DOJ accuses RealPage of price fixing

From ProPublica:

DOJ Files Antitrust Suit Against RealPage, Maker of Rent-Setting Algorithm

The Department of Justice and eight states on Friday sued the maker of rent-setting software that critics blame for sending rents soaring in apartment buildings across the country.

The civil lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Greensboro, North Carolina, accuses Texas tech company RealPage of taking part in an illegal price-fixing scheme to reduce competition among landlords so they can boost prices — and profits. It also alleges the company took over the market for such price-setting software, effectively monopolizing it.

“RealPage has built a business out of frustrating the natural forces of vigorous competition,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter at a news conference Friday with top department officials. “The time has come to stop this illegal conduct.”

The antitrust lawsuit is the latest — and most dramatic — development to follow a 2022 ProPublica investigation that examined RealPage’s role in helping landlords set rent prices across the country, an arrangement that legal experts said could result in cartel-like behavior. Since then, senators have introduced legislation seeking to ban such practices, tenants have filed dozens of ongoing federal lawsuits, and San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors moved to bar landlords from using similar algorithms to set rents.

Justice Department officials said Friday that their lawsuit followed a nearly two-year investigation into the company. Along with traditional approaches, such as examining internal records, they said their probe involved data scientists who dug into computer code to understand how these algorithms set prices.

RealPage’s software enables landlords to share confidential data and charge similar rents, the officials said.

“We learned that the modern machinery of algorithms and AI can be even more effective than the smoke-filled rooms of the past,” Kanter said, referring to artificial intelligence. “You don’t need a Ph.D. to know that algorithms can make coordination among competitors easier.”

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81 Responses to DOJ accuses RealPage of price fixing

  1. grim says:

    Hat tip Juice

  2. grim says:

    From the FT:

    Why is New York shrinking?

    Summer quietude aside, New York feels like it’s booming these days. Securing a restaurant reservation is as challenging as ever. Lines for tennis courts form at dawn. Rents are rising faster than just about anywhere else. You’d be forgiven for thinking the city is heaving with more sharp-elbowed, jostling bodies than ever before.

    You’d be wrong. New York is shrinking, and faster than ever.

    Over the past three years, the population has declined by almost 500,000. On a ranking of the country’s contracting cities, New York handily takes the top spot, shrinking by 400,000 more than the next on the list (Chicago). New York City is 6 per cent smaller than in 2020, the most severe decline in the largest 50 US cities over this horizon, after San Francisco (-7 per cent).

    To be fair, the pandemic hasn’t been great for urban life in general: the top 10 cities outside New York have collectively failed to add any new residents since 2020. Still, most cities have merely stagnated. New York has experienced an exodus.

  3. Phoenix says:

    Can’t we all just get along? Nope.

    Israel launches huge bombing campaign inside Lebanon as Hezbollah terrorists fire more than THREE HUNDRED rockets in revenge attack that’s plunged Tel Aviv into a warzone

  4. Phoenix says:

    Whyte Woman strikes again. #metoo.

    Just like this skit from Bill Burr, word for word.

    A black cop lost everything after he was falsely accused of raping his best friend’s white neighbor in a threesome on his birthday.

    https://youtu.be/O1xgXJ5_Q34?t=274

    The father-of-two was only saved because his friend John Marks had a security system that recorded everything and proved the sex was consensual.

    Douglas is suing the Manvel Police Department and Marks’ neighbor Amanda Zawieruszynski, who made the false rape and kidnapping claims.

  5. Phoenix says:

    Ruh roh. It appears the PoPo went out of their way bypassing rules to protect the little princess instead of following procedure which would have caught her in her lies.

    Taxpayers, Pony Up. Qualified Immunity strikes again!

    But her story changed when she claimed that despite doing it many times before, this time, she refused to swim naked in the pool and have sex.

    ‘She claimed that she tried to fight Marks off. She claimed that he then pushed her over to Douglas who had sex with her while she was trying to fight him off,’ the lawsuit explained.

    Zawieruszynski also claimed the pair threatened her and she was so afraid of them that they had to be arrested immediately.

