#how to invest in property uk

[buildingsupuk]

Unraveling the Secrets of Property Investment for Beginners

Introduction:

Are you ready to embark on a journey towards financial growth and security? Property investment provides an excellent opportunity for beginners to establish a robust investment portfolio. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the essential aspects of property investment for beginners in the UK, offering valuable insights and tips to help you make informed investment decisions.

Why Choose Property Investment?

Property investment UK offers a multitude of benefits for beginners looking to grow their wealth. By strategically investing your money in real estate, you can enjoy consistent cash flow through rental income and benefit from long-term appreciation. Unlike traditional savings accounts with minimal returns, property investment has the potential to generate significant profits over time.

Getting Started: Key Considerations

Before diving into property investment, it's crucial to consider the following key factors:

Financial Readiness: Evaluate your financial position and determine if you are ready to invest. Minimize debt, maximize pension contributions, and establish an emergency fund before committing to property investment. This ensures that you have a solid financial foundation to support your investment journey.

Setting Investment Goals: Define your investment goals clearly. Are you looking for passive income or long-term capital appreciation? Understand your objectives to make informed decisions when selecting properties and investment strategies.

Market Research: Thorough market research is essential to identify promising investment opportunities. Study property trends, rental demands, and economic indicators in your target location. Look for areas with potential growth prospects and favorable market conditions.

Seek Professional Advice: Engage with experienced professionals such as real estate agents, financial advisors, and property managers. Their expertise will help you navigate the complexities of property investment, ensuring you make sound investment choices.

Click here : Open a free Account

Smart Strategies for Property Investment Consider the following strategies to maximize your chances of success:

Start with Buy-to-Let Properties: For beginners, buy-to-let properties offer a reliable entry point into property investment. These properties generate rental income, providing a consistent cash flow while offering potential capital appreciation.

Diversify Your Portfolio: Spread your investment across different property types and locations. This diversification minimizes risks and maximizes potential returns. Consider investing in residential, commercial, or even student accommodation properties to broaden your investment portfolio.

Stay Informed: Continuously educate yourself about the property market. Stay updated on regulations, tax laws, and investment trends. Attend seminars, read books, and follow reputable property investment resources to enhance your knowledge and make informed decisions.

Conclusion:

Property investment in UK can be a rewarding and profitable journey for beginners. By understanding the fundamentals, conducting thorough research, and seeking professional advice, you can make confident investment choices that align with your financial goals. Start your property investment journey today and pave the way to a prosperous future.

[zunikh]

Embarking on a journey as a property investor in the UK is an exciting venture, offering the potential for significant returns, capital growth and passive income. Whether you're considering your first investment property or looking to expand your portfolio, understanding the steps to success is crucial. This guide outlines the essential steps to becoming a successful property investor in the UK.

[leclerced]

angst in the carhop AU ?

the pressure from race wins and WDC points gets to lando and oscar and they break up mid season , how does reader cope with this/ work around it esp with lando and oscar living in texas and her living with them ? is she responsible for them getting back tg or do their trainers and friends get in on it ? maybe lan is visiting one day and she misses calls from oscar and he shows up but lando is there and he gets jealous?

-🪼🪼🪼

omg breaking up with each other and not her... how do they do it? mclaren drivers fighting each other for the championship? multi 21 moment? where are they when they do it? how do they tell her? do they ask her to pick one or do they know they're just going to have to work out something so they can both keep seeing her? what does it mean for their future? so many thoughts...

lets talk living situation since you said they live together. they're rich enough to have multiple properties and it's good for investment reasons and shit. monaco is a tax shelter and because irl he lives there, i think lando would maintain residency there rather than legally move to america because of that. oscar would probably keep his place in the uk bc irl he hasn't moved anywhere that i know of. so post break-up, they'd both go back to their old places when the other is at the home in texas. they're not home very often anyways so it's not the biggest change. (does any of that make sense?) she does her best to spend equal time with each of them like switching who she talks to on the phone every night and who comes over on non race weekends.

i think at first, she wouldn't meddle. they're together constantly so they can talk and work things out on their own when they're ready. she believes they'll work it out on their own. she would want to, especially during nights where she's listening to one of them rant about the other. sometimes they're angry over a race result, that the other got an upgrade and they have to wait, etc. and she's pretty sure they're going to run each other off track the next time they race. other times, they're just sad and apologetic, and that's when she has hope they'll make up with each other.

she thinks about trying to trap them, make plans with both of them to come home so they have to sit and listen to her. but she's scared that'd piss one or both off, and that's the last thing she wants. there's just too much tension during the season for anything to be resolved. they'd interact when needed for work, interviews, and promo, but keep the interactions limited. they try to talk but they're both still angry about a lot of things, so they're just running in circles until they give up again.

then, winter break rolls around. lando has all these big plans to go skiing and mountaineering with his friends and invites reader but she can't suddenly take weeks off work without notice. she gets a couple of days off around the holidays and agrees to fly out then, but she's working on a big project and can't go jet-setting around the world with him. he understands and they'd make plans to talk every other night like usual and they're counting down the days until they see each other again. oscar's not that type though, got no plans other than to see her as much as possible. as soon as the last race is over and his media duties are done, he's flying back to her.

when lando calls her, oscar leaves the room to give them privacy and she doesn't tell lando he's there, a habit from the season when they always knew the other was there because they weren't. lando takes his absence from their calls as a sign that oscar isn't there and halfway through a ski trip decides to head back home, to her. his friends are understanding, wish him a safe flight and hours later he's unlocking the front door after getting dropped off. it truly doesn't occur to him that just because she didn't mention oscar, it doesn't mean he's not there. he hears them laughing as he kicks the door shut, he can tell they're in the den and it's close enough that they hear the door close and go quiet. he can hear murmured voices, did you hear that? was that a door? is someone here?

he wishes that he'd checked before flying all the way out. he’s not angry anymore, but he saw oscar leaving the track right after the race and heard he was flying home from someone in the garage and assumed that meant the uk, but now he knows it was here. he also assumed oscar didn’t want to talk to him and that’s why he rushed out, before lando even had the opportunity. he’d spent his break thus far fretting about texting him and seeing if they could meet up to talk, he hasn’t even had time to think about what he would say and now that he’s confronted with it, he doesn’t know what to do or say.

before he can figure out what to do, oscar's stepping into the hall with a baseball bat before freezing, "oh, you're not a burglar." he sounds more bored than relieved if anything, like he was excited to use it.

lando just laughs, "were you- did you plan to take down a burglar with a bat?"

reader comes scrambling from the other room as oscar is inspecting the bat, “lando’s here? did i hear him hating on my bat? i'll have him know my aunt gifted me that and she used it three times, so it definitely works."

the absurdity of it all sends oscar and lando reeling, the idea of an aunt of hers attacking three burglars with an old wooden bat. reader just standing there wondering what is so funny like, "i'm serious. there are dents in it, look!" they laugh even harder, oscar drops the bat to the ground in favor of clutching his stomach. reader picks it up with a huff and stashes it back in the closet. when they finish laughing, most of the tension is gone. it's a little awkward, but lando just says, "i didn't know you were here." and oscar replies, "i didn't know you were coming, we ate all the pizza already." the statement eases lando's worries a bit, like if he'd known he would have saved him some. he doesn't know what that means, but it means something to him.

