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    <title>Jason's Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/jasonbuck</link>
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>511488</guid>
      <title>Lets Go Green Together :)</title>
      <description>	&#8220;Going green&#8221; and being &#8220;Eco-Conscious&#8221; are hot topics these days and gaining more attention with the urgent need to stop global warming. Costa Rica will plant seven million trees in 2008 to soak up as many greenhouse gas emissions as it produces, in a bid to become the world's first carbon neutral nation, a top official said Monday. "The stated goal is to be the first neutral country as far as greenhouse gas emissions is concerned," said Energy and Environment Minister Roberto Dobles. "To get there, this administration is betting on halting deforestation and on the 'Plant a Tree' project," he added, referring to an ongoing government initiative to plant as many trees as possible in the country.  The project aims to "plant seven million trees this year, meaning that in our country there would be 1.5 trees for each Costa Rican. He added that in 2007 the country managed to plant five million trees, spurred by the desire to forestall an impending environmental catastrophe.  "Climate change is the main threat facing humanity and, even so, the world still can't agree to fight this problem," Dobles said.
Every country can help in the struggle, even a small nation like his own, Dobles said. "We all know developed countries and big developing nations like China, Brazil and India are chiefly responsible for most of the greenhouse gases that destroy the ozone layer.  "That doesn't mean a country like Costa Rica should stand by doing nothing. On the contrary, we're working on a series of initiatives on the national and global levels to lessen the impact" of climate change, the minister said.
The effort is spurred in part by the perilous signs of global warming that have already appeared in the Central American nation. Costa Rican scientists have blamed the loss of more than a dozen amphibian species, including the shiny yellow "golden toad", on higher temperatures caused by global warming. By the end of 2007, Costa Rica will have planted nearly 6.5 million trees, which should absorb 111,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, Environment Minister Roberto Dobles said.

There are several things the public can do to support the environment like recycling, car pooling, walking, and reusing as many products as possible; every little bit helps. Another great idea is to post this simple message on your outbound emails.
 Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Go to your options menu in your email and create a signature for your emails. The picture of the tree that is being used in this case is actually the letter P using the Webdings font. Then, simply write the message and make the whole thing green. Now you are all set!
How many people print out emails these days? I bet there are several small tasks each of us can do to make a small change that will one day affect our big world. The challenge is to take action and make a difference.


</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 14:49:24 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/511488/Lets-Go-Green-Together</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>468250</guid>
      <title>Do you know me?</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Jason Buck moved to Palos Verdes at the age of 3 and lives in the same home he grew up in. He attended all PV schools including PV High before it closed. In &amp;rsquo;91 Jason went to Loyola Marymount and excelled to the Dean&amp;rsquo;s list before leaving the country to study abroad in Australia. He returned to major in music at USC, and then changed majors to graduate from Boulder University in Colorado with an International Business degree.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;In 1995 Jason was accepted in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Family matters brought him back to Los Angeles to help in the family business, Rollcut, a rotary die manufacturing plant with 40 employees.&amp;nbsp; After a few years the business finally closed its doors and resulted in his parents divorcing. Jason then found his way to real estate and was able to save the family home.&amp;nbsp; Jason received his Realtor license in 1998 and sold the first million dollar home for the small company he worked with. In 2000 he joined Fred Sands PV Realty and started working with the best agents on the &amp;ldquo;hill&amp;rdquo; quickly excelling his career to the top 10%.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Combing his new interest in real estate with his degree, Jason completed a designation as an International Property Specialist with a focus in Latin America. Jason attends several conferences around the world including Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, France, and Mexico.&amp;nbsp; He also belongs to FIABCI, and International Federation of agents, builders, and developers from around the world.&amp;nbsp; His five years of experience with this group has developed several great contacts and opportunities.&amp;nbsp; His database of associates is in the thousands and he attends annual meetings to continue those relationships.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Jason has also brought another lifelong love of music back into his life and currently plays with a disabled person band called No Boundaries. This band was asked to go to China in the summer of 2006 to promote people with disabilities and they were the first to perform at the Great Wall of China.&amp;nbsp; Recently the band performed with Jay Leno for a Special Olympic fundraiser and there is talk of returning to China in October for the Special Olympics.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Jason also continues his interest in the environment and is a registered Eco-Broker with the National Association of Realtors.&amp;nbsp; His goal is to improve air quality in homes while advocating &amp;ldquo;green&amp;rdquo; methods of generating electricity. This education is also valuable in the numerous eco-resorts he is representing in Costa Rica and Panama. He is also working with the Aqua Clara Foundation to provide a water purifier with no moving parts or need for electricity, using local materials to save the lives of children. These units are being placed in Kenya and parts of Mexico. Positive performance plus profitability are fundamental to sustainability. Aquaclara can save lives by water remediation while assisting local business and communities. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/1/7/0/ar120820024307183.jpg" height="433" alt=" " width="578" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:56:18 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/468250/Do-you-know-me</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>461694</guid>