    Truitt told her they would need to ‘get their side of the story’ first, but the lawsuit claimed that never happened.

    Instead, police are accused of bypassing the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office and going to Justice of the Peace Richard Davis to get an arrest warrant.

    Davis was given a sworn complaint that the lawsuit claimed deliberately left out key details, such as the pre-existing affair and that neither suspect was interviewed.

  6. Phoenix says:

    Chi,
    Never been there. Comments say the food is good.

    I’m a bit concerned about the clientele, however.

    Happy to help.

  7. Phoenix says:

    Chi,
    The comments are priceless.

    OG Grandpa. Geriatrics Gone Wild.

    Hehe.

    I love Reddit. Some of the best belly laughs from things there. And thank you to those engineers who gave us these cell phone cameras as you have offered us a glimpse into things we would have never seen before.

  8. Hold my beer says:

    Phoenix

    The comments were great.

    Slow poke. Old fellows. lol

  9. BRT says:

    My sister has lived in NYC since 1996. She was in denial of the decline and increase in crime as recently as 18 months ago. As of 3 weeks ago, she finally wants to move out.

  10. Fast Eddie says:

    Phoenix,

    Is the dude in that General Lee car in a wheelchair by now? Is he even alive? No ramp? Ouch!

  11. Hold my beer says:

    New York is shrinking due to affordability, crime, and politics. I suspect,most people who live in nyc who aren’t far left are getting fed up with the leftists in charge.

    And as for affordability I just looked up the apartment we lived in Edison. A 2 bedroom in Edison is more money a month than a 3 bed 2 bath house with 10% down is in my town even with the price run up and higher mortgage rates. And the school system is better than blue ribbon districts in jersey.

    And people aren’t moving to blue Dallas. Dallas has terrible schools and Half the school kids in Dallas live in poverty. Newcomers are moving to the new luxury apartments outside of Dallas or buying houses in the suburbs of Dallas which are red or purple. We also have quite a few single house build to rent communities now too.

  12. BRT says:

    When I went to school in Winter Springs Florida in 1988, it was a literal trailer park. My 4th grade class was in a trailer. The middle school went from trailer to trailer between classes. If you fast forward to today, their school facilities are nicer than any one I’ve been in NJ.

    https://www.facilitron.com/wshs32708

    Now don’t get me wrong, you still get a better education in NJ, although we are losing ground rapidly in that, especially in the town I reside in where rankings have fallen off the side of a cliff. But our roofs are all leaking. Often of our ACs/heaters don’t work (even if they are newly installed). We can’t even afford Microsoft Office. For being so damn wealthy, our school buildings are pathetic statewide aside from Abbots, who are flush with cash all the time.

  13. Phoenix says:

    Maybe they could invite the old guy back. Goes good with this theme planned dinner:
    https://redhorsebydb.com/event/10-18-murder-mystery-4-course-dinner/

  14. Phoenix says:

    FE,

    IDK. But it makes my back ache just watching it. Plus it’s a waste of a classic car.

  15. Hold my beer says:

    BRT

    It’s bizarre that the affluent districts have such awful and old facilities while Abbot districts have nice facilities.

  16. Fast Eddie says:

    Hey, does anyone know when Beyoncé is scheduled to perform at the DNC concert?

  17. BRT says:

    Hold, it’s not a mystery. Jersey City gets 200 million in “state aid” we get 1 million. This whole state funding formula is out of whack. These crooks get to spend twice the amount per kid we do and they do it on our dime.

  18. leftwing says:

    RealPage is real. Dated a woman recently who was community manager for a large (400 units) luxury apartment building, well known national management company.

    Discussed a lot of real estate with her, local market generally, rentals, and SFH. She showed me the system. She can see real time pricing for any type of unit available in all the surrounding competing communities.

    On one hand it really just makes [much] more efficient what many of these landlords were doing anyway, ie shopping the other communities to find their pricing. And it works both up and down – rentals in this market have softened and unlike my memories of the NY area rates here are adjusting quickly, downward.

    Wish they were listed and not privately owned…they’re going to get hit hard. Pretty neat idea and rocking system though.

