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Women that want to become entrepreneurs now have an online platform to obtain the tools to become Women Bosses. New startup, Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University is a one stop portal for women to learn, network and market their businesses. Today, it's challenging for women entrepreneurs to stand out from the crowd. And social media isn't enough. At Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University, we don't only offer life time courses, but also a platform for women to share their stories and market their businesses with hundreds of women entrepreneurs.
Why Women Must Become Entrepreneurs
The world is changing and the business world is not an exception. Many women are leaving corporate America, and taking the bull by the horn and starting their own businesses. Well-paying job opportunities for women are declining, hence the reason women need to become entrepreneurs and become self-sufficient. According to Buzz MG, a full-service marketing and research provider, stated that 62% of women are employed full time, but 58% of women say that entrepreneurship is the most interesting career path that they want to follow.
Work-Life Balance; Women want balance. They want to spend more time with family and friends. They also want time to do things they enjoy outside of work that will spark their creativity; reading and exercising are a couple of examples. Reducing stress is also a #1 priority among women. Less stress leads to a more productive and healthier life.
Women Want More Passion; There is more to life than just working. Women today want to travel and have a business that gives them more passion, money, and a freedom lifestyle. As a women entrepreneur, the biggest benefits are that they get to decide on the hours, work from almost anywhere, and pursue their passion and dreams.
About Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University
Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University is a women's entrepreneur company. Its goal is to support women with essential and in-depth tools to becoming an entrepreneur. The tools will enable women to live and enjoy financial, lifestyle, emotional and spiritual prosperity. The University provides content, courses and programs on generating and sustaining a solid money making business. We believe that every woman has the ability to achieve incredible things and that life is too short to waste the opportunity to make it happen.
Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University is an online platform, available 24/7 with the aim of challenging and inspiring women around the world. It's for both newbies and existing women entrepreneurs that want turn their ideas into a reality, build successful businesses, and live a life they truly love.
Sometimes the entrepreneurial journey can be very challenging and it is easy to get lost in information overload. "That's the major reason we created this special university to provide women with the tools to become successful. It's challenging to do it alone; the university will serve as a mentor." says Broussard.
About Cheryl Broussard
Cheryl Broussard is the founder of Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur University. She has written 13 bestselling books on financial management. Her books have sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide. She is the creator and founder of Jet Set Girl International. She is also the creator of Jet Set Girl Entrepreneur Magazine, a lifestyle business magazine for women entrepreneurs. Her latest book is tilted 'Money in the Bank'. All her books are available on Amazon.
Cheryl is a veteran speaker. She has conducted and spoken at myriads of International conferences, workshops and seminars on business, investments and entrepreneurship. She is a media personality on CNN and the Wall Street Journal. She is currently building an online empire with the aim of empowering women. Hear her, "My mission is to transform the lives of women worldwide to have true financial and time freedom". She has appeared as an expert in finance and business on CNN, Wall Street Journal, CBS marketwatch and other major TV stations and featured in many National publications.
Her business career began as a stockbroker with a major Wall Street firm. She later left to start her own money management company. Her firm managed $75 million in investment assets.
Her mission is to start a women's entrepreneur movement; grow, transform and educate a community of at least 50,000 women millionaire CEO's over the next three years.
She wants you to be part of this mission.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: http://www.jetsetgirluniversity.com
Media Contact
Company Name: Jet Set Girl International, LLC
Contact Person: Cheryl Broussard
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +1 754-777-9580
Country: United States
Website: jetsetgirluniversity.com


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Data management is the practice of collecting, keeping, and using data securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. The goal of data management is to help people, organizations, and connected things optimize the use of data within the bounds of policy and regulation so that they can make decisions and take actions that maximize the benefit to the organization. A robust data management strategy is becoming more important than ever as organizations increasingly rely on intangible assets to create value.
In today's digital economy, data is a kind of capital, an economic factor of production in digital goods and services. Just as an automaker can't manufacture a new model if it lacks the necessary financial capital, it can't make its cars autonomous if it lacks the data to feed the onboard algorithms. This new role for data has implications for competitive strategy as well as for the future of computing.
Given this central and mission-critical role of data, strong management practices and a robust management system are essential for every organization, regardless of size or type.Learn more about The Rise of Data Capital (PDF)
Managing digital data in an organization involves a broad range of tasks, policies, procedures, and practices. The work of data management has a wide scope, covering factors such as how to
A formal data management strategy addresses the activity of users and administrators, the capabilities of data management technologies, the demands of regulatory requirements, and the needs of the organization to obtain value from its data.
Today's organizations need a data management solution that provides an efficient way to manage data across a diverse but unified data tier. Data management systems are built on data management platforms and can include databases, data lakes and warehouses, big data management systems, data analytics, and more.
All these components work together as a "data utility" to deliver the data management capabilities an organization needs for its apps, and the analytics and algorithms that use the data originated by those apps. Although current tools help database administrators (DBAs) automate many of the traditional management tasks, manual intervention is still often required because of the size and complexity of most database deployments. Whenever manual intervention is required, the chance for errors increases. Reducing the need for manual data management is a key objective of a new data management technology, the autonomous database.
A data management platform is the foundational system for collecting and analyzing large volumes of data across an organization. Commercial data platforms typically include software tools for management, developed by the database vendor or by third-party vendors. These data management solutions help IT teams and DBAs perform typical tasks such as
The increasingly popular cloud data platforms allow businesses to scale up or down quickly and cost-effectively. Some are available as a service, allowing organizations to save even more.
Based in the cloud, an autonomous database uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to automate many data management tasks performed by DBAs, including managing database backups, security, and performance tuning.
Also called a self-driving database, an autonomous database offers significant benefits for data management, including
The increasingly popular cloud data platforms allow businesses to scale up or down quickly and cost-effectively. Some are available as a service, allowing organizations to save even more.
In some ways, big data is just what it sounds like—lots and lots of data. But big data also comes in a wider variety of forms than traditional data, and it's collected at a high rate of speed. Think of all the data that comes in every day, or every minute, from a social media source such as Facebook. The amount, variety, and speed of that data are what make it so valuable to businesses, but they also make it very complex to manage.
As more and more data is collected from sources as disparate as video cameras, social media, audio recordings, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, big data management systems have emerged. These systems specialize in three general areas.
Companies are using big data to improve and accelerate product development, predictive maintenance, the customer experience, security, operational efficiency, and much more. As big data gets bigger, so will the opportunities.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enacted by the European Union and implemented in May 2018 includes seven key principles for the management and processing of personal data. These principles include lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; purpose limitation; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality; and more.
The GDPR and other laws that follow in its footsteps, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), are changing the face of data management. These requirements provide standardized data protection laws that give individuals control over their personal data and how it is used. In effect, it turns consumers into data stakeholders with real legal recourse when organizations fail to obtain informed consent at data capture, exercise poor control over data use or locality, or fail to comply with data erasure or portability requirements.Learn more about the GDPR and data management
Most of the challenges in data management today stem from the faster pace of business and the increasing proliferation of data. The ever-expanding variety, velocity, and volume of data available to organizations is pushing them to seek more-effective management tools to keep up. Some of the top challenges organizations face include the following:
Addressing data management challenges requires a comprehensive, well-thought-out set of best practices. Although specific best practices vary depending on the type of data involved and the industry, the following best practices address the major data management challenges organizations face today:
Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract value from data. Data scientists combine a range of skills—including statistics, computer science, and business knowledge—to analyze data collected from the web, smartphones, customers, sensors, and other sources.
A data science environment can help an organization know what data it has, and then make it usable. This environment allows data scientists to automatically create, test, and evaluate models that are used to find data, and then transform it to be usable and valuable to the organization. With a centralized platform, data scientists can work in a collaborative environment using their favorite open source tools, with all their work synced by a version control system.Learn more about data science Learn how to make a bigger impact with a data science platform
With data's new role as business capital, organizations are discovering what digital startups and disruptors already know: Data is a valuable asset for identifying trends, making decisions, and taking action before competitors. The new position of data in the value chain is leading organizations to actively seek better ways to derive value from this new capital.
