There goes civilisation...

We were due to fly back with XL airways on Saturday morning but they went bust on Friday so we had to spend almost £300 each to fly back to the UK and will not get any money back as we had bought our tickets directly with XL. It made me realise how naive I am and take so many things for granted. The loss is not great for us and I see it as an experience. The tickets we bought initially were probably too cheap for everybody's own good but thinking of all the implications: people have lost their jobs, tourist destinations have lost their income.

And now, Lehman Brothers...
Alitalia..

Alitalia?
Every cloud.....

I took Nassim Nicholas Taleb's books on holiday, very interesting reading given current events.

i read 'fooled by randomness'.

to sum it up - none of the traders or bankers have the first clue about what they are doing, or why what happened happened, but, crucially, the successful ones think they do.
whereas in reality, some of them got lucky, and some of them didn't.

good book.

So.. it's not the end of civilisation then?

http://www.wilmott.com/categories.cfm?catid=3

i don't understand any of this shit. i've done the economics a-level and i read the papers etc, but it's just all so abstract. i wonder if anyone truly has a handle on it.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355

Alitalia?
Every cloud.....

...has a contrailed lining...?

i read 'fooled by randomness'.

to sum it up - none of the traders or bankers have the first clue about what they are doing, or why what happened happened, but, crucially, the successful ones think they do.
whereas in reality, some of them got lucky, and some of them didn't.

good book.

'The Black Swan' expands on the randomness theme and urges you to at least consider the very very unlikely as a possible.

e.g. We're all turkeys forecasting our life expectancy on Dec 1st using the excellent data we collected over the last 6 months.

MrSmith you got no mortgage debt?

No I'm one of those smug cunts whose rent is paid with a couple of days work, no gym memberships, no car payments, no car to run, no kids to pay for, no outrageous spending habits, no drug habit, no credit card debt, no loan debt and enough money to live on for 3-4years if needed.

Thank God no-one was stupid enough to lend me money...

I have enough money to live for 3-4 weeks if needed

First the bankers, then the photographers, then the people who write shit music for telly ads, that's always the order.

But Tynan if you are free of debt and run what i call a 'lean machine' business (i.e don't invest shit loads of other peoples money in equipment that will take too long to earn you money back or lease unnecessary studio space that's unused half the time you will weather the storm better than others, and be there when the market picks up again as all the dead wood (inefficient or sub-standard businesses) will be gone.

hopefully this doesn't touch a raw nerve but reaffirms what you are thinking? :-)

I have enough money to live for 3-4 days.. but that's just because I've already done this week's shop..

Student loan comes through soon though

No I'm one of those smug cunts whose rent is paid with a couple of days work, no gym memberships, no car payments, no car to run, no kids to pay for, no outrageous spending habits, no drug habit, no credit card debt, no loan debt and enough money to live on for 3-4years if needed.

I doff my cap to you.

I have mortgage debt but nothing else. I also have an exit plan :)

I doff my cap to you.

I have mortgage debt but nothing else. I also have an exit plan :)

You are Reggie Perrin and ICM£5...

Yeah but I aint leaving my clothes on the beach, that's a waste of money.

are you suggesting Ant is a dog?

look closely at the pic.

the picture just shows Ant was hounded by debt.

But Tynan if you are free of debt and run what i call a 'lean machine' business (i.e don't invest shit loads of other peoples money in equipment that will take too long to earn you money back or lease unnecessary studio space that's unused half the time you will weather the storm better than others, and be there when the market picks up again as all the dead wood (inefficient or sub-standard businesses) will be gone.

hopefully this doesn't touch a raw nerve but reaffirms what you are thinking? :-)

No, I am good, like yourself no credit card, no bank loans, no car, I don't even have a mobile phone !

:)

luddite!
get wiv da program doode

No, I am good, like yourself no credit card, no bank loans, no car, I don't even have a mobile phone !

:)

not-in-the-rat-racist

If I lose my job and can't find another one, I'll have to leave the UK. I'm compiling a list of people I can potentially marry in order to stay. Anybody interested? Only UK citizens need apply.

would it mean I gots me a green card?

U can haz green kard...

But why would you want one? Nobody likes Yanks these days.

hey come on, I'd only be marrying one.