they just avoid the topic for a bit. oscar and reader tell him there's leftover take out in the fridge and go back to the living room and cozy back up on the couch like they had been. lando eats left overs from the fridge from the arm chair and they catch him up on the show they just started before playing the next episode. lando tells them about the ski trip he was on and the mountain he summitted. eventually, reader falls asleep on oscar and when the episode finishes he gets up to carry her to bed. oscar asks if he's coming to bed before he leaves the room and lando knows things will be okay after they talk.

they're both up before she is the next morning, neither could sleep well with the impending conversation on their minds. lando gets up first when he can’t fall back asleep and deems it early enough to go for a run to clear his head. oscar wakes up sometime after that and sees lando's gone, but before he can worry that lando's left, he notices the open dresser and clothes tossed around and knows he's still around somewhere.

he's cooking breakfast when lando comes home, a full spread of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, french toast. mostly to give himself something to occupy the time, and something to focus on while he waits for lando to return from wherever. lando wants to talk as soon as he gets home, still sweaty and panting from his run. oscar offers him a glass of water when he sees the state of him and lando gulps it down. before oscar can ask if he wants a refill, lando starts apologizing for everything on his part. every time oscar tries to interrupt, lando cuts him off with a, “wait, i’m almost done!” even though all oscar wants to do is say everything is forgiven and he’s sorry too, and also that he doesn’t need an itemized list of all the things lando is sorry for.

reader wakes up to them joking around while finishing up breakfast and she’s a little anxious going into the kitchen, unsure if they’re avoiding the topic and playing nice for her safe or if they talked finally. oscar sees her walk in and makes his way over to greet her, she gives him a good morning kiss and tries not to wonder if lando’s upset or jealous watching them. before she can think too hard about it, lando’s whining that he didn’t get a kiss. reader thinks he’s whining about her, so does oscar, so they pull apart and she makes grabby hands at lando and coos, “come give me a kiss then” and he mumbles, “meant oscar, but i’ll take what i can get.”

[alarrytale]

I know you disagreed with me when I said before that I didn’t think Harry was going to put out new music by the end of the year. Of course I still think that, and I don’t believe he’s pushed it off because of Liam.

I’ve seen posts that Harry is selling his London homes, and Stevie for some reason, letting the world know that he has 3 houses in Italy. Just makes me think again that he’s done for awhile. I still believe the never ending tour, the mess with O*ivia, the less than stellar acting reviews affected him way more than we know. I swear, he’s a very different guy now than he was a few years ago. Anytime he’s been in public lately , even going back to James Corden’s last show, you can see him with haunted eyes and physically making himself as small as possible. I think there’s a lot going on with him. He hasn’t said one thing to his fans in a couple of years. That’s not normal for someone in the spotlight or wanting to stay in the spotlight. And I know this might be reaching, but Anne hasn’t seemed herself on IG in awhile, and the podcast she did with Sophie had her talking about having a really bad year.

I wonder what Liam’s death will do to them all. It might have pushed Harry over the edge. I don’t believe he even personally wrote that statement that was put out. Honestly, I don’t see Zayn doing his shows either.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but my weird intuition is loud.

Hi, anon!

Right now i think a lot of things are up in the air. We don’t know the next steps for either H, L or N, nothing is announced and they're mia. And i wouldn't be surprised if Z postponed his UK leg of tour. The 20th november, when his tour is due to start, might be too soon. We don’t know if H had anything planned for this year, or if he didn’t. Rumours say he did. I don't think he does anymore, and i do think it's because of Liam.

I don't think H is as unaffected by his time in 1D and the industry treatment as it may seem. He's got better coping mechanisms than the other boys, but i also think he's become more withdrawn, quiet and jaded as the years have gone by. He's playing the game, because he loves making music, but considering his mfasr music video, i think he's trying to tell us he knows he's just a commodity, and not valued as a human.

Harry's been investing in and flipping property since he started earning money in 1D. Des is also involved. Harry's got so many properties and sold so many properties in his time, that i'm not surprised he's got three houses in his name in Italy. That doesn’t mean he's living there at all. Rule of thumb is; if we know about it, know where it's located and how it looks inside, he doesn't live there. It's either a vacation home, or something he buys to renovate and then flip it.

I also think it's hard to tell how much Liam's death has affected the other boys. It depends on so many things we have no information about. I don't think we'll know until we see them again, they start talking again and start working again. I hope, in vain, that Liam's death will trigger them to work to change things for the better for themselves. Like lawsuits, end of contracts, end of stunting and coming outs. If everything just continues as is, like Liam was just an unfortunate casualty of the industry, and the vicious circle just continues, then idk where this will all end.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Vox:

The United States is, by many measures, a global environmental leader, barring four years under former President Donald Trump. It has some of the strongest environmental laws in the world, such as the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. The country invests billions of dollars to fight climate change and wildlife declines. It also produces much of the world’s leading environmental research.

The current administration, led by President Joe Biden, prides itself on these environmental achievements.

That’s what makes this so surprising: The US is the only nation in the world, other than the Vatican, that hasn’t joined the most important global treaty to conserve nature. The treaty, known as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), is designed to safeguard Earth’s life support systems, its animals, and ecosystems. And it’s not just some inconsequential agreement: It’s the best shot the world has at staving off ecological collapse.

This week, the Convention is meeting in Cali, Colombia, for an event known as COP16. Its members — governments from more than 190 countries — are negotiating plans for protecting forests and oceans, including how to raise around $700 billion for conservation. Critically, it’s the first meeting under the Convention since 2022, when its members agreed to a historic deal to stop biodiversity loss, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework includes 23 targets to reach by 2030, including conserving at least 30 percent of all land and ocean.

The US does have a presence at COP16. The country sent more than three dozen federal officials from the State Department, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and other divisions. And these representatives can influence the negotiations, two senior government officials told Vox.

As non-members to the Convention, that influence has a clear limit. The US can’t formally participate in negotiations or object to decisions at COP16. Those decisions could be administrative — such as where COP17 will take place — or relate to, say, what big drug companies should pay for using the DNA of wild organisms. The US is also noticeably absent from public discussions among environmental ministers that anchor COP16.

Dozens of countries signed the agreement then and there, including the UK, China, and Canada. But the US — then under President George H.W. Bush — was notably not one of them. And it largely came down to politics: It was an election year that pitted Bush against then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, and a number of senators in Bush’s party opposed signing the treaty, citing a wide range of concerns.

Among them was a fear that US biotech companies would have to share their intellectual property related to genetics with other countries. There were also widespread concerns that the US would be responsible for helping poorer nations — financially and otherwise — protect their natural resources and that the agreement would put more environmental regulations in place in the US. (At the time, there was already pushback among the timber industry and property rights groups on existing environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act.)

[mariacallous]

Rising sea levels, biodiversity collapse, extreme weather—these are the grisly horsemen of climate apocalypse. But don’t forget the fretting loan officers. A study published earlier this year found that US mortgage approvals tend to dip following periods of hotter-than-normal weather. For every 1 degree Celsius that temperatures rise above average, approvals fell by nearly 1 percent—and their value by more than 6.5 percent.