Within companies, the data management responsibilities of the DBA are also evolving, reducing the number of mundane tasks so that DBAs can concentrate on more strategic issues and provide critical data management support in cloud environments (PDF) involving key initiatives such as data modeling and data security.


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Americans' success in Sochi has X Games feel to it
- After 11 days%2C all but one of the USA%27s six gold medals belongs to an action sport athlete
SOCHI -- After 11 days of the Sochi Olympics, all but one of the USA's six gold medals belongs to an action sport athlete. Once considered Olympic outsiders, these extreme sport athletes aren't just recent invitees to the party. They are the party.
The International Olympic Committee welcomed 12 new events in eight disciplines for these Games. More than half of them — parallel slalom snowboard, ski halfpipe, and snowboard and ski slopestyle — are action sports.
So does that mean stodgy sports such as biathlon or curling might go the way of toboggan? Is the big-air era taking over?
"Of course we need to have and preserve our history," IOC sports director Christophe Dubi said. "At the same time we have to remain relevant and make sure we capture a new audience as well."
Americans traditionally do well when new sports are introduced to the Games, Olympic historian Bill Mallon said. Of the USA's 20 total medals, half have been won by action sport athletes, including eight in the new disciplines.
Once upon a time, the anti-establishment kids in baggy pants wanted no part of being conformists, constrained by something so mainstream as the Olympics.
"We were all stoked to be in the Olympics," said Sage Kotsenburg, who kicked off the Games with a snowboard slopestyle gold. In the same breath he added that he's "super stoked" and "absolutely stoked" to compete in Sochi. "I think the world needed to see slopestyle. Because snowboarding is a different sport than figure skating or gymnastics. We're all really different and individual people, and this is what the kids are doing nowadays."
These Olympics have introduced a wider audience to slopestyle skiing, just as the American snowboard sweep in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games introduced the nation to halfpipe. (Halfpipe made its debut in the 1998 Olympics, but in the last Winter Games on U.S. soil captivated an American audience.) "The snowboarders enabled us to do what we do," said halfpipe skier David Wise, who won gold Tuesday. "They went before us, and we bring a whole new side to this sport."
After Jamie Anderson won gold in women's snowboard slopestyle, she was asked if the Olympics differ from the X Games.
"Heck yeah," she said. "It's the biggest stage in the world. X Games is the biggest event in action sports."
The Winter X Games have served as the scouting combine for the Olympics, introducing what's cool before it becomes trendy. "It's been awesome to watch slopestyle get a broader platform," said Tim Reed, ESPN's senior director of sports and competition and content strategy. Of course, slopestyle long has been one of the most popular sports in the X Games.
The goal is always to attract a younger demographic.
"They're sports that have a lot of youth interest in them," NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell said about the new events before the Games. "They're very visual; they're very athletic. They seem to play well with a pretty loose, interesting group of people … They're not some robotic athlete just showing up and winning a gold medal. They've got personality. They've got some spark."


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Quote of the Day: Robin Mather
Having done all the needful things to ready the house for the coming winter, I had time to relax, to reach for my knitting needles or spinning wheel or that book I'd been meaning to dive into. No longer busy with the work of putting food by, I could settle in and enjoy the leisure I earned in those long summer days of hissing kettles and canning jars. By recalibrating my life to a more natural rhythm, I found an instinctive understanding of the old agrarian ways, when winters were slower and more peaceful. Winter was the season of reflection, I had come to see.
Robin Mather (The Feast Nearby)
At the moment, I'm certainly enjoying the fruits of my labor for the time I spent over a hot canning kettle this summer canning up jars of tomato soup. Somehow I haven't yet found that down time that I find most winters. I do suppose that the sun setting earlier in the evening makes me slow down a bit. At least the tasks I do in the winter are less strenuous than the ones I do all summer long, so my body does get a bit of a break.
Canning isn't something I spend much time doing in the summer, preferring to focus on vegetables that store without processing, but tomato soup will always be on my list. There really is nothing better than sitting down to a bowl of steamy tomato soup on a cold winter evening, add a grilled cheese sandwich on the side and you've got yourself a perfect meal!
What's your favorite kind of soup to enjoy on a cold day?Filed under Quote | Comments (15)
15 Comments to "Quote of the Day: Robin Mather"
Love love soup on a cold winter day. Chili is probably my all-time favorite, but I enjoy making all kinds. I'm just leaving for work but I'm making stuffed pepper soup when I get home! Yum!
to Pearl's comment
I think my favorite is Borchst. My son, who is living in Siberia, gave me his recipe and I love it. I call it the ultimate diet food as it is filling, satisfying with not a huge number of calories.
to Jennifer Fisk's comment
I love any kind of soup, but my favorite is beef with barley. Hearty, filling, and comforting. The other thing that I do whenever I make soup is soemthing that my mom always did….saltine crackers with a slice of cheese, broiled until melty. It really brings me back…..
to The Minnesota Farm Woman's comment
I have been making a soup this winter that I throw together and reminds me of pasta e fagioli.
I take sausage and brown it with garlic and onion, then add it to a few jars of tomato juice,cherry tomatoes and beans or macaroni pasta. Add some dried herbs and that's it.
Other than the macaroni and beans, it's all grown by me, or very local, with the sausage from a friend.
I froze a lot of cherry tomatoes this summer, both sliced and roasted and just whole ones, so I've been using them a lot. I know some people don't like the skins, but they don't bother me too much and I love that I can grab a jar or two from the freezer and add to something, plus so easy to preserve, which in the summer is a good thing!
to Andrea Duke's comment
Since we grow our own and are members of a CSA, I can quite a bit. This morning I'm breaking out some of last years tomatoes to make my knock-out marinara. It's amazing how a little bit of summer is still within the jar.
My fav cold day soup is tomato soup as well, though I like mine with a little bread added in.
to Victoria's comment
My favorite is a soup called Creamy Winter Grain. It's chock full of hearty grains and root vegetables, along with some cream cheese and sour cream (I usually just replace both of these with homemade yogurt). It's a great soup on a cold day.
I love the idea of canned tomato soup, so that you always have it handy without having to cook individual batches. The last three years I've had tomato blight though, so haven't had enough tomatoes to can any at all. They've been sadly missed! This year I think I'll plant some very early tomatoes, in my low tunnels to give them an even earlier start. Maybe I'll be able to beat the late blight, and try your soup recipe!
to Joan's comment
Susy, soup is one of my main dishes in Winter or Summer. It's a perfect meal all in one bowl. Most of the canning I do involves soup or stock to make soup. My favorite ingredients for soup are potato, beans, or rice. Every thing else just makes it better. Tomato soup and grilled cheese is a great combination that's hard to beat on a chilly winter day. Another good thing about soup, is that if the power goes off for an extended time, soup can be eaten cold. It's not the best but it's something that can get me through the power outage.
Spring is only 37 days away. I'm really excited about my gardening expansion this year.
Have a great slowing down winter day.
to Nebraska Dave's comment
I make a butternut squash soup throughout winter that is wonderful. We never tire of it, which is good, since I usually have a ton of butternuts! The two soups I make in the summer and then freeze for our winter enjoyment are a roasted tomato garlic and a spicy vegetable/black bean/corn/cuminy catch all soup. mmmm…now my mouth is watering!
to cecilia's comment
Today is a day perfect for a pot of soup.. Its cold, cold, cold, and the snow is coming down like gangbusters..
I have 3 most favorite soups and cant decide between them… French Onion, Cauliflower Bisque, and turkey/chicken vegetable & rice..
I got a canner late in the fall so was able to can quite a few jars of turkey, vegetable, & rice soup this year. Usually I put serving size containers in the freezer, which is what I've done with the Cauliflower Bisque & Onion soup in the past.
I think I'll try to can some of the other two (minus the cream in the bisque) this year & see how it goes.. Im loving the thought that my foods can be shelf stable, and its so awesome to take a jar of soup to work on a day when I dont have anything planned for lunch, or on a day I havent prepared anything for supper. ♥
to KimH's comment
I just love Ms Mather's book. I have reread it several times since purchasing it.