      <title>Is there such a thing as Second World?</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Panama is hot, and it&amp;rsquo;s not the weather that is creating the most heat. There are 40 freighters with International cargo on either side of the Panama Canal right now waiting four days for their pass of the Mirimar locks. With the announcement of the canal expansion approved, an enormous amount of International Banks and Five Star developers including Trump are pouring money into the development of Panama.&amp;nbsp; The new canal will bring an abundance of white collar jobs to Panama including the mass amount of various construction jobs which is bustling with energy. Currently, Balboa Avenue is under construction from 10pm- 6am every evening as the current President is trying to finish the expansion of Balboa Greenway during his presidency. An enormous project of constructing a 4 line each way road with a center greenbelt, parks, and features.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/3/5/7/ar12077793375337.jpg" alt=" " /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Development is not only occurring in the city, although, there is still little development south of the city towards Colombia, where several indigenous Indians still thrive. The most popular destination where numerous projects are developing is along the Pacific Coastline especially in the Coronado area about an hour north of the city. Santa Catalina hosts the best surfing wave in the country and is rumored to be seeing a lot of development in the near future including an airport which would save a five hour drive from Panama City.&amp;nbsp; The Pacific Coastal port of David has enjoyed steady improvement in jobs and infrastructure. With a strong fishing business out of the Boca Chica area, islands and large farms are being purchased by savvy Americans who see the potential for development over the years to come. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Just up the road from David is Boquette, rated the #1 place to retire in numerous travel and leisure magazines and continues to grow in an ecological fashion with valleys of beautiful orchids in the trees in a cool climate. The Caribbean coast is the next hot spot and is now beginning to see projects with interest. There are several great land bank deals on this coast in Costa Abajo and Costa Arriba near Portobello.&amp;nbsp; There is a merchandise mart under contract offering foreign manufacturers, exporters, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents and business people from around the world the chance to rent or buy permanent showroom in an unique international wholesale market environment&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;There are several 2200 square foot 3 bedroom 2 bath homes with granite and American appliances investments in for $300,000 with gorgeous ocean or valley views throughout the country.&amp;nbsp; There are no property taxes for most properties for the next 20 years, as well as other tax and banking incentives.&amp;nbsp; The Panamaians are friendly and with 96 percent literacy technologically advanced with a tropical style.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:19:01 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/461694/Is-there-such-a</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>445411</guid>
      <title>Azulera in Costa Rica</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt; About 150 real estate brokers, tourism industry leaders, bankers and business owners gathered in Brasilito, Guanacaste to mark the start of construction of the $300 million Hyatt Hotel Resort project. A group of 75 people, about half of them brokers from both the United States and Canada, had been flown into the country to get a first hand look at the building site. Both the Ministers of Tourism and of Public Works and Transport, as well as the Mayor of Santa Cruz Municipality lent a hand with the symbolic planting of a Guanacaste tree as part of the ground-breaking ceremony. The Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, told the audience the government was willing to open its arms to projects such as the Hyatt, because of its style and the respect it has for the local community. &amp;ldquo;This will give employment to the local community, but within a sustainable development,&amp;rdquo; he said. Construction on the 184-room hotel and the accompanying 18-hole golf course is expected to eventually create 2000 to 2500 jobs. The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Karla Gonz&amp;aacute;lez, in outlining the government&amp;rsquo;s record in the region, told the developers her government did not want the country to be ashamed of its infrastructure again. &amp;ldquo;Today we have a challenge to repair and maintain the gravel roads, which account for about 80 per cent of Guanacaste. We need to do this without filling the province with asphalt.&amp;rdquo; She issued a challenge to the Mayor of Santa Cruz, Jorge Chavarr&amp;iacute;a, saying Costa Rica had failed to pay attention to infrastructure, like walkways, for tourists and other pedestrians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R-hXKgSqSTI/AAAAAAAAAE0/1UeDTvmq47I/s1600-h/other+view.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R-hXKgSqSTI/AAAAAAAAAE0/1UeDTvmq47I/s320/other+view.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181487209268267314" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For his part, Mayor Chavarr&amp;iacute;a said he had promised the developers the municipality would give them all his help, within the law, to speed up the construction process. &amp;ldquo;We are proud to have been chosen for such a prestigious project,&amp;rdquo; Mr Chavarr&amp;iacute;a said. Also part of the ceremonies was the Australian golfer Greg Norman, who has agreed to design the resort&amp;rsquo;s 18-hole golf course. He promised his design would be sensitive to the diverse environment in the region. Three banks will fund the $100-million-plus first phase of the project, which is being developed by the New Jersey-based, Global Financial Group. The deal is understood to have been put together by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), which bought in Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional. The first phase of the project will include the hotel, to be known as Hyatt Regency Azulera Resort and Spa, the golf course plus 64 condominiums. The Chief Executive Officer of the Global Financial Group, Anil Kothari, said the hotel is timed to be completed at the same time as the golf course, probably within 18 to 24 months, depending upon weather conditions. Phase one will be built on 225 hectares (557 acres) just north of the town of Brasilito. The entire project, built over five to seven years and including the resort, 100 condominiums, up to 240 villas around the golf course, an unspecified number of single dwelling homes, a spa, gymnasium, six restaurants, a banquet room seating 350, various salt and fresh water swimming pools and a commercial center, is likely to cost more than $300 million. The total residential component is likely to be as high as 1000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R-hZCgSqSUI/AAAAAAAAAE8/5FHpJAR_58o/s400/tower+and+solo.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181489270852569410" alt="" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more info please visit www.discoverlapuravida.com or write me an email about how we can work together with referrals. </description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:07:57 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/445411/Azulera-in-Costa-Rica</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>389065</guid>
      <title>Costa Rica Interest ~ join our webinar today</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;table bgcolor="#000000" cellspacing="5" border="0" height="1503" cellpadding="0" align="center" width="644"&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td&gt; &lt;div&gt;Optimum  Realty presents an &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Exclusive Phase One Opportunity &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Thursday  February 21st @ 5:30PM PST &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OptimumMarketingMana/92901e3ea2/630d233d78/40bc92bc5e"&gt;http://OptimumRealtyLLC.com/KaliaWebinar&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;    &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;http &lt;/div&gt;   &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://img.mi.vresp.com/media/e/a/2/ea2c4ddf59/92901e3ea2/8afb70d989/library/Kalia_Breeze%20Exterior%20Rendering_Small.jpg" height="360" alt="Kalia_Breeze Exterior Rendering_Small.jpg" width="554" /&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td bgcolor="#ffffff"&gt; &lt;table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" width="100%"&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td&gt; &lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join us for an &lt;a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OptimumMarketingMana/92901e3ea2/630d233d78/37d0ded6b2"&gt;informational&amp;nbsp;presentation&lt;/a&gt; on this new  &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;master-planned destination resort in  Guanacaste, Costa Rica&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday February 21st&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3:30pm HST - 5:30pm PST - 7:30pm CST - 8:30pm EST&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;**You will register and login online for the visual presentation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;You will need to call the number and access code&amp;nbsp;provided&amp;nbsp;once you register to receive the audio**&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;International emerging markets are the hot ticket for real estate investors and retirees.