Picasso, Andrew Webber, the Nazis and a court case
Finally the long and expensive court case fought by Andrew Lloyd Webber over the sale of Picasso’s ‘Portrait de Angel Fernandez de Soto’ a.k.a. ‘The Absinthe Drinker’, has been concluded with an out of court settlement with the heir of Paul Von Mendelssohn Bartholdy, a Jewish banker from Berlin. The painting was bought by Webber in 1995 for £19.3million and subsequently exhibited at various prominent art galleries until the composer decided to auction it through Christies to raise funds for his art charity, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation. The auction process was dramatically disrupted when a prof Julius Schoeps revealed that the Jewish owner Bartholdy, sold the painting in 1934 under duress by the Nazis in a slumped art market. However after much legal wrangling, an out of court undisclosed settlement saw the heir of the Jewish owner Bartholdy relinquish his claims over the painting.
Hermès launches Shang Xia to woo Chinese Lux consumers
The French luxury brand Hermès, not really having made much of a dent in the ever expanding luxury market in China is now all set to launch a special tailor-made format to lure the Orientals. Coming up in the Spring of 2010 in Shanghai is their new store called Shang Xia, which translates in Mandarin to mean ‘topsy-turvy’, with Miss Qiong-Er Jiang as the creative director. The Shang Xia stores will have ready-to-wear apparel and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. Interesting to note is that this is the first time ever that Hermès has launched a brand from the grassroots level. To give credibility to the new brand Shang Xia, a store will also be simultaneously launched in Paris.
Rusty and old Bugatti to fetch £85,000
Yes that’s right. Built in 1920, this 1925 open top Type 22 model rare Bugatti was a motor sport icon nicknamed the Bugatti Brescia, which had created motor sporting history on the Italian Track in 1921. Its last owner was a Swiss-Polish architect called Max Schmuklerski, who decided to park it at the bottom of the Lake Maggiore in 1936 since he was unable to pay the import duty on it. There it sat in its watery grave 43 meters deep, lending grist to local lore, myths and stories until discovered in 1963. Finally in 2009 the local sub-aqua club decided to dredge it up and sell it for charity. The legendry 1.5 liter, four-cylinder tourer capable of reaching 100 mph is now going to be sold this month in Paris by Bonhams in its
retromobile sale. The debate now is whether to restore the wreck or make a replica.
For Sale – Islands in Bahamas and Japan
For those unable to find appropriate properties within Delhi and willing to commute, now have the option of buying up an entire island, of which there seems to be a glut. Going cheap is an island in the Bahamas for only $80million. This 850 acres property will also include a lighthouse, a private airstrip and a church along with lovely private beaches and a waterfront house. Barely 50 minutes away by flight from Florida and 10 minutes from Nassau, it is a steal.
Closer home is the Northern Mitsuko Island located just one kilometer from Hiroshima in Japan. Nearly 7,600 sq meters in size, it used to have a naval hospital before WW II. Since than it has lain unoccupied and is overrun with weeds and wild trees. In a first of its kind initiative, the Japanese government is selling such unused assets. It will be sold by The Chugoku Local Finance Bureau and interested parties should look out for the tenders due out next month.
Sculptor Bernar Venet on Château Mouton Rothschild
This may sound misleading, as if the artist is hitting the bottle, while in reality it is one of his works that has been portrayed on the Château Mouton Rothschild bottle. This is merely in keeping with their annual tradition of the French wine brand from the Bordeaux region, of paying accolades to great artists by putting the picture of their works on their bottle label. This time, the brand’s 2007 vintage bottle will display a work by the French sculptor Bernar Venet, who is known for his arch shaped sculptors of precise mathematical form. In exchange the wine maker will present the artist with 10 crates of the stuff. Some of the other greats whose works have graced the brand’s label are Picasso, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol and Lucien Freud.
This nickel is worth $3million
And it is no ordinary nickel too. To be auctioned this month in Orlando, Florida, this coin is one of a rare five ever made in 1913 by the US mint that were discarded for faulty design. Seeking to launch a new nickel back than, the US mint had planned for the new version to have a Native American head on one side and a bison on the other. However a goof up resulted in five coins having a bison on the tail side and Statue of Liberty on the head. While the pre auction estimates stand at $3million, its previous journey through various ownerships was less exorbitant. King Farouk of Egypt owned the coin when it was touted to be worth $100,000. Subsequently in 1978 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of LA Lakers, paid $200,000 for it. Changes of hands since have inflated the price many fold.
