All the President's Men

As the ranks of the unemployed widened, one person is more prepared and more protected by American regulation than, say, Joe the Plumber. As Barack Obama takes the oath of office on January 20th, George W. Bush receives his pink slip and join his fellow countryfellows. If one needs further evidence of his august stature , look no further than his transport immediately after the inauguration. The Toxic Texan will be traveling back to Dallas onboard USAF 29000, the VC-25 aircraft which -if he were still an american president, will receive the call sign "Air Force One"- is hardly sitting in coach with his legs pressed by the passenger in front and fearing he will lose his luggage.

When your last job was "leader of the free world", life could be a lot worse. Unlike the common people who had to be vigilant to thieves and the odd house burglars, former US presidents are accorded Secret Service protection (George W. Bush becomes the first former president who does not receive life-time protection. A new bill was passed recently, limiting protection only up to 10 years after living office). Unlike the average Americans who may have to find a new smaller house (after their McMansion was foreclosured), Mr. Bush can raise donations from the public to build his presidential library (where as tradition is a fairly big complex and where tradition dictates, he gets to build a replica of the Oval Office). The federal government also pays him an estimated USD 200k per annum plus expenses to run his office and pay for his staff. Some presidents even get to keep their daily transport (Reagan, his Air Force One and Marine One , plus his motorcade; Clinton his Cadillac One).

It does not stop there. Unlike their normal compatriots though, when it comes to future employment, the group is spoilt for choice. No "work" (of the traditional definition is involved). Presidents easily are paid a minimum USD 50k for making speeches. Then there are also directorships or other board appointments in well known companies.

What is the point of all this, you may ask. Stick around, more will be revealed.

The Facebookers

I still remember that moment when I realized the intrusion of Facebook, a social-network website, on my life. It was the moment when a Friend I haven't met for five years (but was on my facebook list of friends) knew my day-to-day, event-by-event , whereabouts- and recited every details when we met. It inadvertently felt I have a stalker- a compulsory accessory for being a celebrity- but hardly the nicest feeling in the world.

If you wish to become stalked as well, there is a way. Join Facebook ! For an-obviously- laudable purpose of writing this article, your correspondent decided to sign up and become a facebooker approximately six months ago.

If anything, becoming a facebooker has notified your correspondent that we are all equal : equally liking to do the same stuffs (can't wait for the weekends and long weekends is a common "status update") ; equally whining about the same problem (getting stuck in traffic, the rain pouring down). It is also enabling your correspondent to confirm one of his suspicion: that those non working ibu-ibu arisan are using their BlackBerry for facebooking !

Your correspondent could be wrong, but it does appear slightly unlikely that the ibu-ibu arisan will become BlackBerry's celebrity pitchman, advertising their product (a recent article in the New York Times discussed how President Obama is currently BlackBerry's best marketing spokesperson, for embodying the values of a great communicator and a networker. Imagine the slogan: "The President has to have this to keep in touch").

Indeed there is anecdotal evidence - I just like this expression, remnant of the old days as a management consultant-that the increasing visibility of BlackBerry devotees in Indonesia is linked to the willingness to keep connected and networked, to be able to find out what friends, colleagues are doing; to satisfy the seemingly insatiable appetite to find old friends (and old flames?). Plenty high school and university reunions have been facilitated by Facebook. It looks like that BlackBerry have suddenly found , in Facebook, the ideal partner to expand their market in Indonesia, well beyond the standard "surgically attached to their hip" professionals. Facebookers of the world, unite !