Same-store sales at Neiman Marcus stores fell by 20.9% in February, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Total revenues dropped 19.7 percent to $232 million for the period, compared with $288 million for the four weeks ended Feb. 23, 2008. In the four-week February period, same-store sales in t...

As I mentioned a few days ago, I was invited to the pre-opening party for a Museum exhibit in Rome on March 16.Unfortunately I will not make it there.It would be hard to justify the trip just for that.With a few visits to wineries, some sightseeing and cheese and food scouting, a trip to Italy could...

Is my palate changing or is it just fun and nice to stray from my usual red wine picks once in a while. I did taste today a couple of whites that really pleased me and could not wait to share with you. For the Consumed to Thrifty, the Ekeos from Fazi Battaglia, 100 percent Verdicchio combines good a...

If you are like me you may trust some book imprints, record labels and varied tastemakers when making new picks.The same thing applies in my case regarding wine. I trust the palate of a number of importers and distributors.The process can be gradual. You buy one wine, then two, then more bearing the...

The Aquapeutics (now to be known as AquaPEWtics) luxury steam shower has everything a person could want, plus a whole bunch of other crap, and a $4,300 pricetag. This spaceship-worthy shower is loaded up with two handheld showers, a waterproof LCD TV, a radio, massage jets, a steam box, overhead lig...

Look, we like showering as much as the next guy, but we yearn for something newer, more exciting, shinier, and horrendously more expensive in the personal hygiene world. That's why we got so excited when we saw the Aquapeutics Luxury Steam Shower U6810. Now, we're sure some of you are wondering, "Wh...

I received an e-mail about David Tishbi’s handmade jewelry collection a couple of weeks ago but I’ve only gotten to writing about it now. See, I couldn’t decide whether it’s appropriate to talk about handmade jewelry with price tags that could match electric bills, car insura...

That's right folks, a ridiculously stupid $2.5 million iPhone complete with 18-carat gold, 160 small diamonds, and topped off with a 6.6-carat behemoth as the home button. The piece is called the 'King's Button' and is available now if you want it. But, if you're looking for something a little cheap...

Dozens of luxury cars in Berlin have been torched since January by a group of disgruntled Germans. Mercedes, BMWs and Porsches have all been targets. Gallery of ze literally carpocalyptic destruction below. So why is this happening? Like ze French, it's ze world economy! Germany's once-booming econo...

Because as I look around I'm having a hard time understanding why people would set themselves up for failure and list their homes at prices that offer little to no chance of actually selling them. This struck me yesterday when I saw a home listed for sale  - a bright cheerful new listing for a nice...