Of the previous five, only three are owned by private collectors while two are with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, and the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs respectively.
Burj Khalifa - the new ‘tallest building’ claimant – open
On Monday, 4th January, the £1-billion Burj Khalifa of Dubai was finally declared open amidst a spectacular display of sound, light, water and fireworks. Not only has it surpassed Taipei 101 in Taiwan by more than 1000ft in height, it has also set all kinds of new records, the details of which we will not be able to fit into this space. The ongoing fanfare almost made one forget that parent Dubai World is choking with a $59bil debt crisis. People booked in advance to buy Dh100 tickets for an ear-popping ride to the top. There was more to it than merely stepping into a high speed elevator and pressing ‘floor 124’ to get to the sun deck. The crowds are let in every 30 minutes. The reception area offers two multimedia presentations glorifying the Burj as one waits for a ride on the 65 meter long travellator, which educates further about the city’s history with more multimedia displays. Special music composed by Canada’s Katia Makdissi-Warren plays on. This ride ends in the sunlit atrium and one has now to ride up on a long escalator, all the while gathering more info on construction woes, hurdles and inspirations. Finally it is the turn of the high-speed elevator that takes all of 60 seconds to reach the 124th floor. You guessed it – there are LED displays and foot-wide monitors in the lift too. The stunning effect of the view is much to talk about. There is also the option of shopping at this height, to sooth jangling nerves before heading earthwards.
Vatican publishes limited edition book -‘The Vatican Secret Archives’
This is going to create a huge buzz, coming as it is from the vaults of the very secretive and intriguing world of the Vatican. The book ‘The Vatican Secret Archives’ is 252 pages long and will cost $100 for its general version. Those able to afford the collectors edition costing €4,950, will get the opportunity to visit the archives and authenticate the contents for themselves – a rare privilege made to justify the price difference. Only 33 copies are being made of the collector’s edition that will be printed on felt, hand stitched with leather ties and bound in the studio of the Vatican’s secret archives itself. Each of these will be numbered, stamped and certified. The buyer can opt for any of the languages, English, Italian, French or Dutch, and personalise the copy too.
The contents of the book start with the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum (a book of formulas used by the Papal Chancellory towards the end of the ninth century) and travels down time. There are such treasures as a letter from Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V and works from a number of saints including St. Teresa of Avila. There is also a letter from Pius X to Hitler. What are the chances that its pirated versions will start selling at Delhi’s traffic lights aka Dan Brown’s works?
people
State you LQ stat please
Our on-going ‘what’s your luxury-quotient’ column is on a roll. The warm and heart felt replies of our contributors strike a chord in each of us. Here we have Wendell Rodricks with us in this space; a man whose fashion collections create waves at fashion weeks and qualify as luxury items, claims nature’s offerings as the best luxuries. Anyone who does not confirm with his concept of luxury please raise your hand!
Luxe Living is for me finding luxuries in life itself. It is not just in a perfect pair of fabulously handmade Berlutti shoes. I admire the God gifted hands of an artisan. It is definitely a luxury indulgence.
But I appreciate other luxuries more. The reason I live in Goa is to luxuriate in the pure air of my village. To walk alone in a firefly lit space under a starlit sky floating on a river boat where there is a blurring line between the stars and the fireflies reflected in the dark waters. Luxury is to bathe with pure water from the spring well attached to our Goan home; to walk on a beach early at dawn. Swim in a sea at night. Feel the clear sunshine on a perfect winter day.
To be one with nature, God and at peace with ones soul is true luxury. And finally to find true love and always rest in its warm embrace is the best gift of luxe living. - Wendell Rodricks
Here is a man who has defied many a norms to march to his own drumbeat - and very successfully too at that. His minimalist and eco friendly lines create new fashion trends across global runways, even as he confines himself to his village. A trained and successful chef, he chucked it up to become a fashion designer. For those who haven’t already read his contributions to the big daily, Wendell is a writer too, with a great sense of humor..
Summary - An uber expensive LVMH brand, perfect craftsmanship, nature, home, love, relationships – Wendell Rodricks has all the bases covered. What can one say after that? Oh well, he forgot to add food on the list – despite he being a foodie and a trained chef.