&amp;nbsp; As four million baby boomers turn 60 every year, many look to retire outside the US.&amp;nbsp; Costa Rica offers a temperate climate, low cost of living, stable government,&amp;nbsp; favorable taxes, low crime rate, rich culture and access to healthcare.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://img.mi.vresp.com/media/e/a/2/ea2c4ddf59/92901e3ea2/8afb70d989/library/Kalia_Mist%20Living%20Room_Small.jpg" height="360" align="middle" alt="Kalia_Mist Living Room_Small.jpg" width="554" /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This is an exclusive opportunity in phase one of four high-end, ultra modern sustainable destination resorts and villages on over 1,000 acres of forest and beachfront.&amp;nbsp; Only seven percent of the land will be developed.&amp;nbsp; This is the luxurious ecological development known as Kalia Modern Eco-Living.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You  will learn about: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt; &lt;div&gt;Why  Costa Rica as an investment &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; &lt;div&gt;Why  Kalia&amp;nbsp;as  a developer &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; &lt;div&gt;Current  models and lots available &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; &lt;div&gt;The  investment opportunity &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; &lt;div&gt;&amp;quot;Fly  and Buy&amp;quot; Program &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional  information is available at...&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Buyers:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OptimumMarketingMana/92901e3ea2/630d233d78/e5f6e6bd80"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;http://OptimumRealtyLLC.com/KaliaPhaseOne&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Brokers:  &lt;a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OptimumMarketingMana/92901e3ea2/630d233d78/e82288b209"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;http://OptimumRealtyLLC.com/KaliaBroker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;  &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Join  the Webinar: &lt;a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OptimumMarketingMana/92901e3ea2/630d233d78/e75ce23aa8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;http://OptimumRealtyLLC.com/KaliaWebinar&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td bgcolor="#ffffff" align="middle"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://img.mi.vresp.com/media/e/a/2/ea2c4ddf59/92901e3ea2/8afb70d989/library/Kalia_CR%20Log.jpg" height="60" align="middle" alt="Kalia_CR Log.jpg" width="468" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may have to cut and paste the webinar address and hope to see you there &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:12:08 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/389065/Costa-Rica-Interest-join</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>376281</guid>
      <title>Last Minute Invitation~!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I am inviting you to learn more about Costa Rica and a wonderful eco-village project TODAY at 5:30pmEST.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please join us as we talk about the wonderful attributes of this unique Phase I opportunity near Nosara, a holistic community with Yoga studios, recycling bins, and an earthy free-spiritual mentality thoughout the entire coastline. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div dir="ltr" id="idOWAReplyText38551"&gt; &lt;div dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;div&gt;Please register for our webinar for  brokers by going to &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.optimumrealtyllc.com/kaliawebinar" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.optimumrealtyllc.com/kaliawebinar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;We will be having a webinar for  your clients on Feb 21st at 8:30 EST. &lt;/div&gt; &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;International emerging markets are the hot ticket for real estate investors and retirees.&amp;nbsp; As four million baby boomers turn 60 every year, many look to retire outside the US.&amp;nbsp; Costa Rica offers a temperate climate, lower cost of living, stable government,&amp;nbsp; favorable taxes, low crime rate, rich culture and healthcare. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;This is an exclusive opportunity in phase one of four high-end, ultra modern sustainable destination resorts and villages on over 1,000 acres of forest and beachfront.&amp;nbsp; Only seven percent of the land will be developed.&amp;nbsp; This is the luxurious ecological development known as Kalia Modern Eco-Living.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Kalia is more than an investment, it&amp;rsquo;s an acknowledgement of lifestyle featuring a biodiverse and holistic environment.&amp;nbsp; More than just a &amp;ldquo;green&amp;rdquo; project, Kalia combines the highest level of eco-friendly building materials and exemplary craftsmanship with an incredibly beautiful location.&amp;nbsp; Experience Kalia.&amp;nbsp; Experience Costa Rica. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Warm  Regards,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div dir="ltr" id="idSignature16670"&gt; &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Jason Buck&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;310.383.2578&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.jasonbuck.com/" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.jasonbuck.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:58:27 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/376281/Last-Minute-Invitation</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>374190</guid>
      <title>Wanna Get AWAY~?</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Costa Rica Webinar" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/0/2/4/8/ar120268672384207.jpg" alt="Costa Rica Webinar Tuesday 5:30pmEST" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don&amp;#39;t miss this wonderful opportunity to learn about a wonderful eco-village resort in the heart of Costa Rica. Featuring state of the art eco-construction and a village with communial lifestyle as a priority ~ this is truly a new frontier.&amp;nbsp; Do you think about yoga, better spirituality, health&amp;nbsp; and helping the environment?&amp;nbsp; Just take a moment to learn about the exciting opportunities on our webinar this Tuesday - February 12th at 5:30pm EST.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first webinar is intended to teach brokers about the project, how we plan to handle referrals and visits, and general knowledge of the Costa Rican pura vida lifestyle, culture, economics, and geography.&amp;nbsp; The second webinar will be more intended for Buyers and will cover the same topics. We want to invite Brokers to attend and then attract your clients. We are not looking for referral fee&amp;#39;s ~ we want to help you to work with your clients and everyone wins. Come see why Costa Ricans are called Tico&amp;#39;s and why they always say &amp;quot;Pura Vida&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will be suprised you didn&amp;#39;t think of doing this a long time ago.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jason Buck&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;310.383.2578&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:44:02 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/374190/Wanna-Get-AWAY</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>368535</guid>
