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June 30, 2005
Abe Lincoln is no Obama
I don't like to speak ill of a Columbia alumnus, but I'm glad that others now see that Barack Obama is a pompous ass. From Peggy Noonan's column:
This week comes the previously careful Sen. Barack Obama, flapping his wings in Time magazine and explaining that he's a lot like Abraham Lincoln, only sort of better. "In Lincoln's rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face of repeated defeat--in all this he reminded me not just of my own struggles."Oh. So that's what Lincoln's for. Actually Lincoln's life is a lot like Mr. Obama's. Lincoln came from a lean-to in the backwoods. His mother died when he was 9. The Lincolns had no money, no standing. Lincoln educated himself, reading law on his own, working as a field hand, a store clerk and a raft hand on the Mississippi. He also split some rails. He entered politics, knew more defeat than victory, and went on to lead the nation through its greatest trauma, the Civil War, and past its greatest sin, slavery.
Barack Obama, the son of two University of Hawaii students, went to Columbia and Harvard Law after attending a private academy that taught the children of the Hawaiian royal family. He made his name in politics as an aggressive Chicago vote hustler in Bill Clinton's first campaign for the presidency.
You see the similarities.
There is nothing wrong with Barack Obama's résumé, but it is a log-cabin-free zone. So far it also is a greatness-free zone. If he keeps talking about himself like this it always will be.
Mr. Obama said he keeps a photographic portrait of Lincoln on the wall of his office, and that "it asks me questions."
I'm sure it does. I'm sure it says, "Barack, why are you such an egomaniac?" Or perhaps, "Is it no longer possible in American politics to speak of another's greatness without suggesting your own?"
To the list of similarities with Lincoln, I would add that Obama breezed to his first Senate victory without a real opponent, whereas Lincoln lost almost every election in his life.
Posted by adrianjo at 09:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
They're fat back home
As I recall, Indiana was once declared the fattest state in the nation. I blame it on our high per-capita hamburger consumption, people's love of cheap and greasy fast food, and an addiction to the private motorcar. Now a team of experts has determined that--surprise--Northwest Indiana is far fatter than average. From today's Post-Tribune:
We’re fat in Northwest Indiana.If you’ve been to the beach this summer, you didn’t need anyone to tell you.
Just to be sure, though, researchers checked our waist sizes and our refrigerators.
Can you guess what they found?
Compared to the rest of the United States, we get less vigorous physical exercise — and more of us spend none of our leisure time being active.
We don’t eat fruit — and consider carrots food for rabbits.
More of us are diabetic — and we’re dying from heart disease.
And we needed a study to tell us this?
Posted by adrianjo at 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
More NYC pictures
Here are two pics from Alex and my weekly dinner at the W Hotel or a nearby dining establishment of reputable character.
This is at Hell's Kitchen, perhaps New York's best Mexican-inspired restaurant.
One of these fellows is a firm-wide hero and celebrity for passing out drunk at the company's annual worldwide soccer tournament in Dusseldorf last year. When hotel staff roused him from his slumber on the stairs, he didn't know his name, where he was, or anything else. However, he did know who he works for and muttered the name of the firm. (No, this hero is not me.)
Posted by adrianjo at 02:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
This restaurant gets a 30-30-30 from Zagat
I renew my call to treat the dirty terrorists at Gitmo less like spoiled Saudi princes and more like dirty terrorists. Here is their menu. I guess Gitmo guards think that the way to a terrorist's heart is through his stomach. I said earlier that perhaps the problem in Gitmo is lack of coercive methods (i.e. sleep deprivation, death threats, hooding with feces-stained bags, etc). Perhaps the liberals are right: we should close Gitmo. Then we ship all the detainees to San Quinten to mix with the general population. Then they might actually want to go back to Afghanistan. And then stories like this would be true.
