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Dinner up High
Sadly, I’m not on anyone’s A list for a holiday party. I was fortunate
enough to get an invite to a swell dinner bash in the City. A nice lady I
know (who has no interest in men) needed a date. The thinking was that I
would not make a hash of it, so I got the nod.
I was in that enviable/unenviable position of not knowing anyone. There
is only a dozen, so I schmooze as best I can. The place is filled with
NY types; lawyers, bankers, buy-side types, RE sharpies, art dealers, ad
execs, a few (very busy) wives and one degenerate blogger. My kind of
crowd. The hostess gives me a quick tour of the place, (30th floor,
three bedrooms, view of the park) and drops me with the ‘guys’.
Normal banter from the boys.
“How much money has been lost in the past six weeks betting on NY football teams?”
Answer: Staggering.
“Is Cialis really better than Viagra?”
Answer: It depends. For a quicky Viagra is fine.
For something “special” Cialis was a better choice. I was surprised that
a cost benefit analysis was part of the discussion. Apparently Cialis
is up to $22 a pop and Viagra is still only ten bucks. Of course no one
had any first hand knowledge on any of this, it was all “I’ve heard” or
“I read”….
“How’s business?”
Answer: Fucking great. This is not a crowd that brags. They don’t really need to. So you had to read into the words; “We were very pleased” or “Best year since 06”. My favorite; “Lots of smiles at bonus time at my shop”.
“What’s 11’ looking like?”
Answer: Fucking great. While this group is a very small
subset of the economy they are seeing plenty of opportunities. They are
hiring, expanding and acquiring. They all have full plates for the year.
This represents a significant change from two years ago.
“What about Obama?”
Answer: Deep disappointment. Keep in mind that it is this
crowd who gave Obama hundreds of millions a few years ago. The attitude;
“He took his eye off the ball on the economy and wasted his first two
years on health care legislation that we will never see” summed up the
feelings.
I (of course) pushed my hot buttons.
“What about QE?”
Answer: It’s good for the market. Nothing else matters.
“What about the sorry state of municipal finance?”
Answer: It’s all priced in.
“What about the deficits?”
Answer: They don’t matter. It’s all priced in.
Dinner was a bunch of courses. Something for everyone. This was not
family style. I did my best with which fork to use and when. The small
talk was over my head.
“Alta or Vail this winter?”
Answer: Vail. Apparently there are no go good restaurants in Utah.
“Was Bloomberg bluffing when he said he was not a presidential candidate?”
Answer: He was bluffing.
“Should one consider full body scans?”
Answer: Absolutely not. Most either had done this or knew
someone who had. The conclusion was that if you did the scans the
results were 100% certain that they would find something. Interesting
state of denial
“Is Sara Palin for real?”
Answer: Yes. While they expressed fear and loathing
they also recognized that the level of disappointment in the country
with Obama and the Democrats was likely to bring a very different
candidate in 2012.
One fellow actually had a very good rep. Been in the investment biz for a long time and damn good at it. Someone asks him, “Is investing overseas still the right strategy?”. He wisely dodges the question with an obvious answer, “If you don’t have some non US exposure you’re not wisely invested.” Another who was looking for some free advice asks the follow on, “Yes, but which country?” He answers, “I focus on the countries that have the highest work ethic.” This last comment prompts a conversation that lasts through coffee.
The talk was about which countries ranked high on that list. This was
not about which worker produced more. The answer to that is easy. A
worker for VW in Germany produces much more than does a worker in Viet
Nam. However, the conclusion at the table was that on the narrow issue
of work ethic, Vietnamese workers had a better attitude than German
workers.
The general question of East versus West was sort of dismissed. The
obvious answer was East. The more interesting debates were on the
narrower questions:
France – Germany? Easy for this group.
Italy – Spain? Not so easy.
UK – France? Harder still.
How about China versus India? That’s a tough one. Harder still, Taiwan
versus Korea. Israel ranked high. Some Eastern European countries made
the final list. Russia was dismissed on the issue of work ethic.
