“Economic sanctions tend to have a boomerang effect,” said the little dictator, standing on a stool. “And in this case they have driven Russian-American relations to a dead-end,” continued the megalomaniac, mixing metaphors. Because of course, boomerangs circle forever. And never dead-end. Unless of course you shoot them down. In which case, they rise from the ashes. Returning with a vengeance. To haunt you. Anyhow,

“We’ve entered the world of How Long,” he said. “And left the world of If.” Which is a killer way to start an evening. Diving right in. Skipping small stuff. So I ordered a round. Not wondering if it’d be the last, but unsure how long we’d be drinking. He’s a brilliant investor. Who wandered West. To California. The future. Which is what we usually discuss. Innovation. Disruption. Singularity. But this evening we tal

Hope all goes well… “Thursday was the first sort of day,” said Roadrunner, the mkt’s top volatility trader. “We came in long a ton.” And sold here and there, as traders rushed to cover shorts. “It was the first time in ages when the scramble for vol spread across asset classes; stocks, bonds, oil.” There’s geopolitical conflict everywhere. Ukraine. South China Sea. Middle East. Africa. And oddly enough, Yellen’s now

Charlie didn’t say a word. Nor did I. We just walked across the field. Together. He on my shoulders, riding high. And I imagined his beatific expression. I couldn’t see it, I felt it. I felt so many things. There are moments without which life would seem somehow unlived. Like when your child first opens his eyes, and meets yours. For an infinite moment. Or when someone reaches for your hand, closes her eyes, and sque

“If I could explain what happened in those six minutes, I would answer,” said Scolari, Brazil’s coach. “But I do not know.” Which isn’t exactly true. He knows what happened, he just doesn’t know why. No one ever really does. But the nice thing about sports is that the ‘why’ isn’t all that important, it’s the ‘what’ that matters. Brazil got demolished, that’s ‘what’ happened. Soon after, no one really cares ‘why.’ Gam

Hope all goes well… “Oh yeah, we’ll look great in a family pic,” said Teddy, tired of being teased, having impulsively cut his own hair with kitchen scissors. “Olivia with her black eye, Jackson with his snaggletooth, and Charlie with his ugly face,” he continued, cracking himself up. Jackson hid his broken front tooth (lacrosse injury). Olivia blushed. But Osama bin Charlie declared jihad, “You forgot about yo

Oh thank god we lost. And no longer have to pretend. That we care about soccer. Or even know a single player’s name. Other than Tim Howard of course. A superhero. Who in that melting-pot, mixed-up sort of American way covers his body in tattoos, battles Tourette’s Syndrome, loves Jesus, wears his beard like a Jihadist, and deflects more incoming shots than the world’s latest self-proclaimed Caliph has middle names. I

“Should have known what to expect,” he said, laughing at his own idiocy. “When you move into a house filled with 19yr old derelict degenerates, there’s no going to sleep early.” But refusing to cut and run, he traded out of the position. “I figured if these morons were going to keep me up till 2am listening to Pearl Jam, they were going have to pay.” So he started a casino in the frat-house basement. That stank of st

Hope all goes well… “Good news is still good,” said Yoda, high on grappa. “And bad is still good,” continued the S&P mkt’s biggest local, sailing the Amalfi coast. “Open at 1971, trade to 67, close at 78; that is good.” The cry of boat hands tacked in the distance. “Open 71, trade to 78, close at 50; that is bad.” Our historic rally’s been built by the former, and is absent the latter. “This is the upward capitul

Hope all goes well… “I can’t find anything; Argentina 2038 bonds were trading in the 30’s and 40’s,” said the investor. “But now they’re close to 50,” he said. “Guess there’s some carry left in Venezuela,” he said, more to himself than to me. “And Ivory Coast’s defaulted bonds yield 6%.” We both laughed. Simultaneously seeing that he’d found something after all. ‘Cause when you realize the only thing left to do is bu