What makes any particular whisky better than another or taste different? There are many factors, or so said the experts. Here we have an analysis by top whisky experts, of an exquisite range of higher age variants of Glenfiddich’s 40 year old, 30 year old and 21 year old.
Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
“Not all whiskies are suited to such long maturation, but Glenfiddich is a perfect candidate. It emerges with a silky elegance that is both seductive and challenging. To sit down with such a complex whisky and persuade it to reveal itself is a rare pleasure.” - Michael Jackson, world-renowned whisky expert
William Grant’s desire to excel and bring out the finest qualities in his whisky led him to lay down stocks of single malt Scotch whisky, with the specific intention of allowing them to attain great ages. Some of Glenfiddich’s oldest and finest whiskies have been married together to create Glenfiddich Rare Collection 40 Year Old.
The fifth vatting of Glenfiddich 40 Year Old, has been dedicated to the memory of esteemed whisky writer and broadcaster Michael Jackson, who passed away in the summer of 2007, aged 65. Michael had previously written tasting notes for each of the first four vattings of 40 Year Old between 2000 and 2007.
To produce this new release, the then Malt Master, David Stewart, carefully selected five casks and blended them together with the remnants of the previous Glenfiddich 40 Year Old vatting, which contained whiskies first distilled more than 80 years ago.
Michael’s friend and fellow whisky writer Dave Broom of Wine & Spirit magazine has crafted the tasting notes for this fifth bottling and hailed the new edition as ‘a remarkable whisky’. He comments - A remarkable whisky. Each time a small percentage of the previous vatting is kept back for use in the next, making this a type of Solera process
Bottles come in a solid oak presentation box with detailed tasting notes. All 600 bottles are individually numbered.
Tasting notes by Whisky expert Dave Broom
Colour
Highly polished mahogany. Greenish rim.
Nose
Exotic and immediately complex, Fragrant yet savoury, deep woody notes balanced by surprising freshness. Like entering a country house in autumn: pot pourri, old leather, log fires, leaf mulch on the boots, beeswax polish. Then comes sesame, dried fruits, dried mint, bitter chocolate, treacle toffee. In time there’s flamed Seville orange peel (English marmalade), allspice and ancient solera palo cortado (from one of the finer sherry houses) and after half an hour a sweet chocolate. All of this is playing against a musky, woody note. Fascinating.
Palate
Medium to full bodied with tannic grip. Again the savoury note takes charge, this time with added menthol, black cherry, tobacco, dried strawberry and banana(!), raisin, rose petal. Then nuts come to the fore followed by a drying yet lively fungal smokiness. The tannins try to bite but there’s enough to balance.
Glenfiddich 30 Year Old
“Luxurious, but in a restrained, understated way”-Michael Jackson, Whisky Magazine
After maturation for over thirty years in the finest Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks, this rare whisky acquires an exquisite complexity of fragrance and flavour. Subtle notes of sherry and fig are balanced with rich dark chocolate flavours creating a sublime whisky of tremendous character.
This exquisite Scotch whisky will appeal to malt whisky drinkers who appreciate luxury, excellent quality and the finer things in life.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Finely balanced with substantial oakiness matched by fruit and luscious sherry notes
Taste
Complex and seductively woody, dark chocolate, emphasised by a floral sweetness.
Finish
Exceedingly long, honeyed and warm.
Glenfiddich 21 Year Old
“This is brilliantly different, complex, utterly assured whisky making of the first order” -Iain Banks, in his book ‘Raw Spirit, In Search of the Perfect Dram’
The Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky completed its maturation in casks that previously held aged Caribbean rum. The Glenfiddich Malt Master regularly samples whisky from the casks to ensure that the Glenfiddich acquired just the right level of finish.
THIS RICH AND INDULGENT SINGLE MALT BALANCES VANILLA, TOFFEE WITH HINTS OF NEW LEATHER
TASTING NOTES
Nose
Intense and sweet, floral hints of banana, figs and rich toffee.
Taste
Initially soft, then brisk and vibrant, peppery, a touch of smoke, vanilla, ginger, lime, spices and new leather.
‘Zéphoris aur Néméa ki amar prem kahani’ by Adolphe Adam
Full of emotion, drama, suspense, lust, deceit, treachery, dance, music...