Lower consumer demand was only part of the problem, according to the study’s authors. The effect was mostly down to loan officers’ worries about climate change and what it might mean for the assets they were lending against. In other words, climate change was devaluing property before their very eyes.

It’s not just the heat. In May, yet another beachfront house in North Carolina’s Outer Banks tumbled into the angry sea. It’s the sixth home lost along Cape Hatteras National Seashore since 2020. Researchers say lenders are increasingly trying to pass on the risk of mortgaging coastal properties due to calamities like this. Wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding are also impacting other financial services used by homeowners. It’s increasingly difficult to get home insurance in Minnesota, for instance, following extreme hail storms in recent years.

Big money is finally waking up to the fact that climate change is a gigantic problem. Property is the world’s greatest store of wealth, with a total value just shy of $380 trillion. This is four times global GDP. But there’s a new kind of toxic asset emerging in property portfolios. The number of homes in what you might call “subprime” locations is rising and, in some parts of the world, property value—like a crumbing coastline—is at risk of erosion. Lenders are getting noticeably more reluctant to lend against these assets. No wonder. In the Asia-Pacific region, nearly one in 10 properties owned by real estate investment trusts could be at “high risk” of climate-change-related damage—particularly those on seafronts, a report from climate risk consultancy XDI announced in May.

“Some communities are just going to become much more expensive to preserve,” says Dave Burt, founder and CEO of DeltaTerra Capital. “There’s a gravitational pull on the value of those properties.” Some banks are starting to highlight climate risk to borrowers. HSBC’s UK website, for example, has a page about how climate change could affect people’s mortgages. But Burt argues that buyers aren’t always being told about the medium- and long-term risks, nor are they necessarily having the amount they borrow scrutinized in terms of how their home might plummet in value in the coming years.

And yet, plenty of people are still buying US coastal properties, for instance—and paying ever bigger sums for the pleasure. This fuels the common climate-change-denier claim that because “all the billionaires” are still buying coastal properties, climate change must be a hoax. As if, for some people, “billionaire” somehow equates to “prophet” rather than simply “presently wealthy person.”

The banks may be starting to wake up to the financial risks, but it’s worth acknowledging that climate scientists have been sounding the alarm for years. More than a decade ago, Laura Moore, a professor in coastal geomorphology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, expressed concern about the risks posed to properties built in the Outer Banks. Now, some of those homes are collapsing as storms rapidly reshape the islands.

The worst-affected of these properties happen to be located on a bend in the coastline that is a natural erosion hot spot, but sea-level rise induced by climate change is only likely to hasten the damage, says Moore, and bring it to other coastal locations. “It is already more difficult to insure homes in coastal areas,” she says. “We can expect that to become more and more the case going forward.”

Plus, in locations like the Outer Banks, you can’t just build a seawall to protect vulnerable properties. The Outer Banks are barrier islands whose position and elevation naturally shift over many years as waves move sand from the front to the rear of the islands. Sticking a big wall on the front means that process goes awry. “The interior of the island gets lower and lower over time, relative to sea level, and more susceptible from the backside to flooding,” explains Moore. So, in some places, no amount of engineering will solve the problem—which is what people like Burt are concerned about.

In areas where hardening a home could reduce its exposure to climate-related risks, though, banks have been “pretty slow” to roll out products that might help people pay for solutions, including structural improvements, or defenses against flooding and wildfires, says Burt. But there are signs that the financial industry is gradually moving toward helping homeowners adapt and respond to climate change in other ways.

Lenders have cottoned on to the fact that the energy efficiency of a property has an impact on its value as an asset, for instance. It keeps people’s utility bills low, improving their ability to pay off their mortgage, for example. In the UK, most homes now have a rating that defines the property’s perceived efficiency—A being the highest, G the lowest. This takes into account things like insulation, energy-efficient lighting, and the type of heating system installed. “Banks would love to have A-rated properties,” says Stewart Cummins, a partner at PwC, a consultancy.

Research from the Bank of England suggests people with energy-efficient properties are more likely to keep up with their mortgage payments. Lenders also benefit from a PR and regulatory perspective by reducing the emissions associated with the assets in their portfolios.

For a homeowner, too, retrofitting insulation or more efficient heating technology might seem like a good investment, because banks may be happier to lend against their property in the future. This is already emerging with the rise of “green mortgages” or “energy-efficient mortgages.” In some cases, such products offer better interest rates or cash-back bonuses to buyers of properties with good energy ratings. You might also get a green mortgage if you agree to use some of the funds for an energy efficient retrofit yourself.

“Retrofit is going to happen. If mortgage lenders are at the forefront of that, they are protecting their customers,” says Rachael Hunnisett, a green mortgage specialist at the UK’s Green Finance Institute. However, buyers might not yet be swayed too much by these offers, says the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries in the UK. Consumer demand for green mortgages in the country is “not quite there yet,” but that could change if energy efficiency ratings begin to have a strong impact on house prices, the organization adds.

Clean energy firms are reaping the rewards of this emerging shift. Aira, a Swedish firm that carries out heat pump installations, recently announced that it had struck a deal valued at €200 million ($214 million) for loan commitments from the bank BNP Paribas. This will allow Aira customers in Germany to pay for their heat pumps in installments.

“Banks and financial institutions have a huge responsibility to accelerate the energy transition,” says Eirik Winter, BNP Paribas’ CEO in the Nordic region. That the financing arrangement could also boost property values is a “positive side effect,” he adds.

Home renovations and energy retrofits are not cheap. Loans are often necessary to lower the barrier to entry sufficiently for consumers. Lisa Cooke works for MCS, a body that accredits heat pumps and installers in the UK. She was able to afford a heat pump herself, she says, thanks only to a government grant and just under £5,000 ($6,300) of financing from Aira. “That’s really what has made it achievable for me,” she says. “Even with savings, I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise.”

Luca Bertalot, secretary general of the European Mortgage Federation—European Covered Bond Council, says there are huge risks to economic productivity if people can’t secure homes that protect them from the worst effects of climate change. In heat waves, he notes, worker productivity falls, meaning a negative impact on GDP. Conversely, he speaks of a kind of energy retrofit butterfly effect. If people make their home cheaper to cool or heat, perhaps they will save money, which they may spend on other things—their children’s education, say, which in turn improves their children’s chances of a comfortable life (and maybe of buying a climate-safe home themselves) in the future.

But there is still, perhaps, a sluggishness to recognize the storm that is coming. Energy efficiency does little to protect properties from the sharper effects of climate change—stronger storms, rising seas, wildfires, and floods. As governments become unable to cover the costs of these disasters, lenders and insurers will likely end up exposed to the risks. The US National Flood Insurance Program, for instance, is already creaking under the weight of rising debt.

“As the damages pile up, it could well be that the markets will become more efficient and the incentives [to harden properties] become stronger—because nobody’s bailing you out anymore,” says Ralf Toumi at Imperial College London, who consults for insurance firms.

Ultimately, climate change impacts on housing will force some to move elsewhere, suggests Burt. Given the irrevocability of some scenarios, such as coastal villages that could be lost to the sea, or communities that become doomed to endless drought, there are some assets that no amount of hardening or retrofit will ever save. The structural utility of these properties will, like water in a drying oasis, simply evaporate.