Brazil confounded the group. Everyone recognized the rising tide for
this country. But on the work ethic issue Brazil was not high on the
list.
The diners did not fall prey to the stereotype of workers from Latin
America. Too many of us had worked, lived or done business in that
region to make that mistake.
This was all just “dinner talk”. I found it interesting. I’m not going
to publish the list we came up with. I think the readers can do that as
well as we did. There is a level of arrogance to this type of ranking.
Some of the biases we brought to the discussion no doubt tainted our
conclusions.
On the ride home I thought of the evening. I had hoped that there would
be something interesting to write about. My first thought was that there
was not. Just a nice dinner, nothing memorable. But later I reviewed
the list we came up with and I was struck by what was missing.
This group of relatively sophisticated, well-traveled and knowledgeable
people spent an hour 300 feet above the lights coming up with the
country comparisons. America was mentioned and compared on a number of
occasions. But the final list did not include the USA. If the elitist
don’t think much of our collective work ethic, what does that mean?
Answer: Nothing good.
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your hilarious, bruce. smart M A N (i know this to be true, cause i saw you on TV) with humor. i never get invited to anything any more except bonderman's boxer party. but your party picture, made up for me not attending it this year. got to love the upper middle class conversation topics. i always have the fellows surrounding me, and listening to my jokes and stories. i make them all laugh.
"They wanted to know if I had met Tyler Durden."
Eminently qualified to comment upon a nation's work ethos.
so what's the timeframe for Bruce getting outted onto his own Wikipedia page from these snobs? even they can trace these dots and that social set loves to do such things..
Bruce is Reference #33 in this Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Dow_Jones_Flash_Crash
good show
and he uses the good ol blogspot - great man indeed
A reading of the comment section under most Tyler Durden articles always leads me to believe that many people apply fantasy and imagination, not to mention selective reading/thinking/hearing, to much of what Tyler writes.
So wouldn't it make sense if Tyler was just a figment of our collective imagination and he was actually a she? Since we each see the world from our own particular point of view, reality is whatever we wish it to be.
I say Tyler is a trashy Wall Street bleached blonde who could beat 9 out of 10 guys at arm wrestling. So what does that say about me? :>)
CD
dang, even before I finished reading, I had searched this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixqbc7X2NQY
Doesn't say anything about you, says something about me reading you talking about Tyler and ...
<spiraling into a black hole> ;-)
- Ned
She's a MAN, baby!
stop CD stop
next you'll be telling me Marla is a guy
leave me to my illusions
Euro princess.
My but was she the perfect person for that part.
My thoughts also, unless the sniffers are getting too frisky and names are left off to up the anonimity. Those new to the scene will get no clue to how many folks are behind the scenes now because all those names have been left off the front page. Another thing I find interesting is the statement that Mr. Durden retains sole power to bind Zero Hedge ... to any contract. Since when do fake names have the power to bind an organization to any contract? Tongue-in-cheek I would say.
Thanks CD
@ Velobabe, I am actually quite concerned that the recent DNS snafu might have been the outward sign of a power struggle...and that Marla may have been on the losing side...all speculation mind you, my brain just works like that
says it all in this name. well i just want radio zero and marla spinning again. looks like she has her hands full from the pictures above. she is one hot trashy skank. wish i could look like that with a fag hanging out of my mouth. cigarette†
Domain Name System
Here ya go (CD):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVUGCdTVpug
That was refreshing. Thanks for the link.
De nada. It's a fun song.
Well obviously there is more than one "Tyler" but there is only one "Marla." The real question is what the hell has happened to her and why does ZH's masthead keep getting amended to the point of non sensibility?
i just emailed tyler last night, about where the hell is marla†
no response yet. maybe they are eloping.
If he were a she then I would try to fuck the shit out of her.
Nothing stinks worse than 9 day old troll. Who left the freezer door open again?
I think the operative word here is "try". But keep on trying because it's good for ZH morale.
Ya gotta give him credit for truth in labelling though.
Great post! Thanks for giving us a view into that world Bruce.
