The World Wildlife Fund is holding the annual "Earth Hour" climate change initiative on March 27, 2010. The organization urges people to express their concern about climate change with one simple act, turning off their lights at 8:30pm local time. Last year nearly one billion people participated in the event in 4,100 cities world wide.

The Fairmont Hotel Group has been supporting the endeavor since its inception three years ago. The hotel group has come up with some creative ways to make "Earth Hour" an enjoyable experience for their clients who are at their properties spending money on a luxury vacation. Hotel guests at several properties can enjoy amenities such as; complimentary s'mores roasted at an ocean-side fire pit under the stars (The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii), candlelight dinners at various hotel restaurants (Hotel Vier Jahresseiten, Mara Safari Club, Fairmont Turnberry Isle, Fairmont Chateau Laurier) and even themed "Happy Hours" (Fairmont Dallas). Other offerings include the opportunity for guests to learn more about the environment with lectures by naturalists and even an astronomer who will use the opportunity of less ambient lighting to show off the night sky. The corporate side of the Fairmont group will also be dimming their lights and have recently moved into new LEED certified offices in Toronto.

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In another example of how the arts have been suffering during the economic downturn, the Wall street Journal reports that ABT will not be doing a fall season in New York this year. The dance company does not have its own theater and has previously conducted its fall run at the New York City Center. One of America's leading cultural institutions the company offers touring productions including performances in Chicago and Los Angeles this spring and summer. The company will also be in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera House for its traditional spring season.

American Ballet Theater is still planning to come to New York area but not until December and this time to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Academy of Music has committed to a five year contract of ABT's new production of "The Nutcracker" choreographed by Alexi Ratmansky. Traditionally "The Nutcracker" is a big money maker for regional dance companies around the country and ABT is looking to cash in on that more predictable revenue source. David Koch, the Vice Chairman of ABT's board has already donated $2.5 million dollars towards funding the production.

New York City already has one "Nutcracker" performed annually since 1954 by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. It is considered by many to be the traditional holiday dance performance to which on should take children, both who live locally and those who are visitng family, during the holiday season. It will be interesting to see how the competing versions of "The Nutcracker" fare against each other given the already limited interest that exists in classical dance.

For some time it has been possible to personalize a Louis Vuitton bag at a number of flagship stores around the world. Now the service is truly global as it is available to all on their web-site.

There are three classic LV bags available for the online service: the Keepall, the Pegase and the Speedy. After choosing the bag and its size there are 17 different colors available for the diagonal or vertical stripes that will adorn your bag. You also have the option to put up to three initials on the bag with or without a "point" between the letters. There are cute features that let you reverse the colors, rotate your bag to view the monogram from all sides, and save your creation to finalize your selection later. If you decide that you must have an entire monogrammed set just push a button and your chosen monogram will be applied to other bags. If you'd like something more complicated, like your family crest, painted on your luggage you'll have to go to a Louis Vuitton store and discuss it with a sales associate in person.

The good news is that you receive free shipping with your online purchase, but be forewarned, the return policy is not the same for the monogrammed items and it can take up to 8 weeks for delivery. It is a bit funny that the web-site touts that there are over 200 million different combinations possible, so even though you are a carrying an LV bag it will be completely unique. However, it does beat tying a piece of colored string to the handle to differentiate your Louis Vuitton from all the others coming off the baggage claim rack at the airport.

For some the first Saturday in May is all about the horses, and for others, the Kentucky Derby is all about the hats. There are very few occasions left in today's society where woman can wear incredible millinery creations that really bring back another era. For those who love both the hats and the horses, or are just in a philanthropic mood, it is not too late to support retired racehorses and be a recipient of a fantastic custom made hat to wear to the big day.

Maggie Mae Designs™ has teamed up with Old Friends to create a series of one-of-a-kind Derby hats inspired by specific retired racehorses. Old Friends is an equine farm that specializes in the rescue and retirement of pensioned Thoroughbreds. Many in the horse world were devastated by the death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2002. In an effort to ensure that this never happens again the organization focuses on bringing at-risk racehorses, whose active careers are over to experience the dignified retirement they deserve. The only retirement farm to accept stallions, Old Friends is committed to providing a great retirement for these amazing athletes. The farm is open to the public and hosts tours daily.