To lessen the burden on people who are most at risk of losing their home to climate change, affordable loans might one day be targeted at consumers in these areas to help them move to safer places, says Burt. Lenders who don’t take this approach, and who continue offering mortgages on homes destined to succumb to climate change, may soon rue the day. “If you’re trying to support those markets,” Burt says, “you’re throwing good money after bad.”

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

In addition to Russians going on a purchasing spree in the UK, the UK upper classes have been courted by the Russian oligarchs for more than a generation. Their now-grown kids all went to UK private schools and both the kids and parents made friends.

This has been happening in the US, as well, for the better part of three decades, since the early 90s when the USSR imploded and Putin and his oligarchs proceeded to embezzle billions from the Russian people. In NYC especially, then-real-estate-developer DJT (deeply in debt after his Atlantic City casino debacle) - and enabled by then-NYC Mayor Giuliani - jumped right into bed with the Russians and their money, which needed to be laundered. Even his sons have admitted that a large portion of their business and money has come from the Russians, who own much of Trump Tower and other Trump properties. The info is all public domain for anyone to research.

And it’s pervasive, not just centered in NYC. Russian oligarch money and political influence is rampant on the West Coast of the US (Devin Nunes, allegedly, anyone?), on the southern Gulf Coast with its oil industry, and nationwide within the NRA. House Speaker Johnson, a Congressional Representative from Louisiana/LA, has been backed financially/politically for years by Russian oligarchs active in the LA/Gulf Coast oil industry. And we haven’t even begun to speak about the influence of China or of the Saudis/ME (MBS giving DJT’s SIL Kushner $2 billion to invest…and LIV infiltrating the PGA, aided by DJT’s golf resorts…). 

(PS: RTA, that was you sending in the detailed security analyses to Empress, etc? Thanks!)

***********

Exactly. Foreign investments have been happening all over the place. A lot of people don’t realize how bad it is, nor how much foreign money is keeping US government afloat.

I don’t remember if I submitted the national security stuff to Empress, but it’s been awhile. I definitely remember talking about it with Honey in the run up to the coronation, and I’ve been digging into her archives to find those posts but I don’t remember when...7 months is a lot of time to cover in Tumblr!

[mrhaitch]

Thoughts on the shrinking middle class?

I can only speak for the UK, but here goes:

In the late 20th century western societies abandoned the 'Fordian' style of capitalism - where employers recognised their employees had value and needed to be looked after (appropriate wages, benefits, etc.) - to our current mode. Before, employees were seen as something you had to attract and retain - an investment. Companies focused on the long term, on larger projects, on beating their competitors through value, product quality, what have you.

The point is that when my parents were young, things were a bit easier - still shit, mind you, but better than they are now.

Now? Everything is about annual growth and short term profit increases. So long as your investors see an annual increase on their stock, they don't care how you got there or if it's sustainable. Add in firms whose entire profit model is to acquire brands and organisations, artificially boost their profitability by cutting corners, wages, and staff, before flipping it for a higher return - and you've got a recipe for disaster. We went from a model of capitalism that at least acknowledged the humanity of the worker, to one where you're treated as another replaceable drone, as well as a possible source of revenue. We're now more valuable as inert data points, whose information can be traded back and forth by tegh and advertising companies, than we are as consumers with any shred of agency.

So now your job doesn't pay as well, property rates are being artificially inflated by greedy developers and landlords, and every brand or product you encounter has a similarly inflated price tag because it was recently acquired by a corporation that wants to wring as much profit out of its new property as it can before the end of the financial year.

People are getting fucked coming and going, by an overly bloated upper class, shunting even more people below the middle class wealth cut-off. The country is becoming increasingly orientated to the fulfillment of the needs and priorities of the upper classes at the expense of everyone else.

I remember pointing this out to Haitch a while back, how you had all of these bespoke, expensive shops on a high street where most of the shops were going bust and most of the local population can't afford their products. I realised it's a repeat of the experience of most working class Victorians, staring through a shop window and wondering "Who the fuck is that for? Who can afford it?"

Things might get better, but probably not. Capitalism has gotten pretty adept at teetering on the brink of collapse for extended periods, and with the profits being so high, and the perpetrators of this divide possessing no concept of empathy, compassion, or vulnerability to the consequences of their own actions - there's little to no incentive for them to stop.

Erego:

[onefail-at-atime]

Everyone,

It's time to WAKE UP and start asking those in your community how they're going to work to stop build-to-rent communities from becoming a mainstream housing option. This isn’t just an American housing issue either. It's become a problem in Canada, the UK, Ireland, and even Australia. Home developers are no longer looking to invest in building for sale home communities. No, corporations are investigating in housing properties to build with the intent to rent. Forever.

These developments aren't new homes for sale. They're not even rent to own communities. No, they're brand new houses/condos that are being built for the sole purpose of helping corporations make a profit now that commercial real estate has become such an unpredictable market.

Americans are already familiar with the apartment living build-to-rent model that has consumed so much of the housing market that it's just natural. For my European friends, they're shocked to hear just how many apartment buildings are built for the sole purpose of being a permanent rental building. Month to month rent that has already increased nearly 50% in just 5 years.

Don't sit on this issue. Don't buy into the grand scheme that economists put out there that this will help the housing crisis because it won't. All it will do is cripple a consumer's buying power more than it already has been since the pandemic.

Housing 👏 is 👏 not👏 for👏 corporate 👏 gain.

[dailyanarchistposts]

The Bottom Line

The effectiveness of our actions cannot be measured in the same terms we measure the decline of our ecosystems. Life, and especially living resistance, is so much more than actions taken to influence a scientists’ interpretation of climate meta data and feedback loops. Measuring our efforts by their effectiveness on the scales of dominant society is falling for the same ‘return on investment’ paradigm that has allowed the looting of our habitats.

As long as we do not see our struggles as the continuation of an age-old fight against domination and state coercion [R.F. – see 23 Theses Concerning Revolt], we will be setting forth on half measures leaving the old powers alive underneath the surface, which has only led to an intensification of authoritarianism, ecological degradation and now climate crisis.

Decentralized organizing, non-hierarchical networks and joyful resistance have been and will be the most effective tools to fight the builders of this ecocidal world and to live a life free of oppression. We don’t need political parties or professional leaders to pacify these struggles. We need to support them, help them grow and connect, and show how they already contain the solutions to the interrelated problems of ecological collapse, poverty, and exploitation.

Situations of desperation and perceived emergency create opportunities for authoritarians to increase their power [R.F. – see ‘The Difference Between “Just Coping” & “Not Coping at All”’], and mislead efforts of decentralized movements towards tech-fixes that accelerate neo-colonial extractivism. If people have a desire to attempt to appropriate the state to create more favorable policy conditions for land defenders and ecosystems or become lawyers, this is understandable. The battle against ecological and climate catastrophe already exists, the problem is there are few actually fighting it and taking this battle seriously.

If you are reading this, you are the resistance to ecological catastrophe and the authoritarianism that put the world in this desperate situation.

...“Just as we

refuse to be ruled,

we refuse to rule

over anyone else”...

(Peter Gelderloos)

Footnotes

[1] medium.com/@fulalas/from-dispersion-to-apathy-how-technology-makes-us-lonely-1d489ee6004f

[2] Hickel J. (2020) Less is more: How degrowth will save the world, London: Random House.

