is not his Rachel.

The space between them feels too wide, so Matt bridges it. “Something we should know?”

Rachel looks up at him, but her lips are squeezed into a tight line. She glances once toward her father, then back at Matt. Shakes her head. “It’s nothing.”

Matt steals another glance at Joe, this one even more fleeting than the first. Even Joe can see that something ain’t right—and Joe ain’t usually in the business of paying Rachel any mind. “Nothing’s nothing,” Matt says. “You’ve been on this case for two days already. If you’ve got suspects—”

Henry answers for her. “She doesn’t have suspects—”

“It sure sounds like she has suspects.” Matt spins on the man before he realizes it, but soon remembers that this operation is already hanging my tenuous threads. “Sir.”

For a moment, Henry looks as though he might snap back, but he glances between Rachel and Matt, considering. When the tension unwinds, he pinches his nose and pushes his glasses back into place. “Apologies, boys. As my Abagail said earlier, we’re a bit too close to this one, aren’t we?” he says. “Whatever theories we may have aren’t likely to hold much merit.”

The Circle has a way of breaking people down from the inside out. Matt’s seen it with Joe, and now he sees it in the Cameron family. It earns his sympathy, and he musters up the patience to follow a thread through the rest of the conversation.

Rachel extends no such courtesy, whispering sharp words beneath her breath.

Henry looks over Matt’s shoulder. “What are you muttering over there, Rachel?”

“I said,” she spits, charging into the room until she’s right at Matt’s side, “that we need to conduct an exhaustive search across our staff. We should have started one two days ago.”

Henry shakes his head once more. “We trust our staff implicitly”—he turns to Abby—“don’t we Abagail?”

Abby, to her credit, does not pick either side. “We’re losing time,” says Rachel. “Whoever did this is in our home.”

Henry speaks to her like a child. Like his child. “Do we know that for sure?”

Rachel speaks to him like a fool. “Don’t you get it? You’re not safe, Dad—”

“Enough, okay?”

Henry lands a fist to the desktop and the sound of it is enough to make Matt jump. This time, it’s Rachel’s hand that wraps around his, gripping at his wrist as though she’s searching for something—anything—to hold onto. White knuckles grasp at his idle hand as she steadies herself, subtle at his side. In an instant, it occurs to him that Rachel’s language has never been kept in her words or her gestures. She holds it all in her touch, waiting for someone to listen.

Rachel’s hand is tight, and certain, and strong.

Rachel’s hand is desperation and want.

Rachel’s hand is warm.

“On Monday, we brought in new staff members to help with the party,” she says, slow and deliberate. “And on Tuesday, someone broke into the most secure room in the house. I don’t know how to make it any clearer—”

Matt’s attention is so drawn to her grip that he almost misses the most promising lead yet. “Hold on,” says Matt. “Party?”

“New staff?” Joe adds.

From her corner of the room, Abby plops into a wide, leather armchair. “We brought on some extra hands to help with the Annual Cameron Charity Picnic,” she offers, crossing one leg over the other. “Rachel is convinced that one of the new staff members broke in.”

Henry is quick to amend her statement. “But all of our staff go through rigorous background checks before they are hired, so is there really a need to hold up party preparation?” he says. “How does the old saying go? The show must go on?”

Henry is far too smart a man to be this naive. There’s a disconnect between the two of them that Matt hasn’t experienced with many people in his lifetime. Maybe it’s a difference in upbringing. Maybe it’s a difference in wealth. Or maybe Matt just can’t wrap his head around the fact that anyone would so easily dismiss Rachel’s brilliance. While Matt can usually make fast friends, Henry ain’t taking the bait.

Fine. If not friends, then reluctant allies.

Matt loops his arm from Rachel’s hold, but leaves behind a single, reassuring squeeze along her fingers. “Sir, Rachel may be right,” he says. “You of all people should know that coincidences don’t happen in a business like ours. If the timeline is really that tight, the best thing we can do is cancel the party and interrogate—”

“We are having this party, Mr. Morgan.” He is definitive. Uncompromising. It is the most straightforward he has been since their introduction. “And we are having it exactly as planned. If you cannot operate within those terms, then you will not be welcome here any longer, understood?”

And when it comes down to it, Matt can’t afford to lose this lead. By the look of things, Henry knows it. “Understood, sir.”

The room is suddenly too crowded. The air is suddenly too thick. Henry must decide that he’s had enough, because he digs through a box on his desk, picks out a cigar with a thick blue stripe, then buries it within the inner pocket of his jacket. When he stands, he pulls a lighter from one of the drawers. “Should anyone need me, I’ll be in my lounge.”

It’s an end to the discussion if Matt’s ever head one, but a thought still burns in the back of his mind. “Sir, if I could ask one more question?” Henry stops in the doorway, and Matt takes his silence as a cue to continue. “What did they take?”

Henry considers this, but not for long. His small smile makes a return. “I trust that in your line of work, you’re used to people telling you certain information is classified?”

“Yessir.”

“And do you truly believe that this will be any different?”

“No sir.”

And that is answer enough. Henry nods, once, then takes off down the hall. “Enjoy your stay, boys.”

#Full Circle

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the-daily-tizzy · 5 years ago

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ITALY’S COMMUNIST RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Published March 24, 2020 | By Giacomino Nicolazzo

Montecalvo, Lombardy, Italy.

As I sit here in my involuntary isolation, it was just reported that overnight 743 more people died and 5.249 new cases have been reported. This brings the total cases of infection to 69,176 and the body count to 6,820. We take relief in knowing that 8,326 people have recovered so far. ( Numbers as of 3/24, 8:30pm in Italy.)

Most towns here in Italy, from the upper reaches of the Alps to the ancient shores of Sicilia and Sardenia, while not deserted, are closer to being ghost towns than the bustling centers of tourism, business and daily life they were just a few weeks ago.Stores and shops have been shuttered. Restaurants and coffee shops no longer serve customers. Schools, universities, sporting arenas…even our museums and theaters…all closed. Even the Vatican City has closed its gates and armed patrols monitor the 20 foot tall walls that protect it!

Streets and roads are now empty for as far as the eye can see. Normally they would be filled with crazed Italian drivers in tiny cars and scooters (the ones that sound like demonic insects) darting here and there, reaching the limits of centrifugal force on our roundabouts. In the piazze of our towns and cities, there are now officially more pigeons than people.Many of us know someone who has been infected and recovered. Some of us know someone who did not recover…now they are dead. But everyone knows someone who has been affected by this microscopic monster in one way or another.

