abra-kabob-ra anyone?

about 8 years ago, while backpacking through europe, i vistited dublin, ireland. i didn’t have much money, so staying in hostels and eating cheaply was important. i remember going to this mediterranean fast food type restaurant. i thought it was called abra-kabob-ra. it seemed to be part of a chain. they had delicious falafal and garlic fries… mmm. i tried searching for it on the web, but nothing came up. has anyone else heard of it? am i spelling the name wrong?

It’s called Abrakebabra. It still exists. http://www.abrakebabra.com/main.html

Amer’s falafel, authentic Middle Eastern/mediterranean food Encino CA 91316

Need to design a menu, help needed!?

Right, i need to design a menu for a ’special friend’ to cook for this weekend. lol. She isn’t very fussy but has very things she specifically likes. I have lots of options but can’t seem to find the dishes which fit exactly! She enjoys cheese, vegetables, mediterranean cuisine, pasta etc but no sweets. This is have resolved by going to a cheese shop called ‘Cheese Hamlet’ in Manchester which she likes where i plan to present an after dinner meal of 3 or 4 well chosen cheeses with a Selection of olives, suitable fruit and breads. But the starter and main have me at an end, as the things i have seen have either been too simple to seem ‘good enough’ or too time consuming so i was wondering if anyone had any ideas. She is an accomplished cook herself so she will be aware if i take any short cuts. Thank you all in advance. I am just very indecisive and this meal means a lot so i want it to be perfect. Also any wine pairings would also be HEAVILY appreciated!

here are some ideas – including drinks

http://entertaining.about.com/od/dinnerparties/a/rusticitalian.htm

http://entertaining.about.com/cs/dinnerparties/a/italianamerican.htm (for the menu you have to go to the next page)

and here’s A Romantic Italian Dinner For Two

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Romantic-Italian-Dinner-For-Two&id=2031186

http://www.homebakedmemories.com/pages/HBHolidaysRomanticDinner.htm

Boun Appetito!

mediterranean food in Washington DC Jerusalem Restaurant

Cooking The Mediterranean Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-Fat And Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) $10.69 …

how to mediterranean women stay so slim?

whats their diet? and beauty tips? they always look so tanned and toned and radiant any help would be great

They eat home-cooked meals that consist of only plants and meat. They don’t eat the crap that we have here in the states. They are more tanned because the Mediterranean is a very sunny place. Diet tips are to avoid grains, sweets, and soft drinks.

mediterranean diet – an improvised short

30 Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Cuisines: Global Eating Tips and Recipes From China, France, Japan, the Mediterranean, Africa, and Scandinavia $10.94 Discover the most delicious ways to eat healthier from around the world! We all know that eating healthier is easier said than done. New diets pop up every few months; the only problem is that the food choices are often too bland and there’s usually little variety in the dishes you can eat. 30 Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Cuisines is about to change all that. In a delicious departu…

Stimulating the Bodyâ??s Defenses to Fight Ovarian Cancer

Comediennes such as Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn, Oscar-winning actresses like Loretta Young and Sandy Dennis, singers Laura Nyro and Dinah Shore, actor Pierce Brosnan’s wife Cassandra Harris, actress Jessica Tandy, former Connecticut governor Ella Grasso, and Martin Luther King’s wife Coretta Scott King all died of ovarian cancer. It’s not just celebrities, politicians or movie stars, who are stricken with ovarian cancer. One in every 55 U.S. women is at risk for ovarian cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates about 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed. More than 16,000 women will die because the symptoms are often subtle, and her doctor did not recognize the symptoms soon enough. It is the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women.
 
Silent and undetected, this cancer often spreads beyond the ovary or ovaries into the abdominal cavity, or by the final stage, into other body organs such as the liver or lungs. Family doctors often fail to properly diagnose “The Silent Killer†until it is too late. Last August, University of California Davis researchers reported 40 percent of women told their doctors about their symptoms for as long as a year before they were correctly diagnosed. A British survey discovered 75 percent of family doctors believed symptoms are only present during the advanced stages of the cancer. By the time women are diagnosed for ovarian cancer, 40 to 50 percent of the patients are in the advanced stage, where there is little hope for survival.

Less than one-half the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will live five years. About 10 to 14 percent live beyond five years after their diagnosis. Their choices have been limited, mainly reserved to variations of chemotherapy drugs or a new way to delivery the drug. The general public is often unaware of the side effects ovarian cancer patients suffer during chemotherapy. In mid March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration criticized the safety profile of Eli Lilly’s Gemzar for ovarian cancer patients, saying the 2.8 months increased survival seen in studies of patients taking the drug wasn’t enough to offset the treatment’s increased toxicity which included anemia, neutropenia (a blood disorder) and thrombocytopenia (reduced platelets in the blood). Presently used first-line treatments for ovarian cancer patients include Cisplatin, with associated side effects such as nerve, kidney and/or ear damage, Carboplatin (side effects: nerve damage in the arms and/or legs, joint pain, and/or thrombocytopenia), Paclitaxel (neurotoxicity), or Melphalan, with side effects which include irreversible bone marrow failure, bone marrow suppression).
 
