Free Republic

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, who served as Speaker of the House and is now head of the House minority, is once again spending her Christmas at the exotic Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu in Kona on the island of Hawaii. Pelosi reportedly plans to spend her Christmas Eve at midnight mass in St. Michael's Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona. Pelosi spent the last two Christmas holidays in Kona at the same hotel in an elaborate suite that rents for $10,000 a night.

December 12, 2011, 9:02 PM HKT Latest China Knock-Off Craze: Luxury (Shopping) Bags The ability to flaunt Gucci and Chanel shopping bags has long drawn Chinese shoppers to luxury labels. But now China’s high-end show-offs are figuring out that there’s no need to spend thousands of yuan for a bag that’s available online for a mere fraction of the price. According to a report in the state-run China Daily, shopping bags emblazoned with names like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada and Burberry have become the latest must-have among Chinese online shoppers – and in true China fashion, most of them...

Airline lobby passing out 'barf bags' at DC airport to protest flight tax By Keith Laing - 10/31/11 04:09 PM ET Hoping to convince passengers to be "sick" about President Obama's proposal to increase taxes on flights, the airline lobbying group is distributing "barf bags" that are normally provided on flights at a Washington airport. As part of its Stop Air Tax Now campaign, the Washington, D.C.-based Air Transport Association said it would pass out motion sickness bags with information about the president's proposal to increase the take-off fee for flights at Washington's Reagan Washington National Airport. Obama has suggested...

Chinese Spend More Money On Luxury Goods Than Europe And The U.S. Combined Gus Lubin Oct. 27, 2011, 5:06 PM The size of China's luxury boom is absolutely incredible. Here are some facts based on a UBS report: * Last year emerging Asia accounted for around 50% of global luxury sales, most of which came from China. The Chinese probably spent more on luxury than the Americans and Europeans combined. * Emerging Asia accounted for 60% of luxury growth. * Tourists from emerging Asia account for half of luxury sales in Europe and 15% of sales in the U.S. Most...

North Korea's luxury goods imports surge North Korea's imports of luxury goods for its ruling elite have surged in recent years despite chronic food shortages and international sanctions, a South Korean politician has said. 3:04PM BST 19 Sep 2011 North Korea spent $272.1 million (£173 million) in 2008, $322.5 million (£205.2 million) in 2009 and $446.1 million (£283.8 million) last year on importing luxury items, Yoon Sang-Hyun of the ruling Grand National Party said in a report disclosed during a parliamentary meeting. "Despite international sanctions and persistent food shortages, North Korea has increased imports of luxury goods," he said, citing...

The man allegedly behind Norway's devastating terror attacks, Anders Behring Breivik, is now under arrest. And he should count himself lucky for—if entirely undeserving of—a penal system in that country that is among the cushiest in the world. There's no capital punishment, and the longest jail term allowed is 21 years (a caveat: if a prisoner is deemed to still be a threat, his sentence can be extended in five-year blocks indefinitely, though it's highly unlikely, according to Norwegian officials). In Norway, rehabilitation is the guiding principle, not punishment—a somewhat difficult notion to swallow given the gravity and callousness of...

It seems improbable to some that Hyundai, the company that once sold a car so inexpensive you could charge it on a credit card, would unleash a car that costs $58,000 and competes with the finest luxury cars in the world. Those who sniff with disdain may do well to remember that some esteemed luxury automakers had humble origins. Consider, for example, Jaguar, which started as a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars. Given that every automaker has access to the same auto- industry suppliers, and thus the same technology, it comes down to this: Which brand do you like, and how...

TAMPA - Luis Mercado was on his way from Tampa International Airport to Miami International Airport last week. Instead of heading to an American or Continental Airlines flight, he rode an elevator downstairs to board a RedCoach luxury bus. The half-million dollar coach is equipped with 27 individual leather seats in a bus designed to accommodate twice as many seats, a spacious arrangement with WiFi connections, LCD movie screens and a GPS tracking system. The amenities primarily target business travelers on intrastate trips to compete with air service bedeviled by baggage fees, security line waits and crowded airliners. "I have...