Sixty million of us are in lock-down…it is like a war zone here. We are being held prisoner in our own homes by an unseen enemy that sneaked in unnoticed…by most of us. As you will read in just a few more minutes, there were those who knew something like this was coming…or at least they should have.So who is to blame? With all this craziness swirling like a whirlpool at our feet, I just had to find the blame answer. And so I have spent my free time (of which I have a lot in these days) digging and researching. I was literally shocked to discover how this has come to be.I am not going to bore you with talk of Patient ‘0’ who spread it to Patient ‘1’ and how mathematics efficiently explains the rapid expansion of infection. No…I am going to tell you how (as I see it) the virus came to Italy.It has everything to do with communists. Allow me to explain.Beginning in about 2014, Matteo Renzi, the imbecile ex-mayor of Firenze (Florence) acting as the leader of the Partito Democratico (synonymous with the Italian Communist party), somehow managed to get himself elected as Italy’s Prime Minister. To give you a proper frame of reference, Matteo Renzi was so far left, he would make Barack Obama look like Barry Goldwater!

At the same time that Renzi was leading Italy into oblivion, strange things were happening in Italy’s economy. Banks were failing…but not closing. Retirement ages were being extended…for some reason the pension funds were dwindling or disappearing. The national sales tax we call IVA (Value Added Tax) rose from 18% to 20%, then to 21% and again to 22%.And in the midst of all this financial chicanery, the Chinese began furiously buying up Italian real estate and businesses in the North.Now the reason I mention Renzi and the Chinese together is that strange things were also going on between the governments of Italy and China. A blind eye was being turned to the way the Chinese were buying businesses in the financial, telecommunication, industrial and fashion sectors of Italy’s economy, all of which take place in Milano.

To be brief…China was getting away with purchases and acquisitions in violation of Italian law and EU Trade Agreements with the US and the UK…and no one in either of those countries (not Obama in the US or Cameron in the UK) said a thing in their country’s defense. As a matter of fact, much of it was hidden from the public in all three countries.In 2014, China infused the Italian economy with €5 billion through purchases of companies costing less than €100 million each.

By the time Renzi left office (in disgrace) in 2016, Chinese acquisitions had exceeded €52 billion. When the dust settled, China owned more than 300 companies…representing 27% of the major Italian corporations.The Bank of China now owns five major banks in Italy…all of which had been secretly (and illegally) propped up by Renzi using pilfered pension funds! Soon after, the China Milano Equity Exchange was opened and much of Italy’s wealth was being funneled back to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese state entities own Italy’s major telecommunication corporation (Telecom) as well as its major utilities (ENI and ENEL). Upon entry into the telecommunication market, Huawei established a facility in Segrate, a suburb of Milano. It launched is first research center there and worked on the study of microwaves which has resulted in the possibly-dangerous technology we call 5G.China also now owns controlling interest in Fiat-Chrysler, Prysmian and Terna. You will be surprised to know that when you put a set of Pirelli tires on your car, the profits are going to China.

Yep…the Chinese colossus of ChemChina, a chemical industry titan, bought that company too!Last but not least is Ferretti yachts…the most prestigious yacht builder in Europe. Incredibly, it is no longer owned by the Ferretti family.

But the sector in which Chinese companies invested most was Italy’s profitable fashion industry. The Pinco Pallino, Miss Sixty, Sergio Tacchini, Roberta di Camerino and Mariella Burani brands have been acquired by 100%.Designer Salvatore Ferragamo sold 16% and Caruso sold 35%. The most famous case is Krizia, purchased in 2014 by Shenzhen Marisfrolg Fashion Company, one of the leaders of high-priced, ready-to-wear fashions in Asia.

Throughout all of these purchases and acquisitions, Renzi’s government afforded the Chinese unrestricted and unfettered access to Italy and its financial markets, many coming through without customs inspections.

Quite literally, tens of thousands of Chinese came in through Milano (illegally) and went back out carrying money, technology and corporate secrets.

Thousands more were allowed to enter and disappeared into shadows of Milano and other manufacturing cities of Lombardy, only to surface in illegal sewing shops, producing knock-off designer clothes and slapping ‘Made In Italy’ labels on them. All with the tacit approval of the Renzi government.It was not until there was a change in the governing party in Italy that the sweatshops and the illegal entry and departure of Chinese nationals was stopped. Matteo Salvini, representing the Lega Nord party, closed Italy’s ports to immigrants and systematically began disassembling the sweatshops and deporting those in Italy illegally.

But his rise to power was short-lived. Italy is a communist country…socialism is in the national DNA. Ways were found to remove Salvini, after which the communist party, under the direction of Giuseppe Conte, reopened the ports. Immediately, thousands of unvetted, undocumented refugees from the Middle East and East Africa began pouring in again.

Access was again provided to the Chinese, under the old terms, and as a consequence thousands of Chinese, the majority from Wuhan, began arriving in Milano.

In December of last year, the first inklings of a coronavirus were noticed in Lombardy…in the Chinese neighborhoods. There is no doubt amongst senior medical officials that the virus was brought here from China.

By the end of January 2020 cases were being reported left and right. By mid-February the virus was beginning to seriously overload the Lombardy hospitals and medical clinics. They are now in a state of collapse.

The Far-Left politicians sold out and betrayed the Italian people with open border policies and social justice programs. One of the reasons the health care system collapsed so quickly is because the Renzi government (and now continued under the Conte government) redirected funds meant to sustain the medical system, to pay for the tens of thousands of immigrants brought in to Italy against the will of the Italian people.

If you remember the horrible earthquake that decimated the villages around Amatricia, in the mountains east of Rome in 2015, you would also remember how the world responded by sending millions of dollars to help those affected.

But there is a law in Italy that prevents private donations to charitable Italian organizations. All money and donations received must be turned over to a government agency, who in turn is to appropriate the funds as needed. But that agency is corrupt just as are all the others.Most of the money never reached a single victim in the mountains. The Renzi government redirected the vast majority of those funds to pay for the growing immigrant and refugee costs.

So more money was diverted from the health care system and used to pay what is known here as guaranteed income. Whether you work or not you are paid here, especially if you belong to the PD! The government simply raises taxes on those who do work

.Let me give you a quick example of the height of insanity to which Italian taxation has risen.

If you live in a building that has a balcony or balconies…and any of those balconies cast a shadow on the ground, you must pay a public shadow tax! I will say no more!

The point I am trying to make here is that not only did the Chinese bring the virus to Italy (and the rest of the world) it was far-Left politics and policies that facilitated it.

This should hopefully be a warning to Americans that while they work to rid themselves of the China Virus, they should just as vehemently endeavor to rid their government of any politician that circumvents the Constitution and ignores the laws of the land…plain and simple.

