MONTREAL - The summer heat is set to reach its pinnacle Thursday with the mercury climbing to 35 degrees Celsius and the humidex factor making it feel like 42C to 44C.
“It might even get hotter in really urbanized sectors of the city where’s there’s a lot of concrete and asphalt and few trees,” said Environment Canada meteorologist André Cantin.
While this just may be the kind of sultry weather Montrealers yearn for in the dead of winter, experts warn sunny skies must be taken in moderation. From dehydration to exhaustion, it can take a mere hour for heat stroke to escalate to death.
“The window for intervention can be very short from the time of the increase in body temperature,” said Dr. Louis Jacques of Montreal’s Public Health Department. “It’s an emergency situation and there’s a really high lethal rate when you reach the point of heat stroke.”
Last summer, dozens of deaths were suspected to be related to heat waves hitting Montreal, with the city’s average daily death rate doubling during the temperature peak.
To beat the heat, Jacques urges people to spend at least a few hours a day in an air-conditioned place, avoid strenuous activity, especially outside during the hottest parts of the day, and drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty.
Signs to watch for include muscle cramps, headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, general discomfort and difficulties breathing.
Jacques instructs individuals suffering from any of these symptoms to call Quebec’s Info-Santé hotline at 811 and to make an immediate trip to the emergency room if they experience confusion, loss of consciousness or a body temperature of 40C or more.
Children under 5 and people older than 65 are especially vulnerable to the heat, as are those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, respiratory ailments or obesity.
“Whenever the temperature increases, our cardiovascular system must work harder to control our body temperature,” Jacques said. “You have to have a system that works really well to do that.”
While Environment Canada has issued a high heat and humidity warning for Montreal, the city does not intend to put its heat emergency plan into effect just yet.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/heat+careful+there/5134001/story.html#ixzz1ShiLd8iX
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/heat+careful+there/5134001/story.html#ixzz1Shi09MBn
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
U.S. Housing and Economic Forecast Points to Rising Activity
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2011
Home sales are expected to stay on an uptrend through 2012, although the performance will be uneven with mortgage constraints weighing on the market, according to experts at a residential real estate forum today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said existing-home sales have been underperforming by historical standards and will rise gradually but unevenly. “If we just hold at the first-quarter sales pace of 5.1 million, sales this year would rise 4 percent, but the remainder of the year looks better,” Yun said. “We expect 5.3 million existing-home sales this year, up from 4.9 million in 2010, with additional gains in 2012 to about 5.6 million – that’s a sustainable level given the size of our population.”
Mortgage interest rates should rise gradually to 5.5 percent by the end of the year and average 6.0 percent in 2012 – still relatively affordable by historic standards.
“A huge volume of cash sales, supported by the recovery in the stock market, show that smart money is chasing real estate. This implies that there could be a sizeable pent-up demand if mortgages become more readily accessible for qualified buyers,” Yun said. “The problem isn’t with interest rates, but with the continuation of unnecessarily tight credit standards that are keeping many creditworthy buyers from getting a loan despite extraordinarily low default rates over the past two years.”
Yun said that if credit requirements returned to normal, safe standards, home sales would be 15 to 20 percent higher. He added that some parents are buying homes with cash for their children, and offering them loans which provide better returns than bank accounts or CDs.
Yun projects the Gross Domestic Product to grow 2.5 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2012, adding 1.5 million to 2 million jobs yearly over the next two years. The unemployment rate should decline to 8.8 percent by the end of 2011 and average 8.6 percent next year, returning to a normal level of 6 percent around 2015.
Housing starts are forecast to rise but remain below long-term trends, reaching 603,000 in 2011, up from 595,000 last year, and continue growing to 908,000 in 2012. New-home sales are seen at a record low 320,000 this year, rising to 487,000 in 2012. “A recovery in new homes will be slow because of the extra price discount in the existing home market,” Yun noted. In March, the typical new single-family home cost $53,300 more than an existing home.
Inflation appears to be relatively modest for now, with the Consumer Price Index rising 2.9 percent this year. “We’ll be closely watching the impact of fuel costs on consumer spending and inflation – that would slow economic growth, job creation and home sales,” Yun said.
Apartment rents are trending up, and are likely to rise at faster rates as vacancies decline. Following the correction in home prices, it has now become more affordable to buy in most of the country. “Twice as many renters had enough income to buy a home in 2010 in comparison with 2005, so we have a much larger pool of financially qualified renters,” Yun said. “Rising rents and excellent housing affordability conditions will encourage potential buyers who’ve been on the sidelines.”
Yun expects the median existing-home price to remain near $170,000 over the next two years, which would mark four consecutive years of essentially no meaningful price change.
Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, holds similar views on the outlook. “Economic activity will accelerate this year – there will be no double dip in the economy,” he said. Nothaft is more optimistic on job growth, expecting 2.0 million to 2.5 million jobs created in 2011 with unemployment dropping to 8.4 percent by the end of the year.