  19. OC1 says:

    Hey, does anyone know when Beyoncé is scheduled to perform at the DNC concert?

    Right after Trump reveals the details of his health care plan.

  20. BRT says:

    I can’t confirm it with positive tests but I’ve lost my sense of smell on 3 separate occasions in the past 12 months.

  21. 1987 Condo says:

    Of course they did:

    Saudi Arabia’s eSports team Falcons has won the eSports World Cup 2024. The world competition, held for the first time in Riyadh, saw Team Falcons scoring 5665 points.

    The Falcons strengthened their lead by winning the (Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile) Championship in Week 1 and the (Free Fire) in Week 2, earning them 1,000 points for each tournament.

    https://thecurrent.pk/saudi-flacons-win-esports-world-cup-claim-7000000/

  22. Fast Eddie says:

    RFK Jr. is fascinating to listen to on any topic. I think he’s most concerned about the health of our children, says that commodity agriculture is causing numerous problems, discusses the meteoric rise in obesity, diabetic disorder and autism today vs. 50 years ago, rattles off numbers, comparisons and stats. My spouse is a teacher for over 25 years and says the retention and attention span of middle school kids is beyond bad. She said kids allergies are at levels she’s never seen before.

    It’s a shame RFK Jr. has been ‘imprisoned’ by the democrats, not being allowed to legitimately run for POTUS. You have someone who can deep dive into endless ideas and topics with a wealth of knowledge vs. a woman who says, “Who doesn’t like a yellow school bus?” That’s just beyond unacceptable and illustrates the lack of insight and IQ of this woman… and the populace.

    A question was asked of a woman at the SNC convention, “What’s more important to you, democracy or abort1on?” The woman said ab0rtion.

    We’re in trouble and if she’s elected, you’ll need to live with it. The left is becoming dangerous. For a political party that loves to preach about being pro-choice, you won’t have any.

  23. LAX says:

    Blah blah blah blah

  24. Phoenix says:

    A question was asked of a woman at the SNC convention, “What’s more important to you, democracy or abort1on?” The woman said ab0rtion.

    It is to women, and the dopey Repuke religious fanatics threw the first match. Well, after Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in her lack of infinite wisdom, used her overreaching narcissism and spilled a gallon of gas by not handing over the torch in time. Ship sailed.

    Women like to screw. Won’t admit it, but they do. They profit from it. Why do you think 20 year old women are with older men in Hollywood? They ain’t being groomed, it’s for the money, security, trips, houses. Companionship as well. And of course having offspring. But sometimes they want to hook up with a bad boy, or cheat. You need birth control/abortion in order to do all of these things and be successful without getting tripped up. There is power in youth and looks-so much you don’t even need a real job to profit from it. Threaten this and you won’t get a young woman’s vote.

    OTOH, Old women will vote all day for Trump. That ship has sailed for them. They don’t need what Harris has to offer, nor do they have the goods anymore. So they are more interested in someone who is going to keep/put money in their pockets-that is what motivates them. That and they are more religious than the youth, so he will appeal to older women more than Harris.

    Great articles yesterday NYT. Young men NYT, and Young women NYT. Why the young men are voting for Trump, and the young women are voting for Harris. Comments good as well. The men are anemic towards their candidate, the women are energized.

    The future is Female. Feminist. It’s not about “equality.” If someone tells you who they are, listen to them. Harris said “we ain’t going back.” Eejits like Mike Rowe told men to shovel crap in septic tanks. Women are in college and moving forward much faster than the boys (this is in the article as well).

    And this from the Democratic Website. Guess who they don’t serve. Men. Boys.

    Sorry men, we hate you.

    WHO WE SERVE
    “Democrats are the party of inclusion. We know that diversity is not our problem—it is our promise. As Democrats, we respect differences of perspective and belief, and pledge to work together to move this country forward, even when we disagree … we do not merely seek common ground—we strive to reach higher ground. ”

    African Americans
    Americans with Disabilities
    Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
    Democrats Abroad
    Ethnic Americans
    Latinos
    Faith Community
    LGBTQ+ Community
    Native Americans
    Rural Americans
    Seniors and Retirees
    Small Business Community
    Union Members and Families
    Veterans and Military Families
    Women
    Young People and Students

  25. RFK JrGrandPubba ofNepoBabies says:

    Fast Eddie,

    Great statement about Kennedy Jr, but does it fly? He sounds more like a self falluting nepo baby that got used to the attention based on family name not actual results of his works. Give a good look at him using sunlight and ask Heilmeier Catechism questions and he falls fast into Nepo Baby Cow Dung material.