Denial isn't just for the working class. In fact I contend that the most important class to actually instigate and encourage denial in would be the upper class simply because they are the movers and shakers of the herd, the so called leaders of the pack.
And as luck would have it, also where the greatest denial of their own denial resides. After all, if you're this educated, connected and wealthy, you simply can't be in denial darling since these "accomplishments" can only be achieved when one has a full and open grasp of reality. Denial is for the plebs to wash away their sorrow and filth.
Remember the drill. First you deny, then you deny your denial, then you forget you were ever in denial in the first place. This takes great intelligence to accomplish seamlessly.
Denial isn't just a river in (working class) Egypt.
BTW Bruce, thank you for your consistently high quality articles. It ain't easy and I commend you for even trying.
Anecdotally, some of the same people in this upper echelon were crying like babies 2 years ago. Now they are once again infused with that same old arrogance which makes them so endearing.
If these are the ones who are going to generate hiring and economic growth then the Bernank has succeeded with the wealth effect by inflating assets.
My personal opinion is that they are living with their heads up their a--.
This party had to be before the snow--otherwise, all of the kvetching would have been abouit the snow and how they couldn't get to their spas.
But no notice about how the "Department of Sanitation" had gone on a work slowdown.
Wondering how many of them could get up and down 30 stories without electricity to run the lifts.
Envisioning with my favorite term: schadenfreude.
- Ned
Well said.
Sometimes it's just so easy to root for the pike.
Yes thanks Bruce, always informative.
"Finding something" doesn't necessarily mean finding something bad. Human anatomy is incredibly variable, and there are thousands of asymptomatic anomalies that can and will pop up on a full body scan. Renal cysts, calcification of the pineal gland, nodular heterotopias in the cerebral cortex . . . The problem is that all these findings, which could and would have remained unknown for your natural lifetime, are now a source of stress for you. Emotional and financial, as you will no doubt pursue further workup and specialist consultations.
FWIW, I am a medical doctor, and a sizeable portion of my med school curriculum was based on teaching us not to over order diagnostic tests or practice "defensive medicine", as this provides great financial strain on the patient/provider for absolutely no health benefits.
"nodular heterotopias" - sounds like a St. Pete trailer park!
And it's true - there are no good restaurants in Utah. Beaver Creek and Mirabelle's bitchez!
that also includes findings that you didn't know about and reporting on your medical records and submitting to your health insurer. to find out something through a scan device in an airport could devastate you mentally, physically and financially. getting denied coverage for a major medical problem you didn't know you had. or worst yet, the insurer claims you fraudulently didn't disclose this condition.
I have health insurance that I rarely make a claim against. Why not get a full body scan that may find , for instance, that small pancreatic tumor that would not cause any symptoms until it is to late to really do anything about? That would seem like a health benefit to me.
You don't think I should because it may end up costing my insurance company something? Screw them!
No. I don't think you should get it because it would likely expose you to risks that outweigh the benefits you could gain. Just to choose your example, what do you think a pancreatic tumor looks like in the early stages? Possibly an anatomic variant, possibly an asymptomatic cyst. How can you tell? Well, the radiologist reading the scan will hedge, using the classic lines ". . . cannot rule out malignancy . . ." Then what? A CT-guided biopsy? (more radiation, risk of pancreatitis). An open exploration? (laparotomy scar, risk of general anesthesia, risk of adhesions and bowel obstruction). Should we scan everybody at a certain age, understanding that the results in the vast majority of cases will be negative or equivocal? With the associated risks of ionizing radiation exposure?
I could care less about the cost to the insurance companies. I care about the cost to you. Modern medicine is about balancing risks with benefits. When properly controlled, double blinded studies are put forth showing a clear health benefit to full body scanning, then it can be put in the same class as statin drugs and screening colonoscopies. Until then, it is experimental, with the caveat that it can cause more harm than good.
That being said, the ultimate decision lies with you, and I support your ability to make that decision.
TSA = free proctology. We can help you come and go. All our fingers are here for you.
