Filed under: Estates

I was going to leave this one for the Sunday Real Estate Round-Up but I couldn’t wait. Stone Hill in Greenwich, Connecticut is one of the homes belonging to Tommy Hilfiger. According to information from the NY Post the designer will be moving into the Plaza in Manhattan when his duplex is finished. Hilfiger bought this new home in 2005 for $18 million and worked his decorator magic. The 20,000-square-foot home has seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a large great room, basketball court, spa with a waterfall, theater, gym and a huge 2,000-bottle wine cellar.

I’m a little embarrassed by just how much I love the decor on this one. In general I’m not a fan of a home decorated to within an inch of its life but this one is an excellent product of the Ralph Lauren/Tommy Hilfiger luxe American style.The decorator did a great job incorporating the art and the home is luxurious without being overly formal. It’s similar in style to his Further Lane property (which he recently sold for $26.5 million) right down to the use of orange accents. This one is listed at $27.9 million.

[Thanks, Lana]

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One in four U.S. households are dealing with caregiving issues. That means that in many cases Baby Boomers are the caregivers, with elderly parents needing the care. A Boston.com article addresses this question. The article mentions an on the web resource caregiverhelper.com, whose mission is to “ provide an on the internet community resource that facilitates communication between multiple non-paid caregivers in support of a loved one.

It looks like you have to register. It’s free to join. I wish I had known about this site when we were caring for my mom and mother-in-law. I really do believe that you can find anything about anything on the web. If you go to this site, let me know what you think.

Tags: , baby boomers, caregivers, health issues

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If you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ve made your share of mistakes, both stupid and smart.  Because I’ve a tiny introspection, I now recognize why others make mistakes as well.  Each night when I go to bed, I’m thankful that I have never made a mistake that killed or physically harmed anyone.  I also pray I die with that record.  I’m sure cops, political leaders, those in the military, health-care professionals and many others have the same prayer.

However, I do see a class of people each day who would be overjoyed at causing physical harm or death.  I see them in the “media” as bloggers and journalists, but most of all I see them as consumers of the carnage or near carnage reported by bloggers and other journalist want-to-be’s.

The most recent incident of the type is the story of Prince Harry in Afghanistan.  There is a story, by itself, that could easily get someone killed.  I’m sure the idiot blogger that broke it has all the conventional self-serving excuses: It’s news.  Someone else would have broken it if I didn’t.  If Harry hadn’t gone, it wouldn’t be news.  We can’t afford any dead air.  I’m just immature and selfish.

Another example is the New York Times non-story on John McCain and the woman lobbyist.  Having watched news departments operate, I sure the people who pulled the story together would have been humiliated to kill it.  Justly, you’re now more embarrassed for running it.

Finally and most egregiously, there is the feeding frenzy over the troubled Brittany Spears.  Pictures of the paparazzi chasing her around LA at high speeds just shows the craziness of grocery store journalism.  Of course, if the magazines didn’t pay for the pictures, the photographers would disappear.  The real culprits in these situations are the women who purchase “People”, “US Weekly” and the like.  The editors of these publications, mostly women, know the numbers.  When a woman in trouble, like Brittany, is on the cover the magazines fly off the shelves.  And, who purchases their magazines?  Women buy over 80% of those magazines.  There’s civilization at its ideal.

Everyone who thinks of themselves, in the remotest sense, as a journalist or blogger needs to watch a movie titled “Absence of Malice.”  It is a great movie on its own, but it tells a great lesson to those who report the news or offer advice.  Sleep well.

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Get A Detailed Picture Of The Pet Food And Pet Care Industry In The
Earthtimes - It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues.

Interpublic Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2007 Results
MSN MoneyCentral - Interpublic is one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. Major global brands include Draftfcb, FutureBrand, GolinHarris International, Initiative, Jack Morton Worldwide, Lowe Worldwide

DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter 2007 Earnings
MSN MoneyCentral - The Company’s data centers are highly specialized, secure facilities used primarily by national and international technology companies to house, power and cool the personal servers that support many of their most critical business processes.