Say hello to the Wally-Hermès 'Villa Yacht'... French fashion house Hermès teamed with Monoco's Wally Yachts in 2009 to develop the 'WHY' mega-yacht (= Wally-Hermès Yachts)... the first example of which is now nearing completion in an Italian shipyard... this thing is wild.More pics/info/company video at Reaganite Republican

HOUSTON - From the exterior of Kennedy Place, it looks like any other upscale apartment complex. Inside you'll find faux granite top counters, a matching refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and an alarm system. Move over to the amenities room and there are flat screens in the lounge area, computer and workout rooms. The only thing different about this apartment complex: it’s public housing . Sheila Johnson has lived at Kennedy Place for that last seven years. She remembers when it used to be a 30-year-old building with lots of crime. But after $11 million in renovations, there are three-story units with...

NEW DELHI: The First Lady loves Indian food, especially the mutton and daal she sampled at the Prime Minister's banquet on Sunday night. Her younger daughter, Sasha, wants to become a dancer and when this wife has a tiff with her husband, he has to make up first. In an interaction with 17 school girls from rural areas of the country at the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Michelle Obama spilled the beans on who calls the shots at home. Awed by her presence at first, the girls stammered and stuttered but by the time the one-hour session was over,...

NEW DELHI: When US President Barack Obama reached ITC Maurya on Sunday evening, it was not just the traditional Indian welcome complete with the tilak awaiting him there. Two Indian brides did the honours — part of Maurya's ''Brides of India'' welcome reserved for visiting heads of state. According to sources, two women — one dressed in a Rajasthani bridal lehanga and the other in the traditional Banarasi sari of a Bengali bride — welcomed Barack and Michelle to what will be their home during their stay in the city. ITC chairman Y C Deveshwar too was present when the...

Kim Jong-il's Label Addiction Revealed From top, Perrier bottled water, Martell Cognac, Moreschi shoes and Scabal fabrics From top, Perrier bottled water, Martell Cognac, Moreschi shoes and Scabal fabrics Kim Jong-il's Mao suit is anything but affordable and utilitarian, according to a defector who used to supply luxury goods to the North Korean leader. "It should be called a luxury suit instead," said the defector, who requested anonymity. While working for the regime, his job was to tour the country's embassies and consulates overseas and buy goods for Kim. "In the early 1990s, I was ordered to buy fabric for...

When Prince Andrew was pictured on a yacht getting touchy-feely with a woman half his age, the denials came thick and fast. They're just friends, said a source, and anyway, she's married. But now it turns out 25-year-old Alexandra Escat is in fact single - and the pair have since been seen jetting off together. The Duke of York, 50, was seen engrossed in a playful conversation with the Filipino model on a luxury yacht last week.

Someone who bought a rare Bugatti, Jaguar or Ferrari in top condition would have done better during the downturn than an investor in almost any other asset, industry observers say, including stocks, fine art or even gold. “There has been a flight into real assets,” says Historic Automobile Group founder Dietrich Hatlapa, a former Baring Securities and ING banker and collector who designed the HAGI Top, a new index that tracks the prices of a cross-section of historic cars. “People want something they can look at and touch in the evening, rather than a piece of paper in the...

Advertising often results in overspending and over-consumption by creating artificially induced needs. The usual catch phrases are "New", "An exclusive offer", "Everyone has one of these", and/or "You deserve the best." Other fallacious "Protect your children with ..." not to mention lastly "Want to know what women really like?" manipulate the minds of targeted groups and raise/lower self esteem to encourage people to purchase their products.

China Becomes World`s No. 2 Buyer of Luxury Goods MARCH 05, 2010 09:29 China ranked second in the world last year in purchases of high-priced luxury goods, the English-language newspaper China Daily said yesterday. The state-run newspaper said only some 100 super-rich people with assets of at least a billion yuan (143 million U.S. dollars) in mainland China can afford a private jet. In the article headlined, “The super-rich have a craze for luxuries,” the daily said they are among the world`s top buyers of luxury goods, lavishing their money on all kinds of expensive goods ranging from pricey handbags...

