Snippets of news: 2010 through the eyes of hairdressers

A Taiwanese stylist now working in Beijing reflected on the social change happening around her while a barber in Santiago recalled a year in the limelight for Chile.

Alexandros Kyriakakas, Athens, Greece

Obviously the situation right now is very rough.
In one year everything collapsed. There is now a lot of unemployment and fear.
Customers come less frequently and only for the basics.
They are very concerned about what exactly they are going to have done, and how much money it is going to cost.
Just two or three years ago, there was always a smile on the client's face.
Now you do not see that - everyone looks sad and angry.
That is very bad energy, you know?
And it is contagious.

Cai Huilin (English name: Amy), Beijing, China

I am from Taiwan but have been in mainland China for two years now, working as a hairstylist at the Tony Studio. My husband's business is in China and I came with him.
When I was in Taiwan, the foreigners did not speak much Chinese and I only had the basic vocabulary for my job - cut, short, long, etc. I could not communicate more complicated ideas. So whenever a foreigner walked into my salon, I got so scared.

Continue reading the main story

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One of my customers told me that he went to Taiwan for the first time and was glued to the TV in the hotel - so much so that he did not go out to dinner with the family”

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Here in Beijing, there are many foreign customers but most of the foreigners can speak very good Chinese. At first I was really surprised about that. I believe it is because China's economy is developing so fast, and also because they know they will always be a minority in this country. They have to learn good Chinese for their own survival.

China has come a long way. I remembered I was afraid of coming to China because I was worried that I would have to use a public toilet without doors. The China that I see now is very different. The service that people are getting here in Tony Studio is up to the same standard as services in Taiwan, if not better.
Mainland Chinese people have been able to visit Taiwan since July 2009. My customers often ask me where they should visit and what they should eat before they go on such tours.
Some customers are very curious about the news media in Taiwan. The news in Taiwan is not censored like it is in China. The TV channels are privately owned, they broadcast whatever they want to, it is a more democratic place.
One of my customers told me that he went to Taiwan for the first time and was glued to the TV in the hotel - so much so that he did not go out to dinner with the family - he stayed in the hotel just to watch the political debate shows on TV. He was so surprised that people can be so direct on television. He was really fascinated to see the members of parliament debating and fighting on TV.

Ricardo Hernandez, Santiago, Chile

I work with my father. We have had our barbershop for more than 45 years.
My father is from Parral, and my grandma and my brothers and sisters live there. Parral was close to the epicentre of February's earthquake, and like a lot of other towns there it was really badly hit. My grandma's adobe house, which was about 80 years old, collapsed completely. Thankfully she was not there, otherwise she would be dead for sure. It was a real family tradition to go to that house, we used to go every summer.
The earthquake was a talking point for our customers, not just in the days and weeks afterwards, but for a couple of months. It still is. We do not watch much television here in the shop, but during the World Cup, the earthquake, the rescue of the miners, we had the TV on all day.
Let us hope that next year is quieter than this one. I do not think we will have another earthquake. In terms of our business here, let us hope that 2011 is as good as 2010, or even a little better. People will always need their hair cut.

William Isaac, Miami, US

People here are so image-conscious. We are always beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty. My salon is a central area for diet, for nutrition, for plastic surgery - you name it, we have a number, we know somebody.
One of my regulars [comes] the same time, every week. She drinks her usual white wine. She takes a diet pill. She is ready to go. She works for a pharmaceutical company which was her father's. She is probably very well off but it has not gone to her head yet and she has been with me for years. I have seen her go through her break-ups, make-ups, crying, hung-over.
And then we have those clients that think they are rich or want to be rich. They will come in with their Louis Vuitton bag, designer shirt, designer shoes, designer everything, and they give you the worst attitude and they make your life difficult, and they do not have money - they just have credit cards.
There is a lot of money in this industry but I would like to give my clients options instead of just - boom - they come to the front desk and its six or seven hundred dollars.
Two years ago everyone was spending money, spending money, spending money and they did not care, there were no issues. Now I think they have to think twice about what they spend.
Miami in the 1980s was like, wow. I think that eventually we will get back to that. It was a playground but there has to be somebody to serve those on the playground.
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I had to deal with somebody who had not slept for three days. She was chemically imbalanced. She was, like, sleeping one moment, then laughing. She is an artist and she has been sinking for years and years and years. I think I get a lot of the crazy people in the salon but I like it, it is fun. Just a few of the desperate housewives of Miami.

