jim helik
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jimhelik.bsky.social
jim helik
@jimhelik.bsky.social
180 followers 140 following 220 posts
Economics, capital markets, pensions, bitcoin, scams, las vegas and probability theory, Faculty at Yorkville University.
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jimhelik.bsky.social
I can’t help but think that life is like a pack of cards. There are 52 cards in the deck, but only four of them are aces. The goal of life is to make your way through a crowded deck where the odds are stacked against you and cut to the aces.
Steve Spill
January 6, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by jim helik
nathantankus.bsky.social
It's about oil because Trump remembers "No Blood for Oil!" As "No, Blood for Oil!"
cooperlund.online Cooper Lund @cooperlund.online · 2d
The amount of “this is clearly about oil” posting across all platforms as story after story comes out where the oil industry is saying that the oil isn’t worth extracting is making me feel a little insane
January 4, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by jim helik
jasonthorne.bsky.social
Since 2021, the Multi Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) Program has provided $165 million to 21 community housing providers, helping safeguard more than 1,000 rental homes in 34 buildings across the city. A Request for Proposals for new acquisitions is now open tinyurl.com/2esuup26
Open Calls for Affordable Housing Initiatives
Never miss an update  – sign up below to be notified when affordable rental and ownership housing RFPs/Calls for Applications are made available.   As opportunities become available, the City of Toron...
tinyurl.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Reposted by jim helik
bsamuels72.bsky.social
Planning 101 (& common sense):
Q: How can you tell a growth boundary is exclusionary zoning rather than legitimate planning?
A: If its static, unchanged for a half century & lacking a regular, objective process for adapting to modern needs & changes on the ground.
share.google/6VmevPkfSjlj...
LAND LESSONS- What is the Baltimore County URDL? – Maryland Land Advisors
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Reposted by jim helik
propublica.org
While many nonprofits rely on government dollars, about half of those that edited or watered down diversity, equity and inclusion language in their mission statements reported receiving no government funding.
Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax Forms
As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statem...
www.propublica.org
December 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by jim helik
paleofuture.bsky.social
First he wants to call soccer "football" and now he wants to recognize Boxing Day as a federal holiday?

I hate to say it folks, but I think Trump might be Secretly British™
Providing for the Closure of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on December 24, 2025, and December 26, 2025
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  All
www.whitehouse.gov
December 18, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by jim helik
goldengateblond.bsky.social
it’s not a fucking build-a-bear you fascist potato
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 19d
Dr Oz: "The creation of a penis costs on average in America $150,000 per child ... if you add testicles, that's extra"
December 18, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by jim helik
gtconway.bsky.social
December 15, 2025 at 6:58 PM
jimhelik.bsky.social
Well this can only end well.

www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/b...
Bessent to propose major overhaul of regulatory body created from financial crisis
In a letter set to be released Thursday, Bessent will recommend changing the approach of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
www.cnbc.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by jim helik
btcbreakdown.com
50 years vs 10 years. h/t: @BitcoinThanos #bitcoin
December 9, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by jim helik
edwinheathcote.bsky.social
Frank in his kitchen. RIP.
December 5, 2025 at 8:21 PM
jimhelik.bsky.social
Man With Hammer-Induced Thumb Injury Appeals To Christ Almighty — theonion.com/man-with-ham...
Man With Hammer-Induced Thumb Injury Appeals To Christ Almighty
MANHATTAN, KS—In his third hammer-induced communion with the Son of God in as many days, local resident Bart Peintner made a vociferous appeal to Lord Jesus Christ Almighty Monday following a blunt ba...
theonion.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Reposted by jim helik
itsabbyyep.bsky.social
Hitler: Why didn't they ask about my paintings?
Screenshot from Variety (with photo of Cheryl Hines): Cheryl Hines Says "The View" Hosts 'Just Wanted to Grill Me' About Husband RFK Jr.' "You know, I was actually hoping that it was going to be more personal [interview] on 'The View' but it was what it was. They just wanted to grill me about Bobby. I mean, I don't think the ladies on 'The View' sked me one question about my book. But you know, that's OK."
October 29, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by jim helik
lswinkels.bsky.social
A new working paper on "The Viability of Bitcoin as a Central Bank Reserve Asset" concludes that Bitcoin lacks stability and liquidity, but could still play a role in central bank management.