A woman stricken with ovarian cancer faces first surgery, then chemotherapy. Recent widespread press heralding a new development in treating ovarian cancer, intra-abdominal or intraperitoneal chemotherapy, is just that: more chemotherapy. The “belly bath,†as it has been nicknamed by some television reporters, it has been highly praised because the treatment can extend life by about 16 months more than “regular†chemotherapy. The results were first published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in December 2005. Most news reports failed to mention that only 40 percent of the women treated with the belly bath were able to complete all six cycles. Why? The therapy relies upon infusions of Paclitaxel and Cisplatin (see side effects in the previous paragraph). According to Dr. Robert Edwards, research director of the Magee-Women’s Gynecologic Cancer in Pittsburgh, “Many women don’t feel well enough to work for the duration of the intra-abdominal (therapy).†Some patients, such as Cindy Pakalnis of Marshall (Pennsylvania) have called the treatments “grueling.â€

The unsolved problem of chemotherapy is the reduction in the “quality of life.†While some life extension has been proven, the patient’s life deteriorates. Many patients struggle with balancing the loss in quality of life with the rigors of the therapy. Researchers are actively pursuing new directions that may some day provide new hope for the ovarian cancer patient. A University of Minnesota research study has suggested the use of thalidomide, which would be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, as a prospective means of increasing the likelihood of remission. Minnesota cancer researcher Dr. Levi Downs explained, “It prevents the tumor from making new blood vessels. Without new blood vessels, the tumor can’t sufficiently feed new cells, so the cancer can’t grow.†His randomized trial was small with only 65 patients (only 28 took thalidomide), and more testing will certainly be required.

New Hope for Ovarian Cancer Patients?

One promising technology that has been developed over the past decade is OvaRex® MAb. It was developed by ViRexx Medical Corp., an Edmonton-based company, which trades on the American Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: REX) and on the Toronto Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: VIR). Now licensed to Unither Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR), OvaRex® MAb is currently undergoing two identical Phase III trials at about 64 research centers across the United States. One trial has completed enrollment, according to a mid December news release issued by ViRexx Medical Corp.

We spoke with ViRexx Medical Corp’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Tyrrell who was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta and the Director of the Glaxo Heritage Research Institute. “OvaRex® MAb is our lead candidate for the treatment of ovarian cancer, and is an intravenous infusion of a monoclonal antibody,†he said. Monoclonal antibodies are a new breed of biotech drugs that are extremely specific; that is, each antibody binds to only one particular antigen. In the case of OvaRex® MAb, it is a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the CA-125 antigen. Dr. Tyrrell added, “The treatment doesn’t take long, and is given every 4 weeks for the first 3 injections, and then once every 3 months until the patient relapsesâ€.
 
Dr. Tyrrell talked about the current Phase III studies, “The trials are ongoing. All of the patients have successfully completed their surgery and front-line chemotherapy and are now in what we call the ‘watchful waiting’ period. It is in this phase that we treat the patients with OvaRex® MAb with the hopes of increasing the time to disease relapse.†He explained the recurrence rate is very high in the stage III / IV late forms of ovarian cancer, with a time to relapse of about 10.4 months. Patients who have turned to OvaRex hope to delay that relapse. Tyrrell noted, “In the original study, the average time to relapse was delayed by about 14 months. If we can achieve that difference or better in the current Phase III trials, it would be a major advance for the treatment of ovarian cancer.†He expects an analysis of the current OvaRex® MAb studies to be completed by the second or third quarter of 2007.

What makes OvaRex® MAb different from other immunotherapeutic treatments is, instead of attacking the body’s cancerous cells directly, the monoclonal antibody targets the cancerous antigen in circulation. Some believe it helps retrain the body’s immune system to fight the ovarian cancer cells. The mechanism that reportedly has made OvaRex® MAb effective is how it alerts the body to recognize and fight the CA-125.
 
ViRexx has addressed the “tolerance problem†a body suffers when it has become inflicted with a malignant tumor. The hypothesis behind the tolerance issue is that the body fails to recognize the CA-125 antigen as harmful. Introducing a foreign antibody, in this case the mouse antibody against CA125, the body’s defense systems are awakened to the ovarian cancer cells. This begins a chain reaction alerting the immune system to battle the invading antibody CA125 complex. The body’s defense systems are reprogrammed to attack the CA-125 antigen and seek to destroy it. Along with that destruction comes the attempt of the immune response to eliminate the cancerous cells from the body.

As with many pioneering scientific breakthroughs, serendipity is what lies behind the OvaRex® MAb story. As one technology was being developed, another – the murine monoclonal antibody treatment for ovarian cancer – came about by accident. We talked to its inventor, Dr. Antoine Noujaim, about the biotech drug’s roots. “It came out of the imaging technology,†the Professor Emeritus of the University of Alberta explained. In the early 1980s, biotech companies, such as Immunomedics and Cytomedics were researching tumors and using antibodies to image the tumors so they could be evaluated in a cancer patient’s body. “I worked with Dr. Mike Longenecker and we established a company called Biomira (Toronto: BRA) in 1984,†Dr. Noujaim recalled. “We had a number of targets and then needed to make specific antibodies.†Part of his effort was to target certain cancers, such as prostate, breast and ovarian cancer.
 
