IT’S a bright morning in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighbourhood but there is no place in the sun for the group of faceless men standing by the roadside, waiting for work that isn’t coming any time soon.
For these illegal immigrants, congregating at street corners is a daily ritual of hope and despair as they wait for prospective employers who want temporary or day labourers.
The minute a van stops, they would scramble towards it, pleading: “Take me! Take me!”
Their English limited, most of them would grab any jobs that are thrown their way.
“They would be there waiting every day, whether in winter or summer,” a Brooklyn resident observed. “Sometimes you wonder whether their lives are any worse back home.”
Life is a battlefield for them. For those who are employed, it isn’t uncommon for them to hold two jobs, working seven days a week, like Jose M., who juggles his time waiting on tables in two restaurants.
He cycles to work, rain or shine, a journey that takes 45 minutes. Once, a road accident put him out of action for about a week but he did not seek medical help since he was without health insurance.
The Centre for Immigration Studies has found that one in eight people in the US is an immigrant. The undocumented ones numbered about 11 million last year.
Most of the recent immigrants came from Mexico. Official statistics show that 64% of Hispanic-origin people in the US have a Mexican background.
(At 15% of the US population, the Hispanics are the largest minority group in the US. Mexico is the only country which has a larger Hispanic population than the US.)
In 2007, Mexicans who worked in the US remitted about US$24bil (RM89bil) to their families back home.
But a chat with Mexicans on their home soil found that they do not necessarily see this as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“We depend too much on America,” said Ricardo Salazar, a tour guide for the past decade in Mexico City, the sprawling capital that is inhabited by 20 million people.
Still, he understood why his fellow countrymen opted to seek their fortunes in their neighbouring nation.
“A factory job in Mexico City offers just about 2,000 pesos (RM494) a month,” he said, “so they prefer to work at construction sites in America where the hourly wages are better.” These workers, he said, would save up and send money to their loved ones so that they could own a house upon returning home.
He would not want to work in the US, though. “It’s a racist country,” he said, “and it isn’t easy to get a visa.”
He prefers his chilli-loving Mexico. “We start eating chillies at the age of two,” he smiled. “My stomach is very strong.”
Mexico is not a poor country, according to Geraldo Ramirez Escobar, who works at a public information kiosk near Chapultepec Park.
“There is a lot of money here,” he said in halting English, “but the blame lies with the leaders and politicians.”
Most people, he said, found it difficult to secure jobs in the city.
Escobar counts himself lucky. An economics graduate in 2006, he got his current position (“my first formal job”) not too long ago.
Most employers, he said, preferred people with working experience. “But how can I have experience if they don’t start hiring me?”
Escobar said he had plans for his future, perhaps starting projects that would help his fellow citizens. “I still have a lot of hope for Mexico,” he said.
Joel Rocha, his co-worker, was also not too keen on the Promised Land. “It’s just another country. To me, there is no First World, no Third World.”
Neither was he swept away by US president Barack Obama, whose inauguration, according to news reports, was watched by countless people in Mexico City, some shedding tears.
“I don’t know much about him. He is not my president. All I know about him is what I read in the papers or watch on TV,” he said. “But I do hope he will make a difference.”
Others such as A. Martinez decided to say “hola” to Mexico again after 20 years slogging it out in California, the Golden State that is home to 13 million Hispanics.
Now 50-plus and fluent in English, Martinez is often summoned by his boss to take care of the non-Spanish speaking diners who come to the restaurant where he works.
Why did he decide to pack his bags and head back home?
“Why?” he asked in return, appearing somewhat incredulous that the question should be asked at all.
“I love Mexico,” he said simply. “This is my country.”
This is Yee Ping’s last story from New York. She is now back at our Petaling Jaya office.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
You are never lonely
FRED Ng is a bachelor who has lived in New York for almost four years. A Singaporean transferred by his financial services company to work in Manhattan, Ng, 31, loves going out for coffee with his friends and enjoys solitary walks in the park during his days off.
He stays in a small studio apartment in downtown Manhattan, all by himself.
But Ng isn’t alone as he has 31 million people for company. That is the number of people who live alone in the United States, according to a 2007 survey by the US Census Bureau.
Even in crowded and sometimes claustrophobic New York City where people are everywhere, statistics from the Department of City Planning showed that one out of every two apartments in Manhattan is occupied by just one individual.
But don’t start playing Are You Lonesome Tonight to folks like Ng.
Manhatttan, according to New York magazine, is the capital of people living by themselves. The magazine ran a cover story on “The Loneliness Myth” two months ago, quoting studies which showed that New York is among “the least lonely places on earth”.
This metropolitan of eight million inhabitants is on Forbes’ list of Best Cities for Singles, ranking Number 8 out of 40.
Its nightlife is unmatched, according to Forbes, besides its cool factor. But the unbearable cost of living pushed it out as head of the class. (Atlanta is tops, by the way).
The culturally diverse New York, according to Ng, offers wide opportunities to meet people and make friends.
“People who feel alienated here are probably shy or haven’t met the right clique yet,” he said. “Life in the city lacks a sense of community that you find in a small town.”
For the timid ones, New York is daunting.
“New Yorkers tend to be rather loud with a in-your-face attitude. They lack patience if they feel that people are wasting their time in things they don’t care about,” Ng said.
Heidi Smith, a 20-something Californian who moved to New York several months ago, said Gotham would intimidate those without a good support system.
“For me, I am worried about slipping on ice and breaking my leg,” she quipped, referring to the snowy days in New York.
Smith, who teaches in an elementary school, said her friends felt she was crazy to move to New York as the weather was harsher in the Empire State.
“But people here are nice, though I would like to think that Californians are very friendly. Over there, people would get more angry if you are rude to them.”
New York, she said, could be both scary and fun for outsiders.
However, Smith does not intend to stay in New York for the long term. “That’s not my plan. There are other places that I want to live in.”
During Unmarried and Single Americans Week from Sept 21 to 28 last year, the Census Bureau released facts and figures which showed that there were 92 million unmarried Americans aged 18 and older in 2006.
Another batch of numbers in 2004 indicated that 50% of adults in New York are unmarried, the highest among all the states.
Ng, for example, is a staunch believer that New York is a great place for singles.
“There are all sorts of venues for meeting other people, no matter what type of personality you may have,” he said.
“For example, the clubbing scene is always vibrant for party-goers, and there are world-class institutions for the culturally-inclined such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
Speed dating is available for people of all stripes whether single professionals, Jewish, Muslims or Christians. Here in hurry, hurry New York, there are even events called Date and Dash Speed Dating Party.
On New Year’s Eve, there was the gay and lesbian black tie royal ball.
Ng, however, described himself as an introvert who preferred solitude.
His American colleagues are fantastic. “I have a good rapport and working relationship with them, but I don’t usually hang out with them.”
He loves the bookstores and the countless cafes in the city. “I mostly confine myself within the Buddhist circle,” he said.
“I won’t call myself a social butterfly,” he joked, “but people tend to think that the singles here are party goers who come home drunk at 2am, if they come back to their own homes at all.”
Another misconception, he said, was that Americans would “sleep with anything that moves”.
“I don’t miss not being part of the wild side,” he said. “It was never my scene.”
Besides his full-time IT support job, Ng is taking up a course on Information Systems Management at New York University.
That leaves almost no time for dating. “With my work and part-time study at NYU, the only dates I go for are the ones in Whole Foods Market. They are all organic, so it is a healthy relationship,” he said in jest.