Link to paper: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...

#EconSky #FinSky #Finance #Bitcoin #Academic
November 11, 2025 at 7:36 AM
jimhelik.bsky.social
gizmodo.com/study-finds-...
Study Finds Around a Quarter of Polymarket Trades Are Fake
Surely, there's no potential for market manipulation here.
gizmodo.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by jim helik
gtconway.bsky.social
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
November 3, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by jim helik
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
I think it’s pretty easy to see the gap in the logical progression between paragraphs 6 and 7 that will doom the case.
joshuajfriedman.com Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · Oct 9
NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
INDICTMENT October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT: GENERAL ALLEGATIONS At all times relevant to this Indictment: 1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia. 2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10). 3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages, operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA"). 4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate #29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1). 5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom, (1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the "Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae. 6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property. 7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3). 8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan. 9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner- occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property. 10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s) of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification. 11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan. 12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia. COUNT ONE (Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344) 13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein. 14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank, financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. 15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344). COUNT TWO (False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014) 16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein. 17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014). FORFEITURE NOTICE Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. § 982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933. If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title 18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1). (In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)
October 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
jimhelik.bsky.social
www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/...
What the hell happened to NFTs?
The mad gold rush of the digital art world has come to an abrupt end – and people are losing money fast
www.telegraph.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM
jimhelik.bsky.social
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
MSN
www.msn.com
October 2, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Reposted by jim helik
ledgerjournal.bsky.social
New Article Alert!

"Tracing Cross-Chain Transactions Between EVM-Based Blockchains: An Analysis of Ethereum-Polygon Bridges" by Tao Yan, Chuanshang Huang, and Claudio J. Tessone is available to read (free, as always) at Ledger!

ledgerjournal.org/ojs/ledger/a...
Title card for the article "Tracing Cross-Chain Transactions Between EVM-Based Blockchains: An Analysis of Ethereum-Polygon Bridges" by T. Yan, C. Huang, and C. J. Tessone, in Ledger Vol. 10 (2025)
October 2, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by jim helik
gwillow.me
I mean yes this is funny, but the fact that these unconstitutional stormtroopers are so directionless that they literally stand around waiting for random nonwhite delivery guys to bike past them is just pathetic. No mandate, no mission, no clue. Just racism.
marmel.bsky.social Steve Marmel @marmel.bsky.social · Sep 29
ICE attempted
and failed to disappear a food delivery guy.
It needed to be scored.
September 29, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Reposted by jim helik
david.noll.org
Ladies and gentlemen, the meritocracy
Ms. Halligan, who took over on Monday after her predecessor quit rather than prosecute James B. Comey with what he believed was insufficient evidence, had a little trouble with the first two tasks. At one point, she entered the wrong courtroom. When she found the right one, she stood on the wrong side of the judge, then appeared confused about the paperwork she just had signed.
September 27, 2025 at 11:02 PM
jimhelik.bsky.social
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Judge temporarily blocks Trump's firing of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook
The ruling means Cook will remain on the board of the central bank until her case is heard at length.
www.nbcnews.com
September 10, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by jim helik
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Trying to explain why international trade is good to an American: okay so imagine a burger

(yes this is a real ad on the Canadian embassy in DC)
A picture of the Canadian embassy ad saying “we make great burgers together!” with a picture of a burger and an ad saying “we make great planes together!” with a picture of a F-35 c
September 5, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by jim helik
tderyugina.bsky.social
Over 125 economists signed the open letter calling on the President, Congress, and the American public to uphold the principles of Federal Reserve independence and not remove Lisa Cook without due process.

There's still time to sign! And please share.

#EconSky

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Open letter
Click here to add your signature. An Open Letter from Economists in Support of Governor Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Independence To the President, Members of Congress, and the American public: We wr...
docs.google.com
August 27, 2025 at 10:04 PM