Not so happily ever as Indian divorce rate doubles

Most of those splitting up are members of the thriving, urban middle class

It is wedding season in India, the time of year when astrologers say the omens are best for a long and successful marriage.

Traditionally these were arranged by the two families and the weight of social pressure ensured divorces hardly ever happened.
But as it grows wealthier, so India's old taboos are being challenged, and the chances of this year's newly-weds staying together for the rest of their lives are slimmer than ever.
"There has been a huge change, a drastic change and divorce rates are increasing," Dr Geetanjali Sharma, a marriage counsellor working in Gurgaon, a wealthy Delhi satellite city, told the BBC.
"There's been a 100% increase in divorce rates in the past five years alone."

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They don't want to put more efforts into a relationship to fix the issues”

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Most of those splitting up are members of India's thriving, urban middle class whose lives have been transformed by India's boom, and whose aspirations are radically different to those of their parents and grandparents.

Nowhere represents those changes better than Gurgaon, which only two decades ago was little more than a village.
Its buffalos and mustard fields have now made way for shopping malls, coffee shops and multi-national IT companies. A state-of-the-art metro line connecting Gurgaon with Delhi, 25km (16 miles) away, was only recently opened.
And while millions of Indians might aspire to live in Gurgaon's high-rise apartment blocks, they are, according to Dr Sharma, populated by many unhappy couples.
Escapism The pressures of the modern workplace make a bigger difference, she thinks, than whether it was a traditional arranged marriage, or a so-called "love marriage".
"I feel people are concentrating more on the careers and less on their personal lives," she said.

Like wedding henna, Indian marriages are not always permanent these days

"I also feel they lack patience and tolerance. They don't want to put more efforts into a relationship to fix the issues, and they feel that escapism is the solution."
India still has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world, with about one in 1,000 marriages collapsing, according to recent studies.
But the courts are now seeing so many new cases that the government has proposed making divorce easier and faster, in line with other countries.
As things stand, contested divorces can drag on for years.
Delhi High Court is the only place where Mohit, who works for a successful IT firm, now gets to meet his wife.
They fell in love as teenagers, married in their early 20s and separated three years ago when she walked out.
Honeymoon's over While he awaits a final court settlement, Mohit (who did not want his surname to be made public) has been left contemplating what went wrong and why.
"I was way too young to realise that being in love and being married are slightly different - in fact humongously different," he told me.

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We Indian males want our wives to be really progressive, but at the same time to cook food for us”

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"We used to fight about pretty much everything, you know. Let's say that the first fight we had was pretty early, as in just after we got back from our honeymoon."

Mohit puts the failure down to a culture clash between the old India and the new.
For a start, he says, his mother-in-law disapproved of their marriage, and his family also interfered.
He admits that sometimes he too found it hard to accept that his wife had her own career.
"Today the Indian male, as opposed to earlier, is a very complex entity. We want our wives to be really progressive, modern, so to say, which is why we married them in the first place," he said.
"But at the same time we still want our wives to cook food for us. We want our wives to be there when we get back home."
Stigma Swarupa (who also did not want her full name revealed) finalised her divorce in December.
She too left her husband - which she says is only possible for women who are financially independent or who have the support of their parents. In the past this would have been more or less unthinkable.

Aisle be damned: Some blame broken marriages on the culture clash between the old and new India

Swarupa believes that divorce has certainly become more socially acceptable in India, but there are still problems.
"Personally, I don't feel scared to tell people that I am a divorced person but stigmas are still there and it comes out in very odd places," she said.
"I've been house-hunting near my ex-husband's [home], but you know it is very difficult to get a house because people are very sceptical about giving it to a single woman."
It seems inevitable that the divorce rate is going to continue to rise - which is good news for some.
Vivek Pahwa, for example, runs a Mumbai-based matchmaking website for divorcees called Secondshaadi.com.
He claims to get as many as 4,000 new customers every month.
"Ours is a relatively young website, but in the three years since we have started, I have seen a remarkable shift in people's perceptions about divorce," he says. "It is not only limited to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Business is good."