Giacomino Nicolazzo is one of Italy’s most beloved writers. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, he lives in a small village in Lombardy where he writes his books.

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truthshield · 2 years ago

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Tampas Chill Bros. Scoop Shops success story continues with expansion to Water Street

Growing up in South Tampa, the Chillura siblings half jokingly dreamed of opening an ice cream shop. Today, they have four of them. At the beginning of July, their latest Chill Bros. Scoop Shop location opened in Water Street Tampa, joining the curated mix of local and national restaurants in the multi-billion dollar mixed-use development downtown. It is a pairing that has the potential to go as well together as a double scoop of key lime ice cream on a hot summer day. Water Street is the exact type of walkable neighborhood where the Chillura siblings- brothers Patton, Max and Nash and sister Hadley- think ice cream shops thrive. “Our philosophy is that ice cream is extremely local,” Max Chillura says while seated at a table in the Water Street location that opened July 1. “We found neighborhoods throughout Tampa where there was a strong sense of neighborhood and community and where walkability is huge. I grew up in Tampa and to see a true downtown district like this, with the live, work, play atmosphere is really cool.” Since launching in Ybor City in the fall of 2019, the sibling-run small batch shop has boomed, attracting customers during the COVID pandemic and expanding to Bay to Bay Boulevard in South Tampa, the Epicurean Hotel in Hyde Park and now the ground-floor retail space at the base of the Cora Residences, 1061 Water St. “Through COVID, we actually had a little bit more exposure,” Max Chillura says. “I think people were looking for comfort food. Through delivery outlets, we were able to reach a broader range than the single location we had at the time. But we love having people in the shops. Obviously, that’s the fun of it.” The Chillura siblings launched Chill Bros. after Max traveled to Italy to learn ice cream making and bring back lessons they could apply to American-style ice cream. His brother Patton is the business and real estate guru. Sister Hadley is a graphic design whiz. Younger brother Nash is in school and helps make ice cream. With each Chillura sibling bringing their own skill set and experience to the table, the business has blossomed. To keep up with demand, they have a production facility at their location at the Epicurean, the culinary-themed hotel in Hyde Park that is itself set to go through a $17 million expansion as Tampa booms. Now, they have expanded to an area of Water Street where several other eateries are set to open in neighboring street-level retail space over the next several months. Coming to Water Street Next to Chill Bros. at the Cora, Small Giant Bar & Restaurant, a neighborhood bar with craft beer and cocktails and Ohio-style pizza, and Wine on Water, a modern wine and liquor shop, are both planned to open in the next few months. The founders of Tampa-based Cru Hospitality Group are behind both restaurants. Across the street, London-based Asian fusion restaurant Wagamama, which has U.S. locations in Boston and New York, is opening in the future at the base of Asher Residences, 1050 Water St. Ash, an Italian restaurant featuring a large outdoor patio, is also coming to the ground floor of the Asher, with a scheduled opening date of spring 2023. It will be the third restaurant at Water Street by Proper House Group and chef Ferrell Alvarez, joining Sparkman Wharf’s Gallito Taqueria and Dang Dude. Proper House and Alvarez are also behind the award-winning Rooster & the Till in Seminole Heights. A short stroll down Water Street, The Pearl, a restaurant, tavern and oyster room from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, the company behind Ocean Prime, and Three Corners Pizza, from local restauranter Noel Cruz, will open at the base of the Heron, 815 Water St. For more information go to Chill Bros. Scoop Shop and Opening soon at Water Street. https://ift.tt/FDIhlZU https://ift.tt/9ZSuztA

#Saas #softwaresystems #productdevelopment #software #practice #optimization #accuracy #efficiency #productivity #softwareprojects #cracksthecode

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hauptrealty · 3 months ago

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Cameron Heights Edmonton Real Estate: Great Choice For Amenities

Tucked next to the beautiful North Saskatchewan River, Cameron Heights offers a blend of natural beauty with modern living in Edmonton, sure to impress any homebuyer looking for that special place to call home. In this writing piece, you can learn more about Cameron Heights Edmonton real estate, and Cameron Heights real estate.

Around the edges of Cameron Heights, one finds nice parks, walking trails, and fronting onto the River Valley with easy access to hiking trails, biking trails, and bird watching. In terms of local natural environment maintenance, this reflects a belief within the community that there should always be green spaces and parks as part of the community.

The real estate landscape in Cameron Heights is good, with different styles of architecture. Each property boasts features and modern amenities that speak of luxury, be it a modern classic estate-type home. Most of the homes offer sizeable layouts and high-end finishes on large lots, hence fitting for growing families.

Community and Amenities

Cameron Heights Edmonton real estate provides an excellent community spirit for its residents. The common areas are well-maintained, and parks with playgrounds and walking paths are very conducive to socialization and fresh air. Moreover, the area is proximity-based, having key facilities—schools, shopping, healthcare, restaurants—all within easy reach to make daily life easy and enjoyable.

Just off the beaten path, yet minutes from downtown Edmonton, Cameron Heights offers a quiet retreat from this urban bustle. Easy access into the heart of the city means getting to work or into town for entertainment or culture really couldn't be easier, and residents truly have it all here: peace at home and vibrancy a short drive away.

Strong Property Value and Investment Potential

Aside from a beautiful home, Cameron Heights real estate proves to be an excellent financial investment. No wonder, the beauty of this ongoing development makes its property values increase at a steady pace. Be it for meeting a need for a principal residence or for an investment property, the prospects are very good with Cameron Heights in the long run.

Cameron heights real estate is one of the top residential places in Edmonton since it has been able to put together the beauty of nature with luxurious living and community spirit. With an ideal location, quality homes, and plentiful amenities, Cameron Heights offers one of the best options while trying to find a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.

#cameron heights real estate #real estate edmonton #homes for sale #real estate #realtor canada

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architectnews · 3 years ago

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Richard Neutra Hilltop Home, Tujunga LA

Richard Neutra’s Secretary’s Home, Tujunga, LA Real Estate, US Hilltop Residence, Californian Property Photos

Richard Neutra’s Secretary’s Home in LA Los Angeles

Mar 8, 2022

Hilltop Home For Sale

Richard Neutra designed iconic homes, including one for his secretary! Seventy years later it lists for $9.8 Million

Location: Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, USA

photos: Cameron Carothers

Source: TopTenRealEstateDeals

Richard Neutra was one of America’s most important modern architects from the 1920s to the 1960s designing famous homes such as the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs for Edgar J. Kaufmann (who also commissioned Fallingwater in Pennsylvania), the Julian Bond House in San Diego, and the Kronish House in Beverly Hills.

