http://storify.com/newley/duncan-mccargo-on-southern-thailand
Category: Misc.
File under: Another photo to share.
I spotted this HSBC advertisement in a recent issue of The New Yorker.
As you can see, the top line says, “A mall in the Philippines can change the way you look at your financial future.”
The ad goes on to say that “A wealthier middle class in Southeast Asia is buying American,” purchasing “clothing, electronics, and other categories led by Western brands.” Developed markets, like the U.S., are turning from “consumer to producer.”
Then there’s a call to action for the reader to speak with an HSBC Premier adviser about taking advantage of such opportunities “before they emerge.” (The photo above is also featured on the home page of the HSBC U.S. site.)
The message to the consumer seems to be: We can help high net worth investors in the U.S. and elsewhere make money as middle class consumers in Southeast Asia get richer and increasingly buy Western products.
I haven’t researched this specific consumer trend, but I find the concept — as well as the overall ad and its placement — interesting.
And there’s historical element worth noting.
This is a high-end service offered by a bank founded by a Scottish man in Hong Kong in 1865, the year the U.S. Civil War ended.
Back then, in the 19th century, the U.S. was an emerging market, selling goods to developed economies in Europe.
Food for thought. A lot can change in 147 years.
Here’s an iPhone photo I snapped yesterday that I think illustrates the early evening feel around the Columbia campus.
I took this at about 6:30 p.m. from a pedestrian overpass that connects the 116th street campus to the Law School, looking south on Amsterdam.
The sun had gone down, the temperature was falling, and folks were hustling to and from campus. A moment captured in time, as they say.
President Obama just finished his State of the Union address.
I Tweeted his remarks about Myanmar and wanted to share them here as well:
1. Obama: “I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon – when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home…”
— Newley Purnell (@newley) February 13, 2013
2. Obama “…where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags…”
— Newley Purnell (@newley) February 13, 2013
3. Obama: “…including a man who said, ‘There is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that.’” #SOTU
— Newley Purnell (@newley) February 13, 2013
Here’s the rest of the passage, for context. You can find the full text and a video of the speech on the New York Times’s site.
We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world’s children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.
Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon – when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who said, “There is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that.”
In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can – and will – insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.
A big snowstorm, Nemo*, is now making landfall in the Northeast.
I just Tweeted some NYC-specific Twitter accounts worth following, and thought I’d share them here as well:
1. #FF NYC #NEMO storm resources: @mtainsider @notifynyc @nycgov @nycarecs @nwsnewyorkny @conedison @nycmayorsoffice @nyc_dot @ny_njairports
— Newley Purnell (@newley) February 8, 2013
2. #FF NYC #NEMO storm resources (continued): @nycmayorsoffice @wsjny @ericholthaus @cbsnewyork
— Newley Purnell (@newley) February 8, 2013
*Storm nomenclature details are here.
Cambodia watchers might like to have a look.
Some Thailand-related, some not:
- Japan’s Role in Making Batteries for Boeing — The New York Times
- Why I Might Ditch My IPhone for an Android — BloombergBusinessweek
- Thailand to Avoid Currency War as Ghost of 1997 Crisis Looms — Bloomberg
- A Huge Pile of Gorgeous Old Thai Movie Posters — Asia Obscura (Via @wharman)
- A very different kind of TV dinner — CNNMoney/Fortune
- Two Decades On, Vusi Mahlasela Still Sings ‘To The People’ — NPR
- Glutton Abroad: Bangkok in NY — Bangkok Glutton
- Who ‘Owns’ Street Food? — The Wall Street Journal/Scene Asia
- Bones of Contention: A Florida man’s curious trade in Mongolian dinosaurs — The New Yorker
- With Tax Advantages Looking Shaky, Private Equity Seeks a New Path — The New York Times/DealBook
- C.W. Anderson: How journalists’ self-concepts hindered their adaptation to a digital world — Nieman Journalism Lab
- Will Gutenberg laugh last? — Rough Type
- Video embedded above and on YouTube here: “Animaniacs – Yakko’s World.”
(Previous link round-ups are available via the links tag.)
Categories
Wait, Did I Say It Was Cold The Other Day?
Categories
I’m Back — and Cold — in NYC
I’m back in New York.
And cold.
This is the weather I left behind in Thailand:
And this is the weather here in NYC:
But I shall survive. Bring on the spring semester!
That is all.
Categories
Gone Fishin’
I won’t be posting anything here until mid-January. I may be on Twitter in the meantime, though.
Happy holidays. See you in 2013.