I heard a story recently at my alma mater, the University of Montana, which sheds some light on the peculiar logic of diversity, affirmative action and political correctness on American campuses today.

One of the school’s academic units recently underwent an accreditation review. The visiting team of academics and administrators gave the program high marks in all areas except, as you have probably guessed, diversity. The accreditation itself was renewed, but the reviewers made clear that they want to see greater effort in the future.

I can’t name the program here, but I can tell you that it has a long history of reaching out to Montana’s Native American community, which is by far the state’s most prevalent and needy minority group. It has worked hard to attract native students to the campus, and it has sent many non-native students to work in educational and community service programs on the state’s seven reservations.

This program has demonstrable diversity, but it is the wrong kind of diversity. The out-of-state reviewers wanted to see more African-American students on the campus in Missoula. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, except that Montana’s population is only 0.5 percent African-American. In this particular discipline, even programs in states with large African-American communities have had trouble attracting many black students. Any such students who came to Montana would have to be prepared to pay nonresident tuition, move to a distant and unfamiliar community and enter a profession that, while rewarding, does not pay particularly well. Montana is a beautiful place, and attending college there can be a great experience, but this particular recruiting assignment is a heavy lift. In the end, the nonwhite, U.S.-born, out-of-state students who might be persuaded to come are likely to be socioeconomically similar to their white out-of-state counterparts. What is the point of targeting them for their pigmentation, rather than their credentials and career interests?

Nonetheless, the university’s administrators and the dean of the program under review are not eager to challenge the demand for greater diversity. I saw an excerpt of this academic unit’s multi-year plan, which repeats the diversity objective so many times that it sounds more like a chant than a goal. I suppose the program could open a branch campus in Oakland, Calif. Short of that, I’m not sure that it can achieve the desired African-American recruitment, or even that it should try.

The meaning and merits of diversity are in the news these days. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a challenge to the University of Texas’ practice of awarding preference to certain nonwhite students. The school argues that all students in a classroom benefit from multiple viewpoints, and that because there are so many small classes at the school, minority enrollment needs to be sustained to ensure those viewpoints are represented in most classes.

That is both a specious and demeaning argument. It reduces the viewpoint of the students, both white and nonwhite, to just a function of the color of their skins.

If educators truly want diverse viewpoints, they should seek those diverse viewpoints directly. Is there an accreditation panel out there that demands more Republicans or Libertarians? Or students with a background of hunting or skeet-shooting, who might have a different perspective on the Second Amendment? Or students, of whatever race, who are the first in their family to complete high school or attend college, or who have lived in a homeless shelter or in a car?

Would it make any sense at all for a school like the University of Texas to grant admissions preference to the daughters of a former president, raised in a household with two highly educated parents, on the basis of their race? Should schools even be in the business of determining the race of their students? One disturbing aspect of the Texas case is the revelation that applicants’ files are coded to disclose whether they are white or black.

I suspect the Supreme Court is going to finally strike down the use of race in public university admissions. As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an earlier case, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”

The demands being imposed on the University of Montana, and the school’s meek acquiescence to them, demonstrate that the academic clamor for racial preference has become a goal without a legitimate purpose. It is another argument why, as I have written before, state or federal agencies should wrest control of the accreditation process from self-interested academics who are wasting public resources to further private agendas.

In the meantime, the Supreme Court can bring us a step closer to being a society where what truly matters is the person you are, not the skin color you happened to inherit.

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There are some 60 airlines flying into and out of New York-JFK Airport. Competition is fierce, but New York's always game for a little of that.

Passengers are looking for the cheapest tickets (of course), shiniest planes, most routes and newest facilities. Come next spring, Delta will claim at least that last one as it opens a 9-gate extension of Terminal 4, complete with the largest SkyClub lounge in the world.

Click here to tour the terminal >

The entire project cost is in the billions, so it's no fresh paint fixer-upper or anything; every month construction workers build $26 million worth of new stuff into Terminal 4 (that's over $1 million every workday!). Why should you care? Because Delta wants you in it, loving it and flying out of it...and soon. They are on schedule and under budget (whoa) for an opening in May 2013. Arrive early for your late spring Delta flight, because this place will warrant some checking out.

Speaking of checking it out, Delta allowed us to don a hard hat and Timberlands last week and have a peek at the construction for ourselves. We fly out of all JFK terminals pretty regularly and can say so far so good on the decisions Delta's making. Our favorite bit? Terminal 4's extensive retail and dining zone will switch from being pre-security (as it is now) to post-security. No more shopping and making merry only to remember you still have to go through a TSA search, then find everyone else had the same thought and now the line is insanely long. Ugh. Too many times.

Another huge bonus: updated technology. "We want to be New York's airline," says Gail Grimmett, Delta's SVP of New York. Being down with the digital stuff is definitely one step towards that. Flyers will find 75% of seating with built-in power outlets (no more seeking out those pole things!), security lines and gates eager to scan mobile boarding passes, and restaurants that understand many diners will eat in the company of their laptop screens. Behind the scenes, your baggage will be ferried away to your plane via an in-line automatic system, replacing manual tagging.

