Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2009 heads to San Diego

A great way to spend the day on the bay!

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Luxury as an investment?

Behold the Enid: a handbag made from the softest goatskin, lined in vivid, peach-colored silk. Its silhouette “draws on the art of corsetry with its distinctive hand-stitched corded leather,” according to luxury-goods house Smythson of Bond Street, which makes several tempting versions of the bag. The price tag: $1,660.

A year ago, the Enid would have been considered a splurge. The recession was mostly an unproven rumor, and consumption for consumption’s sake was still in style.

But today it’s a different world. The Enid is most certainly not a splurge; rather, it’s “this season’s investment accessory of choice,” says a Smythson advertisement.
Read the full CNBC article here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/30642173

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The World's 60 Best New Hotels Revealed

Virgin Atlantic have teamed up with Condé Nast Traveller to unveil the most stylish, innovative and luxurious hotels in the world - in their 'Red Hot List 2009'.

With settings ranging from desert islands to capital cities, the list was chosen to cater for all tastes, and includes hotels from across the globe - and it appears it would take a little more than pool cabanas and Wi-Fi to impress in order to make the world’s top list.


Unsurprisingly, service comes high on the judging criteria - with the top hotels having to prove that they're not all just style over substance. What they all have in common is that special touch, and the ability to know what their guests want, which puts them ahead of their competition.

Some of the categories in this year's List include ‘Ones to Watch’ and '10 Hot Hotel People’ - which interviewed famous names such as Robert De Niro, Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett, and entrepreneur Sol Kerzner on some of their favorite retreats and hot locations.

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Stags Leap District Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Public Invitation to "V2V" Event on April 25th, 2009

The Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association welcomes visitors to its annual Vineyard to Vintner (V2V) celebration. Now in its 9th year, V2V has become one of Napa Valley’s best experience of an appellation. The Stags Leap District received its official government AVA designation in 1989, so we are especially proud this year as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary.

V2V is a day for our vintners and winemakers to share their hospitality, say a heart-felt thank you to old friends and welcome new ones to the neighborhood. It is a day for those just discovering fine wine and those who have been collecting for years. It is a day of swirling and sipping, learning and laughing.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Hosted by Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association


ON THE TRAIL: OPEN HOUSES
11:00am - 4:00pm · $135/person
The District-wide celebration continues from our most historic properties to our newest members. Begin at a starting point of your choice and wind your way up and down the Silverado Trail from winery to winery. Your V2V pass gives you exclusive access to our vintners and winemakers. Discover winery caves, enjoy special barrel tastings, explore the cellars and enjoy food and wine pairings not available to the public. Due to Soiree preparations, there will be no open house at Clos du Val.

SOIREE CABERNET at Clos Du Val and OPEN HOUSES
6:30pm - 10:00pm · $285/person
(Includes Open Houses, Limited seating, Party attire)
Our 20th anniversary celebration kicks off with the District’s founders. Sharing their personal stories of the appellation’s beginnings and their vision for the future, John Shafer, Richard Steltzner and Bernard Portet reunite for an intimate conversation and library tasting. Having combed their cellars, the founders will share with you their rarest wines and oldest vintages. Every wine has a story. Come share ours.

The District-wide celebration continues from our most historic properties to our newest members. Begin at a starting point of your choice and wind your way up and down the Silverado Trail from winery to winery. Your V2V pass gives you exclusive access to our vintners and winemakers. Discover winery caves, enjoy special barrel
tastings, explore the cellars and enjoy food and wine pairings not available to the public. Due to Soiree preparations, there will be no open house at Clos du Val.

The French have the best word to describe our 20th anniversary—SOIREE! In keeping, Clos Du Val is the fitting location this year, hosted by French-born vintner and Napa Valley icon Bernard Portet. It was 1972 while scouting for land to plant a vineyard in Napa that Bernard drove through what is now Stags Leap District and noted that the area was distinct with cooler evenings—an important factor to the Bordeaux native for determining a superior cabernet site. The evening party is located on this very site.