At the height of his career in 1953, Neutra designed a home for his secretary, Dorothy Serulnic. A classic Southern California contemporary design, in the 1950s and ‘60s, Neutra’s futuristic style was copied by builders across the United States who were leading the post World War II migration to the new suburbs. His secretary’s home is now for sale as part of a contemporary complex of two homes and a guest cabin, at an executive-level price of $9.799 million.

Neutra was born in Austria in 1892 and emigrated to the US in the 1920s where he worked briefly for Frank Lloyd Wright and later established his own company. His work was exhibited at the seminal 1932 modernist exhibition at LA’s MoMA and was part of the architecture competition in the Summer Olympics of the same year. Neutra’s style was marked by airy geometric spaces and the “ready-for-anything” plan – focusing on a multi-functional open floor plan that can be adapted for different lifestyles or events. He was known for his focus on the client’s needs rather than imposing his own will, using detailed questionnaires that sometimes surprised the clients. He mentored several successful architects who went on to further popularize the West Coast variation on the Mid-Century Modern. Among the numerous homes he designed in Los Angeles, twelve have been designated Historic Cultural Monuments.

Located in Tujunga in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains about 30 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles, the $9.799 million listing offers the opportunity to own both the original Neutra home and a contemporary home designed by multiple award-winning architect Michael Maltzan.

The Neutra home has 1,350 square feet, two beds, and one bath. It was far ahead of most of the 1950’s California modern homes with a floor-to-ceiling glass front that takes advantage of the property’s mountain and city skyline views. Cherry wood, creamy walls, a stone fireplace and Neutra-designed built-ins – including a sofa system with record player and concealed speakers, multiple desks, shelving systems, dining room table, sliding breakfast nook and vanity – make this home unique even 70 years after it was built.

Nearly half a century after the Neutra home, the Maltzan-designed primary residence was added, preserving the compound’s geometric aesthetic with a striking seven-sided design with an interior courtyard. Lots of glass let in natural light and breathtaking views from every side while blonde hardwoods enhance the airy, inviting feel. The primary suite opens on the courtyard and features a curvilinear, penny-tiled bathroom. An office and den complement the home’s three bedrooms. The home’s unique design allows seamless flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. A spiral staircase, balconies, lots of built-in storage and unexpected angles enhance the residence’s cutting-edge style.

An extraordinary curated succulent garden spans the compound’s 5.7 acres. A pebbled path leads through the garden to the 50-foot lap pool and its shaded lounge area decorated with beautiful cactuses. An outdoor movie pavilion with windscreen and a catering kitchen make movie nights extra special. A unique angular, one-bedroom cabin with outdoor shower designed and built by artist Peter Staley completes the compound.

Alone on a hilltop, the estate provides extraordinary privacy and a short commute to the Los Angeles Eastside destinations of Pasadena, Los Feliz and Silver Lake. Nestled against the Angeles National Forest, it offers close access to numerous hiking trails and nature areas plus the Angeles National Golf Club. It is only a 20-minute drive from the Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Although not generally a haven for celebrities, Tujunga has served as the location for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Ben Hur, Tarzan and numerous other movies and television series.

The listing is held by Sherri Rogers, Elisa Ritt and Anthony Stellini of Compass and Asher Ehsani of Uhler Mortgage Solutions.

Photo credit: Cameron Carothers

Source: www.compass.com

Richard Neutra’s Secretary’s Home, Tujunga LA images / information received 080322

Location: Tujunga, Los Angeles, Southern California, United States of America

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bidsfor · 3 years ago

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is incredibly famous for his movies, his bodybuilding titles, his life in politics and his marriage to the famous Shriver family.

But not many people know that Arnold first became financially stable – and eventually independent – not from the movie industry, but by investing in real estate. He had a vision early on of what the outcome would look like, and he was focused and driven to achieve that goal.

A relentless pursuit of goals

Arnold was charismatic, creative and driven at a young age. He dreamed of going to America and becoming a bodybuilding champion, a movie star and financially independent through real estate. He became relentless in his pursuit.

This story is not unique. There are many incredible stories of immigrants who moved to the United States and built fortunes, businesses and lives. But what stands out about Arnold is how pragmatic he was in his approach, persistent in his learning and driven to grow as a person and in business. He was able to map out steps to achieve any goal and literally cross things off the list as he reached them.

In previous blog posts, I’ve talked a lot about saying “no” to everything so you can say “yes” to “one thing.” Arnold was a master at this. He trained vigorously in bodybuilding. He learned about the trade, joined the best competitors, worked with the best trainers and eventually became one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.

He was eventually invited to America for a bodybuilding competition. He set his sights on his next goal of moving to the US and becoming a movie star. As he trained and won more competitions worldwide, he grew a small business out of his apartment and found time to attend acting school. Although others around him suggested that he wouldn’t get good roles or that his accent and body would hold him back, he always believed that he would be a leading man. He waited for the right part to pass and took the opportunity.

By his mid-thirties, Arnold had become an instantly recognizable movie star and had made an incredible amount of money. But long before that, he had already become a millionaire. He became financially independent by buying, accumulating and investing real estate. His first purchase was not a single-family home; it was a small apartment building that covered his monthly living expenses. And he continued to invest his earnings in real estate deals that made sense. He learned from mentors and partners in the company.

Today, his net worth is estimated to be in the $400 million range. He has made millions from movies, but he has created his wealth with real estate by reinvesting the income in assets. While other acting and bodybuilding friends worked for an income, he started building his passive income early on to support him as he pursued whatever he wanted. He understood how real estate would allow him to do what he wanted and not trade time for dollars in his life.

More about personal development from Bids For

Investing in real estate is a continuous learning process. Mistakes and lessons learned characterize almost every investor’s career. The great thing about Bids For is that you can learn from the triumphs and failures of other investors across the country. Spending time learning from the experiences of others can significantly accelerate the growth of your real estate portfolio and help you avoid setbacks. This section of the Bids For blog is devoted to those types of posts that help investors become successful in real estate and avoid mistakes that others have made in the past. You can read more similar stories and discussions on our real estate success story forum.

Personal development

Business Lessons from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger has said, “I made my first million in real estate, not movies.”

Schwarzenegger started early in real estate as a bricklayer. He invested those wages in a mail order company. His investments in real estate, book deals, restaurants, TV productions and other business ventures have made him a millionaire hundreds of times. And now two of his sons are also real estate investors, following in his footsteps: Patrick Schwarzenegger buys and sells multimillion-dollar homes, while Joseph Baena recently began a career in residential real estate.

So what are the lessons learned from Arnold’s experience, and how do you become a formidable legend like him in real estate?