    DARPA operates on the principle that generating big rewards requires taking big risks. But how does the Agency determine what risks are worth taking?

    George H. Heilmeier, a former DARPA director (1975-1977), crafted a set of questions known as the “Heilmeier Catechism” to help Agency officials think through and evaluate proposed research programs.

    What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
    How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
    What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
    Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make?
    What are the risks?
    How much will it cost?
    How long will it take?
    What are the mid-term and final “exams” to check for success?

  26. TraitorJoe says:

    One of the reasons for open borders was to maintain congressional representation for the urban areas that are meeting hollowed out. Backfill citizens with the third world. Terrorists, gang bangers, etc. The Venezuelan gangsters make US gangs look civilized. Imagine a political party orchestrating an invasion of their own country just to preserve power.

  27. Fast Eddie says:

    NepoBaby,

    Let’s compare RFK Jr’s ideas against Cumella’s ‘vision’ and let’s see who’s more worthy of field-changing innovations based on Heilmeier’s evaluation standards.

  28. RFK JrGrandPubba ofNepoBabies says:

    TJ,

    Is cheap labor. Remember K-mart & Caldors, in northern NJ they were unionized in the 80’s with 40hrs workweek, overtime and benefits.

    Can you see Target, Walmart unionized today with so many immigrants, of course not willing to work hourly part time with dynamic staffing and no benefits.

    Look at your Corporate leaders for who’s looking the other way, Federal Reserve and other bastions of crony capitalism looking for cheap labor.

    They might become democratic voters in 20+ yrs after they realized that they were done in by conservative economics and big businesses.

    Just remember Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers in the 1970’s, heavily against illegal immigration, but he was thwarted by at that time California Governor Reagan that heavily promoted the crossing of the border by illegal mexican cheap labor to ensure the UFW did not become a successful union.

  29. RFK JrGrandPubba ofNepoBabiess says:

    Greasy Eddie,

    Who’s Cumella? Is it your left hand grip?

  30. Fast Eddie says:

    Eejits like Mike Rowe told men to shovel crap in septic tanks. Women are in college and moving forward much faster than the boys…

    If women are willing to pull up 4 x 8 sections of plywood two stories by hand for 10 hours per day in 90 degree heat and then hammer them into place or shovel out that septic system or run 350 feet of 2000 pound sections of concrete, storm pipe per day, then have it. By all means, take charge. Run it all, ladies! Though, you gotta wonder how they’ll get it done while working on their masters thesis. And when I say ‘masters thesis’ I mean it literally and figuratively. Because, you know, they’ll be the masters. Oh, and since men can now get pregnant, that takes care of that problem, too.

  31. TraitorJoe says:

    This was not labor driven immigration. Under Biden and mayorkas it was an orchestrated invasion meant to dilute and recalibrate the voter influence of lawful citizens. The insiders and deep state decided in 2016 to longer allow Americans to choose the president. The invasion was part off that plan.

  32. 1987 Condo says:

    I’m for a strong border.

    I do not understand the “invasion” concept since illegal immigrants can’t vote in federal elections.. Are they waiting for an entire generation to turnover and assume they will vote democratic? That may be risky as we see hispanic population increasingly going more conservative.

  33. Fast Eddie says:

    I do not understand the “invasion” concept since illegal immigrants can’t vote in federal elections..

    LMAO! Sorry. I did laugh out loud when I read that statement. For the democrats, anyone can vote whether they’re dead or alive… sometimes even multiple times as experienced in Hudson County politics.

  34. Phoenix says:

    Follow the money.

    It’s about cheap labor. The votes are just the cherry on top, in the future that is.

  35. Phoenix says:

    The other half of the story. Good luck Trump, you gonna need it.

