| Creative ways to split inheritance can reduce friction
The event wasn't set up by an auction house or to benefit a charity. Instead, he was bidding against his two siblings in a private, Web-based auction that they held to divvy up their late father's personal property. Distributing a family's tangible belongings — often mundane knickknacks with far more sentimental value than monetary worth — has long had the potential to ignite family feuds. Divorce and second marriages can add to the tension, as children and stepfamilies vie for valued objects. Now, families and estate planners increasingly are turning to a number of novel strategies, including family auctions and a round-robin selection strategy, to divide tangible property without splitting families apart. Recent online tools also can help family members divide up a parent's belongings.
Mammoth skeleton up for auction
On Monday, Christie's auction house in Paris, which usually sells fine art and furniture, is hosting an unusual auction of paleontological curiosities, including several prehistoric mammals. Skeletons of a 10,000-year-old, 13.5-foot-long rhinoceros and a 7.5-foot-high cave bear are also going under the hammer. The skeletons are owned by a private collector, but buyers may include museums or artists, said Christie's spokeswoman Capucine Milliot. The auction is not to all paleontologists' liking. Pascal Tassy, professor at Paris' Natural History Museum, has decried the selling off of specimens that could be useful to science. "It is a pernicious consequence of the Jurassic Park effect," he said. "In the past, private collectors donated to museums, it was a great time of patronage.
AM, Thur 19th April - Investment vultures of the buy-to-let market
You are bidding on another house, only to be outbid again. The housing market is hard. Not only does being outbid mean that you need to pay another months rent, it also means that housing prices will increase about 100 pounds a day until you bid again. .
Clon bidding for historic win
Another great day in a series of great days for Clonakilty since 1998 comes this Saturday when they fly to Dublin to take on Greystones at the Co. Wicklow venue in the AIB All Ireland League Division Two Semi-Final. Although Stones finished second to Clons third in the group stages they have lost to the West Cork side twice this season already in The Vale when the locals completed the league and cup double over their vaunted visitors 8 0 and 17 10 respectively. Thus Greystones have never won in The Vale drawing their only other game 13 all in 03/04. Clon have conceded only 20 trys in the division - the best record of any club during the 2006 / 07 League season.
Thats on the plus side. The debit side makes interesting reading. Clon have lost on both occasions that they played in Dr.Hickey Park.
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