Pools, Patios, and Gardens to Die For

Pools, Patios, and Gardens to Die For

By Morgan Brennan , Forbes.com

May 26, 2011

Provided by:

Summer is upon us, which means backyard barbecues and dips in the pool. For home buyers with a few million to plunk down, some high-end homes offer a lot more in the backyard than a patch of grass and a kiddie pool.

Perusing dozens of impressive properties, we compiled a list of for sale homes with amazing pools, gardens and patios. Pools are amenities particularly sought out in areas of the U.S. where the weather is warm year-round. Given the scarcity of land in California's posh ZIP codes, a multimillion-dollar price tag does not guarantee a backyard, let alone a lavish pool. "It's like the idea of a million-dollar view--everyone wants one, but they can be hard to come by," says Ginger Glass, a listing agent for Coldwell Banker Previews International in Beverly Hills. An amazing pool area "can significantly increase the value."

In Pictures: Top Homes with Pools, Patios

Glass, who represents a pool-touting $4.8 million Paul Williams abode in Beverly Hills, notes that many buyers do not want to have to invest the additional work--let alone the $100,000 a lavish pool area in 90210 can cost--if they don't have to. "Most people that buy these types of properties will pass entirely if it doesn't have a pool area ... [and] I've seen people buy homes of lesser quality just because they do have one," states Glass. The 1930s Williams estate boasts a pool with arcing water fountains, red brick patio areas, a built-in fire pit and English garden landscaping on the borders.

A tiered infinity pool, which creates a visual effect of water running to the horizon, can really glitz up a view. Despite the chilly mountain air, Aspen's $25 million Larson Drive estate comes with an outdoor infinity-edge pool that creates the illusion of water meeting mountains. It's heated, so tired skiers can soak while staring out at Aspen and the nearby snow-capped peaks.

For $7.5 million or a monthly rental of $75,000, Miami Beach's Temple House offers 13,000 square feet of sound-proofed living space, but the real draw comes from the roof, where fountains pump water into the infinity pool.

Pools aside, some of the party-perfect properties open onto lush gardens that resemble parks more than yards. The $3 million Malibu mansion on Kanan Dume Road proffers a pool area gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. Lavender fields and hundreds of rose bushes are just a few of the green-thumb draws to the yard.

New York City is notorious for a lack of space, yet wealthy home buyers can still finagle a slice of opulent outdoor space if they're willing to part with some cash. Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, two miles from the southeast tip of Manhattan, has a penthouse apartment on the market with a plush, private rooftop garden. More than 70 species of flora inhabit the garden, watered by a built-in irrigation system. There's a vegetable garden, potted fruit trees and arbors teeming with vines. The 1,000-square-foot space can accommodate 100 guests and host them with a wet bar and mini fridge.

"It's hard to quantify what a garden like this is worth," says Heather McMaster, the Corcoran Group listing agent for the Brooklyn penthouse apartment on Saint Johns Place. She usually calculates the value of outdoor space in Brooklyn at roughly one-third of the value of interior space. In the case of a property like this, however, the outdoor space's value shoots up.

Like other unique amenities, unusual pools and extravagant gardens can differentiate an estate from others on the market. Manhattan's One Jackson Square, a luxe condo building in the ritzy West Village, just sold its priciest penthouse apartment for $18.95 million. Included in the price tag is a wrap-around roof deck with private pool.

If the amenities are too customized and taste-specific, they can mean a prolonged stay on the sale block until the right buyer manifests. Two homes we have featured in the past could run the risk of experiencing this scenario: Las Vegas' $10 million Wood Creek Court listing (reduced from $13.5 million last May) and Dallas' $9.75 million Northaven Road listing (reduced from $11.5 million in January). The Vegas abode boasts a resort-style water park with lazy river, while the round Texas house hugs an interior, circular moat.