As far as winter soups, I have to say chili is my favorite. Thick with beans and beef, and tomatoes…not too hot. Topping a bowl with cheese and onions is perfect.
to Brandee's comment
My favorite is any kind of potato soup. Something so hearty and filling about potato soup, and it takes that winter chill away!
to Arika's comment
Your combo is a favorite. I will be making a white bean soup tomorrow, as it is supposed to be in the 40's. Cold for us. Enjoy your lovely homemade tomato soup. Stay toasty!
to daisy's comment
My favorite at the moment is vegetable beef – only because that is what I canned and have on hand for a quick meal. I love so many soups. Pumpkin/squash with caramelized onions on top. Chicken, noodle, veg. Potato, corn bacon chowder. I guess I don't have a favorite. Canning the soup is the key for me to keep store bought canned soups out of the house. It is a wonderful change. I best get at canning up some chicken/veg soup for some variety!
to Sincerely, Emily's comment
Susy, I was wondering about how many pounds of tomatoes you can in the summer. I love having canned tomatoes, but I never seem to put enough aside. I have 5 more jars left and I keep them for special occasions.
to Bethany's comment


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So the question of the day is how many race t-shirts do you have? I know back when I was running in high school I had a ton of different shirts from all my races. Sadly, I didn't know about this cool gift back in those days or I would have loved to have something to show off all my accomplishments! This gift is great not only for runners but for anyone who has a ton of memorable shirts!
The picture isn't so good but tilt your head and picture it on a bed. It's called a Sport-Quilt, and the business evolved from a "gift" that was made for a husband that been admired by many of his running and tri-athlete friends. Not only is it great to look at, but it also frees up drawer space of shirts you don't want to throw away. Each Sport-Quilt, when finished is a beautiful and colorful memento of your favorite races out of tee-shirts!
On the website, she has charts that show how many tee-shirts are needed for each quilt and the costs for each one. They start at $130 and go up to $360 for a deluxe king.
Click here for Order Form.
Though it may be a little late for Christmas, these do make a great gift, and you can even say you'll have one made for your runner. Allow 3- 6 Weeks for a completed SPORT-QUILT. Check out the complete website at SportQuilts!
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. I'll be dawdling along the desert roads.


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iphone4 unlock (10-29-2014),Kruejl (06-06-2010),nsandymary (06-06-2010)
Hello guys ,
Yesterday i just Encountered a problem with the dial pad on iphone .
i don't know if any body encountered it before ..
now i'm gonna explain it .
Note: - this problem is on the worse firmware i had ever seen it is the 3.1.2
the problem was as follows :
Name: of the problem is Freeze Dialpad
the iphone all the time were good and all apps is playing fine ..
but suddenly when you click the phone icon it shows you the contact's page or a dialpad , but it freeze there at the page that was shown to you and you can't move from the contact's page to the dialpad or to the favorites , recent .. Etc ..
the phone looks like it doesn't responding ,
this problem dosen't look as a complex problem , but in some case's it is too complicated ,
i just have two simply solution for this problem .
first of all you should go to sittings> general > about > and check the last line it's name modem firmware . check that it's not 05.06..... (it is not the newest one )
first solution is too simply for the users that they don't have the newest firmware .
( in the one hand you maybe have the newest modem of ( 3.1.3 ) but in the second hand you are at the 3.1.2 firmware .. !!!! how can you got that !! i will tell you may see this after downgrading the iphone form 3.1.3 to 3.1.2 .
Normal cases ( for they don't have the newest firmware modem ) .You can turn it off and re power it again . if it need to be jailbreak use blackra1n or spirit ( you are out of modem firmware danger )
for the complex cases :
how the modem firmware helps us ? !!
1) first solution is to turn off the phone and return it on . it is simply right ? !! okay I'm a tell you where is the danger of the modem firmware when you have this problem and you are force to turn it off at the same time you have the newest modem firmware you can not return it on again cuz when it where turned off @ ( 3.1.2 ) you should jailbreak it using blackra1n or spirit (right) but with the newest modem it dosen;t work ( i tried it on 3 different iphones don't be fooled that spirit can solve it .
by it can jailbreak the 3.1.2 untethered jailbreak .. don;t don;t .. ( believe or not finally it's back to you )
2 ) if you are using the newest modem firmware you should not turn it off , and the soulution for it is too simply you should download an app it's name " phone plus " and you can use it for some time and wait the limera1n to be releases .
Thanks and i hope that this problem don't encountered any body .
iphone4 unlock (10-29-2014),Kruejl (06-06-2010),nsandymary (06-06-2010)
Sounds like a heck of a problem you had but I'm glad you got it resolved. Hopefully this will save some of our members and visitors the same headache!
Thank you max ,
and yes i think that the small problem like this sometimes make a big headache more than the jailbreak and the unlock .. ,
by this guide we had some solution plus warning it can be save you of occurrence in this problem .
Nsandymay and Kruejl thank you 2 .
If you own an iPhone and one day it stuck in recovery mode, you can use the Tenorshare ReiBoot to fix it. It is a professional free tool to help you enter or exit recovery mode of iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad or iPod. So as the best iPhone recovery mode software for Windows and Mac platform, you can use it to fix your iPhone.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


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Christine Reimler
HOME Division Director
Ph: (785) 217-2023
Fax: (785) 232-8073
Training manuals,
program documents,
lead paint guidelines,
environmental review
forms and more!
If down payment and closing costs are keeping you from purchasing a home of your own, the First Time Homebuyer Program may be able to help. Eligible borrowers can use the forgivable loan to greatly reduce the out-of-pocket expenses associated with buying a home.
Income-eligible households that have not owned a home in the past three years may apply for the First Time Homebuyer Program (FTHB). Review the income chart to see if you may be income eligible. There are certain areas that are not eligible to participate in the program, so the program does not assist properties in the city limits of Topeka, Wichita, Lawrence, Kansas City, nor Johnson County. Approved applicants will receive a soft loan that is forgiven over time. The loan may range from 15 to 20 percent of the purchase price of the home, depending on your amount of income. Buyers are required to make a minimum investment of two percent of the sale price. Participating lenders process the FTHB paperwork along with the first mortgage loan and then applies to the FTHB program for you.
Interested applicants may apply directly to a participating lender. Participating lenders assist applicants in completing the required paperwork to apply for the program. Applications are currently being accepted, through a participating lender.
For families impacted by disaster, SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and nonprofit organizations. Watch this short video to learn more about SBA's Disaster Assistance Program.
For additional resources regarding Homebuyer Education, please refer to this page.


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Client Recommendations
From Janet and Michael
From Liz
From Nancy
Stress doesn't begin to describe my physical and emotional state when I decided to sell my house in the States and follow my childhood dream to live in Paris.
My focus on all that endeavor entails didn't allow much time to search for an apartment rental, so friends searched on my behalf, and sent me a multitude of possibilities, but none made me say "yes," for a host of reasons. So one of these dear friends suggested I contact Adrian Leeds as she was a fan of her HGTV program, "House Hunters International." I did just that.
Within two weeks at the most, I had the apartment of my dreams after showing me just two, maybe three, possibilities -- perfect location, high enough for great light (on two sides!!), wonderful cross ventilation, the perfect size, and great landlords, one of whom is American (living here 20+ years, married to a Frenchman). Since I don't speak the language, having someone like that who lives two flights up was and is beyond perfect. That, too, was Adrian's suggestion. I couldn't be happier!
From Karen and Rick
We are happy to recommend the Adrian Leeds Group. I have been reading Adrian's newsletters for several years and the thought of owning a pied-à-terre in Paris seemed so remote; however, my husband and I were extremely excited about the possibilities. One evening we decided this was the time! We emailed Adrian's company about our interest in owning a Parisian apartment and presented our budget; we received a response within an hour!
After approximately six weeks, Adrian telephoned us with the news that her staff had found the perfect apartment. Immediately, she also emailed us some photos of the place -- we took it sight unseen! For us, the apartment is in a perfect location, the Marais. We love the ambiance of the 3rd arrondissement with all of its history and historical buildings, yet with a wide variety of cafés, shops, markets, and people.
Adrian was quite helpful in suggesting a variety of mortgage companies for us to investigate. One of her associates also accompanied us to the Notaire for the official signing of all of the paperwork. We did not know what to expect, but the experience was absolutely enjoyable -- everyone was extremely friendly, and the Notaire read through each page of our documents to be sure that we understood everything.