“We developed antibodies against a mucin, which is really a glycopeptide,†explained Dr. Noujaim. “It’s a peptide that has a lot of sugars on it present in the ascitis fluid from ovarian cancer patients.†That is how Dr. Noujaim and his team developed the very early antibody which is now used for OvaRex® MAb. “We sent some of these antibodies to Professor Richard Baum in Germany for imaging of ovarian cancer patients,†Noujaim remembered. “Dr. Baum phoned back, after some time, and told me, ‘The patients I was imaging here had advanced ovarian cancer and some of them seem to have done quite well after we gave them a couple of shots (of the B43.13 antibody, the clinical name for OvaRex® MAb) to image the tumor.’ I thought he was joking with me.â€
 
This is serendipity at work as Dr. Noujaim explained to us. “Richard was imaging patients that were in the last stages of the disease,†he pointed out. Monoclonal antibodies can be used as diagnostic agents in oncology, when they are radiolabeled with a marker that can be imaged by external detectors. “These patients had maybe four or five months to live. All of a sudden, a year later and they’re still around.†Baum urged Noujaim to investigate this further. Dr. Noujaim recalls him saying, “Something is happening here. I’ve seen hundreds of patients, but nothing like this.†From this encouragement, Noujaim began formulating the potential mechanism of how this monoclonal antibody would work. His sharp mind chased the puzzling questions raised by Dr. Baum’s observations.

At this point of his recollections, Noujaim got excited, “Through sheer serendipity, we were using murine antibodies, not humanized antibodies. We were using foreign antibodies, a small amount of foreign antibodies.†How in the world did Noujaim know to use murine (mouse) antibodies? “Because that was the easiest way to do the imaging at the time,†he replied. “Before you make a chimeric (something derived from two different animal species) antibody, you start with a murine one. If that one works, you humanize the antibody.†From this research, Noujaim founded a company called AltaRex, which was taken public in 1995. “We raised about $30 million and expanded the program.â€
 
The serious effort to develop the antibodies began in 1996. Having conducted trials in Canada and Europe, it was a “massive undertaking†Noujaim told us. “We had over 500 patients injected with the murine monoclonal antibody.†He extrapolated beyond OvaRex® MAb, saying, “We’ve proven completely the mechanism of action on this, how it works. It is so unique it may apply to all of the other antibodies we have.†Noujaim believes it can apply to breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer. Indeed, BrevaRex® MAb for breast cancer and multiple myeloma patients has completed Phase 1 trials, and ProstaRex® MAb for prostate cancer patients is at the pre-clinical stage.
 
“Our studies to date may show that vaccines may slow the growth of the tumor with a very good safety profile,†concluded Dr. Noujaim. Then he added something which bears investigating further, “There is the very original (ovarian cancer) patient who was injected in 1987. She’s in Germany, and according to Dr. Baum she was still alive a year ago.†That’s nearly nine years later! “It’s a matter of great pride for me that some people who received OvaRex® MAb are alive today,†he said.

While the company has licensed, under a royalty agreement, the OvaRex® MAb technology to United Therapeutics, through that company’s subsidiary, Unither Pharmaceuticals, ViRexx has retained rights to most member nations of the European Union and certain other countries. Key ones include France, the United Kingdom and the Benelux countries. ViRexx has also established strategic relationships with Dompé Farmaceutici, Medison Pharma, Ltd. and Genesis Pharma S.A. for certain European and Middle-East Countries.

http://www.cancer.moneybizhome.com
 

About the Author

Oli works full time as a Market Analyst.He graduated in Management.He can help you to grow your computer consulting.

http://www.moneybizhome.com/computers

Luxury Homes And Luxury Real Estate In Florida

Luxury Homes and Luxury Real Estate in Florida

Florida has always been a vacation get-away. It’s  beautiful sandy beaches, proliferation of luxury homes and architectural styles along with oceanfront and waterfront properties cause people to flock here. Whether you want the glitz and glamour of an international city like Miami or a planned community with everything in walking distance like Rosemary Beach, towns in Florida run the gamut insuring you’ll find that luxury home you’ve been waiting to buy.

PANHANDLE

The Florida panhandle is sometimes called “the other Florida” because unlike most of the state, this region experiences all four seasons. It backs up to South Georgia on the north and has water views of the Gulf of Mexico to the south.

Panama City has lots of choices when it comes to luxury homes. Here you can find a striking Mediterranean mansion overlooking St. Andrews Bay or live on the beach and wake every morning to sweeping Gulf of Mexico sights and sounds. Enjoy entertaining friends and family on veranda style balconies that overlook the water. Choose a luxury bay front condo minutes from downtown and be swept away every time you look out your floor to ceiling windows to see St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf.

Rosemary Beach is a unique town, an unincorporated planned community, located on the Gulf Coast, between Panama City and Destin. Here you’ll find peace and solitude, observe long stretches of pristine beaches and feel refreshing breezes wafting off the warm Gulf waters. In this community, cars are restricted to alleyways behind homes and the town is built so that everything within the community is easily accessible by foot. This beachside community makes use of its natural topography. Roadways were paved in conformity to the contours of the land.

Santa Rosa Beach is best known for its quiet, wide stretches of beach and nature trails that pass through a 15,200-acre forest. This is part of the Emerald Coast where you’ll experience the beauty of ocean waters that are truly emerald green. Here you’ll taste the best of both worlds from the privacy of a custom-built luxury home on your own lot to a home in a gated golf community. There are mansions and luxury condos. Gulf front estates with wrap-around porches and lots of windows to give you an unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico. Luxury condominiums that sit on bluffs give you such gorgeous views you’ll feel like you’re sitting on top of the world. Homes that rest on sugar white sands reflecting the emerald waters that lap at its edges. In Santa Rosa Beach you can truly appreciate what it means to live in luxury and style.