First, join all of the District’s vintners and winemakers for an exclusive reception and preview tasting of the 2005 Appellation Collection in the Barrel Room. After the sun sets on the Palisades, the evening moves into the tent for dinner with each vintner hosting a table and bringing wines from their cellars to celebrate our history. Plan to wear your dancing shoes as the Dick Bright Band rocks the District.

LOOKING BACK, LEAPING FORWARD: SEMINAR
10:00am - 11:00am · $60/person
(Requires either Open Houses or Soiree Cabernet)
Our 20th anniversary celebration kicks off with the District's founders. Sharing their personal stories of the appellation's beginnings and their vision for the future, John Shafer, Richard Steltzner and Bernard Portet reunite for an intimate conversation and library tasting. Having combed their cellars, the founders will share with you their rarest wines and oldest vintages. Every wine has a story. Come share ours.

Napa Valley Casual Attire
Event access passes will be mailed in advance
See a list of local accommodations

MEMBER WINERIES
Baldacci Family Vineyards
Chimney Rock Winery
Cliff Lede Vineyards
Clos Du Val (no open house available)
Hartwell Vineyards
Ilsley Vineyards
Malk Family Vineyards
Pine Ridge Vineyards
Regusci Winery
Shafer Vineyards
Silverado Vineyards
Robinson Valley Vineyards
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Stags' Leap Winery
Steltzner Vineyards
Taylor Family Vineyards
Terlato Family Vineyards

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CEOs Have a Chance to Drive Really Fast at Extreme Driving Breakway Event

On April 5-6 in Miami, Entrepreneurs and CEOs will partake in Maverick Business Adventures® ‘Extreme Driving Breakaway’ event. The 18 participants will attempt to join the exclusive 200mph+ club on the first day, and accelerate through business building breakthrough sessions on a luxury yacht during the second day.

The $6,995 event includes most meals, accommodations, and one-on-one driving instructions from professional racers on a military airport strip. Cars include a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, Ferrari 599 GTB and Mercedes McLaren SLR. “Every one of these cars can top 200mph,” said Yanik Silver, founder of Maverick Business Adventures. “But it’s up to each driver to see if they have what it takes to top it.”

Two-time Daytona 24 Hours winner Didier Theys will also be there with a Koenigsegg CCX to take passengers on a 200mph ride. Dinner on Sunday night is at the famed Versace Mansion, followed by discovering the Miami night life. On Monday, the business session on the yacht will be taught by John and Scott Ferber, who sold Advertising.com for $495 million. “These trips take work hard-play hard to a whole new level,” said Mike Lally of PCB Group, a Maverick member. “We're not all in the same business, but everybody is here to work hard and play hard, so you get a very intense group of mavericks - entrepreneurs you don’t normally meet over a round of golf.”

Maverick members are recognized as the top of their professions, including online pioneers, INC. 500 leaders, and international real estate developers. The by-application-only group is limited to forward thinking business owners who crave entrepreneurial networking in an adrenaline-rushed environment.

The last Maverick Business Adventures trip included dune buggying in Baja, Mexico with teaching by Monster Garage’s Jesse James. And the following trip will be an exclusive 5-day expedition to Necker Island - Sir Richard Branson’s private Caribbean getaway. “Our trips are always challenging and provide adrenaline highs, which in turn creates a profound sense of accomplishment and clarity in ideas and focus,” Yanik says. “I’m always amazed by the ideas produced by our Maverick members each time we meet.”

Maverick Business Adventures, devotes a portion of all of their adventure trips to empowering youth in an entrepreneurial way. During this event there will be a live educational webcast for youth and teen entrepreneurs. There are still five spots available for the upcoming 200mph trip.

200mph video from previous trip

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Winged luxury submarines "fly" underwater

Most people have had dreams of flying. Graham Hawkes had dreams of flying - underwater. The Deep Flight Super Falcon made its maiden voyage in San Francisco Bay in September. Hawkes has been in the business of building underwater craft for more than a decade. In the early days Hawkes Ocean Technologies built vehicles for researchers and movies.

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Not All Celebrity Freebies Are Bling Bling This Year

Celebrity gift company Madison and Mulholland is focusing on "affordable luxury" this year. The company owner says that they paid careful attention to the vendors in her suite this year and that it was important to create a respectful and thoughtful image.

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