After the apartment became ours, we needed someone in Paris to take charge of the decorating. Once again, Adrian's group came to the rescue! Adrian's suggested interior designer, Martine di Mattéo, listened to our color preferences and wishes for the apartment and created our little piece of heaven. After a few months of renovation, painting, and furnishing, the apartment was ready to be rented. Again, the Adrian Leeds Group prepared all of the necessary paperwork and began the rental process. So far, the apartment has been well rented.
The Adrian Leeds Group has helped us with every step that we've taken into our new adventure. We strongly recommend Adrian, her newsletters, and the property consultation services provided by her group.
From Mary and Jeff
We honeymooned in Paris in 1997 and immediately began dreaming of finding a way to spend more time there. Our dream required research, of course, and in searching for a way to make it happen, we found Adrian. We subscribed to her witty and informative e-newsletters and continued to cultivate our dream.
A couple of years later, we took a big step. Mary jumped on a plane to Paris to attend one of Adrian's "Living and Working in Paris" conferences. She learned a wealth of information from Adrian and the other experts, who talked about real estate, legal issues, working abroad, and French culture. It was obvious that Adrian knew what she was talking about, and we felt confident that if the opportunity presented itself for us to buy a property in Paris, we wouldn't hesitate to work with Adrian.
In 2008, that opportunity came along -- but we had to act fast. That spring, we reserved just five days with her staff to help us find a pied-à-terre. Working with a search consultant, who coordinated the search with local real estate agents, we looked at two or three apartments a day. In between, we met with lenders Adrian had recommended. On the very last day, we found the apartment we wanted and put in the offer. By summer we returned for the closing with the seller and the Notaire, again ably assisted by Adrian's staff at every juncture.
The next step -- renovation -- turned out to be the most difficult, but again we found that putting our trust in Adrian would lead us in the right direction. We used the decorator Adrian suggested and, gulp, gave the decorator a credit card to buy furnishings. That's what made this the most difficult step – "overseeing" the renovation of an entire apartment without actually overseeing it! But of course, by following Adrian's advice everything worked out in the end. That should be her motto, and maybe for Paris, too: "Everything works out in the end."
Adrian and her team have been booking and overseeing our apartment rental since December of 2008, and we couldn't be more pleased with their dedication and personalized service. Not only are they consummate professionals, but they really do make dreams come true.
From Illysia and Alec
The experience of buying an apartment with the Adrian Leeds Group was a pleasure from start to finish. Adrian and her team were very responsive, always responding to my questions within hours, even on the weekends. They were very knowledgeable about all aspects of the buying process and put us in touch with people who could help us with each step we needed to complete to buy an apartment.
Renovation and decoration with Martine di Mattéo was a pleasure. She executed our vision even more beautifully than we had hoped. We are thrilled with the result! I wouldn't hesitate to use Martine again. I love working with her, and she works so very hard!
In summary, I would not work with anyone other than Adrian and her group in Paris. I hope to buy another apartment in a few years, and when I do, she will be the first person I call.
From Abby
Overall I would say that it was a great experience working with the Adrian Leeds Group team, and I'm very happy that I ended up working with you. I think it's unlikely I would have seen the apartment I ended up with before others got to it first and even if I had, it's questionable whether the sellers would have gone for my offer and trusted that I was good for the money if it weren't for your relationship with their agent.
Your team went out of their way to get to know me so they could better understand what I was looking for in an apartment. I think all of you have a good balance of listening to the client but also being vocal enough that you won't let the client make a mistake!
In addition to helping in the search process, I found it very helpful to have someone help with the whole process. I am always nervous that I will miss a step, so having you there for the signing, etc. was a big help.
From Irene & Jimmy
It's been delightful to work with the Adrian Leeds Group. They took us by the hand all along the process; they guided us and advised us at every step.
It's really thrilling to see how this highly professional team of people can make your dreams come true with a minimum effort from your side. Basically you just need to have a rough idea of what you want and they'll do the rest.
Our first contact with Adrian was very informative; she explained to us the whole process, step by step, in a very clear way. That first contact was very important to us – at that moment we knew that the Adrian Leeds Group (ALG) was the way to go because we don't live in France and they do absolutely everything for you in the most professional way you could dream of.
After the first conversation with Adrian, she sent us a form where we marked our preferences in type of buildings, and features that our dream apartment should have. After that, everything went smooth and quick – in no time, Adrian called us saying that her staff had found our dream apartment and they certainly did. They found the greatest apartment of all in a prime location and in our price range. Of course, it needed to be renovated but it wasn't a big deal since they have the best crew to fill that purpose. As Adrian said, the apartment had great bones, with an open view as we wanted and in an amazing location, right off Saint Paul's station in Le Marais area.
When we agreed to purchase the apartment, they immediately started to work on all the administrative boring and complicated procedures that, by the way, are not very obvious in France. The great part is that ALG took care of all the paperwork, dealing with the notary, the different administrative entities, the owner of the apartment, straightening up all the papers, etc. They will also help you find a loan in France. Since we got a loan in our home local bank, we didn't use this service but I understand it's really easy and pain-free.
At the moment of the signing of the apartment, we were on holidays so her staff had to sign the papers for us and voilà…we were the proud owners of a gorgeous apartment. Truthfully, the only thing we did was look at the apartment and they took charge of the rest.
They have an amazing crew of people to renovate following the highest standards of comfort and beauty, while of course, always respecting your budget. One of the most precious diamonds is the Architect-Interior Designer Martine Di Mattéo who will make your place look like a million dollars. Martine helped us every step of the way with plans, contractors, materials, furniture, etc. Again a smooth, hassle-free process, and the end result was completely unbelievable and worth the time spent.
Once the apartment was ready, the ALG team took care of phone lines, Internet and cable connection and made sure that everything in the apartment was in order and working properly.
We were very happy with the whole experience – it has been a real pleasure to work with the ALG team. They are a great team where everybody works to achieve the same objective in the most professional way.
What we appreciated the most about working with ALG is the peace of mind they give you even under stressful situations, from the beginning to the end. The whole team is very experienced and knowledgeable with high standards of professionalism and excellence! Thank you very much ALL!!!!! We highly appreciate the time and effort that you ALL have invested in our little project!
Now that the fun is over, we're already looking forward to our next apartment! Of course with ALG help! ;-)
From Lana
The Adrian Leeds Group helped me fulfill the dream of a lifetime. I couldn't possibly have found my apartment or gotten through the purchase process on my own. Purchasing property in France in nothing like purchasing property in the USA – without an experienced, knowledgeable guide like the Adrian Leeds Group, it would be next to impossible. After the sale, the team set up the electricity and the wireless for phone, Internet and TV. This is something very easily done in the USA but in France it is very difficult, even if one speaks fluent French. I highly recommend the Adrian Leeds Group and I would not hesitate to ask them for their services again.
From Caroline and George
Firstly, I must take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation for everything you and your superb team have done! It's been quite a joy to work with you guys and we both look forward to the signing of the Acte de Vente in July. This whole process has been seamless and we've both overjoyed at the future prospects of having our little place in Paris: it's simply a dream come true.
From Hyacinth and John
Just want to say that John and I feel so fortunate to have you guys on our side! You guys are awesome!!!...Three years later: October 2009...Also, just wanted to thank you again and again for helping us buy our St Germain apartment. The $1000 I spent on the Living and Investing in France conference was THE best investment I've ever made!!
In June of 2008 we had it appraised for 1.020.000 EUR. (You should have seen John's face when we got the appraisal!) Considering our down payment and renovation costs, we've made over 70% return in only 3 years. And that's not including the equity that our renters are building up for us every month. I still can't believe that our renters are actually paying down the mortgage for us! So, a million times, thank you thank you!!
