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Motorola Smart Controller now available for $99, drive your Xyboard without holding it (video)

We first caught wind of Motorola's wireless pointing device, the Smart Controller, back in October when we played with a small army of Droid RAZR accessories. Whilst paired with phones, the Bluetooth remote control also moonlights as a handset that can receive and make calls, thanks to a dedicated call button on its backside. Naturally, it can also be paired with Moto's family of tablets, which is how we encountered it here, wirelessly tethered to a Xyboard 8.2 at CES. Featuring a trackpad and the same four Android nav buttons you'd encounter on a Motorola handset, tracking was generally good, although occasionally jumpy especially as we neared the end of web pages. You could chalk that up to a less than ideal demo environment, but at least we can report its build quality was top notch. Clicking on the trackpad was also nice, as your thumb's treated to a wee bit of travel before clicks actuate. It's a niche device, sure, but with full navigation and pinch to zoom, this add-on could make for a nice couch browsing experience while your tablet's tethered to your TV. If you're jonesin' for one, they're available now for a cool Benjamin from Moto or Verizon.

Continue reading Motorola Smart Controller now available for $99, drive your Xyboard without holding it (video)

Motorola Smart Controller now available for $99, drive your Xyboard without holding it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Justice Dept says recent recess appointments legal (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Justice Department is publicly rebutting Republican criticism of the legality of President Barack Obama's recent recess appointments of a national consumer watchdog and other officials.

The department released a 23-page legal opinion Thursday summarizing the advice it gave the White House before the Jan. 4 appointments. GOP leaders have argued the Senate was not technically in recess when Obama acted so the regular Senate confirmation process should have been followed.

Assistant Attorney General Virginia Seitz wrote that the president has authority to make such appointments because the Senate is on a 20-day recess, even though it has held periodic pro forma sessions in which no business is conducted. Seitz argued the pro forma sessions ? some with as few as one member present ? have not been sufficient for the chamber to exercise its constitutional authority to advise and consent to normal presidential nominations.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said Obama has endangered the nation's systems of checks and balances, and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch says the appointments are a very grave decision by an autocratic White House.

Senate Republicans have been using their ability to block or stall Senate confirmation of some regular nominees as a way to curb agencies they believe have taken or are poised to take actions they disagree with.

On Jan. 4, Obama appointed Richard Cordray, a former attorney general of Ohio, to be the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Obama also appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board that day. There was stiff Republican opposition to creating the new consumer agency, which was authorized in the financial regulation law, and Republicans have argued that the labor board has tilted toward unions under Obama's Democratic administration.

The Justice official who wrote the opinion, Seitz, heads the department's Office of Legal Counsel, which is empowered to provide binding legal opinions to the executive branch.

Her new memo cites a Justice Department legal opinion from President George W. Bush's Republican administration in justifying Obama's recent appointments. The Bush administration opinion from 2004 says that a recess during a session of the Senate can meet constitutional requirements for permitting the president to make recess appointments as long as the recess is of sufficient length. Seitz noted that the last five presidents have made recess appointments during recesses of 14 days or less.

In December, the Senate agreed to adjourn until Jan. 23 but to convene pro forma sessions in which no business was to be conducted every Tuesday and Friday.

The Senate pro forma sessions in which no business was conducted, do not "in our opinion" interrupt the recess "in a manner that would preclude the president" from acting, Seitz wrote in her Jan. 6 opinion.

Beginning in late 2007, the Senate has frequently conducted pro forma sessions that typically last only a few seconds and that "apparently require the presence of only one senator," Seitz wrote. Under a legal framework dating back nearly a century, recess appointments have been permitted when the Senate cannot receive communications from the president or participate as a body in confirming nominees.

In an op-ed article in the Washington Post, Edwin Meese, who served as attorney general under Republican President Ronald Reagan, and Todd Gaziano, a former Office of Legal Counsel attorney who is now a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, called Obama's actions "a breathtaking violation of the separation of powers."