North Korean who shopped for dictators goes public By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press Writer 14 mins ago VIENNA – A North Korean colonel who spent two decades going on European shopping sprees for his country's rulers said Thursday the late dictator Kim Il Sung lived in luxury while many people struggled to survive in his impoverished communist nation. Kim Jong Ryul, who spent 16 years under cover in Austria, also described how the "great leader" and his son and successor Kim Jong Il spent millions pampering and protecting themselves with Western goods — everything from luxury cars, carpets and exotic...

Electric cars and green technology dominate at this year's Geneva Motor Show, which opened its doors on Tuesday, but no one expected a hybrid Ferrari. This Kermit-green Ferrari 599 hybrid is one of the stars of the show and a sure sign that even supercar makers are beginning to address their environmental impact. Called HY-KERS, the hybrid two-seater uses Ferrari's Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to recover the braking and decelerating energy in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery. That electrical energy is converted into about 650 volts, which gives an additional 100 horsepower that is used to supplement the...

AP) A 507-carat diamond as big as a chicken's egg sold for $35.3 million, breaking the record for the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond, the supplier said Friday. The stone- which weighs just over 3.53 ounces - was estimated to be among the world's top 20 high-quality rough diamonds. It was discovered in September at South Africa's Cullinan mine. London-listed diamond supplier Petra Diamonds Ltd. said the gem was purchased by Hong Kong-based private jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Co. Ltd.

<p>The floating palace has been designed at a whopping 656 feet (200 meters) in length -- as long as two football fields end-to-end.</p> <p>If built, it would surpass the world's current largest private yacht, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's "Eclipse," by 99 feet (30 meters).</p>

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co will close its five-diamond property in Las Vegas this May, after the hotel struggled with a slide in demand and revenue. "It's nothing the hotel did. It's a simple lack of business and a decline in the tourism industry," said Ritz-Carlton spokeswoman Vivian Deuschl. The owners of the 348-room property, Village Hospitality LLC, an arm of Deutsche Bank, will stop funding the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas day-to-day operations on May 2. "That was the owner's decision and we reluctantly agreed to go along with it," Deuschl said. Luxury properties have been hit...

NEW YORK – A square, 32.01-carat emerald-cut diamond that billionaire philanthropist Leonore Annenberg bought for her 90th birthday sold for $7.7 million at auction on Wednesday. About the size of a walnut, the flawless, colorless diamond sits on a ring designed by Manhattan jeweler David Webb. It is flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds, one of them 1.61 carats and the other 1.51 carats. The ring was offered for sale by Annenberg's estate. Christie's auction house did not identify the buyer, who bid by phone. Annenberg died in March at the age of 91. She served as U.S. chief of protocol...

Following Vietnam’s property market collapse earlier this year, luxury apartment prices have fallen sharply, with a 30% drop in places like Phu My Hung and as much as 60% in other areas. The slump has been particularly hard in the luxury segment. Independent financial expert, Bui Kien Thanh, said local developers had focused too highly on luxury properties. He said the luxury segment is set for more trouble since customers have raised complaints about the quality of the apartments they have bought. Former deputy minister of natural resources, Dang Hung Vo, said that property prices would continue to fall if...

In December, travelers will be able to board a $1.4 billion ship five years in the making. After five years of planning and construction, Royal Caribbean is unveiling the Oasis of the Seas, a $1.4 billion ship that will be the largest and tallest cruise liner in the world when it takes its maiden voyage this December. At 1,184 feet from stem to stern, it's nearly as long as the Empire State building is tall--while rivaling the amenities of any world-class Las Vegas resort. A crew of roughly 2,160 will man 18 decks and tend to 5,400 passengers (assuming two...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Gone are the hot breakfasts in most dorms and the pastries at Widener Library. Varsity athletes are no longer guaranteed free sweatsuits, and just this week came the jarring news that professors will go without cookies at faculty meetings. By Harvard standards, these are hard times. Not Dickensian hard times, perhaps, but with the value of its endowment down by almost 30 percent, the world’s richest university is learning to live with less. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard’s largest division, has cut about $75 million from its budget in recent months and is planning more....

