Cross Town Thoughts
Loved Danny Dickensian Boyle production. Like a laser beam into intimate history of the United Kingdom. Brilliant. Then, oy vey. Just starting the “M”‘s at 10:30 P.M. Three hours in. Commercials every ten minutes. I know, mAdBen, it’s your livelihood. But, geez. It’s all about NBC, not the athletes. Olympinoxious.
Zzzomney should have warned us about the snooze-a-thon to come. By the time the torch is lit, I’ll be snoring. DVR anyone?
Main Street vs. Bain Street. Why is Mitt surprised? He’s been running for President for like 10 years. He never thought this subject would come up? With documents from the SEC? He should have had his ducks in a row.
Zzzomney was in the bizness of maximizing profits. At any cost. For shareholders. That means downsizing. Outsourcing. Geez. Wasn’t anybody around in the 90’s? Personal tax shelters. Okay, maybe in the old days. But, last year? Perception is everything. This is not competence we can believe in.
The entitled on Bain Street need not heed the problems of Main Street. Until they run for office. Arrogance or ignorance? Either way, scary.
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.
Nifty gift from mAdBen. He met graphic artist Vahram Muratyan and got me a signed copy of his new book, “Paris Versus New York: A Tally of Two Cities”. It is a clever delightful artistic comparison of la vie quotidienne, daily life in each city. Laugh-out-loud brilliant fun. Motivation to get back to gay Paree.
It was highlighted this weekend in the NYTimes along with a book about women on Madison Avenue during MadMen days. Jane Maas recounts her time at Ogilvy & Mather in the 60’s, in “MadWomen”. A real-life portrait of Peggy Olson.
Before we leap tomorrow, let’s wish a very happy 87th to Betsey! If her mother Birdie could have only waited one more day, she’d still be in her twenties.
MR squared. Mitt Romney-Marco Rubio Ticket.
Obama ‘wags the dog’. Iran.
Ron Paul dukes it out with Donald Trump for Third Party run.
Callista Gingrich’s hair moves. Newt cries in ecstasy.
Brad Pitt wins an Oscar. He and Angie split.
CBS Rose-King Morning Show bombs. Willie Geist takes over.
MadMen and Downton Abbey best TV of the year.
Mika and Joe have a love child named Barnacle.
Patriots lose to Giants in the Superbowl.
Tiger wins a major. CandyPantsOpen happens.
Market closes flat, same as this year. Around 12,000.
Mayans just got tired of calendars. The world will not end.
Doctors as gods. Maureen Dowd tackles this topic today. With the abundance of internet info now, much of it faux, patients have become emboldened to question and contradict physicians’ diagnoses and treatment. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Many people demand every new test, scan, drug, because they’ve read about it and they can. Unless they have to pay out of their own pockets. Then, not so much. With the advent of ObamaCare, less will be covered. Tug-of-war alert.
Speaking of false gods. What’s with the deification of Chris Christie? He’s Irish and Italian. check. He’s fat. check. He’s a family man. check. But, is he really the GOP’s elixir? Once the Tea Bags hear all of his views, he’ll become Dr.Devil.
Side Trek . NYC 