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 Good with
Coffee...
February
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Nice that you stopped
in. We all deserve a break in our day.
Our goal at Coffee Break is to make this page
an interesting and entertaining pause in your
day. If you have anything you would like to
contribute, please send it to me on the Contact
Joanne form.
Missed some of our Coffee Breaks? We've
archived many of the past issues. Scroll down
the left hand column.
I look
forward to your comments, questions and
suggestions.
Take
care and stay in touch,
Joanne
Your
San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Broker... and coffee
lover.
California Department of Real Estate
Brokers License Number:
00822285
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You heard it here...
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Update on
the Home Buyer Rebate
Programs...
With
escrows taking 60 days and longer, first
time and repeat buyers need to act now.
To be entitled
to the First Time and Repeat buyer cash rebate
programs, buyers need to be in contract by
mid-April to be sure their escrow closes by the
June 30th deadline.
In most cases,
first time buyers can receive 10% of the purchase price
of a home up to $8,000 and repeat buyers can receive 10%
up to $6,500. For more info on the
rebate program see our page: Buying
Real Estate |
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All Fat Is Not
Created Equal |
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When it comes to fat
in food, you get to make some choices. That means
you’ll have to read the labels, because depending
on which way you go, you could be hurting
yourself, or alternatively maybe helping
yourself.
Even if you choose
the right path – which is to stick with those fats
that are known as monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated – food isn’t entirely responsible
for your cholesterol levels.
Your body produces
about 75 percent of the cholesterol all by itself,
mostly in your liver and other cells. So that
leaves 25 percent that comes from your food, which
is to say you can control about a quarter of it
depending on what you eat.
All of this really
matters to keep your heart and arterial system
healthy.
The worst culprits
when it comes to fat are saturated fat, and trans
fat. Here’s the story with each
of them:
- Saturated fat
comes from animals and a few plants. Beef, beef
fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, butter, and dairy
products made from whole or 2 percent milk. You
can also find it in coconut, coconut oil, palm
oil and cocoa butter.
- Some believe that
as bad as saturated fat is, trans fat is worse.
You see it in foods where hydrogen is added to
vegetable oil, to make a product that is called
hydrogenated. Manufacturers like adding it
because food with it has a longer shelf life,
and feels less greasy. Look for it in
supermarket products like crackers, cookies and
cake, not to mention doughnuts and French fries.
The reason some believe trans fat to be the
worst for you is that it raises your LDL
cholesterol (the bad kind) and lowers your HDL
cholesterol (the good kind.)
Bottom
line for both fats: raising your LDL
levels, and shrinking your HDL, can lead to heart
disease. And that is the leading killer of both
men and
women. | |
Reminder: The "MOVE OVER,
SLOW DOWN" law expanded and became permanent January 1,
2010...
 Sacramento –
California has had a "Move Over, Slow Down" law for
several years. The law that took effect January 1,
2010 made it permanent and added Caltrans
trucks to the list of vehicles you must make
way for, which includes police cars, fire
engines, ambulances and tow trucks.
If you see an emergency vehicle on the
side of a highway with lights flashing, you must slow
down and move into an adjacent lane if it is safe to do
so. The fine for violating this law is around
$146, with one point on your driving record.
View video clip: Move Over
America
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Fun Coffee
Facts
 Coffee
is the second-most-traded physical commodity in the
world, ranking second only to petroleum.
- Americans buy more coffee than any other country,
totaling nearly one-third of the world’s supply with
consumption estimated at 110 billion cups each year.
- “Starbuck” was the name of the first mate in
Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick.
- To prepare the perfect cup of coffee at home,
never boil or reheat coffee, and never reuse the
grounds.
- The coffea arabica tree from the remote highlands
of Ethiopia yields the best-tasting coffee bean.
- To accommodate even the most finicky drinkers,
Starbucks has 55,000 different drink combinations to
choose from (when mixing and matching beverage types,
temperature, size, sweetener, creamer, and flavor
preferences).
- At least one web site tracks the coffee
preferences of celebrities, such as Katie Holmes
(half-caf grande soy latte) and Elijah Wood (quad
espresso over ice).
- Starbucks uses its 2,500 employees at its company
headquarters to serve as taste-testers for its newest
drink recipes.
- In 1999, during the World Trade Organization riots
in Seattle, Washington, a group of protesters threw a
metal USA Today box through the front window
of a Starbucks, marking the first official rebellion
against the powerful corporation.
- From 2000 to 2005, Starbucks tripled its U.S.
store count from 2,700 to 7,500.
- Not only coffee, tea, and chocolate contain
caffeine (an addictive additive without any taste
benefit), but Sunkist Orange Soda, Barq’s Root Beer,
and many other soft drinks have caffeine added to
their products. Most decaffeinated drinks still
contain traces of caffeine as well.
