Lifestyle and Business: 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

The 'Wolf Of Wall Street' Was Real And Then Some

Real quick – I finally managed to see The Wolf of Wall Street today, thought I’d write up some impressions…

Wolf of Wall Street trailer leonardo dicaprio as jordan belfort

For starters, I began in the business on Long Island at the tail-end of that era and I had met a lot of the guys depicted in the film while cold-calling at Duke & Company during the summer after my freshman year. They really were dumbasses and savage maniacs, but to the young guys who didn’t know any better, they were Ferrari-driving gods.
Duke & Co was the boiler room spin-off opened and run by ex-Stratton Oakmont guys who had broken away during the regulatory troubles. I’m fairly sure that the Asian character in the movie, “Chester Ming” is meant to portray Victor Wang, one of the founders of Duke (Jordan refers to him as “the depraved Chinaman” in the book). The big irony is that Duke & Co’s office was on Third Avenue in the 50′s, next door to the Lipstick Building where, even then in the late 1990′s, Bernie Madoff was running his secret (but much larger) fraud all along.
I’ve known ten or twelve guys who worked at the Lake Success headquarters of Stratton during its heyday; all the stories are true and there’s very little embellishment in the movie. It all happened and then some. I’ve been hearing these stories for fifteen years. There was a diaspora of sorts that happened after that firm went down, a thousand others had opened up shop as the brokers were scattered like seeds in the wind. Boiler room brokerages had sprung up from Westchester to New Jersey to Staten Island to the Financial District in Manhattan to Boca Raton, Florida. But nowhere was there as heavy a concentration as there was on Long Island. At one point, there was a nickel broker-dealer in every glass office tower in Suffolk and Nassau Counties (and many big buildings had several firms housed on different floors, imagine the stairwells).
The scripts used in the movie were the exact same ones taught to every NY metro area broker in the late 1990′s. I printed the entire Belfort pitch (which itself had been stolen from the Madison Avenue office of Lehman Brothers) in my book Backstage Wall Street, I’m fairly certain the producers got their hands on it for the film. I doubt Jordan had a copy lying around from twenty years ago. They also used the term “Wildebeest” which is something I use on TV a lot to describe runaway stocks. My friend Paul and I made it up in a finance context five years ago, so I’m flattered, I guess.
The great irony that’s not discussed is that Belfort, had he done Wall Street brokerage the legitimate way beginning in the late 1980′s, would probably have become a billionaire by now. I could picture him running a hedge fund of funds business or being a brokerage CEO and just selling the shit out of it while other people did all the real work. He could have been a major player legitimately if he wasn’t in such a rush.
Leo’s Long Island accent was perfect, so was Jonah’s. And I should know. Don’t be surprised if they start talking like that in real life now, it’s kind of addicting after a while

Margot Robbie as Nadine. Oh my god.
The drug stuff was sad/hilarious. Leo’s scene on Lemmon quaaludes might have been the most humorous thing he’s ever done on-screen.
The real Jordan Belfort has a cameo at the end where he introduces Leo as Belfort the motivational speaker. He’s tan and fit and undoubtedly having a great time. Not sure how anyone consulting on a biopic of their own life starring and directed by Oscar winners could even be capable of remorse.
I found it pretty shocking that they didn’t incorporate one scene showing the victims of this systematic theft. They don’t show the face of a single one, although we hear a handful on the phone. These scenes are played so that the audience is meant to laugh at the “customers” whilst high-fiving with the Wolf and his crew. It’s pretty ugly.
The female boiler room broker character was based on a woman I knew named Chrissie. Only she wasn’t just an ordinary “single mom,” she was actually a stripper who was so aggressive that the Strattonites figured she’d be a killer on the phones. She was, until they hauled her out in cuffs from another firm years later over Stratton-era IPOs.
There are still a handful of wannabe Belforts and mini-Strattons out there to this day. There are a handful of firms still holding out and doing the whole yelling into the phones while wearing Armani suits thing. A big one was taken down this past summer, but the brokers simply jump to a new firm and start all over again. These days, they can’t take inside rips in penny stocks, so it’s more about churning accounts using real stocks or selling clients private placements. There’s a good chance you’re talking to a boiler room broker if his office is actually located on actual Wall Street. But these guys are dying out. Their licenses are swiss cheese and potential suckers don’t answer their landline phones anymore anyway – hard to con someone over the phone you can’t get in touch with. It’s been over for a while but what else are they going to do? They think Stratton’s coming back someday and they’ll get rich again selling shit over the phone.
The movie itself if extremely well made and entertaining. Lots of people are saying it reminds them ofGoodfellas and I agree. Maybe even a little more like Casino given the theme – guys who had no business running something that lucrative could never be smart enough to hold on to it without going too far.
100% of teenage boys who see this movie are going to want to grow up to be Jordan. I’m sure Scorsese didn’t set out to accomplish that but it’s inescapable. Oliver Stone didn’t think he was inventing Gordon Gekko to be the role model for a million young would-be finance guys, but that’s exactly what happened. Don’t think Belfort and Danny Porush (on whom Jonah’s character Donny Azoff is said to be based) didn’t have serious Gekko envy, that was the blueprint. Gekko’s like Billy the Kidd in that regard. He’s still quoted, revered and even emulated in every corner of the business world.
I recommend seeing it, if you can get past the real moral issues that some have raised. I get the argument against going to see it, but I couldn’t stay away.

