Kushner family exposed for promoting their links to the Trump presidency to flog flats (with visas) to Chinese investors
Yesterday, The Washington Post, in revealing that the Kushner family are hawking properties complete with investor visas, illustrated yet another appalling example of what is fast becoming the shadiest presidential dynasty in history.
According to the paper, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s sister, Nicole Kushner Meyer, was in Beijing on Saturday to promote a New Jersey apartment complex named Kushner 1 to “a ballroom full of wealthy Chinese investors”. The event, which had been promoted with a brochure tagged: “Invest $500,000 and immigrate to the United States”.
Of the way in which the Kushner family behaved, Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer in President George W. Bush’s administration remarked:
“It’s incredibly stupid and highly inappropriate. They clearly imply that the Kushners are going to make sure you get your visa… They’re [Chinese applicants] not going to take a chance. Of course they’re going to want to invest”.
Unsurprisingly, journalists found themselves evicted from the shindig. The Kushners’ reasoning? “The presence of foreign reporters threatened the ‘stability’ of the event. This is not the story we want”.
Pictured above (left to right): Nicole Kushner Meyer, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump Kushner and Donald Trump.
Son of Kensington MP Lady Borwick’s curious connections to the people who ensured both Brexit and the election of Donald Trump revealed
On Sunday, Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer published a lengthy and well researched article that, amongst other things, examined the connections between The Hon. Thomas Borwick – the son of the Conservative hereditary peer The Rt. Hon. The Lord Borwick and Kensington’s Member of Parliament Lady ‘Call me Victoria’ Borwick – and the controversial US hedge fund titan and backer of Donald Trump, Robert Mercer.
A director of a multitude of companies, in spite of being just 29 years old, “new media expert” Thomas Borwick – whose mother was forced to apologise “after using City Hall resources to promote her husband’s [now defunct] electric vehicle business” in 2009 – it now transpires, was not only Vote Leave’s chief technology officer but previously worked with SCL/Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ. Borwick currently touts himself to his 202 followers on Twitter as the founder of a political canvasing consultancy named Kan.to, an organisation that he boldy claims “will out-organise, out-plan, out-leaflet, out-twitter, out-work and out-vote all of its opponents”.
Mercer, one of the owners of the far-right Breitbart News Network as well as being a major shareholder in Cambridge Analytica, is a man whose “sinister” connections to both Trump and Nigel Farage have rightly been widely criticised. On that basis, that the son of fervent Brexiteer Lady Borwick – a woman whose constituents voted 69% to ‘Remain’ and whose domain was home to a greater proportion of EU nationals than any other London borough in 2016 – has links to this billionaire and his activities should only encourage the voters of Kensington to ditch her and her out-of-touch party.
We urge Kensington based readers to support Annabel Mullin of the Liberal Democrats on 8th June. This principled lady is the only person who can realistically unseat Lady Borwick and she is the only candidate who will support the beliefs the majority in this constituency continue to hold dear.
12th century castle and romantic ruin in Herefordshire for sale for £1.495 million; a title to go with it is available also
A part restored castle on the English-Welsh border is back on the market after its buyer pulled out at the end of last year. Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye at at Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire’s story somewhat echoes that of the fictional castle in the 1949 novel I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – adapted to a film starring Bill Nighy and Henry Cavill in 2003 – and now, it presents an opportunity for someone wanting to own either a truly unique private home or somewhere to create a most romantic boutique hotel and events venue.
Now offered for £1.495 million ($1.94 million, €1.77 million or درهم7.12 million) and providing a total of 4,036 square foot of internal accommodation, Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye dates to the 12th century but was largely destroyed in the English Civil War (1642 – 1651).
An aerial view of Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye, Wilton, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6AD, United Kingdom with the River Wye beyondThe castle as a ruinKestrels are amongst those that make Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye their home
Subsequently abandoned until 1731, when bought by the trustees of Guy’s Hospital, the castle was bought by the legendary retail and property magnate Sir Charles Clore (1904 – 1979) in 1961 and then restored from 2002 onwards. It includes elements of architecture from the Norman, Tudor, Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian periods and is Grade I listed Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Standing in 2 acres of gardens, primarily within the rampart walls themselves, the castle house comprises of 4 reception rooms, a galleried former chapel, 2 kitchens, 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. There are three original towers (out of the five originally built inside a now dry moat) and whilst two are already back in use, the third, ‘The Great Tower’ could potentially be converted to provide 3 bedroom suites, a new glass entrance and a drawbridge.
