Trends and Entertainment
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Mickey Rourke, Avatar of Excess. Or Angel of Redemption?
Through the extraordinary arc of his career, Mickey Rourke has personified our obsessions, our excesses, and now, finally, the possibility of our redemption.
Way back in the mid-eighties, in 91/2 Weeks, he cast his knowing gaze on Kim Basinger, playing an arty type who works for peanuts in a SoHo gallery. New York City is grey and gritty, filled with predatory squeegee men and homeless bodies that the resigned masses hopscotch over on their morning commute…
No Crisis in This Country
Ever since I left Manhattan for the quiet country life two years ago, I’ve missed the feeling of being in the center of the action: Buying the latest boots or colorful trench or micro-mini the morning it hits the stores, knowing about the hot new book before it’s on shelves because I met the author at a cocktail party, swapping ideas that just may become the next cultural trends. But being on the periphery is much more appealing these days. In New York City, everyone is talking recession. In New Paltz, the village up the Hudson where I live, everyone is discussing seed catalogues and tire chains and the estimated date for the last freeze.
The recession just isn’t happening with the same force in the Catskills. Sure, housing prices are down, grocery bills are up, and my babysitter just lost her day job at a non-profit. But most people in this laid-back, outdoorsy, grow-your-own-food-then-compost-it college town didn’t make or spend much money in the first place.
Signs of the Recession: Candy Crunch
Here’s one fresh perspective on this economy, spotted at the Austin, Texas, farmer’s market:
Chocolatier Tom Pedersen is founder of Cocoa Puro and producer of chocolate-covered cocoa beans, one of the most addictive sweet snacks ever bagged. Despite that, his business has taken a hit. “It seems everyone thinks the world is coming to an end so there’s no point in buying chocolate,” Petersen says. “I’d think the opposite would be true.”
2001 All Over Again
For those of us in the mid-to-late thirtysomething category, this recession has a specific discomfort to it. The recession of 2001 is still a sharp memory, and today’s turmoil rustles up primal and unpleasant memories of that year’s slump.
Forget the Benjamins. Hamilton is Back.
We’ve just been poking around the West Indian island of Nevis, the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton. This man knew a little something about money, and there’s a renewed interest today in his prescient ideas about the American economy.
Alexander Hamilton was the first US Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and a bit of a rake. He was a thoroughly modern man who envisioned a strong federal government and a strong treasury, a national banking system, a stock market and foreign trade policy that balanced openness with protections…
Redux: Fashion Takes a Turn
Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Is the Recession the final blow to SATC excess?
Flappers of the late 1920s were the Carries and Samanthas of their day: bold, sassy, and fond of flaunting fabulous frocks. They stepped out in sequined sheaths, pricy handbags tucked under their arms. They sported make-up, smoked cigarettes, and bared limbs. Trading petticoats for scanty panties, they shopped for sequined dancing shoes to replace sensible lace-up boots.
But the fashion orgy didn’t last.
Love on the Cheap
For Valentine’s Day this year, Jason Rodriguez and his fiancée, Robin, are going to eat cake.
Rodriguez and his fiancée are like a lot of couples paring back this year. I polled some Facebook friends to find out what they were doing differently and discovered that a lot of people are staying close to home and finding unique ways to celebrate. Even the library is looking hot (my fiancé and I just got cards – hello free movies).
Recession Lexicon: Outshipped
When your company lets you keep your job, but ships you to a developing country.
IBM has a new approach to laying off workers: Hang on to your job, but move to India. After pinkslipping thousands, Big Blue is telling American employees that they can have a job, but must export themselves to India, where they’ll receive…
25 Random Things, Facts, Habits, or Goals About the Recession
We think all those Notes about random things have sharked, but then we ran across this one on Facebook:
1.) You’ll begin to think back wistfully to the days when dentists commonly put in gold fillings.
2.) Working out can be loosely defined to include being laid off.
3.) Lifting weights can include carrying boxes out of your office and if you’re really stretching it that security guard next to you could be called a spotter.
Redux: Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
A hot dog tale.
Good-bye filet mignon, hello meatloaf. As the recession rages, Americans are finding ways to chow on the cheap. Consumers are shifting food purchasing patterns. We’re trading down to private label and value brands. We’re eating out less, and getting more aggressive about buying products on sale. Fast food joints are luring us by including more premium items on their dollar menus. High end retailers like Whole Foods are feeling the heat as the organic revolution slows. Many of use are doing without that Starbucks latte.
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