What does he do when the occasional loneliness creeps in?
“I either hit the gym or go for long walks in the parks or along the Hudson River. Sometimes I harass my friends to go out,” he said. “If loneliness hits me hard enough, I lapse into a coma.”
He stays in a small studio apartment in downtown Manhattan, all by himself.
But Ng isn’t alone as he has 31 million people for company. That is the number of people who live alone in the United States, according to a 2007 survey by the US Census Bureau.
Even in crowded and sometimes claustrophobic New York City where people are everywhere, statistics from the Department of City Planning showed that one out of every two apartments in Manhattan is occupied by just one individual.
But don’t start playing Are You Lonesome Tonight to folks like Ng.
Manhatttan, according to New York magazine, is the capital of people living by themselves. The magazine ran a cover story on “The Loneliness Myth” two months ago, quoting studies which showed that New York is among “the least lonely places on earth”.
This metropolitan of eight million inhabitants is on Forbes’ list of Best Cities for Singles, ranking Number 8 out of 40.
Its nightlife is unmatched, according to Forbes, besides its cool factor. But the unbearable cost of living pushed it out as head of the class. (Atlanta is tops, by the way).
The culturally diverse New York, according to Ng, offers wide opportunities to meet people and make friends.
“People who feel alienated here are probably shy or haven’t met the right clique yet,” he said. “Life in the city lacks a sense of community that you find in a small town.”
For the timid ones, New York is daunting.
“New Yorkers tend to be rather loud with a in-your-face attitude. They lack patience if they feel that people are wasting their time in things they don’t care about,” Ng said.
Heidi Smith, a 20-something Californian who moved to New York several months ago, said Gotham would intimidate those without a good support system.
“For me, I am worried about slipping on ice and breaking my leg,” she quipped, referring to the snowy days in New York.
Smith, who teaches in an elementary school, said her friends felt she was crazy to move to New York as the weather was harsher in the Empire State.
“But people here are nice, though I would like to think that Californians are very friendly. Over there, people would get more angry if you are rude to them.”
New York, she said, could be both scary and fun for outsiders.
However, Smith does not intend to stay in New York for the long term. “That’s not my plan. There are other places that I want to live in.”
During Unmarried and Single Americans Week from Sept 21 to 28 last year, the Census Bureau released facts and figures which showed that there were 92 million unmarried Americans aged 18 and older in 2006.
Another batch of numbers in 2004 indicated that 50% of adults in New York are unmarried, the highest among all the states.
Ng, for example, is a staunch believer that New York is a great place for singles.
“There are all sorts of venues for meeting other people, no matter what type of personality you may have,” he said.
“For example, the clubbing scene is always vibrant for party-goers, and there are world-class institutions for the culturally-inclined such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
Speed dating is available for people of all stripes whether single professionals, Jewish, Muslims or Christians. Here in hurry, hurry New York, there are even events called Date and Dash Speed Dating Party.
On New Year’s Eve, there was the gay and lesbian black tie royal ball.
Ng, however, described himself as an introvert who preferred solitude.
His American colleagues are fantastic. “I have a good rapport and working relationship with them, but I don’t usually hang out with them.”
He loves the bookstores and the countless cafes in the city. “I mostly confine myself within the Buddhist circle,” he said.
“I won’t call myself a social butterfly,” he joked, “but people tend to think that the singles here are party goers who come home drunk at 2am, if they come back to their own homes at all.”
Another misconception, he said, was that Americans would “sleep with anything that moves”.
“I don’t miss not being part of the wild side,” he said. “It was never my scene.”
Besides his full-time IT support job, Ng is taking up a course on Information Systems Management at New York University.
That leaves almost no time for dating. “With my work and part-time study at NYU, the only dates I go for are the ones in Whole Foods Market. They are all organic, so it is a healthy relationship,” he said in jest.
What does he do when the occasional loneliness creeps in?
“I either hit the gym or go for long walks in the parks or along the Hudson River. Sometimes I harass my friends to go out,” he said. “If loneliness hits me hard enough, I lapse into a coma.”
Friday, February 13, 2009
Big Apple woos the lovestruck
THE King has been forewarned. New York is sounding the warning bells to Las Vegas as it seeks to become the prime wedding destination of the world, dethroning Sin City famous for its Elvis weddings.
The Manhattan Marriage Bureau went through a US$12mil (RM43mil) overhaul to provide speedy and friendly service to couples applying for marriage licences.
It opened last month at a new location with a much larger space. Facilities include 14 computer kiosks for online applications, chapel space and a store that sells flowers, disposable cameras and wedding bands.
Applicants are also able to communicate with clerks on a telephone interpretation system that offers a choice of 170 languages.
(A US census a decade ago found that English is not the main language spoken in almost 50% of New York City households. It is estimated that 170 foreign languages are spoken in the Big Apple).
But stars such as Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Bruce Willis, Carmen Electra and even Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, have all exchanged vows in Las Vegas, so why shouldn’t you?
“Think of New York City as the classier version of eloping to Las Vegas,” said Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor of The Knot (theknot.com), a popular online reference for couples searching for wedding planning solutions.
The Knot is linking hands with the city’s marketing arm to draw up wedding packages for couples intending to get hitched at the bureau.
“It is already one of the world’s most exciting, romantic destinations,” she said in an email interview.
“Tie the knot at the new marriage bureau here, and you will be on your honeymoon by the time you say ‘I do’!”
The Manhattan Marriage Bureau, located at 141 Worth Street in Lower Manhattan, opened its doors on Jan 12.
“New York City is already a legendary location to tie the knot, but this new location will give customers an even better, smoother experience that is more enjoyable and more memorable,” said First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris, who was in charge of the renovations.
Las Vegas, however, has an edge over the city which supposedly never sleeps.
The Las Vegas Downtown Office Marriage Bureau opens daily including holidays from 8am to midnight, a great convenience for couples who develop a sudden urge for that piece of paper.
Statistics show that New York City issued just about 66,600 marriage licences in 2007 compared with 107,000 given out in Nevada’s Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.
But that number, according to the local Fox5 News in Las Vegas, was the lowest in a decade.
“Some people blame the marriage licensing office for not being open 24 hours. Another reason is the negative publicity the industry has received over the past few months.”
What’s bad news to Vegas is good news to New York, which is home to the Empire State Building, the great symbol of love for those swept up by Cary Grant’s An Affair To Remember.
In fact, the current economic meltdown has not stopped couples from toasting to love.
“Brides are still planning glamourous weddings, although they are being very smart about how they spend every penny,” Dolgin said.
The average cost of an American wedding is US$28,000 (RM101,000) but Dolgin said that many of the year’s top trends reflected new, chic ways to save on the big occasion.
“For example, there is the do-it-yourself (DIY) wedding details,” she said. “The spend-savvy bride is the smart bride. The crafty bride is even smarter.
“Using amazing resources all over the Internet, brides are making their own bouquets, save-the-dates, wedding programmes, seating charts and more.
“And when they can’t DIY, they head to Etsy.com for deals from other DIYers.” Etsy is an online marketplace for all things handmade.
According to Dolgin, The Knot has detected two trends in wedding receptions.
For one, “green weddings” are getting glamourous and more affordable, naturally.
This would mean Internet invitations (paper free), besides serving food and using flowers that are in season.
“These wedding trends are not only eco-chic, but also easier on the budget,” she said.