    These Young Women Didn’t Want to Vote for Biden. They’re All In on Harris.
    In new polls, a large majority of young women plan to vote for the vice president. We talked with eight of them.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/24/upshot/harris-polling-young-women.html

  36. LAX says:

    11:35 and yet upon examination the only people charged and convicted of voter fraud are Republicans. I know facts can be confusing.

  37. TraitorJoe says:

    NJ led the country in net out migration between the last two census yet maintained the same number of congressmen and electoral votes. Ask yourself how that’s possible. And Kamala is openly promoting mass amnesty. Biden just have 500k people here illegally amnesty. It won’t take decades if they get their way.

  38. LAX says:

    New Jersey is still a populous state. Whatever population they lost wasn’t enough to tip the scales of representation.

  39. LAX says:

    As a comparison: NJ has 9m people and 14 electoral votes.
    Ohio has 11m people and 17 electoral votes. Washington State has 7m people and 12 electoral votes.

  40. Fast Eddie says:

    This woman is a fucking moron. Omg.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPw20cA8UKg

  41. Chicago says:

    August 26, 2024: Freedom and responsibility

    Dear Cornellians,

    Our campuses are home to tens of thousands of people with diverse lived experiences, strong convictions, and differing viewpoints. This diversity is a source of our strength but also brings with it a shared responsibility to listen to and learn from one another. As we begin the fall semester, we are writing to share with you some of the specific planning and procedures in place to ensure that all Cornellians are able to have a rewarding and productive semester, as well as the principles that have guided these plans.

    Over the course of the year ahead, our campuses, like those of so many other universities, may become a focal point for protests. If this occurs, our response will be guided by two foundational principles. The first is Cornell’s long held and deep commitment to supporting free expression and reasoned civil discourse, to being a place where members of our community can make their views manifest without fear of intimidation or suppression. Second is the recognition that while this right is foundational, it is not unlimited. The expressive activities of individuals necessarily unfold within the context of our broader university community, and as such they are bounded by the need to protect the core functions of the university and the reciprocal rights of others.

    Our aim in seeking to balance these two foundational principles is not to punish individuals or to suppress the views being promoted, but to protect the rights of all in our community. Providing a learning environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination is essential to our educational mission and a clear requirement of federal law. Thus it is our responsibility and our obligation to enforce our policies ensuring that speech or actions by some members of our community does not violate the rights of others. In balancing these principles, administrative actions must be consistent and content neutral. In furtherance of institutional neutrality and deference to the many and diverse views in the Cornell community, the President and Provost will refrain from opining on national or global events that do not directly impact the university.

    Now, to specifics. A notable feature of campus expressive activity last spring was an encampment on the Ithaca campus Arts Quad. This fall, as always, many events are scheduled on the Arts Quad, including new student orientations and college receptions, concerts, outdoor movies, the McGraw Hall groundbreaking, and ClubFest. While we recognize that students, faculty, and staff seek visible and prominent areas in which to demonstrate, we also recognize the rights of everyone in our community to reserve and utilize these iconic university spaces. To protect this right, groups planning overnight activity in campus spaces are required to utilize the registration process for outdoor camping, consistent with the Interim Expressive Activity Policy. An unapproved encampment of indeterminate duration would displace scheduled events and deprive others in our community of access to common spaces. While some might argue the greater value of certain protest activity over other activities, the university should not and will not privilege some events over others based on the content or purpose of the activity.

    Where possible, the university will seek to afford access to prominent campus locations for registered encampments, minimizing the likelihood of disrupting other events. As an example, the lawn area between Sage Chapel and Day Hall, which is directly below the President’s office, served as the site of the 1985 anti-Apartheid encampment. The university, through the registration process, will work with individuals and groups to identify and reserve such spaces.