Here are five homes on sale in America with the coolest pools, patios and gardens:

189 Larson Drive, Aspen, Colo.
List price: $25 million

Buyers of this Aspen estate can soak in the heated infinity pool. Photo: Trulia.com

5820 Kanan Dume Road, Malibu, Calif.
List price: $3 million

This Malibu estate offers expansive gardens touting hundreds of roses. Photo: Coldwell Banker Previews International

33 Old Orchard Lane, East Hampton, N.Y.
List price: $4.7 million

The architects of this Hamptons home floated the living room over a gunite pool. Photo: Corcoran Group

1290 Heritage Place, Westlake Village, Calif.
List price: $2.3 million

While parents hang out by the pool, kids play in the backyard's teak pirate ship. Photo: Sotheby's International Realty

1721 Coldwater Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif.
List price: $4.8 million

The brick decks supports a fire pit, and overlooks a pool, hot tub, and fountains. Photo: Coldwell Banker Previews International

Click here to see all of the Best Pools, Patios and Gardens to Die For

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/pools-patios-and-gardens-to-die-for.html

The Mercedes-Benz of Helicopters

A European rotary-winged aircraft company has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to outfit its twin-engine utility helicopter for business-luxury transport.

By Davey G. Johnson | Yahoo! Autos – Thu, May 26, 2011 4:18 PM EDT

You can almost hear the call echoing through the Austrian Alps: “The top speed of mein SL65 AMG is too low! Get to ze choppah!” Assuming the angst-ridden Salzburg billionaire hadn’t removed the 155-mph limiter from his V-12-powered Mercedes-Benz, he would be right — but just barely. The Eurocopter EC145 won't exceed 167 mph, but the point-to-point convenience a helicopter affords means never missing a last-minute lunch in Vienna. Until now, however, one couldn’t purchase an EC145 with an interior spec'd out by the lux-meisters in Stuttgart.

The European rotary-winged aircraft consortium — and sister company of Airbus under the EADS umbrella — has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to outfit its twin-engine utility helicopter for business-luxury transport. The lead on the project was undertaken by the company’s Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, which pulled design cues from the company’s designo roster of interior packages. Not to compare apples to oranges, the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is more akin to a S65than an SL. Or, with its land-darn-near-anywhere capability, a G-Class SUV.

The rail-mounted seats can be configured for up to eight passengers (think capo, consigliere and six gorillas). The wood and ambient lighting draw influence from Benz’ up-level E-Class and S-Class sedans. Unfortunately, the SLS AMG’s gullwing doors aren’t an available option, as they interfere with the operation of the 145’s rotor. On the plus-side, Eurocopter can outfit the whirlybird with an infrared-suppression system, making it difficult for bad guys armed with Stinger missiles to get a lock on you as you and your lady of the evening snack on strudel and sip a nice riesling.

As for the price, Eurocopter EC145s start at $5.5 million, but the Mercedes-Benz version will reportedly go for closer to €6 million (or approximately $8.5 million).

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/the-mercedes-benz-helicopter.html

Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance

Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance

Alexis Grant
Monday, May 23, 2011

More from

• 11 Tips for Getting Hired in 2011
  at USNews.com
• The 50 Best Careers of 2011
  at USNews.com
• When Using Job Boards, It Pays to Go Niche
  at USNews.com

Nestlé Purina Petcare, MITRE, and SAS top list compiled by Glassdoor.

If you want a better work-life balance, consider trying to land a job at Nestlé Purina Petcare Company, where you can bring your dog into the office; MITRE, a technology-consulting organization that employees say is family-friendly; or SAS Institute, a business analytics software provider that offers on-site child care, a heathcare center, and a fitness center.

Those companies, when rated by their employees, rank at the top of a new list for work-life balance created by Glassdoor, a website that offers insight into careers and companies, as well as job listings. This is the first year Glassdoor has produced such a list, reflecting what could be interpreted as an increasing desire for workplace policies that allow employees to meet family and personal responsibilities.

"A lot of companies talk about a good work-life balance," says Robert Hohman, CEO and co-founder of Glassdoor. "But not that many deliver. The [companies] on this list actually deliver."