The GOP's unsuccessful opposition to creating the consumer watchdog agency has turned into opposition to potential nominees to lead the office. Stiff Republican opposition headed Obama off from even nominating Elizabeth Warren, the interim official who helped set up the office, to be its permanent chief.

There is GOP resistance as well to filling slots on the National Labor Relations Board that Republicans feel has become pro-labor under Obama. If Republicans keep enough slots vacant on the labor board, they can prevent it from acting at all.

The pro forma sessions have been used by both Democratic and Republican senators in an effort to stave off recess appointments.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in 2008 that the pro forma sessions were designed to prevent the president ? at that time Bush ? from exercising his constitutional power to make recess appointments.

Last year with Obama in the White House, some Republican senators urged House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, not to pass any resolution that would allow the Senate to recess or adjourn for more than three days. The Constitution provides that neither the House nor the Senate shall adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other. No concurrent resolution of adjournment has been introduced in either chamber since May of last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_justice_recess_appointments

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"Harry Potter," Katy Perry big People's Choice winners (omg!)

Singer Katy Perry performs at the Rock in Rio Music Festival in Rio de Janeiro in this September 23, 2011 file photo. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Harry Potter" cast a spell at the People's Choice awards on Wednesday on a night that also saw big wins for singer Katy Perry at the start of the Hollywood awards season.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" -- the last installment of the hit movie franchise about the British boy wizard -- won four awards, including best movie and favorite ensemble cast.

Perry won five trophies, including best female music artist, favorite song for "E.T." and favorite tour headliner. But the perky "Firework" pop star pulled out of Wednesday's live TV ceremony at short notice, following her split with British comedian Russell Brand two weeks ago after 14 months of marriage.

The People's Choice is the earliest of Hollywood's glittering annual awards shows. But unlike the Oscars or the Golden Globes, the People's Choice winners are determined by fans and provide few insights to the likely winners of the movie industry's highest honors in February.

The "Harry Potter" stars did not make the trip from Britain to the awards show in Los Angeles so none of their wins were announced on the two-hour televised ceremony.

Female romp "Bridesmaids" won best comedy movie and Johnny Depp picked up the best actor award.

Emma Stone, 23, took the trophies for both movie actress and favorite comedy actress for her roles in civil rights era film "The Help" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

"I moved to LA eight years ago this week with my mom and it is so insane to be standing up here right now," Stone told the audience.

Former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato, 19, was voted favorite pop artist following her return to showbusiness after an emotional breakdown in late 2010, beating the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Maroon 5 won best band.

Television honors included "Glee" star Lea Michele and Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother," which also won favorite TV comedy show. "Two Broke Girls" was voted best new TV comedy.

Adam Sandler won best movie comedy actor and "Water for Elephants," starring "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson, won best movie drama.

Sandler beat perennial favorites like Steve Carell and Bradley Cooper. Both Sandler's movies this year -- "Jack and Jill" and "Just Go With It" -- were mauled by critics but as Sandler noted while accepting his trophy, "You the people seem to enjoy" them.

The People's Choice hands out awards in more than 40 categories covering film, music and television. Organizers said on Wednesday that the winners were decided by more than 230 million public votes online, via text and through social media websites.

The popular "Twilight" vampire romance franchise, which has dominated People's Choice for the past two years, was not eligible to compete this year because of the timing of the "Breaking Dawn-Part 1" release in November.

In a new category, Morgan Freeman triumphed over George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks and Robert DeNiro to win favorite movie icon.

Freeman, the Oscar-winning star of "Million Dollar Baby", said he wasn't sure what an icon was. But he added, "I hope I represent a working actor who is so incredibly proud to be in this business ... and forever grateful for this honor."

A full list of winners can be found at www.peopleschoice.com.

