Quick, Healthy Snacks and Lunches-to-Go

When life gets busy, eating right can be hard to do. Our increasingly chaotic lifestyles are jam-packed with so many long hours working, taking care of families, trying to maintain healthy relationships, and many other responsibilities that it's often difficult to find the time to take care of ourselves. One of the first things that gets put on the back-burner is eating healthy and getting enough physical activity. However, health should be a priority in all of our lives. With a little planning and self-discipline, making quick but healthy lunches and snacks can be as easy as pie (but I'm not suggesting you choose pie). Consider the easy options below the next time you pack a lunch to take to work or know you have a long busy day ahead of you.

Wraps and sandwiches are great because they take little time to prepare and are travel-friendly. They also allow you to incorporate some of your favorite vegetables and can contain a mixture of fuels (carbohydrates, protein, and fat). Use whole-wheat bread or a whole-grain tortilla or wrap (Flat-Out wraps work wonderfully) and add a lean meat or protein such a sliced turkey or chicken (or beans or tofu if you're a vegetarian). Throw in a slice of reduced-free cheese, an abundance of veggies, and some mustard or light mayonnaise.

Tuna, salmon, chicken, and crab salads make for quick, simple, tasty lunches. Prepare with low-fat mayonnaise (try the kind made with olive oil) or nonfat Greek yogurt, your favorite chopped vegetables (green onions, pickles, radishes, bell peppers, celery and carrots work well and provide some crunch). Adding chopped nuts to these salads will provide a dose of heart-healthy fats, fiber, protein and minerals. Eat the salad between two slices of whole-wheat bread, in a whole-grain wrap or pita pocket, or with some whole-grain crackers. Add a piece of fruit and a glass of skim milk or non-fat yogurt and you've got a complete, well-balanced, healthy meal.

Another quick, easy lunch option that requires no refrigeration is a microwavable pouch of whole-grain brown rice. Uncle Ben's "Ready Rice" pouches, which you microwave in the pouch for just 90 seconds, are a great start to a fast, healthy, delicious meal. You can add your own seasonings, or if you are really strapped for time, pick one that is already flavored. Just be sure to choose a whole-grain variety over the white rice varieties (which usually come in more flavors). Some of the whole-grain varieties come in chicken-flavored or Santa-Fe-flavored packs. There are similar microwavable pouches sold by other brands, so check what's available wherever you buy groceries. A 1-cup serving of these types of microwavable rice pouches has about 190-220 calories and serves as a healthy vehicle for a well-balanced meal. Add plenty of chopped veggies, cooked chicken breast, tofu, tuna or other lean protein source, and top with reduced-fat shredded cheese for a complete meal.

Additionally, be sure to always plan ahead for a sneak snack-attack. Hunger pangs tend to strike mid- to late-afternoon as our blood sugar and serotonin levels drop, causing us to crave carbohydrates to refuel. If you're not prepared, you may find yourself reaching for whatever fat- and calorie-laden leftovers are sitting in the office break-room. Ideally, your meals and snacks should contain a mixture of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and a little healthy fat.

When life gets busy, eating right can be hard to do. Our increasingly chaotic lifestyles are jam-packed with so many long hours working, taking care of families, trying to maintain healthy relationships, and many other responsibilities that it's often difficult to find the time to take care of ourselves. One of the first things that gets put on the back-burner is eating healthy and getting enough physical activity. However, health should be a priority in all of our lives. With a little planning and self-discipline, making quick but healthy lunches and snacks can be as easy as pie (but I'm not suggesting you choose pie). Consider the easy options below the next time you pack a lunch to take to work or know you have a long busy day ahead of you.

Wraps and sandwiches are great because they take little time to prepare and are travel-friendly. They also allow you to incorporate some of your favorite vegetables and can contain a mixture of fuels (carbohydrates, protein, and fat). Use whole-wheat bread or a whole-grain tortilla or wrap (Flat-Out wraps work wonderfully) and add a lean meat or protein such a sliced turkey or chicken (or beans or tofu if you're a vegetarian). Throw in a slice of reduced-free cheese, an abundance of veggies, and some mustard or light mayonnaise.

iStock_000014162714XSmall.jpg Tuna, salmon, chicken, and crab salads make for quick, simple, tasty lunches. Prepare with low-fat mayonnaise (try the kind made with olive oil) or nonfat Greek yogurt, your favorite chopped vegetables (green onions, pickles, radishes, bell peppers, celery and carrots work well and provide some crunch). Adding chopped nuts to these salads will provide a dose of heart-healthy fats, fiber, protein and minerals. Eat the salad between two slices of whole-wheat bread, in a whole-grain wrap or pita pocket, or with some whole-grain crackers. Add a piece of fruit and a glass of skim milk or non-fat yogurt and you've got a complete, well-balanced, healthy meal.

