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Europeans still think cruises are safe despite tragedy
As per a poll by cruise ship operator MSC published on Tuesday, most Europeans still think cruises are safe despite the Costa Concordia shipwreck tragedy on January 13 that claimed 32 lives, according to a poll by cruise ship operator MSC published on Tuesday.
The poll by the Interactive Institute of 2,524 people in France, Germany, Italy and Spain found that 78.5 percent of respondents considered cruises a safe way to travel. The poll was conducted before another accident in the Indian Ocean on the Costa Allegra, a ship from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, in which a fire left the vessel without engine power and electricity.
The confidence rate in Italy rose to 98 percent for people who have already gone on at least one cruise in their life.
According to MSC director Domenico Pellegrino, they are sure that we are getting out of the slowdown in bookings seen since January and that we can therefore interpret as a decision to delay bookings rather than giving up on cruises. The Costa Concordia crashed off an Italian island with 4,229 people on board including 3,200 tourists from 60 countries.
Kate Moss for Mango Spring 2012 Campaign
Kate Moss has been revealed as the face of Mango’s Spring 2012 campaign, appearing in print and television campaigns captured by Terry Richardson. While the Barcelona-based retailer had opted for actresses including Scarlett Johansson and Penélope Cruz to front collections in recent years, Moss’s appointment marks a move further into the realm of high fashion for the brand.
Kate Moss attended a photocall January 24 at Mango’s London flagship store in Oxford Street ahead of the collection launch. A television commercial starring Moss called ‘Spy Game’ will also go live across 40 countries including the UK, France and Germany early March.
The fashionista’s previous high street collaborations include modeling and designing her own fashion lines for British retailer Topshop. Kate Moss was chosen as the image of Mango because she is a world-famous fashion icon, making her one of the most sought-after models in the fashion world.
Hotel Indigo opens its doors
Hotel Indigo, the very famous InterContinental-owned boutique chain has opened its first property in continental Europe. The Hotel Indigo Berlin opened its doors February 3, marking the brand’s first entry into Europe outside of the United Kingdom.
It is being designed with Hotel Indigo’s trademark ’boutique’ feel, the property contains 81 rooms, which are finished in light wood and white but have been individualized with color to give them the feel of an ‘artist’s studio’.
The rooms in here feature iPod docking stations and Tassimo coffee machines, while on the ground floor the hotel features Wohlfahrt’s Restaurant. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine to guests and passersby from the packed Boulevard Kufuerstendamm, one of Berlin’s prime shopping areas.
Waldorf Astoria will open its first Berlin property on the same street as Hotel Indigo, offering 232 guest rooms with panoramic views of Berlin’s skyline. The hotel is set to feature the only Guerlain Spa in Germany, along with Les Solistes, a French restaurant by celebrity chef Pierre Gagnaire.
Shahid Khan’s Kismet Yacht
Built in 2007 in Germany, the yacht is on sale Moran Yacht & Ship for a staggering $112 million. The impressive vessel features a formal dining salon, disco, teak decks, jacuzzi, sauna, gym along with a 25-foot Chris Craft boat and Yamaha. The yacht can accommodate 12 guests in its six staterooms and have a 17 member crew on board.
Till it finds a suitable buyer, the ship will be available on rent at 600,000 per week for winter Caribbean cruises and $789,000 per week for summer vacations to the Mediterranean region. While the move to sell of his yacht does make us wonder if he’s that cash strung after buying an NFL team, Khan denies the news.
Time to sit under LED tiles
Recently the researchers in Germany have created what they call a virtual sky. The virtual sky is not some far off Sci-fi fantasy. It can be seen as a luminous ceiling made with 20″ x 20″ tiles each fitted with a board containing 288 light emitting diodes (LED). These lights are covered with a matt white diffuser film that helps all the light to mesh. The lights used are a combination of red, blue, green and white resulting in a spectacular full light spectrum. This luminous ceiling was developed by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Engineering. The ceiling is designed to create natural lighting conditions of the outdoors indoors on a cloudy day. Researchers at the institute confirmed a study that found 80% of the workers preferred to work under the virtual sky.