Destin is known as “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”. The water is brilliant green, the dunes are towering, there are loads of fish and the excitement never ends. Sparkling quartz sand squeaks beneath your feet welcoming you to one on the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. Purchase a luxury home here and you can walk the beach all the time! There’s a plethora of exclusive homes and communities in Destin. Choose a gulf front home in an exclusive gated community that makes the most of the views the Gulf Coast has to offer. Take the stairs down to the beach or lounge by your pool. Maybe a Tuscan style villa with lots of windows that allow for spectacular Gulf views and overlook the pool and canal. If you’re a golfer find an exquisite custom home on a bay front lot in a gated golf community. Balconies and terraces set the scene for gracious beachfront living and entertaining. If you enjoy high-rise living, find a harbor front condo with balconies that include expansive water views.

Jacksonville was named for Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first territorial governor and later the President of the United States. Today, Jacksonville is a nice mix of urban charm and rural beauty. Located on the St. Johns River, Jacksonville has grand historic neighborhoods, cultural and sports entertainment. It’s an important military port graced with white-sand beaches that constantly tempt you to play on them. Your next luxury home could very well be a St. Johns River front mansion surrounded by ancient oak trees sitting on several acres of land just minutes from downtown. Have your own gated entrance, indoor pool, dock with hoist, guesthouse and 5-car garage. Perhaps a historic gated estate on a bluff that overlooks the river. Here you’d have privacy plus convenience to the city and beaches. There are also waterfront Mediterranean estates with panoramic views, luxury condos at a Yacht Club or waterfront town homes with water views in every room and even sights of downtown Jacksonville. This is casually elegant, luxury living at its finest.

Tallahassee is the capitol of Florida and home to universities, gracious historic homes and rolling hills. It is near the Apalachicola National Forest. So if your idea of luxury is living amongst rolling hills, oak-canopied roads and historic plantation homes – this is the location of your next home. Just because there’s no ocean doesn’t mean there are no water views available. Luxury homes have lake views and heated salt water pools. Gated estates with lots of land, privacy and convenience to the city. Some estates are already built to suit the equestrian lifestyle with fencing and barns on large plots of land. Palatial estates with plenty of acreage and a gated entrance are also appealing. If you enjoy entertaining you can find a large luxury estate with tennis court, pool, circular drive multi-car garage and more. Luxurious golf community homes and high-rise condominiums that overlook trees and the city from their balconies will give you a postcard view of this town.

NORTH FLORIDA

Orlando is world famous for its theme and water parks. Included in the Orlando metro are the areas of Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista. If you’re looking for a luxury home in this locale you will get more for your money but with less water views. There are many activities to enjoy here including shopping, museums, sports, performance arts and interesting outlying towns and neighborhoods. Kissimmee is less flashy than Orlando. It has more of a hometown feel that stems from its cow-town origins. Cattle auctions and rodeos are still a way of life in the historic downtown area.

Daytona Beach boasts resorts, attractions and, of course, the Daytona International Speedway. It’s one of the only places you can drive on the beach plus there’s excellent surfing and other water sports. Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Florida’s tallest lighthouse (and the second highest in the US) has 203 swirling steps to the top and then a stunning 360-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean and the salt marshes of the intracoastal. Here you can have a home with equally astounding views. A fenced and gated waterfront estate often comes with frontage and dockage. Four floors of living space provide impressive views. Wraparound balconies and a private sunset balcony pamper you at the end of a long day. Choose an ocean front condo that’s only minutes from upscale boutiques and fine dining. A lavish condo in a golfing community may appeal to the avid golfer in you. But an oceanfront home with the Atlantic Ocean and Daytona Beach as your backyard – now that’s the ultimate in luxury living!

GULF COAST

Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater are three areas in close proximity to one another but each has something different to offer. Tampa has sophistication, culture and a rich heritage in the Cuban-influenced district of Ybor City. Tampa is situated on Florida’s largest inlet, Tampa Bay, which separates it from its sister city, St. Petersburg.

Clearwater is popular with golfers and fishermen love it because there are more than 300 species of fish here. It’s quieter and more laid back than Tampa with a certain subdued style. Life here is meant to be simple and enjoyed. A high-rise condo on the water with a white sandy beach and sparkling crystal water may be just what you’re looking for. A historic waterfront mansion will impress with its awesome views of Clearwater, the bridges and the intracoastal

St. Petersburg has literally miles of bleached white beaches, stately palms and the Gulf of Mexico’s turquoise water lapping at its shores. With approximately 361 days a year of sunshine and an average temperature of 73 degrees, outdoor activities are all the rage: sailing, fishing, snorkeling, jet skiing and scuba diving are part of everyday life.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Miami is the place for luxury homes with a capital “L”. This city is an international destination for people all over the world and has everything you could ever want – and more: arts and culture, lots of nightlife, gorgeous beaches, five-star dining, water activities, impressive architecture and an abundance of shopping. Whether you’re in South Beach checking out glamorous Art Deco residences on Ocean Drive, hanging out in funky Coconut Grove or taking a boat past the very private homes of Star Island, you can’t help but be impressed with the selection of luxury homes available here. There are gate-guarded communities on the water with ocean access, palm trees and lush tropical landscaping. Take your pick of opulent high-rise condos with panoramic views of the Miami skyline. If historic homes interest you, you’ll find several waterfront estates here, too. There’s an abundance of luxury to be had in Miami.