Another trend, she said, was opting for small, romantic ceremonies.
“Up the romance and drop the tab,” she said.
“Have your ceremony with only your nearest and dearest and save your money for the reception.”
“You can get hitched for just US$60 (RM217) [US$35 (RM126) to obtain the licence and US$25 (RM90) fee for the civil marriage ceremony].
“Then throw a raucous yet less-expensive-than-a-full-blown-reception cocktail party later in the year.”
The Manhattan Marriage Bureau went through a US$12mil (RM43mil) overhaul to provide speedy and friendly service to couples applying for marriage licences.
It opened last month at a new location with a much larger space. Facilities include 14 computer kiosks for online applications, chapel space and a store that sells flowers, disposable cameras and wedding bands.
Applicants are also able to communicate with clerks on a telephone interpretation system that offers a choice of 170 languages.
(A US census a decade ago found that English is not the main language spoken in almost 50% of New York City households. It is estimated that 170 foreign languages are spoken in the Big Apple).
But stars such as Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Bruce Willis, Carmen Electra and even Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, have all exchanged vows in Las Vegas, so why shouldn’t you?
“Think of New York City as the classier version of eloping to Las Vegas,” said Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor of The Knot (theknot.com), a popular online reference for couples searching for wedding planning solutions.
The Knot is linking hands with the city’s marketing arm to draw up wedding packages for couples intending to get hitched at the bureau.
“It is already one of the world’s most exciting, romantic destinations,” she said in an email interview.
“Tie the knot at the new marriage bureau here, and you will be on your honeymoon by the time you say ‘I do’!”
The Manhattan Marriage Bureau, located at 141 Worth Street in Lower Manhattan, opened its doors on Jan 12.
“New York City is already a legendary location to tie the knot, but this new location will give customers an even better, smoother experience that is more enjoyable and more memorable,” said First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris, who was in charge of the renovations.
Las Vegas, however, has an edge over the city which supposedly never sleeps.
The Las Vegas Downtown Office Marriage Bureau opens daily including holidays from 8am to midnight, a great convenience for couples who develop a sudden urge for that piece of paper.
Statistics show that New York City issued just about 66,600 marriage licences in 2007 compared with 107,000 given out in Nevada’s Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.
But that number, according to the local Fox5 News in Las Vegas, was the lowest in a decade.
“Some people blame the marriage licensing office for not being open 24 hours. Another reason is the negative publicity the industry has received over the past few months.”
What’s bad news to Vegas is good news to New York, which is home to the Empire State Building, the great symbol of love for those swept up by Cary Grant’s An Affair To Remember.
In fact, the current economic meltdown has not stopped couples from toasting to love.
“Brides are still planning glamourous weddings, although they are being very smart about how they spend every penny,” Dolgin said.
The average cost of an American wedding is US$28,000 (RM101,000) but Dolgin said that many of the year’s top trends reflected new, chic ways to save on the big occasion.
“For example, there is the do-it-yourself (DIY) wedding details,” she said. “The spend-savvy bride is the smart bride. The crafty bride is even smarter.
“Using amazing resources all over the Internet, brides are making their own bouquets, save-the-dates, wedding programmes, seating charts and more.
“And when they can’t DIY, they head to Etsy.com for deals from other DIYers.” Etsy is an online marketplace for all things handmade.
According to Dolgin, The Knot has detected two trends in wedding receptions.
For one, “green weddings” are getting glamourous and more affordable, naturally.
This would mean Internet invitations (paper free), besides serving food and using flowers that are in season.
“These wedding trends are not only eco-chic, but also easier on the budget,” she said.
Another trend, she said, was opting for small, romantic ceremonies.
“Up the romance and drop the tab,” she said.
“Have your ceremony with only your nearest and dearest and save your money for the reception.”
“You can get hitched for just US$60 (RM217) [US$35 (RM126) to obtain the licence and US$25 (RM90) fee for the civil marriage ceremony].
“Then throw a raucous yet less-expensive-than-a-full-blown-reception cocktail party later in the year.”
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tearing into Wall Street
WHILE President Barack Obama stewed over Wall Street’s US$18bil (RM65bil) bonuses, the average American has long felt nothing but scorn for what is largely considered the source of the people’s misery.
A California-based company has been marketing T-shirts with messages such as “Investment Bankers – The New Al-Qaeda” and “Wall Street – Weapon of Mass Destruction”.
Its website, zazzle.com, also says: “Mr Obama, tear down this Wall $treet”.
Another website sells T-shirts that leave nothing to the imagination: “I Hate Investment Banking”.
These days, “I Hate Wall Street” T-shirts are the rage and the public anger isn’t fading away any time soon.
Fact to chew on: median household income in the US is less than half the average Wall Street bonus of US$112,000.
American consumers have lost their swagger; their unbridled spending is history now.
Frugality is in. The despair of losing their jobs is among the factors that drove the rate of personal savings the past few months to its highest level in six years.
The news gets gloomier by the day.
It has been a rocky ride into the Year of the Ox as US companies cut at least 100,000 jobs last week; and Macy’s, which prides itself as the world’s largest store, laid off 7,000 employees.
Macy’s, however, is largely middle-class America. The swanky stores such as Bergdorf Goodman tell of a different kind of belt-tightening.
“I’m switching from having my facials and massages in a wine-serving yoga spa to a been-in-business-forever place that only old people and gay men go to,” said a 40-something woman, known only as Cathy.
“I’ll do it once every six weeks instead of monthly, and it is one-third the price of the facials at the spa.”
Cathy made the public admission through a blog called Dating A Banker Anonymous (DABA), which is devoted to women whose relationships have been affected by the economic slump.
“Are you or someone you love dating a banker? If so, we are here to support you through these difficult times,” DABA (www.dabagirls.com) says in its introduction.
DABA, in essence, is a place for “women who like to date successful men and anonymously dish on it”.
The blog gained attention last week when it was featured in The New York Times. DABA women who gathered occasionally as a support group, shared how the men in their life were always checking their “Black-Berry, Bloomberg and CNBC”, how they were told to forget about expensive dinners and holidays, and that even bedroom habits had changed.
Another woman resorted to checking the daily stock market performance to gauge her man’s mood.
But such a sisterhood gains no sympathy from some people.
“I hope each woman who attends these meetings remains single and unwanted when this economy goes through its eventual recovery,” Brown, a male banker wrote to the NYT. When he was single, he said, he would not mention his career to a woman or spend more than US$100 on a date until he really knew her.
A female reader said: “After reading this, I am ashamed of being a woman. Whatever happened to being proud of supporting yourself?
“You’re not going to get a date now that everyone knows all you are good for is the swiping of someone else’s credit card.”
Amber Chia, Malaysia’s own top model who has been wooed by men made of money, has this take on the subject.
“When you love someone, you accept the bad times as well as the good,” says Chia, who is in New York to attend acting classes at the New York Film Academy.
Here in Gotham, Chia says she prefers to shop at factory outlets where the merchandise is cheaper.
“I buy everything with my own money.”
The 27-year-old actress and model recalled being propositioned by someone with a diamond ring and how, during an assignment in Indonesia, she met businessmen who tried becoming suitors.
But it was a “no, thank you” from Chia.
“I’m happy with my life and my work. I don’t need so much money because when you are too wealthy, there’s another set of problems,” says Chia, whose 11-year relationship with her boyfriend ended two years ago.