From Graham and Cheryl
My husband Graham and I have been coming regularly to Paris since 1975. I can still recall the day we arrived all those years ago. It was cold, gray, drizzling with rain, and utterly wonderful! With barely more than school French between us, like two sponges we absorbed everything and anything with the voracious appetites of the young and eager. Over the years, our French has improved a little, along with our sense of direction and understanding of the French way of doing things. Our appetite for Paris has not abated, indeed has only increased--to such an extent that it was a natural progression to want to own a little slice of this City of Light for ourselves one day. La fantasie Parisienne, I think is the expression. We settled on Adrian Leeds' organization after investigating other options back in August last year. The more contact we had with Adrian and her team, the more relaxed and comfortable we became with our decision to place ourselves in their hands. It was the best decision we could've made. The detailed explanation of the procedures of purchasing French property, and the requirements essential to obtaining a mortgage and bank account were comprehensive, meticulous yet easy to follow. The French real estate system has many similarities with Australia, yet with just as many subtle differences--sufficient that you need an expert who's in their batting for you and your interests. Besides, how could we possibly cover all the necessary ground such as mortgage brokers, banks, Notaires etc. and maneuver our way through the peculiarities of the French property system, all on our own. It would take years, and we wanted to act now, before we got too much older. Carpe diem, as the saying goes. As Adrian has already written, the end result happened with lightning speed, and we're still a little dazed. Our various email exchanges had prepared us for the reality of today's Parisian property market. Even with their extensive networks, nothing much had surfaced that fitted our budget or location criteria. We were under no illusions. After all, even the best property searcher can only identify something that's for sale--you can't create something that doesn't exist. So maybe the visit would just be meet and greet, form relationships with mortgage brokers, banks etc--and keep looking. The day after we arrived, we met up with Adrian's staff who'd arranged for us to view an apartment that day that had met all our criteria. But bad news, a phone call just received advised this place had sold that morning. Nevertheless, there was one other that had just been listed that might be possible. Normally, a client doesn't inspect something that hasn't been through the Adrian Leeds filter system of inspection and analysis. So sight unseen, off we went to rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement. We thought we knew this street. What we did know was the general location, and had dismissed it as being potentially too noisy and too studenty. Goes to show, you shouldn't let prejudice get in the way, especially when there's little else in the offing. As it's turned out, the property is perfect for us: Gorgeous medieval cobble-stone street, the apartment on the first floor yet also with an elevator, the main séjour/kitchen/dining area with windows overlooking the street, the bedroom at the back (so quiet) and importantly, the bathroom quite separate--meaning not accessed through the bedroom, which we were very keen to avoid. The tremendous bonus however, is that this property has a real Wow factor. There's a huge terrace off the bedroom, overlooking a garden--an incredibly rare commodity in Paris. Trying to keep a calm exterior, we could hardly contain our excitement. High fives all round, out of sight of the Agent Immobilier, of course! On top of that, rue Mouffetard is food heaven. Lots of little bistros and cafes catering to all budgets and tastes, and best of all, a dazzling array of gourmet food shops (including a specialty Foie Gras shop) sprinkled with essentials such as a pharmacy, dry cleaners and supermarket, plus florists, boutiques and bookshops etc. As well, the Place Monge market just around the corner operates 3 days a week. How good is all this? As the saying goes, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. According to the Agent Immobilier, that same day they'd received an offer on the apartment, but less than the asking price. Adrian strongly advised that, if we really wanted this apartment, we should offer the asking price. If the first party wouldn't meet that, then morally, the vendor must accept our offer and the property is withdrawn from the market. If we were serious, we couldn't risk it that the Agent had "invented" the first offer--and we'll never know. We had a nail-biting day while negotiations ensured. How long a day can seem! Our offer was accepted, the property withdrawn from sale, and the Promesse de Vente arranged for signing the next day. This was only 48 hours after having seen the apartment. Even the Notaire said she'd never experienced such a quick transaction. I guess the lessons we've learned are that, firstly, have all your paperwork as well prepared as possible before arriving in Paris. This means firstly opening a dialogue via email with at least two mortgage brokers to establish your loan potential, and a bank to whom Adrian Leeds' team will introduce you; bringing copies of such things as your local Council rates/taxes notices, water and electricity statements, credit card and bank statements, passport and drivers' licence, even your Marriage Certificate, if you're buying jointly. Even having all these documents, we were still short one or two things, which is OK, but must be presented before the final mortgage offers are made. The second thing, and perhaps the most important, is to respect the professionalism of your property search team. You are paying them a fee, for which they work very hard. They've been at this business in this environment for a long time, so listen to their advice, even if it doesn't coincide with your own preconceived notions. This is not to say you should buy something that doesn't speak to you. I simply mean that you must appreciate that you are not in your own backyard, so think outside your own prejudices and experiences. You are in Paris. Be flexible, and remember that it's a different world. But isn't that exactly why you want to be here? Anyway, it just goes to show that miracles can happen--but only if you are well prepared to jump in and grab it when it appears.
From Tom & Anne
It has now been a year since we began to explore the possibility of owning an apartment in Paris and had our first telephone conversation with you. And what a year it has been! We wanted first to thank you for all of your help, and for your patience and kindness. But we also wanted to let you know which things we have liked the most about the Adrian Leeds Group (ALG) and the services that you provide. From the start, you skillfully guided us along that complex learning curve—what property in Paris really costs, which areas in Paris were most likely to suit our needs, how to obtain a loan, and how to navigate the murky bureaucratic waters. You did this with complete honesty, trustworthiness and reliability, which made us always feel that we were in good hands. Often, you knew what we needed long before we did, yet you listened to our opinions and concerns respectfully, and fielded all of our many questions knowledgeably and decisively, both in person and through email. And you have continued to help us deal with various difficulties that have arisen, always promptly and courteously. Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and certainly are needed at times. It is pleasant to recall how we had only just arrived at the Paris apartment we were renting during our search, still somewhat disoriented from our long journey, when several people contacted us with the words "Adrian needs to speak with you right away"—from which it was clear that you are indeed a force to be reckoned with! Before the morning was over, we had put in a bid on the newly–posted apartment that your search had found for us, and we were off and running (both figuratively, and, at times, literally!). And this brings up what is to us the most important aspect of your service, namely the high quality team you have assembled to assist your clients. And how fortunate for us that you connected us with associate designer Martine Rosier di Mattéo! She really is an incredible person—a dynamic combination of exquisite taste, imagination, ingenuity, generosity and persistence. The skill with which she has managed the details of overseeing the work of the contractor and obtaining the perfect furnishings is truly remarkable. We have a thick sheaf of correspondence with her that documents her attention to detail, and her considerable care in taking our vague ideas and crystallizing them into a living space of enormous visual appeal and functionality. Although we're not exactly sure how you manage to do it, your ability to enlist a caring, expert staff makes ALG far more than merely the sum of its parts. We look forward to continuing to work with you, and have already enthusiastically recommended your property search and rental services to many of our friends.
From Mary and Al
Both Al and I were very pleased with the level of service and your competence when we purchased Le Pantheon. Your enthusiasm and knowledge were just what we needed. We looked to you for expert advice and we got it!
From Kathleen
It was great working with you on the start of this project and we look forward to working with you as we get it finished and ready to be rented! Thank you for all of your help, advice, contacts, and for all of the time and patience you took with us - I know that we would not have realized this as easily without you!
From Jaye and Michael
We are thrilled!!!! What a superb job finding the right place for us! It is amazing that the very first one could be so perfect! We thank you for a job well done!
A letter from Rick and Michael
Everything is almost completed with the apartment renovation and we are now ready to begin our new part time life (and prosperous one, too) in Paris. We wanted to thank you once again for helping us with this incredible journey. From attending your seminar in New Orleans in May, 2006, through the apartment searching with your search consultant, to the legal advice and assistance with Maître Adler, until the apartment renovation with Martine the decorator and Tony overseeing the construction, everything has gone exactly as you told us. You have truly surrounded yourself with the very best assistance. Your professionalism and honesty have served us well. We actually found the whole process even easier than we could have completed it in the US. The apartment renovation was truly less stressful than some projects we have undertaken in the US. I'm sure this is certainly no coincidence and we have you and your team to thank.
It's now time for us to sit back, have some wine and sit for hours at one of our neighborhood cafés and reflect on our next adventure, which just very well may be yet another purchase in the City of Light (but only if you agree to help us). Thank you again from the both of us.