The list is based on survey results from more than 150,000 employees who work or have worked at 36,000 companies. Between April 2010 and March 2011, they rated their satisfaction with their employer's support of balancing work and personal life, as well as management's support of taking time off when necessary.

Because work-life balance can be achieved in different ways, Hohman breaks it down into two camps. The first is telecommuting and other opportunities for flexible scheduling, which allows employees to be out of the office when they need to. "We see that in the case of MITRE," he says.

Other companies help employees bring more of their life to work, Hohman says, such as Facebook, which ranked No. 7. These employers offer amenities like on-site laundry, food services, and child care. Because such perks make work more pleasant for employees, they end up benefiting the company, too. "Companies that have a strong work-life balance are optimized for long-term success," Hohman says. "Those companies tend to keep employers longer, and those employees tend to be happier. And I would argue, in turn, those employees tend to be more productive over the long term."

Indeed, work-life balance is about more than reputation; it also helps companies retain their best employees. Offering flexible scheduling is the most effective way of improving employee retention rates, says Dick Finnegan, a former human-resources director and CEO of C-Suite Analytics, which helps companies decrease employee turnover. "The more liberal companies can be with letting people pick their own schedule times, letting them work from home, letting them -- especially people who travel a lot -- have no established schedules, letting people leverage technology to work from anywhere -- the more companies aggressively offer those things, the higher their retention."

If your company doesn't offer those policies, look to your direct boss to help you create a comfortable balance between your work and personal life. "Individual supervisors can trump company policies," Finnegan says.

Nestlé Purina Petcare Company, a maker of dog and cat food, has 9,850 employees globally, most of them in St. Louis, where the company's based. And yes, they're hiring; a spokeswoman says the company has openings for marketers, copywriters, accountants, engineers, sales representatives, paralegals, and more. But before you apply, make sure you'll fit in with a furry-friend-loving culture. "Bringing pets to work is a major plus," one employee wrote on Glassdoor, where you have to rate your own company to read other employees' reviews. "Pets on the work floor make everyone happier."

The MITRE Corporation, which is based in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va., employs about 7,000 scientists, engineers, and support specialists, according to the company's website. "Employees can adjust their hours around their children's schedules," an employee wrote on Glassdoor. "I don't miss a thing with my kids' lives, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

But there's a drawback to working for a company where employees want to stay for the long haul, points out one Nestlé Purina employee. "People never leave, so there's not a lot of opportunity to grow or move around," the employee complained anonymously on Glassdoor.

That's likely to change over the next few years, says Steve Degnan, who oversees human resources for Nestlé Purina's North America division. (The company also has nearly 2,500 employees in Latin America.) A high percentage of the company's employees are baby boomers, he says, who will likely retire in the next five to 10 years, offering plenty of room for other employees to grow and for the company to hire new workers.

"I would not mistake being recognized for work-life balance for a lack of intensity," Degnan says. "You walk into our building and you can see and feel a level of comfort, but it's still a passionate, intensively competitive [environment]."

Interested in working for one of these companies? Here are a few ideas for how to get your foot in the door (follow the links for tips on each job-search strategy):

Use your online network. Look up the company on LinkedIn to see whether any of your contacts work there. Do the same on Facebook, using new networking tool In the Door. Having a personal recommendation can go a long way toward helping you get noticed.

If you don't have a contact, make one. Check to see whether the company or their recruiting arm is on Twitter, and work to establish a relationship. Or research the company's employees on LinkedIn to find out where they interact, both in person and online, and show up there to get to know them. (Hint: If you take this route, build relationships before going in for the kill.)

Pitch the company. Rather than waiting for an opening, contact the company and tell them why they should hire you.

Check out the company's advertised openings. Find the company's Careers page on their website or LinkedIn profile to learn whether any of their openings fit what you're looking for. Glassdoor also lists open positions for each company.