The modelling industry back home had not been spared by the financial meltdown, she says. Fees per show for models have been slashed by up to 50% and fashion shows which previously hired almost 50 models would now only take about 20.
Chia, however, has always believed in saving for a rainy day.
“Especially now that I am back to being a student,” she says. “I have no income now. I take the subway or just walk if I can, instead of taking a taxi.”
But DABA girls believe in humour, too.
“If your monthly Bergdorf’s allowance has been halved and bottle service has all but disappeared from your life, lighten your heart with laughter,” says the blog, which was started by two young women “whose relationships tanked with the economy”.
A California-based company has been marketing T-shirts with messages such as “Investment Bankers – The New Al-Qaeda” and “Wall Street – Weapon of Mass Destruction”.
Its website, zazzle.com, also says: “Mr Obama, tear down this Wall $treet”.
Another website sells T-shirts that leave nothing to the imagination: “I Hate Investment Banking”.
These days, “I Hate Wall Street” T-shirts are the rage and the public anger isn’t fading away any time soon.
Fact to chew on: median household income in the US is less than half the average Wall Street bonus of US$112,000.
American consumers have lost their swagger; their unbridled spending is history now.
Frugality is in. The despair of losing their jobs is among the factors that drove the rate of personal savings the past few months to its highest level in six years.
The news gets gloomier by the day.
It has been a rocky ride into the Year of the Ox as US companies cut at least 100,000 jobs last week; and Macy’s, which prides itself as the world’s largest store, laid off 7,000 employees.
Macy’s, however, is largely middle-class America. The swanky stores such as Bergdorf Goodman tell of a different kind of belt-tightening.
“I’m switching from having my facials and massages in a wine-serving yoga spa to a been-in-business-forever place that only old people and gay men go to,” said a 40-something woman, known only as Cathy.
“I’ll do it once every six weeks instead of monthly, and it is one-third the price of the facials at the spa.”
Cathy made the public admission through a blog called Dating A Banker Anonymous (DABA), which is devoted to women whose relationships have been affected by the economic slump.
“Are you or someone you love dating a banker? If so, we are here to support you through these difficult times,” DABA (www.dabagirls.com) says in its introduction.
DABA, in essence, is a place for “women who like to date successful men and anonymously dish on it”.
The blog gained attention last week when it was featured in The New York Times. DABA women who gathered occasionally as a support group, shared how the men in their life were always checking their “Black-Berry, Bloomberg and CNBC”, how they were told to forget about expensive dinners and holidays, and that even bedroom habits had changed.
Another woman resorted to checking the daily stock market performance to gauge her man’s mood.
But such a sisterhood gains no sympathy from some people.
“I hope each woman who attends these meetings remains single and unwanted when this economy goes through its eventual recovery,” Brown, a male banker wrote to the NYT. When he was single, he said, he would not mention his career to a woman or spend more than US$100 on a date until he really knew her.
A female reader said: “After reading this, I am ashamed of being a woman. Whatever happened to being proud of supporting yourself?
“You’re not going to get a date now that everyone knows all you are good for is the swiping of someone else’s credit card.”
Amber Chia, Malaysia’s own top model who has been wooed by men made of money, has this take on the subject.
“When you love someone, you accept the bad times as well as the good,” says Chia, who is in New York to attend acting classes at the New York Film Academy.
Here in Gotham, Chia says she prefers to shop at factory outlets where the merchandise is cheaper.
“I buy everything with my own money.”
The 27-year-old actress and model recalled being propositioned by someone with a diamond ring and how, during an assignment in Indonesia, she met businessmen who tried becoming suitors.
But it was a “no, thank you” from Chia.
“I’m happy with my life and my work. I don’t need so much money because when you are too wealthy, there’s another set of problems,” says Chia, whose 11-year relationship with her boyfriend ended two years ago.
The modelling industry back home had not been spared by the financial meltdown, she says. Fees per show for models have been slashed by up to 50% and fashion shows which previously hired almost 50 models would now only take about 20.
Chia, however, has always believed in saving for a rainy day.
“Especially now that I am back to being a student,” she says. “I have no income now. I take the subway or just walk if I can, instead of taking a taxi.”
But DABA girls believe in humour, too.
“If your monthly Bergdorf’s allowance has been halved and bottle service has all but disappeared from your life, lighten your heart with laughter,” says the blog, which was started by two young women “whose relationships tanked with the economy”.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Making a killing from courtroom dramas
HE isn’t hotter than Harry Potter, but for a man who has 235 million books in print, John Grisham has become platinum standard for fans of legal thrillers.
The latest from this Arkansas-born storyteller has an initial print of 2.5 million copies. Movie rights for The Associate, which made its debut on Tuesday, have already been sold to Paramount Pictures, with actor Shia LaBeouf in the title role.“I used to be Number One but then came Harry Potter. I really miss being Number One,” he deadpanned during a Tuesday appearance at a crowded Barnes & Noble in Manhattan to promote The Associate, a story set in New York, which Grisham described as a city that he had always loved but never featured in his previous books.
He produces a novel almost every year, always having about two or three ideas in his mind for the next book, mostly from stealing ideas everywhere.
“We all steal, that’s what we do,” he joked.
But there isn’t much sex in his writings because, according to his wife (in a previous TV interview), “he doesn’t know much about it”.
“I don’t know why she answered that way. It wasn’t necessary at all,” he said, poker-faced again.
Once he wrote something which he felt was erotic and raunchy, but his wife, who reads quite a lot of other naughty stuff, just “howled with laughter” after reading it.
He runs by his story ideas to his wife all the time. “If I can’t pitch it to her in about three sentences, I’m in trouble.”
To start on a book, Grisham has an outline for each chapter as he wants to know how the story goes.
“The more time I spend on the outline, the easier it gets, but sometimes I get lazy. If I don’t know the ending, I won’t start on it.”
But he admitted to not spending much time on characterisation. “I just want people to pick up my book and spend all night reading it, skipping work.”
He taught himself on what works and what won’t. Reading bad books, he said, reminds him not to write likewise.
Grisham remembered his early days as a small-town Mississippi lawyer always hanging around the court as he did not have too many clients.
One day, he listened to the testimony of a 10-year-old rape victim. “It was an emotional train wreck for all us in the courtroom. She took us through every emotion that a person could have,” he recalled.
When the court took a recess, Grisham left. Then he remembered that he had left his briefcase there.
He returned and, walking past the defendant, a thought came to him. Had he been the girl’s father, “just give me a gun, I could easily do it”.
“How many of you can convict me of something you would want to do yourself?” he asked himself. “It was a father’s revenge, a retribution.”
With that, an author was born, and A Time To Kill was published in 1988. “I wasn’t thinking about money or a career,” he said, “I just wanted a story told.”
By then, he had been severely bitten by the writing bug and decided that he had enough of a secret hobby.
The 54-year-old author spends six months every year writing, typing on the same computer that produced the 18 books he had written so far.
He believes the “insatiable appetite” for courtroom dramas and scandals has been the key to his commercial success.
“We have always enjoyed books and TV shows about lawyers. It’s ingrained in our DNA,” he said.
What does he do in the other six months? “People ask me that all the time,” he said, “but I really don’t know.”
Grisham shows little love for his critics. “Most of them have a manuscript in their drawer which can’t get published.”
Life, he said, is easier if you ignore the critics. The great thing about writing, he said, “is that you don’t have to retire”.