From Leslie and Adam
When my husband and I decided to purchase a property in Paris that a friend had turned us on to, Adrian and the whole French Property Insider team were the most incredibly pleasant and professional people to work with throughout the entire process. If all of our business contacts could be as helpful and accommodating as these people our lives would certainly be less stressful! From the short comparative property search and viewing they set up (all done back to back in a two day period) to the introduction to our wonderful mortgage broker and banker, they are associated with some of the most professional and knowledgeable people in the industry. They are very up-to-date on property values in Paris and were quick to point out that the arrondissment that we were buying in was one that had one of the highest rates of return in the recent quarterly report. As an investment property we got into a situation that was affordable for us, allows us to not spend much out of pocket expenses each month and gives us and our friends a small place to stay when we are in Paris. No, we don't own a large, beautiful flat in the 3rd or 4th, but our small, modest flat in the 13th is just what we wanted and won't stretch our wallet each month. The Buttes aux Cailles is a small working class neighborhood, but it has all the amenities within walking distance of our flat -- and a wonderful farmers market three days a week just around the corner. In addition, when we did the final tour of the flat and found some mold on one of the walls, they were quick to hook us up with a general contractor that got a quality job done in a short three days. That sort of service just doesn't exist anymore over here in the US! I would recommend this team of professionals to any of my friends and colleagues who want to buy property in France as they have made our dream come true!
From Grace
Dianne and I got home late last night. We are still pinching our selves in disbelief that we have a pied-à-terre in Paris. We could not have done it without your assistance. We so enjoyed having Will Faas working on our behalf and hope he will continue in this role as we move through the renovation process.
From Suzy and Michael
Well we're nearly completely furnished now and really happy here. Thank you and your team for all the help you gave us. I don't see how we would or could have done this without your encouragement, assistance and all the little things we had to know and wouldn't have but for you all.
From Mark and Sandi
My husband and I had the great good fortune of meeting Adrian and her team in the fall of 2004. We contracted with Adrian to help us find the apartment of our dreams in Paris, which she did. We are still heartsick that we missed getting that perfect apartment, but we really got nervous because in December of 2004, the euro had risen 15 cents above what it was upon our arrival in September. And the predictions were that it would rise another 15 cents. The numbers no longer worked and we ended up not taking the apartment. Here is where our real praise kicks in: Adrian and her team could not have been kinder or more understanding. If they were miffed at our dropping the deal, we will never know because they were both so gracious. We look forward to our return to France and to eventually getting another "perfect apartment". When that time comes, we will definitely want Adrian on our side again! Thanks so much!
From Sue and Steve
Where did you succeed? First of all, in showing us that owning an apartment in Paris was actually possible. Here, it was your optimistic and can-do approach, but even more importantly the facts and figures you had marshal led, which made us feel, when we left your apartment after that first consultation, that it wasn't pie-in-the-sky, but something that we really might be able to do. Then, in locating an apartment that was right for us – one that we both loved and could afford. Search-consultant Adrian Leeds, with her keen negotiating abilities, was a tremendous help in working out the offer to the owner. You succeeded in giving us access to your network of contacts, and the benefit of the good working relationships you've built with bankers and with your notaire. And you succeeded most notably, in my mind, in going the extra distance: taking us into your apartment for the day when the arrangements made to spend it in "ours" had somehow gotten confused and there was no key; and using your charm, energy, and persistent can-do approach to keep things on track when the money we'd wired for the down payment turned up missing on the day of the closing.
We love our studio apartment – and we simply couldn't have bought it without your help. Your energetic and persistent can-do approach, your ear-to-the-ground knowledge of available apartments, the network of contacts and the good working relationships you've built with bankers and the notaire, and your willingness to go the extra distance in working through complications that are sure to arise – all these are what helped make our new pied a terre possible. Thank you!
From Ben and Angela
So far the experience has been very positive. You have an excellent team – I love working with both of them. Angela and I love that apartment. Happy New Year!
From Olive and Jay
Jay and I had a wonderful visit to Paris: your careful planning and excellent attention to what we were hoping to accomplish on this our first fact-finding "mission" were more than we could have anticipated. Thank you for your time, great counsel, and good humor! Jay and I are better prepared for the next step, and we hope to make a return trip in the next six months, depending on my schedule. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, please know how much we appreciate all you did to make our days in Paris fruitful and realistic; the meetings with the two banks and the notaire will be especially helpful in our future planning. Merci.
From Dan
I first met Adrian Leeds at a seminar that she was conducting in Washington D.C. It was a goal of mine to purchase an apartment in Paris, not only for my enjoyment, but also for investment purposes.
I manage a company that primarily gives seminars and education events. I felt that the information I gained from Adrian's seminar was an invaluable investment. Not only did I learn a lot about ownership in France, but I made contacts that I don't think I could have easily accomplished outside the introduction that this course provided.
Before meeting Adrian at the seminar, I had received a referral from a relocation company in the US. After communicating with a real estate agent in Paris for months, the agent informed me the day that I arrive in Paris that she was not interested in working with me. Thank goodness I had set up the meeting with Adrian, or the entire apartment hunting trip would have been wasted.
I don't currently speak enough French to even effectively order in a restaurant! While I wouldn't recommend not knowing French to people who want to own property in France, Adrian and her colleagues made the whole process painless and achievable for me.
When I decided to use French Property Insider's services, I met with Adrian in Paris and she had one of her representatives spend a complete day showing me apartments. I thought it would take several visits to find the apartment for my purposes and that met my expectations. The last apartment I saw on the first day of hunting was the apartment I ended up purchasing. The apartment met all of my wants, needs and desires. By the end of the day, Adrian had joined us for a second viewing of the apartment and that evening we discussed the offer to the seller.
My first visit to apartment hunt was four days. On the second day we found the apartment and by the time I left Paris, I had met with Abbey National and BPI.
I have to tell you, Abbey National and BPI were both absolutely wonderful to work with. I only wish mortgage companies in the US were so accommodating! The hardest decision was which one to go with.
My particular scenario came with a few complications from the seller. Adrian and other colleagues of FPI were able to work out all the difficulties. The uniqueness of my purchase with the seller was different than the normal process, but despite this, everything worked out in my favor.
I closed on the apartment a few weeks ago. The signing of the initial contract and closing of the sale was handled by FPI. I provided power of attorney in both situations, because my travel schedule in the US did not permit me to be present.
Currently, the FPI team has been handling the transfer of my utilities, telephone and internet services and she also attended an important homeowners meeting about a renovation issue that the previous owner had pending. I had also decided to have some cabinets installed before I arrive in Paris and they helped to coordinate the installation with the cabinet company and provide them access in my absence.
My advice to you is that utilizing French Property Insider's services will make the whole process of purchasing your home in Paris much easier than if you were to attempt it on your own. The real estate market, apartment listings and real estate agent involvement is much different in France than in the US. If I hadn't contracted with FPI, I would probably still be going back and forth between the US and Paris to hunt a down a good opportunity, all the while frustrating myself and many listing agencies as well. Not to mention, having spent a great deal of money too!
In the outcome, the savings of finding the property so quickly and Adrian's help in the negotiations process, more than paid for FPI's services.
Sorry for my long-winded reference, but I thought it might be helpful to you to have a thorough understanding of why I have given Adrian and everyone at French Property Insider such a high recommendation!
Please don't hesitate to contact me again, if I can answer any other questions.
From Nicole
Yes, let me stress that Adrian was absolutely marvelous. We are so grateful! It was simply wonderful having someone with such good acumen and insider knowledge on our side. And we weren't the only the ones impressed; while they would never admit it, I think all parties were duly impressed with Adrian's negotiating ability and knowledge of the tricks of the trade, including the owner!
So far, I have to say, we would never have done anything of this without your help. Thanks again. Onwards to the next phases of the process.
From John and Robert
Robert and I have decided to take the plunge and move to Paris for retirement. There is no way we could have done it without the help of Adrian Leeds and all of the referrals she has put us in touch with. It is not possible to write a cookbook for a move to France; everyone's situation is different and unique but I would like to share some of the hurdles we have been able to get over.
First, a place to live: We chose our target date of July 1, 2004 for the move. We spent a week in Paris over the New Year holiday and met with several people to get help on our property search. We decided that since we want to live in Paris indefinitely, that we want to get exactly the right place and in order to do that we must be on-site to get to know the districts of Paris and the surrounding areas. We want to get the feel of a neighborhood before committing to live there. We walked all over Paris this past week and took several trips into the countryside by train. We met with apartment rental agents and shared all of our needs with them. They will then identify properties for us to look at when we go back in April.
