world

One of Japan's best kept horological secrets - Grand Seiko - will very soon be available world wide. For years (and years) watch lovers longingly looked to Japan at the prestigious high-end Grand Seiko timepieces that were available exclusively in that domestic market. Grand Seiko has been around for 50 years, and this month will officially be available around the world. Until now, only a few places like Hong Kong (I believe) were able to sell Grand Seiko timepieces.

Seiko announced that Grand Seiko would be available world wide last March, but didn't disclose any specific schedule. News has just been released that this month Seiko will offer the entire Grand Seiko collection (with the likely exclusion of a few special models) to 20 new markets around the world - including in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.

Grand Seiko watches are hand-made in Japan by highly skilled watch makers - probably the very best in the country. I personally visited these manufactures and wrote about them here. Most watch lovers agree that Seiko has 'gold' with Grand Seiko. The collection includes timepieces of three varieties based on the movement. One collection has quartz movements, another has purely mechanical movements, and the third collection contains Seiko's now famous Spring Drive movements (that is a beautiful combo of mechanical watches with high accuracy quartz regulation).

A brand new website has been released for Grand Seiko here. The well-done site includes information on all the available models, and clearly describes the many benefits and selling points of Grand Seiko watches (not everyone has someone like me to sit there and passionately explain why they should like these timepieces). I am not alone in my ability to be impressed by these watches. The designs are classic, the quality is superb, and the movements are beloved among collectors. The best part is that compared to their distant Swiss cousins, these watches are a good value. Prices (for mechanical and Spring Drive models) generally seem to be in the $4,400 - $9,700 range. My current favorite model is the Grand Seiko SBGE001 with a GMT Spring Drive movement. When Grand Seiko watches come to a store near you (there is a store locator on the site), I highly recommend you check them out.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

It couldn't be more true that in order to have a healthy world we have to have healthy children, and Healthy Child Healthy World is a non-profit organization that makes that principle their main aim by working to protect our youth from harmful environmental exposures. Working through education, laws, governmental agencies, advocacy, and spreading awareness of environmental issues this charity is a no brainer because not only are they helping kids but they're also helping the environment (something we could all be doing more of).

Now of course all seasoned shoppers know that it's not the size of the mall that counts, but the size of the sale and the quality of the selection -- but overseas shopping malls are bigger and badder than ever. The Chinese especially seem to love their enormous shopping centers, as China has by far the majority of the world's largest malls -- including the world's single biggest: the South China Mall. Located in Dongguan, China the South China Mall opened in 2005 and has a whopping 7.1 million square feet of leasable space. And although it might be considered the largest in the world, I'm not totally convinced. With wind mills and theme parks taking up some of that space isn't that cheating a little? I mean, how much square footage of actual shopping does it have?

All golfers dream of playing on the best courses around the world, but only a few actually get to experience it. Although "the best" is a subjective term when it comes to golf courses (you'll get slightly different results looking at different lists), there's one thing that comes straight down to numbers: price. How much do you currently pay for a round of golf? $500? Probably not, unless you play regularly at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, NV, the most expensive golf course in the world. Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA ($475) and Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale, Ireland ($400) round out the top three on the list of the world's most expensive golf courses. What do you think? Are they worth it?

An all-too familiar theme when away from home is the stress over not only finding a bathroom when you need it, but then dealing with the usual grunge and general nastiness that always seems to be the case. It's a shame more places don't put more effort into their restrooms, but thankfully there are a few that do. And in a big way, too! Concierge.com has traveled the world and compiled this list of extravagant, outrageous, and sometimes almost unbelievable bathrooms featuring everything from high-tech fogging glass walls to pulsating neon lights to solid gold everything.

Next time you're traveling it might be with the specific intention to visit certain bathrooms, instead of traveling in spite of them!