(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_harry_potter_katy_perry_big_peoples_choice_winners044133034/44152554/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/harry-potter-katy-perry-big-peoples-choice-winners-044133034.html

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Video: Casio 3D Painting Tech Makes Eye-Catching Art

Walking through the CES Central Hall, home to most of the big electronics manufacturers like Samsung and Panasonic, something at the Casio booth immediately caught our eye. It appeared to be a lifelike painting of a Dalmatian, but closer inspection revealed the pup's nose was actually protruding from the frame.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/duhsSXD8KAI/

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Saban: This Alabama championship team special

Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates with his son Nicholas Saban, right, after the BCS National Championship college football game against LSU Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans. Alabama won 21-0. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates with his son Nicholas Saban, right, after the BCS National Championship college football game against LSU Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans. Alabama won 21-0. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates with AJ McCarron after the BCS National Championship college football game against LSU Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans. Alabama won 21-0. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates with his team after the BCS National Championship college football game against LSU Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans. Alabama won 21-0. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

(AP) ? Nick Saban rolled out of bed without time even for his daily dose of The Weather Channel with wife Terry.

The business of celebrating Alabama's second national championship in three years disrupted the morning routine for a coach who makes a habit of, well, habits. He didn't seem to mind.

"I couldn't get people out of my room until 3," Saban said at Tuesday's morning-after news conference. "I haven't been up till 3 for a long time. I actually got up just in time to get here, so we missed it today."

When it comes to another habit ? winning championships ? the forecast for Alabama remains sunny.

The 60-year-old Saban took the time to praise his team's execution ? of the celebratory dousing after a dominant 21-0 win over LSU. He made it clear he's still got the passion to stick around the sideline awhile. And, of course, he turned his attention to next season when the Crimson Tide might once again have a top-five team.

Saban acknowledged he might have savored this one a little more, as evidenced by his unrestrained smiles after the game.

"To be honest with you, I think I maybe did," he said. "This team was a special team ? not that the 2009 team was any different. And certainly an honor and a privilege to be with a group that made the kind of commitment that you look for from a competitive character standpoint and intangibles that you always strive to try to get as a coach.

"It was a really special group."

The team and the Tuscaloosa community rallied following a deadly April tornado. Alabama didn't miss a beat after losing four NFL first-round draft picks. And quarterback AJ McCarron seamlessly replaced Greg McElroy.

The juggernaut program has now won 48 games in the past four seasons. Which makes this 12-1 team just average by the current stratospheric expectations.

The exodus ? and talent infusion ? will continue. Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick are among juniors considering a jump to the NFL.

Saban gave what might end up being a farewell tribute to Richardson without even being asked. Richardson broke Mark Ingram's 2-year-old school rushing mark with 1,679 yards and ran for 21 touchdowns, second only to Tim Tebow's 23 in Southeastern Conference history.

Saban said Richardson "probably had as good a football season as anyone that I've ever had the opportunity to coach."

"I always use the analogy that you really can't be a great player unless you affect somebody on your team," the coach said. "Players make plays. Good players affect somebody on their team. Great players affect their entire unit.

"And Trent's competitive spirit certainly affected everybody on our team."

The list of key departing seniors is long and includes three-time All-America safety Mark Barron, linebacker and defensive MVP Courtney Upshaw, nose guard Josh Chapman, center William Vlachos, cornerback DeQuan Menzie and wide receiver Marquis Maze.

Not to worry, though. Alabama's 2012 recruiting class is again shaping up as one of the tops nationally.

"We're losing a lot of good football players," Saban said. "And we've got a lot of good young ones coming up and some good players coming back.

"But every year is a bit of a rebuilding year and we'll certainly have a lot of opportunities for a lot of young players to make a contribution next year."

Leave it to Saban to drop in a little invitation to blue-chip prospects.

The road next season will be a little harder. The Tide opens against Michigan at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas and has road games against Arkansas and an LSU team that figures to be loaded once again.

This defense will be hard to top, too. The Tide held LSU to 92 total yards and five first downs, the ninth time this season an opponent hasn't scored in double digits and the team's third shutout.

Saban left no doubt he still has the passion to coach. Alabama fans can rest easy, as he said no retirement to his lake house in north Georgia is imminent.

Still got that fire, coach?