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A big question is: Does the public care what it does? It seems that the products designed by the robot industry are caught somewhere between being a very expensive toy and useless. Ever since Rosie was introduced on the Jetsons in the 1960s there has been a collective fantasy that a real housekeeper robot will miraculously emerge on the scene to help busy people manage their lives. Who wouldn't be interested in a helping hand who could cook, walk the dog and in general help out around the house? The Roomba vacuum, which can help with cleaning up some extra pet hair, doesn't count! Video chatting has become a simple reality; where is our "Rosie"?

At the moment The Japan Pulse reports that the newest robot to hit the market is the Palro Robot by Fujisoft. Showcased recently in Japan this cute humanoid stands a little over a foot tall and performs a variety of tasks. Included in this robot's repertoire is the ability to interact with household appliances such as televisions and cameras, act on voice commands, read out weather and news reports and of course the ever useful ability to dance. For those of you technology geeks who want to know the specifics here they are: Palro comes with a 1.6GHz CPU Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of flash memory, a 3 MP camera, Wi-Fi, 802.11 b/g/n, 3 megapixel webcam and a lithium ion battery.

The company plans to sell the robots starting on March 15, 2010 with the main market being research institutions but plans to sell it to the rest of soon after for a hefty price tag of 298,000 Yen which is over $3,000 US dollars for each humanoid pal! For those of you with some cash to burn Palro seems like an excellent luxury toy but I'm waiting for my "Rosie"!

Check out video of Palro in action after the jump.

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Some travelers' idea of the perfect vacation involves complete and total rest, others find that it only takes them a day or two to recuperate from the daily work routine and they'd really like to expand their horizons while on vacation. For those of you who fall into the latter group but don't have a ton of time to research your options and plan a trip Fairmont Hotel Group has come up with a solution.

The new Apprentice Trips program recently launched by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are targeted at those who'd like to learn something new or delve deeper into an activity that is already a hobby while getting away from it all. With twenty different packages to choose from there should be a package that suits almost everybody. Here is a sampling:

• French Immersion Package: At the Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City guests will spend 3 hours a day in private French lessons, go on escorted tours of the city and chateau conducted in French, receive a souvenir French book as well as complementary buffet breakfast and a fruit basket upon arrival.
• Behind the Brewery Package: This Boston based trip includes a private tour and tasting at the Sam Adams Brewery, a special beer pairing dinner in the hotel's dining room with a beer expert and an in-room Samuel Adams "Bucket of Cheer".
• Heritage Takes Flight: Learn about Falconry and Bedouin beliefs while staying at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in the United Arab Emirates.
• Magic of Aromachology Package: based a the Fairmont Monte Carlo a master perfumer will lead guests to Galimard perfumery of Eze for a workshop, receive a 60 minute aromatherapy massage for two and buffet breakfast.

Some of the packages are week long excursions and others only require commitments of a day or two. There are packages that target athletes with hiking, surfing, skiing and golfing given the group's many hotels in more remote locations. There are other companies that offer more in depth learning trips but for those that find themselves heading to one of the Fairmont group hotels these activities might just add needed extra depth to your vacation.

We've seen an explosion of luxury products for dogs in the past years. Gone are the days when pampering your pet meant ordering the extra-large dog bed from L.L. Bean and even they now carry a fancy orthopedic foam lounge for dogs. We've written about more expensive diamond dog collars on Luxist but the unique twist on this collar is that it has a practical application.

Dog-Power is offering a hand-crafted PetSafe diamond dog collar created by jewelry designer RenaMary. For those who want to dress their pets like royalty but still let them live an outdoor lifestyle this collar is for you. PetSafe underground fencing keeps your dog secure in your backyard and the price of the collar includes installation of the PetSafe system at your home.

