Quote of the Day

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

— Kahul Gibran

Style Maker: Richard Branson

The daredevil mogul on why he breaks bread with his enemies and wants the necktie abolished

THERE ARE BUSINESS TRAVELERS—and there is Sir Richard Branson. The Virgin Group founder, known as much for his death-defying stunts in balloons and boats as for his ventures, spends much of his very busy life in transit. The entrepreneur zips between continents, projects and the extravagant sorts of leisure pursuits one would expect of the man who owns the grooviest airline in the skies.

Mr. Branson started building his global empire in the early 1970s with Virgin Records, known for launching bands like the Sex Pistols. Since selling the music company in 1992, his portfolio has expanded to include everything from wine to space travel. But he is probably best known for his airlines, which have been shaking up the industry since 1984, when a commercial flight he was on was canceled and he started selling seats on a plane he’d chartered to fellow passengers.

Mr. Branson has been criticized for his readiness to take the spotlight, but his personal style of branding has paid off handsomely. Lately, he has been investing his celebrity (and funds) in a variety of causes, among them saving endangered species and promoting peaceful conflict resolution through an organization called the Elders. We caught up with the British billionaire during a layover at New York’s JFK airport, where he recently launched a new Virgin Atlantic preflight clubhouse.

I keep copious notes. Notebooks have always been a critical part of my life. If I’m on a Virgin plane, I’ll get up and meet staff, meet passengers, get feedback and write things down.

When I’m on Necker Island [in the British Virgin Islands] about all I’ve got on is SPF—Sun Bum and also Island Company sun cream.

Every day is different, absolutely fascinating and a learning experience. In Canada, I’m trying to get legislation passed to save the polar bear. I’m going to Madagascar to try to save the lemur. Yesterday I was on stage with Amnesty International; today I’m doing a bit of business with Virgin Atlantic.

I hate being in hotels with a thousand rooms. And I personally don’t like going into hotels where you’ve got formal check-in desks. I’d much rather come and sit on the couch and be checked in that way, or ideally be checked in before I’ve actually gotten to the hotel.

My watch is a Bulova Accutron limited-edition. Every time one is sold, a portion of the proceeds goes to Virgin Unite, my charity.

I’ve spent a lifetime trying to set an example to get the necktie abolished. I mean, I just find it so sad going somewhere like Japan, where they’re all wearing suits. You look at these lovely pictures of them 100 years ago in their beautiful robes, and you think, ‘how on earth did the necktie ever catch on?’ I just find them uncomfortable and restricting. I think it’s people who run departments of companies, who’ve had to suffer all their lives and are damned if the next generation isn’t going to suffer, too.

I love to kiteboard. My board of choice is Cabrinha.

I’m not a very religious person, but if anybody was going to convert me, it would be Archbishop Tutu. He set an incredible example to the rest of the world, I think, when he helped bring about forgiveness in South Africa after the apartheid regime collapsed.

The reason I got into the travel business originally was out of frustration about the ghastly experience we used to get on other airlines. We literally started with one secondhand 747, crossing the Atlantic from London to New York to see whether people would go out of their way to travel on an airline that offered something a bit more personal. Fortunately, people did.

Jeans are great because you can wear the same pair of trousers 365 days a year and get away with it.

The movies that really make a difference are documentaries. ‘Sharkwater’ is one that changed my life. It’s about all the sharks that get slaughtered just for their fins and are thrown back in to die.

I could live off English roast dinner. If business is good, I love a glass of Champagne.

As a leader it’s important to always look for the best in other people—never criticize. If I ever said anything bad about anybody when I was a child, my mom would make me look in the mirror.

Saving money for better things – Tub scrub

My newest passion is using essential oils to clean my house.  I tried this new one on my tub today and I LOVED the smell:

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 t. liquid soap
• 5 drops eucalyptus (can also use tea tree oil)

Add enough water to make a paste.  Use the scrub on your  tub and/or your sinks.

I love taking baths but hate cleaning the tub.  Eucalyptus is one of my favorite smells, and it actually made the chore enjoyable.  Very economical as well–

Quote of the Day

Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” —Benjamin Franklin

Pulitzer prizes announced for books

I always investigate these, and add a couple or more to my reading list.

The 2012 Pulitzer Prizes award today had a big gap — there was no winner in the fiction category, which must have ticked off a whole lot of marketing execs. What will they do with all the “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize” stickers they had printed up for their covers?

The finalists were not a shoddy bunch: “Train Dreams” by Denis Johnson, “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell and “The Pale King,” by the late David Foster Wallace.

Other highly acclaimed novels of 2011 would have been worthy winners, too. Among them: “The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach and “The Tiger’s Wife” by Téa Obreht.