Another quick, easy lunch option that requires no refrigeration is a microwavable pouch of whole-grain brown rice. Uncle Ben's "Ready Rice" pouches, which you microwave in the pouch for just 90 seconds, are a great start to a fast, healthy, delicious meal. You can add your own seasonings, or if you are really strapped for time, pick one that is already flavored. Just be sure to choose a whole-grain variety over the white rice varieties (which usually come in more flavors). Some of the whole-grain varieties come in chicken-flavored or Santa-Fe-flavored packs. There are similar microwavable pouches sold by other brands, so check what's available wherever you buy groceries. A 1-cup serving of these types of microwavable rice pouches has about 190-220 calories and serves as a healthy vehicle for a well-balanced meal. Add plenty of chopped veggies, cooked chicken breast, tofu, tuna or other lean protein source, and top with reduced-fat shredded cheese for a complete meal.

Additionally, be sure to always plan ahead for a sneak snack-attack. Hunger pangs tend to strike mid- to late-afternoon as our blood sugar and serotonin levels drop, causing us to crave carbohydrates to refuel. If you're not prepared, you may find yourself reaching for whatever fat- and calorie-laden leftovers are sitting in the office break-room. Ideally, your meals and snacks should contain a mixture of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and a little healthy fat.

Here are few quick, easy, healthy snack items to have on hand. You may need to store some in your office's break-room fridge,but you can stash other shelf-stable options in your purse, car, desk, or locker at work. Reach for these when a snack-attack sneaks up on you:

Light string cheese and a piece of fruit
Peanut butter paired with whole-grain crackers or an apple
Beef jerky and whole-grain cereal
Sliced turkey with reduced-fat cheese and mustard and a handful of baby carrots
Trail mix made w/whole-grain cereal or crackers, dried fruit, and nuts
Instant packs of plain oatmeal, topped with nuts and a dash of cinnamon
Canned soups (look for light versions and those with lower sodium)
Nonfat yogurt topped w/ granola or pretzels
Granola bars (choose those that are high in fiber and have less sugar)
Hummus with whole-grain crackers or pita bread, or cut-up vegetables
Pouches of tuna or salmon with whole-grain crackers or rice cakes
A couple of hard-boiled eggs and a whole-wheat toast
Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese topped with sliced pineapple or cucumber

A snack in the mid- to late-afternoon can help stave off hunger and provide you with a much-needed energy boost. Healthy snacking has also been proven to prevent overeating later in the day, which tends to happen when you eat too few calories throughout the day and overcompensate by binging in the evening.

Kari Hartel, RD, LD is a Registered Dietitian and freelance writer based out of St. Louis, MO. Kari is passionate about nutrition education and the prevention of chronic disease through a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

Can too little sleep make you gain weight?

People who got very little sleep ate more but didn't burn any extra calories in a new study that adds to evidence supporting a link between sleep deprivation and weight gain.

Although the findings don't prove that sleeplessness causes people to pack on extra pounds, or exactly how the relationship between sleep and body weight might work, they do show that "sleep should be a priority," said Michael Grandner, who studies sleep and sleep disorders at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

"If you're making your diet a priority and trying to be healthy, don't forget that getting healthy sleep is probably an extremely important part of being healthy," Grandner, who was not involved in the new work, told Reuters Health.

Previous studies have tested the link between sleep and diet and weight in multiple ways, Grandner explained. Some surveyed large populations of people with questions about their sleeping and eating habits and tracked their future health conditions. Others, including the new report, looked at a smaller group of people very closely, manipulating their sleep schedule and observing how their food cravings and appetite responded.

Both kinds of research have generally supported the idea that less sleep is associated with more extra weight.

One recent study in Sweden found, for example, that young men who were sleep-deprived ate about the same amount of food as usual, but burned between 5 and 20 per cent fewer calories than when they were well-rested.

Approximately 50 to 70 million Americans -- including a significant number of shift workers -- suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health.

For the current study, Marie-Pierre St-Onge of the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and colleagues recruited thirty men and women in their 30's and 40's, all of roughly normal weight. The participants lived and slept in a research center during two different five-night periods.

During one of those visits, they were allowed to sleep for nine hours each night. During the other, participants were only permitted four hours of shut-eye. Both times, they were fed a strict diet for the first four days of their stay and then were allowed to eat whatever they wanted on the fifth and final full day.

Researchers tracked how much energy they burned on a daily basis, and also asked participants how energetic they felt.

The tests showed that regardless of which sleep schedule they were on, people burned a similar amount of calories -- about 2,600 per day.

But when they were sleep-deprived, they fed themselves about 300 more calories on average on the final day of the study compared to when they had been sleeping normally. Well-rested participants ate an average of 2,800 calories that day, compared to 2,500 when they were running on less sleep.

If that kept up in a person's normal daily life, it would put the sleep-deprived at higher risk of obesity, the authors write in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Participants also said they felt more sluggish and less energetic after a few days on the short sleep schedule.

People with eating disorders likely to die earlier, study shows

Photograph by: Thinkstock, canada.com

Anorexia increases a patient's risk of death fivefold, and people with bulimia or another nonspecified eating disorder also face an increased risk of death -- about twice as likely to die as people without those disorders, a study said.