Bankruptcy professionals have a grim view on the U.S. corporate recovery, despite a recent rise in stocks and an uptick in business deals. "I think it's going to be a sad holiday season," said Lynn Tilton, chief executive officer of Patriarch Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in distressed companies. Consumers will be stingy with their spending, keeping malls and resorts empty, bankruptcy professionals said at the Reuters Restructuring Summit in New York this week. Even the wealthy will steer clear of the wild, brand-conscious spending that marked the last few years. "No one is conspicuously consuming they way...

"No one is conspicuously consuming they way they did in 2006," said William Derrough, a managing director at investment bank Moelis & Co. "That excess spending creates little boutique hotels, it creates that restaurant that sells the $19 doughnut and the Kobe beef burger. Those things don't need to exist." Higher unemployment and little bank lending will keep a lid on economic gains, likely forcing thousands more companies into default, bankruptcy or liquidation. "I just don't see a rapid recovery," said Tilton.

China has become the country with the strongest purchasing power of luxury cars in the world. Many luxury cars are eager to enter the Chinese market. The latest statistics show, the BMW Group's global sales fell 19%, but its sales in China grew 26%. In addition, while the financial crisis causes demand for luxury brands decline in Europe and the United States, the Chinese luxury market is still getting better. At present, China's luxury consumption accounts for 25% of the global market and for the first time it surpassed the United States to become the world's second-largest luxury goods consumer...

They Died With Gucci's On /snip Satellite photos show that construction of new facilities continues in the suburbs of the capital, where the elite families live. There is no let-up in the importing of luxury goods, including automobiles. The leaders in the north are determined to go down with their Gucci's on. One thing the elite cannot have is cell phones. The use of such devices was made legal again at the beginning of the year (at least in the capital), and all the swells, and even their college age kids, have them. But not the most senior officials, who...

As the health care debate rages on, President Barack Obama will begin a week-long vacation Sunday in Martha’s Vineyard, an enclave of liberal royalty far from middle America, where his approval numbers are starting to stall. Already, at least one group on the right is taking a jab at Obama over his beach vacation — at a 28-acre farm, said to rent for up to $50,000 a week. Obama has struggled against the perception that he has trouble connecting with average voters, and some are questioning his choice of a getaway spot for the well-to-do. “The danger for President Obama...

Downturn Pushes Escada into Bankruptcy Escada, the German luxury fashion brand, filed for bankruptcy protection with a Munich court, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Escada was badly hit by the global economic downturn and had been negotiating with bondholders to restructure its debts, but the negotiations were broken off on Tuesday. Along with the recent bankruptcy of Lacroix, the French luxury clothing brand, the Escada case reveals the heavy toll the recession is taking on the high-end fashion industry. According to French newspaper Le Monde, Italian luxury fashion brands are also suffering from serious financial woes. Gianfranco Ferre, one of the...

(IsraelNN.com) Despite an international diplomatic and media campaign to portray themselves as impoverished refugees, local Arabs are expected to swarm into several new luxury malls which are opening in Arab-populated areas of Judea, Samaria, and other parts of Israel. Last month, fireworks burst above Jenin's new Hirbawi Home Center, a luxury shopping center on the outskirts of a city notorious for producing terrorists. In 2002 as part of Operation Defensive Shield, a bloody battle took place between Israel Defense Forces and terror cells in the town, during which 23 Israeli soldiers and 52 Arabs were killed.