Each of the terminal's four levels are under the knife with this massive renovation, but let's get to the fun part: that Flagship SkyClub. Holy smokes is it huge. We've been in some big SkyClubs before—like the sweet one at Tokyo-Narita—but at 24,000 square feet with "amazing views" and some surprises, it's going to make some frequent Delta flyers very very happy. Plus, those without SkyTeam status will still be able to buy daily passes; no snobbery up here. Even children will have their own lounge, as Delta's unaccompanied minor "SkyZone" gets a big space with video games and toys (outside the SkyClub, naturally).

For regular JFK flyers who worry about connecting between Terminal 2 and this new bit of Terminal 4, fret not. An airside bus will connect the two terminals, so even T2 flyers can enjoy a little T4 fun before jetting off.

As you can probably tell from our photos above, the several construction companies bringing this all together are still hard at work. The Delta airplane tails out the window tease but it won't be too much longer until that 747 to Tokyo across the way pulls up on this side instead.

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Earth’s surface is 71 percent water, and our oceans are dotted with spectacular islands — tens of thousands of them — but some capture our imaginations more than others.

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In Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best survey, readers ranked their favorites, and the results show that no distance is too great when a fabulous island waits as your reward.

Six of the top 10 islands, such as Bali and Santorini, are more than an eight-hour flight from the U.S. Luckily, Americans can also find island paradise literally just offshore — on untamed Vancouver Island (No. 10).

Find out which far-flung island captured the No. 1 ranking and where to find secluded beaches, wildlife encounters, and luxurious pampering.

See the best islands in the world >

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Best Secret Islands On Earth

#1 Boracay, Philippines

This tiny tropical island in the Philippines is making a big splash. After debuting at No. 4 in the World’s Best Awards last year, Boracay has taken the top prize, appealing to travelers with its natural beauty and still-under-the-radar status — chances are you haven’t “been there, done that.”

Best Beach: White Beach, a 2.5-mile stretch of powder-white sand — often cited as the world’s softest — lapped by the translucent Sulu Sea.

Where to Stay: Discovery Shores for modern suites with huge windows, an infinity pool, and the full-service Terra Spa.

#2 Bali, Indonesia

Bali may be one of 17,500 islands in the Indonesian archipelago, but this paradise known for its temples is the country’s crown jewel, offering travelers glimpses into Balinese Hindu history thanks to a vibrant cultural scene filled with music and dance.

Best Beach: To watch the sun come up over the water, head to Sanur. For gorgeous sunsets, upscale resorts, and lively nightlife, stay along Seminyak. 

Where to Stay: Amandari, the only Indonesian resort ranked in the 2012 T+L 500, is near a sacred river outside Ubud and arranged like a local village — albeit one with 30 suites that feature private plunge pools and rice-paddy views.

#3 Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

T+L readers prove once again that this exotic chain of isolated Pacific islands 600 miles off of South America is one of the ultimate dream trips. Where else can you spy a blue-footed booby or short-feathered penguins other than the Galápagos Islands?

Best Beach: Here, the best beach is where sea lions catch some rays. Snap hordes of them on Santa Fe Island’s white-sand beach.

Where to Stay: The ideal way to see these islands is on a ship, such as the 90-passenger Celebrity Xpedition, which sails seven- and 10-night cruises year-round.

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Want to increase your chances of buying a home below current real estate value? Just look for a seller who didn’t listen to his agent.

The best real estate agents encourage their sellers to do whatever it takes to get the home in its absolute best condition before going to market. The better the home shows, the more likely the seller will get top dollar.

Sometimes, this could be as simple as removing personal items or decluttering. Other times, an agent will suggest bigger fixes, such as painting, replacing carpet or upgrading countertops or cabinets. Savvy sellers listen to their agents, make the changes suggested and go to market in top form. That’s not always how it plays out, however.

For any number of reasons, many sellers protest suggested fixes. Either they don’t want to be inconvenienced, don’t believe the fixes will matter or don’t have the financial resources to make it happen. Inevitably, this means the buyer will get a discount on that property.

How to spot a home that might sell below its value

Is there a home for sale in a good neighborhood and in the desired school district that seems to be well-priced but for some reason isn’t selling? This is the home you want to investigate, because chances are the seller didn’t listen to his agent. Specifically, here are some tell-tale signs to look for.

Big furniture or a lot of furniture

Most people don’t buy furniture to use when staging their home. Often a seller may have a lot of furniture in one room, which makes the room look small to potential buyers. Real estate agents and professional home stagers know this all too well. For example, stagers always suggest a small loveseat over a full-blown couch or sectional sofa. Also, in the bedrooms, king beds often take up too much space. So a stager will often push the seller to swap it out for a queen or full-sized bed.

When you enter a house that seems crowded with furniture, imagine the rooms with fewer or smaller pieces. Be aware that plenty of potential buyers won’t get past the sense that the rooms are too small, and they’re likely to move on to a home that feels bigger. In turn, this could give you room to negotiate a good deal with the seller.

Dark rooms

There was a home in West Hartford, CT on a great block, but the interior was dark. Three large French doors in the living room led to a deck, but the doors were stained black, and the carpet was brown. On top of that, the window coverings were big, heavy and overtook the room.

