| New Investment Property in Italy: Period Apartments Tuscany
David Stanley Redfern Ltd, has just added another fantastic value stunning Tuscany investment property to their burgeoning port-folio of the finest investment opportunities in the industry. Potential investors with an eye on a holiday home in Italy should definitely take a look at Capannori luxury apartments, nr Lucca in Tuscany, on the DSR website. There they will find a charming period style apartment complex, with 1 bedroom apartments just 174,000. While that is slightly more expensive than our other property in Tuscany, it is still a very reasonable price for such a beautiful property in a high tourism area.
The Cappanori apartments are ideal as holiday homes, with the potential to make a good returns from rental when not in use. That is because areas like this are major tourism destinations, especially from western countries, and from the high end of the market with a lot of disposable income.
'Magical misery tour' spotlights foreclosures
The big white bus rolled up to a dozen empty houses in Elk Grove, where last year something went badly wrong for those who lived inside them. Saturday, their swimming pools were green, the electricity off and pieces of a child's puzzle lay scattered across one upstairs hallway. The houses were the main attractions of a new phenomenon to rock this housing market: the foreclosure bus tour. While other people jogged or shopped for groceries ahead of an expected storm, 25 investors and others looking for a house of their own toured the city's bank repos Saturday. And by day's end, two of them agreed to make offers. .
Colombian rebels free four hostages
The four hostages were freed in the same region of Guaviare state where the FARC released two other politicians on Jan. 10: Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez. Also released Wednesday were former Rep. Orlando Beltran and former Sen. Luis Eladio Perez. All were said to be ailing — Polanco with thyroid problems, Gechem with heart, back and ulcer problems. "You've saved us practically from death," Beltran said in the video, thanking Chavez. Two of Polanco's three sons were kidnapped together with her and later released in 2004 after a ransom was paid. Her husband was later murdered, allegedly by the FARC. As she held the flowers in the video, she said: "I will lay these flowers at my husband's tomb, and another stem for each one of my sons." Her youngest son, Daniel Polanco, who was 11 when Polanco was kidnapped, told Colombia's Caracol radio before the release that he and his brothers bought their mother flowers, balloons, two or three changes of clothes and cosmetics "so she can be pretty." The helicopters apparently spent about two hours on the ground at the pickup location in Colombia.
Brain Drill Raise The Death-Metal Bar; Plus Iron Maiden, Walls Of ...
In March, fans will be able to catch Brain Drill in the flesh, as the band hits the road with the Black Dahlia Murder and Animosity for an East Coast run that gets under way March 6 in Millvale, Pennsylvania, and runs through March 16 in Buffalo, New York. The guys' summer remains wide open, unless they're asked to hop on this year's Ozzfest — an invite they'd accept in a heartbeat ("I'd kill to be on that bill," Ruskin said, " ... not literally"). In early fall, the band will be back on the road, but with whom is the question. According to Brain Drill's label, those details are still being worked out. Live, Brain Drill are at their bludgeoning best. Ruskin said sometimes the material they've recorded is difficult to recreate onstage — but not in the way you'd think.
The week in review
Workers trained to control oil spills are watching closely as Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. negotiates a new contract with the company they work for. Alyeska has been streamlining operations throughout the state, and the spill responders are wondering if their jobs are on the line. TUESDAY Trekkers head to Aleutians to complete 4,000-mile trip While most of Anchorage was hunkered down waiting out the meanest cold snap in years, Erin McKittrick and Bretwood Higman were scouting for a way to paddle their packrafts through the shifting pack ice of Knik Arm. They're in the middle of a 4,000 mile human-powered journey that started in Seattle and has taken them up the wild North Pacific coastline. Polar cap may shrink to new record, surpassing '07 losses New data on Arctic winds and currents indicates that next summer's ice loss at the North Pole may be even greater than 2007's record-shattering shrinkage.