Posted by adrianjo at 09:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
Oprah cries, again
Oprah, who recently declared herself a descendent of the Zulus despite the near historic impossibility thereof, has now decided that it must have been race that kept her out of a closed Hermes store in Paris recently. As Mark Caro comments in the Chicago Tribune:
Thank you, Oprah, for striking another blow for the common man and woman—-and America, too.Our hearts all go out to you. There you were, in Paris, wanting to buy a present for your friend Tina Turner, and Hermes wouldn’t let you into the store.
Sure, they say you showed up at 6:45 p.m., and the store closed at 6:30 p.m. Sure, the store was preparing “a private public relations event inside.”
But they just don’t get it over there in France, do they? You’re an American. You have a God-given right to shop whenever and wherever you want to.
And you’re Oprah, so you can do whatever you damn well please. Don’t those people over there understand that celebrities are royalty? Regular rules do not apply!
It would be one thing if Oprah were just upset at not being let into a store after-hours. (And the store's security tapes back their account of the incident.) But she has turned it into a racial issue:
Oprah’s spokespeople implied that the incident was racial in nature, calling it her “‘Crash’ moment,” a reference to the current hit movie about racism in Los Angeles. ...The problem I have now is that she plans to air this complaint when her show kicks off its new season in September—at least that’s what a Harpo Productions spokeswoman told the Associated Press.
Oprah, if something happened to you that was serious enough for you to make it an international issue, something that you’re terming a “Crash” moment -— the African-American woman in “Crash,” after all, is the victim of sexual assault -— then talk about it now, for heaven’s sake.
Don’t wait almost three months just to give your show a lift.
Transforming this incident into TV programming just cheapens it.
... Milk it for your own commercial interests, and you’ll only further the impression that it’s Oprah’s world and we -— and those Hermes nincompoops -— should just consider ourselves lucky to be living in it.
The timing raises one question, but Zorn doesn't address the question of how Oprah can be so sure that this was a racial incident. Sure, there's a 'problem' with North Africans in Paris, but Oprah is a South African--a Zulu--after all! But more to the point, we all have incidents where we ask for something unreasonable and have the request rejected, even at luxury stores. (For example, Neiman wouldn't replace my stolen wallet, and Burberry put me through hell over my broken umbrella.) It's hard to call an incident racially-motivated when store employees--who shouldn't be expected to recognize an American celebrity--enforce standard store policy. Was Oprah just out searching for a slight to declare racist and use it to fuel her stale talkshow?
When people like Oprah assume that incidents are racially motivated despite having no reason to make such an assertion, they aren't helping the cause. Living as a white person in Harlem, where I reckon race relations are tenser than almost any other neighborhood, I find myself involved in plenty of incidents that might be racially-motivated. I usually pretend not to hear. What empowers the racists--black or white--is the reaction their taunts evoke. Oprah's hysterical overreaction and crass commercialization of a non-racially-motivated incident makes me wonder what she'll have left in her tank if she ever were a victim of real racism.
UPDATE: The Chicago Tribune's website has published a very long list of people complaining about Zulu Princess Winfrey. Here is a good one:
It was a few years back when my brother and I were at a restaurant in the City waiting for our table. It was a Saturday afternoon and we had been patiently waiting for 45 minutes.The host had just announced that our table was ready, when all of a sudden the door blew open and in flies Oprah and parks herself at our table. My brother very graciously said: "Excuse me, but we were just given this table."
She whips her head around and says: "Do you know who I am?" and my bro said, "I really do not care who you are; you are sitting at our table."
Obviously, she did not like that response. "I am Oprah Winfrey." We both exactly knew who she was, just testing the water. "This is my table and I am not moving," said Oprah.
And people idolize this insane woman? At least Jerry Springer is friendly enough to say "hello" in the elevator.
Posted by adrianjo at 04:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Judge Judy gets a star; Judge Hatchett ruling overturned
The Hollywood Reporter notes:
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has selected Judge Judy Scheindlin to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for 2006.
Judge Mills Lane can't be far behind.