Friday, December 13, 2013

If Only For A Second – You Need To Watch This

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Is Lucky The Right Word For These Happenings?

Sometimes when people escape from a near death situation most people attribute it to luck, others say it's a miracle. Watch this video and tell us what you think.

Luxurious Christmas gift idea

The group Asian Spa Ayurvedic & City Retreat presents X -mas Treasure, unique ideas for Christmas luxury gifts with the signature of Branche D’Olive, aimed for people who want to give this Christmas to theirloved ones a special, sophisticated, eco friendly gift! This is because Branche D’Olive products are handmade, crafted in France using completely natural products, a Gift of Mediterranean nature, as typically say their creators. Lavender, wild rose, geranium, honeysuckle, citrus, olive, lemongrass, magnolia, berry and many more…

With prices starting at 5 euros, products Branche D’Olive emits distinctive, delicate fragrances of nature, creating a pleasant atmosphere and giving a sense of freshness, cleanliness, relaxing body and spirit.

Scented soaps, candles, gorgeous pomanders, perfumed room with wooden sticks, scented spray, liquid soap, hand and body creams, pillow mists and many more… Each one with its own particular luxury character.

For the most loved ones, combine a Branche D ‘Olive product along with a Asian Spa Gift Certificate making them a gift they will enjoy more than any other… a relaxing, rejuvenating therapy in Asian Spa that excites the senses and adds a unique energy!

Enjoy your flight stopover in one of London’s luxury hotels

Argh, you think to yourself at the news that your flight from London has been delayed for the night and you’ve made no plans for a stopover. There you are at the exit of Stansted airport, feverishly clutching your luggage, wanting nothing more than to relax. So, what’s your best bet?

Well, the chances are that with all of the majesty of London at your feet, you’ll want to stay in the finest hotel you can find – and, in England’s capital you’ll be spoilt for choice, with this beautiful city brimming with luxury hotels.

Because, although Stansted Airport is replete with a number of generous facilities – Stansted meet and greet, coffee shops and restaurants, to name but a few – sometimes you simply want to relax if you’re staying overnight awaiting a flight.

But, where’s the best place to rest your head? Where can you find somewhere to freshen up, be treated well and have a pleasant send-off upon your departure in the morning?

Well, with this list you’ll be able to choose from some of the most opulent hotels across the capital and know that you can put your feet up and de-stress during your stop over.

41 Hotel – A Royal Carnation Hotel

Situated extremely close to Buckingham Palace, the is about as stately as they come, with a restaurant that looks like a well-furnished library, and rooms that give a modernised take on art deco design.

All in all, the 41 Hotel almost keeps up with the Jones’s over the fence in Buckingham Palace. Well, maybe not quite, but it does offer a sumptuous and supremely satisfying place to stay during your stopover.

The Capital

Located in Knightsbridge and just a short walk from luxury department store Harrods (an extremely short walk; it’s almost next door), The Capital is a luxury boutique hotel that wears the classic British design of its rooms proudly.

London’s luxury hotels by Editor | on December 11, 2013 | 0 comments | in Travel | Like it

But, where’s the best place to rest your head? Where can you find somewhere to freshen up, be treated well and have a pleasant send-off upon your departure in the morning?

Well, with this list you’ll be able to choose from some of the most opulent hotels across the capital and know that you can put your feet up and de-stress during your stop over.

41 Hotel – A Royal Carnation Hotel

Situated extremely close to Buckingham Palace, the 41 Hotel is about as stately as they come, with a restaurant that looks like a well-furnished library, and rooms that give a modernised take on art deco design.