Fort Lauderdale is sometimes called the “Venice of America” due to its extensive canal system. The city of Fort Lauderdale has a variety of activities and just as many different areas in which to live. Whether you’re searching for a waterfront mansion, an island estate, city high-rise or a luxury home in a gated community, it’s all here. A sumptuous home with wide water views that open up to a pool or terrace for entertaining guests is the perfect location for living the good life.

 Pompano Beach is located between Palm Beach and Miami, and is often referred to as “the Heart of the Gold Coast.” Pompano began as a farming and fishing community and gets its name from the popular ocean fish. Today, the city of Pompano Beach is known for its small town feel, Hillsboro Lighthouse and the beautiful beach where fish are still abundant offshore. If you’re searching for a unique home you’ll find many to choose from here. Discover an oceanfront, gated estate with views of not just the ocean, but Hillsboro Inlet and Lighthouse as well.

Incorporated in 1925, Boca Raton was created as a resort town. Water sports – from scuba to sailing – are prevalent here thanks to the Gulf Stream and a variety of reefs and shipwrecks. A haven for the affluent since the turn of the century, Boca Raton blends culture with small town appeal. The cultural events calendar is packed year round. So it makes sense when looking for your next luxury home here to purchase one on the water.

Palm Beach and West Palm have the reputation as being a playground for the wealthy. Ever since Henry Flagler brought his railroad to Palm Beach and built magnificent hotels for his passengers, the town has been synonymous with luxury. Superlative mansions and trendy landmark restaurants are plentiful here.

Jupiter and unincorporated Hobe Sound create a quiet, wealthy enclave north of Palm Beach. Blowing Rocks Preserve protects the island’s natural habitats and its large stretch of Anastasia limestone. When winter storms or high tides roll in, the ocean breaks against the limestone rocks and forces the water 50 feet skyward into a beautiful show of nature. Jupiter and Hobe Sound both have wonderful outdoor activities including fishing, golfing, surfing and of course, beaches. Your next luxury estate could be on the intracoastal waterfront with a dock for your boat. Colonial, Old World and Mediterranean styles are just a few of what you’ll experience.

THE KEYS

Key West is the southernmost Key as well as the southernmost tip of the United States. Real estate titles in Key West date back to the Kings of Spain. While strolling palm-lined streets you’ll spot historic Victorian gingerbread mansions, tin-roofed conch houses and Ernest Hemingway’s home with an overabundance of polydactyl cats in the yard.

If you’re looking for a luxury home in a relaxed island atmosphere head to Key West. It’s a small island – only about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide so pretty much anywhere you live will provide spectacular views of the ocean. Choose a condo, town home or waterfront mansion. Because the island is subtropical, there are lush grounds and tropical plantings everywhere

Key Largo is the northern-most Key and only an hour’s drive from Miami yet it feels like you’re on a totally different planet. Locals call Key Largo “The Diving Capital of the World” but the island is equally famous for its sport-fishing. Sandwiched between the Everglades and the only living coral barrier reef in North America, it’s also home to several parks, a national marine sanctuary and awe-inspiring botanical scenery. This lush, quiet island is perfect for a second or third home especially during the winter.

Get in touch with one of our member brokers to find out more about your next luxury home. LuxuryRegistry.com presents exceptional, luxury real estate to affluent individuals. Our Luxury Broker Registry supports only those qualified brokers who are well experienced in the sale of unique and distinctive properties worldwide. LuxuryRegistry.com offers brokers and buyers the opportunity to view premiere luxury real estate anywhere in the world.

 In the United States, real estate is showing a strong growth trend especially in the refined luxury sector. That means that now is the best time to take advantage of these investment opportunities.

For More Information goto luxuryregistry.com 

For information on how to become a LuxuryRegistry.com member broker please email us at contactus@luxuryregistry.com

About the Author

Maria Sanchez

Http:www.luxuryregistry.com

1201 1st 701 Oceanfront Jacksonville Beach Vacation Rental

March 20-27, 2010
SATURDAY, March 20Midnight(HGTV) Home Rules (CC)(DIY) Ask This Old House — Pruning a neglected crabapple tree; installing a new anti-scald shower-mixing valve.
Mediterranean Backyard Retreat

taste of jerusalem cafe

Grains: Ancient Foods for Modern Times
Grains have had a tough time in the American diet. Although they have pretty much always been a staple of our national table, we haven’t always treated them very well.
Delicious Broccoli Recipes By Mediterranean Meals(Part 2)

Grape Leaves – 34.2oz (907g) $7.69 Grape Leaves (Sera Armutlu Tipi Asma Yapragi) – 34.2oz (907g)…

Green Peas 1.5lb $5.09 Ingredients Peas, Water, Sugar…

Stuffed Grape Leaves 14.1oz (400g) $6.24 Stuffed Grape Leaves (Sera Yaprak Dolma) 14.1oz (400g)…

20 Great Things To Do In Miami

1. Indulge in sheer pleasure on South Beach

South Beach, surf capital of Miami is the place to enjoy yourself. The scene certainly lives up to the stereotype of Miami. You’ll find surfers catching the waves in a turquoise ocean, models sauntering along golden sands and rollerbladers gliding down Ocean Drive. Hyper-tanned celebrities rub oiled shoulders with hipsters in the sidewalk cafés, designer boutiques, lounge bars and dusk-til-dawn clubs. They make this a perfect place for chilling out after browsing through the World Erotic Art Museum. Among the quintessential hangouts are the Nikki Beach Club and the Opium Garden, while great restaurants include Joe’s Stone Crab, which is known for its legendary lime pie.