Rare Adolf Hitler signed Mein Kampf
The rarest edition of Mein Kampf signed by Adolf Hitler will be up for auction later this month at Mullock’s, and it’s expected to sell for as much as US $48,880. The Nazi dictator wrote this particular Mein Kampf when he was in Landsberg prison in Germany in 1925.
The unsigned copies of the 1925 edition make thousands in their own right because they are so rare but this is one of a very small group within the 500 that were produced. The first edition in 1925 carries the 1925 imprint on it.
The book, dated Christmas Eve 1925, is dedicated to Hermann Esser, who was one of the founders of the Nazi party, and was in prison in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. The personally signed copy comes from an Australian collector.
Bulleit Shoots a New Premium Rye
When Bulleit Bourbon hit the shelves in 1999, its high Rye content, as well as its unique apothecary-style bottle put it on the map right away with Bourbon fans. A dram more than a decade after it started rolling through the market, Bulleit has come forth with a straight rye.
Rye is on the rise, especially with bartenders who seem to have rediscovered it in the last couple of years. But rising popularity is still relative. Heaven Hill, for example, says it can produce a year’s worth of its Rittenhouse Rye in about a day. Some of the popularity and increased consumption is coming about because of new brands and expressions, though, like Jim Beam’s Ri1.
Straight rye whiskey must have at least a 51 percent rye mashbill. But Bulleit Rye is 95 percent with the remaining 5% from malted barley. Tom Bulleit, founder of the brand, says he has been working on the rye for seven years. The company says that it sources its rye from Germany, Sweden, Canada and the United States.
Bulleit Rye is aged in new, white-oak barrels that are charred to the maximum #4 level, says the company, before being filled. The whiskey is bottled at 90 proofs, the same as Bulleit Bourbon. And the suggested retail price is $27.99.
Volvo Ocean Race Special Editions
Volvo has long sponsored sailboat racing. Thus to celebrate its participation has launched a new series of Volvo Ocean Race Special Editions.
Available in Europe on the V60 wagon, XC60 crossover and XC70 wagon/crossover, the Ocean Race specials come with interiors highlighted by Volvo Ocean Race logos on the seat-backs, door panels and floor mats. The special editions also debut two new color options: Ocean Blue II and Electric Silver. Volvo expects to sell around 7,500 of these special editions in such markets as the UK, Germany and Italy.
Rare Houdini Poster Up For Auction
A rare Houdini poster, which is one of only five such posters known to exist, is going up for sale at a Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago on March 26. The poster is one of more than 100 rare and valuable vintage magic posters which were discovered in a suburban Chicago home last year. Many of the poster swere purchased in the 1970s when they could still be bought fairly inexpensively.
The Houdini poster shows the legendary magician in handcuffs in front of a judge and jury in Germany. It represents a famous case in 1902 when Houdini was called a fraud by a German police officer. He sued for slander and won. Being a savvy self-promoter, he created the poster to dramatize the event and add to his fame. It is estimated at $15,000-$20,000. Also featured is a rare eight-sheet (7 feet x 9 feet) billboard advertising The Great Nicola. The huge poster is estimated at $2,500-$3,500.
Mansory Zapico Customized Bike
Mansory is the German high end luxury car customizer who has won several awards for its extraordinary work. Their latest project does not have four wheels but only two wheels. It is the Mansory Zapico Bike which they have developed in collaboration with Thomas M George who is a renowned bike customizer from Germany.
The Mansory signature is evident in the new bike in the form of carbon fiber which has been used extensively. The Mansory factory is located in Brand, which is a Bavarian town and it has manufactured or modified most of the components for the new bike. The bike is ready for display in its totality and will have its official premiere at the Geneva Motor Show next week.
Zapico is driven by a powerful 124 cubic inch V2 engine which is made by the well known American engine manufacturers S&S. The engine delivers full 160hp and can accelerate the 340kg bike from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds. Mansory has a regular workforce of over 80 people and can implement any modification in an automobile as desired by their customers.
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