41 Hotel

The Capital

The capital

It’s a hotel that’s also home to a reputable restaurant, Outlaws, that can guarantee your taste buds a satisfying evening and leave your stomach with nothing to complain about.

Claridge’s

With some of the biggest suites in London, Claridge’s is simply a beautiful hotel to relax in. Each room is infused with a relaxing design and state of the art technology that will leave you mucking around with the flat-screen telly just as much as you’ll be appreciating the room.

Claridge’s is a name that’s become synonymous with real comfort over the years, and is still worth every penny if you want a luxurious stay in London.

The Savoy

A legendary hotel, some of the rooms of The Savoy have been slept in by the likes of Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Claude Monet and Katharine Hepburn. Of course, they’ve also been slept in by people of less reputable stature, but they’re not quite as cool to make a list from.

And, The Savoy lives up to its reputation, with a fantastic view of London over the Thames, and its in-house restaurant, Kaspar’s Seafood Bar and Grill, maintaining a classical luscious atmosphere and offering great food.

You will inevitably be given that old-school luxury feeling you crave when you enter a place like The Savoy, and it’ll make your stopover seem entirely worthwhile.

Great sound quality, more than 15 million songs and amazing user interface, this is spotify. Spotify is a music streaming application which offers you a great music entertainment system. It integrates with facebook and other social networks so you can easily share your music with others. You can also browse your friends' collections and playlists, isn't this great?

Find the music you like or let spotify find it for you. A very useful feature about spotify is the following feature which allows you to follow your favourite artists and stay up to date with their latest music.

Pay a subscription fee, or get a free account. It is up to you. Read more about spotify here. The free version will offer unlimited playback for six months, but after this period of time you will not be able to do more than 10 hours of playback and only 5 plays per song each month. I know this sucks, but paying $9.99 a month for such an wonderful digital music streaming service isn't that much.

- See more at: http://docomputers.blogspot.com/2013/10/1.html#sthash.KuHQv4bt.dpuf

- See more at: http://docomputers.blogspot.com/2013/10/1.html#sthash.KuHQv4bt.dp

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- See more at: http://docomputers.blogspot.com/2013/10/1.html#sthash.d7u6x0at.dpuf

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The 25 Happiest Companies In America

Employees at Pfizer really love their jobs.

The pharmaceutical giant was voted the happiest company in America by its own workers for the second year running, according to an annual survey from job site CareerBliss
. Health care company Kaiser Permanente took second place, followed by Texas Instruments.
To come up with its ranking, CareerBliss evaluated thousands of employee-submitted reviews across hundreds of companies. Workers were asked to rate their employers on several happiness factors, including work-life balance, company culture, compensation, and growth opportunities.
Each employee review was given an average score between one and five. These scores were tabulated to produce a company's overall rating, or "bliss score," with a higher score indicating happier employees.
Here's a look at the happiest companies in America, as well as each business's bliss score, average employee salary, and ranking on last year's list.

We Love What Warren Buffett Says About Life, Luck, And Winning The 'Ovarian Lottery'

Warren Buffett recently met with a group of MBA students.

A student asked him what shaped his political views (Buffett is a Democrat). The famous investor offered a great through experiment, which helped him think through the kind of world he wants to live in. In it he characterizes something he calls the 'Ovarian Lottery':

My political views were formed by this process. Just imagine that it is 24 hours before you are born. A genie comes and says to you in the womb, “You look like an extraordinarily responsible, intelligent, potential human being. Going to emerge in 24 hours and it is an enormous responsibility I am going to assign to you – determination of the political, economic and social system into which you are going to emerge. You set the rules, any political system, democracy, parliamentary, anything you wish, can set the economic structure, communistic, capitalistic, set anything in motion and I guarantee you that when you emerge this world will exist for you, your children and grandchildren.

What’s the catch? One catch – just before you emerge you have to go through a huge bucket with 7 billion slips, one for each human. Dip your hand in and that is what you get – you could be born intelligent or not intelligent, born healthy or disabled, born black or white, born in the US or in Bangladesh, etc. You have no idea which slip you will get. Not knowing which slip you are going to get, how would you design the world? Do you want men to push around females? It’s a 50/50 chance you get female. If you think about the political world, you want a system that gets what people want. You want more and more output because you’ll have more wealth to share around.