In other news, The Onion reported recently that a ruling made by Judge Glenda Hatchett was overturned by Judge Joe Brown.
HOLLYWOOD—Nationally syndicated justice Judge Joe Brown reversed Judge Glenda Hatchett's ruling in the TV-court case Amanda Robinson v. Maria Bristow Monday, stating that the lower-rated judge flagrantly disregarded pertinent testimony.In proceedings that originally aired April 12 at 1 p.m. EST, Hatchett ordered Bristow to pay Robinson $2,000 in damages for faulty services provided at the Headliners Hair Salon in Compton. The defendant appealed the decision, claiming that Hatchett made a rash judgment in order to break for a commercial.
Judge Joe Brown presides over one of the nation's Syndicated-Television Courts of Appeals. These appellate courts stand between less-watched Cable-Television District Courts, such as Hatchett's, the Divorce Court, and Judge Larry Joe's Texas Justice courtroom, and higher-Nielsen-rated courts. The nation's highest courts, such as Judge Judith Sheindlin's family court, will only hear cases that appellate TV judges have determined raise questions of importance to a network audience.
In the 22-minute retrial, Brown openly criticized Hatchett's courtroom methodology.
"It is my feeling that Judge Hatchett failed to adequately explore the facts in the case of Hair Dye Gone Awry," Brown said from his studio chambers. "I do not always agree with Hatchett's common-sense approach to the law. She is a well-respected TV-court judge, but she always seems to side with the nicer person. That's not how our televised legal system is supposed to work."
In other news, SCOTUS blog has a nice roundup of today's decisions on the Court's final Monday of the term. The nation's courts get far too little attention from people who watch government, especially since few judges are elected. It's worth reviewing today's decisions.
Posted by adrianjo at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 25, 2005
An open letter to the bigwigs in Cincinnati
Dear Procter & Gamble:
I recently purchased one of your newfangled "Swiffer mopping systems." As a bachelor, I am admittedly not a savvy consumer of mopping systems. Your bottle claims that it lasts 2-3 months "under normal usage." Mine had much shorter duration. I would have expected at least 2-3 months duration on account of two factors. One, I live in Manhattan, which means that my kitchen and bathroom are so small that the typical American would not fit in them. Two, I am a single male, which means that I wash the floor only when I expect a visit from an amateur health inspector (i.e. any attractive female visitor aged 21 to 27 years). Please consider revising your product claims to be more realistic.
Sincerely,
Adrian Jones
UPDATE: I received a generic letter from P&G saying that they were "reviewing" my comments. They included a coupon for another bottle of mopping fluid. It turns out that the bottle that comes with the system is a trial-size bottle, and the refill bottles are larger and therefore last longer. Seems like this causes needless confusion of customers.
Posted by adrianjo at 03:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2005
Now showing at Broadway & 48th St
The W Times Square has a problem, mainly that the drinks are so good that people sometimes really over-drink. Last night that resulted in an entertaining fisticuffs. Alex and I were having dinner at Blue Fin's sidewalk terrace when three big bouncers dragged a guy out of the lobby onto the sidewalk and took him down in a loud commotion. As he screamed at the "meatheads," they attempted to manacle his hands and feet, but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile the loud swearing attracted quite a crowd around Times Square to watch tonight's Broadway show, and people inside the restaurant joined us on the sidwalk to get a load of the night's show. Alex and I asked for regular "insider" updates from the waitress, Sarah, who instead just brought our chicken au jus and grilled halibut with a coy smile.
The guy was a bar patron; he was wearing expensive shoes, lots of bling (for an Arab/Indian guy), and a sports jacket. We wondered why the bouncers didn't call the cops; after all, Times Square has more cops than a donut shop and response should be quick. As I slowly finished my chicken au jus, a single cop sauntered onto the scene. Later a few others sidled up and attempted to cuff the guy, who lashed out and swatted at them, arguing that the cops "can't afford to even come here." As the cops sat on him, he started making dog-like noises (use your imagination). Finally the NYPD got fed up and nailed him with the pepper spray; Mr. Tough Guy started bawling like a little wuss. A half-hour after the brawl started, the guy was still laying on the sidewalk, yelling profanities, a crowd still gathered 'round to watch. We asked Sarah if it was proper to tip the performers. She said we could include that in the "tip" line of the credit card slip.
