The post-crash fashion economy

In the Atlantic, Benjamin Schwarz writes about the difficulties being experienced by New York’s fashion industry, using some Fitzgerald quotes to draw out the similarities between this period and the early 1930s.

New York’s summer of 1969

Forty years later, John Koblin revisits the summer of 1969 in the New York Observer.  John Lindsay’s reelection hopes were intertwined with the fortunes of the Mets, and boosted by a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

Japanese automated parking garages

Tokyo5 links to videos of automated car and bicycle garages.

Cool watch ad

Danny Choo linked this ad for the Citizen Infinity, which has some neat visual effects.

Hakone-Tozan Line

The Muza-chan blog has some pictures and info on the Hakone-Tozan Line (Hakone Mountain-Climbing Line), part of the Odakyu group, which runs from Hakone Yumoto to Gora. It’s very scenic. From Gora you can take the Hakone-Cable Car up the mountain. Via Japundit.

Osaka: Too much monkey business

Osaka is instituting fines for feeding local macaques, reports UPI. The current population is estimated at about 600, about three times what a research committee estimates that the area can support over the long term. Officials say that tourists feeding the monkeys is a cause of the population growth. The fine would be about $100. Via Japundit.

Edo then, Tokyo now

The Nihon Sun site takes some of Hiroshige’s “100 Views of Edo” and shows what they look like now.

Keys to sustaining an urban middle class

Joel Kotkin’s piece in The American describes the challenges of sustaining an urban middle class.

The renaissance of New York and other major cities since the early 1990s has been built on promoting a “luxury city” based on the very wealthy and the young, single “creative class” that can pay high taxes but does not require schools or other services.

Kotkin predicts that post-bubble cities may need to rebuild a middle class.

Brendan Haywood blogging

Wizards’ center Brendan Haywood has a blog.

Awkward Family Photos site

The name says it all, great site. Via Boing Boing.