Commercial Property
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Realty Times Best And Worst Of 2005
cancer and stroke continuing to drop, says the U.S. government. The bad news is that the self-indulgent Baby Boomer generation hasn"t hit the senior tour yet. Half of Americans 55-to-64 which includes only the oldest of the baby boomers, have high blood pressure, and two in five are obese. That means they are in worse shape in some respects than Americans born a decade earlier were when they were that age. The "I"ve-Fallen-and-I-Can"t-Giddyup" Award Just in time for aging boomers and seniors, crafty technology companies are gearing up for oldsters instead of youngsters. Among technologies designed to "help seniors and their families live happy and healthy in their own home,” according to Eric Dishman, chairman of the Center for Aging Services Technologies, or CAST, and general manager and global director of Intel Health Research and Innovation Group.screen, computer monitors that sit next to the phone will help us all remember who the other person is on the other end of the phone. Using caller ID technology, the screen can provide a photo of the caller, tell who they are and when they last talked. Health Watch also has a medicine cabinet that can be programmed to keep track of what medicine it holds and when they should be taken. To prevent wayward grandchildren from pilfering the meds, a built-on camera scans the face of the person at the cabinet and a voice reminds them that it’s time to take a pill. If the wrong bottle is chosen, the voice warns of the error. It even comes with a blood pressure cuff connected to a scale, so it can collect weight and pressure data and e-mail the information to a physician or caregiver. Not to be outdone, floor sensors developed by the Medical Automation Research Center at the University of Virginia track the movement of a senior. They can recognize changes in gait and detect a fall and call a caregiver for help. Virginia’s team also developed a bed that senses breathing rate and pulse and can also call a caregiver or physician for help. Funniest Christmas Card -- Taylor Johnson, a real estate marketing firm: The Top 10 Real Estate Bubble Stories Overlooked in 2005 Dip in housing prices reported after Greenspan orders "frothy latte" at DC-area Starbucks. Wigley Co."s new bubble gum flavor -- looks like an office building, smells like condos. Dismissing concerns over slowing home sales, Commerce Dept. predicted last March that bubble burst was as likely as a White Sox World Series victory. Hubba Bubba outbids Bubblicious for naming rights to the National Apartment Association"s Bubble Burst Bash. California, Las Vegas and Miami seceded from the U.S. to form their own country, Bubblandia, where housing prices will never, ever, ever go down. Mayor Daley reconsiders preference for spires atop tall buildings after research indicates antennae could prick outer reaches of Chicago"s condo bubble. NBC woos John Travolta to save struggling Thursday night line-up with Boy in the Plastic Housing Bubble. The comedy stars Travolta as a Miami Realtor. The "Drill Bit" couldn"t burst it. The "Tweezers" couldn"t burst it. But developer"s plans for giant "Toe Nail Clippers" in Streeterville have bubble-watchers nervous. President Bush shrugs off prospect of a drop in housing prices, saying, "Who cares? The White House is a rental and I"ve got three years left on my lease." Forget the Housing Bubble. Millennium Park condo speculators fear Housing Bean! The Now-I-Can-Die-Happy Award The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to eliminate the federal estate tax, often referred to as the death tax, in 2010 and thereafter. It still must be voted on by the U.S. Senate, but is likely to pass. If they"d only vote to increase tax benefits we could enjoy while we"re still alive. Realty Times TV Celebrates Anniversary Realty Times TV is a tool for Realtors to blow their sellers away. Listing presentations will never be the same when you can say, "I"ll put your home on TV." You can show them your commercials for other homes you"ve listed on your laptop, and you"ll get the listing. In addition to the television show, the commercials run online on our site and our partners" sites for the life of the listing. And they"re affordable! Realty Times TV has a reach of 25 million households, 40 million viewers on the DirecTV and the Dish Satellite networks. The show is national in nature and is aired from coast to coast. In additional to current real estate news, advice and local market conditions, there are over 200 listings aired every weekend represented by real estate agents throughout the United States. Agents are renewing or adding new listings due to the show"s WOW effect on sellers. Host Eric Sean"s news anchor-quality presentation doesn"t hurt, either. He"s helped turned the show into a news and information-based homes show, and has been compared to every boy-next-door heartthrob from Van Johnson to Justin Timberlake. Recently, he was mobbed at an airport. Now he wants a raise. Shameless plug, yes, but do we deserve it? You bet. Show us another listing tool half as cool. Or easy to use. From Realty Times to you, may the only bubbles you see this New Year be in your champagne!Pages: 1 [2]