The economy may have started showing some signs of life lately, but unemployment is still extremely high in the U.S. and Europe. Car sales everywhere are down significantly. Yet there’s a silver lining for one company: Rolls-Royce announced today that it would increase its manufacturing workforce 50% — that’s 150 new employees — to build its new Ghost, which goes on sale in 2010. A design sketch of the Ghost is pictured above. If you want to move to England to work on the Ghost assembly line, you can check out Rolls-Royce's current vacancies here.

A 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa has set a world record for the most expensive car ever sold at auction, costing almost £8 million. RM Auctions, which organised the sale, said that the price - 9.02 million euros - which includes a 10 per cent buyer's premium on top of the "hammer price", is nearly two million euros more than the previous record set at a similar auction at Ferrari's headquarters a year ago. "The historical significance of this car attracted a bidding war as collectors from around the world - both in the room and on the telephone -...

As China's Communists gather, luxury sales soar By David Barboza Saturday, March 14, 2009 BEIJING: A week ago, a finely dressed Chinese man walked into Louis Vuitton's flagship store here trailed by a bodyguard and said he wanted to purchase a gift for a government official. "This is for a very senior official," the man told a clerk. "I tell you, he is at the top. So what kind of handbag do you think is suitable for him?" Sales clerks at Louis Vuitton and other luxury stores in Beijing offer an intriguing explanation for the appearance of such customers: every...

Reporting from Sacramento -- Some California lawmakers haven't let the state's financial calamity keep them from enjoying the good life; they've been using campaign cash for first-class travel abroad, expensive dinners, salon makeovers and visits to luxurious spas. Spending reports filed with the state covering the last three months show: * Several lawmakers checked into the Fairmont Hotel on Maui on donors' dimes two days after the start of an emergency session on the budget in November. * The lead state senator on budget issues joined colleagues who left the fiscal crisis behind to go to India, where they toured...

AFFLUENT JEWELERS OPEN BOUTIQUES ON MADISON AVENUE Despite the financial crisis, upscale jewelers are opening and expanding new boutiques on the Upper East Side. British diamond merchant Graff opened a giant boutique - with imported marble and an array of solid bronze fixtures...... Asprey, Chopard, Pomellato and Leviev all opened new boutiques.... new shops coming soon - David Yurman, Girard-Perregaux, Carat and Jack Vartanian.....Madison has become the Jewel Coast.........compared to Bond Street, London, and Place Vendome, Paris, home of jewelry giants like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. In a down economy, jewelry sales hold up better...... a super-wealthy shopper...

Back in August, my colleague Deidre Woollard reported on a court ruling that Saddam Hussein's yacht Basra Breeze (formerly Ocean Breeze) belonged to the Iraqi government after a Cayman island firm partly owned by King Abdullah of Jordan claimed possession. Now the Iraqis have put the 269-ft. megayacht up for sale with a pricetag of $30 million, but the décor is so tacky and outdated it will require at least another $30 million to overhaul the ship, the London Times reports. Launched in 1981, the ship features acres of marble and gold, Arabesque arches, dark wood carvings, "deep pile carpets...

Luxury Stores Brace for Slowdown By CHRISTINA PASSARIELLO and RACHEL DODES The luxury-goods industry is bracing for fallout from the global financial crisis. Some companies, including jewelers' Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari SpA, are considering a brake on future store openings to reduce costs ahead of a likely sluggish holiday season. French fashion house Dior SA may close some boutiques in smaller U.S. cities. Until recently, the world of luxury perfumes, leather goods, jewelry and designer clothing seemed impervious to the retail slowdown affecting apparel and home furnishings. Their resilience was due largely to growing business in emerging markets, such...

October 4, 2008 They’re Pinching Hundred-Dollar Bills By GERALDINE FABRIKANT The jet set, too, feels the pain. Louis L. Gonda, a regular on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans, has put two jets on the market. Interested parties could pick up the pair for $108 million. A private businessman who has given many millions to charities, Mr. Gonda, along with his father and a partner, sold their airline leasing company to the American International Group in 1990 for stock and cash. While it is not clear how many shares of A.I.G. he held onto or whether A.I.G.’s problems...