      <title>Costa Rica Webinar~!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I am inviting all realtors, investors, and home buyers to a special webinar we will be hosting this month.&amp;nbsp; Featuring a gorgeous new eco-village in Nosara in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, this webinar will give you a great understanding of the brilliant marketplace in Costa Rica. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Boats in the Bay" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/1/8/4/ar12023266548109.JPG" height="273" alt="San Juanillo natural bay and fishing village" width="364" /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;International emerging market are the hot ticket for real estate investors and retirees. Capture your clients that are thinking of making an International move and we can help them together. I have been traveling through Costa Rica and Panama for the last five years, and all of my hard work is coming together with some great projects and opportunities.&amp;nbsp; As four million baby boomers turn 60 every year, many look to retire outside the US. Costa Rica offers a temperate climate, lower cost of living, stable government, favorable taxes, low crime rate, rich culture and good /low priced healthcare ( there is a SIMA in San Jose).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/1/3/3/ar120232675633117.JPG" height="194" alt="Pool and Teak construction" width="259" /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plesae email me back with your interest in attending this event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/8/4/2/ar12023268324873.JPG" alt="Sunset over Tambor on the Puntarenas Peninsula" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:41:55 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/368535/Costa-Rica-Webinar</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>310508</guid>
      <title>Panama is Hot~!</title>
      <description>&lt;h3 class="post-title entry-title"&gt;                          &lt;a href="http://discoverlapuravida.blogspot.com/2007/12/fantastic-beachhut-paradise.html"&gt;Fantastic Beach~hut Paradise&lt;/a&gt;                      &lt;/h3&gt;                 &lt;div class="post-body entry-content"&gt;       &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IQvqR3ddI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/IsethZv6Xuo/s1600-h/60-20060713115538.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IQvqR3ddI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/IsethZv6Xuo/s200/60-20060713115538.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143692135399650770" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IQEqR3dcI/AAAAAAAAAEI/a_vKIk7Mku8/s1600-h/60-20060713115414.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IQEqR3dcI/AAAAAAAAAEI/a_vKIk7Mku8/s200/60-20060713115414.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143691396665275842" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located in Costa Arriba on the Carribean Coast of Panama just east of the entrance to the Panama Canal lies this fantastic beachfront opportunity. Over 7,000 Hectares of prime beach with over a kilometer of large sand beachfront. White sand matched with crystaline waters of the Carribean with lush tropical primary forests. $20,000,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After returning from a recent conference in Panama, I learned of several new properties and opportunites that I am very excited about. Real Estate is booming in Panama with the arrival of Donald Trump and the worlds largest building under construction in the city. I met some very caluable contacts and have lots of information to help you make a good decision in this country.&amp;nbsp; My affiliation with CIPS and FIABCI has helped me meet some very influential people in this business and continuing to find ways to give back to my local and International community have provided wonderful joy.&amp;nbsp; More information and listings are located at &lt;a href="http://www.discoverpuravida.com" title="panama land " target="_blank"&gt;www.discoverpuravida.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IUhKR3deI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Rv0SLpFuJU0/s1600-h/154158_0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R2IUhKR3deI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Rv0SLpFuJU0/s320/154158_0.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143696284338058722" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;www.pvblogs.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on this and other listings - &lt;a href="http://www.jasonbuck.com" title="Palos Verdes Real Estate Costa Rica and Panama" target="_blank"&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:22:15 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/310508/Panama-is-Hot</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>298426</guid>
      <title>Fun Stuff ~ Free Music</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I really enjoy the fun stuff - and a lot of it has to do with music.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="View from Studio Lorado" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/2/4/0/ar119697908404273.JPG" alt=" " width="300" /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I built a home recording studio that is &amp;quot;top notch&amp;quot; and in my free time I invite over a group of supertalented musicians and jam away.&amp;nbsp; The foundation is funk music, with a jazz emphasis on stretching, then I would say there is just plain harmony. This band is called Sunday Skool and we specialize in FLOW. We really listen to one another, play off one another, and smile and laugh a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soo, for those of you that are busy getting stuff done (I am too, but I&amp;#39;m on break) here is a song you can play in the background and download if you like it:)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://islalorado.com" title="Isla Lorado" target="_blank"&gt;http://islalorado.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="Body"&gt;On 11-11-07 studiolorado hosted special group of friends for the ultimate jam.&amp;nbsp; We couldn&amp;rsquo;t get out of the key of &amp;ldquo;D&amp;rdquo; and named our first track Delirious.&amp;nbsp; Its a 23 minute journey of sounds, vibes, thought, and passion and I feel blessed to be a part of this movement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;                 Featuring two keyboardists and two guitarists, bass and drums, all recorded live, unrehearsed, and raw.&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good luck getting your work done - if you have anyone who is thinking about property in Costa Rica or Panama, I have several contacts and deals to talk to you about.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Warm Regards,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jason Buck&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CIPS &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FIABCI&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:13:10 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/298426/Fun-Stuff-Free-Music</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>296716</guid>
      <title>Eco Lodge Costa Rica</title>