Handsome and poor fisherman Zéphoris (tenor Phillipe Do) with shirt front open aka Salman Khan, sings soulfully for pretty princess Néméa (soprano Aude Priya) dressed in gold minis and driving around in a golf cart, whom he has fallen in love with post having rescued her from sea, but she has amnesia about the chap since she had blacked out. Stirring song of love and longing (Adolphe Adam’s score composed in the summer of 1852) is matched with projections of the kohl lined eyes of the princess on a pink background with floating hearts (like on Valentine Day cards) palpitating in sync with that of the hero’s. Wah! The audience was riveted as the story unfolded. There was the rather dishy cad, obtuse angle of the love triangle - Prince Kadoor (bass Didier Henry) in white shoes teamed with purple suit over green shirt with ruffles on cuffs and his two merry henchmen kitted out in aviators, King Moussoul (baritone Vikrant Subramanian) all so debonair, and some others that Adolphe Adam did not have in the original plot – the most central role of the cleaner with the Hoover for one.
‘If I were king’ or ‘Si j'étais roi’, an Indo-French comic opera in three acts by the French nineteenth century composer Adolphe Adam was a masterpiece presented by the Neemrana Music Foundation in Delhi as part of the on going ‘Bonjour India’ cultural festival of France. Full marks should be given to the producer Francis Wacziarg, an Indian of French origin and founder of the foundation, who could not have made a better selection. The Indian audience has not had much exposure to the Western classical music tradition of opera and ‘If I were King’ was staged in the manner of introduction-to-the-beginner, with the translations of the French parts projected on the side panels. The familiar setting in Goa, Indian costumes, a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan faces along with the French, the libretto or dialogues in English and most importantly the underlying tone of hilarity and fun in the staging, all made for a very pleasant viewing.
Jean Francois Vinciguerra, bass-baritone and the stage director, has presented the adaptation with all the flair, colour and a musical drama that make up an Indian film. It might have been a Westerners take on how he sees Bollywood productions- pure entertainment with dance and music and large fantasies seamlessly spanning the eras and centuries vis a vis the costumes or other lifestyle elements, a fairy tale of sorts. Dominique Pichou, the decorator, set designer and costume designer is also a painter and his exposition of costume sketches for the main cast of ‘If I were King’ were on display at the Alliance Francaise of Delhi in the days running up to the shows. Working along with designers Parvesh (Kumar Sharma) and Jai (Prakash Singh), they created bright Indian costumes with all the kitschy elements albeit sans garish and lending the essential joy and sparkle. At the heart of the evening was the live orchestra - the Orchestra Prométhée, conducted by Pierre-Michel Durand, which did not need any simplifying to comprehend. It was delightful.
So is opera really a musical drama? As popularly defined, an opera is a staged dramatic work where the actors sing all through. But there are many kinds of operas. There is the opera seria, which has heroic or tragic themes. The opera comique genre contains spoken dialogue along with the arias and not essentially all funny or light hearted. It may be of satirical content often used to poke fun at political or other such sensitive issues that might touch a chord in the common man. Adolphe Adam composed ‘If I were king’ in this tradition at a time when major political upheavals were happening in France. It might have been a satire on the French coup d'état on 2 December, 1851, staged by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte III, (at the time President of the French Second Republic), who dissolved the French National Assembly, and established himself as the king and emperor. The nineteenth century was also the time when European forces from France, England and Portugal had set up colonial kingdoms in India and the orient was fashionable. Opera Comique is not to be mistaken with another gener, the Italian opera buffa, which is not the same as opera comique. Rather it is more a flat out musical comedy or drama.
With such a fine start, the onus of a full introduction to all genres of opera now rests on Neemran Music Foundation and Francis Wacziarg. Stand up and take a bow, we are rooting for an encore!
Fly far far away, to the far corner, to the edge of the turquoise Caribbean – and to cut the poetry short, we might suggest Cancún in Mexico’s Quintana Roo state; a city that is the result of a bank study in 1967. But that is another story. Specially developed as a tourist destination, the region is flush with hotels that cater to more than four million visitors of all kinds.