In March, of his eccentric home, current owner Alan Parslow told the Evening Standard: “It was a bit of a wreck when we bought it, but after ten years of restorations it’s a lovely family home. We’ve loved living here. It’s a delight to wake up to, surrounded by history”.
Of the future, Parslow added: “We haven’t enough money or time to do The Great Tower up so we’d like to pass it on to someone else”.
Previously, his wife, Sue, was interviewed by The Ross Gazette about the sale. She remarked: “It is quite different from other ruined castles as it is really a garden around a castle”.
Namesake Wilton Castle, Bree, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland has similarities in that it is also part-home, part-ruin
Curiously, an unconnected Irish castle of the same name, Wilton Castle in County Wexford has had a similarly chequered history. Built first in 1247, expanded into a mansion in 1847 and burnt to the ground in 1923, this vast landmark has, like its Ross-on-Wye namesake been subject of a major renovation project since 2004 by its owners, farmers Seán and Antoinette Windsor.
Born in Banchory, Aberdeenshire in 1985, Pete Cashmore founded Mashable, a “one-stop-shop” digital media news and blogging site, in his bedroom in 2005 with the aim of “changing the world”. The firm now has over 120 employees, is based in New York and has 9 million followers on Twitter and achieves over 45 million unique views per month. He was once described as “one of the most influential voices of his generation – on and offline” and was also called “more than just a superb head of hair” by Hearst’s Town & Country magazine in 2016.
Grade I listed Georgian mansion in Worcestershire for sale for the first time since the 1720s
Few houses remain in the ownership of the same family for three hundred years, but an example of such, Ombersley Court at Ombersley in Worcestershire, has just been placed on the market for £3.5 million ($4.5 million, €4.1 million or درهم16.7 million).
Designed and built for the 1st Lord Sandys by the master builder Francis Smith of Warwick between 1723 and 1730, Ombersley Court was substantially alerted by the landscape architect John Webb in 1809. Grade I listed and featuring impressive entertaining spaces, the 27,449 square foot house comes with a 13,188 square foot Grade II* listed stable complex and 39 acres of land. A further 11 acres and a three bedroom cottage are available as separate lots.
Richard Michael Oliver Hill, 7th Baron Sandys of Ombersley (1942 – 2013) accompanying the Queen on her inspection of the Yeoman of the GuardAn image of Ombersley Court before the service extension that provided kitchen and staff accommodation (right) was demolished in 1964
“With the death of Lord Sandys in 2013 the house passed to Lady Sandys but following her recent death, concerns were raised and rebutted via letters in Country Life that this wonderful house would be forced (for complicated reasons) to become a care home; a fate which would have despoiled this jewel of a house. Instead, for the first time since it was built in 1724, it has been placed on the market. This is a house created by one of the finest craftsmen of the early-Georgian period, with connections to a wider, distinct Midlands architectural tradition which epitomises all that one would hope to see in a country seat”.
“As an important house which deserves respect, one hopes that the new owner will appreciate this remarkable situation and that perhaps the best approach would simply be to buy the house and contents and perhaps another couple hundred acres to truly secure an Arcadian ideal, one which would be hard to better anywhere in the country”.
New York born, Yale educated Jack Schlossberg is the only grandson of JFK. The son of designer and artist Ed Schlossberg and former Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, Schlossberg co-founded ReLight New York, a non-profit organsiation that installed fluorescent lights in low-income housing developments, whilst at school and has expressed a desire to pursue a career in politics. In May 2017, he was interviewed on NBC Today and commented: “I’m inspired by my family’s legacy of public service. It’s something that I’m very proud of, but I’m still trying to make my own way, figure things out, so stay tuned”.