“I can’t say when I will quit. I’m always looking for something to write, I’m always looking for something to steal and then turn it over to my hyper creative imagination.”
Movie versions of The Firm, The Client and The Pelican Brief (he likes simple titles) came out within a year of the books being published.
“I write them that way. My books read like a movie.”
With all his wealth now, Grisham spoke of building schools in Kenya, health projects in Brazil and non-profit work to fight social injustice in the United States, because his heart remains in the law.
“The way the laws are abused in this country, the way we implement the death penalty, is absurd. These hot button issues really get to me.”
He is on the board of directors of Innocence Project, whose mission is to help prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA tests. “To date, 232 people in the US have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who served time on death row.”
A Time To Kill will always be special to him because it was his first book. “And there was no deadline to finish it,” he said.
Another favourite is A Painted House, drawn from his childhood in rural Arkansas, and “there is a lot of family history there”.
“I have received more than I can dream of,” he said of his success. “This is the icing on the cake.”
The latest from this Arkansas-born storyteller has an initial print of 2.5 million copies. Movie rights for The Associate, which made its debut on Tuesday, have already been sold to Paramount Pictures, with actor Shia LaBeouf in the title role.“I used to be Number One but then came Harry Potter. I really miss being Number One,” he deadpanned during a Tuesday appearance at a crowded Barnes & Noble in Manhattan to promote The Associate, a story set in New York, which Grisham described as a city that he had always loved but never featured in his previous books.
He produces a novel almost every year, always having about two or three ideas in his mind for the next book, mostly from stealing ideas everywhere.
“We all steal, that’s what we do,” he joked.
But there isn’t much sex in his writings because, according to his wife (in a previous TV interview), “he doesn’t know much about it”.
“I don’t know why she answered that way. It wasn’t necessary at all,” he said, poker-faced again.
Once he wrote something which he felt was erotic and raunchy, but his wife, who reads quite a lot of other naughty stuff, just “howled with laughter” after reading it.
He runs by his story ideas to his wife all the time. “If I can’t pitch it to her in about three sentences, I’m in trouble.”
To start on a book, Grisham has an outline for each chapter as he wants to know how the story goes.
“The more time I spend on the outline, the easier it gets, but sometimes I get lazy. If I don’t know the ending, I won’t start on it.”
But he admitted to not spending much time on characterisation. “I just want people to pick up my book and spend all night reading it, skipping work.”
He taught himself on what works and what won’t. Reading bad books, he said, reminds him not to write likewise.
Grisham remembered his early days as a small-town Mississippi lawyer always hanging around the court as he did not have too many clients.
One day, he listened to the testimony of a 10-year-old rape victim. “It was an emotional train wreck for all us in the courtroom. She took us through every emotion that a person could have,” he recalled.
When the court took a recess, Grisham left. Then he remembered that he had left his briefcase there.
He returned and, walking past the defendant, a thought came to him. Had he been the girl’s father, “just give me a gun, I could easily do it”.
“How many of you can convict me of something you would want to do yourself?” he asked himself. “It was a father’s revenge, a retribution.”
With that, an author was born, and A Time To Kill was published in 1988. “I wasn’t thinking about money or a career,” he said, “I just wanted a story told.”
By then, he had been severely bitten by the writing bug and decided that he had enough of a secret hobby.
The 54-year-old author spends six months every year writing, typing on the same computer that produced the 18 books he had written so far.
He believes the “insatiable appetite” for courtroom dramas and scandals has been the key to his commercial success.
“We have always enjoyed books and TV shows about lawyers. It’s ingrained in our DNA,” he said.
What does he do in the other six months? “People ask me that all the time,” he said, “but I really don’t know.”
Grisham shows little love for his critics. “Most of them have a manuscript in their drawer which can’t get published.”
Life, he said, is easier if you ignore the critics. The great thing about writing, he said, “is that you don’t have to retire”.
“I can’t say when I will quit. I’m always looking for something to write, I’m always looking for something to steal and then turn it over to my hyper creative imagination.”
Movie versions of The Firm, The Client and The Pelican Brief (he likes simple titles) came out within a year of the books being published.
“I write them that way. My books read like a movie.”
With all his wealth now, Grisham spoke of building schools in Kenya, health projects in Brazil and non-profit work to fight social injustice in the United States, because his heart remains in the law.
“The way the laws are abused in this country, the way we implement the death penalty, is absurd. These hot button issues really get to me.”
He is on the board of directors of Innocence Project, whose mission is to help prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA tests. “To date, 232 people in the US have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who served time on death row.”
A Time To Kill will always be special to him because it was his first book. “And there was no deadline to finish it,” he said.
Another favourite is A Painted House, drawn from his childhood in rural Arkansas, and “there is a lot of family history there”.
“I have received more than I can dream of,” he said of his success. “This is the icing on the cake.”
Friday, January 23, 2009
Selling on the presidental dream
YES, you can. So said Harry Winston, the preferred jewellers of celebrities walking the red carpet in La-La Land.
With that Obama-inspired tagline, the ultra-luxury brand advertised on Wednesday a diamond ring that cost at least US$25,000, or RM90,100. As for Brooks Brothers, which was established in 1818, it boasted about its most famous customer, Abraham Lincoln, who wore an overcoat by the label during his second inauguration in 1865.
“Inspired by our past, we look toward the future,” the clothing line declared a day after the presidential inauguration in an advertisement billed “One Country, One Destiny”.
Dunkin’ Donuts proclaimed on TV that “You kin’ do it”; Movado, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, congratulated Americans for “a time of pride, promise and hope”.
Politics has been inspirational to Madison Avenue, the oft-used term for the US ad industry, and the newly-minted president has been good for business.
At Union Station, the historic Washington DC train station which is just a short walk from the Capitol Building, stalls have sprung up focusing solely on Obama memorabilia. Some stores have catchy names such as Making History, Life on Capitol Hill, and President Cigars.
Life-size cardboard cut-outs of Barack Obama are on almost every corner.
And for just US$20 (RM72), one makeshift photography shop would juxtapose your image with that of Obama’s; both of you in a pose that makes it appear as though you and the 44th US president are best friends.
Jan 20 was a happy, happy day for those Americans who believed that theirs was a Promised Land once more.
“I was in depression for eight years until Nov 4 last year,” said New Yorker N. Robinson, currently unemployed, referring to Obama’s victory in the election.
One cafe in mid-town Manhattan handed out free coffee between 10.44am and 1.44pm on Tuesday as a toast to the new commander-in-chief.
For husband-and-wife team Matt and Delia Paine, the post-inauguration period meant that they could finally take a break after working 16 to 18 hours a day for the past three months.
Delia, an artist, has a hugely successful business of making Obama buttons that have been worn by high-powered Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and second in line to the presidency.
The couple opened a kiosk in Union Station throughout this month, next to another stand that was also selling keepsakes of the first black president. Obama sandals, anyone?
“We brought 10,000 Obama keychains, buttons, zipper pulls and refrigerator magnets for our one-month duration here,” said 39-year-old Matt who is in the construction business.
Originally from Oregon, they relocated to Washington DC just for this occasion and brought along their two school-going children.
Business was great and orders came from other countries, too, after they were featured by news provider AP.
The consumerism of Obama led to one news report in The New York Times observing that “hope does not come free, and change will cost you”.
Still, Obama’s inspiring words have continued to stir Americans everywhere.
