Categories
Misc.

Duncan McCargo and Kira Kay on Southern Thailand

http://storify.com/newley/duncan-mccargo-on-southern-thailand

Categories
Misc.

HSBC New Yorker Ad Features Mall in the Philippines

2013 02 06 philippines new yorker

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.

Categories
Misc.

The View from Campus: Looking South on Amsterdam

2013 02 27 cu campus amsterdam

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.

Categories
Misc.

Obama’s State of the Union remarks on Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar

President Obama just finished his State of the Union address.

I Tweeted his remarks about Myanmar and wanted to share them here as well:

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.

Categories
Misc. Tech

Twitter accounts for following snowstorm Nemo as it approaches NYC

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:

*Storm nomenclature details are here.

Categories
Misc.

NY Times slideshow: “A Farewell for King Norodom Sihanouk.”

Cambodia watchers might like to have a look.

Categories
Misc.

13 Links

Some Thailand-related, some not:

  1. Japan’s Role in Making Batteries for BoeingThe New York Times
  2. Why I Might Ditch My IPhone for an Android — BloombergBusinessweek
  3. Thailand to Avoid Currency War as Ghost of 1997 Crisis Looms — Bloomberg
  4. A Huge Pile of Gorgeous Old Thai Movie Posters — Asia Obscura (Via @wharman)
  5. A very different kind of TV dinner — CNNMoney/Fortune
  6. Two Decades On, Vusi Mahlasela Still Sings ‘To The People’ — NPR
  7. Glutton Abroad: Bangkok in NY — Bangkok Glutton
  8. Who ‘Owns’ Street Food?The Wall Street Journal/Scene Asia
  9. Bones of Contention: A Florida man’s curious trade in Mongolian dinosaursThe New Yorker
  10. With Tax Advantages Looking Shaky, Private Equity Seeks a New PathThe New York Times/DealBook
  11. C.W. Anderson: How journalists’ self-concepts hindered their adaptation to a digital world — Nieman Journalism Lab
  12. Will Gutenberg laugh last? — Rough Type
  13. Video embedded above and on YouTube here: “Animaniacs – Yakko’s World.”

(Previous link round-ups are available via the links tag.)

Categories
Misc.

Wait, Did I Say It Was Cold The Other Day?

I take that back.

Now it’s officially cold here in NYC.

2013 01 22 cold

Categories
Misc.

I’m Back — and Cold — in NYC

I’m back in New York.

And cold.

This is the weather I left behind in Thailand:

2013 01 20 weatherTH

And this is the weather here in NYC:

2013 01 20 weatherNY

But I shall survive. Bring on the spring semester!

That is all.

Categories
Misc.

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.