This isn’t the first time the judges have withheld a prize — it has happened six  times since 1948, the most recent in 1977. Among the books published that year was “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison, and you have to woinder whether the judges would like a do-over for that year.

Other literary prizes for 2012 were:

History — “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” by the late Manning Marable

Biography or Autobiography — George F. Kennan: An American Life” by John Lewis Gaddis

Poetry — “Life on Mars” by Tracy K. Smith

General Nonfiction — “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern” by Stephen Greenblatt

Unlock the Spotify universe

Great article in the WSJ about features in Spotify I didn’t know about….

I’m deep into Spotify now and if you aren’t, you should be. Not that music isn’t already fun and engaging, but Spotify, with its apps, collaborative playlists and ability to embed tracks easily into Tumblr and websites (this feature launched earlier in the week) makes it even more so. There’s no reason to be allergic to the hype anymore. It’s the real deal. Jump in if you haven’t already—

1. GET SPOTIFY

Unlike with other music-streaming platforms that run on your Web browser, you’ll need to download Spotify on your computer as you would a program like iTunes. There are three flavors: a free ad-supported version, an ad-free “Unlimited” version ($4.99 per month) and “Premium” ($9.99 per month), which, in addition to having no ads, lets you listen to Spotify on mobile devices and even access stored playlists when you’re not connected to the Internet.

2. HIT THE APP FINDER

Yes, just like your smartphone, the Spotify desktop client has apps. And they’re awesome, enabling you to explore and discover music in fun and innovative ways. Most impressively, they’re free. Here’s three of the best:

TuneWiki

Singers tend to be a mumbling bunch. That’s why there’s TuneWiki. This app displays lyrics in big, bold text as they are being sung. It’s amazing to discover how off you were about certain lines and, also, how awful some lyrics actually are. Nonetheless, it’s essential for the karaoke crowd and Bob Dylan fans.

Soundrop

Think of Soundrop as an old-school chat room where music is playing. You can join a room like, say, Jazz or Indie Folk, add your own tracks, vote songs up or down in the queue and say hello (with your keyboard) to fellow listeners. You can also start your own room and invite friends to have a listen and contribute to the programming. It’s surprisingly charming.

Classify

When it comes to music on the Internet, classical always seems to be on the bottom of the totem poll. “Classify” helps put the genre front and center and makes it accessible to folks who don’t know their Brahms from their Bach. You can explore music based on composer, period or even instrument. Flute, anyone? Before long you’ll be saying things like “Haydn? I dunno. Kind of overrated.”

3. DISCOVER PLAYLISTS

On Spotify, they’re more than just glorified mixtapes

You’ll probably start off in Spotify by searching for your favorite artists and albums and be astounded by the fact that, wow, they’re all there. That’s fine, but it’s a little like getting a Happy Meal and eating the hamburger before unwrapping the toy—the core of the Spotify experience isn’t songs or albums, it’s the galaxies of playlists to play with. According to Spotify, over 500 million have been created.

At their simplest, they are just mixtapes. But at their best, they are group-curated, constantly changing lists ranging in variety from “Songs of the ’80s” all the way to “The Covers of Phish.” (Not bad even if you hate Phish!) When it comes to Spotify playlists, there’s no such thing as too banal or too rarefied. There are plenty of apps on Spotify that help you find new music, but you’ll most likely be coming back to these two essential playlist powerhouses.

Share My Playlists

The easiest way to share, search for and subscribe to playlists. If this was the only way to navigate Spotify, you’d be fine.

Rolling Stone Recommends

You’ll find some of the most smartly edited playlists here, including many curated by emerging artists and folks like Mick Jagger and Bono. There’s a constant flow of new content, so check in frequently.

4. GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER

Even streamed music deserves better than those tinny laptop speakers

Spotify from Room to Room…

The problem with music on the Internet? It’s centered around the computer. And while that may be the norm these days, it shouldn’t be. Sonos is the pioneer in getting music off your desktop or lap and into the various rooms in your house.

Naturally it’s the best solution for using Spotify around the home sans wires or geeky networking know-how. All you’ll need to get started is a Sonos device (the compact Play:3 at $299 is a good place to start), and the Sonos app for iPhone, iPad or your Android device, and you can start navigating your Spotify playlists without having to boot up a computer. Additionally, Sonos gives you control over thousands of Internet radio stations, podcasts and pretty much every music streaming service that matters.

…and On the Go

Spotify Mobile

Sign up for the “Premium” service of Spotify ($9.99 a month) and download this app and you’ve got Spotify in your pocket. To listen to your tracks without being online, just slide the “Available Offline” switch to “On”—it’s located at the top of the playlist on the app or on the desktop. Free, available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry

SpotON Radio

This app generates radio stations based on your favorite artists—think Pandora powered by Spotify. (You’ll need to be a “Premium” Spotify subscriber.) Like the Spotify iPhone app, it’s AirPlay compatible meaning you can wirelessly play songs to devices with AirPlay like the Apple TV and various new docks. Free, available for iPhone

Quote of the Day

Ha!  I love this quote.  It is NOT the way I want to live my life.