Here's Glassdoor's full list of companies with the best work-life balance:

1. Nestlé Purina Petcare Company
2. MITRE
3. SAS Institute
4. FactSet
5. United Space Alliance
6. Slalom Consulting
7. Facebook
8. Morningstar
9. Susquehanna International Group
10. Colgate-Palmolive
11. Mentor Graphics
12. Autodesk
13. Sheetz
14. Agilent Technologies
15. Turner Broadcasting
16. Dupont
17. Southwest Airlines
18. General Mills
19. Biogen Idec
20. Scottrade
21. Chevron
22. Synopsys
23. MTV Networks
24. Intuit
25. National Instruments

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-112722-9629-4-top-25-companies-for-work-life-balance?ywaad=ad0035&nc

Sepuluh Cara Berhemat

Oleh Famega Syavira Putri | Yahoo News – Jum, 20 Mei 2011

Ada sepuluh ide untuk melakukan penghematan dengan cara sederhana, yang mudah dilakukan tanpa harus menjadi pelit.

1. Bawa air minum
Membeli air minum dalam kemasan tak hanya menambah sampah plastik tapi juga memboroskan uang. Bayangkan, jika dalam sehari Anda membeli sebotol air minum dengan harga Rp 3000, dalam sebulan Anda menghabiskan Rp 90 ribu. Sebagai gantinya, belilah botol minum sendiri — yang bisa diisi ulang.

2. Membawa daftar belanjaan
Buatlah daftar belanjaan sebelum pergi berbelanja ke toko. Pastikan daftar Anda hanya berisikan barang-barang yang memang Anda butuhkan. Hanya barang yang masuk daftar yang boleh dibeli, lainnya tidak.

3. Berjalan kaki lebih sering
Cobalah jalan kaki jika tujuan Anda cukup dekat. Kurangi ketergantungan terhadap kendaraan pribadi dan gunakan kendaraan umum. Anda juga bisa mencoba memberi tumpangan dengan teman yang searah. Informasinya bisa didapat melalui beberapa komunitas yang berbagi kendaraan sepertiwww.nebeng.com.

4. Manfaatkan perpustakaan
Anda tidak perlu senantiasa membeli buku baru. Kunjungilah perpustakaan untuk mencari buku yang diperlukan.

5. Kurangi makan di luar
Usahakan memasak dan membawa bekal makan siang untuk di kantor. Memasak akan menghemat banyak biaya dibandingkan selalu makan di luar.

6.Jauhi ATM asing
Menarik uang dari bank selain bank Anda bisa menyebabkan pemotongan uang dari rekening. Jumlahnya bervariasi mulai dari Rp 3000 hingga Rp 20 ribu. Nilai ini nampaknya kecil, tapi bayangkan jumlah totalnya jika sering dilakukan.

7. Membuat kopi sendiri
Daripada membeli kopi mahal di kafe, lebih baik minum kopi buatan sendiri. Sedikit-sedikit mengirit lama-lama jadi bukit.

8. Kurangi ke mal
Jalan-jalan ke mal bisa mendatangkan banyak godaan untuk membeli barang secara impulsif. Maka itu, lebih baik habiskan waktu libur dengan piknik ke taman atau museum.

9. Manfaatkan kartu diskon
Beberapa toko menawarkan diskon bagi pelanggan yang punya kartu anggota. Manfaatkan hal ini dengan bijak. Awas, ini berbeda dengan membeli barang diskon yang sebenarnya tidak dibutuhkan.

10. Daur ulang
Kreatiflah: ada banyak ide yang bisa dilakukan untuk mendaur ulang barang yang tak digunakan lagi. Misalnya, memadukan pakaian lama dengan baju lain sehingga menjadi lebih menarik.