      <description>&lt;h3 class="post-title entry-title"&gt;&lt;a href="http://discoverlapuravida.blogspot.com/2007/12/uvita-costa-rica-eco-lodge.html"&gt;Uvita  Costa Rica Eco-Lodge&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/h3&gt;  &lt;div class="post-body entry-content"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X65NY1FpI/AAAAAAAAABI/fG-z3qVys1U/s1600-h/2615_452658_20070211063534_5_md.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X65NY1FpI/AAAAAAAAABI/fG-z3qVys1U/s400/2615_452658_20070211063534_5_md.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140290410466580114" height="160" alt="" width="349" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Whales and Dolphins hotel is one of the best  opportunities available fo&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X7CtY1FqI/AAAAAAAAABQ/cCxg0YKlA1s/s1600-h/2615_452658_20070211063533_3_md.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X7CtY1FqI/AAAAAAAAABQ/cCxg0YKlA1s/s200/2615_452658_20070211063533_3_md.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140290573675337378" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;r sale along the south coast near the coast community of Uvita. Uvita is in a stage of major growth with several commercial centers under construction along the recently paved coast highway, mostly due to two major factors, one being the construction of the highway linking up Quepos-Manuel Antonio to Dominical, and the proposed international airport to be constructed 40 minutes south in Palmar Sur. The village has one bank at present with 5 others to open in the near future showing that there are signs of growth coming into the zone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X7ytY1FrI/AAAAAAAAABY/Ky5LLeK-j0I/s1600-h/2615_452658_20070211063611_2_md.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X7ytY1FrI/AAAAAAAAABY/Ky5LLeK-j0I/s200/2615_452658_20070211063611_2_md.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140291398309058226" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Exclusive Eco Resort and Spa nestled into the lush tropical mountainsides above the famous sand bar and rocky point better known as the &amp;quot;Whales Tail&amp;quot; located along the &amp;quot;Costa Ballena&amp;quot; in the southern&lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X9jNY1FsI/AAAAAAAAABg/EH1W96MSHnw/s1600-h/2615_452658_20070211063533_4_md.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_leqvmwwIy5k/R1X9jNY1FsI/AAAAAAAAABg/EH1W96MSHnw/s200/2615_452658_20070211063533_4_md.jpg" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140293331044341442" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Pacific. Project offers 4 master suites and 16 standard rooms all with huge pacific whitewater views, two infinity edge pools, a world class restaurant, rain forest bar, gift shop, and an observation deck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The owners of the project are from Argentina, and the 8,000 km distance makes it very difficult for them to manage their business the way they would like to, making this an opportune moment for the ready to go buyer. 2.72 acres $2,450,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please do not hesitate to contact me for more  details,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jason Buck&lt;br /&gt;Certified International Property  Specialist&lt;br /&gt;FIABCI&lt;br /&gt;310.383.2578&lt;br /&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:37:08 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/296716/Eco-Lodge-Costa-Rica</link>
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      <guid>295808</guid>
      <title>Where is this city?</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Do you know where this city is?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Where is this city?" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/0/3/4/2/ar119680258024305.jpg" alt="Vegas of Central America" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I thought it would be fun to play a little game. Many people have no idea how fast Central America is growing. This city is currently in the spotlight for huge expansion projects and tourism.&amp;nbsp; Trump has just landed and started to build, and there will soon be the worlds tallest building constructed within view of this photo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you know where this is?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to hide the answer a bit to build excitement -- == Panama - with the canal expansion, babyboomer flocking to retire, and huge developments projects; this city never sleeps and can be known as the Las Vegas of Central America.&amp;nbsp; There is incredible opportnity here with International Banking, a stable economy and political stsmophere, and beacutiful beaches just up the coast. The mild climate of the mountains is attracting folks looking to retire while obseving orchids in the trees. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have been traveling to Costa Rica and Panama and have several clients, opportunities, and relationships I can share with you. Please let me know what you are looking for and I will guide you to a peacefull opportunity with professionals who can assist your move.&amp;nbsp; Land in Panama may be owned by foreign residents, there is title insurance and loans available, and something for everyone. All you need to do is think about your dream, and let me know - I will show you where its located :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have a great day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regards,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jason Buck&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Certified International Property Specialist&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;310.383.2578&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:21:10 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/295808/Where-is-this-city</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>179460</guid>
      <title>This is AMAZING!!!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I have been suffering from power problems in my neighborhood. There has been no effort by the power company to inform or contact the residents and the City does not want to get involved.&amp;nbsp; I wrote a letter to 240 or my neighbors and asked them to write to me or to this blog&lt;a href="http://thepvlife.com" title="Power Problems" target="_blank"&gt; http://thepvlife.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And its WORKING!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My neighbors have started to write their concerns, complaints, and experiences with this problem. I am soo stoked that I created a platform for our neighborhood to communicate and hopefully get some attention to our dilema. I also plan on promoting PV to mean Photo Voltaic, which is solar power.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Much more to come soon so please watch how this unfolds :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jason Buck&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href="http://thepvlife.com" title="Power Problems" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:22:06 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/179460/This-is-AMAZING</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>176652</guid>
      <title>Should Utility Companies be Held Accountable?</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;This article was written by a Rancho Palos Verdes resident who is suffereing from the power problems in the Pt. Vicente area. It was published in the Daily Breeze Tuesday August 14th, 2007.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; We all seem eager to voice our contempt of airline companies lately! Whether for late flights, crying babies, baggage losses, or cramped seats, we take the opportunity to give the airlines a &amp;quot;piece of our mind&amp;quot; at the least glimpse of a problem. We expect them to be perfect in matters of our travel, and many actually think its our right to have it so. The airlines are viewed as a utility company would be, always expected to be on the top of their service game, with no slip ups, no delays, no crew or passenger routing mistakes.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; If they do encounter these problems, interrupted passengers become very vocal about compensation, and other perks that go with our inconvenience. We expect telephone notification for delays, free meals and hotels for our troubled trips, free tickets for flight interruptions. Then why is it when our electrical utility goes out, the phone company lines go down, or the water main breaks, you get no warning, no update, no apologies and no compensation?