For 57-year-old Augusta Ogden, the inaugural speech completely overwhelmed her as she stood watching the ceremony in Times Square on Tuesday.
She wept when Obama spoke about forefathers who “packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh”.
“Those were my ancestors he was talking about,” Ogden, an artiste manager, said. “I’m proud to be here. We have faith again. Finally, the light in America has returned.”
Marketing manager Andre Spelbrink, a Dutch who has lived in New York for 25 years, was charmed by Obama’s message.
“He appealed to everyone to stand together although that can be a tough thing to do. But of course Obama put it in a much better way!” (With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.)
“It’s good to hear from a US president who can speak well,” Spelbrink said.
Most presidential inaugural addresses have not been very memorable, according to historian Donald Kennon. His favourite was Lincoln’s second inaugural speech when he said:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”
During the presidential race the Obama campaign frequently sent out personalised e-mails to supporters that were signed “Barack Obama”.
On Wednesday, an e-mail came again. “Thank you for being part of the most open inauguration in our nation’s history.”
It went on to say that work had started on remaking America. “Our journey is just beginning. Thank you for all you do.”
(signed) President Barack Obama.
With that Obama-inspired tagline, the ultra-luxury brand advertised on Wednesday a diamond ring that cost at least US$25,000, or RM90,100. As for Brooks Brothers, which was established in 1818, it boasted about its most famous customer, Abraham Lincoln, who wore an overcoat by the label during his second inauguration in 1865.
“Inspired by our past, we look toward the future,” the clothing line declared a day after the presidential inauguration in an advertisement billed “One Country, One Destiny”.
Dunkin’ Donuts proclaimed on TV that “You kin’ do it”; Movado, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, congratulated Americans for “a time of pride, promise and hope”.
Politics has been inspirational to Madison Avenue, the oft-used term for the US ad industry, and the newly-minted president has been good for business.
At Union Station, the historic Washington DC train station which is just a short walk from the Capitol Building, stalls have sprung up focusing solely on Obama memorabilia. Some stores have catchy names such as Making History, Life on Capitol Hill, and President Cigars.
Life-size cardboard cut-outs of Barack Obama are on almost every corner.
And for just US$20 (RM72), one makeshift photography shop would juxtapose your image with that of Obama’s; both of you in a pose that makes it appear as though you and the 44th US president are best friends.
Jan 20 was a happy, happy day for those Americans who believed that theirs was a Promised Land once more.
“I was in depression for eight years until Nov 4 last year,” said New Yorker N. Robinson, currently unemployed, referring to Obama’s victory in the election.
One cafe in mid-town Manhattan handed out free coffee between 10.44am and 1.44pm on Tuesday as a toast to the new commander-in-chief.
For husband-and-wife team Matt and Delia Paine, the post-inauguration period meant that they could finally take a break after working 16 to 18 hours a day for the past three months.
Delia, an artist, has a hugely successful business of making Obama buttons that have been worn by high-powered Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and second in line to the presidency.
The couple opened a kiosk in Union Station throughout this month, next to another stand that was also selling keepsakes of the first black president. Obama sandals, anyone?
“We brought 10,000 Obama keychains, buttons, zipper pulls and refrigerator magnets for our one-month duration here,” said 39-year-old Matt who is in the construction business.
Originally from Oregon, they relocated to Washington DC just for this occasion and brought along their two school-going children.
Business was great and orders came from other countries, too, after they were featured by news provider AP.
The consumerism of Obama led to one news report in The New York Times observing that “hope does not come free, and change will cost you”.
Still, Obama’s inspiring words have continued to stir Americans everywhere.
For 57-year-old Augusta Ogden, the inaugural speech completely overwhelmed her as she stood watching the ceremony in Times Square on Tuesday.
She wept when Obama spoke about forefathers who “packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh”.
“Those were my ancestors he was talking about,” Ogden, an artiste manager, said. “I’m proud to be here. We have faith again. Finally, the light in America has returned.”
Marketing manager Andre Spelbrink, a Dutch who has lived in New York for 25 years, was charmed by Obama’s message.
“He appealed to everyone to stand together although that can be a tough thing to do. But of course Obama put it in a much better way!” (With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.)
“It’s good to hear from a US president who can speak well,” Spelbrink said.
Most presidential inaugural addresses have not been very memorable, according to historian Donald Kennon. His favourite was Lincoln’s second inaugural speech when he said:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”
During the presidential race the Obama campaign frequently sent out personalised e-mails to supporters that were signed “Barack Obama”.
On Wednesday, an e-mail came again. “Thank you for being part of the most open inauguration in our nation’s history.”
It went on to say that work had started on remaking America. “Our journey is just beginning. Thank you for all you do.”
(signed) President Barack Obama.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Hawaii Hunk, or plain Barry, he’s special
YOU can run but you can’t hide from Barack Obama. America’s next president smiles from countless magazine covers, peers at you from 2009 calendars sold on sidewalks, and gazes from commemorative coins advertised on TV.
The US media has showered him with love, so far. Tabloids searched for superlatives to describe their 44th president who will take office on Jan 20, while lifestyle magazines put his wife Michelle on their cover.
“Fit For Office”, said the New York Post three weeks ago, showing a frontpage photo of a shirtless Obama, lean and mean during his Hawaii holiday. “Buff Bam is Hawaii Hunk”, said the tabloid, concluding that “he looks more like the next James Bond than the 44th president”.
Another newspaper attributed his calm demeanour to the Aloha spirit.
By now, people know more about him than their next door neighbour of five years.
Obama’s early years have been well-documented. “Barry” back then, he connected with his non-black schoolmates through basketball. Barry listened to jazz. Barry was a cool 20-year-old college kid, wearing leather jackets.
These days, the president-elect is known to eat healthily, preferring fish instead of meat. He snacks on Planters Trail Mix, drinks organic Black Forest Berry Honest Tea and exercises at least 45 minutes a day.
His attempts to quit smoking has not escaped media attention, either. He reportedly smokes three cigarettes a day, but sometimes goes up to seven.
Small wonder then that Republican rival John McCain, at one point during their bruising campaign, called Obama “the biggest cele-brity in the world”, bigger than the likes of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
“I would definitely describe this as a honeymoon period for him,” said Quill managing editor Amy Guyer of the Society of Professional Journalists, explaining the rosy reports.
“He hasn’t had a chance to do anything wrong yet, so the press will be favourable,” she said.
But she personally believed that the press would soon get more critical once Obama was in office “because he will be making policy decisions then”.
However, Guyer did not share the view that Obama was a mega-celebrity, so to speak.
“I don’t think he is any more of a celebrity than George W. Bush or Bill Clinton, or Sarah Palin or even McCain,” she said. “They all appeared on talk shows during the election (like The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live). They were all viewed in the same critical eye as celebrities.”
Obama, she said, was getting more coverage right now because he won the election.
There is also another obvious point – Obama has made history in the United States. He is the poster boy of what had always been dismissed as an impossible American Dream.
If Princess Diana was the world’s most photographed woman, then Obama must surely be the man whose face appears most frequently on magazines now.
“Another week, another magazine cover devoted to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama,” Reuters said in August last year, back when he had not even clinched the presidency yet.
Rolling Stones, Men’s Vogue, GQ, People, Us Weekly, Time (seven times last year, not counting those in which he appeared along with somebody else); that’s just among the handful of big publications which had featured him on their cover.