Posted by adrianjo at 08:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 21, 2005
It's not hard to be more friendly than most New Yorkers
The Society pages of the NYTimes note a recent arrival to this block of 122nd St in Harlem, documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, who spent $1M on the brownstone that formerly was the residence of Harlem's well-known historian Michael Adams. He is also moving his film studio from midtown to a building at 127th & Malcolm X Blvd. There have been strange things happening at the house since I moved in--it seems to be under perpetual renovation--but word of the new arrival is quickly spreading around the neighborhood. As the NYT says:
Mr. Maysles, 78, is a seminal figure in the world of documentary filmmaking and is best known for works like "Gimme Shelter," about the 1969 concert tour of the Rolling Stones, during which his crew filmed the murder of a young concertgoer at a show at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco; and "Primary," which tracked John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey through the 1960 Democratic primary campaign in Wisconsin.He has also spent more than a quarter of a century documenting the efforts of the artist Christo to create one of his projects in Central Park, which finally came to fruition in February. He is now editing the film, tentatively called "The Gates," and said it would be shown on HBO later this year.
Maysles is moving out of the Dakota, a stuffy and exclusive old building that is home of such folks as Yoko Ono and Luaren Bacall. The coop board there recently rejected Melanie Griffith, who was to buy Maysles's unit. Talking about his new digs in Harlem, Maysles says:
As for Harlem, Mr. Maysles said he is "delighted" with his new surroundings. Their house, which was built in the 1880's [by the same builder as my place], has fireplaces on every floor and the original woodwork. They have filled the house with artwork, much of it by their children. They have found an Ethiopian restaurant that they like.One day shortly after moving in, he struck up a conversation with a neighbor and discovered that his current studio was near the woman's workplace. They shared a cab downtown. Mr. Maysles said he has found Harlem to be "more friendly than in the other parts of Manhattan."
It's not like the bar for friendliness is set very high in New York.
Posted by adrianjo at 01:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
The Terrorists' Rights Party
It's a sad day for the Democrats when their patriarch joins their looniest fringe (Amnesty, Durbin, et al) in condemning the facility at Guantanamo Bay. Says Slick Willy:
It's time that there are no more stories coming out of there about people being abused. [via]
In fact, there is no conclusive evidence of any "abuse" at Gitmo, although the line is hard to define. Like pr0n vs. mere obscenity, one knows torture it when he sees it, and Gitmo is hardly tortorous, or even abusive. The Qur'ans that are now handled with white gloves were given by the US Military; one wonders why the prisoners are even given such literature to begin with. They eat three square meals a day, and they have an excercise yard, health care, and lots of things that even poor Americans don't have, much less the average Afghan.
Anyone who has been to a real KGB torture facility, to a Nazi death camp, to Thailand's Death Railway Bridge (a Japanese death camp), or even a run-of-the-mill medieval toture chamber, knows that Gitmo is more like a tropical paradise than anything remotely abusive. In fact, many pundits are calling for Gitmo to become more abusive, if only half in jest. From an interrogation effectiveness perspective, US soldiers need to be feared, according to an Atlantic cover story. A detainee should expect that he might be killed if he does not tell everything he knows. Otherwise, he might actually start to like living free in the Cuban sunshine, complete with a Qur'an delivered to his lounge chair by white-gloved butlers, er, interrogators. "Can I get a pina colada with that? With a little umbrella? And easy on the rum, soldier, don't forget that I am a Muslim!"
For a party that lost the last election in part for being weak on national defense, becoming the party of Terrorists' Rights is not the way to win.