- There is an annual World Barista Championship
where entrants from coffeehouses around the globe
compare their impressive coffee-making skills before a
panel of judges.
Coffee Facts from the
book: Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine,
Commerce, and Culture - Taylor Clark - Little,
Brown, and Company/Hachette Book Group USA
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Zicam ~ Thanks to Mr.
Richard DeBiaso
If you missed this warning this past
June, please read it today.
FDA Advises Consumers Not To Use
Certain Zicam Cold Remedies
Intranasal Zinc
Product Linked to Loss of Sense of
Smell
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
today advised consumers to stop using three products
marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they
are associated with the loss of sense of smell
(anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or
permanent.
The products
are:
--Zicam Cold Remedy
Nasal Gel
--Zicam Cold Remedy
Nasal Swabs
--Zicam Cold
Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued
product)
Details on FDA warning
about Zicam
http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/zicam.asp |
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Green
Tips... |
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Power optimize
your PC
Power optimizing computer
settings can save energy and money. From the start menu,
click on "settings" and then "control panel." To
power optimize a PC, double click on "power management."
Under "power schemes," choose "always on" from the
drop-down list. Then, find two more drop-down lists,
labeled "turn off monitor" and "turn off hard disks,"
and input the desired time for each.
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A chuckle or two or even a
gasp... |
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 Entertainment
Trivia...
What famous entertainer arranged to have
a single red rose sent to his wife every day after he
passed away?
Click here for the
answer |
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New Approach to Lent ~ Thanks to
Ms. Joyce Dobro
Found this on the back of our
church bulletin. Since Lent began last week,
here's an interesting approach...
A SPECIAL LENTEN
FAST
Give up harsh words..... Use
generous ones
Give up unhappiness....... Take
up gratitude
Give up anger... Take up
gentleness and patience
Give up pessimism... Take up
hope and optimism
Give up worrying...... Take
up trust in God
Give up complaining.......
Value what you have
Give up stress..... Take up
prayer
Give up judging others....
Discover Jesus within them
Give up sorrow and
bitterness.... Fill your heart with joy
Give up selfishness..... Take
up compassion for others
Give up being
unforgiving....... Learn reconciliation
Give up words..... Fill
yourself with silence and listen
to others.
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Romancing
the Road ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Knudsen
89 year old woman drives her 45 yr old
Comet car 540,000 miles with same engine. This video is
cool. You'll appreciate a few things this lady
does and says.
Romancing the Road |
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Airport Security
Solution ~ Thanks to Ms. Claudia
Norman
The
Perfect Solution...
Here's a solution to all the
controversy over full-body scanners at airports. Have a
booth that you can step into that will not X-ray you,
but will detonate any explosive device you may have on
you. It would be a win-win for everyone.
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The Very
First Senior Moment ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim
Ward
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The gift ~ Thanks to Ms. Claudia
Norman
The gift to
adapt to any situation or challenge is very
amazing. Think of this video the next time you can't catch
any fish; or have to go to work; or can't go to work; or
can't buy your toys; or someone bad mouths you; or in
any other way you are on a pity pot and feeling sorry
for yourself. Be sure to watch the ending because it tells
it like it is.
The
Gift
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Worth a thousand
words... |
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For
Car Buffs ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim
Knudsen
ecession? What
recession? So, it seems that this "global
recession" has not impacted negatively on
everyone. Check this out! It's a
Mercedes Benz owned by an Abu Dhabi oil billionaire
(naturally). This car features the newly
developed V10 quad turbo with 1,600 horsepower and
2800nm of torque 0-100km/h in less than
2secs, running on biofuel. That is NOT
stainless steel, people, it is WHITE
GOLD! I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight,
knowing that the exhorbitant dollars you're paying
for gas these days are at least going to a good
cause...
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Before we say so
long... |
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Before you go,
remember your comments, suggestions, and
contributions are welcome. When you come across
something funny or informative and in good taste,
please send it along. I would love to include
it with your name and
our thanks.
Be sure to tell
your friends about Coffee Break. And if you have
time, explore the other sections of our web
site.
I leave you to
ponder these words a good
friend shared with me:
"The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
they just make the best
of everything that comes along their way."
Carry that
thought with you as you tackle the rest of your
week.
For
information on buying or selling in the bay area,
please call me at 510-429-4800 or send me a
note on the Contact Joanne form.
~ Joanne
Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO
Realtor
Advantage Realty
3205 Whipple
Road - Union City, California
94587
(510)
429-4800
San Francisco Bay Area
San
Francisco East Bay Real Estate
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