The cause of deaths wasn't always clear, but among anorexics who died, one in five was a suicide. The other deaths were attributed to the eating disorders' brutal effects on the body over time, researchers wrote in Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Of course, eating disorders have serious physical consequences," said lead author Jon Arcelus, of Loughborough University in the UK.

"The study could not identify how people died, but there is no doubt that the reasons behind this are related to the physical problems of the illness," he told Reuters Health in an email.

His group carried out a meta-analysis of 36 studies published between 1966 and 2010, which included 17,000 people with an eating disorder, of whom 755 died.

Their analysis showed that five of every 1,000 people with anorexia died each year, which was five times greater than would be expected for comparable people in the general population without an eating disorder.

Among those with bulimia or other eating disorders, the death rate was twice as high as expected compared to those without an eating disorder.

One reason for the results is that people with anorexia nervosa have both psychiatric and medical problems, but most facilities that treat anorexia focus only on the psychiatric problems, said Laird Birmingham, medical director of the Woodstone Residence, a residential facility for people with eating disorders on Galliano Island in British Columbia.

He noted that most people with anorexia also suffer from depression, anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder.

"Almost all centers only treat (the) anorexia, not the other disorder. Unless both are treated, they won't get better," he told Reuters Health.

The higher risk of death among those with anorexia reflected the more serious consequences of the disease, he added.

"They are very malnourished. That isn't the case with the other disorders," he said.

Arcelus and his colleagues wrote that the results highlighted the seriousness of eating disorders, noting that people who are diagnosed with anorexia later in life, those who are already severely underweight when diagnoses and those who also abuse alcohol seem to be at the greatest risk of dying.

"This sort of study reminds people that a significant percentage of people die of this disorder," Birmingham said.





SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry

'Carmageddon' officially on in Los Angeles

By Michael White and Andy Fixmer - Jul 15, 2011

Closing the busiest stretch of freeway in Los Angeles this weekend may hurt businesses in the area, except for companies like Waze and JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) that help travelers find a way around the mess.

The shutdown of part of Interstate 405 -- an event known as Carmageddon to local media -- may back up traffic by as much as 30 miles, according to Nancy Castles, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles International Airport. Residents have been warned to stay home or map out alternate routes during the closure of a 10-mile stretch that links L.A.’s Westside with the San Fernando Valley. Plans are for ramps to begin to be blocked at 7 p.m. tonight and for traffic to flow again by 6 a.m. Monday.

Waze, a mobile application that helps drivers navigate around traffic jams, has added more than 80,000 active users, an increase of about two-thirds in a market that is its biggest, said Di-Ann Eisnor, a vice president at the Palo Alto, California-based startup.

“When we heard about this, we thought we had to find a way to respond,” Eisnor said in an interview. “This really becomes an important showcase.”

Other companies see opportunities too. Briles Wing & Helicopter Inc. is offering to whisk passengers over the gridlock for $1,100 per person, and put a “countdown to the closure” clock on its website. JetBlue marketed $4 Carmageddon Fly-Over flights between Long Beach, south of the closure, and Burbank, in the valley. The four flights sold out.
Luring Customers

City officials are advising residents to stay out of their cars, as they did during the 1984 Olympics, when there were concerns that smog and traffic would interfere with the Games. Local bars and restaurants, worried the strategy will work again, started the website car-mageddon.com to lure customers with discounts and so-called CarmaCoupons.

The shutdown could blunt sales at Toyota of Santa Monica, said Billy Rinker, general sales manager at the dealership, which claims to be the top U.S. seller of Prius hybrids.

“July should be a good month because there’s five weekends this year,” Rinker said. “But on the Westside, Carpocalypse or Carmaggedon or whatever it’s called probably means we’ll lose that weekend.”

The freeway is closing to allow workers to demolish the 80- foot-high Mulholland Bridge that spans the 405. It’s part of a five-year, $1 billion project to add a carpool lane on the freeway between U.S. 101 in the San Fernando Valley and Interstate 10 on the Westside.
‘Massive Impact’

The stretch, which handles 500,000 vehicles on a typical weekend, is the third busiest in the U.S., according to Inrix Inc.’s Nation Traffic Report Card. The California Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the project, expects construction to be finished in 2013.

“In places like Los Angeles, where the transportation system is operating at or near capacity, even minor disruptions can have a massive impact,” said Brian Taylor, a transportation professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Motorists who typically drive the 405 will be directed 38 miles east through downtown Los Angeles. Sepulveda Boulevard, a main thoroughfare that parallels the closed section of freeway, will be marked for residents only, said Lt. Andy Neiman, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

“If you’re not currently planning ahead to make alternate travel arrangements, your choices will limit you to staying home to avoid the congestion that is expected,” Neiman said.
Helicopters Booked

Police and fire units will be positioned in the area to ensure quick responses to emergencies. The Los Angeles Fire Department will add 15 fire engines and six ambulances, said Cecco Secci, the department’s public information officer.

Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), the area’s largest cable TV television provider, will put repair crews up in Westside hotels so they can respond to calls, according to spokesman Jim Gordon. Airlines are advising employees and travelers to allow extra time to reach airports. Prime Time Shuttle, an airport transportation service, will have its entire fleet of 150 vans on the road to handle expected heavier-than-usual business at LAX as travelers avoid driving.

As for the $4 JetBlue flights -- $5 for extra legroom -- they’ll last 35 to 45 minutes, about what it would take to drive between Long Beach and Burbank under normal conditions, according to the Forest Hills, New York-based carrier.

Waze, which has backing from Blue Run Ventures, Magma Venture Partners, Vertex Venture Capital and Qualcomm Ventures, will provide real-time traffic data to local television station KABC-TV, and has put its links on the station’s website.

$4.05 Combo

The Arclight Cinemas 16-screen multiplex in Sherman Oaks, at the interchange of the 405 and 101 freeways, has recorded “brisk” sales of tickets for films showing over the weekend despite its location, said Gretchen McCourt, an executive vice president at Arclight and Pacific Theaters. Movie-goers will be able to see the closed freeway from the lobby windows, and buy a $4.05 food-and-drink combination in honor of the shutdown.

At Los Angeles-based Briles Wing, Lance Strumpf, chief pilot and general manager, said three of the company’s four helicopters are booked for the weekend. With the volume of inquiries, he expects the fourth to be busy as well.

“It’s definitely a viable alternative that people are taking advantage of,” Strumf said. “Everything from airline travelers to wealthy people up in Bel-Air who are landlocked and trying to get to their weekend retreats.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net; Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net

Montreal's traffic nightmare gets worse. Turcot repairs close Ville Marie, Décarie

MONTREAL - Just when Montrealers thought their construction nightmare couldn't get any worse, Transport Quebec has announced that yet more traffic cones are set to dot local streets this weekend.

Repairs on the decaying Turcot Interchange will shut down parts of the Ville Marie and Décarie expressways and the Trans-Canada Highway starting Friday night, including a stretch expected to be closed for the next three weeks.

The ramp connecting westbound Highway 720 to southbound Highway 15 will probably be out of service until Aug. 8, Transport Quebec says.

These latest closings arrive on the heels of Tuesday's surprise announcement of roadwork on the Ville Marie Tunnel. The snap announcement surprised even the city's executive committee and the provincial government's new road construction task force.

"The list of works was given to the committee but there were no dates," explained Martine Painchaud, a press aide for members of Montreal's executive committee.

"The Quebec Transport Deparement recognized that improvements were necessary and has vowed to better communicate."

This time, though, Transport Quebec says all parties were properly briefed.

"Wednesday, the committee had a meeting and the project was presented and approved," said Réal Grégoire, a spokesperson for Transport Quebec.

"What we want from now on is better communication between all the organizations."

Caroline Larose, another Transport Quebec spokesperson, said Tuesday that better notice couldn't be given for the Ville Marie Tunnel repairs because the agency finds out only at the last minute when contractors are ready to begin construction. But her colleague, Grégoire, says that's not true.

"While last-minute hitches can sometimes occur, contractors don't decide when they'll start work. We do," Grégoire said. "With 53 work sites on the island, including the Turcot Interchange, if the contractors were the ones deciding when they start working, it would be impossible to manage."

As gridlock continues to clog the city and orange signs have motorists seeing red, why close off yet another major road? Grégoire insists this is the perfect time.

"In summer, there's less traffic and during the construction holiday, there's even less," he said, noting that road workers are not on vacation during this period. Aside from the ramp linking westbound Ville Marie to southbound Highway 15, Transport Quebec plans to shut down three more arteries this weekend to perform maintenance work on the Turcot Interchange.

The ramp connecting northbound Décarie to westbound Highway 20 will be closed at night on Friday and Saturday. The ramp bridging eastbound Highway 20 and southbound Décarie will be shut to motorists Friday night, and the ramp connecting northbound Décarie to eastbound Ville Marie will be closed off Saturday night.

For detailed information on detours and roadworks, Transport Quebec asks motorists to visit quebec511.gouv.qc.ca

klalancette@montrealgazette.com

Montreal home sales grow by five percent. First rise in 14 months.

MONTREAL - Sales of homes in the Greater Montreal Area grew by five per cent last month, the first rise in 14 months, the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board said Wednesday.

The June rise, compared with the same month in 2010, was driven by a 17-per-cent increase in Montreal Island condo sales, Multiple Listing Service data show. Sales continued to drop in Laval and on the South Shore.

But the rise in sales is not necessary indicative of a new trend. Rather, these latest results appear stronger because of especially weak sales in June 2010, the board said.

“The increase in sales in June is encouraging news but it must be interpreted with caution as we are comparing June 2011 results with those of June 2010, when sales had decreased by 20 per cent,” said Diane Ménard, vice-president of the GMREB’s board of directors. “With this increase, sales in the Montreal area are approaching the levels that were seen in June 2007 and 2008, two prosperous years for the real estate market.”