    The university will respond to peaceful encampments that do not comply with these principles with progressive, interim measures aimed at ending the activity without resorting to force. Below we outline the interim measures that will be taken while underlying Code violations are resolved, consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, so that members of our community can make informed decisions about how to express their views:
    With the first violation, students will receive a timely warning that they have violated university policy and will be informed of the steps that will follow with subsequent violations.
    Students violating university policy a second time will be placed on a non-academic temporary suspension. They may attend class and utilize certain resources (e.g., housing, dining, health care), but may not participate in campus activities.
    A third violation will trigger a temporary academic suspension while their case proceeds in the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. The underlying violations will be addressed pursuant to the Student Code of Conduct.
    Faculty and staff who engage in these activities will be referred to their college, school, or administrative unit leadership for warning, review, and potential sanctions.

    To be clear, the above describes our response to peaceful protests that do not comply with our time, place, and manner regulations. However, acts of violence, extended occupation of buildings, or destruction of property (including graffiti), will not be tolerated and will be subject to immediate public safety response. We will enforce these policies consistently, for every group or activity, on any issue or subject.

    As long time Cornellians who have witnessed numerous periods of campus unrest, we understand the importance of faculty, staff, and students expressing themselves on topics of great significance. We urge all members of the community to express their views in a manner that respects the rights of others. One voice may never stifle another. There is a time, place, and manner for all to speak and all to be heard.

    Sincerely,

    Michael I. Kotlikoff
    Interim President

    John Siliciano
    Interim Provost

  42. Very Stable Genius says:

    Maga ignores that Republicans opposed Bill to protect border.

    Republicans love cheap labor

    RFK JrGrandPubba ofNepoBabies says:
    August 26, 2024 at 10:52 am
    TJ,

    Is cheap labor.

    Just remember Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers in the 1970’s, heavily against illegal immigration, but he was thwarted by at that time California Governor Reagan that heavily promoted the crossing of the border by illegal mexican cheap labor to ensure the UFW did not become a successful union.

  43. Very Stable Genius says:

    Senate Republicans block border security bill as they campaign on border chaos

    May 23, 2024 — Senate Democrats failed to advance a bipartisan border security bill Thursday, with nearly every Republican voting against it.

  44. Very Stable Genius says:

    Republicans kill border bill in a sign of Trump’s strength and McConnell’s waning influence
    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged GOP senators to pass an immigration and Ukraine aid deal. Just four of them supported it. In the end, even he voted no.

    WASHINGTON — Within 48 hours of the release of a long-awaited immigration and foreign aid bill he had championed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Republican conference rejected his pitch to support it, knifed the deal and left it for

  45. LAX says:

    Maybe just maybe ordinary people are sick of listening to a tired rich old man bitch and moan every day about his perceived injustices.

  46. RFK JrGrandPubba ofNepoBabiess says:

    LAX,

    You are correct. They want to hear about Greasy Eddie’s magic left hand grip Cumella.

    No wonder he’s a tubby fellow. Instead of going for a walk. He’s locked away singing to this https://youtu.be/LKwW8PNZpOQ?si=EWlyFf0p_alP4YQa

  47. Fast Tubby Eddie says:

    I never got the whole South Park thing. I never found it to be funny. Animated comedy is a tough one. The same goes for a lot of comedians dropping ‘F’ bombs for laughter. I don’t get it. Comedy as a whole or the ability to detect underlying comedy has dwindled significantly. What happened to creativity and brilliance or freedom from the cancel police, for that matter.

  48. RFK JrGrandPubba ofBrainsWithWorms says:

    Alright Greasy Eddie, try this one.. you got to laugh…

    https://youtu.be/T7kklmGWLDk?si=JAsu33_PVhEs4wdr

  49. Fast Tubby Eddie says:

    Worm Brain,

    Great movie, saw it many times. You’re showing your age, btw.

  50. SomeOne says:

    If women are willing to pull up 4 x 8 sections of plywood two stories by hand for 10 hours per day in 90 degree heat and then hammer them into place or shovel out that septic system or run 350 feet of 2000 pound sections of concrete, storm pipe per day, then have it. By all means, take charge. Run it all, ladies!

    Says Eddie while sitting behind a keyboard and playing social media (on company time?)

  51. Phoenix says:

    F’n Bill Gates. Default garbage.

    In the instructions, click enable to disable. So you try to trick people when they don’t want your nasty spyware.

    America is truly a vile country, legally speaking.