That’s not even counting those magazines devoted to the black community. Ebony, one of the oldest African-American magazines, named Obama Person of the Year.
ASIS (artists, street, info, style) put him on the cover this month, Sister 2 Sister featured Obama and Michelle while Black Hair and Black Style magazines opted for the next First Lady.
Obama topped the list of Google’s fastest-rising search terms last year. Books written by him, or about him, are on the bestsellers list. In Washington these days, everybody wants him over for dinner.
Obama spells money, naturally. Newspapers sell photographs and reprints of the historical day. “Own a piece of history,” said Chicago Tribune in its marketing of the front-page story and photographs from that momentous night in Grant Park.
As for political analyst Juan H., he shares McCain’s view of the Hollywood factor in Obama.
“McCain was right,” he said. “But the blame is not Obama’s alone. The mainstream media, owned and run by liberals, prefer such a leader anyway.”
He recalled that the US press had shown similar affection to Clinton when he won the White House though “they hated Bush from day one. They also hated Bush Sr”.
“Basically, the media will protect Obama they way they had protected Clinton,” he said.
“Media rules in the US are simple. They like you if you are ‘black’, ‘women’, ‘pro-abortion’ or at least dislike anti-abortion groups’, etc etc,” he said.
NewsBusters, a blog dedicated to exposing liberal media bias, quoted a recent write-up which exemplified how the press was star-struck, fawning over Obama:
“President-elect Barack Obama radiates a certain stylistic sophistication that’s at once Kennedyesque in its reverence for the clean-cut, American style, and modern in its confident embrace of a look that’s both effortless and urbane.”
That story, taken from Myrtle Beach Online of the The McClatchy Company was most frivolous, NewsBusters said, citing also other examples to show how most publications would protect Obama when his transition phase hit choppy waters.
“The Old Media is standing ever ready to prop up their messiah. And this is the sort of ‘news’ we can expect for the next four years,” NewsBusters concluded.
The US media has showered him with love, so far. Tabloids searched for superlatives to describe their 44th president who will take office on Jan 20, while lifestyle magazines put his wife Michelle on their cover.
“Fit For Office”, said the New York Post three weeks ago, showing a frontpage photo of a shirtless Obama, lean and mean during his Hawaii holiday. “Buff Bam is Hawaii Hunk”, said the tabloid, concluding that “he looks more like the next James Bond than the 44th president”.
Another newspaper attributed his calm demeanour to the Aloha spirit.
By now, people know more about him than their next door neighbour of five years.
Obama’s early years have been well-documented. “Barry” back then, he connected with his non-black schoolmates through basketball. Barry listened to jazz. Barry was a cool 20-year-old college kid, wearing leather jackets.
These days, the president-elect is known to eat healthily, preferring fish instead of meat. He snacks on Planters Trail Mix, drinks organic Black Forest Berry Honest Tea and exercises at least 45 minutes a day.
His attempts to quit smoking has not escaped media attention, either. He reportedly smokes three cigarettes a day, but sometimes goes up to seven.
Small wonder then that Republican rival John McCain, at one point during their bruising campaign, called Obama “the biggest cele-brity in the world”, bigger than the likes of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
“I would definitely describe this as a honeymoon period for him,” said Quill managing editor Amy Guyer of the Society of Professional Journalists, explaining the rosy reports.
“He hasn’t had a chance to do anything wrong yet, so the press will be favourable,” she said.
But she personally believed that the press would soon get more critical once Obama was in office “because he will be making policy decisions then”.
However, Guyer did not share the view that Obama was a mega-celebrity, so to speak.
“I don’t think he is any more of a celebrity than George W. Bush or Bill Clinton, or Sarah Palin or even McCain,” she said. “They all appeared on talk shows during the election (like The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live). They were all viewed in the same critical eye as celebrities.”
Obama, she said, was getting more coverage right now because he won the election.
There is also another obvious point – Obama has made history in the United States. He is the poster boy of what had always been dismissed as an impossible American Dream.
If Princess Diana was the world’s most photographed woman, then Obama must surely be the man whose face appears most frequently on magazines now.
“Another week, another magazine cover devoted to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama,” Reuters said in August last year, back when he had not even clinched the presidency yet.
Rolling Stones, Men’s Vogue, GQ, People, Us Weekly, Time (seven times last year, not counting those in which he appeared along with somebody else); that’s just among the handful of big publications which had featured him on their cover.
That’s not even counting those magazines devoted to the black community. Ebony, one of the oldest African-American magazines, named Obama Person of the Year.
ASIS (artists, street, info, style) put him on the cover this month, Sister 2 Sister featured Obama and Michelle while Black Hair and Black Style magazines opted for the next First Lady.
Obama topped the list of Google’s fastest-rising search terms last year. Books written by him, or about him, are on the bestsellers list. In Washington these days, everybody wants him over for dinner.
Obama spells money, naturally. Newspapers sell photographs and reprints of the historical day. “Own a piece of history,” said Chicago Tribune in its marketing of the front-page story and photographs from that momentous night in Grant Park.
As for political analyst Juan H., he shares McCain’s view of the Hollywood factor in Obama.
“McCain was right,” he said. “But the blame is not Obama’s alone. The mainstream media, owned and run by liberals, prefer such a leader anyway.”
He recalled that the US press had shown similar affection to Clinton when he won the White House though “they hated Bush from day one. They also hated Bush Sr”.
“Basically, the media will protect Obama they way they had protected Clinton,” he said.
“Media rules in the US are simple. They like you if you are ‘black’, ‘women’, ‘pro-abortion’ or at least dislike anti-abortion groups’, etc etc,” he said.
NewsBusters, a blog dedicated to exposing liberal media bias, quoted a recent write-up which exemplified how the press was star-struck, fawning over Obama:
“President-elect Barack Obama radiates a certain stylistic sophistication that’s at once Kennedyesque in its reverence for the clean-cut, American style, and modern in its confident embrace of a look that’s both effortless and urbane.”
That story, taken from Myrtle Beach Online of the The McClatchy Company was most frivolous, NewsBusters said, citing also other examples to show how most publications would protect Obama when his transition phase hit choppy waters.
“The Old Media is standing ever ready to prop up their messiah. And this is the sort of ‘news’ we can expect for the next four years,” NewsBusters concluded.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Rush, rush, New York, but still enchanting
BESIDES singer Billy Joel, 47 million people are also in a “New York State of Mind”. That’s the record number of visitors who came to Gotham last year, giving the city some cheer to what was otherwise a gloomy 2008.
Its social calendar remained busy – two days before New Year Eve, the cheery news came that the city had hosted 47 million tourists including 9.8 million foreign travellers. They spent US$30bil, creating another first.
For all the cliches (“The city that never sleeps!”, “Greatest city on earth!”), there is something about New York where the subway runs 24 hours a day and the Apple store on Fifth Avenue opens 24/365.
Sometimes, however, patience runs low among the locals. Take gossip columnist Cindy Adams who writes about the rich and famous here. She devoted one previous article for the out-of-towners, telling them to “walk briskly. Forget sauntering. Even jobless New Yorkers rush.”
Native New Yorkers are not terribly fond of people who keep gazing up at the skyscrapers and thus holding up the foot traffic instead of watching where they are going.
“We appreciate our skyline but stop looking up,” Adams wrote. “And lose that stupid camera that’s always slung across your chest.”
Try explaining that to teenage visitor Connor Wright from the UK.