"When a guy jumps offsides with three minutes left in the game, and you still coach your team like the first game of the season, what do you think?" Saban said.

Maybe he's also realized that winning isn't the only thing

"I really do think that maybe the only thing that's changed about me is winning the game is not enough," he said. "It really is not enough."

Also important: "Doing it the right way ... which also includes serving other people, which I think is one of the big things that this team did."

Saban left New Orleans with a different enduring image from one that got plenty of airtime after the Tide beat Texas two years ago in Pasadena and enforced public perception of a dour Type A-plus personality. He was captured grimacing after a celebratory dousing, later explaining that he was reacting to getting bumped on the head by the cooler.

This time, he was left wet but unhurt.

"I enjoyed the Gatorade bath two years ago," Saban said. "I wasn't expecting it and got kind of almost knocked out. The players improved in terms of their ability to deliver. I improved on my ability to accept, and everybody was happy."

Including Saban.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-10-T25-Alabama%20Celebrates/id-cba425f0acaa4eacbd54aabb50ada410

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Covering Gym Fees Might Be Money Saver for Medicare (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Paying the gym-membership fees of seniors joining private Medicare supplemental insurance plans -- which by law cannot deny coverage based on illness -- attracts healthier adults, potentially saving the U.S. insurer money, a new study suggests.

Analyzing 22 Medicare Advantage plans, including half that added fitness club memberships and half that didn't, Brown University researchers found that plans with fitness benefits had 6 percent more seniors who reported being in excellent or very good health. The number of new enrollees in such plans reporting activity limitations was 10.4 percent lower, and those reporting difficulty walking was 8.1 percent lower than in plans not offering gym memberships.

"Insurance companies are at risk for paying for all covered services, so there's a strong financial incentive to enroll people who are healthy rather than those who are sick," said study co-author Dr. Amal Trivedi, an assistant professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown.

"Obviously, covering gym memberships costs money, so there's a calculus between [that] versus attracting healthier enrollees," Trivedi added. "What this suggests is that offering gym memberships is an attractive business proposition."

The study is published Jan. 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Medicare is the U.S. government's health insurance program for people 65 and older. Medicare Advantage plans, which are administered by private insurers approved by Medicare, offer coverage for extra services such as vision, hearing, dental and/or prescription drugs. The plans must accept all applicants, but individual premiums are risk-adjusted based on pre-existing medical conditions. Sicker applicants, therefore, pay higher premiums than healthier ones.

Coverage of fitness clubs jumped significantly in the past decade. Looking at 101 Medicare Advantage plans from 2002 to 2008, the researchers found that the number offering gym memberships jumped from 14 to 58.

"That's a fourfold rise, which I suspect is even higher now," said Trivedi, noting that more than 300 total Medicare Advantage plans are currently available. "I think the magnitude of the effect was surprising to us, and this is a topic that was not studied before."

Trivedi, who also practices at the VA Medical Center in Providence, R.I., and co-author Alicia Cooper also obtained data from the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey -- which collects information such as health, social and demographic status from a random sample of beneficiaries. The sample included nearly 5,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries ages 65 and older in 11 plans that added fitness-membership benefits in 2004 or 2005 along with 11 plans that did not.

Dr. Tamara Kuittinen, director of medical education in the department of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said some private insurance plans covering all ages also offer gym memberships, which she compared to a "carrot on a stick to living healthily."

"Aging is a complicated process, but I think [this practice is] a positive incentive for those who, say, need to join a gym or talk to their doctor about staying healthy," she said. "Studies show if you're active in your senior years, you live longer. It improves mental health as well as physical health."

More information

Learn more about Medicare Advantage plans.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/seniors/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120112/hl_hsn/coveringgymfeesmightbemoneysaverformedicare

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The President at play: Beach bum Obama turns quarterback as he strips off for American Football

By Lee Moran

Last updated at 12:00 PM on 9th January 2012

Flexing his pecs and showing off his speed, President Barack Obama stripped off for some beach football to round off his Christmas holidays in Hawaii.