    Link below to get rid of Copilot Nasty Software.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/1c1k1o9/disable_windows_copilot_ai_windows_10_and_11/

  52. Very Stable Genius says:

    Friist!

  53. Fast Eddie says:

    Says Eddie while sitting behind a keyboard and playing social media (on company time?)

    I did it all for years.

  54. Phoenix says:

    Creepy using a dating app. Guess the ol’ leaflet is a thing of the past. Hehe.

    The warning appeared online last week in Arabic beneath pictures of U.S. warplanes: “Do not take up arms against the United States or its partners,” it said, noting that America “will protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies.”

    And to underscore the message: Central Command is “fully prepared” and ready to employ F-16 and A-10 aircraft “currently in the region.”

    As fears grow of a wider conflict between Iran and its proxies, and Israel and its backers, the warning — apparently aimed at young disaffected men in the Middle East — may not have been that surprising.

    What raised eyebrows was the platform: Tinder.

    The ad on the U.S.-based dating app, which gave the world the phrases “swipe right” (to approve a match) and “swipe left” (to reject), has raised fresh questions about the U.S. military’s online information operations, which are aimed at influencing the views of overseas audiences and countering what the government perceives as misleading narratives from foreign adversaries.

  55. Phoenix says:

    Dear Iranians,
    This is a message from America, on Tinder.

    We know you want to blow your load, so here is a little advise. Don’t aim it at our F16.

    It has a condom pod, and some anti-jism coating that is state of the art.

  56. Phoenix says:

    Sounds like a plan. It will be funny if he refuses.

    Kamala Harris’ campaign has a new demand for her debate with Donald Trump: that each candidate’s microphone stays unmuted the whole time.

    “The VP is ready to debate Trump live and uncensored,” Harris’ advisor Brian Fallon wrote on X on Monday. “Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button

  57. Very Stable Genius says:

    Stick to FOX News only

    Fast Tubby Eddie says:
    August 26, 2024 at 2:41 pm
    I never got the whole South Park thing. I never found it to be funny. Animated comedy is a tough one. The same goes for a lot of comedians dropping ‘F’ bombs for laughter. I don’t get it. Comedy as a whole or the ability to detect underlying comedy has dwindled significantly. What happened to creativity and brilliance or freedom from the cancel police, for that matter.

  58. TraitorJoe says:

    Hiding is an interesting choice of works for someone who expects to be installed as president without campaigning. It’s the most corrupt and undemocratic thing I’ve ever seen. Perfect continuations of this banana regime.

  59. Very Stable Genius says:

    Actually Jan 6 insurrection failed coup it’s the most corrupt and undemocratic thing I’ve ever seen

    TraitorJoe says:
    August 27, 2024 at 10:01 am
    Hiding is an interesting choice of works for someone who expects to be installed as president without campaigning. It’s the most corrupt and undemocratic thing I’ve ever seen. Perfect continuations of this banana regime.

  60. Hold my beer says:

    ARK #1 fund family for destroying wealth over the last 10 years

    https://www.morningstar.com/funds/15-funds-that-have-destroyed-most-wealth-over-past-decade

  61. BRT says:

    Most of those are instruments for short term trading and naturally suffer from decay. i.e. 3x inverse funds. The Russia ETF was essentially zero’d out by the exchanges. The only real funds on that list are China and ARK. Long story short, if there were a top 10 worst funds, Cathie probably owns 50% of them.

  62. Phoenix says:

    Eddie,
    Watch South Park Christmas Special.

    You might appreciate the humor.

    Chi your welcome. Glad you enjoyed that.

  63. TraitorJoe says:

    The vast majority of J6 protesters are patriots. The grandmothers, veterans, first responders who Biden put in jail for daring to challenge the establishment. Even Zuckerberg has come out to say the election was rigged.

    BRW, what did they threaten Joe with to get him to resign? We’re deserve to know.

  64. LAX says:

    11:46 Bullshit

  65. Hughesrep says:

    I’m pretty sure some of these posts are Clot just having some fun.

    Dial back on the sheer stupidity part, you’re moving beyond parody into the realm of the impossible.