[3] versobooks.com/blogs/4450-it-is-time-to-try-out-an-ecological-leninism-interview-with-andreas-malm

[4] researchgate.net/publication/328887527_Contemporary_Questions_on_Eco-terrorism_with_Michael_Loadenthal

[5] Leslie Pickering (2003) Earth Liberation Front 1997–2002

[6] kersplebedeb.com/posts/ecological-leninism-friend-or-foe

[7] Anonymous. (2018) Against the World Builders. Black Seed #6 : 84–108.

[8] youtu.be/8LSQLBFQruo?t=1675

[9] portal.research.lu.se/ws/files/96341244/HM_DAC.pdf

[10] reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-carbon-capture-idUSKCN2523K8

[11] ecostandard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CCS-false-solution-food-water-action-europe.pdf

[12] cleantechnica.com/2019/06/12/best-carbon-capture-facility-in-world-emits-25-times-more-co2-than-sequestered

[13] Andreas Malm, (2020) Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency – War Communism in the Twenty-First Century, p. 89

[14] ibid.

[15] Fairhead, James, Melissa Leach, and Ian Scoones. 2012. “Green Grabbing: a new appropriation of Nature?”

[16] Duffy, Rosaleen. 2016. “War, by Conservation.” Geoforum 69 (1): 238–248.

[17] Kelly, Alice. 2013. “Property and Negotiation in Waza National Park.” Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI), UK.

[18] Gelderloos P. (2017) Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation, Oakland: AK Press. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-worshipping-power

[19] Dunlap A. (2020) The Politics of Ecocide, Genocide and Megaprojects: Interrogating Natural Resource Extraction, Identity and the Normalization of Erasure.

[20] euobserver.com/nordic/150287

[21] offshore-energy.biz/saipem-lays-more-than-100km-of-baltic-pipe-pipeline

[22] energinet.dk/Anlaeg-og-projekter/Projektliste/Groen-gas-Lolland-Falster

[23] tv2east.dk/guldborgsund/sukkerfabrikker-udleder-naestmest-co2-i-danmark-er-gas-eller-el-loesningen

[24] canfor.com/sustainability-report/environment/canadian-boreal-forest-agreement

[25] totalenergies.com/media/news/press-releases/total-acquires-maersk-oil-for-7-45-billion-dollars-in-share-and-debt-transaction

[26] greenpeace.org/usa/maersk-stands-up-for-the-oceans

[27] Shiva V. (2002 [1989]) Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development, Carolyn Merchants (1983) The Death of Nature, Sullivan S. (2010) ‘Ecosystem service commodities’ – a new imperial ecology? Implications for animist immanent ecologies, with Deleuze and Guattari.

[28] marxists.org/archive/ruhle/1939/ruhle01.htm

[29] marx.libcom.org/library/russian-revolution-communist-party-alexander-berkman

[30] P. Gelderloos (2010) Worshipping Power

[31] Scott JC. (2017) Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, New Haven: Yale University Press. Gelderloos P. (2017) Worshiping Power.

[32] A. Dunlap (2020) Compost the Colony: Exploring Anarchist Decolonization, see theanarchistlibrary.org/library/alexander-dunlap-compost-the-colony-exploring-anarchist-decolonization

[33] theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/16/climate-scientists-shocked-by-scale-of-floods-in-germany

[34] grist.org/protest/dakota-access-pipeline-activists-property-destruction grist.org/protest/dakota-access-pipeline-activists-property-destruction [R.F. It turns out that Ruby has turned snitch, and is cooperating with cops and investigators.]

[buyresidentialpropertiesindubai]

How to Find the Best Luxury Properties for Sale in Dubai

Finding the best luxury properties for sale in Dubai requires a thorough understanding of the market and access to reliable resources. This blog provides tips and strategies to help you find the best luxury properties in Dubai.

For more information on home loans, visit Home Loans in Dubai.

Why Invest in Luxury Properties in Dubai?

High ROI: Dubai's luxury real estate market offers high returns on investment due to its desirability and robust demand.

Tax Benefits: Dubai offers a tax-free environment, making it an attractive destination for real estate investment.

World-Class Amenities: Luxury properties in Dubai come with world-class amenities, including private pools, gyms, and concierge services.

Prime Locations: Many luxury properties are located in prime areas, offering stunning views and easy access to key attractions.

Security: Dubai is known for its safety and security, providing peace of mind for property owners.

For property purchase options, explore Buy Apartments in Dubai.

Types of Luxury Properties in Dubai

Penthouses: Located in high-rise buildings, penthouses offer panoramic views of the city and luxurious living spaces.

Villas: Spacious villas with private gardens, pools, and state-of-the-art facilities are available in exclusive communities.

Townhouses: Luxury townhouses offer a blend of privacy and community living, with high-end finishes and amenities.

Beachfront Properties: Properties along the coastline provide direct beach access and breathtaking ocean views.

Golf Course Properties: These properties offer views of lush golf courses and access to exclusive golf clubs.

For mortgage financing options, consider Mortgage Broker Dubai.

Popular Areas for Luxury Properties

Palm Jumeirah: Known for its iconic palm-shaped island, this area offers some of the most luxurious villas and apartments in Dubai.

Downtown Dubai: Home to the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, this area offers upscale living in the heart of the city.

Emirates Hills: Often referred to as the "Beverly Hills of Dubai," this gated community offers luxurious villas with golf course views.

Dubai Marina: Known for its vibrant nightlife and stunning waterfront properties, Dubai Marina is a popular choice for luxury living.

Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR): This beachfront community offers a mix of luxury apartments and penthouses with stunning sea views.

For rental property management services, visit Rent Your Property in Dubai.

Tips for Finding Luxury Properties

Set a Budget: Determine your budget before you start looking at properties. This will help narrow down your options and prevent overspending.

Research the Market: Understand the current market trends and property values in the areas you're interested in.

Work with a Realtor: A reputable realtor with experience in the luxury market can help you find the best properties and negotiate the best deals.

Inspect the Property: Ensure the property is in good condition and meets your standards. Consider hiring a professional inspector.

Consider Future Value: Think about the property's potential for appreciation and its resale value.

For property sales, visit Villas For Sale in Dubai.

Real-Life Success Story

Consider the case of Sarah, an investor from the UK who decided to invest in a luxury penthouse in Downtown Dubai. With the help of a local realtor, Sarah found a stunning property that met all her requirements. The realtor guided her through the buying process, ensuring all legalities were handled smoothly. Today, Sarah enjoys a high return on her investment, with the penthouse's value appreciating significantly.

Future Trends in Dubai's Luxury Real Estate Market

Sustainable Living: There is a growing demand for eco-friendly and sustainable luxury properties.

Smart Homes: Properties equipped with smart home technology are becoming increasingly popular.

Wellness Amenities: Luxury properties are now offering wellness-focused amenities such as spas, gyms, and yoga studios.

Flexible Spaces: There is a trend towards properties with flexible living spaces that can be adapted to different needs.

Branded Residences: Collaborations with luxury brands to create branded residences are on the rise.

Conclusion

Finding the best luxury properties for sale in Dubai requires a thorough understanding of the market and access to reliable resources. By setting a budget, researching the market, and working with a reputable realtor, you can find the perfect luxury property in Dubai. For more resources and expert advice, visit Home Loans in Dubai.