Indeed, the drop in housing resales for the last 14 months suggests a correction has already begun taking place in Montreal’s heated housing market, a report published Wednesday by TD Economics says. While median prices were still up in the Montreal area last month – rising six per cent for single-family homes and plexes and five per cent for condos – home values should soften next year.

“Prices are typically lagged to sales and thus, we anticipate that 2012 will bear much of the brunt of the decrease,” the TD report by deputy chief economist Derek Burleton and economist Sonya Gulati said. “Still, the early move on the sales correction should give Montreal a slight edge when compared to the national forecast.”

Nationally, the report said the Canadian housing market is set to undergo a “modest” correction, with resale activity poised to drop 15.2 per cent and average prices likely to fall 10.2 per cent over the next two calendar years.

“A combination of more subdued job and household income growth, rising interest rates, the recent tightening in borrowing rules for insured mortgages and fewer first-time home buyers are expected to be the chief culprits behind the slowdown,” the economists said.

In Montreal, Gulati and Burleton raised a question – but not alarm – over the record-breaking amount of condo building in the city. “The condo supply and the degree, if any, of overbuilding is something to keep an eye on for this region,” they wrote.

In the Montreal area, the median price for a single-family resale home rose to $275,000 last month, while plexes rose to $409,000. The median price of a condominium grew by five per cent to $223,750.

Postmedia News contributed to this report

alampert@montrealgazette.com

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Montreal+home+sales+grow+five+cent/5098840/story.html#ixzz1S5mT1Qk0

In Retreat, Murdoch Drops TV Takeover

The New York Times
By JOHN F. BURNS, DON VAN NATTA Jr. and ALAN COWELL
Published: July 13, 2011

LONDON — In a stunning reversal after days of building scandal surrounding its British newspaper operations, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation announced on Wednesday that it was withdrawing a $12 billion bid to take over the shares it does not already own in Britain’s main satellite television broadcaster.

The withdrawal from the bid for complete control of British Sky Broadcasting, also known as BSkyB, represented the most severe damage inflicted so far on Mr. Murdoch’s ambitions by a crisis which erupted only 10 days ago with reports that The News of the World tabloid ordered the hacking of the voice mail of a 13-year-old girl abducted and murdered in 2002.

Since then, virtually every day brought dizzying new disclosure and developments, culminating in News Corporation’s announcement on Wednesday.

A company statement quoted Chase Carey, News Corporation’s Deputy Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer, as saying “We believed that the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation would benefit both companies but it has become clear that it is too difficult to progress in this climate.”

“News Corporation remains a committed long-term shareholder in BSkyB. We are proud of the success it has achieved and our contribution to it,” the statement said.

The development also seemed to end what, for years, had been a close, cozy and influential relationship with the British establishment.

Only hours before the announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron had sought to distance himself from Mr. Murdoch and had urged him to drop the bid for BSkyB. The announcement came just before Parliament was set to approve a cross-party call for Mr. Murdoch to abandon his long-cherished desire to take full control of the lucrative satellite broadcaster.

The scandal has also convulsed the British politicians, press and police, forcing them to contemplate unheard-of scrutiny of their ties with each other.

On Wednesday, Mr. Cameron offered details for the first time of a broad inquiry into those relationships to be led by a senior judge, Lord Justice Leveson. Mr. Cameron told Parliament that it would have the power to summon witnesses to testify under oath. The announcement came as Mr. Cameron fought to recover the initiative in a scandal that has turned into potentially the most damaging crisis of his time in office.

He said the inquiry would examine the ethics and culture of the British media as well as the accusations of phone hacking at The News of the World underlying the scandal. It would also investigate why an initial police inquiry failed to uncover the extent of the scandal and allegations that journalists paid corrupt police officers.

He said he wanted the inquiry to be “as robust as possible, one that can get to the truth fastest and get to work the quickest, and one that commands the full confidence of the public.”

Mr. Cameron said it should complete a report on the future regulation of the press within a year, but he acknowledged that inquiries into allegations of criminal wrongdoing — which the police are also investigating — would take longer.

Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party took power in May 2010, supported by some of the newspapers in Mr. Murdoch’s British stable, and his critics said that he, like some of his predecessors in 10 Downing Street, sought to maintain that support even as the phone hacking scandal smoldered before erupting into a crisis

Only a week ago, Mr. Cameron said it was not for politicians to interfere in the workings of private companies. But on Wednesday, he urged Mr. Murdoch to abandon his $12 billion bid for more than 60 percent of the shares in British Sky Broadcasting which he does not already own, saying Murdoch executives should “stop the business of mergers and get on with cleaning the stables.”

Later Mr. Cameron met the parents of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl abducted and murdered in 2002. The phone hacking scandal exploded last week with reports that The News of the World had tried to hack into her voice mail after she went missing. Up until then the phone hacking had seemed to be restricted to the voice mails of prominent people.

