Sir Martin Sorrell invited some friends to help him celebrate 30 years of WPP. Can you find mAdBen?
Shocking Strands
Pope Francis made an earth-shattering revelation. He actually took a page from the Good Book. God loves all those who love each other. Now Catholics can, too.
Doctors should not be spokespersons for Ebola messaging. Medical speak can be both inflammatory and misunderstood. Panic ensues. And speaking of shocks. Pauley Perrette, an actress on NCIS had a severe allergic reaction to her black hair dye. It can be deadly. Ring. Ring.
If you believe your Master Card debt is held at the savings & loan around the corner, read Jake Halpern’s new book Bad Paper. Even small community banks are bundling and selling off assets. So, don’t expect your nice neighbor at the customer service desk to call you when your payment is late.
AmaZone
L Tryptophan lingering. It’s December? People are already putting up trees. Lights lining houses. Wreaths on doors. Hanukkah is over. Christmas shopping? Everyone is abuzz about Bezos’ drone delivery idea. NYTimes‘ Dowd says it’s faster to go to the store. I disagree. But, that’s always been me. A woman loathe to shop. Maybe it comes from years of working in Dad’s retail.
Here’s the thing. Called local bookstore for a particular title. Woman said computer down, call back. Did. Didn’t have it, could get it in 4 days. Amazon 2 days, cheaper. Same with clothes. Go to Brooks Brothers et al. Lousy selection of inventory. Out of your size. Go online. Get your size, color, style. Hits your door in a week. Don’t like it? Free shipping back. No surly sales people, mall rats.
Bye bye bricks and mortar. Who needs headaches and overhead?
Warren-McCain?
Quite the odd couple. They want to reinstate Glass-Steagall. Good intentions. But, it’s an anachronism. We’ve entered the electronics age. Even if banks segregate at-risk assets on commercial side from investment deals, the risk just shifts. The entities still rely on profits from split-second trades, derivatives and new instruments invented way ahead of the regulators ever catching up.
Problem persists. Power concentrated in a few U.S. Banks. Each too big to fail.
Meh Men
MadMen6. Sylvia again? Meh. She is an ugly woman. In more ways than one. So is her son. How much does poor Sally have to endure? Megan is looking better every week. Peggy trades in men for a cat. Always the pragmatist. She couldn’t bear to tell Pete about his Mom’s real stumble onto their real child together. Whatever happened to that kid? Bob has bad gay-dar. Ted is too nice. Don is descending into the abyss. No kiss can undo the damage done this week.
Why didn’t we watch the Tony’s or stay with Game of Thrones?
Mad Memories
Dreams of my father. Mad times in Manhattan 1960’s. Train from Springfield, dining car with formal tablecloths, waiters, silver, china. First plane ride on a PamAm prop to Idlewild from Bradley. Lunch at TootsShor watching an already drunk Jack Lescoulie at the bar during a day of buying men’s clothing at the Sperry Rand building at 1290 Avenue of the Americas. Jack was Dave Garroway’s sidekick on the Today show.
Sardi’s for dinner, then Jilly’s singing around the piano bar with Nancy Wilson into the wee hours. Memories of trips to New York with my Dad. Priceless.
Copa Cabana to see Sammy Davis, Jerry Vale, lots of other Italian singers named Frankie or Johnny or Tony. The bocce court at Il Vagabondo. Cousin Joey DiVito and his wife Tootsie (really) took care of me. P.J. Clarke’s, Elaine’s. Those were the days.
Daddy Joe always acted as if he were in his dining room at home. They responded in kind. No wonder restaurants have always been the center of my life.
Happy Birthday, Dad. 8/30/30
Cooked Books
JP Morgan trading losses, London Interbank Offered Rate manipulation. Perception is everything. Optics key. Makes the argument harder to justify for anti-regulation even if it won’t fix anything. As global financial boundaries continue to blur, it’s easier to hide stuff. Right, Mitt?
It’s not that Romney is rich. It’s that he is clueless about those who are not. If he was CEO at Bain after 1999, whether he was actively involved in management, who cares? Perception is everything. Bain Street vs. Main Street. And the ‘books’ of Mormon will be further roasted as the election looms. The church was, probably is the largest foreign exchange customer in the world. Global assets, cash beyond belief. From Marriott to Campbell’s to Huntsman, they rule more of the world than most people realize. BloombergBusinessWeek.
So, on another sizzling weekend, read a book to escape. Or, if not re-read Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons in the horrific wake of Penn State.
Mad Notes
The funniest thing I’ve seen in a while, the Obama-Dylan show. Best quote, George Will calling Trump a ‘bloviating ignoramus’. Best restaurant continues to be ABC Kitchen. MichelleO just had dinner there. Meryl was a cool sighting. For all who are bored with MadMen discussion, have heart. RHONY starts next week.
A final ‘mad’ note. I’ve had lively interactions with wise and wonderful women over the past days who think my perspective on Joan’s decision was askew. When she took charge of the negotiation with Pete for a NON-silent partnership, that changed the landscape. She took control of her destiny. If she had done it for the money, she’d still have been considered a secretary slut at work. This deal put her in a different arena, using her leverage for a once in a lifetime game changer. It gave her equal status with the boys. Look at their behavior. ‘Whore’ is in the eye of the beholder. I make no distinctions for gender. Only 2 more episodes.
Capitol Steps
Connecticut’s capitol is at the heart of major fords. Congrats to Will, UConn Law School grad, moving on to Greener Skies. Colby will soon be creating huskie compositions at Storrs. mAdBen’s commute from 11th Ave will often extend to a landmark headquarters in the insurance hub. Steps away from Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe abodes, Max’s Downtown gets a recent NYTimes restaurant nod. JeanJean&Co. rave about la cucina Italiana at Treva in West Hartford. Charter Oaks to all.
Antie Glo
It’s what my college roommate from Westchester called my Aunt Gloria. No. That’s not it. Ants! They took the glow out of our modem. After days of intermittent internet service, we discovered their new residence. Gross.
Last night’s MadMen episode. Didn’t get the DarkShadows allusion except for obvious foreshadowing that started weeks ago. Betty is still fat, though.
AntiGlobalBanking. Until regulators are hired with the same quant skills as traders, get compensated at least as well, and have cross-border reach, Jamie Dimon, Congress, Obama- nobody can change Wall Street! Broken record alert. How many times do I have to say it?
Side Trek . NYC 