Kenya's cabinet 'soaks up 80pc of the budget' By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi Last Updated: 2:11am BST 17/04/2008 Kenya's expanded new government will spend 80 per cent of the entire national budget on luxury vehicles, inflated salaries for ministers and general running costs, a local anti-corruption group claimed on Wednesday. Raila Odinga speaking after he and President Mwai Kibaki [right] agreed to form a coalition government Of Kenya's annual budget of £5.4 billion, more than £4.3 billion will go on 93 ministers and their government's general running costs. Only £1.3 billion will be left for roads, schools and hospitals for...

It's amazing what $5 US per gallon of gas can buy... This palace is owned by the family of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former president of the United Arab Emirates and rule of Abu-Dhabi. My Mom said to always look at the bright side of things -good things these people are doing so 'well'!

Life can have its little irritations when you're cruising around the world on your £100million superyacht. For example, the endless vista of clear blue sea fails to provide much greenery to ease the eye - apart from the odd tropical island. For the owner of a forthcoming craft named WallyIsland, however, this will not be a problem. For he, or she, will have a personal ocean-going garden. The 325ft-long yacht is to feature a growing area with shrubbery and flower beds, kept healthy by an irrigation system. It will also have a tennis court, pool and five accommodation decks including...

http://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newsstory.asp?cat=TopStories&referrer=welcome&id=20080125/47996cd0_3ca6_15526200801252003174801 MADRID, Spain - A speeding motorist who killed a teenage cyclist is suing the boy's parents over damage to his luxury car, the government says. Enaitz Iriondo, 17, died instantly in August 2004 when businessman Tomas Delgado's Audi A8 crashed into him at 100 mph near Haro in northern Spain, an Interior Ministry traffic report said. The speed limit was 55 mph. snip

IT was a retail juggernaut that swept through America’s shopping malls and bedroom closets, rewriting the rules of class and consumption. But affordable luxury is not looking so affordable — or sustainable — anymore. During the 2007 holiday shopping season, the middle-class consumers who spent the last decade splurging on $300 saucepans and $600 scarves, tightened their purse strings in the face of slipping home prices and rising energy costs. As a result, an entire economy built around aspiration is starting to collapse. Affordable luxury purveyors like Tiffany & Company, Nordstrom and Coach have experienced slowing sales and plunging stock...

KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion went off Monday at a luxury hotel frequented by foreigners, reverberating throughout Kabul, police said. It was not clear if the explosion was inside the Serena Hotel or in its large courtyard where the parking lot is located. Police kept journalists and onlookers far from the building. -snip-

Being broke need not mean social death in Sweden - as long as you are well-educated. But for Americans and Russians having a good all-round education is no substitute for having cash, according to a new survey on status symbols in the three countries. The international survey by analysts United Minds asked 1,000 people in each country what values confer status. 'Bling' items such as expensive jewellery and designer clothes come well down the list for Swedes, while featuring more highly for Americans and, particularly, Russians. "Sweden is the only country where you can be penniless but well-read and still...

Stockholm's most prestigious department store, Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), has had to remove a set of black ragdolls from its Christmas window display after receiving a number of complaints from concerned customers. A visit to NK's Christmas displays has been a part of Stockholmers' staple holiday traditions ever since 1915. This year's theme was “A dream Christmas”. Puppies, dragons and polar bears danced side-by-side with sugar plum fairies and... what appeared to be golliwogs. When the windows were first available for public consumption on Sunday, one featured three of the black dolls emerging from a Christmas package. "The company that does...

Some modern ministers and ministries spend lavishly. But is that any of Congress' business? November 18, 2007 A U.S. senator is putting a new and troubling spin on the question: "What would Jesus drive?" Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who is pressing tax-exempt churches to be more open about their finances, told The Times that "Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey." Given that example, Grassley asked, "Do these ministers really need Bentleys and Rolls-Royces to spread the Gospel?" Actually, they do, according to a politician who attends a Georgia church that has attracted the attention of...