Hudson luxury home sells for $3.4 million

MONTREAL - A posh Hudson estate initially priced at $6.9 million in 2008 was purchased for less than half that amount Tuesday during Quebec’s first absolute auction.

The sale of the eight-bedroom, 17,000 square foot waterfront estate for $3.4 million includes a 10 per cent commission for the U.S.-based Grand Estates Auction Co. which organized the event.

A spokesperson for Great Estates said the Montreal-area mansion, which features an indoor pool, separate guest house and even a secret passage, attracted 23 bidders, while generating more than 500 inquiries and 200 showings.

Auctions, while popular in the United States and Australia, are a rarety in Canada. An absolute auction - where there is no reserve bid - involving a luxury estate is believed to be unprecedented.

The auction comes at a time when Canadians are increasingly considering alternatives to real estate brokers when selling their homes.

Last week, Propertyguys.com Inc., which helps people sell their own homes, joined forces with flat-fee brokerage Realty sellers Real Estate Inc. The merger will help owners outside of Quebec pay a flat fee and list their properties on realtor.ca, which generates the listings for the vast majority of home sales in Canada, the companies say.

But market alternatives like auctions and sell-it-yourself websites are unlikely to replace traditional sales by brokers, said Don Campbell, president of the Vancouver-based Real Estate Investment Network.

“It’s not going to catch fire here,” Campbell said of luxury estate auctions. “It’s too much of a risk to the vendor. In our country it doesn’t make sense for a vendor to go to auction.”

While Campbell’s heard of cases of B.C. farmlands and foreclosed homes being purchased in Canada through auctions, he wasn’t aware of any previous example of a luxury estate being sold to the highest bidder.

And unlike the case in Hudson, most auctions in Canada have a reserve bid, or a minimum selling price.

“I’m really and truly trying to figure out why you would want to sell it in an auction,” he said of the Oakleigh Estate in Hudson.

Initially listed with Profusion Realty Inc. for $6.9 million in 2008, the home was reduced to $5.4 million after it failed to sell. Louise Rémillard, president of Profusion, an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate for the Greater Montreal area, said the sellers wouldn’t lower their price at the time, even though the home had a municipal evaluation of under $3.5 million.

“There’s really nothing in real estate that price can’t fix,” Rémillard said. “When is listing is priced correctly it sells.”

The owners of the mansion, John Hooper, 70 and Diane Bradshaw, 65, said they decided to auction off the home they built in 2000 after it failed to sell for more than two years through traditional means.

With a limited pool of local buyers with the means to buy such an estate, luxury homes often languish for more than a year in Montreal before being sold, brokers acknowledge. An even greater challenge for sellers like Hooper is that sales of luxury homes in Hudson, like other off-island suburbs, have been slow this year, largely because of increased congestion on Montreal-area roads, brokers say.

This year, the highest priced home for sale in Hudson was purchased for $825,000, Multiple Listing Service data show.

Hooper, an entrepreneur and scientist, who helped build the now defunct company Phoenix International Life Sciences Inc., could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

But in an interview last week, Hooper said he was eager to sell the estate so he and Bradshaw could travel the world.

Rémillard, who specializes in high-end real estate, said she believes the couple sold the home below market value, especially considering that the latest school and property taxes on the estate amount to $41,000 a year.

The current municipal evaluation of the estate is more than $4.3 million.

“Had he sold before he wouldn’t have had two years of headaches,” she said. “Forty-one thousand dollars a year will give you a lot of opportunities to travel.”

alampert@montrealgazette.com

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Hudson+luxury+home+sells+million/5090756/story.html#ixzz1RwVqSWzA

Rupert Murdoch UK Phone Tapping Scandal Leads to More Arrests

As predicted by the Morton Minute two weeks ago, there have been more arrests in the long-running phone tapping saga that has embroiled the British media.

The latest journalist to be questioned and arrested is Laura Elston, the former royal correspondent for the Press Association news agency. This follows the questioning of Terenia Taras, a freelance journalist from Leeds in the north of England who was a former girlfriend of Greg Miskiw, a senior executive at the News of the World tabloid, the newspaper at the centre of the investigation by a 45 strong team from Scotland Yard.

In a separate development, a judge has ruled that Scotland Yard must hand over the notes and other documents seized from convicted private investigator Glen Mulcaire to public figures including actors Steve Coogan and Jude Law who are suing News International, the owner of the Sunday tabloid.

With so many police officers on the case and so much information being uncovered, this case will run and run.

"Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right."
Isaac Asimov

Canadian Market Better Than Most

While the Real Estate Market is relatively healthy in Canada, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. According to the latest Real Estate trends report from Scotia Economics, many of the encouraging signs of recovery in various global markets over the past months seem to be faltering- and in some cases, even reversing direction.

