Sunday, July 19, 2009

Real estate hotshots stay on top of the market

Julie Williamson, of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills, has been named a member of the Top Five in Real Estate Network. Another industry veteran, Tom Angone, has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Andalusia at Coral Mountain in La Quinta with 25 years of luxury home sales in his real estate portfolio.

Staying in the game

As the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians prepares to deliver a one-two punch for the nationally televised Tim Bradley vs. Nate Campbell fight on Aug. 1 at The Show of the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians has cut the ribbon on a new second-floor entrance to Spotlight 29 Casino of Coachella from the cool confines of its parking garage.

The tribe also has remodeled its casino cage to give customers easier access to House chips and the booty they win. To celebrate, hourly nightly drawings are happening through July 31. Those who park on the second level of the garage from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays also get the chance to win $100, if their parking space number is drawn.

At the nearby Augustine Casino along Avenue 54, the candles were lit Saturday to celebrate a “Lucky 7” birthday. No longer a kid, this venture of the Augustine Band of Mission Indians put up a $5,000 cash grand prize and offered hourly drawings for up to $2,000 in free slot play. Augustine Casino features 800 slot machines and 10 table games, including $3 blackjack, three-card poker and Texas hold'em.

Keeping tabs on

It is tough to say what the standard for success is in the valley, given its rich history and diversity.

Longevity? Solid reputation? A prestigious employee award carrying the name of a firm's founder? Or a collection of bobbleheads?

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20090719/BUSINESS/907180340/1003/RSS02

SOMA: South of Market Philippines

From the developers of Essensa East Forbes, judged by Asiaweek as the best residential building in the Philippines, comes another breakthrough development... South of Market, or SoMa for short.

Situated in Fort Bonifacio, Global City, SoMa is a 39-storey twin-tower residential development that boasts of many firsts:

It is today's unprecedented, one-and-only, remarkable, affordable home at the Fort. Unit prices start at only P2.9 Million and come with very attractive payment terms.




SoMa is the first residential condo in the Philippines where the units come fully-fitted and completely furnished, offering 30% more in terms of unit value and costing 30% lower than comparable buildings in the vicinity.




Using a proven concept in the USA and Europe, SoMa is a unique cooperative (coop) development project that makes investors partners instead of merely buyers. This approach translates to tremendous savings for you!

http://www.century-properties.com/soma/frame_set.html

Professional mover finds $16,500 in rare antiquities in the trash

One man's trash turned into Nick DiMola's treasure.

Five years after the Queens rubbish remover took home a mysterious barrel from a SoHo apartment, he opened it to find dozens of ancient Mexican artifacts.

The mix of bowls, figurines and jugs were made between 300 B.C. and 500 A.D., some by Mayans.

They're worth an estimated $16,500 - and DiMola said he's not at all surprised.

"There's always something in the garbage worth money," he said.

DiMola, 39, came to own the booty when his Ridgewood company was hired to clear the cluttered space of abstract artist Clinton Hill, who died in 2003.

Hill left his possessions to his longtime partner, Allen Tran, who died just months later, said John Koegel, a lawyer for their estates.

The couple's property fell to friends, who formed a nonprofit foundation to take the valuables from the studio.

BY Nicholas Hirshon
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/07/19/2009-07-19_trash_worth_16g_rubbish_guy_finds_a_little_treasure_trove.html

Lifestyle - Binge-proof your diet: 6 Foods that keep you full and satisfied

The big, fat (pun intended) irony about trying to drop pounds is that cutting calories has a pesky habit of making you eat more, and more of the wrong types of foods. Think about the last time you nibbled a plain green salad for lunch. How did you feel by 6 pm? Ready to eat an entire anything and then have seconds? Hunger is a real, physical need you can’t overcome with willpower alone. So eat already—and stock up on these foods, which will keep you satiated for hours: Fill up with fiber!

Eggs: They’re a great source of hunger-quelling protein (about 6 g per egg), plus a recent study found that women following a low-fat diet who ate 2 eggs for breakfast at least 5 days a week lost 65% more weight and averaged an 83% greater reduction in waist circumference. Not a fan? Low-fat yogurt is a great source of (breakfast-happy) protein.


Almonds: These tasty nuts contain the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, good-for-you fats that keep your appetite sated for hours. Studies back this up—one found that after 6 months, dieters whose eating plan included almonds lost 63% more weight, lost 50% more body fat, and shrunk their waistlines 55% more than those on a high-carb diet. They’re not exactly calorie free, so watch portions (1 ounce—or 28 nuts—is about 170 calories).

Avocados: How do I love these? In many many ways, but a few slices with a little lime juice is rich, satisfying, and loaded with so many important nutrients, including those healthy monounsaturated fats, plus vitamins and minerals like potassium and folate. No, they’re not calorie free, but a few slices have between 50 and 75 calories and will make any salad or sandwich SO much more satisfying (you can even throw avocado in a smoothie, which is common in Thai food).

Try these other foods that target fat.


Apples: I’m going to resist the urge to write anything about absentee doctors and regular apple consumption, but needless to say, eating one or two of these crunchy, portable fruits really can benefit your waistline: One study found that subjects who ate one apple before every meal lost 40% more weight than those who didn’t. Plus, they’re low in calories—about 65 for one that’s medium-size.


Oatmeal: This is the food weight loss dreams are made of. It contains high amounts of soluble fiber, which slows digestion and keeps you full for hours, and one study found that subjects who ate oatmeal for breakfast every day and also walked an average of 15 to 30 minutes daily lost about 10 pounds in 12 weeks.

Peanut butter: Despite the name, peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut, but they’re still high in those craving-quashing monounsaturated fats, and research has found that dieters who snack on peanuts or peanut butter lose more weight than those who don’t. My advice is to stick with the natural kind because it’s lower in added sugars—and spread some on those apple slices next time you get the 4 pm munchies.

by Liz Vaccariello,
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/twoweekturnaround/binge-proof-your-diet-6-foods-that-keep-you-full-and-satisfied-481183/