Bachchans Are Proud of Aishwarya!

Amitabh Bachchan expressed his feelings on his blog on daughter-in-law Aishwarya’s felicitation with the Padmashree Award.

“Aishwarya’s Padma decoration is the fifth in the family. My father received Padmabhushan, myself with (two) Padmashri and Padmabhushan and Jaya was receipient of Padmashri. Five Padma awardees in one family. God is generous and kind,” Bachchan wrote in his blog.

We hope Abhi gets the sixth one… sooner or later!

Angelina Jolie News: Sexy Angie photo on SALT movie poster hot topic of debate -- WHY?

 

Angelina Jolie News!
The new movie poster is out for the Angelina Jolie movie SALT.
Now the subject of debate on celebrity gossip blogs is about what people think of Angie's look in the sexy picture.
Too much trademark Angelina Jolie sex appeal or too little?
[May 22 -- Report + Commentary + photo + video]


ANGELINA JOLIE IS EVELYN SALT
Angelina Jolie plays sexy spy character Evelyn Salt, and in the role changes her trademark look repeatedly to disguise her character with a wide variety of wigs and costumes.
That's why it is rather funny that Angie's name is in the news for her new movie poster.
Critics say while the poster looks great artistically, the photo of the fictional character Salt does not look like Angelina Jolie.
Here's the hot topic celebrity gossip report posted on May 19 from E! Online. They write:
The tagline on this new movie poster may read "Who is Salt?" but a better question would be: "Where is Angelina Jolie?"
Because we just don't see her here.
Yes, the woman certainly looks like the film's star and, for the sake of argument, we'll assume that it is.
But seriously, what's going on with her face?
This seems like yet another example of Photoshopping gone horribly wrong.
It's one thing to erase a pimple or minimize a wrinkle, but is it really necessary to go to this extreme on an otherwise pretty flawless mug?
One comment poster replied, "She looks really bad. We saw the trailer for Salt and my husband leaned over and said "what happened to her? She looks terrible." So, I don't think it's photoshop, I think it's her."
Another said, "Angelina's beauty is incomparable and rare. Ange would have looked more beautiful without any photoshopping but if you watch her on the video her look is different, the dark wig with a fringe and different eye make up, that look is much more like the poster. Angelina is unique, even with the accentuation of her cheekbones (which she could do with blusher), slight change to her nose (able to achieve same effect with combinations of light and dark foundation) and bronze on the lips accentuates them less. Ange prefers minimal makeup, doesn't need it! What I don't get is why the media spotlight on this photo, ALL movie posters look nothing like the actual actors. Why single out this one?? So much jealousy out there."

We think both comments have merit, as Jolie has 6 young children and such a hectic schedule volunteering for the United Nations, that she must be exhausted. While she is beautiful, no doubt, she's also constantly pushing herself so far and so fast that she often burn off way too many calories. The gaunt look beginning in her cheeks is indicative that she is 1) Over 30 and 2) just gave birth in short time to three babies -- and breast feeding serious depletes the body's vitality when it comes to looking like the global standard of youth and beauty.

 

It also means the woman might need some well deserved rest and sleep.

 

Whatever the case, we're still planning on going to see the movie on the big screen, and will undoubtedly buy a copy when the action adventure spy thriller comes out on Blu-Ray DVD.

 

ifetime Amanda Knox Movie Set to Air Next Year, Hayden Panettiere to Star Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-504083_162-504083.html?keyword=Amanda+Knox&tag=contentMain;contentBody#ixzz19gINB7cP

Amanda Knox and Hayden Panettiere (AP)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Lifetime Television is set to produce a made-for-TV movie about Amanda Knox, the American exchange student convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate, while studying abroad in Italy, and they already have their star - "Heroes" actress Hayden Panettiere.