UPDATE: Oh dear, I wasn't exaggerating... no pina coladas, but Saddam is eating quite nicely. And he advised an unmarried soldier on what sort of woman to look for, according to the soldier's account of Saddam's rather deranged advice:
“He was like, ‘you gotta find a good woman. Not too smart, not too dumb. Not too old, not too young. One that can cook and clean.”’Then he smiled, made what [the soldier] interpreted as a “spanking” gesture, laughed and went back to washing his clothes in the sink.
One might further question the advice given how Uday and Qusay turned out, but their problem was less the mami than the papi.
Posted by adrianjo at 03:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2005
Happy Juneteenth
If you lived in Harlem, you'd be hard-pressed not to know that today is Juneteenth. There are still some prime parade-watching spots available where my street meets Fifth Ave.
Posted by adrianjo at 02:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 18, 2005
Who's this sports superstar?
Apparently Jeopardy has hired a clue-writer from the New York Times crossword. Today's Final Jeopardy clue:
This sports superstar of 1973 has the same name as one of the 6 principal organs of the UN.
The correct question?
Who is Secretariat?
Argh.
Posted by adrianjo at 07:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 17, 2005
Seen in Harlem: cops, cats, and conflagrations
If you remove the cars from my street, it could easily pass for being from the 1920s. This has made it popular with filmmakers, who occasionally block off the street, line it with old cars, set up big buffets, roll out RVs with stars on the doors, bring lots of white people to the neighborhood, and "do they thing." I thought that this was happening this morning, when I stepped out and saw that the street was blocked off and there were six cop cars on both sides of my house. I wasn't sure if I was walking onto a set, getting involved in a drug bust, or about to be served papers. It turned out to be none of the above, but I haven't figured it out.
In related news, here is a picture from an apartment fire last week. A unit in a pre-war tenement caught on fire, flames shot up a ventilation tube to the roof, and the smoke drifted down and into my windows. You can't see the fire itself, but the ladder is going to the 6th floor roof. The whole thing was annoying, but it brought out 6 hook-and-ladder and pumper trucks plus two brigade captains and most of the neighbors.
In related news, here is a picture of a cat that showed-up outside my third-floor window. He went away after a few minutes.
There is a cat that lives across the street; he's owned by a black family and named White Boy because of his color. He once got out, leading to the owners walking up and down the street yelling, "Here, White Boy! Where are you, White Boy?"
Posted by adrianjo at 09:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
My national television debut
I was described as "articulate" in my national television debut, broadcast on PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer tonight. They filmed a segment at Columbia, about 3 hours of footage, and cut it down to a couple of minutes. The topic of discussion was whether the cap on social security earnings should be raised. Currently, one pays 12.4% of his earnings as tax on the first $90K he makes, with half being deducted from his paycheck and the other half a "stealth" tax paid by the employer. Democrats are proposing raising this cap to $150K or even eliminating it. The problems are many, and Newshour touches on some of them. Principally, tax-and-spend is not the way to repair a pyramid scheme gone berserk, and we ought not depend on the wealthy to finance our retirement.
Here is a video link and a transcript.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Oprah's latest delusion
Oprah, fresh off the four-day celebration of her 20,000th pound lost, now claims that she's a Zulu. How swell that she picked what is perhaps the most well-known and politically influential African tribe. Nobody would say that they're from Togo or Burkina-Faso, which are among Oprah's more-likely origins.
Here's Oprah's claim:
"I always wondered what it would be like if it turned out I am a South African. I feel so at home here. Do you know that I actually am one?"I went in search of my roots and had my DNA tested, and I am a Zulu," she said to loud cheers.
"I'm crazy about the South African accent. I wish I had been born here."
The only problem is that besides Oprah's wanting desperately to be South African, it's nearly a historical impossibility. South Africa, where Zulu are from, was run by Dutch Boers and was not significantly involved with the slave trade. Most American slaves came from the Slave Coast, the part of Africa closest to North America. Besides, what's wrong with being from Mississippi?