The US is a great system, turns out $50,000 GDP per capita, 6 times the amount when I was born in just one lifetime. But not knowing what slip you get, you want a system that once it produces output, you don’t want anyone to be left behind. You want to incentivize the top performers, don’t want equality in results, but do want something that those who get the bad tickets still have a decent life. You also don’t want fear in people’s minds – fear of lack of money in old age, fear of cost of health care. I call this the “Ovarian Lottery”.

My sisters didn’t get the same ticket. Expectations for them were that they would marry well, or if they work, would work as a nurse, teacher, etc. If you are designing the world knowing 50/50 male or female, you don’t want this type of world for women – you could get female. Design your world this way; this should be your philosophy. I look at Forbes 400, look at their figures and see how it’s gone up in the last 30 years. Americans at the bottom are also improving, and that is great, but we don’t want that degree of inequality. Only governments can correct that. Right way to look at it is the standpoint of how you would view the world if you didn’t know who you would be. If you’re not willing to gamble with your slip out of 100 random slips, you are lucky! The top 1% of 7 billion people. Everyone is wired differently. You can’t say you do everything yourself. We all have teachers, and people before us who led us to where we are. We can’t let people fall too far behind. You all definitely got good slips.

Even if you don't buy Buffett's idea that only government can alleviate certain forms of inequality, one thing that's great about Buffett is his appreciation of luck, and the realization that he won a lottery ticket by dint of his birth. So many of our elites can't stop talking about how hard they worked, or the importance of taking risk and all that. Buffett readily acknowledges that he had incredible fortune from the moment he was born.
At the same event, Warren Buffett also explained why he thought George W. Bush said the greatest economic statement of all time.

The Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded On Earth Was Just Captured By Scientists

Perhaps you've noticed it's gotten cold outside. Even California is in the midst of a cold front.
It's not just you, it's the Earth. Newly analyzed satellite data shows a record low for the planet has been recorded.

The coldest temperature was actually recorded two years ago, on August 20 2010. That day, Antarctica's temperature fell to -135.8F or -94.7C. That's almost 10 degrees colder than the previous record.
One day last July was nearly that cold, at -135.3 F.
Since the temperature was captured via satellite, not thermostat, it won't be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, The Guardian reports.
An ice scientist who reported the temperature said it's something more fitting for Mars than for one of Earth's poles.

The 15 Most Underrated Apps Of 2013

Apple and Google celebrated a big milestone this year.
The App Store commemorated its fifth anniversary with a fire sale of free downloads, while Google Play touted 50 billion downloads and over 1 million apps posted in the platform.
Despite the abundance of programs housed within these separate stores, quite a few slip below the radar that don't receive the recognition they deserve.
We've rounded up the most underrated apps you really should be using. Check out our top 15 picks.

Oyster is an on-demand e-book service every voracious reader should have.

App Store

Dubbed the "Netflix for E-books," Oyster is a digital library that contains over 100,000 books for browsing. Available for the iPhone & iPad, the system requires a $9.95 monthly fee in order to download and read this extensive collection. Books can be synced between devices and the app has features like a bright light for reading in the dark. The fee is a small price to pay for the numerous options encased within this application.
Price: $9.95
Available: iPhone.

4 minutes that will change your life

Monday, December 9, 2013

MAP: Here Are The 20 'Super-Zips' Where America's Ultra-Elite Reside

The Washington Post has a fascinating visualization of inequality in America. Their map uses U.S. Census data to rank different Zip codes based on how elite their populations are. Percentile rankings for both income and educational attainment were calculated and averaged together, giving a score between 0 and 99. Zip codes with scores of 95 or higher were designated "Super Zips," the homes of the most affluent and elite Americans.
We decided to break out the 20 most elite of the Super Zips. The map below shows Super Zips in yellow, with the top 20 most elite Zip codes in red:

Here are the top 20 Super Zips in America:
07078: Short Hills, N.J.
60043: Kenilworth, Ill.
02468: Waban, Mass.
10282: New York, N.Y.
20816: Bethesda, Md.
02457: Babson Park, Mass.
06870: Old Greenwich, Conn.
10069: New York, N.Y.
10162: New York, N.Y.
10514: Chappaqua, N.Y.
10597: Waccabuc, N.Y.
60022: Glencoe, Ill.
94027: Atherton, Calif.
02481: Wellesley Hills, Mass.
06883: Weston, Conn.
07046: Mountain Lakes, N.J.
10518: Cross River, N.Y.
20854: Potomac, Md.
21737: Glenelg, Md.
94028: Portola Valley, Calif.

Lifestyle and Business