The house sat on the market for months, even though the price wasn’t far off the real estate market value. Here’s why: Every buyer walked in and out because the house was so dark. After the home had been on the market for three months, a smart buyer made an offer $40,000 below asking and ended up getting it.

Before the buyer moved in, he removed the window coverings, stripped the stain on the doors and painted them white, pulled up the old carpet and had the floors stained to a lighter oak. Right away, the dark room became light, bright and welcoming. The buyer’s total cost: $9,000, which instantly added $31,000 to his equity.

Grandma or Bambi staring down from the walls

Buyers are looking to see themselves — and not the current owners — in a home. Too often, however, the seller hasn’t “depersonalized” his home enough, or at all. Even though the listing agent may have told the seller to clear the house of his possessions, the seller may be proud of his accomplishments and resist.

And so potential buyers are treated to walls decorated with diplomas, family photos, awards and trophies. Moose and deer heads hanging on walls are surefire deal killers, especially when the hunting rifle used to kill Bambi is proudly displayed, too. At best, buyers tend to see such highly personal stuff as clutter that takes the focus away from the home. They’re turned off by it all, and they walk away.

They might also be walking away from a great deal. Are the bones of the home good? Does it have the floor plan you like? Are the kitchens and baths in acceptable condition? Is it in the area where you want to live? If you say “yes” to all of these, hang around a little longer. Imagine the home without the seller’s junk. Picture yourself living there, without Bambi.

A good home that doesn’t show well = a great opportunity

Ultimately, sellers who don’t listen to their agents or stagers inadvertently give savvy buyers a discount. For you to see that potential, try to understand as much as you can about why the seller is selling. Look for sellers who have ignored their agent’s advice. While conventional wisdom says that a buyer would be turned off by a home that shows poorly, go against this. Imagine the potential. And then, once the home is yours, make those small changes the seller should have made. Right away, you’ll have a little bit (maybe even a lot) of equity, thanks to the seller.

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Total consumption of beer in the U.S. has fallen for the third straight year, according to a report published by the Beer Institute, a beer lobbying group.

Since 2008, total beer consumption has fallen by as much as 11% in some states. Americans still, however, consume a massive amount of the foamy beverage—an estimated 6.3 billion gallons in 2011.

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If there's one surefire way to make sure your funeral is remembered, its turning up at it alive.

That, at least, was the experience of Gilberto Araújo, a 41-year-old car-washer from Brazil, whose unexpected arrival at his own wake reportedly sparked terror and then delight among his family and friends.

Araújo's family, from the town of Alagoinhas, about 70 miles from Salvador, had mistakenly identified a body in the local morgue as his and were mourning his death on Sunday night when the man they believed was in the coffin beside them showed up at the front door.

"A friend told me there was a coffin and that I was inside it," he said. "I said, 'guys, I'm alive – pinch me,'" Araújo was quoted by the O Globo news website.

His appearance prompted some people to faint and others to flee in panic.

His mother, Maria Menezes, a shopkeeper, said: "It was a fright. I'm very happy because what mother has a son that they say is dead then turns up alive?"

The mixup is reported to have stemmed from the fact that another car-washer in the town, who closely resembled Araújo, was murdered at the weekend, and police called Araújo's brother, José Marcos , to tell him they believed his brother was the dead man.

The brother then went to the morgue and wrongly identified the body. "Police called my husband and told him that his brother had been killed and his body was at the morgue," Jose Marcos Araujo's wife, Ana Paula, told the UOL website.

Police Inspector Roberto Lima said the confusion was "understandable", as Araújo and Genivaldo Santos Gama, the man later named as the real murder victim, looked so alike. "The two men closely resembled each other and both worked as car-washers," he said.

Araújo said he had learned of the mistake from an acquaintance, who had come up to him in the street to tell him his family was setting off for his funeral. He had tried to tell them he was still alive by telephoning, he said, but his call was dismissed as a cruel prank. There seemed nothing for it but to turn up in person.

"He went to his mother's home to let everyone know he was very much alive," said Lima.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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Q. I just moved into an apartment in a full-service condo building. 

Prior to signing the lease, I was told that there were plans to add retail space and to construct a common roof deck, but that it would not happen during the duration of my tenancy. 

However, I was notified last night that the gym, laundry room, and bike storage room would be closed for an undetermined amount of time due to construction in the building.

I pay a substantial amount of rent to live in what is touted as a "luxury building" with great amenities.  I'm planning on calling the landlord and asking for a rent reduction during the period the amenities are unavailable.  The condo owner used a standard REBNY condo lease.  Do you have any suggestions about how to proceed with the landlord?

A. Though the standard REBNY lease does not contain a provision that clearly states whether you are due a rent reduction, you may be able to negotiate one with your landlord. 

First, you should review your lease and pay particular attention to Section 13 – Services and Facilities and Section 21 – Property Loss, Damage, or Inconvenience.  These sections basically provide that there will be no reduction in rent for the loss of standard services (e.g. cold and hot water, heat, and elevator service) unless required by law, that you will have access to the building’s amenities at your own risk, and that you will not be entitled to a rent reduction in the event construction in the condo results in a temporary loss of light or view. 