2. Feel like a flapper on Art Deco Ocean Drive

Forget the sand: take a stroll around the art deco buildings on South Beach to catch its golden era of architecture. Here you’ll find a glamorous array of hotels, which grew up when a theatrical style swept the design world in the 20s. Crowded along Ocean Drive are the best of these giddy individuals. Park Central Hotel and the Imperial, designed by New Yorkers Henry Hohauser and L Murray Dixon, feature bold bands of colour and window ‘eyebrows’, characteristic of this flamboyant style. This is the ideal place to start off exploring the Art Deco District, which contains over 800 buildings from the 1930s and ’40s. Visit the Art Deco District Welcome Center for self-guided audio tours.

Miami Car Rental

3. Spruce up your home decor in the Design District

If you fancy giving your home a facelift, then the Design District is the place to visit. Once a pineapple grove, the area evolved into Decorators Row during the building boom of the 1920s, when home-design stores occupied this space. Among the high-end showrooms is Holly Hunt (3833 NE 2nd Avenue, at NE 38th Street, 305 571 2012), with deluxe furniture and interior designs by Rose Tarlow, Christian Liaigre and Wendell Castle. And European kitchen-cabinet maker Bulthaup (3841 NE 2nd Avenue, at NE 38th Street, 305 573 7771) sells reproductions of mid-century modern classics here. Making the most of the Design Art trend are a number of galleries. Established names include Daniel Azoulay (3900A NE 1st Avenue, at NE 39th Street, 305 576 1977) and Barbara Gillman (414 NE 2nd Avenue, at NE 41st Street, 305 573 1920), which show internationally acclaimed artists.

4. Light up your Cubans in Little Havana

Visit Little Havana for a taste of Cuba. Miami Cubans are incredibly proud of this neighbourhood, even if they don’t live there. Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) and the surrounding area are testimony to the American dream followed by the hundreds of thousands of Cubans who fled to Miami after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Here, you’ll find many restaurants and shops that are replicas of their ones back home. The Mediterranean-style houses with rocking chairs on the porch, fragrant air of tobacco wafting from cigar stores and hum of Latin music from record shops collude to maintain the illusion.

5. Have a Sex and the City moment

For those jaded by the preening crowds on Ocean Drive, the hippest place to visit is Lincoln Road Mall. Designed by iconic architectural guru Morris Lapidus in the 1950s, when it was dubbed the ‘Fifth Avenue of the South’, it’s now simply known by locals as the ‘Road’. Wall-to-wall sidewalk cafés, clubs and cultural venues stretch along its length (from Washington Avenue to Alton Road), looking glamorous thanks to a $16-million facelift. You could imagine the girls from ‘Sex and the City’ clicking their heels around its stylish boutiques. Among the best cafés are the Van Dyke and Balans. Highlights include the glam gay nightspot, the Score, the Lincoln Theater, home of the New World Symphony, and the Regal South Beach Stadium 18 movie theatre.

6. Step into a fairytale at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

The sight of the Italian Renaissance-style Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on the Biscayne Bay is straight out a fairytale book. It’s bizarre to discover a European-style palace in this beach lovers’ paradise, but visiting it is like entering a wonderland. Built for Chicagoan industrialist and Europhile James Deering in the 20th-century, the extravagant architecture conceals an opulent interior. Full of European antiques and decorative works from the 16th to 19th centuries, and complete with original fittings, it will whisk you away to a golden age. It’s a popular wedding destination.

7. Dine in style at a classic Miami restaurant

In a city of glamour, the beautiful people need a grand stage on which to eat, so you can enjoy some fantastic dining experiences. The 19th-century Parisian façade of The Forge conceals a glitzy interior that is a rococo lover’s dream. The steakhouse once hosted the likes of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon. It still has an 1822 Château Lafite Rothschild worth $150,000 to prove its star quality. Decadent wines accompany steak and fish dishes, and there’s a healthy spa menu for the calorie conscious. The Wednesday night club scene at this venerable place calls to mind the soap opera ‘Dynasty’.

8. Plot your great escape at Key Biscayne

The Key as the locals call Key Biscayne may not be as pretty as Miami Beach or attract as many beautiful bodies, but it compensates for this lack of superficial beauty with its serenity. The northernmost island in the Florida Keys, its life began as an exclusive resort in the early 1900s and it attracted the US president Richard Nixon in the 1970s, when he bought a home here. Despite rising property prices, it has maintained a tranquil air. With little nightlife or shopping, the lure for visitors is nature: there are pristine beaches, two waterfront parks, a cycling path and gorgeous views of Miami. On the east Crandon Park has barbecue and picnic areas for family trips, while at the tip of the island there is good swimming in the 400-acre park of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area.

