# For my buddies Richard and Rory...



## Greg Truby (Apr 1, 2009)

and any other Londoners.  

Can y'all explain ta this ol' cowpoke jus' what was all da fussin' 'n' cussin' o'er ta yer side o' da pond this week?  The news on the tele was having a field day with something about authorities advising bankers to "dress casual" so's not ta rile up the wingnuts.

Any of y'all have any interesting (and hopefully no worse) stories?  Rest yer boots on the brass rail and yer elbows on the bar 'n' regale us.


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## Kevlarhead (Apr 2, 2009)

Dunno if you noticed, but there's been a certain amount of economic uncertainty lately...  a mass protest/potential riot against the banks and banking systems that have triggered the current mess causes concern when:

a: many people have lost their jobs and

b: there are strong and sustained calls for the financial sector to be beheaded en masse.

Plus there were some of the standard crusty anarchists come out of retirement to start a bit of aggro.  And the bankers didn't help matters by waving £10 notes out their office windows, and telling the masses to get a job.  And AIG's main loss-making subsiduary is in London.  That's where your bailout money is going, folks...


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## Oorang (Apr 2, 2009)

rofl... Best. headline. ever. "Bankers advised not to agro crusty anarchists or they may take damage."


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## texasalynn (Apr 2, 2009)

and what about the gift to the Queen.  What was that all about?


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## Colin Legg (Apr 2, 2009)

Greg Truby said:


> The news on the tele was having a field day with something about authorities advising bankers to "dress casual" so's not ta rile up the wingnuts.
> 
> Any of y'all have any interesting (and hopefully no worse) stories? Rest yer boots on the brass rail and yer elbows on the bar 'n' regale us.


You mean that you actually got "international" news on the TV which was OUTSIDE of the USA?!! 


It's certainly been an interesting time and I followed the news closely while I was in the office yesterday. One good result: I was allowed to leave work early before the demonstration had reached my building. 
Luckily I had today booked off so I could attend the Excel conference which was tremendous.


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## barry houdini (Apr 2, 2009)

From my perspective very little happened really, Greg........

I work close to both Buckingham Palace and Downing Street so there were the usual road closures and some disruption when Obama and the other World leaders came round for tea.......but apart from that not much seemed different from usual.

I travel through the City of London (the financial centre) every day on the tube and while there were a few less Herberts in pinstripes (they're a dying breed anyway) not much else was different.

I assume Rory works in the City, so perhaps he saw more than me, there were some demos and a few windows broken but that seems to have been confined to a relatively small area......

I would have dressed down myself but there really isn't very far to go.

BTW, I assume the "Bankers waving tenners" story is the same urban myth the papers trotted out last time, apart from an isolated idiot I doubt whether there's any truth in it.......


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## schielrn (Apr 2, 2009)

Colin_L said:


> Luckily I had today booked off so I could attend the Excel conference which was tremendous.


I was wondering why the lounge was a little quiet as well as the board.  Now it makes sense that all the UK folks were at their Excel Conference.

I thought I remember there being better answers on the board and now I know why.  

j/k


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## DonkeyOte (Apr 2, 2009)

Colin_L said:


> Luckily I had today booked off so I could attend the Excel conference which was tremendous.



Conference was good, trains were empty, all in all a good day !  

Nice to finally put some faces to names (handles) ... hopefully the London contingent can meet up again some time ... perhaps for a drink or two... Rory's buying apparently...


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## RoryA (Apr 2, 2009)

I have to say I didn't see much either apart from a collection of the worst "smart casual" wear I have ever seen. Drowning in a sea of chinos on the train... (I wore my suit as usual on principle)
The protesters I did see all appeared to be pretty well behaved and I don't believe the bankers waving tenners stories either - as far as I can tell, most were either extremely nervous or staying at home.
In a slightly unfortunate stereotype, one of my colleagues did comment that he thought the protest was great as it made the City so quiet, it was really easy to get a table for lunch!


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## Domski (Apr 3, 2009)

Was down in London but didn't see much at all although I gather there was a bit of a fracas between the great unwashed and the local constabulary at one point.

I particularly liked the photo in the paper of one crusty throwing a computer monitor through a bank's window completely surrounded by paparazzi with their cameras poised. If they hadn't been there, most likely egging him on, nothing would probably have happened.


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## Greg Truby (Apr 3, 2009)

*yawns* *streches* *yawns again* 

OK, while I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond, I gotta tell ya, them stories ain't quite the edge-of-my-seat yarns I was hopin' for.  I can see that I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

*BBC - Page last updated at 02:50 GMT, Friday, 3 April 2009 03:50 UK*
<o></o>

LONDON - Today a group of protesters surrounded several “banker-looking types” as they were exiting a local pub, pinning two of them against the front glass of a neighboring chocolatier’s shop. The two gentlemen backed against the display of bombalinas, toffees and various exotic truffles were Mr. Rory Archibald, a local reinsurance analyst and Mr. Richard Schollar, a chartered accountant. Both gentlemen had exited the pub with “one for the road” in hand and there was great concern that the pressing crowd of crusty anarchists might cause some of their precious libations to slop over onto the sidewalk. 

Mssrs. Schollar and Archibald quickly deployed their umbrellas and used them to hold the throng of the unwashed at bay while they hastily sipped their beverages down to less slosh-prone levels. Bobbies were seen on the perimeter of the horde attempting to free the confined men. However the officers were held back by the sheer force of the wretched smell wafting from the anarchists and were obliged to await reinforcement from the anti-terrorist units, who carry gas masks.

Once Mr. Archibald had safely polished off his beer, he began to tire of the situation and went on the offensive. He launched into a loud, monotone soliloquy of the various aspects involved in reinsurance analysis. He expounded upon the minutiae of life reinsurance, facultative underwriting, risk management and capital-motivated reinsurance services. The anarchists were caught unprepared and were soon showing signs of disorientation and lethargy. 

Mr. Schollar quickly comprehended the nature of his friend’s gambit and (after also finishing his own drink) took the reins from Mr. Archibald and began a discourse on various aspects of investment analysis used by the global insurance industry. Just as Mr. Schollar had several of the protestors nodding off he made a comment which mentioned AIG in passing and the crowd began to rustle and become agitated. However Mr. Schollar quickly recovered by beginning a detailed explanation of how to create a Cartesian product using MS Query in Microsoft Excel. This soon had the crowd back in a serene mood.

Mr. Archibald then completed the sleep spell by explaining proper usage of class modules and userforms. By the time he finished explaining how to raise custom events, loud snores could be heard throughout the multitude. The gentlemen closed their umbrellas, stepped gingerly through the dormant mob and then proceeded to the nearest train platform.


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## Smitty (Apr 4, 2009)

**** Greg,

You ought to check if the KC Star is hiring.  I know the publisher.


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## VoG (Apr 4, 2009)

texasalynn said:


> and what about the gift to the Queen.  What was that all about?



I think she's feeling the pinch - credit crunch and all...


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