Refine your craft

Arnold distinguished himself as a legend in bodybuilding not only by working hard and lifting heavy things. He also constantly tested new techniques and refined his craft. He found that it was the finer techniques and individual methods that worked best and really made a difference.

Get your mind right

He also had the right mindset. That included a big vision on developing mental toughness. The real estate industry is not easy. Investors need to have that vision — or at least something to keep them motivated when the going gets tough. Arnold had the vision of the perfect body, of titles and medals, and of a great empire built on real estate. For me personally, it’s my daughter who keeps me going through difficult times, and also leaves a good legacy when I’m gone. But in the end, it’s about taking care of her, giving her things and opportunities that I never had growing up. It’s also about the freedom to spend quality time with her and be there when she needs me. Everyone should have something that propels them through those tougher days.

Become famous

Of course, Arnold also clearly realized that just being in shape wasn’t enough to achieve his goals. He saw the importance of being in the spotlight and also controlling the media. That meant taking action and getting out there and putting himself in the game — and competitions. He participated, ran political campaigns, became editor of several magazines and even starred in reality TV shows. He still has his own website and blog. Along the way, he has always been incredibly generous in sharing the results of his mistakes and successes with others.

adapt

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he has successfully embraced change. He had different training tactics for the in and off season. And he has gone through several seasons of his life and career. To this day, he reinvents himself. In real estate, you could start out as a real estate scout for a mentor, fix up your own homes, go into rental business, and then one day try crowdfunding and lend the capital you’ve earned. Don’t be afraid to evolve, grow and diversify over time.

Ready to start investing?

Our weekly webinars will educate, encourage, and teach you to take action toward your dream of financial freedom. Ready to dive in? Search and sign up for upcoming webinars, find and replay old webinars, and continue your real estate investing education.

It’s okay to struggle – and get help

Whether you’re at home, at work, in an airport, or on your cell phone, I want you to feel your hunger and desire to win. The more I learned about Arnold’s story, the more motivated I felt to build my own unique story of growing my business and my life through real estate. I want you to visualize and extract your story from the stories and people that inspire you.

You will have to pursue your goal with patience and persistence. Understand that you will have tough days. You will fail. You will probably lose. But be humble, learn and grow. Find mentors and teachers who can help you. Review your goals every day and let them not just become ideas, but rather a part of your own makeup. Make the choice now so that when you struggle, you stand up and remind yourself that it is part of the journey to the goal you have made.

One day on set, Arnold argued with James Cameron, the writer and director of The Terminator, about whether to say “I will be back” or “I’ll be back” in that famous phrase. James was persistent about the choice of language, which eventually became the film’s most famous line, a phrase quoted decades after. Though Arnold didn’t think it was the right line, James had written the movie and knew the right choice.

In the end, it took the effort of both guys (and countless others) to make this film. We’ll never know if the line would have ended up being as famous had they changed it, but we do know this: Even as driven, focused, and talented as Arnold was, he still had many people helping him achieve his goals. Make sure you keep your vision, understand your goals and look for people with like-minded plans.

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#Real Estate

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rgvhaulingjunkmoving · 4 years ago

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lemodo · 5 years ago

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ITALY’S RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Published March 24, 2020

By Giacomino Nicolazzo; one of Italy’s most beloved writers. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania USA, he lives in a small village in Lombardy where he writes his books.

Montecalvo, Lombardy, Italy.

Stores and shops have been shuttered. Restaurants and coffee shops no longer serve customers. Schools, universities, sporting arenas…even our museums and theaters…all closed. Even the Vatican City has closed its gates and armed patrols monitor the 20 foot tall walls that protect it!

Streets and roads are now empty for as far as the eye can see. Normally they would be filled with crazed Italian drivers in tiny cars and scooters (the ones that sound like demonic insects) darting here and there, reaching the limits of centrifugal force on our roundabouts. In the piazze of our towns and cities, there are now officially more pigeons than people. Many of us know someone who has been infected and recovered. Some of us know someone who did not recover…now they are dead. But everyone knows someone who has been affected by this microscopic monster in one way or another.

Sixty million of us are in lockdown…it is like a war zone here. We are being held prisoner in our own homes by an unseen enemy that sneaked in unnoticed…by most of us. As you will read in just a few more minutes, there were those who knew something like this was coming…or at least they should have.

So who is to blame? With all this craziness swirling like a whirlpool at our feet, I just had to find the blame answer. And so I have spent my free time (of which I have a lot in these days) digging and researching. I was literally shocked to discover how this has come to be.

I am not going to bore you with talk of Patient ‘0’ who spread it to Patient ‘1’ and how mathematics efficiently explains the rapid expansion of infection. No…I am going to tell you how (as I see it) the virus came to Italy.

It has everything to do with communism. Allow me to explain. Beginning in about 2014, Matteo Renzi, the imbecile ex-mayor of Firenze (Florence) acting as the leader of the Partito Democratico (synonymous with the Italian Communist party), somehow managed to get himself elected as Italy’s Prime Minister. To give you a proper frame of reference, Matteo Renzi was so far left, he would make Barack Obama look like Barry Goldwater!

And in the midst of all this financial chicanery, the Chinese began furiously buying up Italian real estate and businesses in the North.

Now the reason I mention Renzi and the Chinese together is that strange things were also going on between the governments of Italy and China. A blind eye was being turned to the way the Chinese were buying businesses in the financial, telecommunication, industrial and fashion sectors of Italy’s economy, all of which take place in Milano.

Cameron in the UK) said a thing in their country’s defense. As a matter of fact, much of it was hidden from the public in all three countries.

In ‪2014, China‬ infused the Italian economy with €5 billion through purchases of companies costing less than €100 million each By the time Renzi left office (in disgrace) in 2016, Chinese acquisitions had exceeded €52 billion. When the dust settled, China owned more than 300 companies…representing 27% of the major Italian corporations.

The Bank of China now owns five major banks in Italy…all of which had been secretly (and illegally) propped up by Renzi using pilfered pension funds! Soon after, the China Milano Equity Exchange was opened and much of Italy’s wealth was being funneled back to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese state entities own Italy’s major telecommunication corporation (Telecom) as well as its major utilities (ENI and ENEL)... Upon entry into the telecommunication market, Huawei established a facility in Segrate, a suburb of Milano. It launched is first research center there and worked on the study of microwaves which has resulted in the possibly-dangerous technology we call 5G.

China also now owns controlling interest in Fiat-Chrysler, Prysmian and Terna. You will be surprised to know that when you put a set of Pirelli tires on your car, the profits are going to China. Yep…the Chinese

colossus of ChemChina, a chemical industry titan, bought that company too!

Last but not least is Ferretti yachts…the most prestigious yacht builder in Europe. Incredibly, it is no longer owned by the Ferretti family.

