People are crazy and times have changed

Thank you to Robert Allen Zimmerman for lyrical post title inspiration. And thanks to JEH Jr. of all people for the picture/caption.

Money Makes Me Sleep

It was only about 5 years ago that Anthony "Ace" Cornell would come shuffling into the family room at 83.5 Harpswell Road, Brunswick, Me and slap the original Wall Street into the DVD player for the second time in a week and the opening bars of Sinatra's "Fly me to the Moon" would queue the cracking of beers in anticipation of the brilliance that was Oliver Stone's masterpiece of '80's financial greed. Thus, it was with great anticipation that I went to see Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps this weekend.

I'll let Joe Noccera's review of the movie in the NY Times handle the details of my reaction because his views are pretty spot on, but the bottom line is the movie leaves much to be desired when compared to the original. Granted, most sequels don't match up, but in this movie it's hard to figure out what exactly the central theme(s?) or message is. There's way too much awkward rehashing of classic lines from the original - Bud Fox asks Gekko at a charity event whether or not "Blue Horseshoe still loves Anicott Steal?" - and way too many soft story lines pursued. You'll understand if you - dare I say - waste the ~$8 to go see it.

I expected more from Stone and Gekko.

Mafia renewable laundering

I have a mildly unhealthy obsession with Cosa Nostra (aka the Sicilian mafia), a healthy respect and hope for renewable energy, and will read just about any story with the phrase "money laundering" in it. It's not too often a story comes along that combines all three.

The man at the center of the controversy is named Vito Nicastri and is obviously known as "Lord of the Wind." You just cannot make this stuff up...

The seizure of a record 1.5 billion euros from a Sicilian businessman known as "Lord of the Wind" has put the spotlight on Mafia money-laundering through renewable energy ventures....The haul included no fewer than 43 wind and solar energy companies and around 100 properties including swank villas with swimming pools in Sicily's western Trapani region, along with cars, a catamaran and bank accounts, the interior ministry said.

Read the entire article here.