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; My area had trouble with electrical service recently. The electrical provider scheduled a planned maintenance that would take the power out for approximately 20 hours, (told this over the phone when I called in to check the status of the outage). There was no notice that work was scheduled, no communication when it continued beyond the maintenance stage, and indeed, no word at all unless the customers called to inquire what the problem was. Then we received only estimated times for information updates. We understand that there are going to be circumstances beyond human control, like broken water mains or snapped phone lines, but why do we accept these so readily without wrath?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Why are airlines expected to compensate passengers for their mistakes, some, like weather, air traffic control problems, and connecting flight interruptions or flight safety issues, which are totally out of their control? We expect them to issue vouchers for meals, hotels, free tickets, and the like, but have nothing to say when our home food supply is ruined, though we may have been able to salvage it with a little fore warning.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; No, our utility companies are NOT the same. I just experienced a two-day electrical interruption. No warning, no compensation, little communication and $200 worth of food that had to be tossed out due to spoilage. The only comment? &amp;quot;We&amp;#39;re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you!&amp;quot; And a recorded message at that, received in the early morning as the power went back on, and every alarm on every appliance and system in the house was sounding.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; I&amp;#39;m wondering if we&amp;#39;d put up with that from the airlines?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://mail.camoves.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.gemcorptraining.blogspot.com" target="_blank"&gt;www.gemcorptraining.blogspot.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; is a blog on various thoughts on good customer service, the benefits, the techniques, and where its offered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more informaiton on the current situation please visit&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://palosverdeslife.blogspot.com/" title="Palos Verdes Life " target="_blank"&gt;http://palosverdeslife.blogspot.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:57:31 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/176652/Should-Utility-Companies-be</link>
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      <guid>176651</guid>
      <title>Where are the foreclosures?</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;The foreclosure market has been getting a lot of attention lately especially in the news. The real handicap at this point is the mortgage industry with loans getting harder to find and fund. The Palos Verdes and surrounding cities of Los Angeles have had a small amount of foreclosures. There is still plenty of buyers along the coast looking for homes and not a surplus of inventory to promote foreclosure. However, in Palmdale, Lancaster, Temecula, and Murrieta there are currently more than 100 foreclosures. Surrounding cities have plenty as well. Its the large multi-home projects that were overbuilt and now suffering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have a great graphic that I couldn&amp;#39;t post here - not sure why, if you would like to see it please go to &lt;a href="http://palosverdesrealestatenews.blogspot.com/" title="Palos Verdes Real Estate News" target="_blank"&gt;http://palosverdesrealestatenews.blogspot.com/&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like me to e-mail you the map please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Have a great day :) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:54:35 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/176651/Where-are-the-foreclosures</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>174752</guid>
      <title>My neighbors are upset too</title>
      <description>This article was written by a Rancho Palos Verdes resident who is suffereing from the power problems in the Pt. Vicente area. It was published in the Daily Breeze Tuesday August 14th, 2007.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all seem eager to voice our contempt of airline companies lately! Whether for late flights, crying babies, baggage losses, or cramped seats, we take the opportunity to give the airlines a &amp;quot;piece of our mind&amp;quot; at the least glimpse of a problem. We expect them to be perfect in matters of our travel, and many actually think its our right to have it so. The airlines are viewed as a utility company would be, always expected to be on the top of their service game, with no slip ups, no delays, no crew or passenger routing mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If they do encounter these problems, interrupted passengers become very vocal about compensation, and other perks that go with our inconvenience. We expect telephone notification for delays, free meals and hotels for our troubled trips, free tickets for flight interruptions. Then why is it when our electrical utility goes out, the phone company lines go down, or the water main breaks, you get no warning, no update, no apologies and no compensation?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My area had trouble with electrical service recently. The electrical provider scheduled a planned maintenance that would take the power out for approximately 20 hours, (told this over the phone when I called in to check the status of the outage). There was no notice that work was scheduled, no communication when it continued beyond the maintenance stage, and indeed, no word at all unless the customers called to inquire what the problem was. Then we received only estimated times for information updates. We understand that there are going to be circumstances beyond human control, like broken water mains or snapped phone lines, but why do we accept these so readily without wrath?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why are airlines expected to compensate passengers for their mistakes, some, like weather, air traffic control problems, and connecting flight interruptions or flight safety issues, which are totally out of their control? We expect them to issue vouchers for meals, hotels, free tickets, and the like, but have nothing to say when our home food supply is ruined, though we may have been able to salvage it with a little fore warning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, our utility companies are NOT the same. I just experienced a two-day electrical interruption. No warning, no compensation, little communication and $200 worth of food that had to be tossed out due to spoilage. The only comment? &amp;quot;We&amp;#39;re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you!&amp;quot; And a recorded message at that, received in the early morning as the power went back on, and every alarm on every appliance and system in the house was sounding.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&amp;#39;m wondering if we&amp;#39;d put up with that from the airlines?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://mail.camoves.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.gemcorptraining.blogspot.com" target="_blank"&gt;www.gemcorptraining.blogspot.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;is a blog on various thoughts on good customer service, the benefits, the techniques, and where its offered.</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:30:32 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/174752/My-neighbors-are-upset</link>
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      <guid>174736</guid>