The Telegraph calls the claim "baffling":
Local historians, however, were disinclined to believe her claim, as there are few records of the Zulus having any connection to the African slave trade. "If there were Zulu people taken as slaves they would have been taken eastwards by Arab traders or Portuguese to their South American colonies," said one."Those who ended up in North America, say in Mississippi where Miss Winfrey comes from, were mostly of West African origin."
Do people pay attention to this crazy woman for any reason other than hoping to get a free car?
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June 14, 2005
Saying all of George Carlin's seven words
I just typed out a long blog entry and accidentally hit the "backspace" button which causes the page to go "back" and everything to be lost. Since it's almost 1AM, I will direct you to a very dull blog.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 11, 2005
Meeting in a pea patch
A friend recently sent a copy of Spirit of Harlem: A Portrait of America's Most Exciting Neighborhood. The title is a bit self-aggrandizing; there might be more exciting neighborhoods, but perhaps none more famous than Harlem.
Spirit of Harlem covers stories from living Harlemites, both life-long residents and recent arrivals. Evelyn Cunningham writes:
In 1960, Cuba's Fidel Castro stayed at the Hotel Theresa [at 125th & 7th], and Russian premier Nikita Krushchev came to visit him. ... I got a room on the same floor as Castro, and I ran up and down the hallway, with a pencil and paper, hoping to get an interview. One day, I came out of my room and there were dozens of chickes in the hallway. Live chickens, running and clucking. Castro's people had brought them from Cuba for him to eat. I interviewed Castro in the hallway for a brief moment before his guards rushed him along.
Isabel Powell, age 93, and first wife of Abyssinan's famous Rev. Adam Clayton Powell recalls:
There was a Jewish diamond merchant on the corner of 125th and 7th, right where the state office building named for Adam stands today. The owner liked Adam. He told Adam, he said, "You can either have a donation of a thousand dollars or this diamond ring." The man said he smuggled the diamond out of Nazi Germany in his rectum. It was five carats. Adam took the ring and gave it to me when he proposed, this very right I have on my finger. From the ass of a Jew to my finger. ...Adam and I were married twelve years. I was never made so happy. But then Adam met Hazel Scott. She was a famous jazz singer and actress. I was hurt, not agnry. Fredi, my sister, insisted that I leave Adam when I found out. So I went to Reno and got a divorce. I never talked to him about it. I just went. I've got a copy of the Amsterdam News that shows me sitting at the train station. The headline says, "Going to Reno to Divorce the Best Husband in the World." I used to tell everyone that: "Adam's the best husband in the world." And he was. If I had a lick of sense, I would never have divorced him. People say to me, "But he had a woman on the side." I say, "What husband doesn't?"
There are several stories of people coming up from the South and seeing Harlem for the first time. Sylvia Woods, identified as a "restaurant owner," recollects how she met her husband of 57 years and later established Harlem's most famous soul-food restaurant:
In 1937, I met Herbert Woods in a bean patch in Hemingway, South Carolina. I was 11 and Herbert was 12. We were picking green peas, and had our eyes on each other all day long. ...Herbert and I lived on opposite ends of a dirt road, so he couldn't carry my books home after school. We'd walk backward and wave frantically to each other. He'd smile and say, "Bye." I'd smile and say, "Bye." ... One time, I tripped and fell in a puddle. Herbert pretended like he didn't see.
Despite their parents' best efforts, Herbert and Sylvia got married during the War.
Not long after we settled in Harlem, Herbert got a job driving a taxi, and I applied for a job as a waitress at Johnson's Luncheonette on Lenox & 126th St. I told Mr. Johnson that I worked at a restaurant back home. But he knew I was lying. Mr. Johnson was a black man from Charleston, South Carolina, and he knew that Hemingway had just one restaurant, and it was segregated. He gave me a job anyway. I worked there for 8 years, saving and saving, before Mr. Johnson approached me one day. He said, "Sylvia, how'd you like to buy the restaurant from me?" That was 1962, and that was the beginning of Sylvia's.