We resorted to cherry picking and came up with Maroma Resort and Spa, a rustically luxurious hideaway in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, which is nestled at the edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, between the shores of Playa del Carmen and vibrant Cancún. With the cobalt Caribbean on one side and a 200 acre tropical jungle preserve on the other, not only is the location of the Maroma Resort and Spa by Orient-Express near perfect, the fine facilities such as the exotic Kinan Spa have earned it a listing as the ‘World’s Best’ by such as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveller. Barely a 30 minute drive from the well connected and very busy Cancún International Airport is all it takes to this tropical haven.
Amongst the many such facilities that abound in the region, what sets Maroma apart is the high quotient of intimacy and privacy provided by it being a little secluded, perfectly qualifying as the ‘romantic hideaway’ as described on the resort’s website. The Mayan civilization flourished in this region and the influences of the Maya language are reflected in the names of places.
Maroma’s highlights are its ocean front Sian Nah suites (Mayan for ‘House of Heaven’) that have been designed as complete sanctuaries equipped for spa treatments, a fitness area, separate living areas and spacious outdoor terraces with private plunge pool. The four-bedroom Villa Karolina is located right in front of the breathtaking stretch of a white sandy beach without compromising on the privacy of its occupants. All other facilities that are standard for any world class resort are all in place. The new wine cellar that is located in El Sol restaurant is a great place to indulge with an entire range of 316 wines from Argentina, Mexico, Spain and Chile as well as other well known wine regions in the US, France, Italy, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Rodrigo Ofner, the in house sommelier perfectly matches appropriate wines with Chef Guillermo Gomez’s Yucatan, Mayan and Creole flavored culinary creations. Next morning the perfect place to head for is the ‘Coffee Room’ in the main building. An entire range of highland grown organic and biodynamic coffee selection is available for the guests with compliments of the house due to a partnership with the Regional Agricultural Union of Tacaná Coffee. Other handmade products that make a welcome sampling are tamarind marmalade, chipotle marmalade, mango chutney along with a range of Mexican tequilas and wines.
The real gem of the Maroma Resort is its Kinan Spa, the name translates from Mayan to mean the energy of the sun; applied here to mean the individual inner energy – much like ‘Chi’. It took nearly three decades for Maroma founder and architect, Jose Luis Moreno to handcraft the Kinan Spa. Each building ant treatment room has been aligned to the stars to ensure positive energy flow so the body, mind and spirit are in harmony. White and cream stucco finishes, carved niches, handmade floor tiles with river stone borders, hand-hewn beams made from the native zapote trees and mahogany furnishings and gurgling fountains and pools surrounded by tropical gardens provide the authentic and soothing environment, while strategically placed windows and thatched alfresco corridors bring sunbeams, fresh ocean breezes and bird songs from the jungle.
With the weather steady at lovely, balmy, without too much rain for most part of the year, barring the hurricane months around August- September, the destination is an all season option. For those wanting to banish the foggy chill of Delhi, perfect season to leave town. Good time to start polishing on your Spanish. Adios and ¡Buen viaje!
The Harley Eagle Warrior is ready to burn Indian Highways as finally the legendry brand is ready to open shop in India as of April. The other good news is that Harley-Davidson is bringing its entire range of five motorcycle families, the Sportster, the Dyna, the VRSC, the Softail and the top-of-the-range Touring series. Anoop Prakash, the Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India, revealed that all of the twelve models of Harley-Davidson would be launched in the country and will be in the price range of Rs6.95lakh and Rs34.95lakh. The steep price is due to the 100% import duty since the bikes will be imported as complete built units. There is also the option of customizing it to one’s personal taste.
Les Ateliers Busy’s fun Sponge Bob Helmet
For all you lovers of SpongeBob Squarepants, here are a range of limited edition helmets inspired by the cartoon brought to you by Les Aterlier Ruby, helmet makers, to celebrate its10th Anniversary. There are only 200 out there, each costing $1,200, for that someone who really loves SpongeBob. The helmet is shaped more like a moped helmet actually and is technically not so inspired. But go ahead and buy one if you must.
Whoever said that reading is a habit dying a slow death might have to do a rethink on the above, as what is seen emerging is a format that redefines how one reads - an entire library on call, ready access to a plethora of global newspapers, magazines, entire encyclopedias and some more. While Amazon changed the pace with its e-reader Kindle and followed it up with its thinner and nattier Kindle-2, already making waves and changing the rules is the Skiff Reader which is due out soon. There’s an e-revolution happening out there and at the latest Consumer Electronic Show 2010 in Las Vegas, e-books of all kinds flooded the segment. We bring you a pick of the lot.