9. Get real with funky, fresh food

There’s more to American food than 24-hour diners and burgers in Miami. Here, you’ll find unique restaurants serving fresh American food. In the South Beach area, Barton G serves fabulous cuisine funked up with presentations that include popcorn shrimp and grilled sea bass in a brown paper bag. A superb Caesar salad comes complete with a cheese-grater and for the grand finale, a plume of cotton candy reminiscent of Dame Edna’s wig is served. For those who prefer a light meal, the hip hangout Segafredo is a great option. Here, you can eat tasty sandwiches, salads, carpaccios and desserts while lounging on comfy upholstered chairs and listening to a soundtrack of cool lounge music all day long.

10. Loosen those purse strings at designer shops

In Miami, you’ll find great shopping malls, with designer stores and boutiques to cater for every fashion whim. South Florida’s newest upscale mall, the Village of Merrick Park has three open-air storeys with 115 shops and boutiques, including the area’s only Burberry, plus Diane von Furstenberg, Etro, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Sonia Rykiel. The best all-rounder Aventura Mall has all the big department stores, such as Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. To purchase top-end T-shirts with grand embellishments visit Rebel. Long Island hipsters flock here for jeans and other items from Ya-Ya, Juicy Couture, Vince and Sass & Bide.

11. Go wild at the Carnaval Miami

Miami needs no excuse to party: from the traditional to the tacky, the city is fast on its feet when it comes to celebrations. For ten days each spring (in early March), Latino Miami struts its stuff with a vibrant array of beauty pageants, sports, concerts and international foods at Carnaval Miami (www.carnavalmiami.com). There are culinary competitions, galas and an upscale Latin jazz festival. The grand finale is Calle Ocho, a 23-block street festival in Little Havana, which is the largest block party in the world. Over a million watch live entertainment on 30 stages featuring salsa, merengue and Caribbean music.

12. Shop with the stars

In Miami, you can spot celebrities shopping for designer gear and pick up items in vogue with the stars. When Janet Jackson heard that Beyoncé was shopping at Poltrona Frau in the Design District she made a beeline for some Peter Marino sofas. At Bal Harbour Shops, Jennifer Lopez has been known to walk into Gucci and splash a few thousand dollars on goods. You’re most likely to see Britney Spears and Paris Hilton splurging in South Beach stores such as Atrium. Further south, rappers like Diddy, Usher and Kanye West might park their Rolls-Royce Phantoms in front of Intermix to buy some Stella McCartney threads.

13. Cure your ale-ments

Are you sick of sipping on candy-coloured martinis in glitzy bars and restaurants? Do you fancy spending a low-key evening chatting to locals over a pint of beer? Then, why not go back to basics at the hole-in-the-wall turned microbrewery, Abbey on South Beach. It offers European imports as well as several own-made beers. Despite its upgrade to a brewery, it still has the soul of a class dive-bar. This place has tons of atmosphere, a dartboard and is teeming with locals who you can try and chat up. Watch out for drunken arrowists.

14. Buff up at the beach

In Miami, why waste time in the gym when you can enjoy the outdoors while getting buff on the beach? With the sun, sea and scenery, sandy sports might not even seem like exercise. For an easy workout, grab a paddleball set or Frisbee at any store on the South Beach, join a game of soccer or round up a volleyball team. For the thrill of wave riding, hire an instructor at Florida Surf Lessons (www.floridasurflessons.com). Kick up the power a few notches at the South Beach Bootcamp, where a personal trainer will take you through a rigorous programme. But if that’s too intense, then mellow down at a sunset yoga class.

15. Glam up for clubbing

Miami often gets a reputation for its cookie-cutter nightclubs. But there are a handful of glamorous, individual bar-clubs on South Beach, where you can live it up well into the night. The dusky, chandelier-lit Florida Room mixes old-school décor with the aesthetic of a swanky cruise-ship, attracting everyone from young hipsters and chic sophisticates to Golden Girls clones on a fancy night out. Cameo is a renovated art deco movie theatre that’s a premier venue for superstar DJs. It’s popular with a mod squad of glamazons and scenesters. Dress to get noticed here.

16. Listen to the grape vine

A city hasn’t arrived until it can boast a selection of swanky wine bars and Miami has certainly embraced its inner wino. Cefalo’s is a wine emporium with a difference: it’s a chilled Coconut Grove hangout run by a former Dolphins player, which sells 2,000 wines by the bottle and around 40 varieties for sampling. As well as the bar and shop, it hosts tastings and classes, and its eaterie serves Italian cuisine. The first wine bar to open on the beach was Vino Miami, a sleek lounge with a sophisticated wine list and moreish menu of cheeses. For an intimate venue head to W Wine Bar in the chichi Design District or go by the reviews and stick to Wine 69, voted the city’s best wine bar by the Miami New Times.

17. Live your reel life dreams

South Florida has the stuff of cinematic fantasy: neon glamour, quasi-tropical vistas and buff bodies. It’s no surprise that those in the dream business, film-makers, adore making movies here. Since the days of ‘The White Rose’ in the 1920s, the motion picture industry has engaged in a heady love affair with the city, and you can spot clues to its movie stardom. The nightlife of Miami Beach has appeared in several films, including the 1964 Bond outing ‘Goldfinger’, and its gangsta-rapping features in Brian De Palma’s remake of ‘Scarface’. A hair-raising scene from ‘There’s Something About Mary’ is played out at the Cardozo Hotel, and there’s a big starring role for the Carlyle Hotel as a gay club on the flamboyant South Beach in ‘The Birdcage’.