"Increasing nervousness over global economic prospects alongside rising food and gas prices and persistently high unemployment are keeping potential buyers on the sidelines despite highly accommodative monetary policy," said Adrienne Warren, Senior Economist and Real Estate Specialist, Scotia Economics. "A lingering oversupply of housing and/or still tight credit conditions are reinforcing the downward pressure on sales and prices in a number of markets globally."

"A marked improvement in housing affordability, particularly in those regions suffering large valuation declines in recent years, will eventually put a firmer floor under prices and underpin a gradual turnaround for the sector," added Ms. Warren. "For the time being, however, the process of repairing bloated public and household balance sheets points to a protracted period of subpar economic growth among debt-heavy developed nations that will restrain household borrowing and spending. A generally more cautious lending environment also will hold back the pace of recovery."

In Canada, price appreciation has been a slow and steady race, with average inflation-adjusted home prices for Q1 up a respectable 5%, year-over year. Analysts warn too, that the national home prices do not necessarily reflect the nation region to region; prices have been inflated nationally due to surging prices in some pockets- namely from the wave of foreign investors flooding the Vancouver market.

Take Vancouver out of the equation, and prices have only appreciated a more realistic 1% year-over-year.

"Housing sales in Canada, while below the record-setting pace seen at the height of the boom in 2005-2007, are being supported by steady job creation and still attractive borrowing costs," stated Ms. Warren. "Relatively tight supply is adding to price pressures in several cities. Nonetheless, high home prices, the further tightening in mortgage insurance rules effective mid-March, and the upward drift in fixed mortgage rates this year appear to have slowed demand somewhat, most notably among first-time buyers. We anticipate relatively flat sales volumes and average prices through the latter half of the year."

Australia’s housing boom has faltered, partly due to the siege of natural disasters the region has been host to over the last year. Coupled with the fact that rising property prices are pushing boundaries of affordability, the housing market there is quickly running out of steam.

In Europe, troubled economies in various centres are causing some localized housing markets to sputter. In the UK, prices for Q1 were down 4%; in Spain, three years of a slow market seems to be continuing, with prices having fallen by 8%. Analysts warn that there is more of the same to come too.

Not all European markets were headed downwards in Q1. France and Switzerland saw price increases of 7% and 4% respectively.

In the U.S., the market is beginning to soften after some apparent momentum last year.

“The modest pickup in sales in the U.S. over the past six months has been primarily of investor-driven foreclosed properties, with little evidence of broader home buyer activity since the expiry of purchase incentives in early 2010," commented Ms. Warren. "Despite gradually improving job markets and near record housing affordability, the expected addition of at least another one million foreclosed properties to the market this year suggests more downside price risk in 2011."

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The Value of Volunteering.......“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. “....Winston Churchill

There is something compelling about an individual who chooses to make a statement by civic action- by sharing the most valuable commodity of all- their time. While volunteering is ultimately about giving back, it also presents a rare opportunity to visibly translate words into action. Building social capital in client-centric business lends context to integrity in a way that no marketing plan can.

Sukh Sidhu, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, with over 28 years experience as a Realtor- as well as many years of volunteer service as a member on various industry related boards- and as a prominent member of the Indo-Canadian community, is well aware of the mesh between volunteering, visibility and client-centric business.

“Realtors care about bettering their community. They live where they work, and work where they live... It is about setting the stage for future business. Real Estate is people business, built on trust. Buyers and sellers trust you to help with the biggest purchase of their lives. In my experience, volunteer work builds that trust. People already know you, they trust you. They call who they already trust.”

There is no denying the far reaching impact of volunteering- both in acts of corporate citizenship, and in smaller, private acts, underscoring that making a difference is not about size or scale, but about commitment and directed action. Volunteer Canada lists in their mission statement, “Every action counts and people should be able to contribute in ways that work for them... voluntary organizations play a fundamental role in community health and vitality and are essential agents in building social capital.”

Volunteering Works

In the U.S., the National Realtors Association has recently awarded the third annual Volunteering Works awards. These awards identify Realtors who have made an impact in their individual communities in truly grass roots style.

True to the entrepreneurial spirit of Real Estate, these Realtors have assessed the communities in which they reside and/or work, and have identified need- and have taken it upon themselves to create solutions to the problems. This underscores another point- impact and social change does not necessarily have to reside in large-scale efforts. Big or small, it is about passion and action combining to make a difference.

For example, this year’s award recipients made their contributions relevant to social requirement. Causes included assisting parents with care giving for children with special needs, issues of abuse for women and their families, childhood literacy, substance abuse, support for divorced fathers to foster and maintain relationships with their children and providing real-life support in the way of repairs and home maintenance to allow seniors to stay in their own homes.

"Realtors play a significant role in building communities," says National Association of Realtors President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. "Volunteering Works highlights NAR members who are volunteering their time to answer a need in their community. We're proud to help them grow their efforts so they can serve even more people.”

While awards may seem contrarian to the concept of altruism, they help legitimize good works- as well as encouraging others to get involved. These awards seem less about identifying people and organizations, and more about getting the word out that people are making differences in their own communities- and is also about creating momentum in the volunteer movement.