Second, is getting through the immigration hoops and Jean Taquet was invaluable in that. He helped us fill out the application for the long stay visa and answered our questions about health insurance. And when we get to Paris he will help us with getting our carte de séjour.
Finally, John Howell in London went over several scenarios for property purchase and structuring our finances to minimize French inheritance tax. This is especially important for a gay couple but the French inheritance tax system will put a big dent in anyone's estate plan.
Lastly, our trip was particularly wonderful because we found that the weather is very tolerable even in the middle of winter...we had a beautiful light snow on New Year's Day. And the food is incredible.


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Ricci fired as airport manager
BRIDGEPORT -- The manager of Sikorsky Memorial Airport was fired Thursday even as the FBI eyeballs the $400,000 driveway that city taxpayers unwittingly bought for his long-time business partner.
Mayor Bill Finch terminated John Ricci from his $94,000-year-job running the city-owned Sikorsky for not revealing his real estate dealings with millionaire developer Manuel "Manny" Moutinho. Ricci and the city attorney's office hired Moutinho to build a no-bid, 1,000-foot gravel driveway over airport land to Moutinho's waterfront mansion in Stratford.
City officials have maintained they needed to replace an older dirt driveway used by Moutinho and three neighboring property owners because it will be eliminated as part of a runway safety project.
Hearst Connecticut Newspapers first reported on the pricey driveway in June soon after its quiet completion.
A neighboring condominum association has since won a zoning lawsuit against the project, leaving Moutinho and the Finch adminsitration scrambling to figure out how to save the driveway from being torn up.
The mayor's decision to terminate Ricci comes as the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office are looking at the debacle, according to sources. The federal government is paying for a majority of the $40 million safety upgrade at Sikorsky.
Sources said law enforcement authorities are attempting to determine whether federal dollars were used inappropriately.
Moutinho was already in the FBI's sights. The agency is probing his botched sewer project in Trumbull.
As if that was not enough to keep the scandal brewing, Ricci is likely not going to give up the job he has held for 23 years without a fight.
Ricci could not be reached for comment Thursday. But Edward Gavin, an attorney for the Bridgeport City Supervisors Union, said Ricci will fight to get his job back.
"And I would encourage him to file a lawsuit against the city," Gavin said.
Finch in his statement said Ricci was fired for "reckless and intentional misconduct."
On June 5, the mayor suspended the airport manager with pay after Hearst asked what the administration knew of Ricci's long friendship and real estate dealings with Moutinho.
As long ago as 1986, Ricci -- a former mayoral aid -- was selling housing units for Moutinho, a then up-and-coming developer.
And land records show Ricci engaged in about a half-dozen property transactions with Moutinho and his family between 1986 and 2012.
An internal probe was launched by the city Office of Labor Relations.
On Thursday, John Bohannon, an attorney for the city involved in the Ricci matter, said the whole controversy could have been easily avoided if the airport manager had recused himself.
"All that man had to do was step aside," Bohannon said.
Ricci told Hearst prior to his suspension that the Finch administration knew about his relationship with Moutinho.
"I made that clear to the airport commission (which includes Finch and City Council President Thomas McCarthy, D-133) and the city attorney's office," Ricci said.
Bohannon said Ricci told Lisa Trachtenburg, the city attorney overseeing the airport safety project, that he had "a long personal relationship with Mr. Moutinho."
"It's very common (that) people have long personal relationships who deal with one another in the city," Bohannon said.
The problem, Bohannon said, is Ricci did not mention a long personal business relationship with Moutinho.
Bohannon said Ricci -- "during a car ride" -- confided in subordinate Steve Ford, the airport superintendent of operations, that he should recuse himself from dealings on the driveway. But Bohannon said Ricci never mentioned it to the right people, including Trachtenburg, Public Facilities Manager Charles Carroll -- Ricci's supervisor, or Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Nunn.
"You told Mr. Ford you should recuse yourself ... You're not telling people who could make a difference," Bohannon said. "It all created the specter of impropriety in a totally unnecessary way."
Bohannon said there was no evidence Ricci received any direct financial gain.
"I can tell you he was actively continuing to do business with Mr. Moutinho and Mr. Moutinho held mortgages on one of the properties for Mr. Ricci. So they were actively doing business at the time," Bohannon said.
Finch said, as a result, department heads and employees involved in procurement will file annual disclosure forms in which the staffer must reveal any financial or personal interests that may conflict with city contracts.
Ricci made it clear to the Only in Bridgeport news blog Thursday that he is not going away quietly.
In a lengthy statement Ricci wrote that he had recused himself by revealing a "long history" with Moutinho to "everyone involved."
Ricci also said Trachtenburg asked him to approach Moutinho -- who had already obtained permits from the Town of Stratford to build a $200,000 driveway -- about Bridgeport taking over the work because she knew Ricci had "direct access" to the developer.
"During the entire process of getting the access road constructed I made no assumptions or decisions regarding method of procurement, final choice of contractor, or award of contract for construction," Ricci wrote.
Finch's predecessor, former Mayor John Fabrizi -- also a Democrat -- said he was not surprised Ricci was fired.
"It seems to be a trend with this administration when there is controversy of firing the person, buying out the person or laying off the person," he said. "Bottom line, they're deflecting the blame. John Ricci has been a good and loyal employee. He's worked well with me and other mayors."
Fabrizi also questioned the objectivity of an internal investigation.
"In no way shape or form should Labor Relations have handled this issue," Fabrizi said. "Obviously they (the administration) can control the entire route."
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the driveway Monday with the Finch administration.
The mayor's office has said the $400,000 was part of $3 million the council borrowed last September for its share of the Sikorsky runway safety work. But council members have said they knew nothing about the driveway until Hearst reported on the project in June.
The administration has also not produced any evidence that it had notified the council about the driveway.
"I'm hoping we get more of the story and the rationale for firing Mr. Ricci," said Councilman Steven Stafstrom, D-130, who was appointed earlier this year to fill a vacancy. "I feel like there's still a lot we need to know. I think there's a lot of corrective action that still needs to be taken."
While the council has said it intends to review the city's purchasing procedures, Finch Thursday said the administration is already doing so. He said that several weeks ago the city hired John King, a partner in the law firm Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, and New Britain City Attorney, and Hugh Manke, a senior principal in the firm and a specialist in municipal land use matters, to review procurement guidelines and pay particular attention to the airport issue.
"My biggest concern is the public perception of this whole thing," Stafstrom said. "It's become a huge black eye for the city and become a distraction to a lot of the really strong economic development projects."
Staff Writer Michael Mayko contributed to this report.


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"The vintage pop-art superhero party that I planned for my son, Pierson, about three years ago is one of our favorite parties that we styled, and we often get the question of 'I love it, but how much would that cost?!'" says Maureen Anders. "I know it was not a cheap party, so I wanted to design a party that had a similar feel and vibe, but that was full of cost-effective and DIY elements so you can be Super Mom while keeping things within a reasonable budget." The result: Jeffrey's spectacular party full of dressed-up store-bought treats, dollar-store finds, and lots of awesome printables. Keep clicking to check out all the super details!


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Oakland Community College is investigating how personal information of more than 100 students in connection with student loans became available on the college website.
The information has been removed from the website and OCC officials are working with search engines to remove the information that was already stored on Google, said George Cartsonis, OCC spokesman.
"We have not yet found out how it happened, but you can be sure we are investigating" and will find out, Cartsonis said.
"There is no evidence of foul play or wrong doing. It appears to be a computer glitch," he said.
The five campus, 28,000-student college is in the middle of registration for summer classes, much of it done online.
Personal information such as social security numbers and addresses of 129 students went on the college website last Friday afternoon.
The information was removed from the college website as of 10 a.m. Monday, after one of the affected students notified OCC of the issue.
"We are notifying by email all potentially affected students this afternoon," Cartsonis said Wednesday. The email notification will be followed by a letter through the U.S. Postal Service, he said, to ensure also students are aware of the incident.