[buildingsupuk]

Property Investment for Beginners: A Comprehensive Guide to Building Wealth

Investing in property has long been recognized as a lucrative venture, capable of providing substantial returns and wealth accumulation. However, for beginners entering the realm of property investment, navigating the complex landscape can be overwhelming. With numerous considerations to take into account, it's crucial to equip yourself with the right knowledge and strategies to make informed decisions that will yield favorable results.

At Buildings Up, we understand the challenges faced by novice property investors. Our goal is to empower you with the necessary insights and guidance to embark on your property investment journey with confidence.

Understanding the Property Market

Before diving into property investment for beginners, it's crucial to develop a deep understanding of the property market. Conducting thorough research and analysis will allow you to make informed decisions based on real data and trends. Here are a few important aspects to consider:

Market Research: Begin by examining local market conditions, such as supply and demand, price trends, and economic indicators. This will provide valuable insights into the potential growth and profitability of your investment.

Property Types: Familiarize yourself with different property types, including residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Each type comes with its own set of advantages and considerations.

Location Analysis: Location plays a pivotal role in property investment. Consider factors such as proximity to amenities, transportation, schools, and job opportunities. A desirable location increases the chances of attracting tenants and achieving higher rental yields or property values.

Setting Investment Goals

Establishing clear investment goals is paramount to your success as a property investor. By defining your objectives, you can tailor your investment strategy accordingly. Here are a few common investment goals:

Capital Growth: Seeking long-term wealth accumulation through property appreciation.

Rental Income: Generating regular cash flow through rental returns.

Portfolio Diversification: Spreading your investments across various property types or locations to mitigate risks.

Tax Benefits: Taking advantage of tax deductions and incentives offered to property investors.

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Property investment in UK involves significant financial commitments, so it's crucial to plan and budget accordingly. Consider the following factors:

Budgeting: Determine your affordability and set a budget for your investment. Factor in upfront costs, ongoing expenses, and potential vacancies.

Financing Options: Explore various financing options, such as mortgages, loans, or partnerships. Consult with financial advisors to find the most suitable option for your circumstances.

Cash Flow Analysis: Perform a thorough analysis of your expected cash flow. Consider both rental income and expenses to ensure positive cash flow or manageable negative gearing.

Property Selection and Due Diligence

When it comes to selecting the right property, conducting due diligence is essential. Follow these steps to make informed decisions:

Research: Gather comprehensive information about the properties you're interested in. Consider factors such as property history, recent sales, and any legal or environmental issues.

Inspections: Conduct thorough property inspections to identify any potential maintenance or structural issues. Engaging professionals such as building inspectors or surveyors can provide valuable insights.

Professional Advice: Seek advice from professionals such as real estate agents, property managers, or legal experts to ensure you have a well-rounded understanding of the property and its potential.

Risk Management and Property Maintenance

Emergency Funds: Establish emergency funds to cover unexpected expenses, such as repairs or periods of vacancy. Having a financial buffer will provide peace of mind and protect your investment during challenging times.

Regular Maintenance: Implement a proactive maintenance plan to preserve the condition and value of your property. Conduct regular inspections, address repairs promptly, and ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Property Management and Tenant Selection

Efficient property management is crucial for maximizing returns and maintaining a smooth investment journey. Consider the following aspects:

DIY vs. Professional Management: Decide whether to manage the property yourself or hire a professional property management company. Evaluate your availability, skills, and willingness to handle tenant-related matters.

Tenant Screening: Implement a rigorous tenant screening process to ensure reliable and responsible tenants. Conduct background checks, verify references, and assess their financial stability.

Lease Agreements: Create comprehensive lease agreements that outline tenant responsibilities, rent payment terms, and property rules. Ensure compliance with local tenancy laws and regulations.

Regular Review and Adaptation

The property investment landscape is dynamic, and regularly reviewing and adapting your strategy is essential for long-term success. Here are some considerations:

Market Updates: Stay informed about market trends, changes in regulations, and economic indicators. This will help you make proactive decisions and adjust your investment approach accordingly.

Portfolio Optimization: Continually assess the performance of your property portfolio and identify opportunities for optimization. This may include selling underperforming assets, acquiring new properties, or adjusting rental rates.

Professional Development: Invest in your own knowledge and skills by attending seminars, workshops, or networking events related to property investment. Expanding your expertise will enhance your decision-making abilities.

[goldenpinof]

Hi - UK person here! I think there are a few reasons for them having a mortgage 1) property in London (and the outskirts) is absolutely ridiculously expensive (particularly considering the size of their house) so to find that amount of money in one huge chunk would be a huge burden 2) whilst they are clearly not poor I think there is an overestimation of how much money they have made vs how much money they have paid out over time (Dans tour is a good example). Plus tax for people earning a certain amount in UK is 45% (+ national insurance) so that has to be taken into account 3) if they do have money its quite likely at least part of it is invested. So whilst that would allow them to borrow it wouldnt be money that is physically at hand so it makes more sense to take out a mortgage because whilst you have to pay interest on a mortgage its likely to be less than the amounts made from your investments and you will pay penalties for ending an investment early (which when you work in a precarious job such as creator are things you particularly need to consider for the long term)

Hope that makes sense?

it does, thank you! i sure hope they invested money in something. although, buying a property is also an investment. they can clearly sell it for more if needed (you can't do it spontaneously if the bank is tied to it though. at least not in my country. if there's a mortgage/loan you need to get the bank's approval here). funny how i think people are underestimating how much money they made during their prime years on youtube including ii era :)) at the same time, i don't doubt that Dan's tour was the opposite of a financial success but that's a privilege he had because he was already secure and could invest money and time into wad (and dd. sorry, they come hand in hand).

can i ask about 45% tax? how does it work with companies? dnp have several companies. usually, people create multiple companies to legally avoid some taxing. if theoretically, their income goes through multiple companies will the % be lower and can it work at all (or am i just saying nonsense)?

[practicalmagicintuitions]

Wow, what a reading that was! It’s like you are describing his life as you were witnessing up close. No matter how things are private, with them they never are, so people will know way many things about them and can be easily observed and understood.

“The Emperor is a father figure and if this doesn’t represent HC and who he wants to be, this very well could be his father. Some legal, contractual business with him in order to secure a nice home and domestic life (4ofW)”.     

This is very interesting, his father indeed visited the mansion that Henry has confirmed to be at now, and someone even shared a review his father left on a website for real-estate. His father definitely had a big role with this purchase, since Henry was still filming in Turkey when this was finalised. He definitely trusts him with legal stuff, and look up to him.

I still think he rushed into buying this expensive mansion, especially after losing 2 major roles, and being involved in one that is questionable.

And honestly, after all of these investments, a marriage will seem forced as well. It’s like, he’s forcing this relationship to turn into actual marriage, with prenups.

“However, if he is too stubborn to make changes this can happen. “

Henry has proved time after time that he does not want to listen to anyone that criticises him, or his choices. I think he will reach this point of unhappiness, because he simply was too stubborn to stop things that are obviously not meant to be. 

And if he reaches marriage, kids and failed businesses. And he feels unhappy, or stuck, that’s on him, he does not get to complain. Definitely, the kids will be the most affected here. And if he actually reaches this point, he is very selfish. 