As you can see, none of these provisions specifically address whether you are entitled to a rent reduction if construction in the condominium results in your inability to use the facilities, and as a whole these provisions protect the landlord from rent reductions in the event that the condominium takes actions that inconvenience you.  However, you can still make a plausible argument to your landlord that your rent should be reduced because you will not have access to the amenities for an extended period of time.  Your argument would be particularly strong if you can demonstrate that the rent you pay is substantially higher than that for similar apartments in the neighborhood that are in buildings without amenities.

Begin by determining for yourself what monthly reduction would make you whole.  $200, $350, $500?  Base your argument on comparable rental prices in doorman buildings that lack amenities such as a gym, laundry room, and bike storage as that is what your building is about to become.  You might choose to frame your argument by calculating the total anticipated cost of the rental abatement by multiplying the monthly reduction by the number of months the facilities are expected to be closed. 

For example, if you ask for a $350 monthly abatement and the facilities are to be closed for six months, the total cost of the rent reduction to the landlord is $2,100. Presumably such a number is a fraction of your monthly rent in a full-service Manhattan condo building and thus may not seem so unreasonable to your landlord.

Your best leverage might be to remind your landlord that the potential costs and loss of rental income associated with a dispute could far exceed the total amount of the abatement you are requesting.  Further, you should appeal to your landlord's sense of fairness by reminding them of what your expectations were at the time you entered into the lease and of your disappointment upon hearing of the reduction in services you will be inconvenienced by. 

Ultimately, your landlord will need to determine whether they are open to negotiating with you and you will need to determine how far you are willing to go in the event that your landlord does not offer you an abatement that satisfies you.  Do keep in mind that the consequences for withholding rent absent an agreement to do so can be severe, so get any arrangement in writing as an addendum to the original lease and avoid unilaterally deciding to reduce your rent by sending a check for less than the full amount.   

Mike Akerly is a New York City real estate attorney, landlord, and real estate broker. He is also the publisher of the Greenwich Village blog VillageConfidential.     

The information provided here is for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice and cannot substitute for the advice of a licensed professional applying their specialized knowledge to the particular circumstances of your case.

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A Brazilian student has sold her virginity in an online auction for $780,000 as part of a documentary organised by an Australian filmmaker, according to reports.

Catarina Migliorini, 20, was the subject of 15 bids, with a Japanese man named only as Natsu winning on Wednesday night, Australian media reported.

They said Miss Migliorini would be "delivered" to her buyer on board a plane to Australia and that she would be interviewed before and after losing her virginity at a secret location.

Filmmaker Jason Sisely, who reportedly began his project in 2009 and caused outrage when he put posters up in Sydney and Melbourne saying "Virgins Wanted", said Miss Migliorini was ecstatic and had not expected such a high level of interest.

"The auction closed last night and Catarina is extremely excited. She was speaking to her family in Brazil online and they were extremely happy for her," he told Australian online news site Ninemsn.

"But I guess they didn't expect her to do something like this."

He said the act would be consummated, but not filmed, in the next few weeks.

"We will fly over the winner to Australia and obviously, for the sake of the film and privacy, we can't disclose where and when the act will take place," he said. "I have to leave some details for the documentary."

Miss Migliorini defended the move.

"I saw this as a business. I have the opportunity to travel, to be part of a movie and get a bonus with it," she told Folha newspaper.

"If you only do it once in your life then you are not a prostitute, just like if you take one amazing photograph it does not automatically make you a photographer."

Sisely told Ninemsn that under the terms of the auction a condom was compulsory and Natsu must be tested beforehand for any sexually transmitted diseases.

"I'm looking forward to my audience's response to the film," he said.

Source: Agencies

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The celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck shares his selection of the best restaurants in the world.

Born in Austria, Wolfgang Puck trained as a chef in Europe before moving to America at the age of 24 and subsequently becoming one of the country's most famous chefs. After settling in Los Angeles, he opened his first restaurant in the city in 1982 and has since gone on to manage an array of restaurants in America and internationally, including the Dorchester Collection's Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air and CUT at 45 Park Lane in London. He tells John O' Ceallaigh what he looks for in a restaurant and shares the names of his favourite restaurants in the world below.

I can go to a simple restaurant; if the service is polite and professional it's great. For years I used to say people don't care about the service as long as the food is good but now I know that if the guest walks into the restaurant and is greeted nicely and taken care of then half the battle is won. Some things can leave me annoyed though: when waiters try to tell me how to eat this or that or what wine I should order it can be overbearing. I'm old enough to make my own mind up. In America it almost feels like you become friends with the waiters, but it’s good to be nice because you want the waiter to be on your side, to tell you what the best dish is and to help you make the most of your night. Going out to a good restaurant isn’t just about going out to feed yourself, it’s about going out and having a good experience, catching up with friends and celebrating what's special.

