NY Observer > American Express Company http://www.observer.com/taxonomy/term/24394/feed Articles from Observer.com en Change We Can Debit http://www.observer.com/2008/style/sports/change-we-can-debit

There's a new font at the Open, and it might look familiar.

American Express, one of the tournament's major sponsors, seems to be cribbing from the Obama campaign's well-received graphic design, especially its use of Gotham font.

"It’s substantial yet friendly," branding expert Brian Collins said about Gotham to The New York Times. Just what you want from a credit card.

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/style/sports/change-we-can-debit#comments Sports American Express Company US Open Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:35:18 -0400 Zachary Woolfe 74041 at http://www.observer.com No Matter What People Say, Beyoncé Leads a Quiet Life http://www.observer.com/2007/no-matter-what-people-say-beyonc-leads-quiet-life


There’s no question—Beyoncé Knowles enjoys a truly ridonkulous lifestyle. What with Jay-Z as your man, hotness as your bod, Sirens as your voice and gold buillon as your pennies, it must feel like the sun rises and sets in your gilt bidet. So don’t let this American Express commercial make you think any differently. Nobody—no matter how radical your ways and off-the-hook your style—should be forced to live like the woman in this minute-long spot. Heck, considering the second-hand motion sickness, fatigue and cramps—what?—we experienced after sitting through the ad, nobody should be forced to watch it, either. (Scratch that, it’s definitely worth a peep.) Does AmEx actually think people want to go directly from the Madrid airport with an obnoxious blonde assistant, only to hop into an impromptu dance class to break a shoe? They won’t even let her visit the Prado! At least in their other celebrity-driven campaigns Ellen DeGeneres gets to chill with exotic animals and Wes Anderson appears a lot cooler than he is.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2007/no-matter-what-people-say-beyonc-leads-quiet-life#comments Style American Express Company Beyonce Knowles Jay-Z Wed, 05 Dec 2007 17:45:24 -0500 David Foxley 61540 at http://www.observer.com Zero Memorial On Bumpy Path For Its Millions http://www.observer.com/node/38744 Back in the heady days of 2003, no one seemed to want to talk about how much the World Trade Center  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/38744#comments Real Estate Addie Guttag American Express Company Gretchen Dykstra Statue of Liberty Sun, 23 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400 Matthew Schuerman 38744 at http://www.observer.com New Yorkers for Santorum http://www.observer.com/node/29119 The first quarter fund-raising numbers are beginning to trickle in, and once again Hillary Clinton is the big winner, raising a hefty $2 million a month each month from January through March. In a distant second place: Rick Santorum, whose war chest now holds $10 million, thanks to large GOP cash infusions -- and a little help from some New York friends.

A quick Politicker once-over of past Santorum donors turned up lots of usual suspects -- think Rupert Murdoch, who has given $4200, and Henry Kissinger, who plunked down $500 -- as well as some genuine surprises, like die-hard Democratic fund-raiser John Catsimatidis. The list also includes baby neo-con Mark Gerson, failed would-be senator Rick Lazio, MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow, controversial businessman Kenneth Langone, and a piggy bank's worth of Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns-ers (we're sure Mr. Santorum's plum position on the banking committee had nothing to do with that). Most impressive, however, was Mr. Santorum's ability to recruit a real, live Frank Sinatra and Robert E. Lee!

-- Lizzy Ratner

More names after the jump:  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/node/29119#comments Politics American Express Company Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. Rick Santorum Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:15:14 -0400 Observer Staff 29119 at http://www.observer.com Don't Change the Channel! When Alone at a Bar, That Is http://www.observer.com/node/52081 There are some risks attached to changing the TV channel at your local bar—not all of them involvi  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/52081#comments Style American Express Company Broadwayworld.com Dympna Callaghan Nissan Altima Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400 Ralph Gardner Jr. 52081 at http://www.observer.com Don’t Change the Channel! When Alone at a Bar, That Is http://www.observer.com/node/38674 There are some risks attached to changing the TV channel at your local bar—not all of them inv  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/38674#comments Style American Express Company Dympna Callaghan Nike Inc. Nissan Altima Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400 Ralph Gardner Jr. 38674 at http://www.observer.com "Operation City Lights" Targets McLaughlin http://www.observer.com/node/28747 Channel 4's very well-sourced Jonathan Dienst(the same guy who had last fall's terror warning story) laid out the story behind the Central Labor Council raid just now, which appears to have focused on Council president Brian McLaughlin and a set of electrical contractors who -- Diesnt reports -- allegedly conspired with him to rip off the Department of Transportation.

The FBI's "Operation City Lights," according to the report (and Dienst had cameras in place at three separate raids) targeted McLaughlin's district office as well as the Labor Council's headquarters.

It sounds like an old-time bid-rigging scam: The suggestion is that electrical contractors divvied up neighborhoods, setting "low-bids" in advance, with other contractors deliberately bidding too high on street light contracts. McLaughlin was allegedly compensated with cash, an American Express card, and the installation of his alarm system.

McLaughlin, it's worth noting, came up as an electrical worker.

Also: Another huge black eye for the city's Department of Transportation.]]> http://www.observer.com/node/28747#comments Politics American Express Company Brian McLaughlin Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Department of Transportation Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:10:44 -0500 Observer Staff 28747 at http://www.observer.com Likeable Homeless Perps Get Expensive Sympathy Uptown http://www.observer.com/node/38301 You know those pain-in-the-ass (literally) counter stools they have at places like Starbucks and you  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/38301#comments Style American Express Company Apple iPod New York Sony PSP Sun, 29 Jan 2006 19:00:00 -0500 Ralph Gardner Jr. 38301 at http://www.observer.com Hank Greenberg to the Rescue http://www.observer.com/node/33935
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation announced today that it had surpassed the $100 million mark—the first indication of how much progress it has made towards its $500 million private fundraising goal. Biggest single donor ($25 million): AIG’s Starr Foundation, which is still chaired by Hank Greenberg even though he no longer runs the insurance company. Also, Deutsche Bank ($15 million) and Bank of New York ($10 million) pitched in, but no word yet from American Express or any of the other corporations that are looking down into that bathtub, waiting for it to be filled. -Matthew Schuerman
]]> http://www.observer.com/node/33935#comments Real Estate American Express Company Deutsche Bank AG Hank Greenberg The Bank of New York Co. Inc. Thu, 20 Oct 2005 11:58:00 -0400 Observer Staff 33935 at http://www.observer.com Good News, Bad News http://www.observer.com/node/33922
Lately, “good news” at Ground Zero has really just been the undoing of bad news: Goldman Sachs, Freedom Tower. At a lunch before the New York Building Congress today, the Governor delivered the first truly good news in a while: American Express is taking another 200,000 square feet in the World Financial Center.

Of course, there is still more than 4 million square feet of office space going up across the street at the World Trade Center, looking for a tenant--many tenants.

-Matthew Schuerman
]]> http://www.observer.com/node/33922#comments Real Estate American Express Company Goldman Sachs Group Inc. New York Building Congress World Trade Center Fri, 14 Oct 2005 11:04:00 -0400 Observer Staff 33922 at http://www.observer.com