18. Release your inner child

For those with children, and fun-loving adults, the Miami Children’s Museum is the ideal place to visit. With a futuristic design by the stellar architecture practice Arquitectonica, it’s an exciting playground with many interactive displays. You can discover a colourful, mosaic-tiled sandcastle, a teddy-bear exhibit and a television studio. Children under-five can have an adventure in a sea room and enjoy more mundane exhibits: a bank with teller stations and fake cheques, a supermarket with checkout lanes and police motorcycle and fire truck. A visit here will be an endless source of delight for young ones.

19. Get to the art of the matter at Art Basel Miami Beach

Miami Beach is better known for kitsch than fine art, so it seemed odd that organisers of Switzerland’s sophisticated Art Basel would choose Miami for its first American sortie. And yet it has been an amazing success: it draws galleries and dealers from around the globe, and showcases the work of more than 1,000 artists and over 200 galleries in the main fair alone. Being in Miami, this is an art fair with a difference: showbiz culture and celebs are part of the equation. Spotting stars buying art and seeing them again at exclusive galas adds to the fun. There are a number of satellite fairs including the NADA fair, Pulse and Design Miami. Galleries hold special shows, South Beach clubs host art parties and restaurants offer specials. This event is all about drinking cocktails on the sand while chatting about alfresco art. For information, visit www.artbaselmiamibeach.com.

20. Discover a rustic paradise

If you’ve had enough of the sun and surf, the farm fields around Homestead make for a bucolic break. The Fruit & Spice Park is the only garden of its kind in the United States, a 30-acre park exhibiting over 500 varieties of fruits, veggies, spices, herbs, nuts and exotic edibles. An old schoolhouse and coral rock building chart Florida’s pioneer life. Another throwback to the fruit farming of old is Robert is Here, which started life in 1959 when the shop’s namesake, then six, began selling the family’s cucumbers from a small stall. Since then, it has grown into an exotic emporium of fruit and veg. In the lovely setting you can drink fruity milkshakes and buy sweet gifts.

About the Author

Live in (French Country) Style

Parlez-vous Françes? Don’t worry – you don’t need to speak French in order to enjoy the bright, comfortable and classic style of French Country in your home. From weathered walls to wide wooden tables, it is not hard to achieve the French Country look using the following guidelines.

French Country style is all about well-used, worn-in, imperfect but beautiful architectural elements, furniture and accessories. Forget sleek lines, fine china, and black, white and gray color combos. Instead, fill your house with chunky wood tables, dozens of sweet-smelling flowers, and brightly patterned couches, curtains and pillows styled after the look of Provence, the southeast region in France that borders the Mediterranean Sea.

When choosing a French Country style home, think along the lines of cracked wood beams, curved panels, hand-carved decorations and raw material flooring and walls, like stone or exposed brick. Raw or distressed wood also can be used to cultivate a French Country atmosphere, as do uneven plaster walls.

Don’t worry about that spider crack in the paint in your kitchen, or the slight discoloration of the paint in your bedroom or living room. In French Country “speak”, these imperfections simply add character.

Other French Country architectural features include shutters for your windows, narrow, deeply cut window sills, and striped fabric awnings over windows to afford the home dweller extra protect from the heat.

But what if you just want to add some French Country flair to the home you already have, without changing its walls, floors and windows? No sweat. Rustic furniture is a key element to the French Country style. Think oversized rectangle or round wooden dining room tables, with a dull waxed or natural finish.

Chairs and occasional tables of the French Country style can be curved or boast carved designs in the woodwork. Dining room chairs can have a ladderback style or vertical slats. Also, large armoires are well-suited to the French Country look, giving the owner a nice cool place to store dishes, linens, or even clothing.

Finally, achieve that French Country style with the perfect fabrics and accessories that have that certain je ne sais quoi. Use toile material, a gauzy linen or cotton, in white, cream or yellow with bright contrasting colors. Choose themes such as monkeys, Chinese patterns, and eighteenth century courting scenes, all of which are predominant in French Country design.

Large, thickly woven baskets, chunky clay or old metal pitchers, Chinoiserie pottery, and iron garden shelving units all fit in nicely with the French Country look. So do ceramic plates, tiles, tablecloths and curtains sporting motifs of roosters, sunflowers, beetles or lavender. Save money by hunting for these and other accessories at flea markets and antique stores.

The final touch needed to makeover your home in the style of French Country is the addition of flowers. Fresh sunflowers, lavender, and geraniums especially all say “French Country”, and the more the better!

Put flowers in old pitchers or copper pots, in window boxes, and glass vases. Use a variety of colors, and make sure the arrangements don’t look too tame or stylized. Natural grasses are another way to bring the French Country look into you home.

Whether you decide to go full out, adding wood beams and stone flooring to your home, or whether you just add a nice chunky wooden dining room table, carved chairs, or a roomy armoire to your existing furniture, the French Country look can be achieved by anyone who wants to bring a little of the Provence countryside into his or her everyday life.

About the Author

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at

http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=FrenchCountry

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

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