The Fat Duck; Bray, England

When I’m in England I love going to The Fat Duck . I know Heston Blumenthal very well and when I went there I was really impressed by the restaurant’s inventiveness and modern style of cooking. The food is excellent, of course, but it’s not just about that – you go there for the entire experience. That said, I particularly remember some beautiful lamb chops I had. There was also a seafood dish, Sound of the Sea, where they gave me an iPod so I could listen to the waves as I ate; it was fun, clever and delicious.

L'Oustau de Baumanière; Les Baux-de-Provence, France

I love the L'Oustau de Baumanière restaurant in Les Baux, near Avignon in the south of France. I worked there when I was 18 or 19 or so, and Raymond Thuilier was the owner and chef. Now, every three years or so, I have the opportunity to go back to eat there and stay there as a customer. The restaurant is within a hotel - it’s a fabulous place to visit. In the restaurant they’re very famous for their baby lamb in puff pastry, which they made when I worked there as well. People come especially for it. Thuilier really cooked from his heart, he did his own thing and he didn’t cook from recipes. He had a huge vegetable garden and everything was brought in fresh and cooked to order. If you wanted carrots we peeled the carrots and cooked them; if you wanted a vegetable soup we cooked it to order, and we only used the best products.

Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse; Monaco

I like Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. He has a chef there who cooks with olive oil and the food isn’t overly rich or French. It’s more like a mixture of France and Italy and it uses a lot of local products. The clientele is quite international – I used to work in that hotel before Ducasse came – and the dining room is very glamorous and romantic and grand, the way you expect a three-Michelin-starred restaurant to be. It’s a good option if you want to go out for a birthday or anniversary, something special.

Matsuhisa; Los Angeles, America

One of my favourite places in Los Angeles is Matsuhisa . It’s been open for 27 years and I like it because it’s like wearing a great cashmere sweater. It’s always good, it’s always nice, it’s always comfortable. It’s not fancy-looking, but the people are friendly and the fish is as fresh as could be. When I eat out in LA I tend to know most of the people working there, and lots of the guests too so it’s social. When I go to Matsuhisa I tell the chef to just fix me something. I’m never disappointed because when you ask them to do that it means they always try their hardest.

Steiereck; Vienna, Austria

There’s a restaurant called Steiereck in Vienna which is a family restaurant and probably the best restaurant in Austria. It’s inventive but you can still get a Wiener schnitzel or other traditional food. When I go back to Austria that’s what I want, so I tell the chef to cook me something Austrian. They’ve got a great Austrian wine list too. It’s popular with locals but everybody goes there. If you are a businessman in Vienna and you have a colleague coming from London who likes good food you’d take him there. The interior is beautiful, elegant and modern, and so is the location; it’s in a large park that would be similar to Hyde Park in London.

Spago; Los Angeles, America

Saying which of my own restaurants is a favourite is like asking me which child is my favourite, but I love Spago in Los Angeles because it was my first one. When I opened it in 1982 I wrote ‘Spago California cuisine’ on the menu. Californian cuisine is a mixture, as LA or California is, of different cultures, so we have Asian influences, Italian influences, French influences. It’s a mixture of different dishes and cuisines. When I started we made a pizza with smoked salmon and caviar and Peking duck. We had some interesting pastas and salads and grilled items. I’d recommend whole-egg ravioli with a Carbonara-style sauce that’s really popular. The Peking duck is also still really popular and people still order the smoked salmon pizza even if it’s not on the menu.

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It’s a mystery no longer, Giambattista Valli designed Jessica Biel’s wedding gown. In a news release, Valli confirmed that she designed the gown Biel wore to wed singer/actor Justin Timberlake. The release described it as a “haute couture strapless gown of silk mousseline and silk organza with a light pink floral motif and ruffles” as well as a veil containing Biel’s heirloom pearls. In an exclusive by People.com, it was also revealed that Justin wore a Tom Ford tux that he helped design. Also, it was revealed to People that: The singer-actor played the guitar and serenaded his beautiful bride-to-be as she walked down the aisle in a custom, petal pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown. “It was an original piece I wrote specifically for the evening and for her.”

And according to the NYPost, the newlyweds made a few extra bucks from their wedding photos: “Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have sold their wedding pictures to People for an estimated $300,000… The pair wed in front of 100 people at the gorgeous Borgo Egnazia resort in Southern Italy on Friday…”

Click here to see the wedding pictures of Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake.

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By now most of us have seen it. Wine in a Box. What’s next? Plastic squeeze tubes of caviar? Kind of takes the romance out of it if you are gooshing caviar right into your mouth from a disposable tube. So how good can boxed wine be?

Well, not so bad, thanks for asking.

In fact, the wine doesn’t really come in a box. It comes in a plastic bag in a box. And therein lies the whole reason for it. The wine is in a vacuum-sealed bag which is packaged in a box. The bag has an airtight spout that lets you pour as much wine as you want while the rest of the wine stays in the bag out of the reach of wine-killing oxygen.

Of course, as we all know, oxygen will spoil a wine sooner or later. More oxygen means faster spoiling. I am told that since the air pressure outside the bag is greater than the air pressure inside the bag (which is zero), the bag collapses as wine is dispensed from it. Sorry about the physics lesson, but it is a very simple and very effective process if you are interested in preserving wine you want to drink later.