As his Republican rivals were deep in preparation for the Iowa caucuses, these photos show Obama had his mind on diving headlong for catches and tossing touchdowns to his friends from the Secret Service.

The 50-year-old looked surprisingly lean on New Year's Day at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base on Oahu, where he stayed with the first family for their 10-day vacation.

Game player: As his Republican rivals were deep in preparation for the Iowa caucuses, Barack Obama had his mind on diving headlong for catches and tossing touchdowns to his friends from the Secret Service

Game player: As his Republican rivals were deep in preparation for the Iowa caucuses, Barack Obama had his mind on diving headlong for catches and tossing touchdowns to his friends from the Secret Service

Game on! Barack Obama was pictured playing American Football during his Hawaii holiday

The football game brought to an end a relaxing and fun-filled 10 days for the President who arrived in Hawaii a week later than he had hoped.

He would have enjoyed an even longer period away from the White House had there not been a stalemate in Washington over the payroll tax cut.

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But he certainly made up for lost time as, within an hour of arriving on December 23, he took wife Michelle out for dinner at one of their favorite hotspots, Morimoto Restaurant.

Then, on Christmas Eve, they spent some family time together with daughters Sasha and Malia in the morning.

Relaxation: The football game brought to an end a fun-filled 10 days for the President who arrived in Hawaii a week later than he had hoped

Relaxation: The football game brought to an end a fun-filled 10 days for the President who arrived in Hawaii a week later than he had hoped

During the afternoon the couple split their time as Mr Obama went to play golf and the First Lady answered phone calls from expectant children who called NORAD to see where Santa was on his route.

Like many families, the Obamas spent Christmas morning by themselves, opening presents and singing carols. They then attended church services at a nearby naval base and talked with military families afterwards.

Mr Obama had no public schedule when he arrived in Hawaii but his schedule seemed to fill up quite quickly.

The entire Obama clan was joined by their family friends the Nesbitts as they took a drive from their multi-million dollar rented vacation home to the Sea Life Park marine sanctuary.

Beach babies: President Barack Obama walks down to the beach with his family during his 10-day break to Hawaii

Beach babies: President Barack Obama walks down to the beach with his family during his 10-day break to Hawaii

While there, the girls were able to release three 18-month-old sea turtles into the wild.

Though he tried to keep a low profile throughout the trip, he and his motorcade was seen driving to and from the golf course a number of times.

Rival: Is Obama trying to compete with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who is regularly pictured topless?

Rival: Is Obama trying to compete with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who is regularly pictured topless?

One of his golfing partners was an old high school buddy Robert 'Bobby' Titcomb, who was arrested in a prostitution sting.

After golf that day, the boys were joined by the First Lady and Mr Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng at Alan Wong's, one of Hawaii's priciest restaurants.

In an act of reflection, Mr and Mrs Obama visited the Pearl Harbour memorial and paid tribute to the thousands who lost their lives there 70 years ago. It was his first visit since 2008, when he was president-elect.

And then on New Year's Day, the family went back to their roots by paying tribute to two different generations.

They first visited the grave of Mr Obama's maternal grandmother, Stanley Durham, and later they went to an exhibit honoring Mr Obama's mother, Ann Durham, and the work she did overseas in Indonesia.

It was afterwards that he managed to squeeze in a game of football, the photographs of which some have compared to Vladimir Putin's display of masculinity in promotional pictures.

The Russian Prime Minister is well known for posing with his top off in a bid to demonstrate his power and virility.

Later that night, the Obamas left the girls at home while they joined 10 friends for dinner in the private room at celebrity hotspot Nobu Wakiki. They returned to Washington on Monday, January 2.

Commander in briefs: Obama pictured in 2008 prior to becoming President

Commander in briefs: Obama pictured in 2008 prior to becoming President

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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084156/The-President-play-Beach-bum-Obama-turns-quarterback-strips-American-Football.html?ITO=1490

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Housing market blooms in Cuban provinces (Reuters)

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (Reuters) ? Hundreds of handwritten signs stuck on doorways and in windows announce "se vende" or "for sale" in provincial cities and towns across Cuba as the island's nascent housing market begins to bloom.