  66. LAX says:

    “Fun”

  67. Mike S says:

    Speaking of rents… new complex in montclair – insane prices

    https://khy.9bf.myftpupload.com/residences/

  68. Fast Eddie says:

    Mike,

    Those rents were a mortgage payment in prestigious upper Bergen County just a few years ago.

  69. Old realtor says:

    There is a Kushner midrise going up in Fair Lawn. Location is the industrial park off 208. Most expensive 2 bedroom $6500 a month. Insanity!

  70. RentL0rd says:

    I went to see a house and wanted to check with the experts here on a few things.

    1) If the buyer wants to see a house directly, can they do so?

    2) If the buyer is presented with a buyer agreement and commission by the seller’s agent (via a proxy) is that legal?

    I was presented with a 1.5% buyers commission agreement at the door even after I flat out told them I wanted to work with the sellers agent directly.

  71. RentL0rd says:

    Oh yes, I want to add that this house visit has confirmed to me that the Real estate agents are the lowest form of professionals (if you can call them that).

  72. Very Stable Genius says:

    BREAKING NEWS!

    WASHINGTON—Special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a new criminal indictment against Donald Trump for trying to undo his 2020 election loss, saying the case remains largely intact even after the Supreme Court’s July ruling that former presidents have sweeping immunity for acts they take while in office.

  73. Very Stable Genius says:

    BREAKING!

    Special Counsel Revises Trump Election Indictment to Address Immunity Ruling
    Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment in the case charging the former president with plotting to overturn the 2020 election in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling giving former presidents broad immunity.

    Still, much of the old indictment remained untouched as Mr. Smith’s team came out with its new one. Mr. Trump faces the same four charges, accused of overlapping conspiracies to defraud the United States, to obstruct the certification of the election at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and to deprive millions of Americans of their rights to have their votes counted.

    Listen

  74. leftwing says:

    “I was presented with a 1.5% buyers commission agreement at the door even after I flat out told them I wanted to work with the sellers agent directly.”

    Assuming you’re just shopping and not going to bid, tell the sellers agent, not the proxy, that you are there to buy and to go fuck themselves. If you as a potential, qualified buyer are not being permitted to see the residence without paying a vig to a proxy they’re breaking their fiduciary duty to the seller and you’ll contact the seller directly as well as have a local CBS news van outside their office tomorrow. And if they are an affiliate of a national brand you’ll be contacting the executive office as well.

    If you’re actually interested assuming a nice round $1m purchase price you now have $15k (or more if you want) for you personally to direct to someone to grease the skids to make the deal happen. Be nice and spend it wisely, ie. pretty girls don’t go to prom with the first pedestrian dude that asks them…

  75. RentL0rd says:

    Good points leftwing.

    As I refused to sign the 1.5% commission based contract at the door, and was driving away, the sellers agent called me and begged me to turn around and was going to show the house. The proxy showed the house but without the contract signed by me.

    She was uninterested, borderline rude – but I got what I wanted, which was to see the house without any commitments.

    The house was meh. Too many disjointed rooms, no privacy from the neighbors. For $1.4M, I was expecting more for that price. Heck, I could renovate my 2010 home I bought for $500K and it would have more privacy and with better furnishings on an almost similar sized lot.

    The agent then sends me a text – likely to cover her ass, and said this:

    –proxy– and myself along with your permission verbally and mutually agreed to show you the property as an unrepresented buyer.

    I just learnt that NJ has a new agent category called “Designated Agency”, where they can act as a traditional “dual agent”. Has anyone heard of this?

    As I was writing this, I got another message from the sellers agent saying the following:

    All of my team members which is part of the hallmark platinum group would be sellers agents/dual disclosed.

    So Not a Designated agent

    But if you like the house, we can get you a designated agent. It would be from our office, dual disclosed but representing you only and not the seller

    Very confusing.

  76. RentL0rd says:

    Ugh, my quotes didn’t come in as quotes

  77. leftwing says:

    Got the gist. Sounds like everyone is learning as they go along and no bad faith there…

    Let’s see how that works for a 20-something first time buyer….

  78. LAX says:

    I think that $25k down payment thing will help kids in flyover country.

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