1960 Bentley S2 currently owned by musician Sir Ray Davies to be auctioned; he wrote the hit song ‘Apeman’ on its back seat
A 1960 Bentley S2 owned but rarely used by Sir Ray Davies CBE – best known for hits with The Kinks that included You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night – is to be sold at auction in May.
Presented in unrestored condition after having been left in storage since 1991, the 6.2-litre car was purchased by the musician in 1970 and previously belonged to George Greenfield – agent to Enid Blyton, John le Carré, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, Sir Rex Harrison, Sir Stirling Moss and David Niven.
Of the black with red leather interior car, the musician once remarked:
After success the success of ‘Lola’ I was persuaded by my family to invest in a big car, which was unusual for me because I did not drive. However, I succumbed to the pressure and purchased a second-hand Bentley from Hadleigh Green Garage in Barnet… My (then) wife drove it on my behalf because as I previously mentioned I was unable to drive.
We lived in a little semi in Muswell Hill and the neighbours were in shock and awe when they saw this huge black Bentley drive up along the narrow shingle path to the house. We subsequently went on a family holiday in the Bentley to Cornwall. While on our holiday in Mullion I sat in the back seat of the Bentley and wrote a follow up to Lola called ‘Apeman’ on the Spanish guitar which I carried in the back.
The Kinks used it in a photo shoot for the ‘Preservation’ album and it still exists in some old black and white footage of us posing as gangsters outside KONK studios.
When I moved to Surrey in the 1970s the car came down with me, I still could not drive and I was forty-four before I tried for my licence. It was occasionally taken out for special events like weddings and family outings. The Kinks took it on the road in England but the fans started writing on the car with lipstick and our (then) manager Ken Jones promptly retired my car to the garage.
Silverstone Auctions have placed an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000 to درهم142,000) on the vehicle. They will sell it at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire on 13th May.
Of the classic car, Arwel Richards of Silverstone Auctions told ClassicCars.com: “It is rare to auction a car direct from rock royalty, and this Bentley offers an incredible opportunity for rock ‘n roll fans and Bentley aficionados alike”.
Asking price for America’s tallest single-family residence – a 124-foot tall tower in Phoenix, Arizona – slashed by 74%; it is somewhat dated but costs nearly nothing to heat and nearly nothing in property taxes either
They say “the bigger, the better” but in the case of Falcon Nest at Prescott in Arizona, it seems as if the tallest single-family residence in America has little appeal given its asking price has been slashed by nearly two thirds during the two years it has been on the market.
Reduced in price from £2.2 million ($2.8 million, €2.6 million or درهم10.3 million) in 2015 to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.5 million) this year, 124-foot tall Falcon Nest is to be auctioned by Concierge Auctions for a minimum price of £581,000 ($750,000, €688,000 or درهم2.8 million) on 25th May. For that, a buyer will not only get a truly unique structure but also views that range over 120 miles as far as the San Francisco Peaks.
Sukumar Pal, AIA faced some opposition when he decided to construct Falcon Nest but the resulting building he designed is certainly strikingFalcon Nest, 2365 Skyline Drive, Prescott, Arizona, AZ 86303 is situated at the head of a cul-de-sac and the base of Thumb ButteIt is priced at just $242 per square foot (at $1.5 million) and enjoys long-reaching viewsAn aerial view of the extraordinary structure
Built to the designs of Calcutta born Sukumar Pal, AIA for his own occupation, Falcon Nest took four years to build and was completed in 1994. This was in part due to high winds making it difficult to use cranes on a site that was already at 5,920-foot at its base on the slopes of 6,514-foot tall Thumb Butte – a prominent geographical feature of the Sierra Prieta mountain range – but also because Pal was so stringent about creating a residence that was not only striking architecturally but also one that was energy efficient.
Featuring a tubular tower portion that causes heat to rise and ventilate the residence in the summer but capture it in the winter, Mr Pal, in a video interview, claimed that “heating and cooling [the building] is automatic and without any cost”.
Accommodation in the 24-foot by 24-foot square base, ten-floor residence – linked by a staircase with 144 steps and a hydraulic elevator that provides access to six levels – includes three bedrooms and four bathrooms. Living space is primarily located on a central floor known as ‘the solarium’ that is mostly built of glass so as to catch as much sun as possible and centres around a vast entertaining area described as a ‘great room’.