Designer Salvatore Ferragamo sold 16% and Caruso sold 35%. The most famous case is Krizia, purchased in 2014 by Shenzhen Marisfrolg Fashion Company, one of the leaders of high-priced, ready-to-wear fashions in Asia.

Quite literally, tens of thousands of Chinese came in through Milano (illegally) and went back out carrying money, technology and corporate secrets.

It was not until there was a change in the governing party in Italy that the sweatshops and the illegal entry and departure of Chinese nationals was stopped. Matteo Salvini, representing the Lega Nord party, closed Italy’s ports to immigrants and systematically began disassembling the sweatshops and deporting those in Italy illegally.

undocumented refugees from the Middle East and East Africa began pouring in again. Access was again provided to the Chinese, under the old terms, and as a consequence thousands of Chinese, the majority from Wuhan, began arriving in Milano.

Most of the money never reached a single victim in the mountains. The Renzi government redirected the vast majority of those funds to pay for the growing immigrant and refugee costs.

As the economy worsened under the burden of illegal immigration, compounded by gross government spending and incompetence, unemployment rose quickly…especially among young people. The unemployment rate for men and women under age 35 is close to 40%. So more money was diverted from the health care system and used to pay what is known here as guaranteed income. Whether you work or not you are paid here, especially if you belong to the PD! The government simply raises taxes on those who do work.

Let me give you a quick example of the height of insanity to which Italian taxation has risen. If you live in a building that has a balcony or balconies…and any of those balconies cast a shadow on the ground, you must pay a public shadow tax! I will say no more!

The point I am trying to make here is that not only did the Chinese bring the virus to Italy (and the rest of the world) it was far-Left politics and policies that facilitated it.

#ccpvirus #wuhancoronavirus #wuhan pneumonia #wuhanvirus #wuhan institute of virology #giacominonicolazzo

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fictionalinfinity · 7 years ago

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A Fantastic Adventure - Kings Cage AU Part 3

previous / next

I realize my mistake as soon as I reach the water. I get my brother back, and what do I do? Give him the crappiest motivational speech ever.

I want to immediately run back, apologize, and tell him everything about Clara, but I just can’t. I really do need to cool off.

No people are around. I don’t feel the warm air or see the outlines I’ve begun to notice. The longer I was in this rotten place, the clearer I could see the living. They weren’t just warm air now, I saw outlines of bodies, and the features were starting to shine through. All it really seemed to do though was cement the fact that I was trapped here.

I sit by the water, pebbles and dirt crunching beneath me. The capital river seems murky, but I can see some fish occasionally. I choose to sit there and think for a while, recounting the battle. I don’t know if we won or lost, or if the silvers from the Rift ever showed up. The last thing I saw was Cal’s panicked face as I left him with an unfinished sentence.

I want to scream. I want to scream at Maven, at Cal, at Shade, even at Farley, but I can’t. I think of all I could’ve done to prevent what got me here today. I wish Farley had just gotten Kilorn and I out safely when I asked. I wish Cal hadn’t gotten me a position as a servant in the Hall of the Sun. I wish Maven hadn’t been such a good liar. I wish Shade hadn’t jumped back to bring me back to the Guard at Corros Prison.

A lot of good wishes will do me now.

I take a deep breath and then look around me again. In shock, I register that the sun has already begun to set. I must’ve sat there for hours, but I barely noticed. I wasn’t hungry, nor was I thirsty or tired. Did being in this place do something to me?

“Mare! C’mon, Mare, I’m sorry,” Shade calls out from somewhere behind me. I jump at the sound, spinning around to sprint towards him.

“I’m sorry, too,” I mutter into his chest, pulling him into hug. As soon as we both begin to pull away, I bring up my hand and slap his cheek. He quickly flinches away, bringing a hand up to his cheek to take away the stinging feeling. “That was for jumping back for me at Corros.” Before he can do anything about it, I bring Shade into another hug.

“I hate you,” I mutter, causing him to laugh.

“I hate you, too, Mare,” he says lightheartedly, ruffling my hair with his fist. I give him a real smile, something that is rare in these days of war.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for helping me find a way out of here,” I say pointedly, meeting his eyes, trying to look as intimidating as I can despite the height difference between us.

“Fine. I’ll come as long as you tell me what’s been going on with everyone back at the Guard,” Shade agrees to the idea, which I am thankful for.

“Before we do anything though, I have a question,” I say, watching as Shade quirks an eyebrow.

“Oh?” Is all Shade replies with, and I go on with my question.

“Is the fact that I am not feeling any basic need like thirst or tiredness, does that have anything to do with this place?” I ask and his face lights up with understanding.

“Ah, the benefits of not having a body,” Shade faked a sigh of content and I rolled my eyes.

“Good thing I didn’t gather supplies then,” I mumble, swiping my feet at the ground. Shade laughs, amused by my reaction.

“We could walk around for years and not feel anything. So far the only thing that makes me tired is using my powers. It’s a bodily thing, not a soul thing, so tapping into it makes us tired,” Shade shrugged, “that’s probably the best explanation I can give. I’m not like those smart silvers you like to surround yourself with these days.”

“Oh, come on, Sara, Julian, and Cal aren’t that bad,” I defend my friends, but again he laughs and admits he’s only teasing.

“I’ve been keeping track of all of you. I almost had to jump Diana a few days ago, when she had Clara.” Shade’s tone is no longer playful, instead taking on an air of sadness. I don’t respond, not knowing quite what to say.

We walk back home in silence, but I know in the end things will be alright between us.

It’s the third day of our stay at the Rift. Everyone is moving around, attending to their business, planning on how to infiltrate Norta and take back the crown, and Nanabel seems intent on making me King. I’m busy too, and my heart is in it now more than ever, but part of me feels hollow.

Farley and Kilorn do their best to avoid me. Not that I’m exactly seeking them out. Farley is busier than ever, juggling both her duty as a general and now her daughter Clara. I’m not sure what Kilorn’s excuse is, but I know it has something to do with Mare. I haven’t even glimpsed Cameron or her brother. The Barrow’s arrived yesterday afternoon. The Guard had already informed them, but when they saw Mare’s body it was like it was the first time they really believed it. Gisa was still in denial.

Today is the day we bury Mare. As hectic and loud the past two days have been, today feels quiet. There are some here at the Rift that will not be attending, and they seem to be the only one’s still rushing about, talking and planning. Everyone else is solemn and silent. Of course, there are bodies other than Mare that will be laid to rest today, seeing as she was not the only casualty that day.