Swamp Fox’s InnoVenture 2008 Announces Sixteen Entrepreneurs Making
Earthtimes - GREENVILLE, S.C. - (Business Wire) InnoVenture 2008, the fifth annual southeastern innovation conference produced by Swamp Fox, today announced entrepreneurial companies who will present elevator pitches to investors. InnoVenture 2008 will be held on

Correction: Medical Device story
MSN MoneyCentral - WASHINGTON (AP) - In a Feb. 27 story about medical device companies, The Associated Press incorrectly described a settlement between Advanced Neuromodulation Systems and the federal government. The article should have specified that the company was

Groceries hit by truck tax
News.com.au - Ultimately yes, the trucking industry mainly consists of small companies, operating on very small margins, and road freight rates are highly competitive,” he stated.

MediaNews ‘B’ corporate credit rating put on negative watch - S&P
Forbes - The ratings bureau said the negative watch outlook reflects its ongoing concerns regarding operating trends in the newspaper sector, which it said it believes will continue to drive meaningful EBITDA declines for newspaper companies in 2008.

Time Warner links Warner Bros., New Line
Lexington Herald-Leader - The new alignment also will help the two companies coordinate film releases and let New Line benefit from the international and digital distribution contracts of Warner Bros., the company said.

Wireless Broadband Services 2008: 4G Report Available Now
Forbes - Crago has been in the communications industry for over twenty years as a systems engineer, project manager and consultant to enterprise groups, telecommunications companies and vendors providing effective solutions.

Software licences driving IT managers to Linux
Silicon.com - Ole-Bjorn Tuftedal, chief technology officer for the City of Bergen, said some software companies are seeking ever more invasive control of a user’s system, and greater profits, through their pricing.

Wilbur Ross to invest in Assured Guaranty
CNN Money - NEW YORK (AP) — Financier Wilbur Ross will invest as much as $1 billion in Bermuda-based reinsurer Assured Guaranty Ltd, the bond insurer said Friday. WL Ross & Co. will purchase $250 million worth of common stock and commit to buying an additional

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Filed under: Estates

The Pink Palace isn’t pink any more but the mansion in Atlanta’s Buckhead area retains the name from the time when it was pink. The mansion was built in 1926 for the Rhodes Furniture family and is a six-bedroom stucco Italian Baroque-style home on four acres at the corner of West Paces Ferry and Tuxedo roads. The home was designed by Atlanta architects Neel Reid and Philip Schutze and has massive public rooms designed for grand amusing. The murals are absolutely dazzling. What makes this one even more interesting is the renovation. it has been remodeled so that it runs on geothermal energy (turning a $6500 a month energy bill into an apartment-sized $150). They removed 18 layers of lead paint from the doors, windows and walls and all doors and door frames were removed, made square, and put back in. The attic on top of the sun room and family room was changed turning the ceilings/roofs into floors. The servants quarters were transformed into larger living space. It’s an odd mix, you have rooms that are typically old South, grand and ornate, but you also have light-filled modern spaces with clean lines. The graceful renovation made the home modern and sustainable but managed to maintain its original style in the original rooms. At $20 million it’s the most pricey listing in Atlanta.

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Filed under: Estates

The location alone makes this one total estate of the day bait. Then we add in the names, the eight-bedroom home was built in 1890 by Gilded Age architect Stanford White and the exterior layout was designed by the king of landscape architects Fredrick Law Olmsted. The property in Larchmont, New York has a fantastic location on a private peninsula on almost three acres. The views of Long Island, Westchester and New York City are nothing short of fantastic. The listing states a renovation took place in 1994 but this huge 21,000 square foot home looks care about it is need of a massive scoop of loving care and a lot of cash to make it sparkle. It’s priced at $14 million.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

The date has finally been set, unless the situation drastically changes, Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch will be sold at auction on March 19 becoming what is likely the country’s most famous foreclosure. According to Fox News, Jackson received word Monday from Financial Title Company that unless he comes up with $24,525,906.61 by that date, a public auction will go forward in Santa Barbara in front of the county courthouse. The home and everything inside and around, personal property, the rides on the grounds, all of it is going.

