Time reports: From Bangkok to Berlin, Hard Times Hit the Sex Trade.
In Patpong, one of Bangkok's most notorious red-light districts, go-go girls count their livelihood by the number of sex tourists they entertain. "Three inches, three minutes, 3,000 baht ($87)," laughs Goy, a 25-year-old bargirl. Last summer, she and her fellow pole dancers at the Camelot Castle entertained scores of men every night — first in the bar, where they earn a monthly salary, then at the customer's hotel, where they negotiate their own rates. But as cash-strapped tourists have turned their backs on Thailand — tourism officials say revenues will plunge 35% this year — the ranks of men cruising Patpong have thinned dramatically. On a recent Wednesday evening, just three tourists watched a visibly disgruntled Goy wiggle around her pole. "My base salary was 8,000 baht ($232) a month, but now they are giving me 6,000 baht ($174)," she says. "I haven't had a customer in five nights, and I'm lucky if someone buys me a drink."
In the Czech Republic, where 14% of men admit to having slept with a prostitute, up to half of all sex establishments outside of Prague have closed in the past year, says Hana Malinova, director of Bliss Without Risk, a prostitution-outreach group in the capital. Others have simply reduced their workforce. "In villages where there used to be 10 girls, there are now two," she says. America's working girls have suffered too. The Mustang Ranch in Reno, Nev., recently laid off 30% of its staff after its highest-spending clients started staying away.
Back in Bangkok, the relative strength of foreign currencies isn't helping local businesses. The cost of traveling to Thailand from far-flung places like Australia and Japan offsets any gains from the exchange rate. Pong, the female manager of Bangkok's Babylon Sauna, Bed and Breakfast, knows that all too well, as her business depends on foreign revenue to stay afloat. Described as "the most stylish and lavish sauna ever seen" by online gay guide Pink Banana World, Babylon welcomed an average of 800 visitors per day before the recession hit. That number now hovers around 500. "The entrance fee is already low, so dropping it won't make a difference," Pong says. So what's a sauna manager to do? "Pray for us," is all she can say.
Well, there's that deflating feeling again!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Fashion Folly
The New York Times reports: Lacroix Files for Bankruptcy Protection.
Christian Lacroix, the French couturier whose artistic and exuberant pouf dresses propelled him to fame in the 1980s, became the latest victim of the global financial crisis Thursday as the U.S.-owned fashion house bearing his name filed for court protection from creditors.
Although Lacroix’s chief executive officer, Nicolas Topiol, emphasized that the brand intended to continue operating during the process, the news brings an end to a luxury business model for which Lacroix was the last of the Mohicans.
Très passé.
Christian Lacroix, the French couturier whose artistic and exuberant pouf dresses propelled him to fame in the 1980s, became the latest victim of the global financial crisis Thursday as the U.S.-owned fashion house bearing his name filed for court protection from creditors.
Although Lacroix’s chief executive officer, Nicolas Topiol, emphasized that the brand intended to continue operating during the process, the news brings an end to a luxury business model for which Lacroix was the last of the Mohicans.
Très passé.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Bored of the Rings
From Oregonlive.com: After storybook boom, Bend faces a tough chapter.
Once upon a time not so long ago, developers seeking magic money poured $4 million into a "Lord of the Rings" subdivision here complete with hobbit holes and thatch-roof houses.
This month Umpqua Bank, which foreclosed on The Shire, unloaded the moribund development for just $750,000.
It's hardly the storybook ending J.R.R. Tolkien might have written for a project that symbolized the extremes of Bend's legendary boom. But central Oregon has become the Middle Earth of unemployment -- at 17 percent, Bend suffers the second-highest rate among metro areas nationally -- as retirees scramble for work and homeless people supplant outdoor enthusiasts.
Down the road, more bargain hunters cruise the aisles at Gottschalks, an apparel chain that's liquidating six months after opening its newly built Bend outlet. Along the same highway, the Westward Ho Motel promotes a $29 "stimulus special."
At the hobbit-themed Shire development, Greg Steckler, the lone homeowner, yearns for an economic recovery that would give him some neighbors. "I want some help mowing these lawns," he says.
Lawd, it's a dumbfest out there!
Once upon a time not so long ago, developers seeking magic money poured $4 million into a "Lord of the Rings" subdivision here complete with hobbit holes and thatch-roof houses.
This month Umpqua Bank, which foreclosed on The Shire, unloaded the moribund development for just $750,000.
It's hardly the storybook ending J.R.R. Tolkien might have written for a project that symbolized the extremes of Bend's legendary boom. But central Oregon has become the Middle Earth of unemployment -- at 17 percent, Bend suffers the second-highest rate among metro areas nationally -- as retirees scramble for work and homeless people supplant outdoor enthusiasts.
Down the road, more bargain hunters cruise the aisles at Gottschalks, an apparel chain that's liquidating six months after opening its newly built Bend outlet. Along the same highway, the Westward Ho Motel promotes a $29 "stimulus special."
At the hobbit-themed Shire development, Greg Steckler, the lone homeowner, yearns for an economic recovery that would give him some neighbors. "I want some help mowing these lawns," he says.