We stood outside as the sun shone down on us. Farley held Clara, who for some reason could not stop crying, whether she was tired or hungry, we did not know. Gisa tried to hide her tears, constantly wiping at her cheeks with her sleeves. Kilorn was stoic, the only thing out of place being his hand on Gisa’s shoulder. Mare’s two brothers, along with her father just seemed quiet. Her mother resembled the way Gisa was reacting.

I watched as they lowered the coffin into the ground. The moment the last bit of dirt was thrown on top of the grave, I spun around and began to walk back to the estate. I had work to do.

if anyone wants to be tagged, I’m happy to do so. Thanks for reading. Next part up soon!

#a fantastic adventure #mare barrow #cal calore #maven calore #red queen #red queen fan fiction #red queen fandom #kings cage #glass sword #shade barrow #diana farley #farley #clara farley #gisa barrow #kilorn warren #marecal #mare x cal

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hauptrealty · 6 months ago

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Cameron Heights Edmonton Real Estate: What Makes It A Preferred Choice?

In the pursuit of finding the perfect dwelling, Cameron Heights in Edmonton emerges as a top contender. Recognized for its captivating natural beauty and thoughtfully planned community layout, Cameron Heights offers a harmonious blend of tranquility and modern amenities. Let's delve into the advantages of investing in property within this exceptional neighborhood.

Serene Natural Environment

Nestled alongside the North Saskatchewan River, Cameron Heights offers residents breathtaking natural scenery. With ample parks, picturesque trails, and lush green spaces, it provides an idyllic retreat for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.

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Cameron Heights showcases modern, luxurious homes designed for comfort and elegance. From spacious single-family residences to stylish townhouses, the neighborhood offers a diverse range of housing options to suit different preferences. These properties often feature high-end finishes and top-notch amenities, ensuring a premium living experience.

Cameron Heights real estate is renowned for its family-friendly atmosphere. With numerous parks and playgrounds, along with excellent schools and childcare facilities, it provides a safe and nurturing environment for families to thrive. The community fosters a sense of belonging and connection among residents, making it an ideal place to raise children.

Despite its serene surroundings, Cameron Heights is conveniently located near essential amenities and services. Residents have easy access to shopping centers, dining options, and healthcare facilities, ensuring all daily needs are met. Major transportation routes nearby make commuting to other parts of Edmonton seamless and convenient.

Promising Investment Potential

Investing in Cameron Heights Edmonton real estate offers promising returns. The neighborhood's desirability, combined with its natural beauty and quality homes, ensures stable property values over time. Whether for primary residence or investment purposes, Cameron Heights presents an opportunity for long-term financial growth.

Cameron Heights Edmonton real estate offers a unique blend of natural beauty, modern living, and strong community ties. With its serene environment, upscale homes, family-friendly amenities, convenient location, and investment potential, Cameron Heights stands out as an exceptional place to call home. Explore the benefits of Cameron Heights real estate today and discover why it's a preferred choice for discerning buyers.

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oliveratlanta · 5 years ago

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Exploring the Beltline’s downtown Connector corridor and what it could mean for Atlanta

Recently acquired “critical link” aims to open Beltline and downtown access for English Avenue, Bankhead, beyond

It’s a drizzly afternoon at a place most Atlantans have never been: an elevated, abandoned railroad corridor directly west of Bank of America Plaza, the city’s tallest building. Given the corridor’s narrow width, height above neighborhood streets, and skyline views across rooftops and graffiti-strewn warehouses, it feels a bit like New York City’s High Line, in some nascent early phase before the tourist influx.

Closer to the corridor than Midtown sky-rises, however, are scenes indicative of economic activity (and disparity) most Atlantans are very familiar with. Along Northside Drive, a 12-acre, mixed-income redevelopment of Herndon Homes led by Atlanta Housing Authority looks like a rolling pasture of red clay; it’s meant to be a catalyst for future development but also a beacon of diversity. Meanwhile, even closer, the exterior wall of a film production studio is being enlivened with a Greg Mike mural, in collaboration with Porsche.

It’s the disparate forces of a changing Atlanta commingling, and this railroad corridor—a future Atlanta Beltline link that leaders call crucial—is right in the middle of it.

In February, Beltline officials announced they’d closed a deal with church-led Bethursday Development Corporation to use $5.1 million in TSPLOST dollars and acquire a former rail segment described as a “major piece” and “critical link” to the grand scheme of multi-use trails across Atlanta.

Atlanta Beltline Inc.

The dotted blue line shows the most recently purchased path area. The bold purple section represents the “kudzu line” and a planned Beltline section branching north.

Stretching three-quarters of a mile, the corridor had been owned by several religious groups and colloquially known as the “church line.” It starts where Northside Drive meets Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, across the street from the Georgia World Congress Center.

From there, it extends northwest to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, through an area with an unsavory, drug-addled reputation known as “the Bluff,” before linking with another nicknamed segment: the 1.8-mile “kudzu line,” which will eventually be incorporated as part of the Beltline’s Westside Trail.

If that’s confusing, take heart in knowing the pastiche of trail monikers is going away soon.

Atlanta Beltline Inc.

A closer look at the kudzu line (in blue), which was purchased by the Beltline for $6.3 million in August, and the planned mainline Beltline it would link to.

The entire three-mile trail will be known as the Westside Beltline Connector. And it will allow anyone at, say, Centennial Olympic Park to bicycle, ride e-scooters, jog, or simply walk from downtown, via protected lanes, to the mainline Beltline and under-construction Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, planned to be the city’s largest green space.

More importantly, project leaders say, the collaboration between the Beltline and PATH Foundation will lend transportation options and trail connectivity to neighborhoods—namely English Avenue, Bankhead, Knight Park, and Howell Station—that have thus far been largely cut off.

“You talk to folks in English Avenue and Vine City, and they feel a little disconnected to the Beltline, because they’re not neighborhoods that are right on it,” says Beltline spokeswoman Jenny Odom. “This will connect them into the Beltline, very directly.”

When the latest corridor purchase was announced in February, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom described it as helping pave the way “for a more unified and accessible Atlanta.” We recently ventured with project officials into the swampy corridor, following a string of stormy days, for a firsthand look at how this unification vision might play out.

“We’re going to make this trail a showstopper,” predicts PATH Foundation executive director Ed McBrayer. “I hope the Westside is ready to get something really cool.”

As they have with projects spanning from Proctor Creek to the wildly popular Eastside Trail, PATH is collaborating with the Beltline to make the Connector piece a reality. McBrayer describes it as a means of traveling paved trails and bike lanes from around Ponce City Market and points east to downtown, the Westside, and potentially all the way to the Silver Comet Trail.