I'll make another entry at some point with more recent stories from Harlem.
Posted by adrianjo at 01:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The "D" in political science stands for "Democrat," huh?
When I lived in Europe last year, I heard no end to how John Kerry was so much smarter and more intellectual than W. "How could you vote for Bush? He's so stupid, and he flunked his way through Yale."
Well, if Bush flunked his way through Yale, so did Kerry. Recently-released transcripts show that both Bush and Kerry had similar marks at Yale. In fact, Kerry had four times as many D's as Bush. Kerry even got a D in freshman political science. That makes me feel not-so-bad about getting a B in strategy class and then becoming a strategy consultant.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 10, 2005
Why don't I get the Victoria's Secret catalogue?
Bergdorf sent me their Fall 2005 women's apparel catalogue. Katlyn, please send my thanks to everyone at headquarters for doing that. It's one of those "magalogs" with an article that references The Preppy Handbook and a nice photo of Jacki O in a ski-mask. The photography is phenomenal, such as pages 49, 50, 59, 78, and 92.
In terms of the clothes, especially interesting is page 58, which advertises as follows: "...Jeans also available without holes... Jeans $425. Jeans without holes $375." My next get-rich-quick scheme will be to start a jeans-hole-tearing business on Fifth Avenue, where I'll only charge $40 per mutilation.
Posted by adrianjo at 05:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2005
CNN keeps a vigil for Natalee
CNN doesn't want this girl to be found, since if she's found, they won't be able to have the cute 18-year-old blonde on their front page. It's now four days of the girl's picture on their front page. Maybe it's time for a front-page shot of one of the 800,000 other kids who are abducted each year?
Posted by adrianjo at 10:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 08, 2005
Why I love Howard Dean
Far-left Democrats and all Republicans where thrilled when them Dems made Howard Dean their Chairman, and thereby, their spokesman. Dean's latest allegations are that the Republicans are "a pretty monolithic party ... it's pretty much a white, Christian party." GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman replied, "a lot of folks who attended my Bar Mitzvah would be surprised" to hear that he leads a Christian party. It's worth remembering that the US is almost 90% Christian, and only 50% +1 wins an election. I hope that Dean reminds the monolitically-Catholic Hispanic bloc that Republicans are a Christian party, not to mention the socially-conservative black Christians in places like Harlem who seem increasingly distant from the Democrats' social leftism. I hope Dean keeps on going; he will be great for the 2006 elections.
Then there's another one: "This is a diversion from the issues that really matter: Social Security, and adequate job opportunity, strong public schools, a strong defense." A strong defense? Republicans are distracting people somehow and therefore not creating a strong defense? Really? And what have Democrats done for Social Security, job creation, or schools? They've opposed any talk of Social Security reform, they've opposed job-creating free trade, and they've opposed vouchers and No Child Left Behind.
Here is an audio file of the remarks. Thanks again, Howard.
Posted by adrianjo at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Another lazy day at CNN
It's three days later at CNN, and guess who's on the front page of their website? The banner ad has changed, but the blonde is still there.
Posted by adrianjo at 10:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 05, 2005
She's one in almost-a-million (actually, 800,000)
CNN just loves this pretty-blonde-missing-in-Aruba story. These sort of stories are irrelevant for 99% of Americans; as many as 800,000 kids go missing every year, according to missingkids.org. This story gets coverage because CNN can put a picture of an attractive 18-year-old on their website. At first I was annoyed with all the coverage that this blonde is getting, but then I realized that CNN covers her for the same reason I write about Paris Hilton.
Posted by adrianjo at 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 04, 2005
Asians score
A UK-based group has rated the world's best airlines; no suprise, Cathay is tops, with reliable Singapore and Emirates not far behind. And not a single US airline makes the top 10, which is also no surprise.