If the boxed wine itself were lousy, Food & Wine Magazine in its September 2011 issue wouldn’t have an article on Chardonnay in a box. They review 4 Chards, 2 from California, 1 from Chile, and one from France. Each box contains the equivalent of 4 750 ml bottles. This seems to be the standard size for wine in a box. They call the 2009 Bota Box Chardonnay “appley”, and the non-vintage Pepperwoood Grove Big Green Box “superrich”. Both are around $19-$20. The 2010 Crucero, from Chile, is “zesty with creamy pear notes” it is $25. The French Chardonnay is from Burgundy and comes in a wooden box. The reviewers believe the French wine justifies its higher price – $49.

In this issue Food & Wine did not mention one the best known of the boxed wines, Black Box. Black Box has a full line of 5 or 6 varietals, and they have received some accolades for the quality of the wines. I have tasted their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Chardonnay. Each was highly rated; the Chardonnay has a 90 from Wine Spectator. The Cabernet was good as well, but I thought it needed some decanting. I am a big believer in decanting most red wines. Exposure to that nasty old oxygen for half an hour or so softens the wine and it just tastes better if you decant it. Decanting from the box is easy. Just dispense the amount you want into a decanter, a glass or whatever and leave it alone for a little while.

The box is a bit cumbersome on the table with a meal. But at a party or a BBQ in the back yard, it makes perfect sense. So far, boxed wines are not “serious” wines requiring deep thinking, head nodding, and introspection. They are pretty much for drinking. And packaging wine in a box is not illegal no matter how unsophisticated it is. Boxed wine will keep you from spoiling a wine when you don’t drink all of it. It fits very neatly in the refrigerator, and it won’t tip over in the refrigerator door. What’s not to like?

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Perhaps feeling pressured by Singapore's new $32,000 cocktail, one of Thailand's more elite resort chains is releasing "one of the most expensive and exclusive" varities of coffee in the world.

The coffee is ground by hand and brewed at 93 degrees Celsius in a syphon machine "using technology developed in 1840 in Austria." According to the resort's press release, the result is a "very clean and flavourful taste," which is a curious way to describe coffee brewed through beans picked from elephant feces.

At $1,100 per kilo -- roughly $27 a cup, by my math -- it really ought to be the cleanest, most flavorful taste on the planet.

As the java warms your lips, you can imagine the elephant caretakers sinking their hand into mounds of waste to retrieve coffee beans digested by graceful pachyderms. Because that's how the beans are collected.(This is assuming you've already taken all of the Instagram photos needed to exhibit your rarified tastes.)

Does anyone actually buy this stuff?

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It is time for us to take back the word ‘friend’ from Facebook.

Lonely genius Mark Zuckerberg didn’t have any friends, so he needed to create a system, a network, to obtain false friendships. He smartly baked the word “friend” into the DNA of Facebook – where it has become a generic label, a verb. In the process of Facebook becoming a juggernaut, the word “friend” has become ubiquitous and trashed — and lost its true meaning.

“Friend me.” “Like me.”

And Zuckerberg tapped into our natural obsessive qualities and insecurities, our need to be “liked” and to have more “friends.”

Before Facebook, one would describe a friendship as a deep and long-term acquaintance. A person you know well and regard with affection and trust, “he was my best friend at college.”

Facebook has lowered that barrier and we are ushering in false friends too quickly into our lives. Too close, too comfortable, too soon.

So what can you do about this steady decline that is eroding true friendships?

Delete people. I did so this past week. I removed 100 of my Facebook “friends.” Right now, I hover around 25 friends. And these are the people that really matter to me.

It was rather easy. And I feel very relieved. When I post a Facebook status or share a photo, I am more natural with my “inner-circle” of true friends and family.

With a larger group of false friends, you can become too obsessed with how you are perceived, “How will I be judged? What will they think of me?”

You create a ‘public persona’ and try to be cool in a self-conscious and demonstrative style – and that’s very uncool. Honestly, I don’t care what an ex-girlfriend from 20 years ago thinks of me – or some soccer mom that I had just met. The only opinions that matter are the opinions of your family and true friends.

Before the launch of the popular social network, a friendship was described as a friend demonstrating the following on a consistent basis (via Wikipedia):

• The tendency to desire what is best for the other
• Sympathy and empathy
• Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one’s counterpart
• Mutual understanding and compassion
• Trust in one another (able to express feelings – including in relation to the other’s actions – without the fear of being judged); able to go to each other for emotional support
• Positive reciprocity – a relationship is based on equal give and take between the two parties.

Now, look at your Facebook “friends.” If they don’t fall into the above, consider removing them. And don’t be self-conscious. Don’t worry about what they think or how they will perceive you. Never once worry, “oh, what will they think if I de-friend them?”

But, you wouldn’t be de-friending a true “friend” anyway, correct?

It is in your right to communicate in the style you are most comfortable with. Don’t make excuses or blame it on your spouse. If it matters, just say you’ve gone “family and close friends only.” If someone that you’ve just met wants to friend you – just politely decline with a similar and brief statement.