Anda punya ide lain?

http://id.berita.yahoo.com/sepuluh-cara-berhemat.html

Masjid Tertua Wonosobo, Datangnya Keturunan Brawijaya

12 Agustus 2010 | 23:00 wib

Masjid Tertua Wonosobo (1)

Datangnya Keturunan Brawijaya

SESUAI namanya, Masjid Getas berada di Dusun Getas, Desa Wonosari, Kecamatan Wonosobo. Fisik bangunannya sangat sederhana, namun justru hal ini yang membuat masjid itu menjadi menarik untuk ditelisik.

Lebih-lebih, ditengah kesederhanaan ini, siapa sangka jika pendirinya masih memiliki ikatan darah dengan Brawijaya, tokoh Kerajaan Majapahit.

Masjid Getas, begitu masyarakat sekitar menyebutnya. Tak ada nama khusus yang diberikan, meskipun bangunan itu menyandang predikat masjid tertua di Kabupaten Wonosobo.

Mustofa (60), pengurus masjid yang masih keturunan pendiri tempat itu mengatakan, sejak dahulu memang demikian adanya. "Masjid ini memang tidak punya nama khusus, sebenarnya saya juga ingin masjid ini punya nama," tuturnya, beberapa waktu lalu.

Mustofa pun bercerita, sejarah Masjid Getas dimulai dari datangnya seorang pensyiar Islam dari Demak. Sekitar tahun 1750, Raden Hasan Qonawi masuk ke wilayah ini dengan misi menyebarkan ajaran Islam. Untuk itulah dia membangun masjid dengan luas 12 x 14 meter persegi tersebut.

Strukturnya dibuat dari kayu, dengan kayu nangka sebagai bahan baku utama. Kini, meski telah berdiri ratusan tahun, jika berkunjung ke bangunan bersejarah itu, Anda akan menjumpai bagian-bagian masjid yang masih utuh, sesuai bentuk aslinya. Contohnya, pintu utama, mimbar dan pengimaman yang memiliki keseragaman ukiran kaligrafi, juga sebuah bedug kuno.

Berlanjut pada kisah Raden Hasan, tak lama tinggal di Getas, ia lantas mengembara ke Ambarawa. Kembali dalam misinya menyebarkan Agama Islam, demikian kata Mustofa. "Padahal sebenarnya di sini dia sudah agak aman dari kejaran Belanda," ungkapnya.

Ya, Raden Hasan memang menjadi target kaum kompeni. Hal itu tak lain karena ia dianggap memiliki pusaka yang menjadi incaran kolonial. "Raden punya warisan dari Kerajaan Majapahit berupa kulit kerbau, itu dianggap sakti," jelas Mustofa.

Pria petani itu menambahkan, kulit kerbau yang dimaksud adalah kulit Kerbau Ndalu. Kerbau yang dibunuh Jaka Tingkir.

Setelah Raden Hasan pergi, keturunannyalah yang kemudian meneruskan syiar Islam di wilayah tersebut. Kyai Muhammad Zein, nama putra ketiga Raden Hasan. Tak hanya mengurus masjid, Kyai Zein mendirikan sebuah pondok pesantren tak jauh dari masjid.

Sayangnya, pondok pesantren itu tidak mampu bertahan lama karena tak memiliki penerus, sementara Kyai Zein pergi ke daerah lain. Mustofa sendiri yang merupakan cucu buyut Kyai Zein, masih menyimpan bukti tertulis pendirian pondok pesantren itu.

bersambung...

( Rahayu Kurniawati / CN16 )

http://suaramerdeka.com/v1/index.php/ramadan/ramadan_detail/54168/Datangnya-Keturunan-Brawijaya

Masjid Al Iman Loano Miliki Garis Spiritual dengan Masjid Demak

23 Agustus 2010 | 20:25 wib

Masjid Al Iman Loano

Miliki Garis Spiritual dengan Masjid Demak

MASJID Al Iman atau yang lebih tersohor dengan sebutan Masjid Loano merupakan satu dari sekian banyak bangunan peninggalan peradaban klasik yang sudah ditetapkan sebagai Benda Cagar Budaya (BCB) oleh Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Purbakala (BP3)
Provinsi Jawa Tengah.