The collar itself has a connecting heart motif which the designer felt represents the loving bond between an owner and their dog. In terms of the particulars the collar consists of over 18 carats of brilliant round cut diamonds of F/G color and VS1 clarity set in 18kt white gold and is 15 inches in length and 1 inch in width. Should you decide to purchase the collar it will be hand delivered to your home by Dog-Power owner Cherie Corso and creator RenaMary. Your pet will also will receive the bonus of being given a personal dog trainer and being named 2010 Pet of the Year.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the North Shore Animal League, the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, located in Long Island, New York.

A point of consideration maybe the necessity to own a second dog, perhaps a German Shepherd or Rottweiler, to keep an eye on the pampered pup who is wearing such a valuable collar around the backyard!

For those of you who want to send a delicious delicacy to the one you love on Valentine's Day there are some great mail order options. Whether you like cookies or chocolates there is something for everyone.

We write about Dean & Deluca a lot here on Luxist in part because they consistently offer quality products for the discerning gourmand from various manufacturers around the world. Their offerings for Valentine's Day are no exception:

• From Valerie Confections an artisinal confectioner in Los Angeles, come chocolates designated as Pour Elle and Pour Homme. Each box contains 3 large chocolate hearts and 8 small hearts with the "For Her" gift box having traces of edible rose petals and the "For Him" gift box is completed with caramel and toffee filled chocolates. Each set of 11 pieces retails for $30.00 a box.
• Chocolat Moderne in New York city is represented with a red box filled with 12 hand painted chocolate hearts. The $36.00 box contains two each of six different flavors.
• For those who like their sweets from France, the Pyramide des Tropiques from Francois Pralus, is a great choice for serious chocolate lovers who are more interested in the chocolate itself than cute Valentine wrapping. A stack of 10 individual bars each made with beans from a different part of the world and a 75% cocoa content for $12.00.
  
• Eleni's specializes in selling hand iced cookies. There is an adorable box of pink and purple XO shaped cookies 18 for $50.00 If you go to Eleni's web-site there are just under 20 different designs from which you can pick the perfect option for your sweetie.

All of these purveyors have their own web-sites and it is up to you to decide whether you'd like to comparison shop quickly through Dean & Deluca or take your time and order individually from the different stores. Either way you will come away "smelling like roses" but "tasting like chocolate" a perfect combination for Valentine's Day.

The $10 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, is slated to be held on March 27, 2010 at the new Meydan Racetrack in Dubai. The complex however is open and the first races of the season took place the last week in January at the start of the Dubai International Racing Carnival.

The new complex cost $2 billion to build and is quite unlike anything else in the horse racing world. In part this is due to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the ruler of Dubai and the driving force behind the racing region. In something out of another era, he had a special route built to the venue just so he can avoid traffic and arrive by boat. The complex and the Dubai creek are now linked by a 4 kilometer canal so the ruler can travel with ease and avoid any log jams that build up in the falcon shaped parking lot which has a capacity for 10,000 cars.

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On February 4, 2010 an on-line auction was concluded for the baseball Alex Rodriguez hit to secure his 500th career home run. A-Rod was the youngest player to do so and only one of a total of 22 players to ever attain the distinction of hitting that many homers. The ball in question brought in $103,579.00. The only other Yankees to achieve the goal are two of the greatest, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.

The auction was conducted by SCP Auctions who stock their auctions with quality baseball memorabilia and cards. They are also responsible for the successful sale of Barry Bonds record breaking 756th home run ball for $752,467 in September of 2007. The company has over the years partnered with Sotheby's to sell some of the most important items in baseball history including the bat Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium ($1.265 million) and the original contract for the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees in 1919, as well as private collections of other sports superstars such as Ernie Banks, Honus Wagner, Casey Stengel and Pee Wee Reese.

The fan, supposedly a New York area college student, who originally caught the ball on August 4, 2007 had kept the ball in good shape and you could even see where A-Rod's bat connected with the ball. Also, MLB had in expectation of the important at bat pre-marked the ball "A 107" and then after the home run placed a hologram with a serial number on the ball. This insured that the anonymous Internet buyer is assured that they are receiving the real deal. There was some discussion by the New York Daily News that the ball was sold for much less than it might have garnered due to steroid use by baseball players. It also could just be the economy, still not a bad take for a fan just out for a day at the game.