He’s a little too old (age 67) to be a Baby Boomer, but Olympic athlete Hiroshi Hoketsu has a great story to tell, as he returns to Olympic competition in Beijing after 44 years.

Hoketsu competed in 1964 in dressage, then got busy with work. It was only when he retired that he decided to go back and compete.

I love these inspiring stories of determination, fortitude, and just plain hard work, that surround the Olympics. We see too little of this in our daily lives, and I for one would like to know more people like Hiroshi Hoketsu.

Source: newscom.com

Tags: Beijing Olympics. baby boomer athletes, competitors

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Small business

Former Google, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) engineers recently launched a new-fangled search engine, called Cuil. The goal was pretty ambitious; that’s, to be the next Google.

Well, the debut was shaky, as the on the web reviews were mostly negative. Basically, the quality of the search results were lackluster — and the overall performance was erratic.

No doubt, in the social media world, things can get brutal. Yet, it’s something that many businesses need to think about.

So, how do you deal with negative reviews?

First of all, it’s a good idea to monitor the chatter about your company. To this end, you can use services like Google alerts. There’s also a free application called Social Media Firehose that monitors various social media channels.

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In many cases, an online review site will provide for comments. And, according to Todd Defren — a principal at SHIFT Communications — it’s a good idea to respond to negative comments. However, be diplomatic.

Here’s one of his approaches:

“We were really sad to see that you had a bad experience with our product. Although we have thousands of happy customers, we’re always striving to improve and I can assure you that we’re going to use your review as ammunition to make sure we do a superior job in the future. We appreciate the time you took to put our product through its paces; although we seem to have stumbled this time, our success is a marathon not a sprint, and you’ve helped us train for more success in the future.”

Having such an approach shows that you are serious about customer feedback and that you’re proactive. And, in light of the fact that many customers research the Net before buying products, it’s a good idea to have some participation.

“A bad review is an opportunity for a company to learn about a failing they might not have otherwise known about, connect with and win over a consumer and fix a problem,” said Marc Karasu, who is the president of MeasuredUp.com.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar On the web Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

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Filed under: Estates

You probably are most familiar with Dylan McDermott for his role as Bobby Donnell, the lawyer with the righteous anger and beautiful blue bedroom eyes on “The Practice.” For years McDermott and his beautiful wife Shiva Rose had one of Hollywood’s more durable marriages. Now the couple has split and as Big Time Listings reveals their home is on the market. The couple purchased back in 1999 from Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas for $3.94 million and they had bought it in 1997 from Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelly (the creator of “The Practice” and other shows). I’m guessing another Hollywood couple will fall for this one, it appeals to those with creative hearts.

The 1920 Spanish style hacienda in Brentwood has four bedrooms, a two-story vaulted living room with a carved balcony, a den, and the “magical 2n story muse room” which looks to be a cool place for hanging out and communing with the gods on inspiration. The home’s details are what inspire envy, plenty of carved wood, original fireplaces, stenciled details and a rather romantic vintage style. The .68 acre lot has a pool/spa area that overlooks the Riviera hills, a courtyard and fountain, and a beautiful 250-year-old oak tree, The listing says it was one of the first homes built in the area and it is a classic. It is listed at $11 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.
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Continue reading Dylan McDermott in Brentwood, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From Berg Properties Huge Time Listings:
–Dylan McDermott has put his Brentwood home on the market, it’s our estate of the day later today.
–via Cityfile, actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler has sold her two-bedroom loft condominium unit in Manhattan’s TriBeCa area for $2.9 million.
–Actress Michelle Forbes has placed her three-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills, shown above, on the market for $1.15 million. The listing is here.
–Singer and actor Mac Davis has paid $4.9 milion for a t,098-square-foot house in Brentwood.

From the Real Estalker:
–Molly Sims has put her Hollywood Hills home on the market for $2.99 million. It was our estate of the day on Friday.
–Landscape designer Jay Griffith has put his 2.5 acre expanse in Malibu on the market for $3.9 million. The property includes a three-bedroom midcentury home, studio, vintage barn and an ocean view gazebo. The listing is here.
–via the NY Post, Mariah Carey is renting a home in East Hampton for $125,000 for one week. The home, Stone Meadow Farm is for sale and will be our estate of the day on Tuesday.

From the NY Post’s Gimme Shelter:
–Philip Seymour Hoffman and his longtime girlfriend, costume designer Mimi O’Donnell have picked up a three-bedroom loft in the West Village for $4.25 million.
–Rachel Ray’s Hamptons deal is finally done. According to public records, she paid $2.1 million for her 6-acre place in the Shinnecock Hills area of Southampton and her husband, John Cusimano, was not listed on the deed transfer.
–Another megadeal in the Hamptons? Braden Keils’ sources say a Middle Eastern investor is considering buying both the 115-acre Two Trees Farm in Bridgehampton and the adjoining 60-acre Three Ponds Farm. The two properties have a list price of $163 million.
–Entertainment mogul Edgar Bronfman Jr. has gone to contract to sell his Amagansett estate, which had a last asking price of $14.7 million.
–Myrna Ronson,the former wife of the late British developer Howard Ronson, has paid $7.75 million for a three-bedroom, 5

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