Falcon Nest stands on a 1.08-acre plot that offers potential for further development and of the existing “multi-functional structure” itself, selling agents Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty suggest there is potential to turn it into a bed and breakfast, ham radio tower, event space or even a ranger station and museum connected to the Prescott National Park.
Of this “architectural and engineering treasure”, which is defined as a ‘palsolaral house’, Mr Pal commented:
“I chose the height, for several reasons: I wanted to enjoy the views but I didn’t want to cover vast areas on the ground as open ground separates the tower from the neighbouring buildings”.
“[But the most] important [reason] is the tax. The tax is proportional to the ground cover of the building. If this building was flat like tortilla, it would have a tremendous tax burden. This building does not have that. It is 6,200 square foot but I’ve been paying much less [tax] because the ground print is so small”.
In a feature on Falcon Nest in March, Lauren Ro of property blog Curbed rather curtly remarked: “Time has not been kind to this property, which feels like it was left behind in the ugly part of the ’90s”. She has a point but anyone wanting to live like the ultimate super-villain could indeed do a lot worse.
Conversion of “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” for sale; £3.5 million Grade II* listed Georgian house in Bath literally straddles a canal
Some people dream of living beside a lake or a river, but a Grade II* listed detached property recently placed on the market in Bath gives anyone with £3.5 million ($4.2 million, €4.5 million or درهم16.6 million) to spare the opportunity to literally live above a man-made waterway.
Cleveland House – originally known as Canal House – stands on top of a bridge and tunnel that straddles the Kennet & Avon Canal and in spite of being built as “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” has a look that is very much “Georgian domestic”. The limestone ashlar, three-storey building was constructed to the designs of one of Bath’s greatest architects, John Pinch the Elder (1769 – 1827), between 1817 and 1820 and served as the canal’s management headquarters until 1864.
Converted next to residential usage and then requisitioned for government use in 1939, the building again reverted to office usage. A property developer named Trevor Osborne then acquired it and commenced a transformation into what is described as “a truly exceptional Bath residence” in 2015.
Aside from 7,218 square foot of accommodation, including 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, what makes Cleveland House truly remarkable are its entertaining spaces. The 30-foot long former company boardroom, complete with a 20-foot high newly repainted domed ceiling, is now the house’s drawing room and in addition there is a formal dining room and a library. Whilst a fully prepared cinema room and wine cellars are housed in the basement, other points of note are a large, newly built family room, a first floor roof terrace and garaging for four cars.
Scandal prone Tory activist turned Jared Kushner employed journalist Andre Walker claims Theresa May is fearful of electoral disaster due to MPs from her party likely being jailed
In an opinion piece, Andre Walker – currently a columnist for Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s The New York Observer and formerly part of the team that established the far-right Breitbart London news network – referenced a widely reported story about thirty senior Conservatives facing prosecution for electoral fraud but went far further than most in adding: “In all likelihood, there will be MPs standing for re-election on 8th June who are also facing jail”.
Referencing the Conservative Party’s controversial 2015 election buses that toured Britain under the banner the ‘Road Trip’ campaigning group, Walker pointedly remarked:
“It is illegal to make a mistake – accidental or otherwise. In any case, failure to remember that you had five buses traveling to every key area of the country stretches credibility”.
Curiously, in his article, the hard Brexiteer made no reference to his own connections to that scandal and nor did he make mention of his long-term friend and founder of ‘Road Trip’, Mark Clarke – a disgraced individual who has since been expelled from the Conservative Party and banished for life.
In 2010, The Telegraph revealed Walker – a larger-than-life figure with 59,000 followers on Twitter – was forced to resign as political aide after been caught plotting to smear a deputy council leader in Windsor in a clip posted on YouTube. Subsequently, in 2016, in an interview for the BBC’s Sunday Politics, Walker claimed to have been the boyfriend of Elliott Johnson, an activist who committed suicide in 2015, leaving a note suggesting he’d been “bullied by Mark Clarke and betrayed by Andre Walker”.