      <title>Buying a Generator #2</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Buy a Generator #2&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;I did get a comment or two from people who didn&amp;rsquo;t think the investment for a generator was valid. Well, if you go without power for more than 24 hours I bet you will change your mind. Walking through the house by candlelight was cool, different, and mellow, and a welcomed change. However, finding my fish and other frozen goods thawed and ruined was a big bummer. And not being able to work from home, charge my phone, go in the spa, play my guitar, and keep the beer cold was the last straw. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Our situation began on Tuesday August 7&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;, 2007 when Via Lorado started experiencing a brown out &amp;ndash; this means that there was about half power and some lights would work. Other appliances that required more power wouldn&amp;rsquo;t, for example, some TV&amp;rsquo;s, microwave, spa equipment, router and computer.&amp;nbsp; Tuesday night our block went to black out &amp;ndash; no power!&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Our block Via Lorado and Via Marie Celeste had no power all day Wednesday and I am not sure if other blocks were affected too.&amp;nbsp; On Thursday August 9&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; a total of 7 generators were delivered to our neighborhood. I was told that each generator can power about 10 homes. Surrounding streets Via Victoria and parts of Via Rivera were affected too.&amp;nbsp; The generator can successfully distribute power to the block and all appliances and equipment can run normally.&amp;nbsp; However, they are pretty loud, you can smell the diesel fumes, and it gives me an uneasy feeling that our block is running off a generator, furthermore, I expect another outage. And sure enough, Saturday morning, August 11&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; our power was off again. This time it was only about 10 homes as our local generator oil pump failed and the unit needed to be replaced. It was a bummer that the replacement was about twice as loud as the last one, I can hear it all night, but we do have powerJ&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;I did go to home depot and buy a 5000 watt generator for $599. It runs on gas and can supply power for almost 11 hours if running at 50%. A standard refrigerator runs on about 500 watts, so I can run several appliances and still be under 50%. I told my neighbor who had lost a bunch of food in the last outage that I have an extension cord that would reach their house to at least save the frozen items.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/5/5/4/ar118719818945545.JPG" alt=" " width="400" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;What bothers me is the lack of attention from our local power company. Why haven&amp;rsquo;t they told us the problem or when it will be fixed. With today&amp;rsquo;s technology you would think they would set up some sort of information system to help the neighborhood understand what is going on.&amp;nbsp; Well, I did.. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;a href="http://palosverdeslife.blogspot.com/" title="Lifestyle in Palos Verdes" target="_blank"&gt;http://palosverdeslife.blogspot.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;or go to &lt;a href="http://palosverdeslife.blogspot.com" title="Palos Verdes Life" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.thepvlife.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;I hope that my neighbors can come to this site to gather current information, share information, and also grieve or advocate their feelings on this issue. I have heard that these generators will be our power source for the next four weeks &amp;ndash; and that the power company does not know what the problem is. Maybe we can gain enough attention to be properly notified.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:18:05 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/174736/Buying-a-Generator-2</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>170678</guid>
      <title>Blue Whales off Palos Verdes Pt Vicente</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;On August 5, 2007 after visiting Starbucks I saw a bunch of Blue Whales just off the coast of Pt Vicente in Palos Verdes. It was incredible and these huge mamals smashed the water with their tail. Sorry for the fumbling camera footage, I need a tripod. The music is my band Sunday Skool and I have titled this piece PV Whale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq4z88eXjxc" title="Blue Whale off Palos Verdes" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img title="Blue Whale off Palos Verdes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/7/7/5/ar11867854957792.jpg" alt="this is a copy photo of a blue whale" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:42:27 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/170678/Blue-Whales-off-Palos</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>170666</guid>
      <title>We should all buy a generator</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/8/3/0/8/ar118678466880388.JPG" alt="Diesel Generator in Palos Verdes" width="400" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We should all buy generators.&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;This week our local block suffered a brown out for two days &amp;ndash; I guess it was Monday and Tuesday.&amp;nbsp; On Wednesday we lost power completely. After 24 powerless hours many neighbors were scurrying to buy ice and preserve what they could out of the leaky freezer. I am a fisherman and my freezer is stocked with fish. I shoulda went to Home Depot last nite and bought a generator. I probably will tomorrow. Then at least I could have saved some food. And what if I did have a live fish tank &amp;ndash; all the filters and pumps would have stopped and my aquarium would have died.&amp;nbsp; The source of the problem is still unknown and our entire block is being powered by a diesel generator down the street.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;It really sucks that Edison didn&amp;rsquo;t bring out this generator earlier &amp;ndash; I don&amp;rsquo;t like the idea of being powered by a diesel generator anyways &amp;ndash; I should probably get a battery backup for my computer too. Our block had a similar situation a month or so ago and then a few months before that as well. There was no notice or support announcement to the status of this problem and when it will be resolved. I was thinking about having the neighbors get together in some form to call attention to this lack of communication. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;To top it off the Water and Power Company was here most of the afternoon checking the sewer for several residents had blockage &amp;ndash; must be a coincidence. &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:27:27 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/170666/We-should-all-buy</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>162019</guid>
      <title>Jason Buck knows Palos Verdes Estates</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I am a lifelong resident of Palos Verdes and luckliy bought the home
I grew up in.&amp;nbsp; I am soo blessed to live in this wonderful
community and nearly for the last decade i have been helping my clients
find their dream home. I have several wonderful success stories and
take pride in finding the perfect home, not a quick sale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have
also traveled to many parts of the world and always love coming home to
Palos Verdes. This is a very special place and after living here most
of my life, there are several secrets to tell you about.&amp;nbsp; Please
feel free to call me for more information on climate, culture,
