Betty White, TV's Golden Girl, celebrated at stamp ceremony in Los Angeles

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Betty White, TV's Golden Girl, celebrated at stamp ceremony in Los Angeles

2025-03-28 05:34 Last Updated At：05:51

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Betty White is making her mark on the nation's snail mail.

The beloved actor of “The Golden Girls” fame was celebrated with a new U.S. Postal Service stamp at a first-day-of-issue ceremony at the Los Angeles Zoo on Thursday.

Fans that were crowded behind barricades cheered as a blue curtain dropped to reveal the stamp featuring a portrait of White against a violet-colored background with lighter shades of bubbly spots in a nod to her sparkling personality. She wears a blue polka-dot blouse and peeking out of her blond curls is an earring shaped like a pawprint.

“When I was working on the stamp surrounding myself with Betty White videos and pictures, I felt like I was working on a portrait of a family member,” Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos said. “I wanted Betty’s huge personality to take center stage.”

The illustration is based on a photo taken by Kwaku Alston in 2010.

At the celebration, singer-songwriter Ellis Hall performed a snippet of “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the theme song to “The Golden Girls.”

A laughing kookaburra and other squawking birds occasionally interrupted the speakers, which surely would have delighted the animal-loving White.

“Animals were her kids and she loved them all — any shape, size and kind,” said Richard Lichtenstein, a board member of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

White had worked with the zoo since its opening in 1966 until her death in December 2021, a couple weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

“Who didn’t love Betty White?” Lichtenstein said. “Her smile, her sense of humor, her basic decency. Our country, our city and yes, even our Los Angeles Zoo, would be much better if more people followed her example. Betty White put her stamp on everyone and anyone she came in contact with.”

He said White's financial support and advocacy helped make possible exhibits featuring chimps, gorillas and elephants, among others.

Lichtenstein said White set up a private foundation before her death that funds various zoo programs.

“This zoo, its inhabitants and this community meant so much to Betty White just as she meant so much to all of us,” said Amber McReynolds, chair of the USPS board of governors. “Betty White was an American treasure.”

People lined up to purchase panes of 20 forever stamps, pins and notecards before getting first-day cancellations near a churro snack stand while schoolchildren walked by.

“This stamp is special because let’s face it, everybody loves Betty White,” Stephanos said.

Declining Eid travel and spending dampen holiday spirit as soaring prices hit Indonesia

2025-03-31 11:04 Last Updated At：11:11

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The usual festive mood of Eid al-Fitr holiday to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan has been subdued in Indonesia this year as people grapple with soaring prices for food, clothing and essential goods.

Consumer spending ahead of the biggest religious holiday for Muslims, which was celebrated on Sunday in Indonesia, has declined compared to the previous year, with a predicted slowdown in cash circulation due to fewer travelers.

Each year in Indonesia, nearly three-quarters of the population of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country travel for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik” that is always welcomed with excitement.

People pour out of major cities to return to villages to celebrate the holiday with prayers, feasts and family gatherings. Flights are overbooked and anxious relatives weighed down with boxes of gifts form long lines at bus and train stations for the journey

But this year the Transportation Ministry said Eid travelers reached 146 million people, a 24% drop from last year’s 194 million travelers.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry projects that money circulation during Eid will reach 137.97 trillion rupiah ($8.33 billion), down from 157.3 trillion last year. The weakening purchasing power is also reflected in Bank Indonesia’s Consumer Confidence Index which dipped to 126.4 in February from 127.2 in January.

Bhima Yudistira, executive director of the Center for Economic and Law Studies, or Celios, said those trends indicate the economy is under strain, driven by economic hardship, coupled with currency depreciation and mass layoffs in manufacturing.

“These have weakened both corporate earnings and workers’ incomes that suppress consumer spending,” Yudistira said, adding he “expects a less vibrant festive season.”

He said the festive spirit has been stifled by harsh economic realities, as soaring prices and dwindling incomes force residents to prioritize survival over celebration.

Traditionally household consumption is a key driver of Indonesia’s GDP. It contributed over 50% to the economy last year, helping push annual growth to 5.11%. However, consumer spending in 2025 is expected to be more subdued, Yudistira said.

Despite the downturn, the government remains optimistic that the Ramadan and Eid momentum will support economic growth in the first quarter of 2025.

“Eid usually boosts the economy through increased spending,” Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said ahead of the Islamic holiday.

The government recently introduced incentives to stimulate economic activity, including airfare and toll road fee discounts, nationwide online shopping events, direct cash assistance for 16 million households, electricity bill reductions for low-consumption customers, and tax exemptions for labor-intensive sectors.

“With these programs in place, the government hopes to sustain consumer spending and support economic stability,” Hartarto said.

The situation has also affected Endang Trisilowati, a mother of four, who said her family had to scale down their festivities budget.

“Honestly, the economic hardship is affecting us,” Trisilowati said. She described how she used to cook different dishes every Eid and invite neighbors, but now she can only afford a simple meal for her family.

“Many have resorted to just finding a way to eat on that festivity, but the spirit is low,” she said.