Nothaft expects the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to trend up to 5.25 percent by the end of the year, and for home sales to rise 5 percent. “National home price indices are close to a bottom and prices are likely to bottom sometime this year,” he said.
Refinancing activity in 2011 will be only half of what it was last year. “As a result, banks may become more willing to lend to home buyers,” Nothaft said.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Home sales are expected to stay on an uptrend through 2012, although the performance will be uneven with mortgage constraints weighing on the market, according to experts at a residential real estate forum today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said existing-home sales have been underperforming by historical standards and will rise gradually but unevenly. “If we just hold at the first-quarter sales pace of 5.1 million, sales this year would rise 4 percent, but the remainder of the year looks better,” Yun said. “We expect 5.3 million existing-home sales this year, up from 4.9 million in 2010, with additional gains in 2012 to about 5.6 million – that’s a sustainable level given the size of our population.”
Mortgage interest rates should rise gradually to 5.5 percent by the end of the year and average 6.0 percent in 2012 – still relatively affordable by historic standards.
“A huge volume of cash sales, supported by the recovery in the stock market, show that smart money is chasing real estate. This implies that there could be a sizeable pent-up demand if mortgages become more readily accessible for qualified buyers,” Yun said. “The problem isn’t with interest rates, but with the continuation of unnecessarily tight credit standards that are keeping many creditworthy buyers from getting a loan despite extraordinarily low default rates over the past two years.”
Yun said that if credit requirements returned to normal, safe standards, home sales would be 15 to 20 percent higher. He added that some parents are buying homes with cash for their children, and offering them loans which provide better returns than bank accounts or CDs.
Yun projects the Gross Domestic Product to grow 2.5 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2012, adding 1.5 million to 2 million jobs yearly over the next two years. The unemployment rate should decline to 8.8 percent by the end of 2011 and average 8.6 percent next year, returning to a normal level of 6 percent around 2015.
Housing starts are forecast to rise but remain below long-term trends, reaching 603,000 in 2011, up from 595,000 last year, and continue growing to 908,000 in 2012. New-home sales are seen at a record low 320,000 this year, rising to 487,000 in 2012. “A recovery in new homes will be slow because of the extra price discount in the existing home market,” Yun noted. In March, the typical new single-family home cost $53,300 more than an existing home.
Inflation appears to be relatively modest for now, with the Consumer Price Index rising 2.9 percent this year. “We’ll be closely watching the impact of fuel costs on consumer spending and inflation – that would slow economic growth, job creation and home sales,” Yun said.
Apartment rents are trending up, and are likely to rise at faster rates as vacancies decline. Following the correction in home prices, it has now become more affordable to buy in most of the country. “Twice as many renters had enough income to buy a home in 2010 in comparison with 2005, so we have a much larger pool of financially qualified renters,” Yun said. “Rising rents and excellent housing affordability conditions will encourage potential buyers who’ve been on the sidelines.”
Yun expects the median existing-home price to remain near $170,000 over the next two years, which would mark four consecutive years of essentially no meaningful price change.
Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, holds similar views on the outlook. “Economic activity will accelerate this year – there will be no double dip in the economy,” he said. Nothaft is more optimistic on job growth, expecting 2.0 million to 2.5 million jobs created in 2011 with unemployment dropping to 8.4 percent by the end of the year.
Nothaft expects the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to trend up to 5.25 percent by the end of the year, and for home sales to rise 5 percent. “National home price indices are close to a bottom and prices are likely to bottom sometime this year,” he said.
Refinancing activity in 2011 will be only half of what it was last year. “As a result, banks may become more willing to lend to home buyers,” Nothaft said.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Montreal traffic
Los Angeles avoided Carmageddon, the mother of all traffic jams expected when a 16-kilometre stretch of Interstate 405 (one of the busiest highways in the U.S.) was closed on the weekend.
Will Montreal survive the “Detour de l’Île,” the name suggested by one responder to The Gazette’s Metropolitan News poll of what Montreal’s summer of traffic turmoil should be dubbed.
Unlike L.A., where traffic anguish never materialized and the bridge demolition behind the closure was actually completed ahead of schedule, there’s no end in sight for Montreal’s traffic headaches.
The Met News unscientific poll asked readers: What should the slogan be for Montreal’s summer of roadwork hell?
Here are the poll results as of 3:15 p.m. Monday:
- Carmageddon
- Mission Impassable
- Carpocolypse
- Ay Caramba
- Others...
Some of the suggestions from readers:
- Detour de l’ Île
- Coney Island
- CarRuption
- One city, one bridge
- Cartastrophe
- Carcophany
Monday, July 18, 2011
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.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
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.
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
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
Saturday, July 16, 2011
'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
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
Friday, July 15, 2011
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
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
Thursday, July 14, 2011
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
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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
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
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
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