wonderful activities, and the housing market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I put together a short video from my ocean view - click on photo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4EQkl5an1O4" title="Jason knows PVE" mce_href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4EQkl5an1O4" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/2/8/7/ar118599373578247.JPG" mce_src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/2/8/7/ar118599373578247.JPG" alt=" " width="500"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img title="tres palmas" src="http://activerain.com/action/blogs_admin/" mce_src="http://activerain.com/action/blogs_admin/" alt="Ocean view near Pt Vicente"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:45:52 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/162019/Jason-Buck-knows-Palos</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>162012</guid>
      <title>Jason knows Rancho Palos Verdes</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am a lifelong resident of Palos Verdes and luckliy bought the home I grew up in.&amp;nbsp; I am soo blessed to live in this wonderful community and nearly for the last decade i have been helping my clients find their dream home. I have several wonderful success stories and take pride in finding the perfect home, not a quick sale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have also traveled to many parts of the world and always love coming home to Palos Verdes. This is a very special place and after living here most of my life, there are several secrets to tell you about.&amp;nbsp; Please feel free to call me for more information on climate, culture, wonderful activities, and the housing market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I put together a short video from my ocean view - click on photo&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4EQkl5an1O4" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img title="Jason Buck knows Palos Verdes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/1/1/1/6/ar118599353561114.JPG" vspace="4" height="375" hspace="4" align="left" alt="Ocean View by Pt Vicente" width="500" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:40:52 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/162012/Jason-knows-Rancho-Palos</link>
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      <guid>162001</guid>
      <title>Homes in Crest area</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new listing came out on Avenida Altisima that has a pretty good ocean view and is well priced. The local market has been a bit slow and I have expected to see more new listings that have not appeared. Here is a sample of the current listings as of August 1 in the Crest area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full6510.PDF" target="_blank"&gt;http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full6510.PDF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like more information on current listings or what it is like to live in Palos Verdes please call or write to me. I would be happy to assist you. &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.jasonbuck.com" target="_blank"&gt; www.jasonbuck.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Have a great day.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:29:55 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/162001/Homes-in-Crest-area</link>
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      <guid>140364</guid>
      <title>Live Earth Concert Countdown under 6 Hours ~!!!</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Live Earth&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The concerts for a climate in crisis.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;We are in the final countdown for the beginning of Live Earth 7/7/2007. Live Earth is a 7 continent, 24 hour concert beginning in Australia at 11:10 am Sydney time and will bring more than 150 music artists and 2 billion people together to inspire a global movement to &amp;ldquo;answer the call&amp;rdquo; and combat the climate crisis.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The next show after Sydney is Tokyo, Japan, then Shanghai, China, followed by Live Earth Hamburg, Germany, then Live Earth London, then Johannesburg, and then the USA portion begins in New York, followed by the final act Live Earth Rio de Janeiro.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Capping Live Earth with a blockbuster show like this will ensure we meet our challenge of building a mass audience to combat global warming,&amp;rdquo; founder and executive producer Kevin Wall said.&amp;nbsp; &amp;ldquo;Live Earth will be a monumental event both in terms of entertainment and in turning the tide against global warming.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;ldquo;We hope that the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort,&amp;rdquo; Live Earth co-chair vice president Al Gore said.&amp;nbsp; &amp;ldquo;Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that&amp;rsquo;s needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Please visit&lt;a href="http://liveearth.msn.com" target="_blank"&gt; http://liveearth.msn.com&lt;/a&gt;/ for artist lineup, times, and how you can make a difference to save the world.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:22:08 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/140364/Live-Earth-Concert-Countdown</link>
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      <guid>139698</guid>
      <title>Southern Rancho Palos Verdes</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;This community runs along the gorgeous California Coastline following Palos Verdes Dr from Hawthorn Blvd south to the city border at San Pedro. Some of Palos Verdes most amazing treasures are located here including The Glass Church, the Portuguese Bend landslide, private neighborhood, and beach club, the new Terenea development, and of course Trump.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a local resident for over three decades I have witnessed many of the changes. Honestly, I can&amp;#39;t understand why Marineland coulnd&amp;#39;t have succeeded, and wish that our &amp;quot;going green&amp;quot; environment could have helped the biological center and marine preservation efforts continue - &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the curren t listings as of July 5, 2007:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full0251.PDF" target="_blank"&gt;http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full0251.PDF&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like more information or a personal email of local properties please visit &lt;a href="http://www.jasonbuck.com" target="_blank"&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:31:08 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/139698/Southern-Rancho-Palos-Verdes</link>
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      <guid>139690</guid>
      <title>Listings in West Rancho Palos Verdes</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;I live in Western Palos Verdes and grew up in this house since 1975.&amp;nbsp; My favorite part about this area is watching the moon sink into the ocean. The glaze line of white as the moon reflects in the night sea is breathtaking and can be more exhilarating that during the daytime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know a lot about the area and the history here and love talking about it - please feel free to write to me anytime if you are thinking about this area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the local listings as of July 5, 2007.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full0172.PDF" target="_blank"&gt;http://matrixreports.gsbrmls.net/MatrixReportServer/Output/31984/Customer_Full0172.PDF&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to visit my website anytime and request a personalized real estate search at &lt;a href="http://www.jasonbuck.com" target="_blank"&gt;www.jasonbuck.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have a great day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Jason Buck (Coldwell Banker Malaga Cove)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:17:06 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/139690/Listings-in-West-Rancho</link>
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