Here lies a dumb idea
It didn't take Fox News long to post Monday's Chronicle story on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' latest dumb idea. As Phil Matier and Andrew Ross reported, a board-approved resolution has urged the city's Department of Public Works to approve a project to install bronze plaques on city sidewalks to memorialize homeless people who died on the street. The resolution was passed unanimously - even if the supervisors seem to have forgotten why they supported it. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a co-sponsor, told Matier and Ross he did not know much about the project. Board President Aaron Peskin could not recall the measure. Supervisor Chris Daly did not respond to our request for comment. On the plus side, taxpayers would not be saddled with the expense of the plaques, which would be placed throughout South of Market, Haight-Ashbury and the Western Addition.
Comment: Gates may join Camden OLF fight
Even with the 15 percent discount Poyner & Spruill is offering, Camden's legal costs are expected to be high. Officials say the individual lawyers' fees will range from $190 an hour to $315 an hour. One official said the counties' legal battle could cost in excess of $500,000, but Camden officials have cautioned that it's too early to say how much the final bill could be. Camden plans to pay its share of Poyner & Spruill's fees from the county's $4 million reserve fund. Gates, which has a reserve fund of only $906,610, will have a tougher time paying legal fees. Gates was considering hiring a law firm on its own, but Pierce said he sees the advantage to joining forces with Camden. If Gates agrees to join Camden's fight, the counties are expected to split the cost 50-50.
Alliance Data withdraws suit against Blackstone
The company sued Blackstone, claiming the private equity firm appeared to be using issues over regulatory demands as a way to scuttle the deal. Alliance Data (NYSE:ADS) said in a release Friday it withdrew the lawsuit because it feels more confident that Blackstone is pushing ahead to compete the acquisition. "In light of Blackstone's confirmation of its commitment to work to consummate the merger, the company has at this time withdrawn its lawsuit without prejudice," Alliance Data said in a release. Alliance Data employs 1,800 workers at four offices in Central Ohio. Blackstone agreed last May to acquire Alliance Data at $81.75 a share. Since then, markets have been roiled amid an economic slowdown and credit squeeze. Alliance Data's shares closed Friday at $55.02, up $3.56, on the news that it appeared Blackstone and the company would not be locked in a legal fight.
Peter Cochrane's Blog: No risk, no progress
The removal of risk from people's lives is leading to a lack of understanding, imagination and, worst of all, real progress. Recent constraints on the working environment in the UK prompted me to muse on the following proposition. Suppose a health and safety directorate had been the first of all human innovations and institutions. Can you imagine the consequences? I think it goes something like this: no running, climbing, swimming, throwing and definitely no tools or weapons - and certainly no wars. So no progress then. Humans would have been in stasis pretty much like most animals. Let's fast forward to the start of the industrial revolution before we invoke health and safety systems: no large-scale smelting of ores, no engines, no advanced tools or weapons, no wire, no mass-produced glass or anything else, and certainly no telegraph.
Defense strikes back in Wecht trial
Dr. Cyril H. Wecht's defense team showed yesterday that it could go toe to toe with the federal government. For five days, the prosecution showed a steady stream of calendars, invoices and credit card statements to witness Eileen Young to bolster its case that her former boss ran his private business from the Allegheny County coroner's office and defrauded some of his clients by overbilling for airfare. With direct examination of Ms. Young over yesterday morning, defense attorney Mark Rush used the same types of documents to show plenty of instances when the former coroner charged his clients properly, if not less than what he paid for plane tickets. "You would think if you were engaged in a scheme of artifice to defraud ... you wouldn't undercharge them, would you?" Mr.
Minuteman's high-tech border barrier called 'a cow fence'
The fence to help stop illegal immigration was the dream of Chris Simcox, the founder and president of the Minuteman Defense Corps. The group has chapters throughout the country, with Minuteman members from as far away as New Hampshire making the trip down to Arizona to participate in citizens' border patrols. They are doing a job Simcox says the federal government is not doing well enough. Simcox, who participated in border patrols as recently as October, has said, "If elected officials will not lead, then it's up to the citizens." Volunteers say they heeded Simcox's call because they believe illegal immigration is a grave threat to the security of the United States. They say that they are patriots hoping to make a difference and that they want to help make the United States safe in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
|