After yesterday’s premiere and how they interacted with each other, their energy, having zero chemistry, and her vibes around his family, I felt so strange and awkward. That was such a weird thing to witness, and again, I could never believe there is true love at all. 

I still believe they are engaged and will announce soon, maybe that will be the simple celebration, but if Henry still decides to go into prenups, marriage, and more money being spent, then he mustn’t complain when he feels stuck or unhappy in the future. 

This whole show depends on him, and him only! Overall, I think he is determined to prove to himself before anyone else that he can have those things, being a husband, a father, and being a "power couple", even if there are no genuine feelings or strong foundation. 

Thank you!

And thank you for this info about his father. I don’t know how you all knows those things, but I am glad to be updated 😂

I don’t know much about British Tax Laws but I know you have to pay property tax and according to an article this could be 12%(!!) of the property value. And when I got the 4ofP I clearly heard “tax reasons”. I don’t know why. Maybe they made company and that company bought the house? But still you have to pay the taxes…

I don’t know, not familiar of this I inky know I heard tax reasons so it has to do with property taxed in the UK.

[knight-of-ashes]

So You’re Getting Bullied By Leftists and Trans People for Wanting to Revisit Your Childhood: A Primer on Navigating the Complex Emotions Surrounding the New HP Game and How To Decide For Yourself if it’s Worth Buying and Playing

I’m writing this because my brother keeps getting messages from people who are getting bullied over wanting to play the new HP game and it’s making them less sympathetic to our cause. This sucks, but I don’t feel I can tell off my fellow LGBT and Jewish friends for being angry. So to you, dear reader who is feeling alienated and abused by us, I wish to offer an olive branch and a way to see through our anger to our actual point, and why we’re asking you not to engage with the game.

First, dispel the notion that you’re going to be pirating this game. It features one of the strongest versions of Denuvo yet, which can only be cracked by one person who calls herself Empress (and is herself pretty wildly transphobic), and she promised to crack it in 10 days. If you want to play it for free before February 20th, you’re SOL, and that’s if she cracks it as promised. It is a very real possibility that this will never be crackable. More than likely, if you want to experience this game, you’ll need to either watch a Twitch streamer or YouTuber play it, wait a month to purchase a used copy, or purchase it new. 

One of the main talking points about this game is that buying it gives money to original HP author JK Rowling, and this is true! She receives royalties for everything WB does with the Wizarding World, which is the current official franchise name. She has been spending a lot of money on lobbying politicians in the UK to dismantle the NHS’s transgender care programs. She claims that this is because she’s trying to prevent men from getting placed in women-only jails where they rape their fellow inmates, and I see this get parroted a lot, but even if it was only about that, it’s still a massive transphobic dogwhistle.

Side bar: I’m gonna be talking about dogwhistles a lot. I’m gonna explain what those are real quick because frankly I think a lot of why we aren’t getting our message across is baked into the nature of dogwhistles. See, dogwhistles are a method of talking in code where members of an in-group (and people opposed to the in-group who study them) know what a phrase really means, but it has plausible deniability to anyone not familiar with the lingo. Common dogwhistles are things like “we’re just trying to keep men out of women’s prisons” (which is a wink to other transphobes about trans women not actually being women in their eyes), “I’m just concerned about the influence of the Hollywood elite” (”all of your media is being controlled by rich and powerful Jews with a secret agenda”) and code numbers like putting 1488 in their usernames. It feels crazy to type out or read because they’re by design meant to make you feel crazy for noticing them. It’s a bit of psychological warfare. If as we get through this you feel like some of the things I’m telling you about JK’s beliefs or the contents of the game are too crazy to be true, please come back to this paragraph and remember that they want you to doubt us when we ask you not to the play the game for X reason.

Anyways, back to the money issue: one defense I see a lot is that JK already has a ridiculous fortune and buying the game is a drop in the bucket compared to what she’s already made. Frankly, you’re not wrong. If the movies had never been made JK still would’ve been set for life and able to go on her little crusade against trans people because the books alone made her a multimillionaire. With the right investment profile she would easily be at the level of wealth she’s at now without any of the other Wizarding World properties getting published. Toss in the movies, the theme park, the merchandising empire and the game really does become a drop in the bucket. But, your money is still going to her. You know what she spends it on. Even if she managed to set up a veritable perpetual money maker, the royalties from what you spend on the game go directly to someone who is spending a lot of money on making sure trans people in the UK are barred from transitioning. Is that something you can live with?

Some people have decided they can live with that. Others are donating the same cost of the game to orgs like Trevor Project to offset the impact of the royalties Rowling will get. If that’s the route you choose to go, realize that your trans friends will probably still be pretty upset with you. It calls to mind the Catholic concept of indulgences, where one could commit all manor of crimes but with a simple donation to the right priest still get into heaven. That’s harsh, I know, but we make the comparison because it genuinely feels like our charities are being used just to offset the guilt of buying the game instead of being donated to because people actually want to help us. That hurts. It’s hard to articulate exactly why that hurts so bad, but it does. Your friends are lashing out and bullying you because of real pain. And what you experience as a result of that bullying is real pain too. But consider the source. Walk it back to its origin point. When someone has been fighting for their very life, and they ask you not to spend money on the game or watch streams of it, and you try to find a way to do it anyways after they’ve illustrated the very real harm your dollar causes, and you feel hurt when they lash out at you or unfriend you, do you stop to think of the pain they were in first? This is your chance to do so.

This part is hard, I know that intimately. Again, I’m writing this post because my brother is hurting, because people who want to play the game are reaching out to him and expressing their pain. We are all hurting over this in various ways for various reasons. I know how hard it is to cut something off that was a tremendous part of your life because I had to cut this out too. It wasn’t easy. You can read my other post on this topic to see how big of a fan I was.

Which leads me to streaming. I have very bad news for you. We’ve hit a point in media where the amount of money people collectively make off of a game is not just from sales. You see, there’s a barely hidden mechanic in the stock market that rewards people for gambling on the success of a franchise, and success is not just raw sales numbers. Piracy, streams on twitch, number of concurrent players and viewers, and social media engagement all play a part. I’m benefiting those guys right now because I’m posting about the game on social media! It doesn’t matter that my post is negative, because the attention I’m giving it is part of the commodity being sold. It’s not just about the game anymore, it’s about the brand. The more popular a series is, the more the value of the stock owned by shareholders increases. The more that value increases, the more the shareholder’s portfolio is worth, which is more leverage to use against high dollar loans, which the shareholders then use to buy yachts and houses or even use to purchase stocks and futures for another company or commodity, and then pay the loan off by selling off lower value stocks. It becomes an oroboros of money, a juggernaut fueled by speculation and gambling and hashtags. I’m gonna say this right now: it’s already too late. If you want to watch someone play the game, you can do that and have a clean conscious. We’re on day 2 of the proper release and day 5 of it being streamed by various people on Twitch. The game is already second only to Elden Ring in stream numbers. If I’d written this a week ago I would’ve expounded upon how giving this game any attention just signals to WB that making more Wizarding World content is good even if you didn’t personally give WB and JK money, but the cat is out of the damn bag. This is also how a lot of us leftists are getting info about the game so we can talk about it more intelligently, so it would be a little hypocritical to tell you not to. Go nuts.