Lawd, it's a dumbfest out there!
An Artful Bankruptcy
Gawker reports: Will Annie Leibovitz Be Forced Into Bankruptcy?
Über-photographer Annie Leibovitz was forced to mortgage the rights to all her photographs last year in exchange for $15 million, and she's been the target of multiple creditor lawsuits for not paying bills. Now a source tells Gawker that one of them is preparing to force her into bankruptcy.
Our source got a hold of an involuntary bankruptcy petition drawn up by photo supplier B2Pro, which has sued Leibovitz and Vanity Fair publisher Condé Nast for unpaid bills.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Leibovitz has pawned the rights to every photograph she has ever or will ever take to Art Capital Group, along with her homes in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and Manhattan. If she pays back the $15 million, she keeps the photos and the houses. If she doesn't, Art Capital gets them.
Über-photographer Annie Leibovitz was forced to mortgage the rights to all her photographs last year in exchange for $15 million, and she's been the target of multiple creditor lawsuits for not paying bills. Now a source tells Gawker that one of them is preparing to force her into bankruptcy.
Our source got a hold of an involuntary bankruptcy petition drawn up by photo supplier B2Pro, which has sued Leibovitz and Vanity Fair publisher Condé Nast for unpaid bills.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Leibovitz has pawned the rights to every photograph she has ever or will ever take to Art Capital Group, along with her homes in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and Manhattan. If she pays back the $15 million, she keeps the photos and the houses. If she doesn't, Art Capital gets them.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
That Electrifying Elated Feeling
The LA Times reports: Orange County contractor kills girlfriend, young son and himself.
An electrical contractor who was having financial problems shot to death his live-in girlfriend and 3 1/2-year-old son before killing himself, police said today.
Officers called to an apartment in Orange on Tuesday afternoon found the bodies of Craig Rubin, 44, and Mary Striley, 42, on beds in separate bedrooms while the body of their son, Jake, was in a high chair in the kitchen, Sgt. Dan Adams said.
Each had been shot once in the head.
A work van labeled Rubin Electric was parked outside the apartment.
An electrical contractor who was having financial problems shot to death his live-in girlfriend and 3 1/2-year-old son before killing himself, police said today.
Officers called to an apartment in Orange on Tuesday afternoon found the bodies of Craig Rubin, 44, and Mary Striley, 42, on beds in separate bedrooms while the body of their son, Jake, was in a high chair in the kitchen, Sgt. Dan Adams said.
Each had been shot once in the head.
A work van labeled Rubin Electric was parked outside the apartment.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Donating Excess Liquidity
MSN reports: You know it's a recession when ...
Strapped men are lining up to donate sperm at Xytex's two Georgia sperm bank centers. Spokesman Christopher Karow believes financial pressure is driving the 9% increase in volunteers since September. Men make $195 to $300 donating three times a week, the limit. "Students are doing it to offset the cost of their education, books and housing, where before they did it for recreation money," Karow says.
Women, too, are asking their reproductive organs for some return on investment. The World Egg Bank in Phoenix fields about 450 inquiries a week, up from 250 last fall. "I believe that egg donors are not any different from the general population looking for quick and creative ways of coping with the quick turn in our economy," says Diana Thomas, the company president.
All y'all men might want to make a "deposit" ...
Strapped men are lining up to donate sperm at Xytex's two Georgia sperm bank centers. Spokesman Christopher Karow believes financial pressure is driving the 9% increase in volunteers since September. Men make $195 to $300 donating three times a week, the limit. "Students are doing it to offset the cost of their education, books and housing, where before they did it for recreation money," Karow says.
Women, too, are asking their reproductive organs for some return on investment. The World Egg Bank in Phoenix fields about 450 inquiries a week, up from 250 last fall. "I believe that egg donors are not any different from the general population looking for quick and creative ways of coping with the quick turn in our economy," says Diana Thomas, the company president.
All y'all men might want to make a "deposit" ...
Friday, May 01, 2009
Everybody Mambo - How Low can the Rising Sun Go?
The BBC reports: Japan moves back into deflation.
Japan's economy has fallen back into deflation for the first time in more than a year, new data for March shows.
On Thursday the Bank of Japan said GDP would shrink by 3.1% in the year to March 2010, compared to an earlier forecast of 2%, but it has argued that a recovery will begin in 2010.
But in its latest update earlier this week it also warned that consumer prices will fall by 1.5%, pushing Japan into deflation.
The Bank of Japan has forecast two years of deflation, which stalked the Japanese economy in the 1990s.
Japan's economy has fallen back into deflation for the first time in more than a year, new data for March shows.
On Thursday the Bank of Japan said GDP would shrink by 3.1% in the year to March 2010, compared to an earlier forecast of 2%, but it has argued that a recovery will begin in 2010.
But in its latest update earlier this week it also warned that consumer prices will fall by 1.5%, pushing Japan into deflation.
The Bank of Japan has forecast two years of deflation, which stalked the Japanese economy in the 1990s.
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