Jackson hasn’t been spotted at Neverland since June 2005. In that time he’s lived in Bahrain, Ireland and Las Vegas among other pit stops on his global tour. It is assumed that Jackson will just do nothing and let the property go up for auction since he probably does not have the money even though he refinanced his $300 million loan from Fortress Investments with help from Sony Music, HSBC and Barclays Bank.

Jackson moved out of Neverland after he was acquitted of child molestation charges. He did pay around $600,000 in property taxes last month. If no one bids on Neverland then Fortress Investments will take possession of the property and will likely put it on the market through a Santa Barbara real estate agent.

UPDATE: CNN quotes a Jackson source as saying Michael is trying to work out the financing.

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Filed under: Estates

Looking at this home in the Peapack area of New Jersey I would guess that it was either an old restored home or a brand new aspirational home. The truth is somewhere in the middle. The MLS lists it as having been built during the 1960s. Vernon Manor is a Georgian-inspired brick manor with a slate roof on 76 acres of land (five parcels total). The property includes lawns, terraces, specimen plantings, a circulating Italian fountain, a guest/pool home, heated pool, brick and stonewalls. The main home is an elegant five bedroom with truly elegant living and dining rooms (although I’m not loving some of the window treatments). The home has a circular staircase and many beautiful windows. The library has a fireplace inlaid with plaster bas-relief, built-in cabinets, bookshelves, moldings and paneling. In the gallery, bookshelves and cabinetry hide a wet bar designed with a painted mural. The master suite includes a gallery space, master bedroom with brick fireplace, dressing area with dressing table, three closets, built-in dresser, and bath with whirlpool tub. The master sitting room has another full marble bath with steam shower. The secondary bedroom wing has two bedrooms, a gallery space, home office, plus an in-law or staff suite with kitchenette and sitting room. This estate is listed at $13.5 million (down from $15 million).

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Filed under: Estates

Today’s home is a bit of old Hollywood tradition in Pacific Palisades, California. The home is now on Amalfi Drive but was built in 1924 with an address on Haldeman Road. At that time, the Uplifters Club owned Rustic Canyon where several members built homes. It is said that the home was designed by architect William Dodd, an Uplifters Club member who designed what’s now the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center. The home was later purchased by Hal Roach Studios, and became a Hollywood hangout for some of Hollywood’s early large stars such as Harold Lloyd, Jean Harlow and Will Rogers. It was reputedly occupied by Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy during his divorces. The home is, as the listing admits, in need of a lot of work but it has, as they state, lovely bones. The property website states “restoration or wrecking ball?” Restoration, please! This home is listed at $5 million.

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Filed under: Estates, Journeys

The Everlands destination club is a relatively new club for those with a passion for the outdoor life. Members have unlimited access to 45 of the most iconic places of natural beauty on Earth, and Everlands promises to conserve these destinations for future generations. The Club has also established a Conservation Foundation that’ll award The Everlands Conservation Prize annually to individuals who demonstrate innovation, creativity and daring in conserving nature. The award is funded by a portion of Membership fees and annual dues.

The first destination to become part of Everlands is the Point on Saranac Lake in New York’s Adirondacks region. This former Rockefeller estate is ranked as one of the top boutique lodges in the world. Other properties that are part of the first acquisition phase include Lone Mountain Ranch in Montana; Lake Rotoroa Lodge in New Zealand; The Inn at Blueberry Hill on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Mangrove Cay Club in the Bahamas; Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska; and Castle Hot Springs in Arizona. Future acquisitions will include a country estate in Devon, England; a wild partridge habitat in central Spain; an Atlantic salmon property in Iceland; an estancia in Patagonia; and a game reserve in Kenya.

Membership to Everlands is by invitation only. Each Member pays a one-time Membership fee, as well as annual Club dues. Everlands is owned entirely by its Members, who own a pro rata equity interest in the Club Membership Corporation. Everlands Members co-own the land, buildings, and all real property. The Membership fee is $1 million, with early-in opportunities for Founding Membership starting at $475,000 and there are annual dues of $40,000. A 15 percent deposit is required by each Member when they sign up and will be returned with interest if initial Membership goals are not achieved. The balance is due when the Club secures 100 Members, at which time the properties will be available to Members only. Until then, Everlands properties will continue to operate as usual and are open to all guests.

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