The seven young models never used to have this much time for the beach. They’d hop from cellphones to cabs to casting calls, posing and pouting for the catalogs during the height of Miami’s modeling season.
Times being what they are, they now soak in the sorrow of an industry while lounging on beach towels in bikinis and board shorts, or tossing a volleyball. This game is informal, for not one but two of the annual local beach volleyball tournaments have been spiked.
”Oh, the economy!” lamented 19-year-old Dani Dwyer, a wispy blonde with a flat stomach in a black bikini.
This week’s news that the Irene Marie Models agency was shutting its doors in South Beach only served to reaffirm that the nation’s economic ugliness had tainted the world of glamour.
The owner of a top modeling agency in South Beach that closed its doors last week due to a downturn in advertising was in her office on Thursday.
Irene Marie, whose agency bears her name, arrived Thursday morning to hand out portfolios and other promotional materials to models.
”When you are sitting in the middle of February, which is one of the biggest months of the year, in a seasonable business, and there is not much hope left, I was forced into a very difficult decision,” Marie said on Wednesday.
The sign posted outside the agency’s Ocean Drive studio had a clear message: The recession hit the company hard, and models were given instructions on times to pick up their portfolios over the next several days.
Hundreds of models are expected to drop by the studio on Thursday, Friday and Monday afternoon.
The economic downturn has led advertisers to cut back drastically, slicing revenue for newspapers and magazines, and in turn, the agencies that book the models who pose for the photos.
Spending on photo shoots plunged 36 percent in 2008, down to $23 million, according to Miami-Dade figures. That’s an accelerated drop from a broader decline this decade. In 1999, Miami-Dade recorded $46 million in spending on photo shoots.
Great call on Bourdain. He is a perfect representation of everything twisted & jaded with folks in the food world today. Also the perfect American dream story, drank too much and did a ton of dope in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s. Now has one of the top culinary entertainment career’s in the world and a multimedia superstar. Not to mention he is one of the only true lyrical assassin. Tony has thrown stones at everyone from Alan Richman, Rocco, The Food Network, and most recently her majesty Alice Waters. Dude just isn’t afraid to go toe to toe with anyone.
Now on to something I picked up while hunting in Madrid when I was a young cook. First thing you want to focus on is landing the Jamon Iberico Aka “pata negra”. Iberico pigs from Spain that feed only on black acorns. The marbling on this stuff is out of control. At $150 per lb. in the down economy I know is tight, but it will be well worth it. Just at all cost stay away from the “Boars Head” shit.
Cubed fresh braised Pork Belly should be your next move. I take my pork very serious, Duck is the only other protein that I have the same passion for. well talk about that another time. A nice organic fried egg is a great touch. On to the cheese, Keep it in Spain and lay on the aged manchego. When trying to land fly model chicks, stay away from the stinky cheese. This might be the most important touch of all. I’ve seen some closed deals drown because of the cheese. Drizzle with a nice Extra Virgin olive oil and a crunchy baguette.
Open up a Unico, Vega Sicilia – 1998, Ribera del Duero
Tempranillo, which comprises between 65% and 80% of “Unico” has a structure that seems to defy oxidation. Blended with a small portion of Cabernet, this Tempranillo gives intense black fruit and leather aromas. The texture is legendarily supple due to extensive oak aging. (10-25 years!)
White Wine with pork isn’t an advisable move, especially with the cheese. If you don’t get down with the reds. Grab something barrel fermented from the WC of the US.
January 20th and the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. In many respects, the world looked very different from two years ago when the idea of a black President seemed like a distant hope, when a nation was high on credit & flashing bling as if debt didn’t exist.
Back then, the Dow was at 12,580, on the way to 14,000 that summer. Bankers were “balling out”, lip sinking to “bringing sexy back” while bottle service was reaching the apex of America’s nightlife nightmare. General Motors was making money selling cars even while reporting some concerns about “nonprime mortgages” held by its financing division. 50 cent vs. Oprah. And the greatest worries about China and India were that their economies were growing so fast they could overheat.
Fast forward to present:
Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.
(Obama, Inaugural Address)
“…greatness is never a given. It must be earned.”(Obama, Inaugural Address)
The challenges the G faces are somewhat different in this sobering new landscape, but the fundamentals of the Game still remain the same. The truth is, G’s work well in any given circumstance — Veins of Ice and a diverse skill set unique to upheaval & adversity: agility, adaptability, smarts, smoothness, and belief in greatness. Real Game floats above the fray, Buddhist monk mentals & clarity of focus. International bases of operation on tropical islands with sunshine 365 days a year also play a key part in the Game.
Over the past few years, the U.S. government, originally crafted as a system that would serve the interests of the People, has devolved into a system of plutocracy where corporations control both the government and the People. Our nation’s policies on health, finance, environment, national defense and even education are increasingly slanted towards enriching corporations, usually at the expense of the People.
The only difference between a G and a Wall St. broker is that the latter is Government assisted money laundering, while the former — which gives back to small business — is prosecuted as criminal.
“Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class.” (Al Capone)
But with Barack’s message of hope and with a willingness to find meaning in something greater than ourselves, it mandates a shift in the way we think about our goals, our range of action, and our commitment to values beyond self-enrichment. After all, our life on this small bubble is short… what kind of legacy are you going to leave behind?
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those that have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” FDR, Inaugural Address 1933
“A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.” Obama, Inaugural Address 2009
With this blessing from two great Presidents, I’m going to take Obama & FDR’s call to action and inject cash back into the economy and to the People who need it. To the struggling exotic dancer trying to make ends meet for college (education); to the Casino’s and Luxury sector hit by slow times (tourism & hospitality); perfect the ‘art of the grease‘ (arts); donate regularly to charity …and what more noble pursuit than that of robbing yuppie drug dealers like a modern day Robin Hood?
Welcome to the new Era of Responsibility, play your part.
I’m thinkin of a master plan
Cause ain’t nothin but sweat inside my hand
Cause everything’s possible, nothing’s impossible
Gotta keep ahead, gotta keep my head
– Tafari
aka By the People for the People
aka Putting the G in Gentlemen