Although OCC has no report that there was any intentional inappropriate use of the personal data, the school is offering each of the affected students a free one-year subscription to an identity theft monitoring service. This is often done by banks and other institutions when private information is released.
In addition, "We are working with those search engines to remove the information and they are cooperating. We are already seeing results and we hope to have it off all engines in the near future," Cartsonis said.
He said OCC's IT (informational technology) department has been able to figure out how many students were affected and will continue the investigation into where and how the information went on the web.
"We take student privacy seriously and we are taking action to correct future occurrences of this type and we deeply regret any inconvenience we might have caused our students," Cartsonis said.
Contact Diana Dillaber Murray at 248-745-4638 or firstname.lastname@example.com or follow her on Twitter at @DDillybar.


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When Jenny Stubbs, Festival Coordinator Extraordinaire, told me I had a slot to launch "All in the Woods" I was ecstatic! It was my first book to be published in the UK and a launch venue at the Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature, Woodlands, was almost too good to be true. Jenny facilitated a link to Aleesa Darlison who agreed to MC. BRILLIANT! What could go wrong?
The Ipswich Festival is always an exciting event! It is held at Woodlands, a stunning, heritage listed venue set amongst rural fields, magnificent trees and rolling hills – what a setting for a launch! The lead up to the day, Tuesday, 13th September 2011, was a real buzz! Then the unthinkable happened… The weekend before, my throat started to get that irritating little scratch and that niggly cough that sometime precedes worse. Sunday night it started to hit! Laryngitis!
Friends, good friends can be the saving of such worst case scenarios. I spoke (whilst I still had a voice) to Tara Hale, who designed the promo poster, would she be Guest Artist "Pink" the possum [cousin of "Ink" the animal hero of my book]. Next I contacted Nooroa Te Hira, he has worked as a tour guide so I knew he would ace a reading of my book. Then I rang Christian Bocquee and asked would he help with nitty grittys like directing teachers and students to seats, distributing prizes and being event photographer! Bless them, they all 'volunteered' unstintingly!
Result? Fun, fun, fun! We had a ball, the book launch was a total success! The author having to use copious amounts of sign language but, hey, she has 5 kids so she speaks the lingo with hands and fingers!
You can see some of the fun in the gallery below. [Sadly, Pink, being a nocturnal creature, was shy of the camera flash and hid!]
And the book, which was illustrated by wonderful watercolourist Linda Gunn? It had been a truly international effort – written by an Aussie, illustrated by an American and published by a Brit! The icing on the cake was a nomination for the OPSO Award!
Here is a recent review by Kathy Schneider!
Where can you get it? Here!0 Comments on How not to do a Book Launch?! as of 2/3/2012 4:20:00 AM


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Why Join the APS?
Here are some of the responses to a survey of APS members conducted by the Society's Management Committee in 2011:
I really value the APS. I live in a small town that has no camera club of its own and I am unable to travel to neighbouring towns to attend their camera clubs.
"The APS is the only contact I have with fellow enthusiasts and provides a genuine forum for discussion and competition. I am very impressed by the help provided."
"I have found membership, and especially attending APSCON very beneficial, along with being in the various groups. The three magazines are useful and idea inspiring, and the comments from other photographers in IMAGE especially useful."
"Overall, joining APS has been a great help to my progress in photography."
"I have just completed the slide appraisal course and found It very useful. I have been more satised that I'm getting something out of APS since joining a folio."
"Networking opportunities are excellent with APS and folio groups. This is an aspect of APS I value highly."
APS can help you improve your photography, increase your level of satisfaction and achievement with your images, and make lasting friendships with other photographers throughout Australia. All that is required is that you take two steps; the first, Joining the Society; the second, Becoming Involved in what we have to offer.
The Society also offers 2 magazines, through Yaffa Publishing:
-Australian Photography is published monthly, and is available to members for $85.00, a savings of $22 off the normal publishers price.
-Capture Magazine is also published bi-monthly and offered to members at a 40% discount ($33.50). It is a magazine designed for pro photographers.
We also offer one magazine through Media Publishing:
-Photo Review is published quarterly, and is availabe to members for $33 per year printed, and $19 per year for a digital only copy.
To allow you to preserve your photography in premium albums, books, boxes and stationery, Momento Pro invites APS members to join their Camera Club Program and enjoy:
+ Access to inkjet printing and all premium papers
+ 30% off your first photo book or box order*
+ 10% off further orders*
* View details and get started at www.momentopro.com.au
TThe APS has a wonderful website that portrays images from many of its members. It is packed full of information. From how to achieve your Honours to the latest National and International competitions.
There is a Forum for members only and the Web Folios. for members to share and comment on each others images. This has become one of the most important aspects to members of the Society. The website also displays the Divisional newsletters and links to many different web galleries, competitions and various information.
As a member of the Society you are encouraged to join one or more of the specialist group, for a small additional fee. The Groups are Print, Nature, Contemporary, Audio-Visual, and Digital.
Each Group provides a range of services to its members, including competitions, folio participation, image appraisal, discussion groups and technical advice.
All divisions operate a series of postal and/or web folios. Web folios require an internet connection to upload and view images.This is a most useful service, especially for members who live outside the major cities and overseas.
All members of the folio offer constructive comments about the other members' images and how they think they could be improved. Many folios have a senior member as a coach.
Some folios offer no restriction on subject matter, while others are based on specialist interests such as landscape or figure study. This system nearly always offers the photographer new and exciting ways to take the image they submitted.
The APS offers members to have their very own image gallery under the APS website. Image gallery software is provided for the member to upload up to 180 images for show for a fee of only $30 per year. This has proven to be a very valuable service to members.
APS conducts an annual convention known as APSCON.
The venue alternates between the States and Territories and hosts a varied programme of lectures by distinguished photographers. APSCON also provides workshops, tours, exhibitions and social events.
The Convention always concludes with the Society's annual dinner upon where Honours for photographic skill and service to photography are presented.
Many members make APSCON the basis of their annual holidays and attend every year without fail.
Each year a number of national and international exhibitions are conducted in various parts of Australia, under the auspices of the APS.
Entries are judged by panels of highly qualified judges and, on the basis of that judging, a proportion of the images are accepted for display and awards. The APS National is displayed at the annual convention, APSCON.
Authors of images accepted earn points towards photographic Honours offered by the Society.
A list of exhibitions approved by the APS is published monthly in 'Australian Photography' and the APS website. Additionally, each year a Who's Who listing of the most successful exhibitors in various categories is published in 'image' and the website.
APS offers a range of photographic excellence and service honours, and also coordinates applications for international honours conferred by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).
The photographic excellence honours awarded by the Society, in increasing level of difficulty, are LAPS (Licentiate of APS), AAPS (Associate), FAPS (Fellow), MAPS (Master), GMAPS (Grand Master), and APSEM (APS Exhibtor's Medal).
To apply for LAPS or AAPS it is necessary to have been a member of the Society prior to the closing of APS honours applications, which is 31 March each year.
APS conducts a variety of competitions, as do individual Divisions. These are in addition to the Society's own National exhibitions, which are conducted annually and are exhibited during APSCON.
An annual competition with New Zealand is conducted in print, slide and nature sections. Acceptances in the latter attract points towards the attainment of APS Honours.
The Society also promotes [Under FIAP patronage] International exhibitions and coordinates Australian entries in FIAP Biennial exhibitions as well as coordinating group Australian entries in a number of International exhibitions. Any member may participate.
Under the Articles of Association the Society is run by a Management Committee consisting of President / Chairperson, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, Immediate Past President and three elected members.
Telephone (02) 9890 9795
Email The Secretary


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If you've ever wondered how creating an app for the iPhone (3GS/4/4S/5) works, here is a free webinar for you! We will walk you through how to use our free tools to create your first pages and make your first app.
Who should attend?
All current users of Mag+
Anyone interested in digital publishing and creating apps for the iPhone
Thursday November 29, 2012
8 am PDT/San Francisco – 11 am EDT/New York – 5 pm CET/Stockholm
Link to the page where the webinar will be broadcast
Your host of this webinar is Mike Haney, Chief Product Officer of Mag+.
For questions or more information, please contact Michael Kazarnowicz.