Although the Citypaper has a website which is up to date, I just cannot resist taking a copy of the papers. There is something special about the feel of holding the papers in my hands, and reading it in print rather than on screen. Morever, there is the other attraction of all the advertisments which are equally just as fun to read. The paper would be filled with some interesting articles, highlights of the week, recommendations of latest food place to open around town, movie and music reviews and also the classifieds. And did I mention it was free? It is similar to the I-S magazine we have in Singapore too, which is also published weekly.
However, there are certain things which you will never (yes, I know it is a strong word!) find in a Singapore magazine or newspapers. (Maybe some day in the not-so-near-future I will have to eat my own words!) I hope you can see the rest of this entry in good order, I realised it loaded strangely on the Husby's wider screen.
There is this section called Murders Ink in the Citypapers, where the murder cases in Baltimore City for the entire week are listed. These numbers were as of this week. When I first came here, I was horrified by the statistics! Slowly, I came to realise that these were not random shootings, nor were they due to robbery. Usually it is a gang- or drug-related murder, most likely death by shooting.
This is just an article, but what stood what was its use of language. Certain words, ahem, are never seen on paper in Singapore; the closest would be like F***. Of course you can argue it is poor choice of words and in bad taste, but hey, it is the freedom of speech.
Ditto for the outdoor swimming pool! Here in Baltimore, the outdoor pool is open only when the weather is warmer. For the sunny, tropical weather we get in Singapore, no one would think of closing the pool when the cool chlorinated waters are a welcome escape from the heat.