Tempat peribadatan umat muslim ini memang tergolong memiliki nilai sejarah yang istimewa. Bukan lantaran kemegahan bangunannya, tapi dikarenakan usia bangunan yang sangat tua tapi konstruksi bangunan masih bisa dipertahankan sesuai aslinya.

Memang tidak ada data sejarah pasti yang bisa menjelaskan kepastian kapan pertama kali masjid itu dibangun. Namun dari bentuk dan gaya arsitektur bangunan, diperkirakan Masjid Al Iman dibangun pada abad XV masehi. Antara lain terlihat dari konstruksi usuk yang bukan sekedar dipaku menempel, tapi ditanam masuk ke konstruksi pengeret.

Masjid tersebut memiliki 16 tiang yang semuanya merupakan kayu jati utuh berusia ratusan tahun. Dari 16 tiang tersebut, empat di antaranya merupakan saka guru yang berfungsi sebagai penyangga hingga bagian rangka atap.

Kasie Sejarah dan Kepurbakalaan Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Drs Eko Riyanto menjelaskan, masjid tersebut memang pernah diubah bentuk rangka atapnya oleh penduduk sekitar. Tapi sejak Maret lalu konstruksinya dikembalikan seperti semua oleh Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Pubakala (BP3) Jawa Tengah.

"Masjid itu usianya sudah ratusan tahun dan dibangun pada masa peradaban Islam Purworejo. Otomatis, masjid itu menjadi informasi penting sekaligus etalase untuk mempelajari peradaban Islam di Kabupaten Purworejo. Masjid itu menjadi semacam prasasti sejarah Islam," paparnya.

Lebih Tua dari Masjid Demak

Masjid Loano ini memang telah menjadi salah satu saksi sejarah syiar Islam di Kabupaten Purworejo. Dari beberapa referensi yang berhasil ditelusuri Suara Merdeka CyberNews serta informasi dari penduduk sekitar, masjid Loano dari sisi umurnya sebenarnya jauh lebih tua dibandingkan dengan salah satu masjid tua di pulau Jawa yang menjadi pusat pemerintahan kerajaan Islam Demak. Yakni Masjid Demak yang didirikan Sunan Kalijaga sekitar abad XV atau sekitar 1477 M.

Dalam beberapa hikayat penduduk sekitar dikisahkan, masjid Loano ini didirikan sebelum masjid Demak. Ulama yang dipercaya masyarakat sebagai pendiri masjid ini adalah Sunan Geseng, yang tidak lain adalah murid Sunan Kalijaga. Dengan demikian,
kedua masjid tersebut telah memiliki garis hubung spiritual sejak awal.

Diceritakan pula, dulunya Loano merupakan sebuah kerajaan besar tersendiri sejak zaman kerajaan Pajajaran hingga kerajaan Mataram. Besar kemungkinan masjid Loano ini dibangun pada masa kejayaan kerajaan tersebut dan memiliki fungsi sebagai masjid agung.

Salah satu keistimewaan masjid yang dibangun dalam Benteng Kadipaten ini adalah puncak masjid yang disebut Mustaka. Dalam Mustaka ini terdapat kayu penunjuk yang dapat berubah-ubah arahnya. Masyarakat sekitar memercayai, konon perubahan arah itu menunjukkan tempat adanya musibah di Indonesia.

Di bagian kayu atas masjid juga terdapat khat atau tulisan berbahasa Arab yang memuat tentang beberapa doa dalam salat. Sedangkan kubahnya terbuat dari tanah liat berkualitas tinggi dan biasanya digunakan untuk pembuatan kramik. Juga mimbar masjid yang terbuat dari kayu jati dengan bentuk khas zaman klasik.

( Nur Kholiq / CN16 )

http://suaramerdeka.com/v1/index.php/ramadan/ramadan_detail/54249/Miliki-Garis-Spiritual-dengan-Masjid-Demak