Buyers walk the streets looking at homes the whereabouts of which were passed along by word of mouth as sellers outside of Havana have limited access to the Internet or other means to advertise their sales.

There are hovels and there are splendid little places tucked between crumbling buildings. There are two-story homes in need of repair and a few in immaculate condition. Some places go for the equivalent of a few thousand dollars, others for much more.

Buying and selling homes was banned for decades in Cuba. The best one could do was trade dwellings in what Cubans call a "permuta" and expand or decrease the size of where you lived by a single room.

That all changed when the ban was lifted in November, along with much of the previous paperwork and bureaucratic tangles, though Cubans can still own just one home and vacation place and non-resident foreigners are excluded from the market.

The measure appears to be the most popular yet as President Raul Castro, who replaced his ailing brother Fidel in 2008, works to reform the Soviet-style economy and gradually lifts some of the more onerous restrictions on people's daily lives.

Trading one's home was a nightmarish process that could take months and even years under the old system, and often required bribes and under-the-table payments.

The new system requires a simple notary and payment through the bank and appears to be working relatively well according to more than a dozen people selling their homes from one end of the island to the other.

"The new law is really good because there are people who get divorced, or who have money but no place to live, or live in a big place and want a smaller one, or have big families in a little place and want something larger and now with this law they can meet their needs much more easily," Tania Vigaroa, in the process of selling her home in eastern Holguin, said.

Most of the sellers say they would like to move to a smaller home and that permutas plus payments are now to difficult to find because people prefer to buy or sell.

In neighboring Santiago de Cuba the other day a haggard looking receptionist at the San Pedro notary office, where the waiting room was full, said the three notaries working there had no time to talk.

"This place has been overflowing since they changed the law, every day is the same," said receptionist Milaidy, who asked that her last name not be used, adding there were three other offices in the city.

Most sellers have become used to strangers on the prowl for a home. They are a hospitable lot, welcoming the passerby to come in for a look.

"I'm asking $55,000. The house has three rooms, two bathrooms, a big back yard, kitchen, dining room and living room and this is right near the center of town," said Jose Ramirez in the city of Ciego de Avila, in central Cuba.

"A number of people have come by so we will see. It's a respectable sum, but my daughter was recently divorced and lives across town and I want to be near her for support. There is a house over there that costs exactly the same amount," he said.

Some 60 miles to the east, in the city of Camaguey, bicycle-taxi driver Roberto Sosa says "no problem," when asked to peddle the Cuban version of a rickshaw around town for a look at what's on the market.

OVERSEAS INTEREST

An hour and five homes later one place catches the eye on Virgin Street. The neighborhood needs a plaster and paint job and the road needs paving, but the half-block-long, five bedroom single story house, freshly painted and with new tile floors, is splendid.

"We want $35,000 and have a possible buyer, but she is checking with her family in Miami," said the owner's son, who gave his name only as Santiago.

Bicitaxi peddler Sosa wasn't surprised.

"Most of the houses sold are (being bought) with the help of family abroad, if not it wouldn't be possible because their value is going up a lot now," he said, pointing out most local residents make only the equivalent of $20 or $30 per month.

Emilio Morales in Miami wasn't surprised either.

"A number of law firms, mainly here in the United States and Spain, have already called asking about the law for clients who want to know how they can buy property in Cuba," the former marketing strategist for CIMEX, one of the largest state-run trading and retail corporations on the island, said in a telephone interview.

Morales, now CEO of The Havana Consulting Group, a startup company specializing in potential Cuban markets, including residential real estate, said there was plenty of interest.

"Here in Miami there are a lot of people interested in buying property in Cuba for diverse reasons, some to start restaurants, cafeterias or other businesses and others to have a place to retire and live out their old age," he said.

(Editing by Jeff Franks and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120109/wl_nm/us_cuba_house

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