The Skiff Reader sits at the top of the heap with its 11.5in screen, 1200x1600 pixel resolution and .25in thickness. It is made from a touch screen ink display and super-thin film transistors that are stuck to a flexible steel substrate, the combo that allows it to bend as well as support the content. A deal with Sprint provides 3G access, enabling downloads through Skiff’s digital store. It also supports wireless activity through WiFi.
Amazon’s Kindle 2 appeared in the beginning of last year, an upgraded avtaar of its 2007 version. The reader is barely 0.36inch thick and comes with a 2GB internet memory.
The business oriented Que by Plastic Logic has screen size of 8.5x11-inch piece of paper and integration with Barnes & Noble's e-book store. Two versions are available – the less expensive with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for $649, and the 3G wireless for $750.
Entourage Edge is geared toward students. It has an e-ink screen on one side and a LCD touch screen on the other. The two sides work in tandem. It will be available soon for $499.
What makes objects so desirable or valuable? The factors are truly mystifying. Consider a discarded defective nickel, in all likelihood cast by a truant craftsman goofing on the job, which is now worth $3mil a mere 97 years on. At the other end of the spectrum is the dazzle of the latest gizmo with cutting edge technologies that loses sheen and becomes obsolete within months. Many a brand contrive that ‘value’ through clever marketing that exploits the inane vanity lurking within us to possess that ‘limited edition’ at exorbitant cost. The defence lies in finding the right balance within before exposing oneself to the cleverly engineered temptations employed by marketing zealots. Indeed, balance is a rare achievement and comes with great effort. Nevertheless, it comes with a lifelong assurance of true value!
Most enriching are memorable experiences gathered across journeys to unseen, far flung destinations – a trek in the mountains, or through the Amazon, or ‘touristy’ beaches of an island – the pick is one’s own. Luxe Living has added a column, ‘Exotique’, dedicated to introducing its readers to locations that rate high in the tales of the traveler.
We have all relished a fine scotch without really paying much attention to what it is that makes it ‘fine’. Luxe Living this time carries a review and detailing by whisky masters of the old age variants of Glenfiddich Single Malts and the notes that make it so unique.
Picasso, Andrew Webber, the Nazis and a court case 
The French luxury brand Hermès, not really having made much of a dent in the ever expanding luxury market in China is now all set to launch a special tailor-made format to lure the Orientals. Coming up in the Spring of 2010 in Shanghai is their new store called Shang Xia, which translates in Mandarin to mean ‘topsy-turvy’, with Miss Qiong-Er Jiang as the creative director. The Shang Xia stores will have ready-to-wear apparel and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. Interesting to note is that this is the first time ever that Hermès has launched a brand from the grassroots level. To give credibility to the new brand Shang Xia, a store will also be simultaneously launched in Paris.
And it is no ordinary nickel too. To be auctioned this month in Orlando, Florida, this coin is one of a rare five ever made in 1913 by the US mint that were discarded for faulty design. Seeking to launch a new nickel back than, the US mint had planned for the new version to have a Native American head on one side and a bison on the other. However a goof up resulted in five coins having a bison on the tail side and Statue of Liberty on the head. While the pre auction estimates stand at $3million, its previous journey through various ownerships was less exorbitant. King Farouk of Egypt owned the coin when it was touted to be worth $100,000. Subsequently in 1978 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of LA Lakers, paid $200,000 for it. Changes of hands since have inflated the price many fold. 
This is going to create a huge buzz, coming as it is from the vaults of the very secretive and intriguing world of the Vatican. The book ‘The Vatican Secret Archives’ is 252 pages long and will cost $100 for its general version. Those able to afford the collectors edition costing €4,950, will get the opportunity to visit the archives and authenticate the contents for themselves – a rare privilege made to justify the price difference. Only 33 copies are being made of the collector’s edition that will be printed on felt, hand stitched with leather ties and bound in the studio of the Vatican’s secret archives itself. Each of these will be numbered, stamped and certified. The buyer can opt for any of the languages, English, Italian, French or Dutch, and personalise the copy too.
What makes any particular whisky better than another or taste different? There are many factors, or so said the experts. Here we have an analysis by top whisky experts, of an exquisite range of higher age variants of Glenfiddich’s 40 year old, 30 year old and 21 year old. 