Benefits: Personal and Otherwise

While volunteering your time is meant to benefit the organization that you are supporting, there are definite benefits to be reaped individually, and as part of a team.

Shanan Spencer-Brown, Executive Director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, says that the positive results from volunteering are numerous: “There are a range of benefits. There is an opportunity to meet with diverse people, connect with the community, and build skills and career experience. People often welcome this break from routine- and see volunteering as a fun and creative experience- it is emotionally and intellectually rewarding. There is the chance to pursue new interests and/or hobbies...of course, the best reward is that it feels good to help others.”

In terms of team building, there is much to be reaped from the experience of volunteering as a group. Camaraderie, working towards a common goal- in this case helping others, can be both immensely appealing, and productive- particularly in industries where business for self is the operational situation.

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s recent “National Garage Sale for Shelter” that raised over $400,000 in support of women’s shelters and ending violence against women and children, exemplified the concept of Realtors throwing down roots- and throwing their collective backs into a cause- with real, measurable results.

Says Spencer- Brown: “In terms of team building and volunteering, coming together for a cause that resonates with your entire office is a great way to forge strong relationships with your colleagues, and to learn from one another. Volunteering as a team also gives you greater capacity to help -- more people coming together to volunteer in support of a cause means greater potential to effect meaningful change; in addition, it means greater potential to raise awareness for the cause which can lead to an even greater number of volunteers.”

There is no question too, that volunteering represents an excellent opportunity for networking. You have a chance to meet and connect with large groups of people in a different context. And in a “people business “, face time is great time.

Branding

One of the challenges facing Mortgage and Real Estate Professionals is translating concepts like commitment, hard work, trust and accountability into real life situations to enhance brand. If your marketing plan is the theory behind your branding, volunteering provides a unique opportunity to visibly demonstrate these qualities.

Says Spencer- Brown: “Volunteering demonstrates commitment to giving back. It is about demonstrating that you are connected to the community.”

While you should devote your time to a cause that matters to you personally, there are definite benefits to participating in an established event, because these events often receive more media coverage- which can assist further in the expression of brand.

Spencer-Brown agrees: “Of course, there are additional benefits to being connected to a large, established event (like the Garage Sale for Shelter) because of extensive media coverage. There are benefits for offices too for branding, in aligning with a high profile event.”

Play it Cool

Never, ever, confuse a volunteer event with the boardroom. Being a volunteer is first and foremost about caring and connecting with the community. If, in the process of donating your time, you happen to cross paths with potential business- then great. If not, this is one of those times that asking for business may have the opposite effect.

Also, this underscores the point, that to be true to the spirit of volunteerism, motivations must be altruistic. Generating business is a pleasant by-product.

Sidhu comments: “Don’t promote business/listings (when volunteering). Do your work. When people need you, they will find you. Don’t push your agenda. Realtors are professional, and as part of the process, business will come in.”

Pick a Cause that Fits

While it often makes sense to align yourself with a cause that is employer-backed, it is often most productive to choose a cause that matters to you as an individual- although it is worth pointing out that the two are not mutually exclusive either.

What personal involvement in a cause does essentially is raise the level of personal investment, says Spencer- Brown: “The experience will be more rewarding and more meaningful if you have personal experience. You are better equipped, and are better able to speak to the cause- and you likely will show more empathy. Also, you are more likely to be more committed to the outcome, and will likely derive more personal satisfaction.”

In fact, the potential impact of choosing a cause that fits is so important, Volunteer Canada has now released a digital tool to help prospective volunteers understand and verbalize their volunteer needs.

“Creating an opportunity to address a disconnect between what Canadians look for in volunteer experiences and what organizations offer, ” Volunteer Canada has created the Volunteer Quiz ( VQ, ) which allows prospective volunteers to be classified under one of six personality types : Rookie, Roving Consultant, Type ‘A’, Groupie, Juggler, and Cameo.

The intent here is to match volunteers with organizations and types of volunteer work that they are likely to stick with in the long term, trying to move episodic volunteerism into an ongoing commitment.

“All Canadians have a role to play along a broad spectrum of engagement – everything from quick bursts of volunteering on mobile handsets to front-line volunteer aid in war-torn regions of the world,” said Ruth MacKenzie, President and CEO of Volunteer Canada. “The VQ can help boost volunteer engagement, but it’s essential to maintain a balance between episodic and long-term volunteering.”

To give an example of these volunteer personality types, the Groupie- much as it sounds, enjoys the group aspect of volunteering with a team, and the bonding and camaraderie that ensues from that experience. The VQ then recommends for this personality type to seek out opportunities with large organizations with short-term or one-day volunteer activities. The Roving Consultant, meanwhile, seeks work on specific short-term projects with real need for a specialized skill set.

As they say, charity begins at home- but for Real Estate and Mortgage professionals, that adage should be extended to include the entire community in which they work and live, because of the myriad of personal and professional benefits in supporting the community by being a volunteer.

And as Winston Churchill said, “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. “