For many people, “twenty years of experience” is really one year repeated twenty times. – From the book The Start-up of You by Ben Cosnocha and Reid Hoffman

My fav new car – Fiat Gucci edition

The only thing better than one iconic Italian brand is the pairing of two stylish companies, which is why fashionistas and car lovers are both buzzing about the new Gucci editions of the Fiat 500.

The first release of Fiat 500 in the United States and Canada on 1 April sold out almost immediately, so the fashionable partnership is expecting to be well-received.

“Traveling in style has also been at the heart of Gucci ever since Guccio Gucci founded his company as a producer of leather trunks, suitcases and handbags in 1921. So … it struck me as a perfect opportunity to create a new modern travel statement in Gucci’s 90th anniversary year,” explained Creative Director of Gucci, Frida Giannini.

The Gucci models will be available in black or white, and include the brand’s signature stripe of green and red down the side of the car or along the convertible roof. The seatbelts will have the same green-and red design, while the hubcabs will contain Gucci’s interlocking Gs logo.

Priced at around $23k.  Amazing!

French Glamour …

French Glamour in NYC:  The Dior Suite at the St. Regis

Ooh La La … this is definitely Life As It Should Be ….

Re-blogged from hotelchicblog.com

The view of Central Park from the Dior Suite

To sample a little bit of Paris in New York, I checked out the revamped Dior Suite at the St. Regis in midtown Manhattan. The Dior Suite is one of two the hotel created in partnership with iconic brands (the other is the pretty Tiffany suite). The sophisticated design of the 12th floor Dior apartment is inspired by the fashion house’s chic ateliers in Paris. Set against the beautiful Beaux Arts landmark building built in 1904 by Jacob Astor, with stunning views of the park, it would be a very glamorous place to host a shindig, or stay for a few days. (sadly it’s not inexpensive, sigh). For those of you who love fashion and everything French there are many glam design ideas here. Read on for sources and how to get the look:

From the upholstery to the paint to the curtains to the rugs, touches of Dior Grey appear throughout the 1700 square foot space. The living room features custom Louis XVI style sofas and chairs made by Lily Jack in California and upholstered in Pashmina Silver Fox by Architex. Handwoven striped silk and cotton Delice pillows are from Lisa Fontana Rosa.

The amazing watercolor is artist tribute to Dior’s glam take on fashion and by artist Bil Donovan. The Dior Couture book with photographs by Patrick Demarchelier is ready for reading.

Love these gorgeous double tufted ottomans.

The view from the living room in the summer. Amazing.

The settee by the window is custom by California furniture manufacturer Lily Jack and upholstered in velvet in Cavallino Titanium from Architex.

Feminine and playful Alana Ivory and Taupe Wool Ottomans hail from Arteriors.

Attention is paid to every detail, these floral curtain tiebacks from Samuel & Sons add panache to the windows.
Gonzaga Floral Mirror from APH Munn  in the bedroom. Notice how the legs of the benches in the bedroom match the style of the ottomans in the living room.

The suite has one bedroom, living room, and a dining conference room which features a black and white fashion still from the original Dior Suite.

Spirit Airlines Sale

Are there similar sales in other cities?

DALLAS–APRIL 03, 2012– For the next 96 hours, Spirit
Airlines is cutting nonstop fares from Dallas/Fort Worth to
popular cities for spring and fall travel. This sale
includes flights to Phoenix for $48.79 each way, including
tax — the lowest price we’ve ever seen on this route.

Sale prices are available most Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
April 10 – May 22 and Sept. 5 – Oct. 31. Each-way fares from
Dallas, including tax, are:

– Phoenix (Mesa) … $48.79
– Fort Lauderdale … $48.79 in April ($88.79 other dates)
– Las Vegas … $88.79

In addition, prices are also discounted for just the fall
travel window to the following cities, each-way, including
tax:

– Chicago … $75.79
– Boston … $78.79
– New York … $98.79

These prices knock as much as $350 off fares by competing
airlines even when factoring in Spirit’s additional fees of
$30-$45 per carry-on bag.

Click the link below to book with Spirit Airlines. Note:
Fares are based on roundtrip purchase. Sale ends at 10:59
p.m. CT Friday, April 6. (Fort Lauderdale April fares must
be booked by 10:59 p.m. CT April 4.)
http://www.travelzoo.com/newsflash/90314558-1214712/

Note: Today, Spirit also announced new service to San Diego
and Detroit from DFW, offering introductory fares from $29
each way, including tax, on select June and September dates.
Use the link above to search for fares.