“The buildings here are a lot taller,” said Wright, 14, no doubt referring to the Empire State Building, a New York symbol. He found the city much livelier than where he came from.
Aimee Murata, an 18-year-old student from Southern California, wasn’t entirely comfortable with the throngs of people. “It’s so crowded!” she said. “I’m not used to being around so many people.”
Murata was in Times Square where it is often “people mountain, people sea”; to borrow a Chinese phrase referring to packed places.
New York, Murata discovered, moved at a much faster pace. “They even walk faster.”
Jersey girl Iva Croston often takes a one-hour drive to New York for the food, shopping and ballet performances.
“New Jersey is tops for shopping but sometimes you want to come to New York City for a better selection of styles. I like buying winter coats here,” said Croston, resting on a bench near Rockefeller Centre.
Croston, an IT system engineer, however, doesn’t buy New York’s reputation for its famous pizzas.
“Nah, I don’t think so. You can find better ones in New Jersey,” she said, citing names such as Chimney Rock Inn.
She pointed out, too, that finding a public toilet in Big Apple can be a headache. “It’s quite stressful. And most restaurants allow only patrons to use their toilets.”
Foreigners have observed that public toilets here often have a gap between the door and the wall, which means people could easily see you from the outside if they peer into it.
The partition wall does not extend all the way to the floor, either, leaving a space big enough to view the person’s legs in the next cubicle. Do not be surprised to see a hand wandering over to retrieve the earring that she dropped and which had rolled over to your side.
Or that little boy who followed his mother to the toilet, poking his head out from below the partition and looking out at you innocently.
Shazelina Zainul Abidin, a counsellor with the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations, finds life in New York is much more hectic. She previously worked as Second Secretary in the Malaysian Embassy in Washington DC
“But it’s interesting as well. Everyone’s walking to everywhere. And I mean everyone. Just the other day, I was ambling along 20th Street, getting elbowed in the process, and who did I see walking past? Tommy Hilfiger.”
Washington DC, she said, was a place meant for driving. “The only place I can think of where people actually enjoy walking in DC is Georgetown. But that’s because it’s more of a university area and a shopping district.”
Shazelina, however, dispelled most images about Big Apple as seen on TV.
“I know New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world, but you don’t see too many people walking around in designer clothes. Sex and the City tend to exaggerate how average New Yorkers dress up.”
“People here have to walk. During the winter, they are bundled up in their thick half-length jackets, which resemble windbreakers. Certainly not what you would see in fashion magazines,” she said.
In DC, however, she found that people would wear nice, long winter jackets of all colours and fashion.
Indeed, New Yorkers’ choice of colours are often confined to neutrals such as black and grey. One traveller, wearing a fuchsia jacket, went to a New York museum, prompting a guy at the coat check to comment:
“You’re not from New York, are you? Nobody here wears that colour.
“People who work in DC are more fashionable,” Shazelina said. “And it’s not something they wear just to the opera or to a show. They will put on nice long winter jackets to the office and everywhere else.”
New York isn’t likely to create another record of tourist arrivals this year. A survey of New Year resolutions showed that Americans intend to spend less this year.
But for all its quirks, New York remains enchanting to people near and far. As Billy Joel sang “I know what I’m needing; And I don’t want to waste more time; I’m in a New York state of mind.”
Its social calendar remained busy – two days before New Year Eve, the cheery news came that the city had hosted 47 million tourists including 9.8 million foreign travellers. They spent US$30bil, creating another first.
For all the cliches (“The city that never sleeps!”, “Greatest city on earth!”), there is something about New York where the subway runs 24 hours a day and the Apple store on Fifth Avenue opens 24/365.
Sometimes, however, patience runs low among the locals. Take gossip columnist Cindy Adams who writes about the rich and famous here. She devoted one previous article for the out-of-towners, telling them to “walk briskly. Forget sauntering. Even jobless New Yorkers rush.”
Native New Yorkers are not terribly fond of people who keep gazing up at the skyscrapers and thus holding up the foot traffic instead of watching where they are going.
“We appreciate our skyline but stop looking up,” Adams wrote. “And lose that stupid camera that’s always slung across your chest.”
Try explaining that to teenage visitor Connor Wright from the UK.
“The buildings here are a lot taller,” said Wright, 14, no doubt referring to the Empire State Building, a New York symbol. He found the city much livelier than where he came from.
Aimee Murata, an 18-year-old student from Southern California, wasn’t entirely comfortable with the throngs of people. “It’s so crowded!” she said. “I’m not used to being around so many people.”
Murata was in Times Square where it is often “people mountain, people sea”; to borrow a Chinese phrase referring to packed places.
New York, Murata discovered, moved at a much faster pace. “They even walk faster.”
Jersey girl Iva Croston often takes a one-hour drive to New York for the food, shopping and ballet performances.
“New Jersey is tops for shopping but sometimes you want to come to New York City for a better selection of styles. I like buying winter coats here,” said Croston, resting on a bench near Rockefeller Centre.
Croston, an IT system engineer, however, doesn’t buy New York’s reputation for its famous pizzas.
“Nah, I don’t think so. You can find better ones in New Jersey,” she said, citing names such as Chimney Rock Inn.
She pointed out, too, that finding a public toilet in Big Apple can be a headache. “It’s quite stressful. And most restaurants allow only patrons to use their toilets.”
Foreigners have observed that public toilets here often have a gap between the door and the wall, which means people could easily see you from the outside if they peer into it.
The partition wall does not extend all the way to the floor, either, leaving a space big enough to view the person’s legs in the next cubicle. Do not be surprised to see a hand wandering over to retrieve the earring that she dropped and which had rolled over to your side.
Or that little boy who followed his mother to the toilet, poking his head out from below the partition and looking out at you innocently.
Shazelina Zainul Abidin, a counsellor with the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations, finds life in New York is much more hectic. She previously worked as Second Secretary in the Malaysian Embassy in Washington DC
“But it’s interesting as well. Everyone’s walking to everywhere. And I mean everyone. Just the other day, I was ambling along 20th Street, getting elbowed in the process, and who did I see walking past? Tommy Hilfiger.”
Washington DC, she said, was a place meant for driving. “The only place I can think of where people actually enjoy walking in DC is Georgetown. But that’s because it’s more of a university area and a shopping district.”
Shazelina, however, dispelled most images about Big Apple as seen on TV.
“I know New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world, but you don’t see too many people walking around in designer clothes. Sex and the City tend to exaggerate how average New Yorkers dress up.”
“People here have to walk. During the winter, they are bundled up in their thick half-length jackets, which resemble windbreakers. Certainly not what you would see in fashion magazines,” she said.
In DC, however, she found that people would wear nice, long winter jackets of all colours and fashion.
Indeed, New Yorkers’ choice of colours are often confined to neutrals such as black and grey. One traveller, wearing a fuchsia jacket, went to a New York museum, prompting a guy at the coat check to comment:
“You’re not from New York, are you? Nobody here wears that colour.
“People who work in DC are more fashionable,” Shazelina said. “And it’s not something they wear just to the opera or to a show. They will put on nice long winter jackets to the office and everywhere else.”
New York isn’t likely to create another record of tourist arrivals this year. A survey of New Year resolutions showed that Americans intend to spend less this year.
But for all its quirks, New York remains enchanting to people near and far. As Billy Joel sang “I know what I’m needing; And I don’t want to waste more time; I’m in a New York state of mind.”
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