Asian airlines score again.
It's now possible to fly first-class from Chicago to Toronto on American and get no more food than a baggie of six mini-pretzels in exchange for a $1000 fare. Marketing 101 introduces the need to segment customers and give high-value customers a better experience. The difference between Asian and American airlines is that Asian airlines treat everyone well, while American airlines treat everyone poorly and hope the high-value customers will still pony up high fares.
Posted by adrianjo at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 03, 2005
Strange things that New Yorkers do
There are certain things that New Yorkers do that few people elsewhere do.
1) We call car limos ("car services") because they are cheaper than taxis and the drivers speak English. In fact, the Towncar and the subway have become my primary means of transportation. Towncars have miserable resale values (e.g. $12K for a 2000 model), so Harlem men buy them used from the car services and drive them around Harlem operating like taxis but charging less than "official" taxis who are subject to far more regulation. Surprisingly, the service of these "gypsy cabs" is generally far better than the regulated taxis.
2) They (not me) have their own accent. "I'll quowl yah lattah" = "I'll call you later." To hear a particularly surly version of this ugly and harsh accent, call customer service at Time Warner.
3) Every Saturday in summer, the city makes a mass exodus to the Hamptons, three little resort towns on the end of "Lon Gisland" where everyone seems to have a house. Getting there is best done by helicopter, car service, or the rare private car. Before moving here, I expected people to have "shore houses" (as in "Jersey shore") but Jersey seems to be regarded as home of the worst B&T. B&T = those who arrive by "bridge & tunnel" and therefore do not live in Manhattan or approved non-Manhattan areas like Greenwich.
4) They live in hotels. Paris Hilton grew up in the Waldorf=Astoria. The Plaza, among at least 6 other NY hotels, is being converted into condos. Alex lives in the W Times Square, where he has daily maid service and has accumulated a bag full of the W's Bliss skincare products.
In fact, I was in Alex's suite in the W earlier this week, where I noticed this wonderful 6-story billboard saying that "PETA Kills Animals." I wasn't sure if the nutcase lobbyists who bought the billboard were referring to "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" or "People for the Eating of Tasty Animals," so I checked out the website.
Apparently the beef at PetaKillsAnimals.com is that PETA euthanizes unwanted pets. Be that as it may, the problem of unwanted pets is so massive that few no-kill shelters can survive. Who could fault PETA for having to kill some or even most of the furry critters for whom homes can't be found? Perhaps the loonies paying for that billboard would better spend their money on a billboard that says, "have your pet spayed or neutered." Bob Barker might even chip in. And they could take a collection at those annoying doggie spas that, I wish, were one of those things that only New Yorkers have.
Posted by adrianjo at 11:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 01, 2005
"Hi, I'm Joe Trippi"
One of the best things about New York City is that it's hard not to meet really interesting people who can talk about really interesting stuff. This can sometimes be stressful, like a few years ago when I was introduced to Jack Welch's predecessor, the late Reg Jones, by a mutual friend. Having no idea who the guy was, I asked some inane question that clearly communicated my naïveté. Today I went to a discussion at the Overseas Press Club, and as I sat in the clubhouse lounge, a stream of people came to the desk to sign-in, saying things like, "Hi, I'm Joe Trippi" or "Yes, I'm Paul Mirengoff." Given Trippi's hero status to Deaniacs everywhere, it seemed strange to see the guy at the bar chatting nonchalantly with a few people. For some reason tonight, he looked like Fat Tony from the Simpsons.
Another fellow present was the former NY Times beat reporter for Harlem, whose book today got a terrible review in the NY Sun. Lucky for him, I pointed out, that nobody who reads books reads the Sun. I don't know why, but NY Times people seem to be everywhere in this city, far more than Tribune people in Chicago or Inquirer people in Philadelphia.
Tomorrow I will try to post more on what was said at the panel discussion.
Posted by adrianjo at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)