Not a single soul in the room could read the statement with a straight face. But practice makes perfect. So they kept trying. And drinking spiked punch. Late into the Moscow night. Of course, Japanese can’t hold their liquor. And Tokyo’s feather-weight finance minister soon found himself legless. Oh, how the crowd laughed as they egged him on. “C’mon you little Aso, read it one more time,” they chortled. And try he w

“Yours,” I yelled, amidst chaos. And the closing bell rang, surprising me. Frightening me. Leaving me short 100 wheat contracts. Which may not sound scary. But in 1990, I was a pit trader. Trading my own money. Which wasn’t much, but was everything. And 100 contracts was 80 too many – to hold overnight anyway. Naturally, news hit the tape that Egypt purchased wheat. So I raced to call my roommate, who assisted

Hope all goes well. “Happy V day baby,” I texted my Valentine, from Chicago O’Hare. Which ain’t exactly a pro move, in case you wondered. And to make matters worse, Mara read my note while packing our bags. You see, I’d left her on her own, back in Santa Barbara. To spend the Day of Love schlepping four kids and ski gear to the Rockies. Which is a scene that never found its way into Romeo and Juliet. So at our rendez

Hope all goes well. “Happy V day baby,” I texted my Valentine, from Chicago O’Hare. Which ain’t exactly a pro move, in case you wondered. And to make matters worse, Mara read my note while packing our bags. You see, I’d left her on her own, back in Santa Barbara. To spend the Day of Love schlepping four kids and ski gear to the Rockies. Which is a scene that never found its way into Romeo and Juliet. So at our rendez

Hope all goes well. Ushered in the Year of the Snake at a local Chinese joint. You see, Mara and I make every effort to educate our kiddies. Open their eyes. To a bigger world. Plus our boys study Mandarin (Olivia studies French). And we got math tutors that’d make a Beijing Tiger mom turn green. Anyhow, we waited for chow mein, chatting politely, practicing good manners. And Jackson asks, “Dad, why do Chinese babies

“We held 40% of the outstanding dealer holdings of treasuries one month,” admitted the founder/CIO of one of the world’s biggest hedge funds, in a tone that combined pride, amazement, and concern. “The street is stepping away from making markets, spreads are widening, liquidity’s disappearing.” So he’s hiring flow traders to fill that void. “When rates inevitably go higher there will be no one to buy — 10yr bon

“Vive la France!” chanted the rapturous crowd. Dancing. Singing. And emerging from the shadow of a monument commemorating Mali’s independence from France, Hollande took the podium, promising to stay as long as necessary. To free Timbuktu. From the ruthless grip of a radical minority. An austere sect. Unwilling to compromise. And with that commitment made, Francois jetted home. To lash out at the faceless, ruthless mi

Hope all goes well. Santa Barbara film festival continues. And Daniel Day-Lewis arrived. To discuss Lincoln. For which he’ll win an unprecedented 3rd Oscar for Best Actor. Yet despite such towering talent, he rarely takes a role. So the soft-spoken artist explained, “There is a right a time for everything, for a film to be made, for a writer to write, a director to direct, and for me, there’s a right time for me to a

Duck dude! They’re freakin’ everywhere. Rockets that is. South Korea launched their first satellite. Into space. To look back down. Onto Earth. Where 300 dusty dongs remain pointed at Seoul. And with so many rockets swirling round the Sea of Japan, Tokyo’s sleepy Samurai boosted defense spending for the first time in 11yrs (while reducing the overall budget for the first time in 7yrs). Of course, the Ayatollah launch

“You know what impressed me most?” I asked Jackson, my 11yr-old, tears welling up in his eyes, unable to speak, as we sat in the car, looking across the empty field. “You played hard, kept your cool under pressure, and even in those couple games when you guys had no hope, you never lost yours.” He plays goalie. Very well. And got pulled up in post-season play, to scrimmage with older kids. A few of whom hiss insults