I believe in the social networking separation of church and state. For myself, I have family and close friends on Facebook – and general acquaintances and professional contacts on LinkedIn. One could also consider creating two Facebook accounts – personal and professional pages.

When a professional contact tries to “friend me” – I just tell them I use Facebook for sharing photos of my kids with my extended family – but please connect with me on LinkedIn, and I include a link to my profile.

Facebook has eroded the true meaning of friendship, but it’s not too late for us all to wise up. Before Facebook, it was an honor to call someone a “friend.” It had to be gained, long term, with an emotion reward.

Facebook fast tracks that process, falsely, without the natural checks and balances. People get too casual, too chatty, too quickly – “Oh, it’s ok for me to ‘like’ these pictures of the soccer mom I just met, I mean, I am ‘friends’ with her.” Married men need to tread very lightly and appropriately. LA Times has a must-read article on this topic “Married, with ‘just friends’” here: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/03/health/he-justfriends3

And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. According to ABC News:

Twenty percent of divorces involve Facebook and 80 percent of divorce lawyers have reported a spike in the number of cases that use social media for evidence, according to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. – read more

So basically, married men, you can’t be “friends” with married or single women (there are some exceptions, of course). It’s not appropriate. Focus that energy on your wife, real friends, extended family and children. Upload photos from your wedding, talk about your spouse or kids, instead of sending messages to that soccer mom. It might be a thrill to gently flirt — but it could be perceived as creepy. Also, you are robbing time away from the people that matter to you most.

Really, who doesn’t want to be “liked” and have “friends”? Friendless Zuckerburg has tapped into our natural insecurities – and there’s a reason why Facebook is so successful.

Meanwhile, go have lunch with a real friend in the real world – and tell them how much you truly “like” them.

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The terms "centenarian" and "cashing in" are rarely used in the same breath among tourism officials, but that may be changing—at least in a remote county in the Guangxi Zhuang region of China.

The mountainous Bama county has been dubbed the "hometown of longevity" by the International Natural Medicine Society because it has so many elderly folks: there are 73 centenarians, creating a ratio of 30.8 per 100,000 (the international standard meanwhile, is a mere 25 per 100,000).

What's their secret? Apparently, that's what tourists want to know. According to the Xinhua news agency, more than 180,000 travelers visited the area over the recent National Day holiday—up 62 percent compared to last year.

Tourists want to "taste what these centenarians have every day, and breath in the fresh air we have," says the head of the tourist board, while one visitor told reporters that he was there to enjoy "the germ-killing negative oxygen ions in the air."

It sure makes that green smoothie from your favorite hotel spa seem kinda feeble, doesn't it?

On the bright side, Bama county officials hope that the emerging tourist scene, with its growing number of small inns, will help elevate more locals out of poverty. This should be a growth industry, too: The county has, in its back pocket, another 252 residents over the age of 90.

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Model Gisele Bundchen and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s $20 million California dream home is finally finished, as photographs surface showing the amazing property following completion. Located in elite Brentwood outside Los Angeles, the mansion is 22,000-square feet and features eight bedrooms, a six-car garage, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with spa, a weight room for Tom to train in and a wine cellar. It is believed that Gisele and Tom have now moved in to the mansion along with their two-year-old son Benjamin.

The roofs appear to be covered in solar panels and Gisele has insisted that despite its size, the palace is “environmentally friendly.” The couple bought the 3.75-acre lot for $11 million in 2008 and spent millions on the construction. Their neighbors include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heidi Klum and her singer husband Seal.

Tom and his New England Patriots won the AFC Championship on Sunday (beating the Baltimore Ravens) and they’re on their way to Super Bowl XLVI.

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We love this interactive installation called 21 Swings at Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. It invites people of all ages to play together in the center of the city on 21 musical swings. Strangers, making beautiful music, in the heart of Montreal.

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The 76-story skyscraper is rising a few blocks from Ground Zero, and near important historic structures such as City Hall (1811), the Brooklyn Bridge (1883), and the Woolworth Building (1913). While speaking at the construction site in late May, Gehry told reporters architectural pluralism is “chaotic, but should be treated as a virtue instead of a negative.” In that spirit, he has designed an exuberant skyscraper that will add flair to the respected downtown landscape. – read more via

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Meet the most expensive home listing ever in Manhattan — a $110 million glass-walled penthouse overlooking Central Park on top of what will soon be New York’s tallest luxury condo. The six-bedroom penthouse covers 10,923 square feet at One57 Tower, currently under construction on West 57th Street near Carnegie Hall. It has a 57-foot-wide, double-height “grand salon” facing Central Park. The penthouse at One57 is on the top two floors of the 90-story Christian de Portzamparc-designed tower that will include 95 condos above a Park Hyatt hotel. Residential amenities will include a 24-hour doorman and concierge, screening and performance space, on-site parking, triple-height indoor swimming pool and custom Jacuzzi, library, catering kitchen, function room, arts and crafts atelier room, private fitness center, yoga studio and pet wash room. The One57 tower, which opens in 2013, will rise to more than 1,004 feet.

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This post originally appeared at Oyster.com.