The TSA agent should make the diagnostic decision since he's already looking at the shit. No wonder there's so much duplicative waste out there.
Um, you are aware that the TSA scanners do NOT show anything under the skin, right?
Yeah,
They do NOT show anything under the skin... on power level #1. What happens when the monkeys turn the volume up to #11?
Screw tin foil hats, we'll need tin foil jock straps.
+1
There's a lot in that comment.
not to mention the huge shift in vet care... bullocks!!
I love it when you talk dirty like that. :>)
For some, ignorance is bliss. And my experience is that this isn't a "class" issue, but more along the lines of an emotional and intellectual "control" issue.
Agreed, after great effort, I've concluded this is the *same* *exact* *thing* related to the worldwide economic crisis.
Do you want to know that a comet will destroy planet Earth next Tuesday? Some say "yes" and some say "no". IMHO, neither are wrong, but it took me a long time to conclude this. (I would want to know, and had a hard time understanding people that would not want to know.)
I was increasingly frustrated that people did not want to understand the fraud and betrayal occurring by their governments and ruling elites, whose actions are (and will continue) to cause grievous harm. However, many (1) do not understand, and (2) do not want to expend the energy to understand because they could not do anything about it anyway. (Of course, as many on ZH know, a size-able group believes (3) "Past performance is reasonable expectation of future behavior", so I'm nuts, and "They-in-charge" will "think of something".)
So, Que Sera, Sera, we will pick up the pieces later.
CD and mikla, I agree with your points. My objection to full-body scans is not the availability of information but of misinformation. It is the difference between early detection and what is know as a false positive result in diagnostic criteria.
So I get things checked out further and realize I had a false positive. So what? It cost my insurance company some money and me some time but no real harm done in my view. Of course the insurance company wants me to pay my premiums without ever getting any healthcare that they have to pay for until I suddenly drop dead.
MB, as I wrote below, getting things "checked out further" can involve invasive diagnostic tests with risks to you up to and including permanent deficits or death. With very weak indications. This is not a financial argument I am making, it is a patient care argument.
I'm 46 and my back hurts from sitting on my ass all day reading everyone's hilarious ZH posts. So I get an MRI and I find out several of my lumbar vertebra never completely fused (spinabifada??). Now they're telling me to be careful and not lift shit. Never mind that I played football, ran track in college, never lifted with correct form, and I have no symptoms. My conclusion: when your back hurts get a massage.
i lay against a heating pad when reading ZH posts. it is great and cheap, and no one touches me this way.
Sadly this is exactly what the social control system is designed to lead people to believe. And on an individual basis this is an entirely valid conclusion. But if each individual were to act as a group and simply withdraw their consent, this would all be over pretty quickly. This is why while the illusion is that technology is bringing everyone closer together, in fact what's happening here is people are becoming more and more physically isolated even while they are electronically closer.
Divide and conquer is as old as the hills and even more effective today than it was 100 or 1,000 years ago. When confronting a physical threat to yourself, regardless of whether it is real (city bus about to hit you) or imagined (disembodied terrorist) we always revert back to what can we grab physically to protect ourselves.
This is why the blogging communities are encouraged by the CIA/NSA etc as long as they can be controlled and subverted. They are effective at dissipating (or at least disclosing) any real threats to the government and the powers-that-be. While I may be able to commiserate with my fellow blogger over the hijacking of my civil liberties most wouldn't dream of physically resisting because they are essentially alone in the blogosphere crowd.
This is why I'm always promoting getting active in your local community. There is power in numbers. But those numbers must be physically present next to one another in order for people to believe it is "real" and that they can be protected by those numbers. Crowd psychology depends upon physical contact.
You know there's something to this, I guess most of the working class people spend the majority of their brain power keeping them selves in denial about how badly there getting screwed, and finding excuses for buing that new IPod
Getting screwed? Most of the world would be happy to get screwed the way our workers get screwed. I'm calling a top in whining paranoia and envy as the economy hopefully gets better. Sub 400,000 unemplyoment today bitchez.