Along the way, the Connector trail will bisect English Avenue, which the New York Times described in 2017 as one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Southeast, where roughly 40 percent of residents were living in poverty. Alongside neighboring Vine City, police data showed English Avenue as being the city’s most high-crime area for years, in terms of calls for assistance and violent offenses; but since 2016, crimes across all categories have plunged by more than 40 percent, thanks to the installation of surveillance cameras, homes reserved for officers, and the broader philanthropic efforts of groups such as the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and Quest, according to the Atlanta Police Foundation.

But despite a retention strategy—including an Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund for homeowners that launched in 2017—the area’s population continues to dip, and just 17 percent of residents in the broader Westside are homeowners, as officials told Curbed Atlanta earlier this year.

In places, the Connector piece provides the flipside view of Atlanta than what Eastside Trail patrons see: landmarks such as Westin Peachtree Plaza and the Coca-Cola Headquarters sweep off to Atlantic Station’s high-rises at left. From a socioeconomic standpoint, a place like English Avenue might be the flipside of tony neighborhoods such as Virginia-Highland, but that doesn’t mean residents won’t have a voice, as project leaders stress. McBrayer says community feedback in forthcoming meetings, likely beginning with NPU-L this month, will dictate what the trail becomes and how it’s used.

“We’re already done the survey, gotten it back, and we’re going to propose an alignment with illustrations and seek neighborhood feedback,” McBrayer says. “If they want a connection to a particular street, then we’ll try to work that in. If they don’t want railing on a particular overlook, then we can change.

“We want to assimilate into the neighborhood as best we can,” he adds. “There will be plenty of places to get on the trail, and it’ll become an integral part of the neighborhood.”

PATH has recently installed a cycle track leading out of downtown on Marietta Boulevard and, two years ago, bike lanes that span over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.

Where those meet Northside Drive is where the new Connector segment will begin.

Next, an existing tree-lined park space across Northside Drive from the GWCC could act as a respite for trail patrons.

Renderings for the Connector trail’s southernmost beginnings are too tentative to publicly share, but plans generally call for the path to boomerang around these GWCC beehives (below) and then bridge over Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, the gateway to Vine City.

Due to the proximity of a substation and transmission lines next door, Georgia Power has to sign off on trail plans here, and that process is ongoing, says Stacey Patton, the Beltline’s vice president of real estate.

A complete streets makeover is underway on Joesph E. Boone Boulevard, a couple of blocks east of the forthcoming, $45 million Rodney Cook Sr. Park.

The abandoned railroad corridor is visible at right (below), and a new trail bridge planned to cross over this street will have to meet higher clearance standards than one demolished years ago.

“The pedestrian bridge we’re going to be building will have extraordinary views of downtown,” says McBrayer. “And we’re going to have a plaza up on the hump, if you will, where everybody’s going to be taking photos of downtown and everything. It’s unobstructed views from the Westside.”

Next is a view from Jones Avenue, looking back toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Engineers are assessing now whether this bridge—and another three blocks north at Jett Street—can be refurbished and reused.

The railroad spur, when active, serviced industrial properties on both sides of the corridor. This section has been dormant for two decades, says Patton.

The bridge over Jones Avenue, from below, as the trail heads toward Meldrum Street.

Next the trail will dip back to street-grade and cut behind the Northside Village Apartments, which face Northside Drive. Plans call for widening an existing sidewalk and slinking behind the building here.

Beyond the apartments, the trail corridor rises again, where work to clear trash—including more than 300 tires to date—and vegetated debris is ongoing.

“It is so sweet,” says Patton of the views from this vantage. “One of the nicest [Beltline] elevations.”

At Jett Street, as seen from the sidewalk below, is the second old railroad bridge undergoing an engineering analysis.

Beyond that is a bridge-less section over Cameron Madison Alexander Boulevard—the second of three elevated gaps where bridges will have to be rebuilt, all still in design. PATH’s McBrayer downplays bridge construction as being any sort of significant hurdle.

“We’re on about our 80th bridge,” he says. “Bridges are no big deal.”

Over a lost section of Meldrum Street, where a campsite has replaced vehicle traffic, another gap is visible.

Beyond this point, the Connector trail will swoop down to ground level again and remain there, via more recently decommissioned railroad lines, until reaching the future mainline Beltline.

The cleared corridor, as seen from North Avenue, looking toward Travis Street, is no longer elevated.

Abutting the trail is Grace Midtown, one of six churches along the trail, where a renovation that installed picturesque outdoor seating areas is expected to wrap in coming weeks.

Just across Travis Street from the church, with a side lot fronting the trail, is rapper T.I.’s newly opened Trap Music Museum and Escape Room, where weekend entry lines sometimes span the block.

Continuing northwestward on the trail, the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway bridge is reflected in puddles along the corridor.

Beltline officials provided this image and rendering depicting how the trail and adjacent properties could look at Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

After crossing several other at-grade streets, the corridor enters what previously was known as the kudzu line, as seen here near Law Street.

The rail line through this area has been inactive for about five years, and CSX is expected to have all remaining infrastructure removed by May, Patton says.

Next the corridor passes beneath a Marietta Boulevard bridge and meets active railroad lines.

Patton says the Beltline bought a small, triangular parcel in this area to bring the trail up to Marietta Boulevard, where lanes to Huff Road are planned to be converted into the Beltline, providing a link between the existing Westside Trail and the future northwestern segment.

The hope is that PATH, at that point, will break west to link with the existing, 61-mile Silver Comet Trail.

As for a timeline, officials say Atlantans can expect to see construction on this more pedestrian-friendly Connector soon.

The Beltline’s TSPLOST-funded outlay of more than $11 million paid only for acquisition of the rail corridors, a means of securing the land. Cost estimates for the full three-mile Connector are pending design finalizations, but each segment is planned to open with lighting, cameras, and other infrastructure.

The Beltline is still working to buy a few necessary, adjacent parcels, while McBrayer says PATH is raising and contributing $5 million from the private sector.

The first planned section where Joseph E. Boone Boulevard meets Northside Drive is almost ready to enter permitting phases, McBrayer says. Following neighborhood meetings, construction to bring the trail from there to the Northside Village Apartments, a section of a few blocks, is expected to launch this fall and take about six months to finish, likely next spring.

Meanwhile, the former kudzu line section will enter design phases and ancillary property acquisitions. As McBrayers sees it, the whole Connector trail can be funded and built within three years, providing the missing link to downtown and vice versa.

“To have the connection to downtown—I think it’s amazing,” says Patton. “There were so many people down there at the Super Bowl; with an electric bike rental, they could have been at the quarry park.”

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/atlanta-photo-essays/2019/7/2/18759900/atlanta-beltline-westside-connector-trail-downtown-kudzu

#OliverAtlanta

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