Except, maybe don’t. Here’s the final part of my essay begging you not to play or watch this game even as the bullying makes you want to play it more. We have spent a lot of time talking about trans people for a very good reason, but frankly they aren’t the elephant in the room. We need to talk about antisemetism, cognitohazards, and how choosing to consume content with an obvious bias can slant you unconsciously to that bias. Now, I am not saying that playing the game makes you an antisemite! Again, I’m not here to bully you and that would be bullying. I’m just here to help you see through the bullying. But, when we engage with such content, it does form a little bit of bias in our heads if we aren’t careful to examine and undermine that. If you continue to consume content with that bias, it cements itself further. Eventually, if you never consume content with the opposite bias, you will find yourself believing what wormed into your subconsciousness way back at the start. This is how the so-called Alt Right Pipeline works. For more information about that I would ask that you go watch Innuendo Studios’ “The Alt Right Playbook”. He’s much nicer than me and the videos clearly demonstrate the effect.

This game is meant to be part of the alt right pipeline. The original director, Troy Leavitt, runs a youtube channel that promotes alt right content meant to funnel viewers deeper into the pipeline. He stepped down from the game but not after the president of WB Games stated that he was fine with employees like Leavitt posting whatever they want to their personal social media, a milquetoast endorsement of Leavitt’s influence on the game’s antisemetism. Lest you think that Leavitt leaving the game was the end of the problems, voice actor Greg Ellis, who voices 12 of the characters in the game, is an antifeminist who’s created revenge porn of an ex, something JK is actually strongly opposed to, yet she thanked him for his work on the game. Other employees who worked on the game to the bitter end have confirmed that the plot of the game didn’t change after Leavitt left.

One final sidebar: this game is way more antisemetic than what JK wrote originally. I know a lot of people talk about JK’s antisemetism in the original books, and it is bad, but the goblins are little more than set dressing for most of the books, only becoming plot relevant a couple of times across tens of thousands of pages. Mostly she pulls from the original goblin stereotypes of the early 1900s that every other property from DnD to WoW was pulling from, being hooked noses, a penchant for banking, a very insular community, abrasive behavior to outsiders and being very protective of things they made. There’s a lot of plausible deniability in what JK wrote, which has made it very hard for Jews to speak up about the problems.

This game launches plausible deniability out the window. I’m going to copy and paste some things from my last post on the topic, and this will spoil parts of the game, but if you’ve humored me this far I think you’ll understand why I need to.

“This game presents to you a fantasy race based on antisemetic caricatures and gives the fantasy race a number of real-world antisemetic stereotypes like blood libel, greedy banking, and collaborating with their own persecutors to cause a Holocaust. We currently live in a world where a large number of people are convinced that a secret Jewish elite is conspiring to use COVID vaccines to sterilize white people so they will cease to exist in a generation. The game has its fantasy Jews collaborating with a dark wizard to wipe out the wizarding population. You can choose to join them, or you can choose to put down the rebellion. The game allows you to collect a shofar as a trophy. Joanne didn't have anything to do with this and the game is actually on a special noncanon license where WB Games can ignore or add whatever they want to Joanne's worldbuilding, and they added that goblins use shofars. And you can collect it. As a trophy.“ Further, the final boss no matter which route you go down is the goblin leader of the rebellion. Whether you’re a good wizard putting down the rebellion or a bad one helping it, you have to kill the guy who organized the whole thing. Shofars are an important Jewish instrument used in many ceremonies from synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur to every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. and they look like this:

And here’s the in-game screenshot, with a little bit of extra commentary:

This is probably the single BIGGEST dogwhistle in the game. You could even call it a dogshofar it’s so loud. You wouldn’t recognize this unless you were either Jewish/very steeped in Jewish culture or if you were an antisemite. Remember what I said about psychological warfare? This is that.

Also, here’s a good article on blood libel: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blood-libel I actually think blood libel was present in the original books, but it gets way amped up in this game, with the goblins genuinely kidnapping and killing wizard children, just like the antisemetic stereotype. A lot of people don’t know what blood libel even is so please read about it.

Again, playing this game by itself does not make you antisemetic. But if you play it and then go on to consume other media with these antisemetic stereotypes, you are getting primed to become more antisemetic, and to slide down the pipeline. You have to ask yourself, is playing the game really worth that? Do you have the fortitude to play it or watch someone else play it and stay an ally to Jewish people against the current onslaught of antisemetism? And if you do have that fortitude, then why do you want to play this game? Is it just so you can see Hogwarts again, is it to soothe the part of your soul that needs nostalgia in troubling times, and is there other ways you can do that? Is this a cultural moment that you really need to participate in, or can you sit this one out and support the people asking you to not engage for all the reasons I’ve listed above?

I can’t answer that question for you. I can’t stop the people bullying you. I can’t stop myself from feeling disappointed when friends I have engage with the game even after I’ve explained myself a dozen times. I just know that I have a responsibility to keep explaining this, and hope you can see why I’ve written this massive essay. Please, if I can sway you in any way, don’t buy the game. If you absolutely must see it with your own eyes, watch someone play it. But don’t give money to WB and JK for this.

[feckcops]

Our new financial masters

“Today, asset managers collectively own global housing and infrastructure assets worth, at a minimum, $4trn. The upshot is that asset managers are intimately implicated (albeit without most of us being aware of it) in everyday social life. They own, and extract income from, things – schools, bridges, wind farms and homes – that are nothing less than foundational to our being. Forty years ago, it would have been unthinkable that we would buy our gas from, make our parking payment to, or rent our home from a company like Blackstone. But this is the new reality.

“In a very physical, if also strangely intangible respect, all of our lives are now part of asset managers’ investment portfolios. Arguably, this is truer in Britain than anywhere else. Consider the quiet county of Kent in south-east England. The entire infrastructure of wastewater collection and treatment in the county, including tens of thousands of kilometres of sewers, is controlled by Macquarie, a leading Australian asset manager. Macquarie also controls much of Kent’s infrastructure of water supply ... Housing? Blackstone owns rental properties in the small Kentish town of Paddock Wood. Student housing? Chicago-headquartered Harrison Street owns digs in Canterbury. Care homes? New York-based Safanad controls homes in Dartford and Gravesend. Electricity generation? The UK’s Foresight Group owns solar farms at Paddock Wood, and Abbey Fields in Faversham. Transportation? Legal & General Investment Management owns parking spaces; Sweden’s EQT Partners owns charging stations for electric vehicles; PSP Investments of Canada owns train rolling-stock ...

“The faster the turnover of infrastructure and real-estate assets bought and sold by asset managers, the higher the returns. It doesn’t pay for fund managers to buy and hold the asset: it pays to buy it, and then sell it for a quick profit. They do whatever is needed to grow the incomes (such as rents or water rates) that the assets generate. They cut to the bone the costs incurred in operating those assets. Eying quick disposals, they have little interest in carrying out asset maintenance or repair for the long term.

“The dire consequences for the ordinary households whose lives are embedded in this asset manager-made world barely need stating. Being dependent on a real asset acquired by an asset manager – for shelter, energy supply, water or transportation – generally means higher costs and poorer-quality service, followed by considerable disruption when ownership changes hands just a few years later.”