Bishop Eddie Long (PICTURES): Who is The Pastor Accused in Sex Scandal?

Bishop Eddie Long (CBS/The Early Show)

ATLANTA (CBS/AP) New pictures have surfaced of Bishop Eddie Long, prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch outside Atlanta, as a third man has come forward accusing the anti-gay advocate of coercing him into sex.


CBS News' Erica Hill reports the pastor allegedly sent his accusers numerous photos of himself including at least several of him wearing spandex and workout clothes.
It's not known precisely how the photos surfaced.
B.J. Bernstein, an attorney for the three plaintiffs, said Long sent her clients dozens of e-mails, but they weren't "overly sexual," she said.
Long canceled an interview with the Tom Joyner Morning Show Thursday, opting instead to make his first public response to the sex allegations during a service at his Atlanta-area church on Sunday, according to his lawyer, who appeared on the nationally syndicated radio show in Long's absence.
Attorney Craig Gillen told Joyner that Long took young men on trips as part of a mentoring program, but stands by his denial of claims that he had sex with three of them.
In lawsuits filed this week, three men who were members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church claimed Long coerced them into sexual relations with gifts including cars, cash and travel when they were 17 or 18 years old. The sprawling church in Lithonia, Ga., about 18 miles outside of Atlanta, counts politicians, celebrities and the county sheriff among its members and hosted four U.S. presidents during the 2006 funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King.
One of the claims in the lawsuits is that Long had sexual contact with the young men, who were enrolled in New Birth's ministry for teen boys, during trips he took them on in the U.S. and abroad. Gillen said the travel was part of a mentoring program that other young men also participated in.
Gillen also read a statement from Long in which the pastor, a married father of four, said he's anxious to respond to the allegations but that his lawyer has advised him not to yet.
"Let me be clear. The charges against me and New Birth are false," Long's statement said.
Gillen also said the three making the allegations were motivated by money, adding that one of them is accused of breaking into Long's office.
In addition to canceling the radio show appearance, an expected Thursday news conference with Long was also called off.
Long was appointed pastor of New Birth in 1987. At that time the church had about 150 members. Less than four years later, the church had grown to more than 8,000 members. Athletes and entertainers claim membership at the church, which now boasts an over 25,000 strong membership, and among its prominent clergy is the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Long's church was among those named in 2007 in a Senate committee's investigation into a half-dozen Christian ministries over their financing.
Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King to her father's Atlanta grave to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman." He also has released several gospel albums, authored books on relationships and spirituality, and hosts a weekly television program.
Gillen said Long will speak directly about the allegations to his church congregation Sunday

Rihanna Looks Hot And Sexy In GQ January Cover

American singer and songwriter Rihanna, who is busy enjoying the success of her latest music album `Loud' has yet another project in her kitty to boast about. Rihanna will next be seen on the covers of British magazine GQ in its January 2011 issue. According to reports, Rihanna's picture on the magazine's cover will be a bestseller because she apparently looks smoking hot in the pictures. Apart from the very sexy pictures, the January issue of the British GQ magazine will also feature an interview of the `Music of the Sun' hit maker.
Rihanna has bared her heart on the January issue of the monthly magazine. Not only does the singer speak about her latest music venture `Loud', she also speaks about her relationship status. It is no more an unknown fact that Rihanna has moved on from Chris Brown after reports about their abusive relationship surfaced in the media. In the interview for the GQ magazine, Rihanna says that it was for good that she came out of her relationship with Chris Brown and now that she is into another relationship, she feels free and liberated. Rihanna is presently dating sportsman Matt Kemp.
The cover of the January issue of GQ magazine shows Rihanna dressed in black, whereas pictures of the singer gracing the pages of next month's issue of the monthly magazine shows her sporting revealing costumes, which leave a lot to the imagination of the male readers of men's magazine. While Rihanna flirts with roses in one picture, she goes for the lingerie look in another. The January issue of GQ magazine is expected to sell out fast from stands owing to the super hot photographs of Rihanna.
--Sampurn Wire