The fifth vatting of Glenfiddich 40 Year Old, has been dedicated to the memory of esteemed whisky writer and broadcaster Michael Jackson, who passed away in the summer of 2007, aged 65. Michael had previously written tasting notes for each of the first four vattings of 40 Year Old between 2000 and 2007.
“This is brilliantly different, complex, utterly assured whisky making of the first order” -Iain Banks, in his book ‘Raw Spirit, In Search of the Perfect Dram’
The audience was riveted as the story unfolded. There was the rather dishy cad, obtuse angle of the love triangle - Prince Kadoor (bass Didier Henry) in white shoes teamed with purple suit over green shirt with ruffles on cuffs and his two merry henchmen kitted out in aviators, King Moussoul (baritone Vikrant Subramanian) all so debonair, and some others that Adolphe Adam did not have in the original plot – the most central role of the cleaner with the Hoover for one.
So is opera really a musical drama? As popularly defined, an opera is a staged dramatic work where the actors sing all through. But there are many kinds of operas. There is the opera seria, which has heroic or tragic themes. The opera comique genre contains spoken dialogue along with the arias and not essentially all funny or light hearted. It may be of satirical content often used to poke fun at political or other such sensitive issues that might touch a chord in the common man. Adolphe Adam composed ‘If I were king’ in this tradition at a time when major political upheavals were happening in France. It might have been a satire on the French coup d'état on 2 December, 1851, staged by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte III, (at the time President of the French Second Republic), who dissolved the French National Assembly, and established himself as the king and emperor. The nineteenth century was also the time when European forces from France, England and Portugal had set up colonial kingdoms in India and the orient was fashionable. Opera Comique is not to be mistaken with another gener, the Italian opera buffa, which is not the same as opera comique. Rather it is more a flat out musical comedy or drama.
We resorted to cherry picking and came up with 
Maroma’s highlights are its ocean front Sian Nah suites (Mayan for ‘House of Heaven’) that have been designed as complete sanctuaries equipped for spa treatments, a fitness area, separate living areas and spacious outdoor terraces with private plunge pool. The four-bedroom Villa Karolina is located right in front of the breathtaking stretch of a white sandy beach without compromising on the privacy of its occupants. All other facilities that are standard for any world class resort are all in place. The new wine cellar that is located in El Sol restaurant is a great place to indulge with an entire range of 316 wines from Argentina, Mexico, Spain and Chile as well as other well known wine regions in the US, France, Italy, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Rodrigo Ofner, the in house sommelier perfectly matches appropriate wines with Chef Guillermo Gomez’s Yucatan, Mayan and Creole flavored culinary creations. Next morning the perfect place to head for is the ‘Coffee Room’ in the main building. An entire range of highland grown organic and biodynamic coffee selection is available for the guests with compliments of the house due to a partnership with the Regional Agricultural Union of Tacaná Coffee. Other handmade products that make a welcome sampling are tamarind marmalade, chipotle marmalade, mango chutney along with a range of Mexican tequilas and wines.
The real gem of the Maroma Resort is its Kinan Spa, the name translates from Mayan to mean the energy of the sun; applied here to mean the individual inner energy – much like ‘Chi’. It took nearly three decades for Maroma founder and architect, Jose Luis Moreno to handcraft the Kinan Spa. Each building ant treatment room has been aligned to the stars to ensure positive energy flow so the body, mind and spirit are in harmony. White and cream stucco finishes, carved niches, handmade floor tiles with river stone borders, hand-hewn beams made from the native zapote trees and mahogany furnishings and gurgling fountains and pools surrounded by tropical gardens provide the authentic and soothing environment, while strategically placed windows and thatched alfresco corridors bring sunbeams, fresh ocean breezes and bird songs from the jungle. 
The Harley Eagle Warrior is ready to burn Indian Highways as finally the legendry brand is ready to open shop in India as of April. The other good news is that Harley-Davidson is bringing its entire range of five motorcycle families, the Sportster, the Dyna, the VRSC, the Softail and the top-of-the-range Touring series. Anoop Prakash, the Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India, revealed that all of the twelve models of Harley-Davidson would be launched in the country and will be in the price range of Rs6.95lakh and Rs34.95lakh. The steep price is due to the 100% import duty since the bikes will be imported as complete built units. There is also the option of customizing it to one’s personal taste.