Owning a private island is overrated and it’s actually a lot of work — or so we’ve heard from our many island-owning friends. You have to deal with the astronomical taxes, the development, the upkeep — it’s a full-time job (that island owners simply pay other people to do, of course).

But visiting a private island? It’s as great as everyone says — and we know from experience. We’ve stayed on some gorgeous private islands in our travels, in equally gorgeous hotels and resorts. Here are six of our favorites.

Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic

The details: The D.R.’s only luxury resort set on its own island, the Gran Bahia Cayo Levantado offers a relaxing atmosphere for couples and families. There are scenic beaches and beautiful pools, and we love the details in the rooms: Four-poster beds, private Jacuzzi tubs, and island-inspired artwork give them a romantic vibe.

How to get there: From the Samana airport, it’s a 45-minute cab ride to the Bahia ferry station. From there, it’s a 10- to 15-minute ferry ride to Cayo Levantado. In lieu of the ferry, you can also hire a private panga boat to take you from Samana. We never said getting to a private island is easy, but it’s certainly worth the flight (…and drive and boat ride)!

Paradise Point Resort and Spa, San Diego

The details: This 462-room property near Sea World has sprawling grounds, activities – such as tennis, a putting green, water sports, and basketball — galore, five pools, a spa, and bonfire pits for roasting s’mores after dark. But perhaps the highlight of Paradise Point Resort and Spa is that it sits on a tranquil, mile-long beach.

How to get there: In Mission Bay, Paradise Point is connected to the mainland by Ingraham Street so reaching the resort is easy enough, and takes just about a 15-minute car ride from downtown San Diego.

Fowl Cay Resort, Bahamas

The details: Crowded beaches are unheard of at this resort where a maximum of 28 guests at a time have free range of 50 acres and three beaches. Personal boats for daily excursions, on-call service, spacious villas with fully stocked kitchens and wet bars, and a host of all-inclusive activities make Fowl Cay Resort a standout gem in the Exumas.

How to get there: The Exumas Islands (where the resort is located) are accessible by small charter plane via Fort Lauderdale or Nassau. Boat transfers to and from the airstrip are included in resort rates and take less than 10 minutes.

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Tim Sargent once spent a week in Dallas, and never left the airport.

Instead, he was checked in at the Grand Hyatt DFW, a plush airport hotel just outside Terminal D. “I’ve been there at least 20 times for meetings,” says the San Diego–based biotech executive.

See The World's Best Airport Hotels >

“Dallas is a huge hub, and it’s central, so it’s convenient for colleagues around the country. Staying at the airport, you don’t have to pay for a lot of cab fares.  And the hotel is actually really cool.”

Airport hotels have come a long way since their first mainstream incarnations, as bare-bones motels meant for bleary-eyed layovers. An increasing number of airport hotels now have spas, rooftop pools and fine dining that goes far beyond the toast-your-own-waffle breakfast spread. 

One big reason? Business travelers like Sargent. “Airport hotels are finally stepping up to the level of services and amenities we’ve been seeing in downtown business hotels for quite a while,” says Jan Freitag, senior vice president with hotel research firm STR.

The best airport hotels make it tempting to stay past the business meetings and into the weekend. At the Radisson SAS at Oslo’s Gardermoen, for example, travelers can play virtual golf on one of 32 courses around the world. The Four Points Sheraton outside LAX invites guests to join its Beer Club and have a craft beer left bedside for turndown service. The Regal Airport Hotel in Hong Kong even boasts its own luxe wedding facilities. 

Want your next airport stay to be more than a fly-by? Check out our list of the world’s best airport hotels.

Radisson Blu Hotel London-Stansted Airport

The main restaurant at this Vegas-worthy hotel—connected to the main terminal by a covered walkway—features entertainment that evokes Cirque du Soleil. Occupying a 43-foot-high structure that lights up at night and holds 4,000 bottles of wine, Angels Wine Tower Bar has acrobats (or “wine angels”) who fly up and down on wires to get your bottle from on high. Feeling athletically inspired? Hit the hotel’s gym, which offers yoga and spin classes, and even swim lessons for kids. (radissonblu.co.uk; doubles from $106.)

CitizenM Hotel Amsterdam Schiphol

Wandering into the lobby of this mod-style boutique hotel (set just outside the car rental exit of the airport) is a little like browsing in a sleek design shop; the series of living rooms, all outfitted with streamlined modern Vitra furniture, are stocked with Macs for complimentary use (and free Wi-Fi). Guestrooms are equally aesthetically pleasing: You can store your open suitcase in a special drawer underneath your XL bed, enjoy a rain shower in your bath or control your room’s colored ambient lighting with a “mood pad.” (citizenm.com; doubles from $139.)

Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel

Talk about a penthouse suite. This one-story, oval-shaped hotel is located entirely on top of the airport’s Car Park 3 and is surrounded by a landscaped roof garden with tables and chairs, summer food service and turtle ponds, as well as sweeping city views. There’s a 24-hour fitness center, free computer stations and Wi-Fi, eco-friendly rooms in warm earth tones and a Bavarian tavern with its own beer garden. (starwoodhotels.com; day rates from $106, overnight from $197.)

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